The Sour Grapes Chronicles: Equestria Girls

by The Incredible Werekitty

The Calm Before the Stormy

The Saturday after a certain fateful Fall Formal a pair of geniuses met at the large house, practically a mansion, on Sunshine Street.

“Welcome to Chez Grapes,” Grapes said opening the door. “You have your choice of rooms, because they’re not completely full up.”

“So far, it is a lot nicer than where I was, before,” Sunset asserted. “Nevermind not hearing screaming fights, having to walk past gang members and addicts.”

She walked around the main floor and peered into the music room.

“Is… is that a harpsichord? How do you afford all of this on a teacher’s wage?”

“It came with the house,” Grapes explained. “I inherited the house from a relative, and got help in turning it into a boarding house so I could keep it. Also… I don’t get paid yet. I’m still an intern. An intern with an office, true, but still an intern. I imagine the school board is all for pressuring Principal Celestia to keep me an intern for as long as humanly possible.”

“Yeah. That’s a thing that only happens in THIS world.” Shimmer observed running her hand over the Harpsichord. “In Equestria we never would get away with that sort of thing unless you were specifically an apprentice. Say what you will about the Royal Vizier, he got some laws on employment hammered down.”

“I wouldn’t know what to say about the Royal Vizier, since I’ve never been to Equestria,” Grapes said chuckling. “You play?”

“Haven’t touched any musical instruments since I came here. When I mirror-jumped I didn’t bring so much as a guitar, so I have no idea how to… ‘handle’ one.” She said, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers for emphasis. “I might be able to still sing though, sometimes spells have somatic components so, being able to carry a tune can only help a magic-focused career.”

“Interesting,” Grapes observed. “Well you know I can dance, can teach a mean history class, and can be snarky at the drop of a copper folded hat. Not a lot of talents but they’re mine.”
“Wait, what’s that about a copper, folded hat?”

“Mister Cordington gave it to me,” Grapes said with a chuckle. “Turns out copper’s more effective than tinfoil for deterring mind control.”

“Cordington? The janitor who teaches philosophy and physics? ...Actually considering how strange he is, getting a copper hat from him makes perfect sense.” Sunset Shimmer said before going back to the front hallway to watch the Storm Riders pulling her possessions from the cube truck. “So copper, huh? I’ll have to make a note of that.”

“I see you guys made it okay. No trouble from the locals?” Grapes asked, then turned to Sunset. “You didn’t say which room you wanted.”

“Oh. Sorry. Uhm. Could you give me a few minutes to look at my prospects?”

“There are some upstairs, and some downstairs,” Grapes said pointing up the stairs, and to the servants’ area. “Whichever you choose these goofballs will move your stuff in.”

“Right. Ok, take five everyone. This is gonna take me a little time.” Sunset Shimmer said to the group before looking at the servants rooms first.

Squall wandered over to Grapes and took a sip from his coffee before addressing her.

“Not to say this here’s a BAD idea or anything, Lass but are ya sure it’s a GOOD idea to bring her into yer home?”

“No, but I’m giving her a chance, and I figure that you, Stormy and Firestormer can probably take her,” Grapes observed casually. “Also, you guys would be good role models for her.”

“You sure about THAT? I’m still banned from entering certain countries even this much time later.” Squall said with a rather raunchy chuckle. “Not that I have any regrets. Completely WORTH it.”

“Should be some interesting stories,” Grapes said with a grin.

“Oh yes. Definitely over a hot drink kind of stories. But seriously I think I can at least remind her we all pull some real boners in our youth that help shape us as we grow up.”

“... Uhm… You do know that word means something else nowadays, right?” Grapes asked looking at Squall with a slight smirk.

“What? Oh! Oh right. Sorry. My bad. Uh… Make Mistakes growing up?” Squall said, correcting himself.

“Yeah. Though I don’t know if yours will scale to hers, but at least Sunset will know she’s not completely alone,” Grapes said with a laugh, as they waited for Sunset Shimmer to pick a room.

Finally after some deliberation Sunset found that the moderate sized room on the second floor at the end of the hallway suited her needs the best. The team began to move her modest second-hand furniture into the living space and Sunset indicated where she thought they would best look. After she was settled in she looked at the icons on the doors of the already occupied rooms.

“You know, it always seemed strange how everyone in this world has a cutiemark even though the very concept of it is alien to them.” She remarked to Sour Grapes.

“What’s a cutiemark?” Grapes asked.

“It’s uh… Kind of a…” Sunset groped for the words before taking a deep breath and going into a monologue that obviously came straight from the mouth of a parent.”Well, when a filly or colt reach a certain age they begin to start feeling changes in their interests. As they begin to try and develop new things such as skills, abilities and the like they inevitably discover that one thing that they are better at than anything else that they personally do. For somepony this might be a talent for craftsmare...craftsMANship, others it may be a social talent, a physical talent or even an intellectual talent. When they find this special talent, there’s a sharp burst of magic about their hindquarters and an image that suggests said talent appears upon their flanks… Both sides.”

Grapes was silent a moment, mentally sorting this out in her head before replying.

“You make it sound like ponies spontaneously transfigure a talent-related tattoo on their tushies”

“That... sums it up surprisingly well..” Sunset reluctantly agreed. “Granted you REALLY gotta jump through some mental hoops to work out the meaning in some cutie marks but most are fairly straightforward. You see somepony with a hammer and saw on their flank, it probably means they’re a carpenter, you see a stethoscope they’re probably a doctor, and so on and so forth.”

“Uh huh… That’s… interesting. As for our emblems… I’m not sure how we end up with them, but they seem to represent… us,” Grapes said with a shrug. “I know mine is what I just thought looked neat.”

“We talkin’ about them icons we all use, Lasses?” Summer squall said carrying up a mermaid-centric lamp. “I can’t speak about most others but while in the navy I got three sheets to the wind while in port and woke up in my bunk with winged anchors upon me forearms… and they kinda grew on me. Like they was sayin’ ta me ‘Mister Summer Squall, wherever ya fly in the world, you can set yer anchor down and call it home’. I really think them tattoos were on ta somethin’ there.”

“Yes, YES! It’s just like that!” Sunset said, as what Squall said resonated with her meaning. “That’s a lot like what it’s like to get a cutie mark. Sometimes there’s interpretation involved so there are ponies who miss the point of their talent but most often they do ‘get it’.”

“I just chose mine because it was kind of like my name,” Grapes said tapping her bunch of grapes pin on her shirt. “If my token was talent oriented, I would think it would be something related to history.”

“Passing along juicy nuggets of knowledge to thirsty young minds?” Sunset suggested.

“You seem to be the main one who has a thirsty young mind,” Grapes said mussing Sunset’s hair. “But you are not incorrect. So if my emblem was talent oriented, I doubt it would be a bunch of grapes.”

“Well I did say some needed mental gymnastics to get to,” Sunset observed, trying to straighten her hair from Grapes’ messing it up.

“You mean like Cheerilee’s smiling daisies?” Grapes asked. “She always said they represent the care she takes with her students, helping them to learn and grow.”

“Yeah, like that. Not exactly obvious, is it?” Sunset replied with a bit of a sheepish grin.

