A Sweet, Sun-kissed Christmas
“Congratulations on your new apartment, Ms. Shimmer,” the landlady said, handing the excited, somewhat nervous young woman a bottle of cheap wine as a token of her newfound prize. “I hope you enjoy your stay, we’re very glad to have you here with us.”
“Thank you, really. But- it’s Mrs. Shimmer, actually,” Sunset said, the unfamiliarity of the title still strange even when said on her own tongue. In fairness, that was something she had acquired only a few weeks ago.
“Oh, right, right. My apologies,” the landlady said swiftly. “I hope your husband hasn’t saddled you with having to get this place all moved in, it’s certainly not an easy job.”
The once-fierce young woman grinned, realizing she was about to drop yet another surprise on her host. “Ha! Actually, a wife. She’s trying to close shop early to come help, but I mean- look at the time. Traffic’s awful right now, you know?”
The fairly portly landlady gave a start at the revelation and allowed herself a quick assessment of the woman standing before her; perhaps she was having issues of personal conviction, or just envisioned a woman who loves women to appear a bit differently. After a few seconds, she gave a shrug and smiled anyway. “Well, may you two enjoy your stay here for as long as you wish. I’ve got to get back to the office, but it’s a pleasure to have you!”
“Thanks!” Sunset gave a wave and watched her landlady walk out through the front door that was kept propped open by a pair of cardboard boxes brimming with houseware items. They’d been a misery to hoist up two flights of stairs, and only spoke to a small portion of items that would absolutely need to be unloaded from the moving truck and brought inside. A full-size mattress and bedframe, a dresser, bookshelves, a TV, the numerous culinary items Pinkie had accumulated over the years…
Sunset grimaced as she let her mind sort through it all piece by piece. This was going to be a very long day and she’d have to take the first steps alone. “Well, gotta start somewhere,” she said at last, heading back downstairs and seeing what she could first easily manage without aid. Not the mixer, not the mixer. An item that heavy would be a horrible thing to pull first.
Bit by bit, a small, towering wall of cardboard boxes began to take shaped against the living room wall as Sunset unloaded her menagerie of things into the place she would call home. It wasn’t bad at all, really. A little better than she’d even expected to get when she’d first started the hunt for a good apartment. Sure, it was only a one-bedroom and the building was a little dated, but she really could have done way worse. This would be a nice start for them both- a good beginning of a new life. “And what a wild way to even get here in the first place,” she added as a closing touch to her thoughts.
“What’s wild? You should see traffic outside on the highway, that’s wild!”
Where she had once felt butterflies instead came a comforting warmth at the sound of her wife’s ever-cheerful voice, and Sunset turned around to see Pinkie Pie rushing forward to take her in a hug that contained all the love she could muster. “Hey! You got here quick, I didn’t expect to see you for another half-hour!”
“Sonata’s like the craziest driver ever, it was actually super scary to get here!” Pinkie said, though looking as though she’d just departed from the world’s best rollercoaster. “Here, I brought us some coffee and doughnuts! I thought the sugar and caffeine might makes things a little easier.”
Sunset laughed. “Well, up until the sugar crash, at least, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes. You doing OK?”
“Better now that I’m with you!” Pinkie answered happily, pausing for a moment to give Sunset a kiss, a hint of sweetness there for the tasting on the young baker’s lips. “This is gonna be so much fun! We finally got a place to ourselves and don’t have to live out of the Cake’s spare bedroom!”
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Sunset said, gesturing to the empty spaces along the wall. “Guess what I haven’t grabbed yet?”
“The mixer?” Pinkie immediately guessed.
“And the TV, and the bookcases, and your old dresser.”
“Oh yeah, that’s super heavy, my Dad made it for me,” Pinkie muttered, a more solemn expression growing now that she let her excitement come head-to-head with the reality of moving. “Well, no use in waiting! Come on, Sonata’s down at the truck, she offered to help out for a bit!”
