Through the Looking Glass and into Wonderland

by Babroniedad

06 - Another Sleepover

The girls had so much fun on their first sleepover their parents decided to make them a regular event. By consent, it was agreed the next sleepover would be at Sunset and Aiko’s apartment, with Sister Mary joining Fae in supervising the girls for this one. It would follow the same format the Shimmer’s had started; Friday picked up from school, sleepover at the hosting home, then a fun day of activities supervised by the parents or guardian, dinner, then home for the girls on Saturday night.

The girls of course were thrilled at this news.

Their parents all warned the girls this was contingent on their continuing to get good marks in school and not falling behind in their schoolwork. They needn’t have worried. The girls were all diligent in their studies, excelling and even surpassing expectations in all their classes. Some of them, particularly Orange, struggled more than the others, but with shared video group conversations between them they kept each other up so speed and motivated to meet every challenge.

Aiko and Fae discussed several ideas for their fun activity on Saturday. When Sunset pressed her sister for details, she only grinned and said “You’ll see!” leaving Sunset snorting in frustration.

---

Sunset woke. Seeing her sister still sleeping, she rolled over on top of her, pinning her arms above her head and glaring down into her face, forehead to forehead, as she straddled her stomach.

Aiko woke seeing Sunset glaring down at her. She grinned. “Good morning Sunset!”

“Are you gonna tell me what we are doing tomorrow?” growled Sunset holding her arms tightly above her head.

“Nope!” laughed Aiko. She arced up, rolling over to toss Sunset off her then shot off the bed racing for the bathroom. “You’ll just have to see!” she laughed as she escaped.

“Darn it Aiko! Just tell me! I can’t stand this!” scowled Sunset as she raced after her sister. In the bathroom, she confronted her sister as she was washing her hands. “Why won’t you tell me?” she demanded.

“Sis, it’s a surprise! I want it to be special, and if I blab it then it won’t be a surprise and won’t be as much fun. You’ll love it. Trust me!” she said, grabbing Sunset in a hug and planting a kiss on her cheek, then running off. “You’ll see!”

“Fiiiiine,” groaned Sunset, finishing up in the bathroom then cleaning up and following Aiko to the kitchen table. Aiko was already sitting at her place sipping her coffee. Fae put a cup down before Sunset, giving her a smile. “Thank you,” Sunset sulked, sipping the coffee.

“Someone is in a mood,” laughed Fae. “Trouble in paradise?” She served up the eggs and vegan sausage onto three plates, passing them out to the girls and setting one at her place. Ailene’s little robot did its part.

“Not trouble. Just brat!” groaned Sunset. “Aiko won’t tell me what we are doing tomorrow.”

“That’s because it's a surprise,” grinned Fae.

“Why does it seem like it’s only a surprise to me? Like everyone else knows,” Sunset lamented. “That’s not fair.”

“Not everyone else knows. Shimmer and Orange don’t know either. The surprise is for the three of you,” smiled Fae.

“But Aiko knows? How is that fair?” asked Sunset, still cross as she started in on her eggs.

“It's fair because I helped plan it, so I have to know,” reasoned Aiko, blowing her sister a kiss and getting a stink eye in return.

“You are just being silly, you two should just kiss and make up,” smiled Fae.

“Sure,” agreed Sunset, clearly still angry. “Aiko, I am sorry you are being stubborn and mean. Let me kiss you and make it up,” she said as she got up and marched over to Aiko who grinned at her. Grabbing Aiko’s face, she bent down and blew a giant raspberry on her cheek then gently pushed her head as she walked away.

“There, kissed and made up, you jerk.” Smiling, Sunset sat down in her seat finishing her breakfast while Aiko shook with barely contained laughter.

Fae just smiled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, definitely sisters,” she grinned.

After breakfast, they brushed their teeth and got dressed and ready for the day, laughing and joking again. There was no need to pack this time as the sleepover was here, so they grabbed their bags and headed out the door with Fae to their waiting ride downstairs.

“Okay girls! See you this evening! Have a wonderful day!” Fae waved as they got into the limo. Smiling, they waved back, Aiko blowing her a kiss, causing her to laugh.

Still laughing as they drove away, she returned to the apartment.

---

School raced by, the girls all thrilled at their soon to be sleepover. Despite being pestered by all three of her friends, Aiko refused to crack and didn’t provide a hint about the surprise, even when Sunset caught her in a tickle attack joined by the others. They relented after a few minutes, not really wanting to hurt their friend, but Aiko, despite laughing so hard she howled a few times, didn’t budge.

The end of the school day finally came. Aiko took the hands of Shimmer and Sunset while Sunset clasped the hand of Orange, and together they skipped out of school and out to the driveway to wait for their ride. A few cars later, the limo pulled up, and the driver got out to open the door for them.

“Miss Sunset, Miss Aiko, Miss Shimmer, Miss Orange? Please hop inside, and I will take you home,” grinned their driver, once again the owner of the limo company and a fairly frequent driver for the girls.

Smiling and thanking him, they clambered into the back of the limo as he shut the door and returned to his seat. Pulling out of the driveway and onto the street, he smiled back at the girls. “So it sounds like you girls have a very interesting day tomorrow,” he teased.

Aiko hissed in panic. “Don’t tell them! It’s supposed to be a surprise!” she hissed, waving at their driver.

“Tell them what? That they are going…” he stopped, laughing as Aiko looked like she was about to pop from apoplexy. He laughed and winked at her. “Gotcha!” he called out.

“Not funny!” laughed Aiko, sitting back down and crossing her arms with a grin.