“No. No it’s not. Also I think she may have had some of that idealistic shine rubbed off in the face of student apathy,” Grapes said with a small smirk. “Anyway welcome to the abode. Rent’s due around the first of the month. I try to work it out with you when it’s best for you to pay it. You have a mini fridge downstairs to store your personal foodstuffs. I may get a communal fridge for things that everybody eats, but keep stuff you don’t want people nabbing in your fridge.

“I was wondering about that room full of mini fridges. The padlocks on each one seemed… ominous.”

“It’s just everybody protecting their favorite treats from pilferage,” Grapes said with a chuckle.

“And accidental mis-snackage.” Squall said with a smirk. “We’ve all been there, Lass. It’s the middle of the night, you come down all bleary-eyed for something you squirreled away and you reach for the wrong handle. Trust me when I say, you do NOT want to accidently reach into Earshot’s fridge when half-asleep.”

“Why? What’s he got in there? Body parts?” Sunset asked, teasingly.

“He’s from overseas.” The old man said with a dark chuckle. “They got ‘exotic’ tastes over there y’know. Think along stories of Amputee Frogs, Lye-infused fish and Ez-cart-Gott.”

“Oh. OH! Geez… yeah. Ok. I get it now.” The teen agreed, her face going a shade paler.

“Yeah, if he gives you something to sample, do not, for the sake of your sanity, ask what’s in it,” Grapes advised. “They’re usually good, but you don’t want to make yourself retroactively sick.”

“Right. He’s… the blind kid, right?” Sunset asked, tentatively as if uncertain of broaching the subject.

“He’s ‘legally blind’. Earshot’s got an interesting eye condition that’s a genetic trademark among his people. He has amazing night vision, but has to wear special goggles to not have his eyes seriously burn in the daytime,” Grapes explained. “So he can use an oil lamp to see words and pictures in those books that aren’t in braille.”

“Huh. I’ve seen him around, but never heard anything about him. Or thought to ask.” She admitted. “He’s one of the few people in the school I haven’t actively bullied. Guess even I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick on the handicapped. Can’t say for certain if Snips and Snails got proactive though.”

“Hey, Earshot?” Grapes called, unsure where he happened to be at the moment.

“Yes Miss Grapes?” Came his voice from the heating vent, no doubt he was trying it as an intercom.

“Did Snips and Snails pick on you? I remember you said you used your night vision to elude a couple of bullies,” Grapes asked.

“The short pudgy kid and tall skinny one? Yeah that was them.” Earshot replied, his voice sounding metallic and hollow through the grate. “They said handicap or no they wanted to make me feel like any other student at the school. Kinda nice in a misguided, mean-spirited way.”

“Properly bullied?” Grapes quipped with a chuckle.

“Oh for the love of…” Sunset said looking quite chastened as she pressed the palm of her hand to her face. “Equal-opportunity bullying? Really guys? ...well at least I can’t say they didn’t TRY to be politically correct in their political incorrectness.”

Grapes chuckled patting Sunset’s shoulder consolingly.

“Well there is one thing you said when you were all demoned up that is good advice,” Grapes said with a smile.

“And what would that be?” Sunset asked with a touch of scepticism.

“Let bygones be bygones,” Grapes said heading out of the hall. “Though I imagine a lot of your fellow students aren’t going to follow that advice. School kids can be so cruel.”

“We can be?” Came Earshot’s surprisingly happy sounding reply from the vent. “I… I didn’t know that was an option! Thanks Miss Grapes!”

“WAIT! I meant it as a state that school kids could be, Earshot, not as an option!” Grapes protested. “You know how the bullies tried to bully you, or if your classmates made fun of you, or if people are going to hold serious grudges against Miss Shimmer, here.”

“Oooh. Right. Sorry… good thing you got me before I soaped someone’s windows.”

“Save it for Halloween,” Grapes quipped. “Some of my neighbors are dentists, and give out toothbrushes.”

“He’s not that mean-spirited, is he? I mean… soaping up windows?” Sunset asked incredulously.

“Yeah, Earshot’s a sweetheart,” Grapes said with a chuckle. “And would probably turn into an adorable bat winged pony through that portal of yours.”

Sunset cringed and gave a visible shudder.

“I’m not certain if they’re real but back home we have stories of Bat-Winged ponies and they’re anything BUT adorable.” the Ex-pony recollected. “Night ponies are best compared to ghouls or vampires, and were linked to an old legend involving a lunar goddess figure. ...You know, I could make money writing this stuff down in a book. Maybe make a cartoon series off of it.”

“Ugh. Not more vampires…” Grapes groaned. “If it’s not vampires it’s zombies… Though some zombie stories are pretty good, as are some vampire stories, but still there seems to be an absolute glut of them.”

“I just meant my world in general. Think of it. A world filled with colorful ponies and other magical creatures? It’d go over big with little girls.” She paused a moment and then smirked. “And the occasional guy with a sensitive side.”

Grapes chuckled then seemed to think of something.

“Say, Earshot, are you talking through the vents or in them?” Grapes queried.

“I’m just talking through them, Miss Grapes.” Earshot replied. “While it looks interesting to explore I’m in no hurry to. I mean these are heating ducts and the last thing I need is for someone to feel chilly while I’m exploring.”

“Smart move, kiddo. Wonder when we’ll get winter, this year?” Grapes mused. “Holidays should be interesting to say the least.”

“Hard to say. One thing this place has in common with Equestria is how… sudden the seasons can change.” nodded Sunset. “Granted you have no direct control over your weather but still… it catches you off guard.”

“... Direct control? Over the weather?” Grapes asked, looking a touch shocked. “That’s a thing in Equestria?”

“Magic is the ‘unobtanium’ of my world. Many issues are solved by applying the energies of Unicorns, Pegasai or just plain old Earth Ponies to it.” She said rolling her eyes at the memory. “Need Four harvests a year? Earth Pony that stuff! Have crafts that require fine manipulation? Unicorn that stuff! Need weather on demand? Pegasus that stuff! When you’re born with it, the incredible looks commonplace after a while, you know?”

“Hm. Sounds kind of sad, honestly… Though you did say your world was a technological backwater… Does ponykind kind of dismiss the whole technology angle because they have magic?” Grapes asked. “If so that makes the ponies of your former world seem awfully short sighted.”

"Well... Technology EXISTS. I've seen some advanced electrical or mechanical devices from time to time but they have yet to discover mass production the way we know it. So that means everything is handcrafted... uh... so-to-speak,” Sunset replied.

“Well I imagine a lot of ponies don’t need the things that humans do to get by,” Grapes mused thoughtfully. “Anyway, put your emblem on the door. I’ll get your key. And pick a fridge for your nomables. I’ll have to ask all the residents for a collection for a nice big communal fridge… Bigger than the one that’s currently in the kitchen.”

“That does make sense. We would want something we can just grab and work with,” said Sunset nodding.

“The mini fridges would be for those foodstuffs that are diet specific, or you like specifically and don’t want others to grab,” Grape said nodding, and headed to the living room. “Okay, everybody, considering that there are some things we all eat,” she said addressing everybody who was there, “I was thinking we need to buy a bigger fridge for communal noms.”

“I’m all for that, Miss Grapes! Count my silver in!” came Earshot’s voice from the register.

