01 - Through the Looking Glass and into Wonderland

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Sunset angrily raced to her suite. Throwing the door open, she raced about her room gathering supplies into her saddlebag. At her dresser, along with her book she scooped in as many gems as she could gather and all the bits she had in her possession. She wasn’t sure when she was coming back and she wanted to be ready for whatever she might face on the other side of the portal.

Aiko loped through her door as she put on her the saddlebags then her traveling shawl over that.

“Sunset, don’t do this! You don’t have to run away. We can work this out! I’ll help you!” Aiko called out, trying to calm her sister down.

“Aiko, you don’t understand! She betrayed us! I can’t be a part of this any longer!” stormed Sunset. “I can’t stay! I want no part of this! Stay if you want to, but I’m leaving!” She left her apartment, slamming the door then trotting down the hall.

With a pop Aiko appeared beside her. “No! Where you go, I go. We’re in this together,” she assured Sunset. Together they raced down the halls to the storage room housing Starswirl's mirror. Behind them they heard the guards yelling to each other in the halls.

“I think your mom is onto you,” said Aiko as she looked back down the halls. “The guards are coming.”

“They’ll be too late. Come on!” called Sunset, racing faster. They entered the room together, racing over to the mirror portal.

Sunset turned to Aiko. “Are you ready for this?” she asked.

Aiko nodded. “Where you go, I go,” she replied.

“Let’s go then,” said Sunset. Trotting into the mirror she disappeared through its surface. Aiko followed after her.

Aiko felt herself being stretched and pulled, her body morphing strangely as they passed through a space filled with mind bending colors and shapes. Ahead of her, she saw Sunset being pulled and shaped into a strange creature with a round head covered with her mane, weird forelimbs ending in fleshy nubs, an oddly shaped barrel, and two hind limbs that hung directly below her body. Her sister’s beautiful mane was transformed into a wild profusion of strawberry red hair. A moment later her shawl morphed into pants, a blouse, some kind of skirt, and a jacket, while her saddlebags morphed into a pack centered over the shoulders of her forelimbs.

Aiko looked down to see the same transformation was occurring to her.

“Sunset!” she called out. The creature ahead of her struggled to turn to her.

“Aiko!” Sunset called out. “I think wherever we’re heading must be very different from Equis!”

“You think!” called out Aiko in mild panic. “What the heck are we becoming? I’ve never had a portal do this before?”

“Don’t worry!” called out Sunset. “We’ll be fine! We have each other!”

As she said that a dark shadow passed over them. Two sinister eyes opened with evil glee.

A voice rasped out from the shadow. “I’ve been so looking forward to this moment, little one. It’s time for you to die along with all the works you were to do!” The voice cackled gleefully as lightning arced out from the darkness to encompass Sunset as she struggled.

“No!” shouted Aiko, willing herself towards her sister. Unsure and uncaring of how she was doing it at that moment, she drew closer to Sunset, reaching out and pulling her into her grasp. The lightning now arced and raced over both of them.

“Aiko! What’s happening?” called out Sunset. “I can’t see anything! I’m blind!” A moment later Aiko lost her vision also.

“We’re being attacked by whatever that thing is,” replied Aiko. “Hang strong, Sunset. Nothing can overcome us! We’ll stay strong together!” The two held each other close as the lightning raced and ravaged over their bodies.

“Die already!” screamed the voice at them. “Time to die! Why won’t you just die!” More lightning raced over the two girls as they held each other close, shouting encouragements to each other.

“Fine then! If I can’t seem to kill you I will reduce you both to nothing!” screamed the maddened voice. The lightning increased, then both Aiko and Sunset felt their bodies shrinking, growing smaller, their minds slipping away as well.

“Aiko! He’s regressing us! Try to hold onto your thoughts! Keep your memories in your thoughts so he can’t take them from us!” called out Sunset. Aiko tried her best, her precious memories of her sister and their times together vibrant in her thoughts as they fell through the void. Stripped of everything but the memories she held close, her vision returned. She saw a light growing ahead of them.

“Stay strong, Sunset! I think we’re almost there!” called out Aiko as they fell through the maddening void towards the growing light.

“No!” screamed the shadows voice, “I’m not finished with you, little one! I will never stop trying to destroy you!” it screamed. As they neared the light the creature raced off into the void, its lightning no longer playing over their bodies. Upon reaching the light they were pitched through it, launching into an alley with a flash, then tumbling to the ground together. The light faded as they sat up side by side in the alleyway.

“Are you okay, Aiko?” called out Sunset, brushing dirt and trash off her sister. “Are you hurt?”

Shaking her head clear, Aiko turned to look at her sister. “Wow, what the heck are we? I’ve never seen anything like this. You look like a cuter version of a storm beast.”

Sunset laughed. “Same to you, goof. I have no idea what we are. But if we look like storm beasts, I bet that’s how we’re supposed to move too.” She carefully rose, standing on her hindlimbs. “Yeah, this seems to feel natural. I’m gonna go with it. Let’s see how it moves.” She took a step forward, then another. She took one more then stumbled nearly falling. “Okay, yeah. Like a cute little storm beast. It works fine if I don’t think about it. The moment I think about how to do it, I stumble.”

She stepped back to Aiko, reaching down with her forelimb and holding out the appendage at the end. “Need help up, sis?”

Aiko took the offered support, pulling herself to her hindlimbs. Sunset was right, it did feel natural to stand like this. Still holding Sunset’s appendage she took a few steps, Sunset following beside her.

“Yeah, you’re right. If I don’t think too much about it, I can move fine.” Aiko scowled for a moment. “What was that thing in the void?” She thought for a moment then mildly panicked. “Sunset! I don’t remember anything from before the void! What happened! Did that thing take our memories away?”

“I think so,” replied Sunset. “All I can remember was I was running away from a princess who wanted to banish me. Or something. She was really mad and unhappy with me. I think we lived with her.”

Aiko shook her head. “I can’t remember either. Whatever that thing attacking us was, it took our memories. At least we still remember each other!”

Sunset smiled. “I’ll never forget you, Aiko!”

“And I’ll never forget you either,” grinned Aiko. Turning, she looked around, taking in the alleyway they had tumbled into. There was no sign of the portal, nor of any other creatures, save one cat sitting atop a trash bin eyeing them suspiciously.

“I guess there’s no going back for us now,” agreed Sunset. “I don’t see any sign of the portal.”

“Me either,” agreed Aiko.

“Let’s go look around. Maybe we can find some place to stay and something to eat. I’m kind of hungry,” mused Sunset. Smiling, Aiko nodded in agreement.

Still holding each other's forelimbs they left the alleyway, emerging onto a sidewalk filled with creatures like themselves only larger, all moving about to whatever destinations they had. Standing to the side to stay out of the flow of traffic, they looked up and down the street searching for any sign of a tavern or hostel. There were shops everywhere, most of them a bit run down, but no sign of food or lodging.

One other thing they noticed is how much larger the other creatures appeared. They were easily twice the size of the two of them.

One of the creatures noticed them. Drawing close, it bent down to speak.

“Little girls, are you lost? Where are your parents?” she asked in a kind voice.

“Uh, yeah? Kind of?” replied Sunset. “I have no idea where our parents are. My sister and I just kind of woke up here together. I don’t even know where we are.” she answered.

“You two are sisters? I would never have guessed,” responded the woman. “Well, no matter. You need to go to the shelter. Sister Mary can help you find your parents and make sure you stay safe. These streets are no place for a couple of little girls. Come on!”

Taking Sunset’s other hand, the woman pulled them along, Sunset and Aiko following her as she led them through the crowds and down the street.

“Where are we going?” Aiko asked the woman.

“I’m taking you to the Canterlot shelter Sister Mary runs. She’ll take you in and help you find where you belong. By the Maker, I am not leaving two helpless little girls on the street. Goddess knows what would happen to you out here on your own,” she answered as she led them along.

“Yo, bitch! What do you think you’re doing!” a voice boomed out from down the street. Glaring, an angry man approached them.

“Relax, jerk! I’ll be right back! I just need to get these two off the street,” answered the woman.

“You don’t get to be right back!” stormed the man. He slapped the woman, rocking her head back and causing her to let go of Sunset.

Holding her bleeding cheek she hissed at him. “I said I’ll be right back! I am not leaving these two on the street alone. It’s bad enough the things I have to do to get by! By the goddess there is no way in the seven frozen hells I am leaving these two to the streets mercies!”

She stepped back to the girls, blocking his way.

“Bitch! You don’t get to decide nothing!” screamed the man. “I got a mind to take care of these two myself. Get your owned ass back on the corner! Now!”

The woman continued to glare at him, standing between the girls and him.

Enraged, the man lashed out slamming his fist into the woman’s face, knocking her out cold at the girls’ feet.

“Bitch! You made me damage the merchandise. If you lose money because of that, it’s coming out of your ass!” He grabbed the hands of the girls, pulling them along after him. “Come on!” he hissed at them.

Cowed, the girls ran to keep up with his long strides, their hands firmly trapped in his grasp as he pulled them along.

“Where are we going?” asked Aiko fearfully.

“The bitch wasn’t wrong. I’m getting you off the streets before someone else claims you as their prize,” the man said, leading them into one of the doorways between the shops. At the end of a long hall there was a staircase. He dragged them up several flights of stairs then down a hall filled with doorways. Standing before one, he let go of Aiko’s hand and reached into his pocket to pull out a set of keys.

Aiko looked at him fearfully, ready to bolt.

“Stand right there, little bitch,” said the man. “Don’t even think of running off or I’ll hurt your friend. I’m taking you in here to keep you safe from the others. You’re with me now. So stand still, shut up, and just wait a second.” As he was saying all this he managed to get the door unlocked and open. Taking Aiko’s hand again he pulled the girls into the apartment and shut the door.

He led them down a hall and into a room, empty of any furnishings save for a ratty looking bed and a dresser with a mirror atop it. Dragging the girls casually to the bed, he left them sitting there, returning to the door.

“Wait here! I’m going to get you something to eat. Don’t try to leave.” He left, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Aiko got up and ran to the door trying to open it. It was indeed locked.

Sunset ran over to the window, trying to open it. She managed to get the widow open a few inches, nowhere near far enough open for them to slip through. Not that it mattered as the window was covered with bars, effectively locking them away from the street below.

“Aiko, I don’t like this at all. I have a very bad feeling about this,” commented Sunset.

“Sunset, I can’t get out. The door is locked, and my magic isn’t working. I can’t get through the door!” Aiko growled in frustration.

Sunset tried to reach her magic. Nothing happened. “Aiko! I can’t use my magic either! What kind of hell is this where magic doesn’t work?” Sunset called out in frustration.

“How are we going to get out of here?” asked Aiko, still looking over the door trying to find some way past it.

“I don’t know,” responded Sunset. “But you’re right, we can’t stay here! That creature is acting like we’re his property now or something. That can’t be good! And I think whatever that thing was in the void, it changed us somehow. I don’t think we are supposed to be this small. I think it changed us into young versions of whatever these creatures are, so we’re basically helpless against them. We’ve gotta get out and get to that place with Sister Mary,” she stated as she examined the window, struggling to find a way to open it further.

Leaving the door Aiko tried to help Sunset open the window. Together the girls were able to force the window all the way open, though they were still literally barred from climbing through it. Looking out over the street below they saw the woman they were with still laying on the street with people just walking around her.

They watched as she rolled to her side then sat up, shaking her head and rubbing her face. She slowly got to her feet, still holding her head, then she stumbled off down the street.

“Hey! We’re up here! Hey lady! We’re up here!” shouted out Sunset.

The woman looked up, seeing Sunset waving her arm through the bars. She shook her head, turned then stumbled off down the street.

“What’s a lady? And where is she going? She saw you, we’re up here. Why is she heading away from us?” asked Aiko.

“I have no idea what a lady is,” replied Sunset. “It just came to me as I was calling out to her that’s what she is, so I said it. And I‘ve no idea where she’s going. Maybe to get some help?”

“Yeah, after getting knocked out like that she probably needs it,” agreed Aiko.

“I meant for us, but that’s a good point,” agreed Sunset. Together, the girls watched the street below as they tried to find a way to get past the bars.

Several hours later, tired, hungry, thirsty, and thoroughly frustrated, the girls sat side by side on the bed, listening to the sounds of the street below.

“This is not what I imagined would happen when I went through the mirror,” sighed Sunset. “I just wanted to get away from the angry princess.”

“And I just wanted to be with my sister,” agreed Aiko. “So now what?”

“I guess we'll wait. Eventually that slimeball will come back. I hope he brings food, I’m starving. We’ll find a way to trick him or overpower him somehow so we can escape. Though good luck on that last one. These bodies seem worse than useless in a fight given how hard it was for both of us to even get a window open. And without magic we have no way of overcoming that,” responded Sunset.

Holding hands, the sisters waited together for the angry man to return.

A while later they heard the door open in the apartment outside. There was a slam and scuffle, like something was being placed roughly down. A few loud steps then the lock to their door was turned and the door opened revealing the angry man from before. He entered, shutting the door behind him.

“So, I bet you girls are hungry, huh?” he laughed. “I have a little snack for you right here before you get any dinner.” Leering, he headed over to the bed where the girls were sitting.