‘It was kinda funny,” said Shimmer, giving Aiko a half hug. Still grinning, Aiko turned and stuck her tongue out. Shimmer flicked it with her finger, causing Aiko to grab it and laugh.

“Ouch, you bwat!” she said laughing and holding her tongue. Orange and Sunset laughed, hugging them both.

They arrived at the apartments, with Fae waiting for them as usual. “Sister Mary is here! Come on up girls!” she invited, taking their hands and leading them back into the building as their ride drove away, the driver still laughing.

They tumbled out of the elevator, racing to the door which opened as they approached. “Sister Mary!” Sunset and Aiko called out, their friends trailing after them. Sister Mary looked up as she was tackle-glomped by two happy girls hugging her tightly, both lit up with smiles.

“Hi girls! Ready for some fun!” Sister Mary greeted, hugging them both back, then stepping forward to pull Orange and Shimmer into the hug as well.

“Heck yeah! Even if my mean sister won’t tell me the surprise,” laughed Sunset.

“You both are so stubborn,” laughed Sister Mary. “Well, a few more hours and you will know just like the rest of us. Almost there dear.”

The girls rushed off to place their bags in the girls rooms. “Wow,” said Shimmer as they returned. “You have a really nice place here.” She turned to Sister Mary. “Do you own this place?” she asked.

“Nope, it belongs to Sunset and Aiko. I just visit,” she grinned.

“Wah!?” said Shimmer, shocked. “No way! How did that happen?” She turned to Sunset. “She’s kidding right? Your mom is kidding?”

“Sister Mary never lies,” smiled Sunset. “Father John and Sister Mary helped us get this place after they rescued us from the street. Father John’s brother is really good with… uh… not bits…” she turned to Sister Mary for help.

“Money dear,” she smiled.

“Right! Father John’s brother Stewart is really good with money, and he helped us get money to buy this place so we can have a place of our own to stay.” finished Sunset.

“But how did he help you get money? You have to have money or something to get money?” asked Shimmer, still confused.

“The girls found a treasure. And as they found it, it was theirs,” explained Sister Mary. “Stewart just helped them use the treasure they found to buy this nice place to live.”

“Ah, wow! That’s really lucky!” nodded Shimmer. “Cool! So the rides and all that are part of living here?”

“Yup! And that’s not even the best part!” Sunset giggled. “Watch this!”

“I got this!” Aiko cut in happily. “Ailene, say hi to our friends!”

Ailene spoke. “Hello girls! Any friend of my mistresses is a friend of mine! And Aiko, that was a very bratty thing to do! You stole your sister's thunder,” Ailene scolded.

Sunset turned to Aiko and stuck her tongue out, then grinned. “Yeah, so girls, meet Ailene, the Artificial Intelligence who runs our house.”

The girls all looked around, seeing no one but hearing the voice coming from before them. “Where is she?” asked Orange, still looking around in wonder.

The little unit rolled out of its cupboard, rolling up to the girls. “Perhaps this will help,” said Ailene from the unit. “This is the drone I use to serve my mistresses and Fae. Would you like a drink, girls?” The lid flipped up, showing several glasses of soda. The girls all eagerly took one, looking in awe at the little robot.

“Is that like R2D2?” asked Orange in wonder as she held her drink.

Ailene laughed. “That is precisely what my mistress asked when she first saw my drone! You truly are just like them! And I am flattered by the comparison.” The little drone returned to the cupboard returning with bowls of chips and dips which it set out on the table. The girls happily followed it, sitting around the table enjoying their chips and sodas.

“You know girls, I don’t think you have had a chance to enjoy it yet, but there is a lovely spa pool and swimming pool at the top of the building. What say we go swim for a bit before it gets too dark and we have to come back in? Does that sound like fun?” asked Sister Mary with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Wait, what!?” said Sunset. “We can swim here? There is a swimming place in this building?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes, a swimming pool,” agreed Sister Mary. “I was chatting with Ailene while waiting for you after school, and she was telling me about the features of these Towers you live in. You already know about the AIs that run the households. And how they keep your apartment clean and stocked with food and snacks, basically everything you need. But apparently there is also a movie theater in here, and the pool and spa on the roof. I thought it might be fun to try both tonight if you girls are up for it,” she smiled.

“There’s a movie theater here too?” exclaimed Shimmer. She turned to Aiko, “We should have every sleep over here!”

“No way!” insisted Aiko. “Your parents are super cool! And your house is fun too! No way would I want to spend all our time over here, no matter how cool it is.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah! And we still haven’t spent the night with Orange at her house! I bet that’s fun too, right Orange?” Sunset asked.

“Well, I think so, yeah?” said Orange hesitantly.

“See, so no way we give up going to everyone’s house. But I am looking forward to trying the swimming place on the roof, and a movie theater wherever it is,” finished Sunset.

“Okay,” Shimmer held her hand up. “Was just a suggestion.”

Sunset gave her a side hug. “And thanks! But, nope.”

Finishing up their chips, the girls discovered the first wrinkle in their plan. Only Aiko and Sunset had suits. Because they hadn’t thought of it beforehand, no one had packed their bathing suit. Shimmer was in luck because she was a perfect match for Sunset and she had a spare. But Orange was just a bit smaller then her friends, so she had no suit to wear.

She was just about to pout in tears at having to be left out of the fun when Ailene spoke up. “Miss Orange, please don’t be sad! I can fix this,” she explained, her voice again seeming to come from before them.

Orange looked up to where the voice was coming from. “How?” she cried sadly. “I can’t borrow a suit, I’m the wrong size,” she stated.