“Wow, that kid’s got good hearing,” Grapes said with a laugh, as she looked to the others for their input.

“Well, I think I speak for us all that we are willing to chip in for a elevation in our communal resources.” The golden-haired Queenie spoke, looking over at the aging refrigerator in the corner. “And to be honest I suspect old frosty there has been chugging away long past its golden years were over.”

“We’ll be sure to retire the old fellow with honor. We’ll have to shop for a large, energy efficient fridge that won’t break our collective budget,” Grapes said with a chuckle. “Right now your rents are the only income I have, so I appreciate the willingness to contribute.”

“I am… acquainted with people in the refrigeration fields. I could always see if they have any recommendations on the topic.” Queenie added pulling out a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “You would be surprised at how eager they are to speak upon their field of speciality.”

“Anything to do with the business courses you’re taking?” Grapes asked with a raised eyebrow, a small smile on her face.

“Ah… somewhat, yes.” She admitted with an evasive glance to the side. “Also many are family friends.”

“Look, there’s no shame in learning to do something better,” Grapes said earnestly. “I learned all I could about teaching and history before I even considered applying for the job. Mind you I did have a bit of an advantage, but still, willingness to learn something new, especially if it will make running your family business easier, and better is never a bad thing.”

“True. It’s just people look at you a little differently when they find your family runs the Avalanche Valley Frozen Foods Company outside of town.” She confessed with a sigh. “They always expect you to be some pampered, little daddy’s girl with a purse full of bits.”

“Oh, hey, your company makes all my favorite frozen dinners,” Grapes said with a grin. “And you may sound a bit posh but you don’t act like that little… so’n’so I have in my morning class…”

“Diamond Tiara?” Sunset asked in sotto voce.

“Diamond Tiara,” Grapes said nodding.

“Yeah. Our Queenie, her childhood face is on the packages all dimpled and with a little Tin-foil crown.” Firestormer said giving her a one-armed hug much to Queenie’s ire. “The Ice-queen of Avalanche Valley, hence the nickname we gave her.”

“That YOU gave her, Firestormer.” Stormfront said with a smirk. “It was just too catchy for the rest of us not to use.”

“Guilty as charged. Still she’s not as wealthy as you’d think.” He went on to explain, for his compatriot. “Long story short, factories have a lot of overhead to keep running, especially when you don't want to lose quality OR fire anyone.”

“He’s blunt as bag of hammers, but Firestormer is correct.” sighed Queenie as she placed a hand on Firestormer’s face and gently pushed him away. “In this economy even frozen goods have taken the metaphorical blow to the unmentionables and so some of the less-important sacrifices were made so we would not have to make the important ones. As you deduced my choice of classes are to hopefully gain skills that will allow me to find a new path we have yet to discover.”

“I do prefer Avalanche Valley brand over a lot of others because of the quality,” Grapes said with a nod. “And I like the idea of you using your education to help keep that quality at the same level.”

“Wait… YOU’RE Ice Storm, the heiress to the Avalanche Valley brand?” Sunset Shimmer said blinking. “I guess that whole Eight Steps thing really IS true.”

“Uh… what?” Grapes asked confused, looking at Sunset. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh. It’s a game that’s played at parties and stuff. It’s called Eight Steps from Handsome Hamhock.” Sunset said with a shrug. “The idea is that you can connect nearly anyone and anything in the world to Handsome Hamhock inside of eight degrees of separation.”

“You mean like that linking exercise I had your class do connecting Feudal Era Japan to Monarch Butterflies in the fewest steps?” Grapes asked with a grin.

“Uh… yes… just like that. Although the whole thing revolves around just one guy. Like he’s the flippin’ Illuminati or something,” Sunset said making a frustrated face.

“It also is a way for somebody to establish how much of a fan they are of Hamhock, because I imagine a lot of the links are tenuous at best, and either made up or misremembered at worst,” Grapes observed. “You would have to be almost obsessively familiar with his career to even make a tenuous link. Anyway, what does Queenie being the heir to Avalanche Valley brand have to do with that Eight Steps game?”

“Just that you never expect to be a bunkmate of someone who’s daddy runs one of the town’s key industries.” Sunset answered. “She is well inside Eight steps between Avalanche Valley Frozen Foods and the Ruler of a nation of magical ponies.”

“Avalanche Valley is a brand of frozen foods, run by Queenie’s dad. Queenie herself lives in my boarding house for college convenience, you live here because I decided it was both safer and cheaper for you to live here. You’re originally from a land of magical ponies who are ruled… by the pony universe incarnation of Principal Celestia?” Grape posited. “Hm… to add another step, I would… Oh… Were you that ruler’s protege by any chance?”

“HOW DID YOU KNOW?” She blurted out before catching herself. “I mean… how did you know?”

“Stuff I overheard about Twilight, and how she behaved toward Principal Celestia, your candid admission about being a magical unicorn from another dimension, your previous behavior, and the whole ‘I want Equestria’ speech while you were demoned up,” Grapes listed off ticking them off on her fingers. “Deductive reasoning and a pile of clues. So I was right, and you were her student?”

“Yes. Yes I was. Same as Twilight, only when I got too…” Sunset stopped a moment and the expression on her face changed to one of regret. “Well, I became too obsessive. Too focused on being the best, and trying to uncover the secret behind a magic mirror that I got booted off of ‘Team Celestia’ and she brought in the new model. Long story short I came here because I believed that this world would hold great power for me to do the whole ‘show them all’ trope.”

“Yeah, and being hopped up on magic didn’t let you remember that that trope never ends well for the person executing it,” Grapes said. “Well you have a chance to turn things around, and be a better person. Second chances don’t come often, nor are they the easy road, because people are too eager to throw your past mistakes in your face, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Just be glad you’ve got a weekend to settle in, and get used to communal living with people who are actually likeable.”

“Or at the very least do not know you well enough to hump to a false conniption.” Sirocco added cheerfully.

“What?” Sunset asked, looking confused.

“She meant ‘jump to a wrong conclusion,’” Grapes said with a chuckle. “That’s Sirocco. She’s another from overseas but her Eqquish isn’t as good as Earshot’s.”

“My home has a very different language, while every day Earshot’s village deals with terrorists.”

“That’s TOUR-ists, Sirocco!” Came Earshot’s panicked voice through the register. “Please. If no other words you learn the difference to, know the difference between a tourist and a terrorist. Otherwise you will be on a first name basis with airport security forces very quickly.”

“Okay… Queenie, you need to get good fridge recommendations, and possibly deals. Everybody else needs to… do whatever it is you do on weekends. Sunset, you need to unpack, settle in, and do any weekend homework you may have, and I need to go to a bookstore, and pick up that book of common idioms and phrases,” Grapes said grabbing her wallet. “Though if anybody wants me to get anything for them while I’m out, hand over the cash and a list. I’d rather take care of things in one car trip. And no you can’t just ask me to buy it and give me an IOU. I don’t even make a teacher’s salary, yet, so I am on a very strict budget.”

The group quickly found pens and paper and jotted down basics and in most cases pinned nessicary money to the notes. However they handed them to Stormfront who then handed them to Grapes with a shy smile.

“Would you mind if I tagged along?”

“No, I wouldn’t. You’d be handy to carry things,” Grapes said with a chuckle.