The third body was a necessary requirement for their success, the newlyweds soon discovered; the couch was just as heavy as it had been when they’d first loaded it up, and Pinkie Pie’s old dresser was such an operation that it took more than a few pauses in the stairwell to finally see it into the apartment’s walls. Breaks became necessities; coffee became bottles of water that were hastily gulped down and cast aside so as to go grab the next item. When they finally were able to shut the door and see the van’s contents entirely indoors, there was still plenty of work awaiting them.
“We’re making the bed tonight,” Sunset said flatly. “I know we could just sleep on the mattress as is, but I’d really rather see that part done.”
“And then we take the rental back, right?” Pinkie asked. The normally boundless girl was sagging just as much as her spouse, though the still-frizzy hair spoke to a continued good spirit. “Wow, this isn’t fun at all! We haven’t even unboxed anything yet!”
“Yeah, and we’ll have to… you know what, forget it. We’ll just take care of the bed tonight and then we’ll stop for the day.”
It was an idea immediately taken to, the trio of tired woman more than eager to take a permanent break. Legs unused to constant travels up and down stairs cried out for mercy, a relief from the endless cardio.
“Hey, why don’t we get something to eat somewhere since we won’t be able to cook anything up here?” Sonata suggested. “There’s a really good restaurant just down the road that serves really good-”
“Let me guess: tacos,” Sunset cut through.
The predictable answer got a beaming smile and a hyper-vigorous nod from the former villainess, who seemed more than just extremely eager to dive face-first into some Tex-Mex. “Why don’t I buy everybody a margarita when we get there, too? I mean, this is your first apartment together and that’s supposed to be a big deal and everything so why not make it a big deal?”
Alcohol sounded excellent at the moment, and Sunset was rather curious to see what a worn-out Pinkie Pie would look like when deep into a glass. “Sure,” she said, accepting the invitation and sending Sonata into ecstasy. “However… I’d kinda like to wash off for a second. Jeez, I really smell.”
They’d been friends for so long that it seemed almost entirely natural that something else would develop. Pinkie had been more than happy to spend time with Sunset, roped her into all sorts of wild shenanigans over the years; graduation had done little to put a damper on their adventures, if not increasing them all the more. Pinkie took an apprenticeship at the Cake’s bakery when she completed culinary school, Sunset had earned a certification at the nearby technical college, and the meantime had been spent alongside each other.
Looking back, Sunset wondered if they’d always felt this way. Yet it had only been at a New Year's Eve party that it had ever been given an opportunity; a celebration of a long year gone by, and the two had suddenly found themselves beside one another, each desperate for a kiss from the other. Maybe the fall wedding that had come about only ten months later wasn’t as hurried an affair as Sunset had first thought it was. After all the years they’d been beside each other, what more was there for them to know about one another?
“How long do you think it’ll take you two to get the place in order?” Sonata asked through a mouthful of chicken taco, trying to devour the massive delicacy whole so as to take on the next.
Sunset pondered the thought for a moment, mulling over the myriad contents that made up the many boxes and items they had moved into the comfy apartment only a short while ago. “I dunno, actually. Hopefully not all of tomorrow, but I’d be willing to bet most of it,” she answered.
“Oh, don’t be silly! We’ve gotten all the hard parts done, the furniture’s moved in and settled already!” Pinkie chided happily, looking more energized by a hearty meal, and a rather strong margarita. “All we’ll need to do is get all the clothes sorted and put the books on the shelves and get the kitchen together and fill up the bathroom and stock the pantry! That’s easy!”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Sunset said with a roll of her eyes, though smiling nonetheless. Pinkie’s boundless cheerfulness had always been a good counter to her inclination towards a darker mood, and now was no exception. Yes, it wouldn’t be the easiest thing to accomplish, but the worst was over and she wouldn’t be taking it all on alone. Having Pinkie as her bride certainly had its benefits.
“So you won’t be coming in to work tomorrow, I’m guessing?” Sonata guessed.
Pinkie shook her head. “The Cakes already know I’m gonna be super busy so I’ll be at the apartment getting everything super clean and ready to be lived in, cause I’m gonna destroy Sunset in that bed as soon as we’re done!”
“Holy- Pinkie, we’re in public!” Sunset said, turning a fierce red as her wife’s booming words echoed across the restaurant and grabbed the attention of curious ears.
“So?”