Aiko leaped up, running across the room and slamming into the man.

He stopped, looking down at where she had fallen when she bounced off his legs. “Got something to say, short stuff?” the man laughed.

Looking up at the man with a glare, Aiko stood, putting herself between him and her sister. “You don’t touch my sister, you slimeball. Nobody touches my sister!” she growled.

“You have a lot of spunk for a little Asian girl. I bet you’ll be lots of fun!” he grinned. “I’ll get a high price for you.”

“No one is getting anything for me or my sister. We’re not your property, you sick pervert! You can’t keep us prisoners! I won’t let you!” she hollered at the man, holding out her forelimbs like claws.

“Damn you're cute when you’re angry,” laughed the man, walking towards her as she slowly backed away. “I’m sure of it now, you’re going to be a lot of fun.”

Sunset rose and raced to her sister’s side holding her arms out, hands clawed as well. “We’re not going to let you keep us prisoners. And we’re gonna stop you. You can’t harm us!” shouted Sunset.

“Wanna bet?” leered the man. “I’m going to make you both scream! And eventually, you're gonna learn to like it!” He paced forward, both of the girls backing slowly away from him until they were pushed up against the bed.

“Time for your first lessons, little bitches,” he laughed, smacking them both sending them helplessly tumbling onto the bed. “Get ready for some fun! And if you're good enough, I’ll even let you eat!”

As he leaned down over the bed there was a crash in the apartment outside. A loud bang rang out, then a crack and crash as something slammed to the floor in the apartment.

“What the hell!” stormed the man, turning back to the bedroom door. As he went to open the door it was kicked in sending him sprawling on the floor with the door on top of him.

Standing in the doorway was a very angry priest, the woman who had found them standing right behind him.

“Stupid fucking priest! What the hell are you doing here? I’m gonna kill you for this, you know that, right?” gasped the man still trapped beneath the door.

“I’ll take my chances,” growled the priest. He kicked the door off the man, then bent down and lifted him, holding him off the floor with one hand. “You know better than to mess with children on my watch. Think you’re going to hurt me? Think you’re going to hurt them? I dare you to try, then see if I don’t hunt you down and exterminate you like the vermin you are!” Turning, he threw the man out of the bedroom onto the floor in the hall outside.

The man scrambled to his feet, glowering at the priest and the woman with him. “You’ll pay for this priest! I swear!” He then glared at the woman. “You’re dead!” he screamed at her. ”I’ll kill you for this! Your days are over!” Turning, he ran from the apartment.

The priest walked over to the girls. “Come on, little ones. Let’s get out of here before he returns with friends.” Bending down he scooped both girls into his arms, holding them close. He turned to the woman and nodded. They left the apartment, heading down the stairs.

“You did good, Fae,” the priest said to the woman. “You’re done on the streets though, you know that, right? He’s not gonna stop until he’s made an example of you.”

“I know,” the woman sighed. Together they stepped out into the street and headed back to the shelter.

In the shelter Sunset and Aiko sat at a table. Both had a plate before them holding the other half of the sandwiches they were ravenously eating. Almost empty bottles of water sat beside the plates as the girls hungrily consumed their lunch.

A young Asian nun smiled at the girls as they ate. “Well, you two were sure hungry. Don’t worry, there’s more if you need it,” she laughed. “So! Welcome to the Canterlot shelter. My name is Sister Mary Magdalene, but you can just call me Sister Mary, or Sister. I run this shelter, and the two of you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need.”

“Thank you!” said Sunset between bites of sandwich, Aiko nodding in thanks as well. “I’m Sunset Shimmer, and this is my sister, Aiko Adobaizā.” Aiko smiled and bowed slightly, still eating.

“Pleased to meet you both, Sunset, Aiko. Go ahead and finish your dinner then I’ll help you get settled,” Sister Mary smiled at the girls.

“So what’s gonna happen to that woman? Fae I think her name was?” Sunset asked.

“She’s going to stay with us until we find a safe place where she can live. If we let her back out on the streets she’s done for,” sighed Sister Mary. “That was extremely brave of her to come to us for help. If she hadn’t I shudder to think what might have happened.” She closed her eyes and actually shuddered. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the girls and took a chip from Sunset’s tray, grinning as she stuck it into her mouth and crunched it up. Sunset was taking a sip of her water and laughed, spilling some of it down her shirt.

“Hey, I thought those were mine!” Sunset teased, wiping off her chin and shirt with a napkin. “You should get your own if you want some.”

“I could,” agreed Sister Mary. “Or I could just get you more when these are gone. It’s all good.” She laughed, bending down and kissing Sunset on the forehead. “Don’t worry! We won’t run out.”

Sunset and Aiko giggled. They finished up their sandwiches and chips, drank the rest of the water and cleared their places. Taking them both by the hands, Sister Mary led them down the hall and into a bedroom at the end. It was a small room furnished with two beds and a dresser in between.

“Sorry for the small space. You’ll be sharing my room with me. I would rather keep you two close for a bit, and not have you living out in the dorms with everyone else. You two can have the bottom drawers. The very bottom one locks, so can keep anything valuable there. Not that we have much problem with thieves but it does happen, so it pays to be safe. Just push the few things I have in there to the side to make whatever room you need. I have the key with me at all times, so whenever you need to get something just let me know and I’ll let you borrow it, okay?” Sister Mary explained.

Sunset nodded. Aiko sat on the bed by the window as Sunset unpacked her now transformed saddlebag. As all she had were gems, bits, now transformed into shiny gold coins, and her book. Everything she had went into the bottom drawer with the bag itself going into the drawer above.

“Aiko, do you have anything to put in here?” asked Sunset.

“Nope! I didn’t bring a bag. I just joined you when I saw you were running away. No way I was letting my sister leave without me,” stated Aiko. “Though I wish I could remember why we were leaving. It’s frustrating, I hardly remember anything from before that mean thing attacked us.”

Sister Mary’s eyes bulged when she saw the pile of gems and gold coins Sunset placed in the bottom drawer, and got bigger as she listened to the girls talk.

“I know! It’s so frustrating! I vaguely remember we were running away from a very angry princess,and something about being banished. And ponies! We were supposed to be ponies! Wait….” Sunset mused for a second. “No. I was a pony. The princess was a pony too, a big one, with a long horn and a wavy mane. And wings! Really large ones. And you weren’t a pony. You were a fox!”

“Yeah. That’s what I remember too. I was a fox, and you were a pony, and we were sisters. Wait. We had two other sisters too! One was a pony with a horn like you. And the other was like the princess, she had a horn and wings, but was littler like us. There were four of us, and we were all sisters,” exclaimed Aiko.

“Yeah! That’s right! The four of us! We did everything together,” agreed Sunset. “But, what were their names? I don’t remember.”

“Me either,” sighed Aiko. “I can kind of see their faces though. One was purple, and the princess one was light pink. And skinny.”

“Yeah, that sounds right,” agreed Sunset.

“Girls,” Sister Mary stated, interrupting their reflections. “Are you making this up? Is this some story you made up to explain why you are here? You don’t have to make up stories, it’s okay to just tell the truth. You won’t be hurt here.”

“No, that’s the truth. It’s not a story. That’s what happened. But I can’t remember the rest. So frustrating,” sighed Sunset.

“So, you are telling me, you are a unicorn pony, and your sister Aiko her is a fox, and your princess is a unicorn pegasus pony?” asked Sister Mary, incredulous.

“Yeah. That’s right. And we had magic! I was very magical, and so was Aiko! And so was Tw… er…Twi… er… the purple one. But Ca… Ca…. ugh… the pink one wasn’t for some reason, even though we were all studying magic under the princess. I think,” replied Sunset. “And she got angry with me. But I don’t remember why. I just remember her yelling something about being banished and I had to run away.”

“Yeah, and I had to come with you because no way is my sister going anywhere crazy alone. I am your protector!” nodded Aiko.

“You are my bestest sister!” agreed Sunset, giving Aiko a hug.

Sister Mary just shook her head. “Girls, do me a favor, okay?” she asked.

“Sure!” agreed Aiko. Sunset smiled and nodded as she closed the drawers and sat on the bed. Sister Mary locked the drawer then sat down beside the girts on the bed.

“Please don’t tell anyone else that story. Just say you got separated from your parents and don’t remember anything else. If you tell people stories about being a pony or a fox around here things may happen to you. I want to keep you both safe, so please don’t mention this again, okay?” urged Sister Mary.

Sunset and Aiko just nodded.

“Okay, that’s settled. Feel free to explore around the shelter for a while. Stay out of trouble though, okay? I need to start some paperwork to get you both processed and into the system,and try to find if anyone is looking for you,” explained Sister Mary.

Seeing the worried look on Sunset’s face, she added. “Don’t worry. Even if there is someone looking for you, we’ll protect you if that’s what you want. We won’t just hand you over to whomever, I promise!”

Sunset looked relieved, so Sister Mary left them in the room talking, while she went out to file the girls into the system and make a few calls.

Sister Mary returned to the room a bit later to tell the girls what she had found, but instead found them snuggled up together on the bed sound asleep. Smiling to herself at the thought of how adorable they looked together she pulled the blanket up over them, kissing both of them on the cheek. “Sleep well, my little fillies,” she laughed. “Well, little filly and vixen I guess. Sleep well.”

Laughing to herself quietly she shut the door behind her, letting her two little charges sleep after the long misadventurous day they’d experienced.

Returning later to find them still sound asleep, she prepared for bed herself, then turned out the lights and climbed into her bed, falling asleep as she prayed.

The next morning Sister Mary woke. Stretching out realized she was not alone. She looked down to find both girls snuggled up beside her, one on each side holding hands over her stomach. Smiling, she gently pulled the girls into a hug.

Sunset woke, looking around confused for a moment, then seeing Aiko across from her and Sister Mary smiling, she smiled back. “Good morning my little ladybug. How did you end up in my bed with your sister?” Sister Mary grinned.

Snuggling up, Sunset smiled. “We woke up. Well, I woke up last night. It was dark and I got scared, not really remembering where I was or what happened. I grabbed Aiko and that woke her up. Then we remembered where we were and what happened. But it was still pretty scary in the dark with the lights out, so we decided to get into bed with you. We tried not to wake you up, but we just couldn’t fall back to sleep by ourselves in that bed in the dark,” admitted Sunset. “I hope you’re not angry at us.”

Sister Mary ruffled Sunset’s hair. “Not at all. I wanted you and your sister to feel safe, that’s why I offered my room to you, so you could be with me. And if that means sometimes you snuggle up in my bed together with me when you get too scared, I don’t mind one bit,” she smiled.

Aiko cracked an eye open. “What time is it?” she asked sleepily.

“Good morning Aiko!” chirped Sunset, squeezing her sister’s hand.

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” snarked Aiko, yawning. Sunset laughed.

“It’s 6:30 AM in the morning. I need to get dressed and set out the bagels and coffee for our early shows, especially those who were not able to get a bed for the night. Warm coffee after a cold night on the street is always appreciated,” Sister smiled. Giving the girls a final hug she slid out from between them, rising from the bed and slipping out of her nightgown to change back into her habit.

“Wow Sister Mary. You’re really pretty!” noticed Aiko. Sunset just nodded smiling.

Blushing, Sister Mary smiled back at the girls, pulling her habit on then quickly combing out her hair. “Thank you Aiko! That’s always nice to hear, though as a nun it’s not something I give much thought to. I try not to have pride in my looks but instead focus on doing the Makers work in this world. A humble heart is a useful heart,” Sister said. Finished with her hair, she pulled her headdress on, slipping the few stray hairs back under it. “And what about you two? Do you want your hair combed as well?”

“Yes please!” said Sunset, happily springing from the bed and into the chair with her. Sister Mary pulled her up into her lap and quickly combed out her locks, putting her hair up in a ponytail.

“Me too please!” said Aiko, leaping up into her lap as she placed Sunset back down. Sister Mary happily combed Aiko’s hair out too, placing it also into a ponytail. “Hmm. I guess we can’t say it’s a pony tail on you. A fox tail maybe?” Sister grinned. Aiko laughed as Sister Mary sat down next to Sunset.

“Okay girls, get dressed, then come join me in the kitchen. You can help me set up for the morning, and I will make you some breakfast,” said Sister Mary as she left the room. The girls scrambled back into their clothes from before then raced down the hall after Sister Mary as she headed into the kitchen.

“Coffee first,” noted Sister Mary. “It takes a while to percolate in these large carafes, so it’s first on the agenda.” Taking the tops off the enormous urns, Sister Mary pulled out large metal pans with odd lids. Removing the lids, she scooped coffee grounds by the cupful into each of them, a different bag for each pot. After several cups of grounds were scooped into each she placed the odd looking lids back on them. Taking a spray hose from the side of the sink she proceeded to fill both the urns with water, then placed the metal pans with their odd lids back inside the urns. Placing the lids back on the urns, she flipped a switch on each one. An amber light glowed on the side of each urn.

Sunset looked at Aiko, who shrugged. Neither had ever seen anything like that before.