“I’ll come too,” Sunset said with a smile, causing Grapes to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “What? I already did my homework during my free periods.”

“So no fear of encountering classmates?” Grapes asked, causing the former she-demon to blink, then look thoughtful.

“Yeah… good point…” Shimmer said making a face. “I should wait a bit before showing my face around town… It’s probably a little too soon, and still a bit raw…”

“Don’t mean to discourage you, Sunset, but yeah… The last thing you need is somebody deciding to throw rocks or something,” Grapes said patting the girl’s shoulder. Grapes then looked through the lists, and the amounts included. “So you guys don’t mind me shopping at discount stores I take it.”

“What?” Squall said with a touch of incredulousness. “You make that sound like a bad thing, lass. Some of me best possessions came from bargain bins, odd-lots and Thrift stores.”

“It just means such things have… personality to them.” Queenie agreed, with a shrug. “Also sometimes you find things there that cannot be found elsewhere.”

“Just me being hyper aware of how much things cost in most places, because of that strict budget I mentioned earlier,” Grapes said, looking at the lists again. “I tend to do a lot of shopping at buck stores, myself, because the items are cheaper, and generic works just as good as name brands.” Grapes then folded the lists and cash into a packet and put them into her bag. “C’mon, mister foldy, we’re burning daylight.”

“By your command, my lady.” Stormy said with a genteel bow before holding the door open for Grapes.

“Wow,” Sunset chuckled, as soon as they were out of earshot. “He’s got it bad, doesn’t he?”

“He certainly does.” Queenie agreed. “He’s one of those heart-on-your-sleeve types. Probably good for us he’s sensitive too. Could you imagine if he were one of the more disgruntled types? There’s a lot of protein behind those knuckles should he ever make a proper fist. You know… the kind where you remember the thumb goes on the outside and not the inside.”

“And suddenly I’m glad he’s such a sweetheart,” Sunset said looking a touch worried.

Meanwhile Grapes and Stormy were pulling out of the driveway and into Saturday traffic.

“We’ll hit the smaller stores first, before we try the big box that is Barnyard Bargains.. I always try to avoid those if I can. They’re not as good a deal as they make themselves out to be,” Grapes mused, as they drove.

“Ah yes. The joys of buying in bulk, welcome to our country.” Stormy joked rolling the window down so he could catch a breeze. “This one is gonna require us dropping by the bait shop. Earshot wants two pounds of… huh. Yeah, only kid I know who sees little difference between a bait shop and a grocery store.”

“Well we did warn Sunset about his ‘exotic tastes’,” Grapes laughed. “But I’d rather avoid giving more money to Filthy Rich than I absolutely have to. He’s got too good a PR department for my peace of mind.”

“Well there’s Price Choppers for our grocery needs… most of our needs.”

“Buck Merchandise is good for general goods, too,” Grapes said with a nod.

“And… huh. Squall has recommended Salty’s Salvage for some of what’s on his list. Can’t wait to see what THAT looks like.”

“Oh, it’s that Naval surplus store,” Grapes said with a grin. “That place is great for sturdy items that will last a long time.”

“I should have guessed.” Stormy said looking at the list. “He’s got some serious winter gear on here. I wonder if he knows something we don’t?”

“He seems like to be the sort who just has to be prepared… Though I wonder if he does know something we don’t…” Grapes mused. “Winters aren’t usually bad, here…”

“He might be the type to have the Farmer’s Almanac, which is pretty darn reliable.” Stormfront admitted. “Might be worth looking into things.

“Maybe. Guess we’re going to have to make a group trip to the outlets,” Grapes mused, as the pulled into Salty’s Salvage.

The building was only two stories but was broad and wide. Salty’s Salvage came across in appearance to an old factory that had been converted into sales space in the past. The interior had a warm feeling though, the bare brick walls were clean and had varying shades of red while the well-worn wooden floor had been cared for over the years and shone with a golden yellow punctuated here and there by ancient black splots of machine oil. Rows of racks and bins of various kinds were everywhere filled with old military salvage and cast-offs.

Stormy and Grapes couldn’t help but play a little dress-up with helmets and the like but in the end stuck to the list and collected the items Squall had asked for in his instructions.

“Ok… We got wool socks, winter marching boots, One winter-grade overcoat decommissioned from the Yakyakistan infantry, which by the looks of it seems to indicate that they REALLY know their winter wear there.” Stormy observed looking through their collected material. “Some canadian Toques…”

“What’s a Toque, anyways?” Grapes asked.

“It’s a Ski hat, but far more polite.” Stormy deadpanned.

“... How can a knitted hat be polite? Come from Vanhoover?” Grapes asked with a touch of snark.

“Cute. Hmm… If Squall is getting this prepared, maybe I should ask mom if she has any new socks knitted for me this year.

“Your mom knits? Nice,” Grapes said, with a huge sigh. “I’ll have to see about saving up for winter clothes…”

“You live here. Don’t you have any in your closet?”

“Nothing super heavy,” Grapes said. “It’s been quite a few years since there was a serious freeze,” Grapes said with a shrug.

“We should remember to ask Squall when we get back so the others have a chance to prepare too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Grapes said nodding, as she paid for Squall’s purchases, and folded his change into his list. “If nothing else, Barnyard Bargains does have medium quality cheap blankets… And I did manage to upgrade the heater before the inheritance ran out.”

“And if worse comes to worse you could get Firestormer to look at the furnace if it goes wonky. He’s actually a licensed furnace repairman.” Stormfront said, helping Grapes load the items into the car. “He’s got an… obsession with fire, but it’s strangely healthy rather than UNhealthy.”

“So he’s obsessed with controlling fires, rather than setting them?” Grapes asked. “That’s an interesting little factoid. I’m learning all sorts of interesting things about my tenants.”

“I know. He may look like a James Dean wannabe but he really has quite the resume. Worked at a fireworks factory, did a summer tour with a circus as an understudy of a fire-eater, youngest volunteer fireman in his hometown.” Stormy elaborated. “Makes me wonder what the final version of him will be when he settles down.”

“More stable than most so-called adults?” Grapes quipped, as she got into the car. “As for me, a lot of my family on my father’s side are in the wine business. Dad and Mom own the premier wine shop in Canter City, stocking the family product, naturally… And on Mom’s side of the family… I have a cousin who’s a famous athlete.”

“Really? Anyone I’d recognise?”

“Only if you follow professional surfing and snowboarding. His name’s Diamond Dust but commonly goes by Dusty,” Grapes said as they traveled to Buck Merchandise. They got out, Grapes grabbing a cart then putting several baskets into it, and started shopping for the various individuals in the boarding house by going where they had items in common but keeping everything carefully separated.

She couldn’t help but smile when Stormy found the candy aisle and took a little time out to peruse the boxes of hard candy. He understandably bought only a box of lemon drops, adding it to his own basket which focused on necessities such as undergarments. He was a boxers-man, who would have guessed?

“You like lemon?” Grapes asked, an eyebrow raised, as she carefully shopped for her tenants.

“I don’t like things that are TOO sweet. Kind of distrust them, like all that sweetness must be hiding something.” He confessed as he motioned to the little yellow balls. “In fact I think I genuinely prefer my sweetness punctuated by tartness.”