“Miss Orange,” stated Ailene kindly. “You are not the wrong anything. And don’t worry, I can do this the same way I helped the girls with thier school uniforms and other clothes. Please, just stand by the bed and hold your arms out straight from your sides. I will take care of the rest,” assured Ailene.

“Oh yeah!” called out Sunset. “Like you had us do to be measured for our school clothes!” She turned excitedly to Orange. “Just do it! She totally can fix this!”

Orange nervously rose from the bed, standing beside it with her arms out. There were a few flashes of light, then Ailene hummed.

“Okay, Miss Orange, I have your measurements. Now I just need to know what kind of bathing suit you want. Please describe it to me,” requested Ailene.

Aiko laughed. “She wants a really sexy bikini with spaghetti straps! And a .. ah…. thing!”

“No!” called out Orange quickly. “No! Please no! I would die if anyone saw me in something like that. And I think my mom would literally want to kill me.”

“Miss Aiko, that was not very nice,” Ailene admonished the still snickering Aiko. “And I think you meant thong, not thing.”

“Don’t tell her that!” called out Sister Mary, facepalming. “She doesn’t need to know that. Please don’t explain that kind of thing to my charges!”

“My apologies, Sister Mary, my mistake. I am sorry,” said Ailene. “Miss Aiko, please don’t remember what I just told you.”

Sister Mary just shook her head. “Nice try, Ailene, but humans don’t work like that. You can’t unsay it once it’s said. That’s why I didn’t want you to say it in the first place.”

“Interesting. I will note that for future reference,” stated Ailene.

Orange finally got to tell Ailene the bathing suit she really wanted, a nice somewhat frilly reddish orange one piece. Ailene assured her it would be available shortly, so the rest of the girls grabbed a bag and started packing towels to bring with them. While they were arguing about food to bring, Ailene spoke to Orange.

Her drone rolled out from the cupboard and over to Orange. “Miss Orange, your suit has arrived,” Ailene spoke through the drone. “Follow me into the girls room and I will help you.”

Orange followed the unit into the girls room and shut the door. The lid flipped up, revealing a new suit, a reddish orange one piece with light frills above the chest and around the waist. The arm picked it up and unfolded it, holding it out to her. “Do you need assistance putting it on?” Ailene asked.

“No, thank you. I got this,” answered Orange, taking the suit from her and putting it on the bed. She quickly undressed, tossing her clothes on the bed and slipping on the new suit, which fit perfectly. “Wow, this fits even better than my last one. Thank you Ailene!” said Orange.

“I’m happy to have been of some help,” replied Ailene, opening the door and heading back to her cupboard. Orange followed her out joining her friends.

“Wow, look at you!” smiled Sunset. “That looks really cute on you, Orange!” She jumped up and gave her friend a hug.

“Thanks Sunset,” blushed Orange. She took Sunset’s hand.

“Okay! Let’s go find this pool!” called out Sunset, the girls cheering.

Grabbing the bag of towels, Sister Mary smiled, Fae right behind her in her own swimsuit. “Yes, let's!” she grinned. Together they headed out the door and into the elevator.

As the elevator rose Shimmer turned, for the first time noticing the view through the back of the elevator.

“Oh my gosh! We are so high up in the air!” she called out. “Look! I can see the entire city! And I think I can see my house!”

Orange turned, gasping also, holding on to Sunset tightly. “Woah…” she breathed.

The elevator rose, then the doors opened out onto an open patio on the roof. As promised there was a large pool with a diving board on one side, and steps down into it on the other. And just beyond it, in the corner of the patio up against the plexiglass fence that surrounded the patio was a decent sized spa pool, a few people already sitting in it chatting pleasantly while the water bubbled and frothed around them.

Spying it Sunset grinned. “I want to go in that pool!”

Aiko laughed. “And I want to go in that pool! Woo hoo!” She waved her arms in the air as she ran to the pool and jumped in, bobbing back up to the surface a moment later.

A young man rose from a chair by the side of the pool. “Miss!” he called out sternly.

“Busted!” laughed Sunset.

Aiko slogged her way over to the side of the pool looking up at the angry young man. She smiled. “Yes?” she said sweetly.

“Miss, there are rules to using the pool. If you can’t follow the rules, you can’t use the pool, no matter who your parents are or how rich you are. They are for your safety, and you will follow them, or I will ask you to leave,” he explained.

Chastised, Aiko listened as he explained the rules, the girls listening as well with open mouths. Sister Mary and Fae grinned watching.

The girls and Aiko promised to follow all the rules as the young man left them with a warning, sitting back down in his chair.

“Wow Aiko!” gasped Sunset. “I thought for sure we were done before we started. I was sure he was going to kick us out!”

“I thought so too,” admitted Aiko, head still hung. “I’m glad he gave me a second chance.”

“Me too!” Sunset hopped into the pool giving her sister a big hug. Orange and Shimmer joined them as Fae set the bag of towels by some open chairs, descending the steps and joining the girls in the middle of the pool for their group hug.

Hug accomplished the girls decided to play Marco Polo with Fae taking the first turn as it. They agreed to only play where they could stand, as some of the girls were not the strongest of swimmers yet, so Fae chased them around with her eyes shut tight, calling out Marco and chasing after them when they replied Polo then tried quickly splashing away from where they were.

Sister Mary smiled as she watched them play. A little droid rolled up beside her lounge chair. “Sister Mary,” called out Ailene quietly from the unit. “Did you not wish to swim with them? I could provide you with a suit as well?” she asked.