Sister Mary then crossed over a large metal door with a lock on it. Taking her keys from her pocket, she unlocked the padlock on the door and walked in. Sunset and Aiko could feel the frigid breeze roll over them as she opened the door.

Sunset scrambled over looking into the room Sister Mary had entered. It was a small room filled with racks of food and very cold. Sunset could see ice hanging from some of the racks.

Sister Mary grabbed a rack full of bagels and pastries, pulling it behind her as she returned to the kitchen. Sunset stepped back out of her way.

“How is that room kept so cold? Is it magic?” asked Sunset in wonder.

“No, but it sure seems so sometimes,” smiled Sister Mary as they crossed the room to the large industrial ovens. “It’s electric. But it does the trick at keeping our food fresh.’

She loaded the trays of bagels and pastries into the oven, then set the dials on them and pushed a button. The girls heard a whoosh as the gas jets in the oven fired. “Okay, that’s set. Now to get started on the actual breakfast.”

The girls watched as Sister Mary pulled down several large steel mixing bowls placing them on the counter. She returned to the freezer room, returning a moment later with a rack filled with flats of eggs and several large bags of something on the bottom.

“I hope you girls like eggs and pancakes!” she smiled as she passed the girls.

Placing the rack by the counter, she took one of the bowls and a flat of eggs over by the sink. “Okay girls! Ready to help out?” Sister Mary asked, placing a chair before the bowl. “Hop on up!”

The girls giggled, climbing up onto the chair to help.

“Okay, here’s the fun part. I need you two to crack all these eggs into this bowl so I can make scrambled eggs for everyone for breakfast. The goal is to get the eggs into the bowl and the shells into the sink. While you do that I will start mixing the pancakes. Can you do that?” Sister Mary asked.

The girls nodded so Sister Mary left them to it, returning to the counter where she proceeded to fill the remaining bowls with the powder from the bags, as well as eggs, oil, milk, and water. Placing the first bowl under the mixer, she blended it up. When it was mixed, she lifted the beaters and pulled the now ready batter out, placing the next bowl on the mixer.

Turning to see how her little helpers were doing, she saw Sunset, her arms covered in eggs and shells, staring in awe at her as she prepared the next bowl. Laughing, Sister Mary left the bowl and crossed over to the girls.

“Wow Sunset. First time cracking eggs?” teased Sister Mary as she wiped down Sunset’s messy arms and hands.

“Actually, I have no idea. But it is my first day with these things,” said Sunset seriously, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers, “So that might explain some of my messiness.”

Sister Mary laughed. “I guess that’s certainly true for a Unicorn from another world,” she teased. Sunset nodded in all seriousness making Sister grin widely. “Well okay then! Let me give you a few pointers.”

Taking a few eggs she showed the girls how to crack them over the side of the bowl allowing the egg to drop in but not the shell, then tossing the shell into the sink and grabbing another egg. After a few passes she let the girls try again with much better results than before. Laughing and giggling, Sunset and Aiko worked through the crates of eggs as Sister Mary returned to her mixer.

The girls did well, finishing up the entire crate, filling the mixing bowl with eggs. Sister Mary brought over another bowl and crate of eggs for the girls.

“Great work, Sunset and Aiko. I'm so glad you’re helping me out this morning. We’ll have this sorted in no time at all!” She thanked them, both girls beaming at the praise.

Sister Mary finished mixing the bowls including the bowl of eggs the girls had just finished filling. Taking them all over to the stove, she fired up the burners, pouring oil over the frying surface and brushing it into the steel. As the oil started to sizzle, Sister Mary took a large ladle and expertly scooped out dollops of mix, dropping it onto the grill where the pancakes bubbled and sizzled. After a half a minute or so when the bubbles had just popped, Sister Mary used a large spatula to flip them over to brown on the other side. As they crisped, she used the spatula to lift them off the griddle and onto a large serving tray, re-oiling the pan and beginning the process again. In the moments while she was waiting to flip the pancakes or lift them off the griddle, she fired up another stove top, oiling it up as well. On this griddle she expertly poured out the eggs keeping them on the grill. She folded the eggs into themselves as they cooked until they were cooked completely and ready to be pulled off the grill.

Sunset brought over the next bowl of eggs. Sister Mary took them gratefully, quickly mixing them. She brought over another mixing bowl and flat of eggs for the girls then returned to her cooking.

Before long the oven rang. Sister Mary crossed over to it and using a pair of oversized oven mitts pulled the warmed and steaming trays of bagels and pastries out of the oven, placing them back onto the racks. Turning off the oven she wheeled the rack over next to the coffee urns then returned to her grills.

Father John poked his head into the kitchen. “Hey Mary! I see you recruited some help! Glad to have you girls!” he teased. “I just got back from canvasing the streets. We have a decent sized crowd to feed this morning. Unfortunately, we lost another one last night. Old Lady Birdsong didn’t make it. I turned her over to the cops on patrol and helped them gather her things.”

“That’s sad,” nodded Sister Mary. “She was a real sweetheart. And always happy to sing on a moment’s notice. She’ll be missed.”

“Yes she will. I’ll call the parish downtown and set up services for her. I’m sure many of the regulars will attend,” agreed Father John. Unplugging the cart from the wall, he rolled the urns out into the dining room, returning again for the cart full of bagels and pastries.

“Someone died?” asked Sunset quietly.

“Yes dear, it happens too often. Life on the street is hard. The cold nights and weather take a lot out of a soul, especially our older regulars. We try to get as many into the shelter as we can, but we just don’t have enough beds to fit everyone every night. It breaks my heart,” sighed Sister Mary.

“Mine too,” agreed Sunset, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Now none of that now. Old Lady Birdsong would have wanted you to be happy. She was one of the happiest people I’ve ever known, and I’m sure she is happy in the Makers arms. So let’s be happy for her, hm?” encouraged Sister Mary, drying Sunset’s tears.

Smiling, Sunset nodded.

“That’s my girl! Life is for living, be happy!” Sister Mary bopped her nose, making Sunset grin. Returning to their work, they finished making all the eggs and pancakes, filling several serving trays with fresh warm scrambled eggs and pancakes.

As they finished,Father John returned.

“I'll help you with that,” he offered, loading up the serving trays onto a cart while Sister Mary returned to the freezer, returning with a cart holding syrup and butter. Together with the girls they rolled the carts into the dining room where a sizable crowd was waiting, enjoying their bagels, pastries and coffee as they warmed up while waiting for breakfast to be served.

“Okay girls, do you want to take a break and eat now? We can get the rest of this,” offered Father John.

“Oh, no thank you! Can we keep helping and eat with you both later?” asked Sunset.

“Are you sure? We don’t mind?” offered Sister Mary.

“We like helping. We don’t mind either,” affirmed Sunset with Aiko nodding her assent.

“Okay then! Join us back here. You two can get the plates ready as we pass them out,” agreed Sister Mary. Grinning, Aiko and Sunset joined them behind the serving table.

“Alright everyone! Time for grace! Bow your heads please,” Father John boomed out over the chatter. Everyone stopped talking and bowed their heads.

“Dearest Maker, Lover and Creator of our very Souls and Lives, we adore and bless You, thankful for the gift of life and love you have seen fit to share with us. Bless us as we journey through this life and into Your waiting arms, hoping in the blessed eternity we will spend with You. Bless this food we share and the company we keep. Bless our friends and families and bless those who have gone before us, including our Beloved friend Lady Birdsong, who passed into your loving embrace last night. May your angels watch over us, your servants guide us, and Harmony embrace us as we wait for the day when we all return to You. Amen!” finished Father John.

“Amen!” called out everyone. They then rose and lined up for breakfast.

Sunset and Aiko worked tirelessly, exercising their hands as they filled up the plates with pancakes then handing them to Father John and Sister Mary, who placed a serving of eggs on each of them as they handed them over to their guests, always with a smile and a kind word. They kept at it until everyone had been served, including more than a few who returned for seconds or even thirds. No one was refused and everyone ate their fill.

When everyone was done, just sitting around eating the last of their meals or enjoying their coffees, Sister Mary made up four plates for themselves, passing each of them a plate. Grinning, Father John grabbed a couple of danishes off the rack, dropping them onto the girls plates while he grabbed two bagels for himself and Sister Mary.

“I figure you two might enjoy the sweet stuff more than plain bagels,” he grinned at the girls. They smiled back happily. Reaching back down to the bottom of the rack he grabbed four milks and four juices then led them over to a mostly empty table to sit. Handing out the drinks, he pulled over a plate of butter then passed it to Sister Mary, doing the same for the syrup.

Sister Mary helped the girls put butter on their pancakes and pour the syrup out over them, then did the same for herself.

Father John reached for the butter and syrup but Sister Mary laughingly pushed his hand away then buttered his pancakes for him and poured the syrup out for him as well.

Father John laughed. “You know, I am big enough to serve myself, Sister,” he teased.

“Maybe,” she agreed. “But how else can I thank you for leading me into this life? Let a girl help out sometimes, it helps her feel special.” She laughed as she handed him back his plate.

“You are that, more than you can realize,” he smiled. “If it weren’t for you I’d still be in my old life and never have known the peace we have now.”

“Amen to that,” agreed Sister Mary.

“Wow, are you like a couple or something?” asked Aiko, happily watching the two of them.

Sister Mary snorted, almost launching her coffee through her nose. Still laughing, she wiped up the mess. “No, not exactly. More like best friends for life,” she laughed. “We have a bond that’s closer than most marriages.”

“Well that sounds like a heck of a story! Can we hear it?” asked Sunset excitedly.

Sister Mary blushed. “It’s not a story for little girls. Or fillies or vixens!” she amended. “Maybe when you’re older.”

“Yeah, much older,” agreed Father John, blushing himself.

“Okay, not sure why you said that, but we will ask again when we’re older.,” agreed Sunset, tucking into her breakfast. Aiko just smiled and nodded as she powered through her eggs.

As they finished the regulars left, stopping to thank them for the breakfast and warm coffee on their way out. When everyone was gone except a handful of stragglers just talking and sipping their coffee, Sister Mary, Father John and the girls cleaned up from breakfast, gathering up the plates and unserved food to return to the kitchen but leaving out the bagels, pastries and coffee.

The girls had never seen an industrial dishwasher before and were delighted to see the messy plates go in one side emerging on the other less than a minute later totally clean and steaming. They helped put everything away, placing the leftovers in sealed trays back in the freezer, which was again locked.

Father John excused himself, heading back out to the street to be of whatever help he could to those unfortunate enough to call the streets their home. After he left Sister Mary pulled the girls over to a table in the far corner of the kitchen, giving them each another danish and a cup of decaf coffee while she sipped her own.

“Okay, I found some information last night, and didn’t get a chance to talk with you both before you fell asleep. So here’s what I know. Apparently Miss Aiko, you were kidnapped from Japan and are presumed to be dead, which is clearly wrong because you are sitting right here. And you Miss Shimmer are currently living right here in Canterlot with your parents, who assure me you are with them right now. So I’ve invited them over to help us sort this out. As for you Miss Aiko, would you like me to reach out to your family as well?” asked Sister Mary.

“No! I don’t want to be separated from Sunset. I’m sure it’s just because we aren’t from here, they probably did lose their daughter. But I’m not her and I don’t want to be taken away from my sister,” stated Aiko emphatically.

“Okay then,” noted Sister Mary. “Not the answer I expected, but I will respect it. We’ll just wait for Mrs. Shimmer and her daughter to show, then we’ll sort through whatever we need to.”

Turning to Sunset, she added, “In the meantime, I need to ask, where did you get those gems and gold pieces? You do realize just what you have there, right?” asked Sister Mary.

“Uh, I brought them with me. I wanted to have enough to be able to live when I went through the portal, so I dumped out all the gems and bits I had in my drawers into my bag with my journal and brought them. I’m not sure how much they’re worth but I hope it’s enough that we can live on them for a while,” Sunset replied.

“Sunset, listen to me. What you have in that drawer is more than most families see in a lifetime. Sunset, if you wanted that drawer could set you up for life. I can have them discreetly appraised, but I am fairly sure those gemstones are worth several millions ducks. And I believe those gold pieces are legit Spanish doubloons which are extremely valuable. You may have several million ducks sitting locked in my bottom drawer. So please don’t tell anyone about them, okay? A lot of people will do really bad things to get their hands on that much money,” cautioned Sister Mary.

“That’s these things, right?” said Sunset, holding her hands up and wiggling her fingers.

“I’m serious, Sunset. Tell no one. Father John and I will find a reputable bank then have them appraised and handled for you. But never let anyone know you have that much money or they will find ways to take it from you, not all of them kind,” Sister Mary reiterated.

“Okay. That’s more than I thought I had. Huh,” she mused. “I just thought it would be enough to keep a roof over our head and food on the table for a few months while we sorted things out. But I’m pretty sure I remember being a lot older than this too. I think we were both adults before we came here.”

Sister Mary sighed. “And were a unicorn pony and a magical fox, right.” She groaned. “But after seeing that pile of Lunch Money of yours and finding that one of you is supposedly dead while the other one is actually living right here in Canterlot while you are right here with me? I’m starting to believe you about the whole portal thing.”

