When Sunset is redeemed, she starts to feel obligated to help out others. She tries to work out the confusion in both her heart and mind through selfless acts. This causes a certain new friend to notice her in a different light...
It all started after the fall formal.
She had been so selfish before then, as well as menacing and angry. She felt so many negative emotions that night when she put on that crown. It was only when she was blasted by her future friends magic that she began to realize the way she was acting was horrible. It took time, but eventually she proved to both her classmates and herself that she had changed for the better.
Now, after the friendship games, she is full of kindness and friendship. But some are wondering what she does in her spare time, since no one really sees her when she isn't around the Rainbooms. One of these people is Sunset's friend Rarity. She is beginning to wonder what exactly Sunset's hobbies are, but when she follows her around after practice one day, she begins to see her friend in a whole new light. To a point where she may even start to hope to be something more.
The sun hung in the autumn sky, slowly drifting westward as evening approached. The city of Canterlot bustled with the after-work traffic that appeared during this time of day. This would normally be a day Sunset Shimmer would be driving home after practice with the Rainbooms, as today was such a day. However today was Friday, the beginning of the weekend. Sunset had a ritual for days like Friday. She would wake up, shower, eat, walk to school early to make it on time, go to class, go to practice, then after all that she would take the long way back to her apartment. She did this on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and with the exception of school she would do the same on Sunday. She followed this habit since the Fall Formal, or at least shortly after.
She came up to an intersection and glanced in both directions as the walking signal turned on. She crossed the street and began to pull out a bag filled with several small gold coins her world called "Bits". She counted out twenty-two, the same as always, then stuffed the pouch back into her coat pocket. She contiuned to walk until she passed a man wearing old and ragged clothing, wrapped in a dusty old coat he was using as a blanket. She glanced at a small open tin that carried several coins and bills. She smirked and picked two Bits out of her coat and dropped them into the tin and walked off before the man woke up to notice the gift. All he heard was a low humming melody coming from down the street, but when he turned to look all he saw was someone walking around the corner, too late to be seen.
"Thank you again, Golden Girl..."
-Later that evening...-
Sunset handed a small girl the last two Bits that evening, receiving a hug in thanks before the girl ran off to join her friends. Sunset smiled as she turned to the direction of home, only to spot a girl with white skin and purple hair a few yards away watching her. It was Rarity, she had her arms folded as if she was giving herself a hug to keep warm. She gave Sunset a curious look as she started walking towards her.
"Sorry for... err... following you." Rarity whispered in a nervous tone. Sunset gave Rarity an awkward shrug.
"It's... fine... So, I assume you've been following me since I left the school?" She asked with curiosity. Rarity nodded in response. There was a growing silence as they stood under the glowing orange sky as the sun began it's descent behind the horizon. Sunset motioned towards the path she was to take.
"Would you like to walk and talk? We shouldn't be out too late." Rarity nodded again at Sunset's question and the two girls walked side by side in a awkward absence of conversation, neither sure what to say. Finally Rarity spoke up.
"So... How long have you been at this, not that it's bad of course, but I must say it was not what I would have expected from many people." This caused Sunset to look over to Rarity with a confused look.
"Well... just a little after the Fall Formal... I had some of my money from Equestria on me while I walked back to my apartment when my car broke down one day. I kept passing by beggars and orphans and others in similar situations. I eventually noticed that I had been giving each of them a Bit after one of them said thank you..." she chuckled a bit.
"Bit?" Rarity inquired, unfamiliar with the term. Realizing this, Sunset pinched her nose in annoyance of herself and pulled out a Bit from her wallet, one she kept on her in case of emergencies.
"Equestrian Money. Each one is made of pure gold, which is more common in Equestria. We also use gems but Bits is what we measure value in." She explained patiently. She handed the coin to Rarity as the designer inspected it closely in awe.
"That's so fascinating... And to think both of those are worth so much here... Wait, we got side tracked didn't we?" The white skinned girl chuckled.
Sunset joined in the laughter. "We did, but we did break the silence a little..." She paused to regain her composure, "Anyway, when I got home I felt... Better. Like I made up a little for what I did... It was confusing at the time, but I came to realize that it was something I should keep doing. So I gathered most of my Bits and separated them into equal piles. I ended up with fifty piles of twenty-two Bits each. So on each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday I would give eleven people two Bits each. I always made sure I don't get the same person twice a week, and the next week I check to see how they are doing while I make my 'walks'... I made a lot of people's lives better since I started this... It's also helped me during that time with the sirens..."
Rarity listened to Sunset as she spoke, feelings for the former bully emerging. She never knew that Sunset Shimmer had such a kind and sharing side. "I sort of wish you would of told us. I know that I would of liked to at least lend a helping hand..." She trailed off as Sunset raised a hand.
"I thought about it at one point, just before the Friendship Games, but I figured that this would be a great... well, ritual for me. For lack of a better word. Kind of like your dress making or Applejack's chores. This just feels... 'me' you know?" Sunset closed her eyes and smiled, unaware of Rarity's gaze.
The last of the sun vanished and a chill flowed through the air. Both girls shivered as they began to approach a decent sized apartment complex. Sunset stopped and look at the building. She then turned to Rarity, giving her a smile.
"Well, this is my stop..." Her brow then furrowed and she opened her mouth as if wondering if she should ask a question. Rarity spoke up for the fiery haired young woman.
"Is there something you would like to ask me?" Sunset looked at her friend with a bit of surprise.
"Well... I was just thinking... Would you like to spend the night? I know it seems out of the blue, but I just thought that since it's the weekend and we don't spend a lot of time apart from the others that it would help us get to learn more about each other? I mean, I could give you a ride to your place real fast if you'd like..." Rarity looked a bit taken aback by this offer, but then composed herself and decided.