Sister Mary smiled, turning to the unit. “Nah, maybe next time. Let the girls have their fun,” she grinned.

“Is there anything else you require?” asked Ailene.

“Is there anything to drink?” asked Sister Mary. “What do you have?”

“Anything you want, really? Wine? A mixed drink perhaps?” suggested Ailene.

Sister Mary laughed. “Maker no!” She turned back to the girls. “I was thinking of something more for all of us. Maybe water, or iced tea or lemonade. Something like that.”

“Ah! An excellent idea! I will fetch iced tea for all of you, and place it on the table next to you!” replied Ailene, wheeling off through a small door in a little hut two the side of the pool. Moments later the unit returned, a pitcher of iced tea with a slice of lemon and sprigs of mint and six glasses filled with ice. Sister thanked Ailene, taking one of the glasses and pouring herself a glass of iced tea, sipping it as she smiled at the girls' antics.

Eventually the girls decided to take a break, climbing out of the pool and joining Sister Mary lounging by the poolside.

“Are those for us?” asked Aiko as they walked up to Sister Mary.

“They sure are!” smiled Sister Mary, taking a glass and filling it with tea then passing it to Aiko. She did the same for the other girls and Fae who all thanked her as they sat around on the lounge chairs with Sister Mary enjoying their drinks.

“Hey, can we get food up here too?” asked Aiko excitedly. “We should ask for a ton of snacks!”

“And what you would get is a ton of stomach ache,” laughed Sister Mary. “It’s never a good idea to eat a bunch while you're swimming. It could give you cramps, and while I doubt any of you would die from cramps they are definitely not fun or anything to include in a sleepover. We’ll have plenty of snacks later, Aiko. Enjoy your tea, dear.”

Aiko grumped. “I guess you're right.” She sat back sipping her tea.

“We should go to the spa next,” suggested Orange, looking over at the handful of adults sitting together in the smaller pool. “That looks like fun.”

“That gets my vote!” agreed Sunset. “That’s what I wanted to do anyway.”

“She knows,” grinned Aiko. “Why do you think she suggested it?” she teased.

Orange blushed, looking away awkwardly. Sunset scowled at her sister, joining Orange on her lounge and pulling her into a one armed hug, giving her a nuzzle. “She is just being a stinker, ignore her,” said Sunset.

“She was right though,” admitted Orange. “I wanted you to be happy.”

Sunset snuggled her friend again. “Orange, I'm already happy. Having you as my friend makes me happy. And being a stinker aside, I know Aiko and Shimmer feel the same way. You’re our sister, Orange! We love you!”

Orange turned back to her smiling. Sunset bumped her nose against Orange’s causing her to giggle. Laughing as well, Sunset gave her another hug, then looked back over the pool taking a sip of her drink. A group of older kids had entered and were roughhousing each other. Already Sunset could see the young man rising from his chair to stand by the side of the pool, calling out authoritatively to the group.

As he explained the rules to them one of the boys in the group went to the side of the pool and shouted him down. “Screw you shrimp! Do you know who my dad is? You better shut your mouth and just step off or he will make you never work again!”

“I don’t care who your dad is,” explained the young man. “The rules apply to everyone, no one is exempt. If you can’t follow them, you and your friends will have to leave,” the young man explained patiently.

The young man splashed water on him. “Screw you jerk! You can’t stop us!” He turned back to his friends who started wrestling with each other again.

The young man clapped his hands. “Alright! That was your warning! Out, all of you! Out of the pool. You’ve overstayed your welcome, time to leave! Come on!” He pointed to the elevator showing them the way out.

“Or you can blow it out your backside!” one of the friends called out getting the others to laugh.

“Do not make me come in there and pull you out,” said the young man.

“What!” exclaimed the first boy. “As if! Let’s see how you like it if I lay some hands on you!” The boy and his friends scrambled out of the pool.

“Excellent,” stated the young man flatly. “Now, just head for the elevator and leave,” he stated, again pointing towards the doors.

The boys suddenly sprang on him, grabbing his arms and legs then jumping into the pool and holding him down. “How do you like that, bitch!” called out the first boy.

Two simultaneous cracks of broken glass sounded as both Sunset and Aiko dropped their drinks, springing up and running towards the pool. Leaping in they each landed on one of the boys' necks, holding tightly and trying to drag the boys off the young man.

Moments later the doors to the elevator opened, and six large men ran leaping into the pool, pulling the boys off the young man and the girls off the boys. They set the girls by the side of the pool while the two of the men tended to the young man, who though gasping for breath otherwise looked none the worse for his experience. The other four stood around the boys who looked finally sufficiently intimidated to prevent them from any further stupidities. Once the men were convinced their coworker was okay, they gathered up the boys and frog-marched them into the elevator, disappearing from the patio.

The young boy came to the side of the pool and pulled himself up to sit beside the girls. “You didn’t have to do that. We had it handled,” he said, looking out over the city scape.

“There was no way we were going to let them hurt you!” insisted Sunset. “We couldn’t just sit there and watch! We had to help.”

“You were very much over-matched,” the young man responded turning to them.

“Don’t care!” said Aiko and Sunset nodded.

The young man grinned. “You two are alright,” he smiled, tossling their hair. He got up and sat back in his chair again watching over the pool.

Sunset and Aiko returned to their friends, the little bot having already cleaned up the glass from their drinks and provided two replacements. They took them thankfully and sipped the tea, sitting down next to each other.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it,” said Sister Mary. She turned to Fae. “It’s just like you and Father John described. They really are fearless.”

“What?” asked Sunset, confused.