There was an argument against that, but the technically inclined woman couldn’t quite think of one just yet. Her frustration must have been obvious because Pinkie laughed before reaching over to pull her close for a kiss, adding a bit of bliss to the irritating mixture.
“Well, congrats to both of you, I guess!” Sonata chirped. “And wow, you’ve got Halloween just next week, then Thanksgiving and Christmas just right behind! What are you gonna do to celebrate?”
“Party!”
“Nothing.”
The contradictory answers did their work of drawing a reaction from one another, Pinkie and Sunset promptly turning to one another in disbelief that the other would dare to say such a thing.
Sonata’s face fell to a grimace as she realized the mistake that had just been made. “Oh jeez, I just started a fight, I’ve messed up. Sorry, sorry…”
“Sonata, you’re fine- but Pinkie,” Sunset said, “you can’t be serious. Halloween is- I know parties are your thing, but we’re not exactly liquid right now! Maybe we should ease off for a little bit.”
“What? Why would we do that?” Pinkie asked, looking utterly shocked such a thing could even be suggested in the first place. “That’s terrible, Halloween is made for candy and parties! Especially naughty, sexy parties-”
“Look, I love the idea, but we just moved in,” Sunset protested. “Maybe we should hold off, just for a little bit. Does that sound sensible?”
Sensible it sounded, although Pinkie didn’t find the advice all that wonderful to the ear. Deflating just a bit, she nodded in acceptance of her defeat and settled beside her bride. “Cause who knows what tomorrow’s gonna look like, right?” she asked.
“Right,” Sunset said, feeling a twinge of sympathy at Pinkie’s dejected appearance, leaning in to place a kiss of her own on the pleasant baker’s cheek. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. Thanksgiving will come around and we’ll be able to have some fun then. It’s only for a little while.”
The words had felt so strong and confident in Sunset’s mind that day, not even bothering to give a thought to any idea that they might not ring entirely true. Only a few days later, she found herself staring into her computer and seeing a blue screen of death. A matter of importance when dealing with the item that supports your livelihood, replacing it was no small feat. Everything had to be recovered and copied to an external hard drive, then put onto a new computer and all sorts of other nonsense.
Then came the pink slip. Suddenly the words rang hollow as the newlyweds watched their income be slashed in half, Sunset’s employers folding under the strain of increasing debt and relinquishing her skills, putting all financial strain on the back of a lone young baker. Though Sunset’s foresight in monetary matters helped them survive for a little while longer, the difficulties soon presented themselves in the form of a less-than-stuffed pantry. Decent, healthy meals turned into little more than rice and beans, perhaps some salt to help add flavor; a carton of eggs and some toast for their mornings with little else to bring to the table. It wasn’t much, and it wouldn’t get any easier so long as only one of them worked.
It was perhaps the most pitiful Thanksgiving Sunset had ever known, the twisting knot of guilt in her stomach turning rotten after nearly a month of its presence. The Cakes were traveling to be with family out of town; Applejack was busy tending to the death of Granny Smith and little else would occupy her thoughts, and Pinkie’s family…
“Well,” Pinkie said as they turned to a meager meal of microwave turkey, “we’ve got each other, right?”
Sunset had used a small bit of her emergency money to buy them something festive for the holiday, hoping to alleviate the gloom that had permeated their first month together. She’d tried so hard to plan out their first year together; plenty of financial wisdom in mind to help maintain a pleasant cushion, smart decision-making in renting a place… all thrown out the window in the first two weeks, solely because of her. She didn’t know how to live with herself.
“Sunset? You OK?” Pinkie broke through the unhappy menagerie of dismal thought and Sunset looked up from her meager plate to see her bride looking at her from across the card table, the normally bright face now etched with worry.
“I’m-” Sunset sighed, not sure whether to scream or to cry about their present circumstances. “I guess I’m not, Pinkie.”
Pinkie, in an act Sunset had rarely ever witnessed, abandoned her still-warm meal and came over to Sunset’s side, taking her spouse in an embrace that tried to put an end to the deeply buried sensations of torturous remorse the wearied woman held within. “It’s not your fault,” Pinkie said softly, a small string of kisses finding their way across Sunset’s cheek.