"That sounds wonderful, and an absolutely great idea."
It did not take long to get some of Rarity's things ready for the sleep over. With Sunset's car the time it took to go to the boutique, pack, and drive back after telling Rarity's parents where she was going took a little under an hour. Rarity decided she wouldn't need a lot, which was good for Sunset because she was certain she would bring at least three times the amount necessary. Funnily enough, 'not a lot' turned out to be two decently sized suitcases. One thing the former unicorn learned about her friend since the fall formal was that Rarity... 'liked being prepared'. It was also something she learned couldn't be helped. She helped Rarity load the luggage into her car and drove back to her apartment. When they entered her home, Rarity took a gander about the place to inspect how Sunset liked to décor.
"Make yourself at home." announced her new host. Sunset was busy carrying the two bags to her guest room. She never thought she would need to use it until today. "I'll put your stuff in here, okay?" She heard a faint sound of acknowledgement from her guest, as she was looking around her home.
It wasn't too shabby, she admitted to herself. Sunset clearly took time to put the place together. The living room was very open, having a brown leather couch in the middle of the space facing a small flat screen television. Next to the couch on the right side was a wooden bookshelf stand with a table lamp on top. Rarity noticed several books of various genres and deducted that these were for guests or for herself to kill boredom. Adjacent to the stand and forming a corner was a reading chair made of leather of a similar color. Surrounding the walls of the room were several shelves with pictures, books, and several other items and decorations. Walking straight forward after entering allowed her to walk into a standard kitchen, where white shone brightly in a clean and organized state. Rarity dragged her index finger across the countertop and inspected it for dust, only to find none.
Wow Sunny, you really take care of this place...
She found that it was also well stocked, as the fridge and cabinets had plenty of fresh food inside. Eventually she took a quick look inside the bathroom and saw it was clean as well. She walked out and went to find Sunset in the guestroom her host had mentioned a minute ago. She noticed that it held a dresser, desk with office chair, and a decent sized bed. White curtains hung on the window revealing the parking lot to the complex.
"Darling, I must say that your place is simply divine! You take excellent care here, I can tell." Rarity announce to her blazing haired friend. Sunset turned to Rarity with a smile on her face.
"Thanks, I know it's pretty simple but I like to keep the place clean." Sunset gestured around the room. "The room is yours till you leave, so feel free to make yourself comfortable."
Rarity nodded in gratitude. "Thank you dear, now if you please, I think I'll get into something more comfortable..." She joked, before her eyes shot wide open and a slight blush grew on her face as she froze in place. Sunset too was in such a state as she heard Rarity's request. Both stood in silence for a good five minutes.
Did I just...?
Did she just...?
Rarity decided without thinking to say something. She responded with the grace, elegance, and poise of any Belle woman who knew of the ways of a proper lady.
"I MEANT PAJAMAS! PAJAMAS!" She shouted in embarrassment. Sunset nodded quickly as she left the room in a slightly rushed effort, she too responding the grace she learned while under teaching of Princess Celestia.
"GOT IT, 'KAY, SEE YOU IN A MINUTE!"
Perfectly executed, Sunset. Smoothest move in the history of ever.
Perfect grace as always Rarity, that was as tactful as a fire truck.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About twenty minutes later, when Rarity had changed and both girl's blushes had faded, the girls were going through Sunset's collection of movies. Neither girl was putting too much effort into the activity as they were buried in their thoughts.
Sunset seems to be pondering something, I hope I didn't say anything that made her upset...
Could Rarity be into me? I don't have a clue why she would, I mean, really... Me? With her?
Perhaps Sunset was caught off guard... Or maybe she isn't into other women? Drat, I hate it when my mother is right about how my flirting affects others...
Maybe it isn't that far fetched... I mean, she is a wonderful person who is...
Charming, thoughtful, expectantly generous are traits I did not realize until today she had.
Maybe we need to talk about it? I mean... she is attractive, we get along pretty well, and she seems to feel something for me...
"Hey Rarity." She asked aloud, in which the girl she called turned her hair towards Sunset.
"Yes?" Oh dear, please don't ask-
"So... um... about what you said earlier..."
Drat! "Y-yes?" Rarity looked at her host, more than a bit nervous about where this conversation was heading. Sunset put a small pile of movies onto the small stand next to her lamp and sat on the couch besides her guest.
"What did you mean by it, like were you trying to express what you were feeling or... well... you know..."
"Well I... err... that is to say-" Rarity stuttered out, before calming herself and looking straight at Sunset. "I suppose I was flirting with you, I mean... I normally don't flirt with my friends but, well, tonight I felt something about you." Sunset looked at Rarity with a hint of confusion.
"Are you saying that you started to develop feelings for me?"
"I... suppose I am. I mean ever since you became our friend you've been a beacon of what it means to rise from your lowest point, and after tonight when I learned that you spend your free time helping others in need... well, how could I not?"
"Um... wow, I err... I am going to be honest, that's pretty nice of you to say. I... sorry, I was not expecting tonight to go this way." Sunset flustered.
Rarity giggled at her friends nervousness, "It's alright darling, I know you probably don't, that is to say, 'play for the other team' but would you be interested in a date sometime?" This was where Rarity became nervous, she honestly wasn't planning anything that was going on between the two girls and this offer was completely out of the blue. She just, went and asked as soon as she thought of it, lacking any of her normal elegance. She was about to lose her composure when the unexpected happened.
"You know what, Rares? Sure, that sounds kind of nice actually."