“Father John told me you and your sister tried to fight the man who hurt you when we first found you,” Sister answered, turning to Fae. “And thank you for that, Fae. You will always be dear to my heart for that.” She turned back to the girls.

Fae blushed. ”I couldn’t let them get hurt. I don’t care what happens to me, but there was no way I was going to let the girls get hurt.”

Aiko nodded. “That’s why I attacked the pervert man. I would rather die than let anyone hurt my sister!”

Sunset nodded, hugging her sister. “Same here! No one hurts my sister.” She looked back over to the young man, now returned to his task of watching over everyone from his chair. “No one gets hurt if I can help," she added. Aiko looked over to the young man, who noticed them glancing his way then smiled and nodded. They smiled and nodded back.

Finishing her drink Sunset smiled at her friends. “Let’s go try out the spa pool!”

Aiko finished hers off as well, the girls not far behind. Laughing, Fae put hers on the table next to her lounge. “Guess I will join them,” she smiled. Sister Mary grinned back.

Together they walked over to the spa, looking out at the city below. Standing next to the clear wall Orange looked out over the city with a smile. Looking down, she gasped and her knees buckled. Sunset, standing right next to her caught her and pulled her in close, holding her up as the got her legs back under her.

“Are you alright, Orange?” asked Sunset in concern.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m fine,” smiled Orange, holding on to Sunset as she looked away from the view and to her friend. “I just didn’t realize how high up we were. I looked down and saw the ground and kind of panicked for a moment. I’m fine now.”

“Are you afraid of heights?” asked Sunset in concern.

“Maybe? I don’t know? I’ve never really been this high up before,” answered Orange honestly. She looked back out again over the city.

Aiko grinned. “Nah! I don’t think you’re afraid of heights. You’re just not used to it. See! You’re doing better already!”

Sunset smiled at her sister. Orange looked over to Aiko as well. “Thank you, Aiko,” she smiled.

“No problem!” grinned Aiko back.

Fae gave the girls an affectionate pat on the shoulder as she passed them by, stepping down into the spa. “Come on in, girls! The water is warm! It feels really relaxing!” She sat down midway from the steps, beckoning the girls to join her. They did, filing into the spa as well and finding seats around her.

The group of adults looked over at them as they came in, but seeing them sitting calmly and chatting paid them no further mind, returning to their own quiet conversations.

“Ah…. yeah you were right, Fae! This is really relaxing,” agreed Aiko, snuggled up next to her enjoying the bubbling sprays of water coming from all around them. “Wow, too bad our bath doesn’t do this,” she grinned.

“Please!” laughed Fae. “I have to force you to get out already. If it did this you would never want to come out.”

“You’re not wrong there,” smiled Sunset, snuggled into her other side, Orange snuggled into her.

Shimmer nodded, sitting next to Aiko. “Yeah, I would love something like this at home. We don’t have a pool.”

“Do you want one?” asked Sunset, looking over to her.

“Maybe? Guess it’s up to mom and dad,” Shimmer replied, looking back over the patio.

Sunset turned around, looking out over the city again through the clear barrier right next to the spa by their seats. Orange joined her, her arm over Sunset's shoulder as they watched the traffic and bustle of the city in the setting sun. Together they sat silently enjoying the view and each other's company.

They sat there, arm around each other as the sun set over the city. When the last of the sun’s rays passed beneath the ocean horizon Fae turned to the girls. “We should get back for dinner if we want to be finished in time for the movie.”

The girls reluctantly agreed, so everyone left the spa heading back over to Sister Mary who was reading a book. “Ready to go, girls?” she asked, looking up as they approached.

“I guess so, we wouldn’t want to miss the movie,” noted Aiko, drying off with her towel then wrapping it around her. The girls all followed suit while Fae grabbed their bag. Sister Mary placed her book back in her purse, rising and turning to the girls.

“Okay!” she agreed. “Let’s go then!” She led them over to the elevator which they rode the single story down to their apartment and got out. Entering the apartment Sister Mary directed them to the bath, where Fae helped them clean up quickly then get dressed back into their casual clothes. Afterwards they all filed out to the dining table, where trays of vegetable lasagna and pizza were laid out. The girls helped themselves, taking their plates to their spots and enjoying the delightful dinner.

‘Did you cook this, Fae? This is awesome!” mouthed Aiko around her food as she shoveled her lasagna in.

“Nah, this was all Ailene. She took care of it,” smiled Fae eating her own dinner at a more sedate pace.

“And I did not cook it,” replied Ailene, unseen. “I ordered it in. It was catered.”

“Well it’s darn good,” agreed Shimmer, noshing on a slice of pizza.

“Thank you Fae! Thank you Ailene! And thank you Sister Mary!” added Sunset, sipping soda from her cup.

“Glad you are enjoying your sleepover,” smiled Sister Mary. Sunset nodded and smiled back.

A serving later, Sister Mary spoke up. “Okay girls! If we really want to see the movie tonight, we need to wrap up soon. The movie starts in fifteen minutes. If we start cleaning up now we should make it in plenty of time.”

The girls nodded, finishing up what they were eating then quickly clearing their places. Ailene’s little bot returned to the table to clean up the rest while the girls quickly used the bathroom and cleaned up. A few minutes later they were all lined up by the door as Sister Mary and Fae again led them out and into the elevator.

This time the elevator went down, past the lobby and into one of the building's basements. The girls got out finding they were in what looked like the lobby of a movie theater.

“We have time to pick out some snacks if you want to take some into the movie,” pointed out Fae, directing their attention to the short line by the concessions. “What say you girls? Some sodas and popcorn?” she asked.