“That’s good!” agreed Sunset. “You should believe us, it’s the absolute truth!” Sunset said happily, Aiko nodding as well.

“It’s just so much to take in,” observed Sister Mary. “But, the Maker is wise and powerful. If She wanted to make many worlds in many dimensions, who am I to say otherwise?”

“Exactly!” agreed Sunset. “And someday when we find how to get back, we’ll take you with us and you can see where we came from.”

“I look forward to it,” smiled Sister Mary patting her on the head.

She left the girls in the room to play together while she ran a few errands, promising to be back in time for lunch and their meeting with the Shimmers. Aiko and Sunset found an old encyclopedia and leafed through it discovering much about the world they had traveled to.

A few hours later Sister Mary returned, inviting the girls to help her setup for lunch. They happily agreed, dancing at her heels as she led them back into the kitchen where they pulled out trays of sandwiches already made, bags of chips, and bowls of salsa. They also set out a cart with a large urn of ice water and a tray full of cups.

Father John showed up with a large collection of regulars, joining those who were already there. He led them all in grace, then helped Sister Mary and the girls serve up the food. Once everyone was served, they took a plate with sandwiches for themselves, loaded up with chips and salsa, then sat again at an empty table to enjoy their lunch. As they were finishing up, there was a knock on the door frame of the dining hall.

Looking over they saw a family standing in the doorway.

“Hello! We’re the Shimmers! You called about our daughter? This is the Canterlot mission, right? And you're Sister Mary?” asked the woman, a strawberry haired little girl hiding behind her dress.

Sister Mary stood and walked over to greet them. “Yes, you’re in the right place! I’m Sister Mary,” she greeted, her hand extended in greeting as she approached.

As Sister left the table the Shimmers caught sight of the six year old little girl who was sitting beside the nun.

Mrs. Shimmer let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh! Oh my!” she called out, startled.

Her daughter peeked out from around her dress and caught sight of Sunset sitting at the table, her eyes wide as she stared in shock at the little girl across the room.

“Mommy, why is there a little girl over at that table that looks just like me?” the girl asked, pulling on her moms dress as she stared in shock.

02 - Sister from Another Mister

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Sunset stared in shock at the little girl across the room, an exact clone of herself down to her freckles. Her mouth hung open in shocked wonder.

The little girl let go of her mom, walking slowly over to Sunset and Aiko, still staring at her from the table. Shyly holding out her hand, she greeted them. “Hello! My name is Sunset Shimmer, but everyone just calls me Shimmer. What’s your names?”

Shaking her head, Sunset recovered, reaching out her hand and holding the other girls. “That’s funny! That’s my name too! But everyone just calls me Sunset or Sunny.”

Shimmer held her hand, moving it up and down. “It’s called shaking hands. Do you not know how to do it.?” she asked.

Sunset shook her head no.

Aiko smiled and bowed. “My name is Aiko Adobaizā. Sunset and I are sisters. Are you a sister too?” she asked. “Also, where I grew up, we didn’t shake hands. We bowed, like this!” Smiling, Aiko bowed to Shimmer.

Shimmer smiled and bowed back, still holding Sunset’s hand. “Can I sit with you?” Shimmer asked. They both nodded, so she sat next to Sunset, facing her and Aiko.

“Mom told me I am adopted, and that I might have other brothers and sisters I didn’t know about yet. So maybe you two are some of those sisters?” mused Shimmer. Sister Mary smiled and gently placed a danish on a napkin and carton of juice before Shimmer. “Thank you!” she said, biting into the danish.

“No worries, little one,” Sister smiled. “Would you like to sit here with the girls and get to know each other while I talk with your mom and dad?” she asked.

Shimmer nodded, so with a kind hug Sister Mary left then, returning to the table the Shimmers were sitting at. Grabbing three coffees, Sister passed them out then sat with them at the table.

“We could be sisters,” agreed Sunset. “I am pretty sure I was adopted too. Maybe we are twins, and you come from the same place as me and Aiko,” thought Sunset.

“Where did you come from?” asked Shimmer. “Mom just says I came from the county adoption. She has no idea where I came from before that.”

“Sister Mary said we’re not supposed to talk about it,” said Sunset, looking down at her plate.

“I think that doesn’t include sisters though,” added Aiko. “And she is clearly a sister. She looks just like you, so she has to be a sister, right?”

“I guess so. It makes sense. Okay, Shimmer, you are a sister, it’s decided. I’ll tell you where we came from,” agreed Sunset. She took a sip of her juice as Shimmer leaned in listening intently.

“I don’t remember everything about where we came from. But, it was not like here. We were both older and had magic,” started Sunset.

“Wait! You had magic? Like a wizard or something?” gasped Shimmer.

“Uhh, yeah. We were magic creatures, we both could do magic,” agreed Sunset.

“Creatures?” asked Shimmer.

“We got attacked when we crossed over here, so we don’t remember all of it. The mean thing that tried to kill us made us little again and took away most of our memories of what we were. And the magic portal that we used to get here got broken or something. It’s not working now so we can’t go back,” added Aiko.

“Yeah, and I think I remember that my sister was a fox, and I was a pony. A unicorn pony. And we both lived with a princess,” added Sunset.

“Wow! I thought I was lucky when I got adopted. Sounds like you got real lucky!” noted Shimmer excitedly.

“I guess. But she got mad at me and was going to send me away. So Aiko and I ran away, and now we are here,” finished Sunset.

“Yeah, and here is not what we thought it would be! First we turned into these things we are now, like you, and then we got locked in a room by some pervert person that tried to keep us prisoner, and then Father John came and beat him up and brought us here,” finished Aiko.

“Yeah! The girl who was trying to help us, that girl the pervert guy beat up, she brought Father John to us and they rescued us,” added Sunset. “She was really cool too! Even though she got beat up she fought back. But now she has to live with us because she made the pervert guy really mad.”

“Wow! You got to have an adventure?” gasped Shimmer. “I never get to have any adventures. Mom and dad don’t let me do anything dangerous.”

Sunset shook her head. “We weren’t supposed to be adventurous. I just didn’t want to get banished by the princess, so I ran away,” said Sunset sadly.

“And I ran away too, because I am never going to leave my sister’s side,” added Aiko.

“Wow, that’s a cool story,” said Shimmer.

“It’s the truth,” noted Sunset. Aiko nodded.

“I wonder then if I am a pony too,” thought Shimmer.

“I bet you are, if you come through the portal. If we ever find it again. I bet you look just like me as a pony too!” smiled Sunset.

“That would be cool!” said Shimmer. “Yeah, if you ever find the portal we should try it out!”

“Okay! If we ever find the portal you can come too. And Sister Mary! Then we can show you where we came from,” smiled Sunset happily. “Unless the mean princess finds us when we do. I don’t want to get banished. So we need to find a way to go back where she doesn’t find us and punish us.” Sunset frowned. “Not that we even can now. We have to find the portal again first.”

“We will find it, someday,” promised Aiko. “I am sure of it.” Sunset nodded resolutely.

“And I will come with you and see the place where I am a unicorn pony who can do magic,” agreed Shimmer.

From the other table the Shimmers and Sister Mary watched Shimmer and the girls as they talked. Seeing them hit it off so easily put their minds to rest.

“Your daughter is a very kind and graceful child,” smiled Sister Mary.

“Thank you! I take no credit for that though,” laughed Mrs Shimmer. “We’ve tried to raise her right, but the truth is she has always been a graceful and friendly child.”

“They do seem to be hitting it off,” agreed Sister Mary. “I must admit, the similarities are uncanny. Sunset and your daughter could be the most identical twins I have ever seen.”

“Her name is Sunset too?” replied Mrs. Shimmer. “What are the odds of that? Our daughter is named Sunset, we named her that after we adopted her.”

“Well, given both their complexions and hair colors, I can see that happening. What I find more interesting is Sunset having your last name, despite having no relation. I have no way to explain that,” noted Sister Mary.

“That is odd,” agreed Mr. Shimmer, chiming in. “Was she able to tell you much about her mother and father? I don’t know that I have any family relations around here, but that would be beyond the realms of luck if one of them adopted Sunset and she ended up with exactly the last name.”

“Or belief, really,” added Mrs. Shimmer.

“Sunset and her sister Aiko did mention they don’t believe they came from around here,” Sister Mary hedged.

“They don’t believe? Don’t they remember where they came from and their parents? Wait, the little girl with her is her sister? She must be adopted then, there’s no way the two of them are naturally related.”

Sister Mary sighed. “Yes, a little Japanese girl and a flame haired freckled child usually don’t come from the same genetic parents,” Sister Mary agreed.

“I’m sorry Sister, that was very insensitive of me. I meant nothing by it,” apologized Mrs. Shimmer.

“I know you didn't, dear. Don’t worry about it. I have heard much worse from others, and I know no offense was meant. Thank you,” replied Sister Mary.

Sister Mary continued. “The girls have very little memory of much before arriving here. Apparently they suffered a rather traumatic attack before coming here, and it’s affected their memories of anything from before the attack. We’re helping them deal with the trauma , and hoping that eventually they will get everything back. But in the meantime, Father John and I are determined to keep them safe and help them recover any way we can. So when I saw that Sunset and your daughter shared the same name, I felt I had to reach out to you.”

“Well, mysteries aside, they do seem to be getting on well. It would be wonderful if they became friends,” noted Mrs. Shimmer. “I am always encouraging Shimmer to make more friends, and she does have quite a gift for it.”

“I can see that. She has put the girls quite at ease. They seem thick as thieves now,” grinned Sister Mary.

“So Sister, what do we do now? Where do we go from here?” asked Mr. Shimmer.

“Let’s just let the girls be friends for now. I don’t think Sunset is interested in trying to take on a new family now, when she is still struggling to remember the one she lost. Let’s give them time to heal and grow a bit. And in the meantime as much as possible, we’ll let them grow together and become friends. If that’s okay with both of you?” asked Sister Mary.

“It sounds like a wonderful plan to me,” agreed Mrs. Shimmer. Mr. Shimmer nodded.

The girls chatted, sharing stories and laughing together until Mr. and Mrs. Shimmer came over, apologizing but insisting they needed to head home. Sunset and Aiko both gave Shimmer big happy hugs as they parted, promising to get together again.

“Can we, mom, dad? Can Sunset and Aiko and I play together again? Maybe they can come over for a bit and play? Please?” asked Shimmer.

“Not tonight honey, but maybe next week. That does sound like a wonderful idea,” agreed her mother.

Shimmer squealed happily.

“Okay! You have to come over then! I have so much fun stuff we can do! And I have a swing-set and slide in my backyard, and a play-fort! We will have so much fun!” she bounced excitedly. The girls giggled with her, hugging and dancing together.

Laughing, her father picked her up, smiling at the girls kindly. “We would love to have you both over. We’ll work it out with Sister Mary and make it happen. Good evening girls, thanks for getting to know us,” he grinned as they left.

“I didn’t know there was another one of me! That’s so cool!” said Sunset happily. Then her face fell. “But I’m sorry we won’t get to meet your twin, Aiko.” She pulled her sister into a sad embrace.

“Me too,” agreed Aiko sadly. “If she was half as fun as the other you we could have had a lot of fun together.”

“I hope they find the bad people that hurt her and punish them really bad,” said Sunset. “That’s not right to hurt little girls. It’s not right to hurt anypony.” She stopped for a moment. “I mean anyone. It’s just not right.”

They stayed hugging for a few more moments. Sister Mary gave them their moment, then gently joined them in their hug. “No, it’s not right. That’s why Father John and I try to help out. Sometimes, when there isn’t anyone you can turn to, it’s good the Maker sends others with kind hearts into our lives. We want to be her kind hearts. And I can tell you two have kind hearts as well.”

The girls nodded, pulling her into their hugs. With a final squeeze to them both, Sister Mary stood and took them both by the hands. “Okay girls, what say we get cleaned up and get started on making some dinner. Do you want to help me?” she asked.

Both girls nodded happily, so smiling, she led them into the kitchen to wash up and help her with dinner.

Dinner was spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and salad. The girls survived the work only slightly stained by their efforts, nothing the bath they shared after dinner cleanup didn’t take care of. Sister Mary stayed to get the worst of the sauce and noodles from their hair, then let the two of them finish the rest of the cleaning themselves with moderate supervision. Giving them some time to play in the water for a bit while she made a few calls - right outside the door and always in a direct line of sight to them, she didn’t want anyone drowning in the tub on her watch - then she returned to rinse and dry them off and get them ready for bed.

Tired but not ready to sleep yet, the girls begged her for a story before bed. Smiling, Sister sat them down on their bed, sitting next to them. “I think I know just the story for you two. It’s a story from my home land, where my grandparents and parents come from. My grandmother told it to me when I was very little, and it was always one of my favorites.”

The girls nodded excitedly. Smiling, Sister continued. “It’s the story of Chang-e, the goddess of the moon, and her husband, the cosmic archer. My grandma used to tell me Chang-e was still up there, still on the moon, waiting for us to come greet her. I hope someday I can go to the moon and look for her,” Sister grinned.

“Do you really think she is on the moon?” asked Sunset. “Wouldn’t she get very lonely up there all by herself?”