“What- but Pinkie, are you serious? Of course it is!” Sunset cried, trying to push her bride away and allow her anger to take form, to take control and wear itself down to nothing. “My computer broke and I got it replaced, I got let go, I’m the one that moved us into this place in the first place and now we barely have any money at all- how’s it not my fault?”
“Because you didn’t know that was gonna happen, of course!” Pinkie replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Goodness, and you call yourself smart, Sunset! Don’t be so silly and think you’re supposed to know the future or anything!”
It was all said so matter of factly that it was rather difficult to argue against. “But- Pinkie, it was all still my idea to move out and-”
“Hush!” Pinkie chided. “So what that we’re not super-duper ultra-rich or something right now? We’re together, aren’t we?”
That sort of argument rarely had any real effect on Sunset, something she felt Pinkie should have easily remembered. “But that doesn’t buy groceries! How are we gonna keep paying rent if you’re the only one making money? I still don’t know when I’m gonna get rehired! What then?”
“Then we’ll deal with it when the time comes!” Pinkie replied, staring at Sunset with such a look of incredulity that she seemed more astounded by her own words than her wife’s fearful skepticism. “Wow, is this what it feels like to be smart? It’s kinda cool, can I keep this up all the time?”
“And what if I don’t get another job soon?” Sunset countered. “Or just plain never get another one?!”
“Well it’s not like bad times last forever, silly!”
Now Sunset truly wanted to scream. This was a horrible Thanksgiving and a horrible life and she had roped Pinkie Pie into it and now the damned woman wouldn’t even have the dignity to say it was all Sunset’s fault! Wouldn’t it just be easier to blame her like always and just go along with her life? Why’d she have to be so relentlessly cheerful?
“I bet you get another job really, really soon!” Pinkie declared, saying the words with such conviction as though to make them become reality. “And then we’ll have a super fun Christmas and we’ll enjoy New Year’s and have an even better year next year! Because that sounds way better than being all gloomy and thinking only bad things are gonna happen because that just doesn’t make any sense.”
Sunset couldn’t really quite believe her- but neither could she put out the flame that was Pinkie Pie’s enduring spirit. Wasn’t this a reason she’d married her in the first place? It was a hopefulness that didn’t have much reason behind it, but the belief was undeniable, and just as difficult to not join in. “You… Pinkie, I wish I could really think that right now,” she said unhappily.
“That’s OK, I’ll just believe for the both of us right now,” Pinkie replied, cradling Sunset’s face and tracing her lips with a small, delicate kiss that seemed to contrast so deeply with her wild demeanor. “I love you, you know! And you’re still my ray of sunshine!”
The pet names had never been Sunset’s idea, nor had she been the one to keep them alive. But when Pinkie had come to adore them so, she couldn’t quite find the strength to see them die when they were so deeply cherished by the person she loved most. “Pinkie, you’re… you’re my sweetheart,” she said in return, the timid gesture bringing a glowing smile to the baker’s face.
“See?! I knew you could do it!” Pinkie cried, leaping into Sunset’s lap and looking as though she wanted to get down to business. “Jeez, and now I’m all turned on and everything! I’ll bet you didn’t think you were gonna get a workout today!”
Sunset didn’t mind the idea of such exercise at all, but found herself distracted by the ringing that was emanating from her phone, the familiar tone speaking of only two people in the world. “Hold on, what are- I thought her parents were coming over today…”
“Isn’t that Twilight?”
“Or Cadance, yeah,” Sunset muttered, dragging the still-screaming device from across the table. “Wonder what this is about..?”
Pinkie waited on bated breath as she watched her still-unhappy bride turned her attentions to the world across the phone line, distracted from the lush prize that sat on her lap waiting to be claimed. She herself was more than eager to get a real party started, and was rather tempted to set Sunset to squealing mid-call; it would at least be entertaining. In fact, she had just made up her mind to do so when she watched her wife’s face light up in an unexpected delight.