“Yeah! And some candy boxes too!” agreed Aiko excitedly. They crossed the lobby, joining the line. They were surprised by how quickly their turn came. They picked out their snacks which the young woman serving them smiled and handed them over to each of them. Sunset turned to Sister Mary.

“We don’t have to give them any bits?” she asked surprised.

“No dear, one of the perks of living here,” smiled Sister Mary. “And here it is called money, not bits.”

‘Right!” agreed Sunset, pleasantly surprised by the answer.

Snacks and drinks in hand the girls filed into the movie, talking softly among themselves.

A short while later the movie started, Orange, Sunset, Aiko and Shimmer watching raptly as it began. Snacks momentarily forgotten, the girls watched as the story unfolded. Sunset and Aiko cried through most of the movies holding their friends' hands tightly.

When the movie was over, the credits rolling up the screen, Sunset turned to Sister Mary, tears still in her eyes. “Did all that really happen?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s all based on true events,” sister nodded, a little tearful herself.

“That was so beautiful and sad,” Sunset said. “He was so kind. What was the name of that movie again?” she asked.

“Schindler's List,” replied Sister Mary, a tear rolling down her cheek. Still crying, Aiko turned to Sister Mary too.

“I like that movie,” she stated simply.

“Me too, dear,” replied Sister Mary.

They gathered up their ignored snacks, taking them with them as they left the theater and returned to their apartment. Sister Mary told them they could take their snacks to their room after they cleaned up and got ready for bed, so they fetched their nightgowns from their room then dressed and used the bathroom, returning to their room with their snacks as they laid in the girls bed talking about their evening and the movie they had just seen.

Snacks finished, they brought their trash to the kitchen to dispose of it, then brushed their teeth and returned to the bed, snuggling up under the covers as they looked out over the city lights together. Within minutes all four girls were sound asleep.

---

The next morning Aiko grinned as she gently shook Sunset awake. “Wake up, sleepyhead! Time to get up!”

Sunset opened her eyes and smiled. “You’re up early,” she yawned, then her eyes flew open. “So, what’s the surprise?” she asked excitedly.

“It’s!...still a surprise,” teased Aiko, sticking her tongue out. Sunset stuck out her tongue back which Aiko flicked taking a page from Shimmer’s book.

“Ouch, bwat!” said Sunset, holding her tongue. Aiko grinned, waking Shimmer and Orange, then together the girls went to the bathroom and got ready for breakfast.

Sister Mary and Fae were there waiting for them, a tray of rolls, bagels, danishes and muffins on the table along with juice and decaf coffee. The girls grabbed one of the confections each and sat down to eat excitedly.

“Can we guess where we are going?” asked Sunset between bites. Sister Mary laughed.

“You can guess! No one will answer you though. Is that what you meant?” Sister Mary teased.

“No!” grumped Sunset. Shimmer and Aiko laughed. Sunset glared at them.

“I don’t know what you think is so funny, Shimmer, you don’t know either,” groused Sunset.

Shimmer laughed even harder. “You are so funny! It’s not like it matters that much!”

After breakfast they dressed for the day in jeans and tee shirts at the suggestion of Fae, then left the apartment for the lobby, meeting their ride with the usual pleasantries. Piling into the back of the limo, Sunset grinned.

“At least I won’t have to wait much longer to find out where we are going,” she grinned.

“Nope!” agreed Fae. “It’s on the outskirts of town. Not too long a ride.”

“Shh!” said Aiko, scowling at her. “No hints!”

“Don’t worry, Aiko,” smiled Sister Mary. “I’m sure it will be a surprise.

About 10 minutes later they came to the outskirts of town where the Everfree Forest edged up against the suburbs of the city. They turned down a rural highway, shortly seeing signs for a themed park advertised not too much farther down the road.

Sunset turned, grinning at Aiko. “That’s it, isn’t it?” she asked. Aiko just looked away and smiled. Sunset laughed and lightly punched her arm. “Come on, you can tell me now. I guessed it, didn’t I?”

Aiko, Sister Mary, and Fae just grinned and looked away. “Ugh!” laughed Sunset. “You are so stubborn.”

A short while later they saw the park in question, turning into the entry road for the park. A short drive later they came to a large and half full parking lot, people all heading into the park. Their ride drove them right up to the loading area, letting them out near the gate then driving off with a farewell.

“So, Pony Land!” said Sunset, satisfied finally. “I’ve never heard of it. Looks like a lot of fun though,” she noted, smiling at the rides and attractions she could see through the park entrance.

“Yeah, Sister Mary helped me look for fun things to do nearby, and I found this while searching. Fae has been here and says it’s lots of fun, so we booked the day for us,” answered Aiko finally.

“You’ve been here, Fae?” Sunset asked excitedly as they walked to the VIP park entrance, Sister getting out their passes from her waist-pack.

“A few times,” admitted Fae. “Once as a younger kid, and a couple of times on business.”

“Business?” asked Shimmer. Eyes wide, Sunset caught her gaze and shook her head no emphatically.

Sister Mary cut in, “Never mind that. So as a kid you enjoyed the park, and because of that, we get to spend the day enjoying it together,” she smiled, placing an arm around Fae and pulling her in for a hug as she blushed sheepishly.

“Thanks, Fae! And thanks, Aiko!” Sunset added, pulling her sister into a side hug, her other hand held tightly by Orange.

They walked to the front of the line, Sister Mary showing the passes to the girl at the gate. She smiled, welcoming them to Pony Land and opened the gate for them allowing them in as she handed Fae and Sister Mary maps of the park and events.