“Well if I can believe a little unicorn and an adorable vixen are sharing a room with me, I suppose it’s not unreasonable to think she might really be up there,” Sister grinned. “And I’m sure you’re right, she must be very lonely. I hope the other gods and goddesses visit with her sometimes, otherwise she will be very sad indeed.” Sunset and Aiko nodded in agreement.

Hugging them both, Sister told them the story of Chang-e, the beautiful stinker, and her loving husband. The girls were thrilled to hear the story, and ohh’d and awe’d at all the right parts. When she was finished, she kissed the girls both on the foreheads then tucked them in, turning on a nightlight for them and leaving the door open a crack.

She discussed their future for a bit in the hall outside with Father John. The girls tried to listen in, but couldn’t really hear them well and were so tired from the day's activities they both fell sound asleep before Sister returned. Smiling at her little charges, she changed for bed herself, then laid down to pray as she fell asleep.

The next morning, she once again woke to find two little girls snuggled up and wrapped around her. Grinning, she thought to herself, ‘I could get used to this.’ Rising carefully, she quietly dressed, then kissing them both gently, she left the room to discuss the day's activities with Father John.

A few minutes later they both got a grin seeing two little girls racing down the hallway in nightgowns towards them. “You didn’t start without us, did you?” asked Sunset, hanging onto Sister Mary. “We want to help too!”

Sister Mary laughed as Father John scooped them both up.

“We wouldn’t dream of it girls! We know how much you love to help and we love having you. What say we get you two dressed, then we all head to the kitchen together and get started, hmm?” he grinned, heading back down the hall to Sister Mary’s room. Putting them down and scooting them into the room, he shut the door, telling them to come out and join them as soon as they were dressed. He wasn’t more than halfway down the hall when the door flew open again, both girls racing out to join him fully dressed.

“Wow Mary, I think they may be even faster at that than you!” Father joked, taking their hands as they followed Sister Mary down the hall and into the kitchen.

Breakfast today was french toast and eggs. Sister explained that allowed them to use up the bread that was donated before it went bad, so they served french toast fairly often. Father John departed for a bit to make his rounds, checking on their regulars and rounding them up for the warm breakfast, then joining them towards the end to help set things out and get everyone started.

The girls once again joined them in serving everyone up, to the delight of the regulars who enjoyed their cheerful energy and kind enthusiasm. Father again led everyone in prayers, then after everyone was served they again ate together. Afterwards they joined Sister Mary in cleanup while Father John tended to their small flock.

After lunch and cleaning up Father John pulled them all aside.

“Okay girls, given your unique situation I’ve asked one of my brothers to come help us deal with your, uh… What did you call it, Mary? Lunch Money? He works with one of the more reputable banks in town and is on their board. He’s going to help us take care of your little hoard and get you set up more permanently. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to set up Sister Mary as your guardian so she can keep any shenanigans from happening.”

“Wait, does that mean we won’t get to be here any more?” said Sunset sadly. “We won’t get to see you anymore then?” Aiko started to cry.

“No! No no no, you’ll still be with us most of the time. But we think you should have your own place to live, and a live-in helper to take care of you. In fact, I know just the person for it! And you’ll still be under our guardianship. Just this way you can get into school and make friends of your own, and have a place to take them to play. You’ll still be here with us after school most of the time, until after dinner, then you’ll head back to your own home for the night,” Father explained.

“But who will take care of us? Do we even know this person? I think I’d rather stay here,” stated Sunset.

“I think you might, you may have met before,” smirked Father. “And don’t worry, we’ll still be together plenty. We’re not going to lose you two,” he grinned.

“Ah, speak of the devil and he appears,” smiled Father, waving down the hall at a man in a business suit.

The man waved back and smiled. “Hey John! Are these the two little stinkers you wanted me for?” he teased as he approached. “Hi Mary! How’s things going?” he asked, giving Sister Mary a hug, then pulling his little brother in for a hug and a light slap on the back. “So when are you going to stop by and visit? You know, Sue, Mom and the kids worry about you. Don’t be such a stranger!” he laughed.

“I come when I can. But my work is here, and plenty of it,” grinned Father John. “Girls, this is my slightly older but nowhere near as good looking brother Stewart. Stewart, meet Sunset and Aiko. Mary of course you know,” he laughed.

Stewart crouched down, taking both the girls hands and smiling. “Any friend of John’s is a friend of mine. Welcome to the family! So, John says you could use some of the kind of help I specialize in. Let’s go take a look.”

Still smiling, he stood as the girls led him by the hands, following Sister Mary and Father John into her room. Shutting the door, Sister Mary bade them to sit on the beds while she unlocked the drawer and brought it over to them. Sitting beside Sunset and Aiko, he pulled out a jeweler's monocle and examined the gems, then looked over the doubloons.

“What about this book?” he asked.

“That’s my diary,” answered Sunset.

Stewart laughed. “Okay, not part of it then. Well, some good news. It’s just as you said on the phone Mary, there’s easily over $12 million worth of valuables there. The best part is they don’t have to sell it to use that value. We can use it as collateral then leverage it into a few investments that I know of. We’ll let that build value for them and use that value to pay for everything, leaving this untouched for now. Also, I’ll arrange the sale of one of our prime central park town homes to them, again leveraged against the value of these and paid for by their investments, then set them up to live there. It’s not too far from here, and it’s also close to Canterlot Academy where you said their friend goes, so it should work out well all around.

“You said you have a caregiver for them, right? Can you vouch for this person?” Stewart asked.

“She has impeccable references. Me,” grinned Father John. “And she loves the girls. It'll be fine.”

“Who is this person?” Sunset whispered to Aiko.

“The caregiver? I have no idea. I can’t wait to meet her though,” answered Aiko quietly.

“Okay girls, field trip. Mary, have you signed those forms?” asked Father John.

“Got them right here, one second,” said Sister Mary. She took a pile of papers off the top of the dresser and handed them to Stewart.

“Thank you Mary,” he said, opening his attache case and placing them inside. He turned to the girls. “Do you have something to carry all this in? We need to take it with us.”

“I have my backpack. It’s what I was using to carry it before,” offered Sunset. Hopping down from the bed, she went over to the dresser and retrieved it from the drawer. Climbing back up onto the bed, she handed it over to him. He carefully placed all the gems and doubloons into the backpack and zipped it up.

“What about the book?” he asked.

“That’s fine, we’ll take care of that,” Father John answered.

Sister Mary gave the girl a quick hug and kiss. “Okay, see you tonight girls. Have fun!” she said.

“Are you not going with us?” asked Sunset.

“No, I need to stay here in case anyone needs something from the mission. But don’t worry. Father John will be with you, and I’ll see you both when you're done,” Sister answered.

Together, Father John, his brother Stewart and the girls left, heading for the bank.

The bank was a surreal experience for the girls. Stewart and Father John led them past stern-faced guards and several wood counters into a massive safe with a steel door thicker than the girls themselves. Together with a representative of the bank, who documented everything, they sat down at a large oaken table inside the safe, then transferred the contents of Sunset's backpack into a large box made of steel called a safety deposit box. The bank representative dutifully recorded each item as Stewart called them off, giving a detailed description and approximate value as he placed each item into the box. When they finished he sealed the box up, then the girls and Father John had to sign several papers attesting to different things Sunset did not completely understand.

Despite her misgivings she followed Father John’s advice, parting with her horde of gems and bits and signing where he asked her to sign along with Aiko. Aiko fared slightly better at that than she did, as she had slightly more experience writing with her forelimbs. Sunset had never bothered much with hoof writing when horn writing was so much easier. Father John assured them it didn’t matter how unreadable their signatures were, just the act of making them mattered at this point.

Father John had to sign several more papers along with his brother, who then led them out of the safe, taking a set of keys from the bank representative as they left. Leading them out of the bank and back to his limousine, they took a short drive arriving at an extremely fancy looking building.

Sunset gawked as they entered the lobby. “Wow, this place is almost as fancy as the palace, I think.”

‘Yeah,” agreed Aiko. “From what I remember, this is way fancier than anywhere I’ve lived.”

“And likely more modern too,” laughed Father John, overhearing their exchange. “Come on girls, let's get you settled then get back before Sister Mary gets too worried,” he teased.

They followed him and his brother into an elevator with a glass back. Once they started up it revealed a view looking out over downtown Canterlot. Both girls gasped at the sight as they rose to the top of the building.

“It’s a very pretty view, isn’t it,” agreed Father John, resting a hand on their shoulders. “From here, you can’t see all the poverty and crime below. Just the beauty. It’s a good reminder that it’s not all grime and crime, that there is so much good out there too.”

The elevator stopped at the top floor, the doors opening out into a small lobby. “Come on girls, let’s go see your new home,” smiled Father, guiding them through the doors and into the lobby. “Which one is it, Stewart?”

“A corner unit, over here,” led his brother, taking the keys and opening an ornate door. Stepping inside, he ushered the all in after him.

The lights came on in the townhouse as they entered. “Ailene, welcome your new owners,” he called out as he entered.

“Welcome, residents,” greeted a feminine voice warmly. “Please provide the passcode to confirm ownership and provide your names please?”

Sunset and Aiko looked all over, seeing no one beside their group. “Who said that? Is that magic? Does this house have a genie or something?” she asked.

Stewart laughed. “Something like that. Not a magical genie, just an AI who will take care of lights, heating, ordering supplies, and keeping you safe and secure. She’s more of a helper than a genie. Ailene, authorization code 7Z4T697. Your new owners are these two girls, under the stewardship of this gentleman here with me. Father John, you know, so allow me to introduce your new owners.”

He turned to the two girls. “Just introduce yourself like you would to anyone. She has eyes all through the apartment, and can talk to you anywhere in here. Go ahead,” he encouraged.

Sunset stepped forward, still looking all around trying to see where Ailene was looking from. “Hi Ailene! My name is Sunset Shimmer! And this is my friend Aiko Adobaizā,” she stated.

“Welcome, little mistress Sunset Shimmer,” said Ailene.

“And I’m Aiko Adobaizā, and I’m Sunset’s sister,” said Aiko, looking around as well.

“Welcome to you too, little mistress Aiko Adobaizā,” replied Ailene. “Anata wa nihongo o hanasemasu ka?”

Aiko’s eyes lit up. “Sunset, she speaks Japonies!” she called out excitedly.

“Wow, that’s awesome!” grinned Sunset. “Where is she really?”

“She’s all through the house, distributed architecture for redundancy and fail-safes,” answered Stewart.

Sunset looked at him confused. He smiled. “She’s in several places at once so no one can hurt her as she watches over you.”

“Oh, okay,” nodded Sunset.

The elevator dinged out in the lobby, and they heard the doors sliding open. “Right on time,” smiled Father John. There was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” called out Father John.

“Father John, is that you?” said a familiar girl's voice through the intercom. “I came about the job just as you asked. This is the right place?”

“You found the right place. Just a moment, I’ll let you in and you can speak with the owners,” answered Father John.

“Girls, meet your new nanny. She’s going to be watching over you and taking care of you while you’re not with us,” he smiled at the girls. “Come on in,” he called to their visitor.

Ailene, listening to their conversation, unlocked and opened the door. There standing shocked in the door was a very familiar young woman.

“Fae!” shouted Sunset and Aiko both, running over to wrap her in hugs.

“Sunset, Aiko? Girls, what are you doing here?” she smiled, hugging them both back.

“Girls, meet your new nanny. I told you you’d like her. Fae, meet your new charges, the owners of this wonderful apartment. Take very good care of them please,” smiled Father John.

Fae gasped, squeezing the girls tight. “You own this place?” she said in surprise.

“Yeah! Apparently we had money we didn’t know about! And you get to live with us and be a part of our family!” said Sunset happily, holding her tightly.

Fae cried. Tears streaming down her face, she held the girls tightly. “Thank you! Thank you both so much. I will take such good care of you both,” she promised.

“Welcome to the family, Fae,” smiled Father John, pulling them all into a hug as his brother beamed happily.

Ailene was full of more surprises for the girls and Fae. Stewart showed the girls their bedroom first. The master bedroom had automatic drapes that opened and closed automatically at a request to Ailene. And the girls shared a queen size bed to their delight.

Having nothing to unpack, Ailene requested they stand in the center of the room with their arms out. A moment later, she confirmed she had their measurements and would order an appropriate wardrobe for them, including the uniforms they would need to attend Canterlot Academy.

Father asked if they had anything to eat, which unsurprisingly Ailene answered in the negative. She did however promise she was ordering supplies to restock the apartment as they spoke, which would arrive later that evening for their use tomorrow. She offered to order dinner for them but Father told her that was fine, the girls would all be eating with him tonight.

“Alright girls, why don’t you take a quick tour of your new home while Stewart and I have a few words with Fae and Aileen, then when you're done we can all head back to the mission for dinner,” Father proposed. Nodding, the girls ran off in giggles, wandering the apartment to find out all they could about it.

They ran into the bathroom, Ailene turning on the lights as they entered. “Do you require a bath?” asked Ailene.

“You give baths too?” asked Sunset in surprise.