“Hm. There is such a thing as something being too sweet,” Grapes said with a nod. “Can’t help but wonder if that taste for sweet leavened with tart bleeds over into other preferences. Wouldn’t affect your color choices, but maybe you have a thing for sweet and sour Chineighs food?”

“Oh yeah, There’s this great place that makes killer Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls.” He paused a moment then chuckled. “When Sirocco was first introduced to THAT dish, her first words were ‘That much have been SOME chicken.’.”

Grapes blinked then started laughing, hanging onto the shopping trolley for dear life.

“Oh great googlie mooglie,” Grapes finally managed to gasp. “She took the spherical shape of the dish literally, didn’t she, and thought they were rooster gametes?”

“Got it in one, Grapes.” Stormy chuckled along. “Now it’s a running joke among us whenever anyone orders Chicken Balls SOMEONE has to say ‘Must have been SOME chicken’. So… that’s a thing.”

“Giant rooster…” Grapes giggled, as they finished up the discount store section of their shopping. “You sound like you’ve known your friends for quite a while.”

“Five years for the majority. Earshot a little less-so but he’s cool for a kid. He’ll act like how you’d expect someone as young as him would. He’ll play games, watch movies and listen to radio, cheer on his favorite sports team, do homework and ponder the mystery that are ‘girls’. Then out of the blue something will happen and… well…” Stormy grinned and held his hands open as if indicating that he couldn't quite put it into words. “You are suddenly aware that he has a curious maturity that only emerges when he needs it most. I would love to meet his family one day, just to tell them how great a job they did raising him.”

“It would be quite a trip, I imagine. Maybe you could get a dance assignment there to pay for the trip?” Grapes observed, as they carried the bags out to the car, and put them into the trunk. “I may have to consider upgrading the ride, eventually…”

“Or you could borrow Squall’s. It’s a family sized sedan and he wouldn’t mind, after all he’s still struggling with standard transmission blues.” He chuckled and held the door open for her. “The man can captain a supercarrier but is incapable of driving a car with a clutch.”

“Funnily enough I know how because that was how I first learned to drive,” Grapes said. “Hm. Maybe Squall and I should switch rides. I’ll ask him about it when we get home.” She went over the lists again, making sure she got everything for everybody, and made sure everybody got their change. “Alright. Next stop the bait shop, and then home.”

“It’s funny… I know what he makes his food with but it comes out so tasty. I guess it’s true though, give our culture long enough and we’ll accept his food as normal, just like a lot of other stuff.” He said as he folded himself into his seat. “I mean just look at a lobster. If you never knew what one was, would you even THINK of eating something that ugly?”

“I imagine the same could be said of a lot of seafood, especially shellfish,” Grapes observed, before she was interrupted.

“HOT DOGS! The particleboard of meat!”

“That was random,” Grapes snarked deadpan.

“Sorry. It’s a song by a bunch of funny canadian singers called the Arrogant Worms. Once you hear it, it never quite leaves your head.” Stormfront paused and cleared his throat and sang the refrain “So have a hot-dog on me, my friends. It’s made from animal odds-and-ends. Have a hot-dog on me, my friends. It’s the Particleboard of meat.”

“And here I was about to go and mention oysters,” Grapes chuckled, as they went to Price Chopper from sundry groceries. “Cause come on, who would eat those once they got one open? I still ask myself that question, actually. Raw oysters… eugh…”

“I hear that stuff’s supposedly good for those with flagging libidos.” he mentioned causually. “I suppose if you had to eat that many, you’d simply try harder so you didn’t have to.”

“Heh. I can imagine. Though not recommended for anyone with a shellfish allergy,” Grapes said, as they roamed the aisles, picking up some staples. “Mmm… The basics are covered. I should have asked what everybody liked.”

Stormy held up a bag of carrots and a box of sugar cubes waggling his eyebrows.

“For our alien from a pony planet?”

“Put them back, Stormy,” Grapes sighed rolling her eyes. “Though we should explore more vegetarian options just in case. Anyway that sort of prank is more Firestormer’s style, not yours.”

“I know, but I bet you can appreciate the joke.” He said, putting the sugarcubes back and tossing the carrots into the cart. “I could make a nice vegetable soup for everyone, if you want.”

“Sounds like a good idea… Wait you cook?” Grapes asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Mom worked late a lot so I picked up the skill early.” the young man casually explained. “We started with cold-serve foods, worked up to reheatables and then proper cook and serve.”

“Huh. That’s nice. So few males seem to want to learn to cook for themselves,” Grapes mused as they continued through the store.

“When you’re a latchkey kid you either become a little more self-sufficient or become one of those who take advantage of an empty house. I just was the former than the latter.”

“I hear you,” Grapes said with a nod. “Me, I was a genius who blazed through school, and went to college at a young age. So that’s how I ended up the youngest teacher at Canterlot High.”

“I hope they start paying you. My job is less important than yours and it’s be shameful if I continue to be the one between us being paid.”

“The School Board is more than likely going to encourage Principal Celestia to keep me an intern for as long as humanly possible,” Grapes observed. “Just so they can have me there and not have to pay me.”

“You know… we could always send mister Squall over there to reason with them. And by reason I mean intimidate. And by intimidate I mean physically threaten them.” He paused a moment and smirked. “And by physically threaten I think I mean fold them up into little envelopes and mail to the hospital.”

“And that would get Squall arrested, and sent to jail,” Grapes said with a sigh.

“It depends on how intimidated they are.”

“Once they get over being intimidated, they’d want revenge,” Grapes said as she put some more staples into the cart. “And then they’d try something to pin on Squall and make him look like a loony. Nevermind his eccentricity with the piratical way of speaking.”

“Trust me. I don’t think ANYONE ever gets over being intimidated by Squall.” Stormy laughed. “When he said there are countries he’s been banned from entering, some of them involve him beating up a royal badly enough that they're scared he’ll come back to finish the job.”

“And I’d prefer to get the paid position because of my merit and ability not because Squall strong-armed the school board into submission,” Grapes said with a sigh. “Also just because the board my recommend it, doesn’t mean Celestia would take the recommendation.”

“True enough. Still, someone should inform Celestia of that option.”

“Should I mention that to her, sometime?” Grapes asked, as they went to the checkout counter.

“She has a good sense of humor. I’m certain she would get a chuckle out of it before dismissing the possibility.”

“Of sending Squall off to intimidate the School Board and get himself blacklisted from the Educational System?” Grapes asked. “Hm. She may find that funny.”

“Ordinary people don’t think of the ‘blacklisted’ part. ...never change, Sour Grapes.”

“I’m a teacher, and want to keep in the good graces of the Educational System,” Grapes said. “So have to I think of that.”

“Still, best to remember you got that as an option.”

“Don’t see it as much of an option,” Grapes observed, as they made their way to the checkout. “I send Squall, and we both get fired.”

“Grapes… sometimes it’s okay to laugh at the obvious joke.” Stormy deadpanned. “Not everything that’s said is serious and must be picked apart.”

Grapes blinked, then shook her head, chuckling. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I have trouble with knowing when somebody’s kidding. Blame it on my lack of social interaction when I was younger.”