“What? Yeah, we’ll be right over! Thanks so much, this means a ton right now! Give us… yeah, thirty minutes sound alright? Twilight, thank you all so much!” Sunset threw down her phone and pulled Pinkie Pie into a deep, furiously happy kiss that set the poor girl to melting. “Ohmygosh, that was so good to hear.”
“What did Twi want?”
“Cadance’s parents aren’t able to make it into town because of weather,” Sunset began to explain. “Twilight said they have a bunch of extra food cooked, and with nearly everyone else away…”
Pinkie smiled, glad to see her bride’s spirits so swiftly recovering, even if her disappointment at the loss of some much-desired fun was to be its replacement. Another time, if I have to wait. “See? It can’t always be bad!”
“I guess you’re right,” Sunset said, taking another kiss for good measure and letting it linger. “Maybe I should listen to you more often. You’ve got good advice.”
It was a moment of perfect opportunity. “Wanna listen to me again?”
Sunset gave a chuckle. “Sure. Enlighten me.”
“Take off your clothes. It only takes twenty minutes to get to Cadance’s house.”
It took Sunset a good week before she could admit that Pinkie had been right; the countless resumes and job applications she had sent out made their mark in the right hands, several interviews suddenly filling up the poor woman’s empty schedule and setting it to boiling. Nearly all of them gave her an offer, and Sunset found herself struggling with having to pick the best option out of all of them- a few more days of negotiation later and one was willing to give her an advance. She took the job in the business’ IT department without another word, knowing that December’s rent had at last been assured. They’d still be cutting things close, but the tired pair would actually have surplus at the end of the month; a relief after the seemingly endless anxiety that had come in the face of unemployment.
Her first reaction had been to actually ignore Pinkie Pie’s calls for celebration, or any form of happiness at all. Horrible as it was, the relief that came in the wake of such good news had made Sunset more exhausted from worry’s end rather than feel any sense of lightness.
“Come on! I told you you’d get another job really soon!” Pinkie exclaimed, not allowing her spouse to find freedom from her clutches as she held Sunset against her bosom. “We’re supposed to be happy, not go to bed! Let’s get silly, keep the neighbors awake and ruin the bedsheets!”
“Pinkie, I-” Sunset wanted to groan, or simply go on a rampage. “I am so glad that you’re glad for me, but I am tired. Can’t we just say ‘hooray’ or something and let it go?”
“Of course not! It’s a big deal and we should be happy, you silly!” Pinkie replied, seeming absolutely scandalized. “Now I want to hear you squealing in the next five minutes, so get those pants down!”
“Pinkie, this is ridiculous. We’re only barely getting past the end of the month for rent, maybe we should not try to spend any money for a bit?”
“Who said anything about spending money? I just wanna make you start screaming,” Pinkie said plainly. “Now come on, lose those pants! I’m hungry and only bacon is gonna satisfy.”
Sunset took some offense at that. “Pinkie, you did not just compare me to a pig.”
“What? You’re a snack!”
Sunset groaned loud enough to wake her neighbors for the real show and she let herself fall into Pinkie’s arms, not even reacting as her bride’s cavalcade of physical adoration began. Instead she slumped in her arms and fell to exhaustion, feeling so weary that she wondered how she could even find the strength to make it to bed at all.
“Sunset, you’d better suck this tongue or else-” Pinkie paused mid-diatribe as she felt Sunset’s continued slide against her comfortable body. “Sunset?”
The first sniffle came as a surprise; the second, and all the ones after, were caught in hand and held gently as the weary young woman allowed her emotions to see themselves through and be turned to dust, tears falling heavy and hot as the strong will of the young couple could no longer hold its head high and simply collapsed.
Pinkie had half-wondered if this moment would come sooner rather than later and gently guided the pair of them to the ground, keeping Sunset’s face buried and hidden from the prying eyes of the world as she tried to wipe the tears away and shush every sob. “It’s alright, it’s alright,” she said ever so softly, “I know it’s been hard, but we’re OK. We’re OK.”
“But we almost weren’t!” Sunset wailed, all hopes of reason long thrown out the window. “Pinkie, I nearly got us thrown out! What if I hadn’t found this job or gotten that advance- we could be, just… shit!”