“No, not exactly. But I can certainly run a bath for you and provide towels, shampoo, soap, and anything else you may need. I cannot scrub you up though. You’ll have to do that yourselves,” Ailene answered.

“Want to take a bath Aiko?” grinned Sunset.

“I don’t know Sunset. It sounded like we were going to leave soon. Maybe we should wait until next time?” proposed Aiko.

“I guess you’re right. Okay, next time then,” agreed Sunset.

They ran from the bathroom and into the kitchen. “So, if you don’t have anything to eat, does that mean there is nothing to drink too?” asked Sunset.

“There is fresh water, and clean cups to drink it from. But other than that, no, not at the moment,” agreed Ailene.

Sighing, Sunset ran with Aiko into the living room. The curtains pulled back on two of the walls showing they were both floor to ceiling glass, both entire walls looking out over the city.

“Woah!” gasped Sunset. “Look how high up we are! And I can see for miles!” said Sunset.

“Hey, I think I can see the mission from here,” said Aiko, looking out the window.

“Where?” asked Sunset, coming over to look out next to her.

“Right there! See!” pointed Aiko. Sunset followed to where she was pointing.

“That’s what the mission looks like from above it?” asked Sunset.

“Apparently?” replied Aiko. “I’m pretty sure that’s the mission.”

Father John walked up behind them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Yes, that’s the mission alright. Good eyes, little miss Aiko,” he laughed. “So girls, seen enough? Ready to head back to the mission for dinner and to tell Sister Mary all about what you’ve done?”

Okay,” agreed Sunset. “Oh wait, where is Fae going to stay?” she asked.

“Here, with you,” answered Father John.

“I mean, where is she going to sleep? Where is her room?” clarified Sunset.

“Oh, right across from yours. She’s getting settled now. I’ll show you,” offered Father John. He led them both back into the hall to the room across from theirs. “Knock knock!” he called out. “Fae, you have visitors, are you ready to receive them?”

“Come on in, it’s fine!” called out Fae. They entered, finding her busy unpacking her bag into a dresser across the room. The bedroom was slightly smaller than theirs, but also was graced with a queen sized bed. Sunset noticed one difference right away.

“Hey, where’s your window?” asked Sunset, looking at all the walls.

“It’s an inside room, Sunset, no windows. Just lots of privacy and a wonderful room.” answered Fae looking up from her unpacking. “I don’t mind, honest. If I want to see the view, I can go lay on the couch in the living room,” she grinned.

“That’s true,” agreed Aiko. “Wow, this is a huge room, and you get it all to yourself?”

“I know, right?” giggled Fae. “I’ve never had so much room.”

“Well we're glad you like it,” smiled Father John. “Almost done? We’re about to head back to the mission for dinner.”

“Sure! I can finish the rest of this later, no worries,” agreed Fae. She zipped her bag back shut and threw it on the bed. “All set! Let’s go eat!” she said happily.

“Okay then. Girls, let’s go get some dinner,” agreed Father John, taking their hands. Together they left the apartment with Stewart, heading over to the elevator. It binged, the doors opening to the view of the sun setting over the harbor out beyond the central city. The red and gold sun was tinting the feathered clouds as it settled down over the ocean. It was a truly breathtaking if brief spectacle, cut short as the elevator settled down to the ground floor.

Stewart led them out through the lobby and back into their waiting limousine. They drove back to the mission, while the girls and Fae chatted excitedly about the apartment and the cool things they had found in it. When they arrived, Stewart wished them well.

“Sorry I can’t join you for dinner, but I promised mom and Sally I would be home in time to eat with them and the kids. Have a great evening! And Sunset, Aiko? It’s been a delight to have met you both, and like John said, welcome to the family. I’ll be seeing you around. Take care, both of you. And you too miss Fae!” he greeted in parting, the door closing as the limo pulled away and out into the street traffic.

“He seems really nice,” said Sunset as they entered the mission.

“You have no idea how nice,” agreed Father John as they headed for the kitchen to help Sister Mary. “Fae, do you want to help too? Or do you just want to relax for a little bit?”

“I’d love to help!” replied Fae, following them into the kitchen. “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“Okay then,” smiled Father John. “Mary, it looks like you have three helpers today! I’m going to round up our usual crew, then will be back to help you set everything out. See you in a bit!”

He waved and smiled as he left the kitchen, heading back out to the streets to round up anyone needing a warm and nutritious meal.

“Hi Fae! Hi girls! How was the apartment?” asked Sister Mary as she washed potatoes over the sink.

“You know about the apartment?” asked Sunset as she went over to help her. Aiko grabbed a chair from the table, dragging it over so they would have something to stand on while they helped.

“John told me as you left. It sounds wonderful,” Sister answered.

Grabbing a potato, Sunset rinsed and scrubbed it with a kitchen brush, copying what she saw Sister doing. Aiko joined her, doing the same.

“Is there anything I can do?” asked Fae.

“Yes, Fae, can you fill these pots with water then slide them over to the stove to put the potatoes to boil? Thank you dear,” answered Sister Mary.

Fae nodded, wheeling over a cart. Filling each of the pots with water to cover the potatoes inside, she slid the five gallon pots of potatoes and water onto the cart, then wheeled the cart over to the stove and slid them back off and onto the stove. She returned for the other three pots, waiting for them to finish filling the last pot before filling it with water and transferring it as well.

“Okay, we’ll get those cooked, then check on the roasts,” nodded Sister Mary. She helped the girls wash their hands, then turning off the water went over to the stove firing up the burners to get the potatoes to cook.

Heading back over to the ovens, she checked on the racks of roast cooking inside. She took a meat thermometer from the counter and opened the oven door, quickly checking the internal temperature of the roasts. “Not quite there yet,” she noted, taking the thermometer back out and closing the door.

“Okay, time for the salads and veggies. Asparagus tonight, we’re living large,” she joked. Taking several pans and placing them by the sink, she wheeled a cart into the freezer, returning with a load of asparagus stalks. She wheeled them to the sink, then showed the girls how to clean them after she cut off their bases. The girls and Fae washed them and placed them into the pans, filling the pans with water and asparagus then sliding them onto the cart. Once they had them all washed and ready to cook, Sister Mary rolled the cart over to the stove and placed them next to the potatoes to cook as well.

“Okay, now the salad, be right back.” said Sister Mary. She wheeled the cart into the freezer again, returning with dozens of heads of lettuce, a crate of tomatoes, and dozens of bags of carrots and mushrooms. Placing them by the sink, she and Fae proceed to wash and cut the carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms, leaving the girls to wash and tear apart the lettuce placing them in large serving bowls. When the girls were done with all the lettuce, they added in the rest of the vegetables, tossing them together then returning them on the cart to the freezer to be served with the rest of dinner when it was ready.

“There’s a little something extra I like to do for the salad,” said Sister Mary, pulling out several loaves of bread from the freezer. She took the loaves over to the counter, and using the chopping board, cut the bread into little cubes, dumping them into a skillet. She then poured oil over the top of the bread, and cups of seasoning and dried crumbled cheese. Warming and mixing the bread, oil and spices over the stove for several minutes, she then spread them out over several cooking sheets and placed them into the oven.

“It gives the salad a little bit more of a crunch and a nice taste, and helps up use up the bread before it goes bad. Nothing goes to waste here!” she laughed.

Sitting down for a bit to wait, Sister, Fae and the girls talked about the apartment while they waited for the dinner to finish cooking. Sister rose occasionally to check on the progress. When everything was finally ready, they dumped the water out of the potatoes and mashed them up, which the girls found exceptionally fun, mixing in the milk, butter and spices. They then loaded everything up onto serving trays and placed them all on carts.

Father John returned at that point, helping them roll the dinner out to the dining room and placing everything out for serving as their regulars looked on hungrily. Once everything was set, Father led them again in prayer, then the five of them served everyone, smiling and laughing as the food was served. Once everyone was served, Father, Sister, Fae and the girls served up their own plates and found a table, then enjoyed their dinner together.

Once dinner was over, Sister, Fae and the girls made short work of the cleanup, storing the leftovers in the freezer and putting away the cleaned items.

“Okay girls, ready for your first night in your new home?” asked Sister as she led them down the hall to her room.

“Wait, we don’t get to sleep here with you tonight?” asked Sunset sadly.

“You have a place of your own now,” smiled Sister. “You don’t have to sleep in my room anymore.”

“But I like sleeping in your room!” said Sunset. “Can we sleep together again? Please?” she begged.

“I think we can sleep together one more night. One second, I’ll go talk to Father John then be right back,” said Sister Mary. She headed down the hall, leaving the girls with Fae.

“I’m kind of looking forward to spending the night in my new room,” added Fae.

“Well, me too,” admitted Sunset. “But I wanted to spend at least one more night with Sister Mary.”

“Me too,” agreed Aiko.

“To both?” asked Sunset. Aiko nodded.

Sister Mary returned. “Okay girls, I get to spend the night! Sleep over!” she giggled, heading into her room. She returned with a small bag. “Let’s go!”

“Uh, how are we going to get there?” asked Sunset. “Father John’s brother already left with his ride. Do we have to walk?”

“No worries, dear. I took care of it,” answered Sister Mary.

She let the girls and Fae outside where a limo was waiting to pick them up. Confused, Sunset and Aiko got in with her and Fae. Their driver shut the door and got back in the driver's seat.

“How did you get another ride? Didn’t Stewart have to go home to be with his family?” asked Sunset.

“Excuse me miss, I think I can explain,” said their driver, turning around. “You just moved into Canterlot Towers, right?” he asked. The girls nodded.

“One of the services offered by the Towers is valet service all around the city. It’s part of the package you get for living there. My company is contracted with the Towers to provide limo service whenever needed. So if you let the Towers management know you need a ride, they will call my company and myself or one of my drivers will come out and happily drive you wherever you need to go, any time day or night. Someone must have made the call for you,” he explained.

“Guilty as charged,” smiled Sister Mary.

“There you have it,” smiled the man. “Okay, one return trip to your apartments, coming right up.” He turned back around, and pulled the car out from the curb merging into the traffic. A short drive through the city later, he pulled up before the Towers, then exiting the car, opened their door for them, giving them a hand out of the car. “Have a wonderful evening ladies, and Sister,” he smiled, waving as they entered the building's lobby, then returning to his car and driving off.

“Wow, it’s just as fancy as I heard,” smiled Sister Mary as they passed through the lobby.

“Just wait until you see the view!” grinned Sunset as they entered the elevator. As they rose, the view of the city came into view. The city lights shone brightly, with the moon's reflection sparkling over the bay as they rose. The girls and Sister stared enraptured by the beauty of the scene before them.

With a ding, the elevator stopped, the doors sliding open behind them. Taking Sister by the hand, Sunset skipped over to their door, Aiko and Fae right behind them.

“Do you have the keys?” Sister Mary asked.

“Don’t need them, watch!” Sunset giggled gleefully. “Ailene, we’re home! Let us in please,” requested Sunset of the door.

The door opened, and Ailene’s voice sounded from inside. “Welcome home, Sunset, Aiko. And welcome too to you Fae and visitor. Come in!”

The girls entered, Sunset still pulling Sister Mary along with her. “Thanks Ailene!” she said. “Sister, come look at this!” She dragged them into the living room.

“Who’s Ailene?” asked Sister Mary, looking around and seeing no one.

“She’s the AI that runs the house,” said Fae behind her. “She can see everything, but she seems pretty cool.”

“Huh,” responded Sister Mary, surprised.

“Ailene, please dim the lights and open the drapes so we can see the city,” requested Sunset, standing in the middle of the living room with Sister and the girls. The lights dimmed, and the drapes moved back from the two wall windows revealing the vibrant city lights below. Sunset was bouncing with delight, Aiko right beside her as Sister Mary walked over to the windows and looked out over the city.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, taking in the site.

“I know, right? Isn’t it awesome!” giggled Sunset.

Sister Mary smiled and nodded.

“So what do you want to do? Do you want a snack? Hey Ailene, do you have food now? Can we have a snack?” asked Sunset.

“My larders have been completely restocked,” affirmed Ailene. “I can offer you snacks and beverages now. Would you like a snack, Miss Shimmer?”

“What do you think, Sister Mary? Can we have a snack while you tell us some more stories?” asked Sunset.

Smiling, Sister Mary gently squeezed Sunset’s hand. “I don’t see why not. Let’s see what we have.”

They all walked into the kitchen. “Ailene, what do we have for snacks?” asked Sunset.

“I have many options, some of which are even appropriate for children your age,” answered Ailene.

“Let’s stick with those,” interjected Sister Mary with a grin.

“Okay. You are Sister Mary Magdalen, correct? You called on the phone earlier to request the ride service, yes? That was you?” asked Ailene.

“Yes! That’s me,” nodded Sister Mary. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice. I had no idea I was talking to an AI.”

“That just means I’m doing my job well, but thank you!” responded Ailene. “My records show you are one of my two mistresses guardians, I am adjusting your privileges accordingly. Full access granted. Yes, we will restrict our snack choices to those appropriate for my mistress’s ages and the time of evening. Would you like to keep these restrictions for yourself as well?”

“Let’s just keep it simple and say for now they apply to all of us,” agreed Sister Mary. “So what are our options?”