“Well living with a batch of clowns like the Storm Riders will do wonders for getting your sense of humor up to speed,” Stormfront said with a smile.

“A sense of humor tune up?” Grapes asked, as she started putting the groceries onto the conveyor.

“Think of it like a muscle. It needs to be exercised on occasion otherwise it atrophies,” Stormy explained

“That’s actually a very good metaphor,” Grapes observed, as she paid for the purchases, and put the bags into the cart to take them to the car.

“A lot of things like that are in the use-it or lose-it category. Humor, cursive, Spirituality.” He said making a short list before putting down a plastic divider rod between her purchases and his own. “Probably why Summer Squall is in such good shape for an old gaffer.”

“I can imagine,” Grapes chuckled. “So… Not a bad trip all in all. Saved everybody some steps, and managed to come in under everybody’s individual budgets.”

Stormy looked over the impulse-buy display and picked up a small brightly-colored water pistol and smirked.

“Indeed we did, although it’s not always easy. It’s hard not to see Earshot as a little brother. Offhand he might love something like this…” He paused a moment before putting it back. “Heck, I’d love to duel with him with a squirt-gun. I’m not about to complain about an impoverished youth. Heck, mom really did wonders for a single mother in this economy, but she was rather anti-weapon in our household, so sometimes you think you missed out on a few of the ‘shinier’ toys out there.”

“Or missed out on toys altogether by being too mature for them,” Grapes said as they reached her car, and started loading up their purchases. “Y’know, maybe I should go on shopping trips with all of you guys. Would be a neat way to get to know everybody. It was really nice having you along.”

“Grocery shopping with Firestormer is fun. He doesn’t like to show it but he is a wonder with fresh produce. Probably because all those spicy dishes he loves depends on a good knowledge of it. Earshot on the other hand… well… his other notions of edibility aside he doesn’t balk at the idea of eating black bananas or cauliflower that has some spots on it.”

“Kind of sounds like his country may use all of its fresh resources on the tourists, leaving the natives only the dregs,” Grapes observed. “After all if all you have is rotten food, you may as well develop a taste for it.”

“Just like ‘haute cuisine’ in so many locations, right? I mean, some of the world’s most delicious foods came from a situation where someone powerful and/or rich eats all the best parts of the livestock leaving you with the offal and scrounging for things that you would have to be OH-SO hungry to even consider eating.”

“Yeah. Just like lobster, and oysters,” Grapes said as they got into the car to head home.

“Maybe we should work on a chapter for your class that links up with Home Economics. Call it ‘they got the good parts so we made ours delicious’.” Stormy teased.
“That may be a good idea,” Grapes mused. “I’ll have to find the Home Ec teacher and discuss it with them.”

“If worse comes to worse, and there isn’t one I… know a guy who can help set you up.”

“Why, mister Stormfront, are you volunteering?” Grapes asked with a smirk.

“Well, I’m no slouch in the kitchen but there’s a guy down in the east end who works in his parents’ sandwich shop who is a whiz in the kitchen. Bit of a character though, then again he’s a creative.”

“Well I’d have to meet him, see if he’d do well in an academic environment, and vett him to Principal Celestia before I tried any food related lessons,” Grapes said as they got into the car. “Also, I’d probably want to try this sandwich shop of his.”

“Oh trust me, he is as much of an artist with his sandwiches as he is with charcoal.” Stormy said strapping himself in. “After you personally have a chance to approve him, maybe the best way to see if Celestia approves is to have her come over for dinner one night and have him make something for everyone.”

“Okay. I’d still like to meet him, first,” Grapes said. “What’s one more character in the pile?”

“We have a talent for collecting oddballs and quirky personalities into our social circle. Thistledown certainly qualifies.”

“Is ‘massively snarky’ a personality quirk?” Grapes asked. “I thought it was part of my charm.”

“Nothing wrong with snark. Even Lewis Carroll felt it important enough to hunt.”

“I thought that was snipe,” Grapes quipped. “So… I guess I’m the lemon flavored friend.”

“From what I understand the best Burgundy wine is only possible with Sour Grapes”

“You’re quite the silver tongued rogue, Stormfront,” Grapes said, a light blush on her cheeks, as they pulled into the driveway of their shared home.

__________________________________________________________________

The weekend passed fairly quickly, the various tennants settling into their usual routines and the new one trying to discover her own. Sour Grapes had nearly forgotten about Stormfront’s recommendation about the ‘sandwich guy’ until Sunday, and although she would have thought the store would have been closed Stormy insisted they go down.

There nestled in between a tailor’s shop and a tavern in the east end of town was a small brick building. The upper floor looked like it was a residence but the lower floor was dedicated to an eatery which simply bore the sign “The Sandwiche Shoppe”. Grapes’ inner educator cringed at the grammatically incorrect and completely unnecessary use of an extra ‘E’ on the words to imply a quirky sense of old world charm, but shaking it off she entered. The customer area was on the small side, a long counter with a glass ‘sneeze shield’ barricaded those wishing to buy from those who wished to sell, but you could clearly see through the glass a vast assortment of fixings in small tubs recessed in a marble work counter. The whole place was clean and there was that smell, that unique smell one got only when fresh bread had been baked in a building over a period of years. This place had history, she could tell that much.

She was hardly the first person in line, but everyone waited patiently and the line progressed surprisingly quickly. She leaned a little to one side to get a better look at the young man behind the counter and her eyes widened. He was green-skinned and wore a forest green apron over his T-Shirt and jeans. Upon his head was a classic mushroom-shaped chef’s hat, hygienically hiding his hair from view. But it wasn’t his head that really caught her attention. It was his hands. She watched in awe as he deftly sliced bread open, their insides so fresh that steam rose. Then like an artist he painted sauces on, applied vegetables or meat slices in selections and quantities to said loaves until each customer seemed satisfied with the results, resulting in their order being wrapped up and rung up.

Each sandwich was unique and looked so delicious that in spite of eating before coming here, she wanted one. Even the crazy names added to their appeal.

“Order Up! Cheese Dream!”

“Order Up! Beef on Wreck!”

“Order Up! Fools Gold Loaf!”

“Order Up! Polish Boy!”

“Order Up! Turkey Devonshire”

Before she knew it she was at the counter, with him smiling at her from over the glass barricade.

“Oh, a new face! What can I do you for? A Fresh Pilgrim? A Monte Cristo? Po’ Boy? Or maybe you need a little more time to decide?”

“I vant a Prince ov Sturmhalten’s Big Bet to go, und a collaboration on a history project,” Grapes said with a grin.

“Oh ho! That’s an order I don’t get too often.” He said chuckling to himself. “And even then, usually as a follow-up to a sports game. Last one of those I had to make was for… I believe a colorful sporty girl and her cowgirl friend.”

“Ah yes. Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Have them in my afternoon history class,” Grapes said with a nod. “Now about that collaboration. History of food, especially what evolved into haught cuisine.”

“Oh really?” he inquired, leaning forwards with one elbow resting on top of the partition. “You have the attention of my inner cajun Miss…?”

“Grapes. Sour Grapes. History teacher from Canterlot High,” Grapes replied with a small smirk. “So what do you think?”

“Well, I have quite a few ideas already popping up in my head but what would my role be in all of this?”