“Hey! It’s alright, my ray of sunshine!” Pinkie said pleasantly. “Because we don’t have to think about that! It’s OK! You’re OK, I’m OK, it’s all OK! Now come on, can you give me a kiss and relax, please?”
It was a watery thing they shared together, Sunset’s lips turned salty with tears as they pressed against her bride’s in a forceful, emotion-packed kiss, one that continued to be met by Pinkie’s own insistence until their union finally turned the tears to dampened laughter, Sunset at last allowing herself to be comforted and tended to, the overwhelming power of the moment starting to fade and allow for some measure of happiness.
“Sorry,” she said thickly, pushing the last of the tears away as she tried to put an end to Pinkie’s comforting. “Guess I got a bit carried away for a moment.”
“Aw, it’s alright! It’s not like I don’t go crazy every now and then or something,” Pinkie replied. “Now you’re sure you don’t want to celebrate a little bit? I can make us some cupcakes and we can be silly for the rest of the night.”
“Well…” Eyes still a bit watery from her outburst, Sunset let her expression grow into a smile and she took Pinkie’s outstretched hand in her own, feeling the warmth of fingers becoming intertwined. “Maybe something sweet wouldn’t be so bad!”
Pinkie puzzled on that for a bit. “So does that mean me or the cupcakes?”
It was a sharp enough comeback that Sunset couldn’t help but laugh, at last replying, “Yes.”
“Pinkie, you can’t actually wear that to work,” Sunset said patiently, though her patience growing thinner. This wasn’t even a real argument that was worth having in the first place.
“Come on! It’s Christmastime, I wanna wear it!” Pinkie said, stomping her foot and sending the hem of her Santa dress to shivering. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
It wasn’t a bad outfit by any means- Sunset genuinely liked the look of it on her beloved bride’s body. But perhaps the very things that appealed it to her weren’t exactly something appropriate for work hours, and the skirt was short enough to leave little to the imagination. “Maybe it’s just a bit too- risqué, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “Come on, if you bend over you’ll- well…”
“Ooh, would you like that, Sunset? Do you want me to bend over for you?” Pinkie teased.
“Yes, I really- but that’s not the point!” Honestly, the idea that this was even a conversation. “Pinkie, it’s great for being around me –seriously- but it’s not good for work. At least wear pants underneath it or something.”
“Spoilsport,” Pinkie said, still appearing mutinous. “Fine, I’ll wear some yoga pants! But you owe me when I get home, I know that look!”
“I promise, you’ll get it!” Sunset struggled for a bit as Pinkie flounced away, debating whether or not she should follow behind and make good on that promise right away or to get ready for work herself. One assuredly sounded more appealing than the other.
“But then again,” Sunset muttered to herself, “you did need to go by the grocery store today. Get up, you lazy bum!”
Their holiday was going to be a simple one, no matter which way they looked at it. With little extra money to spend, the impoverished couple deciding to forgo gifts in case some new crisis decided to rear its ugly head and bring about their ruin. There was some consideration to being with Applejack’s family on the 26th, but nothing solidified just yet in terms of celebration. For the time being, what they had was simply each other.
Sunset had been the one to suggest it, and Pinkie had agreed, though perhaps reluctantly. With the genuine nightmares that had come about during Halloween and the dismal Thanksgiving they had endured, the poor party planner was eager to have something to celebrate. Sunset would have been right along with her in that regard if she was just certain that they could manage it- but what if… her constant fearfulness for the future didn’t help matters. Beyond a simple meal together and the miniature tinsel tree Pinkie had owned for years, there holiday was to be a small one.
Or so the exuberant woman believed. Sunset wasn’t devious any longer, but her ability to keep things hidden was still unparalleled; a few extra dollars had been stowed away discreetly for an opportune moment, and this seemed to be it. It would be a difficult task to achieve: going back and forth was one thing, and then actually getting it all done was to be another. Sunset wasn’t the most spectacular cook- or decorator, for that matter.
Her first effort –simply to make the purchases- went rather well. Sunset had at least found everything she’d needed, so it was as good a sign as any. “I mean,” she reasoned with herself, “I can’t be that terrible at baking, right? Pinkie does it just fine.”