“Let’s get some kettle corn and drinks then plan what we want to do first!” suggested Fae, dragging them towards the concession booths surrounded by tables and chairs just inside of the park. Sister Mary purchased lemonades and small bags of kettle corn for each of them with the plastic card again. Then they found a table, sitting around it as Fae and Sister Mary spread out one of the maps over the table to point out the different rides, attractions, and shows they could attend while here today.

After a delightful bit of arguing and discussion, they mapped out their morning, then finishing off their snacks they headed out to their first attraction.

---

The line for the roller coaster had at least a hundred people in it. “Do we get to skip to the head of this line too?” asked Aiko hopefully, looking at the long line.

Sister Mary laughed. “No Aiko. And how fair would that be to everyone else here if we could? We all want a turn riding, so we will all wait while the others before us get their chance. And look, the line is moving fairly quickly. We won’t have to wait too long anyways.”

As Sister was speaking, the line moved up by an appreciable amount as a herd of riders departed, their turn on the ride over. Mollified, Aiko nodded, moving up in the line with her sisters.

They watched the ride as they waited, noting the path the carts took and the absolute joy, sometimes terrified joy, the riders seemed to experience as they shot through the twists, turns and tunnels of the ride, hands in the air screaming happily. Grinning ear to ear they kept moving, eagerly awaiting their turn.

As they got closer to the front of the line they noticed that the seats were set up so only two could sit in each row. Orange immediately wrapped her arms around Sunset making her choice for a riding partner clear. Aiko grinned throwing her arm over Shimmer’s shoulder, who laughed and returned the gesture. Sister Mary and Fae laughed as they stood together behind the girls.

When it was their turn the operators helped the girls into the ride. Orange and Sunset were in the lead cart, Shimmer and Aiko behind them, with Sister Mary and Fae next, then others behind them to fill the little train. Once everyone was securely buckled in and double checked, the operators started the ride, their little train of carts jolting as they were moved along the track, pulled towards a towering mountain, to their eyes at least, of track going upwards into the sky.

Eyes wide with excitement and grins plastered on their faces, they held tightly to the safety bar as they were jostled and ratcheted up the track towards the top of the rise.

As they crested the rise, the terrifying drop suddenly clear before them, Orange gasped and clutched tightly to her friend while Sunset held her with one arm, her other raised high in the air. “Scream Orange! It’s more fun that way!” she shouted, laughing happily as they started down the fall, Shimmer and Aiko screaming happily behind them. Smile plastered on her face and eyes wide in fright, Orange screamed out with Sunset as they picked up speed, bouncing and rattling down the track like a rocket towards the dip and rise below.

As they troughed into the dip at the bottom their arms were pulled down for a moment by the sudden shift, surprising them all, then they shot up the next rise, pulled into a sudden tight turn being tilted to the side then whipped around tightly. All of them screamed in delighted terror, arms raised in excitement save Orange who still clung tightly to Sunset screaming and smiling through it all.

Several twists, turns, tight descending corkscrews of delight and screams of delighted terror later, they came to the final portion of the ride. Their carts caught on the the teeth of the lifting belt, pulling them up a final tall track that crested into a tight corkscrew that wound all the way back down to the ground, shooting out into a rise that gently rolled back into the station where they disembarked from the carts, shaking with excitement from the ride. Holding hands and bouncing excitedly they walked off the ride heading towards their next attraction.

Their next ride was a Ferris wheel with seats that accommodate all four of the girls sitting together.

After that there was an animal talent show they really wanted to see, with ponies, dogs, and other farm animals performing tricks. Sunset and Aiko laughed at the ponies which clearly were not anything like they remembered ponies should be from back home.

Then it was time for lunch. Sister Mary pulled them into a Farm themed restaurant in the center of the park that looked like a giant farmhouse from the outside. Inside it was a very nice large restaurant with a ton of tables set with plaid tablecloths, fresh flowers, and hanging lamps. Waiters and waitresses dressed in overalls and plaid shirts seated everyone, their waitress being a very nice strawberry blonde teen girl who took them to their table, helped them get settled, then brought drinks and snacks to the table while they decided what they wanted to eat. The girls settled on vegan burgers while Fae and Sister Mary had cob salads. The lunch came with endless fries and drinks which the girls enjoyed immensely.

They finished off their lunch with slices of fresh baked warm apple pie topped with melting vanilla ice cream. Stuffed from their meal and feeling a bit sedate, Sister suggested another show while their lunch settled, then perhaps a trip to the farm playland before they attempted more of the rides. The girls wholeheartedly agreed.

Sister Mary settled up their tab, with a large tip for their very happy and grateful hostess, then they headed over to the show with the so-called wild foxes. While Aiko was not impressed with this realm's version of foxes, they did all enjoy seeing the animals perform their tricks and pranks while their trainer narrated the show to the delight of the audience.

Food settled and their energies returned they next went to the farm playground. It was filled with slides, open platforms vaguely suggestive of barns, and fixtures allowing the girls to run, climb, jump and launch themselves from a variety of contraptions, including a foam pit and net that they could leap from, plunging into the pit to their screaming delight. Fae joined them on a few of the fixtures to their amusement, but mostly she stayed with Sister Mary, laughing and enjoying them having such a delightful time.

After that it was back to a procession of carousels, bumper cars, roller coasters and bungee-jumps followed by an actual hayride around the park, complete with the first real horses of this realm Aiko and Sunset had ever seen. While looking nothing like the horses they remembered from Saddle Arabia, they still managed to enjoy the sedate ride through the park as their guide pointed out the different park attractions and features as they slowly passed them by.