“Well it started out as an offhand conversation about how foods evolved from being stuff that only the working class to being super exclusive foods of the well-to-do. Lobster, oysters, and a myriad of others,” Grapes explained. “Stormfront recommended you as somebody I could collaborate with on this project.”

“Stormfront!” He exclaimed. “If Stormy thinks I’m up to the task then count me in! Lovely boy, has a liking for Cubans with a side of coleslaw. If you can get me vetted by your grand poohba then I’ll make time.”

“Okay. I’ll add a cuban with a side of coleslaw to my to-go order. Just need your contact information, and I’ll float the project by Principal Celestia. May take some time to research, but I’ll be sure to let you know when the project is a go,” Grapes said with a smile. She then paused, looked behind her to see if there was a line, and moved to the side to let the queue go forth. “Hang on a sec, finish your line, and I’ll check with the rest of the merry crew if they want some foodstuffs.” With that, she pulled out her cell, and a notepad, and called the boarding house to see who all wanted a sandwich from the shop.

Grapes came up at the end of the line, waiting patiently, and then grinned, her list at the ready. “The big bet, cuban and cole slaw, tuna melt, southwestern wrap with extra jalapeno, the menage et trois… Apparently Sirocco’s been here before… A Dagwood, the trash bin, and the veggie special.”

“That’s quite an order.” Thistledown said pulling out the needed breads. “Still, you’re the boss. This won’t take long.”

“I’m ordering for my boarding house,” Grapes said with a shrug. “And I think it’s only common courtesy to bring food for the others.”

“Oh of course.” He said opening up the loaves with a well-practiced slice. Bet that ‘Big Bet’ is gonna be divvied up for dinner later in smaller portions, am I right?”

“That or for several day’s worth of lunches. How big is this Big Bet?” Grapes asked.

Thistledown Paused a moment then turning around rooted through some bins until he came back with a loaf of Pumpernickel that was more or less as wide as and as tall as a cowboy hat.

“I see. It’s kind of like a muffaletta, but with pumpernickel,” Grapes observed, thoughtfully, paused then explained: “I have an Aunt from New Orneigh.”

“Nice. The big thing about this is that it’s as difficult for one person to eat as eating a hat. Of course it’s far more edible but still, if you need to put your money where your mouth is…”

“Well, at least I’ll have more than one day’s worth of sandwich,” Grapes said with a smile. “Anyway, how much does that all come to? Also, itemize the sandwiches on the receipt, so I can get my monies back from the tenants.”

“Oh, Let me ring you up on that. You want seperate bills then or one itemised one?”

“I was asking for itemized listing individual prices, because it’d be easier on you, because you still have customers,” Grapes said, with a smile.

“Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezie.” He said, his fingers dancing on the cash register and it spitting out a length of paper on her side. “So, will I be making sandwiches at your class or will I be able to to get some real use out of my culinary degree?”

“It would depend on the budget,” Grapes said with a sigh. “I may have to hold a fundraiser to show off the various dishes. I’m still an intern.”

“Why not just ask the kids to bring ingredients with them? If everyone brings just one, then they all are participating in some fashion.”

“I don’t know how rich my kids are, when it comes to things like oysters, and lobster, considering nowadays both are fairly expensive,” Grapes said with roll of her eyes, and stepping to the side to allow the customers behind her to place their orders.

It was surprising how he was able to process orders and keep up the conversation with her. It seemed he had a degree from a culinary academy but this was the family shop so he was the dutiful son in keeping things going. He was however immensely proud of his degree and time learning under some of the great masters. For him to tell it, it sounded like typical college life save being food-oriented, and he even belonged to the best fraternity on campus. Eye Eta Pi.

Grapes looked at him after that revelation, then facepalmed with a groan.

“Hey, chefs may have serious tempers but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a sense of humor.” he laughed.

“True. True. Anyway, I’ll let you know when thing are worked out,” Grapes said, hefting the bag of sandwiches and heading out the door.

______________________________________________________

“I’m back and brought sammitches for everybody,” Grapes said, as she entered the boarding house.

“Oh how wonderful!” Queenie said as she fiddled with the small teal-colored speaker-thing on the counter. “Earshot brought home the darndest bit of technology and we’ve all been taking turns trying to get it to work. So far all it’s done for us is be a headache, I could use a break about now.”

She gave the offending metallic box and gentle swat with her hand and music began to play. It was a infectiously bouncy little tune with your typical pop-sounding female vocal, the type with that ever so slight nasal quality that implied youth without guaranteeing it. Still… in the first two sentences you could feel the energy and sensation of ‘fun’ in the song. What was truly surprising was seeing the normal ‘proper’ Queenie starting to move to the music in a manner that used her shoulders and hips independently from one another… One would have thought she might have considered such motions as ‘immodest’ but it was inspiring to see there was life under that veneer of propriety.

“Ooh… scratch that. I’ll have my sandwich after this song.” the heiress to the Avalanche Valley company stated as she shook her groove thing.

“So Earshot found a digital radio?” Grapes asked, listening to the song, tilting her head at the chorus.

“Oh yes. If that is what this device is then he did.” Sirocco clarified, placing a jug of water on the table and enough glasses for everyone. “It’s previous owner said that it had some minor defect and he threw it aside when he got a new one today. Earshot felt that he had nothing to lose bringing it home and tinkering with it. ...Now this sounds like a fun song.”

Sirocco moved over to where Queenie was dancing and now air-singing into her hairbrush. The taller and darker-haired young woman joined her in dancing, the two making for a rather interesting sight as they moved in time to the tune. Grapes watched the duo, an amused look on her face.

“Not bad for a pair of amateurs, but then you are dancing like nobody’s watching,” Grapes quipped.

“Well it’s fun! Come on, Grapes. Dance with us.” Queenie laughed

“Yes! Come and groove your bust, Grapes!” Sirocco added, pulling her into the uncoordinated chorus line in time for the chorus.

”I’ma do just what I want on the regular. And it’s really not my fault if you’re scared of a sweet little unforgettable thing.”

“Hmm… Something about that chorus,” Grapes observed, outdoing the others in the dance department by going into some credible hip-hop moves.

“I know. Who wouldn’t want to be unforgettably sweet?” Queenie asked as she was now apparently picking up on Grapes’ cue.

“What the…? What’s going on?” came a new voice, the three found themselves expanded to a four-girl chorus line with the bewildered addition of Sunset Shimmer. “I just came down for my lunch and next thing I know I’m sucked into an impromptu dance party.”

“Don’t ask me, these two started it. I’m just showing them how to hip hop,” Grapes said as she seemed to be showing the other ladies some basic moves. “If they’re going to dance they may as well have somebody good showing them what to do.”

“Good thing I’ve been taking dance class with your boyfriend, then.” Sunset snarked as she tried her best to match the rest of the group.

“What? You know something I don’t? He’s not my boyfriend,” Grapes quipped back. “I mean it’s more than obvious he’s got a thing for me, but I haven’t even decided if I want to ask him out or not.”

“Worried that he’s only falling for Grapes the dance partner?” She asked.

“Not exactly, but I’m not sure about dating a tenant, and fellow teacher,” Grapes observed with a sigh. “The tenant thing’s not so bad, as long as he knows I can’t hand out favors or free rent. Not sure about the fraternization rules at CHS.”