But then again… Over an hour later and she was staring at the contents of the oven with some measure of apprehension, hoping she’d actually gotten everything right this time. Sunset’s first attempt at making icing had gone poorly, burning the chocolate rather than melting it and turning the whole apartment acrid. The second, borne from a painfully learned lesson, had been more cautious and produced better results. Not that making the cookie dough had gone much more smoothly- Sunset simply couldn’t seem to make it properly sweet enough, no matter what she tried. Or get into the right shape, Sunset kicking herself over forgetting to buy a cookie cutter. “Well, at least I can’t screw it up much more,” she muttered. “Timer’s set for a little while longer, I’ve got plenty of time to work on the decorations- oh hell, the decorations.”
It was little more than paper and tinsel that Sunset had purchased, but her goal was to make something actually lovely to look at without having to delve into the realms of the expensive, at least for this first Christmas. She had loved to make holiday decorations when she’d been a young girl, and had been rather good at it- but that had been a different Sunset, a different life and universe altogether. Here, with no guided magic at her disposal, the affair would have to be settled by hand. Determined to see this done properly, Sunset took scissors to paper and began to cut with as much delicacy as she could muster; slowly, carefully would be the name of her efforts here. After all, supplies were limited.
Sunset was giving the project her best, but her first snowflake still ended up a disaster, looking more like a mangled worm rather than a depiction of natural beauty. “Jeez, and to think I used to be good at this,” she remarked unhappily, gazing at her pock-marked holiday piece with displeasure. “Well… I’ve still got plenty of sheets, might as well just- oh crap the cookies!”
Whether it had been an accident or by some malfunction of the oven, the alarm decided it had no desire to ring and alert its user to the completion of the sugary confections, Sunset hauling the items out in a panic as she wondered whether or not she’d entirely burned them into crispy, unappetizing pieces. Daring to prod at them with ungloved fingers, the inexperienced baker gave the cookies a thorough examination. Perhaps not as soft as she would have liked, one a tinge browner than necessary, but… “I did not entirely screw it up!” she proclaimed triumphantly, grabbing for a small spatula so as to peel them away from the baking sheet and place the cookies on a plate to cool. “Just let them cool for a little bit, then add the icing, and they’ll actually be OK! Ooh, I can’t believe it- Pinkie’s gonna love it!”
A few minutes passed before she was able to scrape the delectable icing onto her prized creations, a now-smug Sunset even allowing herself to take a celebratory lick of what icing remained in her bowl. “OK, so… it’s noon, I kinda need to get some real work done for the office.” A boon she hadn’t realized that would be given to her was the ability to work away from home if needed, her employers graciously offering her the opportunity. No slouch was she either, Sunset setting to work on her laptop and losing herself in what she knew best. Difficult to achieve success in the midst of so much poor coding, but to find it was rewarding. Someday I’ll have to see if I can rewrite their system, she mused. Whoever did it for them first was ridiculously lazy.
Sunset’s focus was potent, a powerful ability to zone out the rest of the world and concentrate on one task solely. So great was this skill of hers that it could easily hold her captive and keep all other necessary thought away, such as nourishment or rest, even the passing of time. As she continued to dive even more deeply into her work, the less did she notice that the world about her was beginning to grow darker and darker as the sun began to fall behind the horizon. If it hadn’t been for the sound of activity at the door, she might not have paused for some time.
“Wow. Man, I need to stretch,” Sunset grunted, rising from her seat and immediately feeling her knees protest their stiffness. “I really need to set a timer, I didn’t even get back to-”
She saw the frizzy hair poke through the front door and Sunset’s blood ran cold as her eyes drifted downwards to the incomplete pile of attempted decorations that had been forgotten in the rescue of her baked masterpieces. Oh no. She needed to hide it all away, out of sight as fast as she could hope to manage before Pinkie caught a look and was-
Pinkie, still oblivious to her bride’s panic, immediately began to jabber as she entered the door. “So yeah, you were probably right that I needed to wear pants, a bunch of teenagers came by and wouldn’t stop staring, can you imagine if I’d just been wearing the dress and-” her cheerful monologue died at the sight of Sunset freezing mid-bound, a wad of crushed papers in one hand and an untouched pile in the other, the smell of both fresh cookies and scorched sugar identifiable in the air. “What were you up to?”