“As I heard you say you wanted to tell stories while snacking. In that case, I recommend something not messy, that can be taken in small amounts at a time, and easily consumed. Perhaps crackers with cheese, popcorn, or chips with dips?” suggested Ailene.

“Can we have a little bit of all three?” asked Aiko. “I’d like to try them all if that’s okay.”

“I don’t see why not,” agreed Sister Mary.

“Certainly then. And would you like something to drink as well?” asked Ailene.

“Do you have any nice hot chocolate?” asked Fae.

“I do, would you all like some hot chocolate?” asked Ailene. The girls all nodded. “Okay, I will have your snacks and drinks out momentarily. Please have a seat at the table.”

The girls, Fae and Sister Mary all sat around the table smiling. A cupboard opened across the kitchen, and a little serving table wheeled out, tray covered in snacks. It wheeled over to the table, then an arm extended out from the side and placed the snacks on the table in front of the girls and ladies. The tray top flipped slowly up, revealing their drinks on a tray below. The tray lifted and the arm carefully placed the drinks before each of them before closing back up and wheeling back into the cupboard.

“Wow! I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like that before!” laughed Sister Mary. “Girls, I think you may be about to get a bit spoiled.”

Fae kept looking at her hot chocolate then back to the cupboard. Sister Mary laughed.

“What’s the matter Fae, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” grinned Sister Mary.

“Did some little R2D2 thing just come out and serve us snacks and hot chocolate?” asked Fae, still in shock. “That really just happened, right?”

“It just happened Fae,” laughed Sister Mary. “If you don’t believe me, try your hot chocolate, it’s delicious.” She sipped her own, grinning.

Fae took the drink and sipped a bit from the side. Her eyes widened. “Oh! Wow, this is really good!” Grinning, she took another sip. A tear slid down one cheek, and she turned again to the girls. “Thank you again so much for giving me this job. I promise I will take the best care of you ever,” she smiled at them.

Sunset hopped up from her spot and ran over to hug her. “Thank you for getting Father John and coming to save us from that really mean man!” she said, hugging her tightly.

Fae hugged her back. “Any time, Sunset. I could never have lived with myself if anything bad happened to you.”

Sister Mary told more stories about Chang’e and her Husband the Cosmic Archer while they enjoyed their snacks and chocolate. When they finished, the little unit rolled back out of its cupboard and cleaned up after them, then rolled back into its hiding place.

The girls showed Sister Mary their bedroom, and invited Fae to join them on the bed for a sleepover. Laughing, Fae thanked them, but said that four girls on a queen sized bed might be less fun than it sounded, and honestly she was looking forward to a good night's rest if they didn’t mind. With hugs all around, they said good night to her then ran to the bathroom and got ready for bed.

“Ah, crab nuggets! I forgot we were going to take a bath! But now I’m too tired and just want to go to sleep,” grumbled Sunset.

“Don’t worry sis, we can take one tomorrow,” smiled Aiko. “Let’s go snuggle up with Sister Mary!”

The girls quickly got ready for bed, then rushed back to their room. Sister Mary wasn’t there, but came back into the room behind them, having used the other bathroom to get ready herself and change into her nightgown. Scooping the girls up, she sat on the bed, a girl in either arm.

“So ready for a good night’s sleep?” she asked. The girls nodded happily. “Okay, let’s try this new bed of yours out!” she grinned. She pulled back the covers, and sliding in, pulled the girls in next to her, tucking the covers up around them and snuggling them up to her.

“Can we look out at the city while we fall asleep?” asked Sunset.

“I don’t see why not?” agreed Sister. Ailene, always ready to serve, dimmed the lights, and opened the drapes up giving Sister and the girls a stunning view of the city nightscape and the bay.

Smiling happily, Sunset, Aiko and Sister Mary fell asleep in each other's arms.

03 - Back to School

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Sunset woke to realize Sister Mary was missing. She had rolled over and snuggled up with Aiko, waking find Sister Mary was no longer sleeping between them.

“Aiko, wake up!” Sunset called out to her sister, shaking her gently.

“Hi Sunny, is it time to get up already?” she asked sleepily, one eye barely open.

“Aiko! Sister is missing! Did she leave us?” asked Sunset, alarmed.

Aiko woke completely, sitting up and looking around. “Huh!” she commented, turning to her sister. “I wonder where she went?”

The girls quickly hopped off the bed, darting from the room in their nightgowns to search their home for their missing guardian.

“Sunset! I hear something, over here,” called out Aiko quietly. She was next to the guest bathroom. The door was closed, but the sound of running water and gentle humming could be heard from beyond the door.

Sunset tried the door, opening it slightly. Peeking through, they saw Sister Mary singing in the shower. “Sister Mary?” Sunset called out.

Sister Mary stopped her humming, looking over and spying the girls in the doorway. “Good morning girls! I’ll be out in a minute. Go get ready and I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” She turned back into the water, finishing her shower.

“Okay!” Sunset called out, shutting the door. Looking at Aiko, she asked, confused. “Ready for what?”

Aiko shrugged. “Don’t know. The day I guess. Let's get ready so we don’t keep her waiting.” Taking Sunset’s hand, she led her back into their bedroom where the sun was just beginning to rise behind them, the clouds gathering the morning’s colors. They raced over to the dresser and threw on their clothes, then sat on the bed to wait for Sister.

A few moments later, Sister Mary entered wearing a towel with her hair wrapped in a towel as well. “Good morning girls!” she greeted, heading over to the dresser where her clothes and travel bag lay. She quickly dressed, then combed out and dried her hair as best she could, tucking it all under her habit which she donned.

Turning to the girls, she smiled. “Ready to head back to the mission? We have breakfast to prepare, and hungry people to feed.” The girls nodded happily, so taking them by the hand, she led them out and into the foyer where they found the elevator ready to take them down to the lobby. “Thank you, Ailene,” Sister said as they rode down looking out at the waking city below them.

“You are most welcome,” came Ailene’s voice from the elevator. “I will take care of Fae until your return. Have a wonderful day young mistresses, and you as well Sister Mary.”

Sister Mary chuckled. “We will, and thank you,” she said as the elevator doors opened out into the lobby. A limo was waiting for them in the drive away before the building, the driver in his uniform smiling as he waved them over and into the car.

“Sister Mary? I presume I am your ride? And these must be Sunset and Aiko?” he asked as they entered.

"Yes, thank you,” responded Sister as they entered the back of the car.

“I am your driver for this morning. I presume you are returning to the mission?” he asked.

“That is correct. Thank you,” answered Sister Mary sitting between the girls.

“Excellent,” replied the driver, shutting their door. He moved quickly around the car, entering and taking his seat. They pulled out into the light morning traffic heading back to the mission.

Sister Mary hugged the girls, smiling. “Thank you for that wonderful night. That was fun. But starting tomorrow, you will have a different schedule,” she informed them.

“What? What’s happening tomorrow?” Aiko asked.

“I discussed it with Ailene this morning before you woke. Tomorrow is the first day of school for you two at Canterlot Academy. You will be joining your friend Miss Shimmer during the school day starting tomorrow,” explained Sister Mary. The girls squirmed in their seats, both doing a little happy dance at the news. Sister grinned. “That means that from now on during school days, you will eat with Fae there, then immediately afterwards go downstairs to your ride to school. When your classes are over, your ride will pick you up and bring you back to Father John and I at the mission.”

Sunset frowned. “Does that mean we don’t get to help you anymore?” she asked.

“For breakfast? No, not on schooldays. You will still be my helpers for dinner though, unless you are scheduled for something else,” Sister answered.

“Something else? Like what?” asked Aiko.

Sister smiled. “Like your play-date with Miss Shimmer this week,” she replied. “I’m sure she wants you over right after school, and I would imagine she would like very much if you ate dinner with her and her parents. Though if it is on a school night, I have to insist that you return home soon enough to get to bed on time. We don’t want grumpy girls going to class the next day overtired because they stayed up too late.” She grinned, giving them both a hug.

Sunset and Aiko smiled, hugging her back. “I hope it’s soon,” said Sunset. “She was a lot of fun.”

“I hope it’s not too soon,” said Aiko. “I was kind of hoping we would get to have a sleepover with her. We can’t do that on a school night.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, you should ask her if you can turn your visit into a sleepover when you see her at school tomorrow. If her parents and her agree, we can schedule it to happen,” suggested Sister Mary. The girls nodded in agreement.

The driver pulled up before the mission, hoping out and opening the door for them. Sister thanked him, as did the girls. He shut the door behind them, driving off as they entered the mission with Sister Mary. They headed straight for the kitchen where they washed up and began preparing breakfast for their flock.

One happy breakfast and cleanup later, the girls were back in Sister Mary’s room reading while Sister took care of some of the mission business.

Sunset looked up from her book. “I wonder what school is going to be like?” she asked.

Aiko nodded. “It certainly won’t be anything like we remember. Do you remember anything yet about before we came through that portal?”

Sunset frowned. “No. Well just a little. I remember school, sort of. We were all gathered in a room and the princess was teaching us stuff. It was just you and I and the two others we remembered before.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s what school is going to be like now. I don’t think they have princesses teaching everyone. And I bet there are more creatures in the class too,” agreed Aiko.

“Creatures?” asked Sunset.

“I mean, people,” corrected Aiko, recalling the correct term.

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing Shimmer again. Though I am going to miss sleeping with Sister, and helping out around here so much,” responded Sunset.

“True,” admitted Aiko. “It will be different. But at least we are still together, and we get to be her in the afternoon, after school.”

“Right, when we don’t have to be somewhere else. And I am glad we’ll be together. I don’t want to be apart from my sister,” smiled Sunset.

“Me either!” agreed Aiko. Smiling, they went back to reading their books.

A while later Sister Mary entered the room, smiling at the girls reading on her bed. “I don’t know why I am surprised, but you both continue to amaze and delight me,” she smiled, sitting down between them.

Snuggling up, Sunset looked up, setting the book aside. “Why do you say that?” she asked.

Sister laughed, hugging them both tightly. “Well, I don’t know how to tell you girls this, but it’s not a very common sight to see two six year old girls happily reading chapter books in their room,” she grinned.

“Why not? Books are good. They have lots of information in them, and the stories are really cool,” explained Sunset.

Still laughing, Sister explained. “Because most six year old children have not learned to read yet. And if they can, they are reading very simple books, not theses,” she said, holding up one of the hundred plus page chapter books they had been reading.

“But these books are really good! Why wouldn’t they want to read them?” asked Sunset.

“Oh I’m sure they want to hear the stories. They just haven’t learned their letters well enough to read and tell them to themselves. Another reason for me to believe your story,” commented Sister, hugging them tightly. “I don’t imagine the two of you will have much issue at the academy. If anything, they will want to advance you. That’s fine, but don’t leave your friend behind. My advice to you, if you excel, tutor and help young Miss Shimmer so she can keep up with you. You wouldn’t want to leave her behind.”

“No way! We’re sisters! Or at least I think we are. But anyways no way are we leaving her behind. Where we go, she goes,” agreed Sunset. Aiko smiled and nodded.

Sister gave them both another squeeze. “You two are wonderful little girls.” They both smiled, basking in the praise.

After several moments, Sister hugged them once more and got up. “Okay, a few more things for me to do, then it will be time to prepare for lunch. Do you want to help?” she asked. They both nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, I’ll come get you when I’m ready. See you in a bit, girls.” Smiling, Sister Mary left to run her errands.

Sunset and Aiko continued their reading until Sister came back for them, fetching them to help set up for lunch. As usual, towards the end Father John showed up, helping them move everything out to feed the flock who had gathered. Together they served everyone, then themselves, enjoying their meal together. When everyone was finished, Father took a moment to explain a few things to them.

“Okay girls. Tomorrow is the first day of school, so I’ve asked Sister Mary if she could help you get ready for tomorrow and she agreed,” Father explained.

Sister Mary laughed. “Wild horses couldn’t stop me,” she grinned, getting a smile from the girls. “Or even wild foxes.” That got a laugh from them both.

“So,” continued Father with a smile, “after you’ve finished cleaning up, Sister Mary will take you out to get all the supplies you will need for school, as well as make sure your uniforms are clean and ready. And tomorrow morning, Fae will help you get ready and get you off to your first day at school. You can tell us all about it when you get back.”

The girls excitedly agreed with the plan. Father left to tend to their flock, while Sister Mary and the girls cleaned up from lunch and put the food away. When they were done and had cleaned up from their efforts, Sister took them by the hands and led them out to the front of the mission where a limo was again waiting with a familiar driver.

“Hello again, girls! And Sister! I have the pleasure of being your driver again today,” said the man, the same one who had told them about the service and his company the other day. “Where to today?”

“Shopping!” answered Sister Mary with a laugh. “The girls are starting at Canterlot Academy tomorrow, and we need to pick up some supplies for them.”

“Say no more!” said the man with a smile. “My grandkids just went through the same ordeal. I know just the place.” Sister and the girls entered the limo, then closing the door, the driver entered through his door and pulled out into the traffic. “So have you ever been to Barnyard Bargains? They’re the biggest superstore out here, they have everything you’ll need for school,” called out their driver as they crossed the city heading for the suburbs. “It’s where my grandkids just got all their supplies. We’re almost there.”