“We should have done this first,” noted Aiko. “Now we know where everything is,” she related as they got off the ride at their final stop right next to the “Barnyard Adventure” show that was about to start.

“Well, we know for next time,” smiled Sister Mary as they headed into the show, taking seats in the VIP section at the front of the bleachers.

What followed was a zany slapstick stunt show, where actors played out an adventure looking for a lost pig, with pratfalls, hijinks, and much silliness as they proceeded to look for the missing animal who led them on a silly adventure.

After twenty minutes of heartfelt laughter, they finally rescued the pig, played by a young teen dressed in a costume and bounding around bent over on her hands and feet. They picked her up and carried her fake squealing back to the farm where they placed her in her pen, which included a bed, dresser, and couch. The girl playing the pig sulked at the forced end to her adventures, then the cast all thanked them for coming to their show and took their bows. The audience clapped enthusiastically including the girls, then filed out of the attraction for their next event.

“What do we do next?” asked Shimmer, looking around at the park.

“It’s too early for dinner, but I think we could all use a snack,” suggested Sister Mary, leading them over to the concession area. They took a table while Fae went to purchase snacks for them.

“That show was really dumb but I couldn't stop laughing,” grinned Sunset.

“Right?” agreed Aiko. “That would never happen. Still though, it was really funny!”

“Yeah, I don’t think they cared about how real it was. They were just trying to make us laugh,” agreed Shimmer smiling.

“Well they got me there,” smiled Orange. “I was laughing the entire time.”

“We all were,” agreed Sunset, giving Orange a gentle squeeze.

They next went to a show with trained birds doing tricks.

Another small roller coaster ride, then bumper cars, and it was getting close to dinner. They agreed to an early dinner, then a final show before they headed home for the end of their evening.

“Do we have to leave early?” whined Sunset.

“We’re not leaving early, dear,” Sister Mary smiled. “This was always the plan. Sleepovers always end after dinner on Saturday night, so everyone can spend time with their families and be rested for their Sundays.”

“Fiiine,” grumped Sunset.

They decided to eat at a more modern restaurant for dinner, this one made to resemble a drive in movie theater. All of the booths resembled cars facing a large screen at the front of the restaurant playing an endless list of farm and pony themed cartoons, with the clever vintage snack bar ads from real drive-in theaters between the cartoons. They ate vegan burgers again, with fries, sodas, and tall ice cream shakes. Their waitress was once again a delightful teenage girl, made up like an old school car hop complete with skirt and roller skates. They thoroughly enjoyed their meal, including the silly cartoons and advertisements. Reluctantly leaving, Sister Mary settled their tab, again with a large tip to their happy server, then they headed for their last show before leaving the park to head back home.

“This better be a darn good show if it’s the last one,” grumped Sunset as they found seats at the front of the theater.

The last show was a narrated story of the Canterlot area, how it had started out as a large farm owned by the Apple family bordered by the untamed Everfree Forest.

“They’re my cousins,” piped in Orange as they watched the show unfold. Sunset nodded as she held her hand tightly, listening with interest to the history of the area.

They were told next of the founding of the town of Canterlot by cousins of the Apples, the Cakes, and of the growth of the town, coming eventually to become one of the largest and most important cities in the area with a burgeoning tech industry and growing population.

When the story ended the lights came up and Sunset turned to Sister Mary. “Wow!” she said. “I didn’t know there was so much to know about this place. Cool!”

“It does have quite the storied history,” agreed Sister Mary, herding the girls out of the theater and back to the entrance of the park. Leaving the park they found their ride waiting for them in the loading zone. Thanking the driver, they entered the limo, sitting together in the back while discussing the day they had.

They dropped off Shimmer first, hugging her and promising to call tomorrow, then were off to drop off Orange. With the same promises, lots of hugs, and a peck on the cheek from Sunset, they left her with her mom at her apartment, arriving next at the mission to drop of Sister Mary. She hugged them both tightly, kissing them both on the forehead, then with a hug for Fae departed into the mission waving as they drove off.

Arriving at the Towers, Fae and the girls thanked the driver waving as he drove off, then entered the lobby taking the elevators up to their apartment.

“Girls, want to watch a movie together before we go to sleep?” asked Fae. The girls agreed wholeheartedly, so after getting ready for bed, Fae and the girls settled down together on the couch watching a heartwarming movie about a brother and two sisters who were trying to make a life together after being orphaned.

Despite enjoying the movie, eventually the girls' exhaustion from the day overcame them and they fell asleep in Fae’s arms. Stopping the movie, she gently carried the girls to bed, tucking them in with a kiss, then turning out the lights and opening the window for them. Shutting the door, she returned to her room where she too turned in for the night.

---

The next day, they rose, dressed and ate, and returned to the mission to spend the day helping out Sister Mary and Father John. After a delightful day together, they returned to their apartment and settled in for the night, prepared for another week of school and time with their dear sisters, their beloved friends.

Author's Note:

BTW - Pony Land. Sound familiar?

Pony Land will close down when the girls are in Junior High, not opening again until bought by a new company and reopened as Equestria Land, just in time for Roller Coaster of Friendship.

Also, the restaurant where everyone sits in a car booth while watching a large drive-in style movie screen really does exist, or at least did. I believe it was called the SciFi Cafe and was one of the many themed restaurants we visited at Disney World.

And the farm themed restaurant was modeled after the restaurant at Knotts Berry Farm, a theme park my family frequented when I was growing up.