Sunset’s first inclination, and a horrible one at that, was to lie; her more decent side of mind, however, reasoned that a healthy marriage didn’t need falsities even in the small things. “I was meaning to make it a surprise,” she said at first.
Pinkie took in a deep sniff, a strange face at the resultant mixture of aromas that came to greet her. “Were you baking?”
Sunset hesitated. “Sort of a little.”
Pinkie took another sniff. “You burned something sweet, right?”
“I got it right the second time.”
Pinkie mulled it all over in her head, trying to come to a conclusion that would satisfy her. After a few moments, she gave a nod of her head- and dove into the arms of Sunset to absolutely smother her spouse in a barrage of kisses-
Sunset wouldn’t have put up a protest even if she’d tried, her hands immediately taking a deathgrip on Pinkie’s pleasantly cushioned bottom and returning each kiss with a surprised, delighted fervor. “Sorry it- mmph- didn’t work out- mmm- so well!”
“Are you kidding?!” Pinkie cried, quieting a protest from Sunset with such a kiss that she seemed eager to steal the woman’s breath away. “This is fantastic! It’s super amazing, I love it, this is so sweet! And the paper- oh, you were trying to make decorations, I can help you with that- wait, is there more cookies to be made? We’ll make some together! And wait a minute, you owe me for this morning!”
Sunset was laughing joyously at this point, more than content to let Pinkie remain atop of her as she already was, though perhaps with less fabric between them. “Pinkie- sweetheart, ease up a bit! I can barely keep up with you-”
“Come on, you ray of sunshine!” Pinkie proclaimed, leaping to her feet and bringing Sunset along with her. “We’ve got decorations to make, cookies to bake, and we are getting naked!”
The final option lasted for only about five minutes, Sunset finding she couldn’t walk around an enclosed apartment baring it all and not feel freezing. Pinkie tried to continue on, but soon found herself back in her santa dress and more than occasionally bumping into Sunset, or stealing a kiss just because she could. The two made cookies together and enjoyed themselves in the midst of their mess; decorations were hung with care upon the walls, Sunset’s unrefined techniques given aid by Pinkie’s experience. As more and more was brought to life in the oven, the more they wanted to enjoy them- and for others to enjoy them as well. Small baggies of freshly made cookies found themselves gifted to neighbors as a token of goodwill, Pinkie’s natural exuberance properly toned down by Sunset’s calm warmth.
“That was the best Christmas celebration ever! And it’s not even Christmas yet!” Pinkie declared that night, leaping into bed and swiftly snuggling beside Sunset. “Ohmygosh, we are doing that again every year, that was so fun!”
“The best, was it?” Sunset asked. “Even including the party where you kissed me for the first time?”
Pinkie had to think about that one. The kiss, the cookies, the good company, the cookies, the tons of food, the cookies, the cupcakes, and more cookies… “OK, so that one was better.”
“We’ll try to match it sometime,” Sunset assured her. “We’ll have a house someday, and we’ll be able to throw all sorts of parties here ourselves. I promise we will.”
“I know, and I can hardly wait!” Pinkie replied. “Thanks so much, Sunset. I love you to pieces.”
“Love you, too,” Sunset said, though her gaze wandered down from her bride’s gaze to the succulent figure of the woman who lay beside her. That pinchable rump, a cheery body with just the perfect amount of thickness, potent breasts that always seemed ready to tear at clothing, tempting lips that begged to be nibbled…
“Sunset? Something on your mind?” Pinkie’s smile was more of a smirk, and a rather sultry one at that. The one woman in the world who sometimes seemed to really be a mind-reader, it didn’t take much to wonder what her bride’s drifting gaze was suggesting.
“Sorry I didn’t get you a gift this year,” Sunset whispered. “I know we sorta promised… I’d like to make it up to you, if you don’t mind.”
“Ooh, a special present! What are you gonna give me?”
Sunset threw herself atop her beloved and swiftly set to work. Their home was filled with a little more fun to last the night.