”I’ma do just what I want on the regular. And it’s really not my fault if you’re scared of a sweet little unforgettable thing.”

The four girls now had it all more or less together, dancing away to the chorus even as there was a little conversation between Grapes and Sunset.

“Good point. Better look into that one. Last thing you need is lawyers getting involved. Even in pony-world they are a pain.”

“I will remember that,” Grapes chuckled then it was as if a light went off in her brain. “... Oh. My. Ghawd… The chorus! It’s an acronym!”

“Wait… what?” Sunset asked as they eased into the final lines of the song and the finish.

”Shame Shame Shame. Shame on me. Sweet Little Unforgettable Thing.”

The four froze in the final pose, as one by one they let what Grapes had figured out settle in past the first four or five layers of gray matter until it too dawned on them. Sirocco laughed while Queenie and Sunset Shimmer found new depths of color one was capable of turning when they blushed.

“Oh… dear…” Queenie said, eyes wide.

“So… the singer turned a slur into an affirmation?” Grapes posited.

“Yeah… let’s go with that.” Sunset agreed hastily, “Better than just going with the original intent of that slur.”

“We should be thankful that we lacked an audience for this moment of clarity.” Queenie added before the enthusiastic applause started behind them.

The girls turned around enough to see the boys of the house clapping and in Firestormer’s case holding up a lit lighter, the universal indication of ‘encore’. Hopefully Earshot didn’t know what their revelation was about but still… their impromptu audience brought them both a feeling of mortification and yet humorous relief.

Grapes simply smirked, grabbed the hands of Queenie and Sunset, pulling them into the bow of a performer receiving their just due.

“Take a bow, ladies,” Grapes said with a smirk. “If they figured it out, no big. If not, hey, they got a free show.”

Queenie pulled Sirocco down into the bow with herself, Grapes and Sunset Shimmer for an appreciative bow or two before they went back to setting up the table for lunch. If anyone caught the sly meaning behind the chorus of the song, none of the males at the table brought it up. She did note that Queenie was cautiously watching Firestormer, no doubt if anyone was going to tease her mercilessly it was him. The two had a dynamic that reminded her of brother and sister. Close, supportive and yet at the same time with an adversarial streak. Nothing truly mean, but just there to show a kind of close opposition between them.

Grapes started pulling out the sandwiches and handing them to her little boarding house family.

“Cuban and cole slaw, for the regular customer. Tuna melt for Queenie. Southwestern wrap with extra jalapeno for Firestormer. The menage et trois for Sirocco, a Dagwood for Squall. Earshot, this little gem is called ‘the trash bin’ because it has a little bit of everything. Last but not least the veggie special for Sunset,” Grapes said as she handed them out, and cut a generous wedge of her own hat sized sandwich. “And this is the Big Bet, and will probably last me the week. Y’all can pay me for them later.”

“Fair enough.” Firestormer said taking a bite out of his order. “I’ll leave it in the counter jar.”

“Fantastic,” Grapes said taking a bite of hers. “Hm. No muffaletta, but it’s still good. Quick question, Sunset, are you a vegetarian, or did you adjust your eating habits to this world’s norm?”

“I… used to be more or less vegetarian but since I got here I discovered my digestive tract has… changed as much as my outward appearance. For example, I can eat a whole hamburger without any intestinal backlash.”

“Mental backlash?” Grapes asked raising an eyebrow. “Any of that, o former herbivore? How sentient were cows and sheep in your former world?”

“There was SOME moments of ‘I just ate WHAT?’ when I was getting used to things here. I mean how do we get the word ‘bacon’ from pig? ...delicious delicious bacon.” Sunset said trailing off quietly before getting back on track. “Ok. There’s a certain level of sentience to all animal life back home that doesn’t exist here. Some can even speak and discuss various topics with you… although the cows are surprisingly understandable that some carnivorous races find them quite edible. Downright zen.”

“Gotcha. So no need to assume you’ll turn your nose up at gumbo with andouille, or a muffaletta, or a wedge of my hat sized sandwich,” Grapes said. “And before you ask, I have an Aunt who’s a cajun chef in New Orneigh.”

“Really? That’s actually kinda cool.” Sunset admitted.

“I can cook cajun fairly well, not as well as Aunt Muscadine, but well enough to do her recipes justice,” Grapes said as she ate her sandwich. “Will have to fix one or two sometime. After we retire old frosty. Second question. You ready for Monday, kiddo?”

“Ready as I can ever be. I may need to make certain I have someone from Sparkle’s dream team around me at all times… just for safety.”

“Smart move. It’s not going to be easy, but you’re not alone,” Grapes said earnestly. “And I’m there if you need to talk.”

“Thanks. I’d go to the school counselor but ONE: we don’t have one yet and TWO: I’m not sure former alien supervillains are covered by your standard psychological training,” Sunset quipped with a half grin.

“And there’s another reason why I like you,” Grapes laughed. “You’re a producer of high quality snark.”

“At least I know one victim at the school doesn’t hold a grudge.” she said nodding at where Earshot was sinking his pronounced canines into his ‘Trash Bin’ sandwich with much enthusiasm. “Although I’m getting a feeling I’d have to done something a lot worse before he would even consider hating me.”

“That’s true. Earshot’s a sweetie with a big heart. I think everyone, here, falls into that category. Me too, though it comes with a side of brutal honesty and snark,” Grapes said. “Be ready early. I’m the carpool to Canterlot High, and I do have to do pre-class stuff and see where I’m needed before the day starts… Speaking of… Hey, Squall, want to switch rides?”

“Need the room, do ye?” Squall asked with a chortle. “Ah sure. Maybe a smaller car will be a little more comfortable for me to drive.”

“It’s also an automatic,” Grapes couldn’t help but quip. “So no need to remember the clutch waltz to get it to do what you want.”

“Even better. Thanks Lass. Oh, and I found someone who’s happy to help me get my Dinghy going where it needs to be.”

“I was wondering about the boat…” Sunset mused.

“That’s fantastic. The kids will love it once it’s installed,” Grapes said finishing off her sandwich. “The itemized bill for lunch is on the counter by the jar. The jar, by the way, is for donations to the general upkeep of the house, or to pay back any bits of generosity the other house members do for the others,” Grapes explained to Sunset. “It was Queenie’s idea, and I rolled with it.”

“Kind of the opposite of a Job Jar, huh? Interesting.” Sunset mused as she chewed. “I wonder if my locker will be vandalised?”

“Probably, but after the first time I’ll make sure to ask Cordington to make it graffiti proof,” Grapes said. “Anyway, you’ve had a nice weekend, settled into a new place with nicer neighbors, and made some new friends. Not bad for a former villain.”

“Yeah. Not bad.” Sunset agreed.

Author's Note:

And this is the song that Grapes, Queenie, Sirocco, and Sunset were dancing to.

Comments

[Fresnor]

An update?! Inconcievable!

[The Incredible Werekitty]

8861950
*faux Spanish accent* "You keep usin' that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[kamachakta]

So happy it updated. So sad it ended.

Looking forward to the next one.

[i_am_the_jam]

Strange, I didn't get the update alert.

Thanks, Werekitty!!!

[Vailen]

8861954
Love the Princess Bride reference