They pulled into the lot of a large retail store, stopping in the loading zone. While everyone gawked at the limo, wondering who was going to come out, the driver rounded the car and opened the door, helping Sister Mary and the girls out. When everyone saw the people getting out of the limo were a nun and two little girls, they just laughed and shook their heads. So much for getting a shot of someone famous slumming it.

The girls and Sister entered the store while the driver parked the limo in the far corner of the lot, waiting for them to need him again.

When they entered, Aiko and Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Wow!” said Sunset. “I don’t think even the market could compete with this. This place is huge!”

“What are those?” asked Aiko, pointing to several rows of kiosks where people were demonstrating different products to small crowds of shoppers.

“Oh, that’s just something they do on the weekend. They invite different vendors in to demonstrate their products, and provide free samples to drum up business. Do you want to take a look? We have some time if you’re curious,” Sister answered. The girls nodded, so Sister took them over to the displays.

The first one was some kind of frozen juice treat. The vendor was speaking to a woman, but seeing Sister and the girls looking over his wares, he smiled and encouraged them to try some samples out, then went back to his discussion. They tried several of the flavors, the small samples providing a taste of the product.

“These are really good. We should get some,” said Sunset. Aiko agreed, so Sister made a note of it and they moved on. After trying all of the food samples and listening to some of the more interesting product demonstrations, they moved on from the displays to the school supplies, where Sister helped them pick out the supplies they would need. They also picked up a backpack for Aiko, as she didn’t bring one with her through the portal. Sunset was going to stick with her transformed saddle bags, using them as her school backpack. They also picked up some lunch kits, though Sister explained they would most likely be eating most of their lunches in the school cafeteria with Shimmer.

After gathering everything they would need, they got into one of the lines to checkout, moving forward with their cart. When they got to the front of the line, Sister Mary handed the list she made to the cashier. “We also need these gathered and delivered to this address. If you could please include these in our total it would be greatly appreciated,” smiled Sister.

The cashier nodded, paging the floor manager for approval. He came over, took one look at the address and agreed on the spot to take care of it. Sister thanked him while the cashier rang up their total. Sister handed over a card, which she took and scanned. Printing out their receipt and total, Sister signed for the amount and placed the receipt and card back into her pocket.

“What was that thing? How did you pay for everything with just a piece of plastic? We didn’t have to give them any bits?” asked Sunset in surprise as they wheeled their cart out to the loading zone. Seeing them exit, the driver parked in the loading zone again, and taking the cart from Sister Mary, opened the door for them then loaded their purchases into the trunk. Returning the cart to the cart queue, he shut their door and returned to his seat to drive them to their home.

While he was doing that, Sister Mary explained what the little plastic card was. “That little card represents all your, ah… bits, that we placed in the bank with Stewart. That way, you can get what you need without having to carry around bags of bits, or money as we call it here. This is your card girls, so I will be leaving it with Fae to take care of if you need anything. Ailene also has a digital copy so she can keep your supplies stocked and take care of you as well.”

“So, I don’t need to carry around a bag of bits to get things? I just need that card? That’s awesome,” agreed Sunset.

“Actually you just need the numbers on the card, and your signature, or the signature of whomever is caring for you. But, yes, it is much more convenient than carrying around bags of money. Even if you use paper money, it’s still easier to just use the card,” agreed Sister.

“Wait! Paper money? That’s a thing? How does that work?” asked Aiko. Sister tried to explain to them briefly as they traveled back to the Towers, but the girls were still left with more questions than answers. Laughing, Sister finally told them, “Don’t worry about it, it just works. And it keeps your bits safe, they never actually have to leave the bank.”

Exiting, they entered the lobby while the driver flagged down the valet. He returned with a cart which they loaded up with their purchases. The valet followed them up in the elevator while their driver wished them a good evening and drove off to his other responsibilities. When they reached the condominium, the valet placed their purchases on the table and left with the cart while Sister Mary helped them prepare their backpacks for school in the morning. Sunset ran to their room to get hers, and together they loaded up their backpacks with everything they would need for the day tomorrow then put the rest of the supplies away in a cupboard. While they were doing that, Ailene’s little robot collected all the foods they had purchased, gathering them into her little unit and placing them somewhere inside her storage once the unit rolled back into its cupboard.

Finished with their backpacks, Sister took the girls into their bedroom, where they found their uniforms waiting for them in their closet. Sister helped them change into them, showing them how they were to be worn. Once she was confident they fit well and were ready for tomorrow, she had the girls change back into their casual outfit while she put the uniforms back away.

While they were doing that, the valet arrived with the other supplies they had purchased, the delivery having been made rather quickly. Ailene’s robot once again put away foodstuffs, leaving six items on the table for Sister and the girls to deal with.

Heading over to the table, Sunset noticed the three larger boxes on the table. “What are those?” she asked, opening up one of them.

Sister smiled as Sunset puzzled over the box's contents. There was a gray metallic box inside, with a small book of instructions. She picked up the book and studied it.

“That’s a little something I think you girls could use. They’re called laptops. They are little computers, allowing you to do many things, and will be very useful for your schooling. The little boxes are what are called cell phones. They will allow us to speak with you when we need to, and will also help with your schooling. We bought one each for both of you and Fae. We don’t really have time to play with them now, but Fae can help you get them set up when you get back.”

“What do you mean when we get back? We have to leave now?” asked Sunset.

“Yes. It’s the end of the weekend, so we are holding an end of week worship service. We need to get back so we don’t miss it,” explained Sister.

Together they left the apartment, heading back down to the lobby. “I wonder where Fae is? I thought for sure we would see her,” asked Sunset.

“She had to run some errands herself,” explained Sister. Another driver was waiting for them, the door to his limo open and ready for them to enter. Thanking him, they entered the back of the limo. He closed the door and returned to the driver’s seat, pulling out into traffic and returning to the mission.

At the mission, Sister hurried them into the dining room, which they saw had been converted into a small worship place. There was a table along the back wall with candles and ornaments on it, and a fancy gold and white table cloth. The chairs had all been placed facing the table in rows with an aisle in the middle. Sister sat the girls down in the front row, where they were joined by a breathless Fae who entered the room behind them.

“Cutting it a bit close, aren’t you girls?” laughed Father John as he emerged from the kitchen, clothed in vestments of white and gold that reached all the way down to his ankles. The girls giggled a bit seeing him in what looked like a fancy oversized dress.

“Laugh it up girls, you know I make this look good,” he winked at them as he went over to talk to some of the regulars who were gathering, taking the remaining seats in the room. Once everyone was in place, he nodded to Sister, who took a seat at a small piano in the corner of hte room, playing a simple tune that everyone except the girls sang along with. Father walked up to the table while they sang, bowed, then kissed the table and led them in a benediction. Sister Mary and some of the regulars read from a book while everyone sat and listened, then Father got up and talked for a bit about what they had just heard.

Sunset and Aiko watched, enraptured as they had never seen anything like it. When Father had finished his talk, Sister returned to the piano and played more music while everyone sang, and some of the regulars brought gifts of food and juice up to the table. Father met them and took them from them, bowing in thanks as they bowed back. He placed the food on the table while everyone sat. He then said some very long prayers over everything, thanking the Maker and lifting up the food items with a little prayer for each. Sunset looked around and saw that many of the regulars were bowing their heads and striking their chests gently with their fists, so she and Aiko copied them, wondering what that was all about.

When Father was finished with the prayers, he went down and hugged Sister and the girls, then several of the others, wishing them “Peace”. The others turned to everyone around them offering the same greeting, some with hugs, some with handshakes, and some with just a smile and nodded head. Once everyone was done, Father returned to the table and started singing without the piano and everyone joined in. When he was done, he took a bowl of the food, some bread of some kind, and gave a piece to Sister Mary, who took it in her hands and ate it, then bowing, went over to the piano and started playing a song again while everyone joined in singing.

Sunset and Aiko were right behind Sister. She was ready to get her piece of bread, but Father just put his hand on her head and said a short prayer, bowing to her when he was done. She bowed back confused, then stepped aside while he did the same thing to Aiko. Together they returned to their seats and watched as the rest of the regulars came forward.

Sunset was relieved to see they were not the only ones that got the blessing instead of the bread. Many of the regulars also received the blessing, though many received the bread instead. When it was over, Father put the rest of the bread into a gold container, drank the rest of the juice, then cleaned everything up with a crystal flask of water, putting it all on the edge of the table as he sat with his head bowed quietly, everyone else copying him. After a few moments, he stood, everyone standing with him, and pronounced a final blessing over them. Sister Mary went to the piano again, and playing another song, everyone sang along as Father once again walked slowly down the aisle to the back of the room.

When they were done sinning, Father called out to everyone. “Okay everyone! Thank you all for coming to our worship. If you have the time, we would appreciate the help getting the dining room set back up, as dinner is only an hour or so away. Thank you everyone! May the Maker Bless and Keep you, and guard you in Her Ways!”

With a smile, hugs and handshakes, he worked his way back up to the table. Taking the gold bowl in hand, he smiled at the girls. “Be right back girls! We need to place these back in the chapel. If you can give a hand to everyone trying to set up that would be wonderful!” Sister Mary gathered the rest of the items from the table onto a small cart, following after Father John.

Sunset turned to Aiko. “I don’t think I have ever been to anything like that. What was that?” she asked.

Aiko shrugged. “It kind of reminded me of some of the temple services I went to when I was growing up. I don’t remember much of them, but I do remember standing in rows and singing and chanting facing a table like that while the monks did stuff.”

“Huh, interesting,” said Sunset. “I’ve never seen that before.”

As they were talking, one of the ladies asked them if they would be able to help move the chairs back to where they belonged. Looking up, Sunset could see people bringing out the missing tables from the kitchen, unfolding the legs and placing them back in the room in their usual spots. Aiko and Sunset grabbed chairs, dragging them over to the tables as needed while the others moved the rest of the tables in and set them up. When they were done, the dining room once again looked ready for diner. Sister returned, thanking everyone for their work, and taking Sunset and Aiko by the hand, led them into the kitchen where they finished up preparing the dinner together.

Father John returned, once again in his normal clothes and not wearing the fancy white and gold dress. He helped move the food out to the dinning room, then together after he led them in a prayer of thanksgiving to the Maker, they served their waiting flock, taking portions to eat themselves once everyone was served. Diner served and everyone feed, Sister and the girls put the food away and cleaned up while Father ministered to the flock and helped many of them get settled for the night.

“Okay girls,” he smiled when he joined them in the kitchen as they were finishing up. “Big day for you both tomorrow. First day at a new school. I’m sure you will both have a wonderful time, and we can’t wait to hear all about it tomorrow. But for tonight, I know two little girls that need to get some sleep. So off you go, and we will see you in the morning.”

Sister and he hugged them both, then walked them out to the front of the mission where a limo was once again waiting for them. Hugging them both once again, they waved good night to the girls as they drove off, the girls crying gently at having to leave. They arrived shortly at the Towers to find Fae smiling in the cutout, waiting for them.

“Hi Fae!” they greeted her happily, hugging her tightly while their driver smiled and made his farewell. Nodding with a smile to him, Fae acknowledged his comment, and he drove off. Taking the girls hands, she led them into the lobby and to the elevator. Still holding tightly to her, they exited, entering the condominium while Fae shut the door behind her.

“Okay girls, do you need a bath?” she asked.

“Yes please,” said Sunset. Aiko smiled and nodded. Taking them into the bath, she helped them undress, then running the water, filled the tub, scrubbing them up with the soap and shampoo Ailene provided. The girls invited her to join them, but she laughingly deferred, saying she didn't think the tub was big enough for the three of them. Sunset pouted, but recovered her cheerful demeanor when Fae agreed to stay with them while they played in the water for a while. When she could see they were getting tired, she drained the tub and dried the girls off, taking them wrapped in their towels back into the bedroom to get dressed for the night. Nightgowns on, they brushed their teeth then begged her to join them for the night. Relenting, she returned to her room, changing into her pajamas and joining the girls in the bed, both of them snuggling up to her in the middle of the bed as she hugged them to her. Ailene dimmed the lights and opened the curtains at Sunset’s request so they could look out at the lights as they sparkled in the night.

“I don’t think I will ever fall asleep tonight! I could watch this all night!” Sunset yawned, Aiko nodding in agreement sleepily.

Three minutes later, all three girls were sound asleep, the view before them forgotten in favor of dreams of the day ahead.

04 - The First Day of School

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Sunset woke to realize Fae was missing. She was once again snuggled up with Aiko, Fae no longer in the room.

Sunset groaned. “Does everyone have to leave when we fall asleep,” she whined. She gently shook her sister awake.

“Hi Sunny, is it time to get up again?” she asked half awake.

“We should get ready for school. Race you to the bathroom,” smiled Sunset.

Aiko woke completely, sitting up and hoping off the bed. “See you slow-poke!” she teased, racing out of the room.

Sunset hopped off the bed, laughing as she raced after her sister and into the bathroom. Together they performed their morning ablutions then ran to the kitchen, the smell of food wafting through the apartment.

Fae was still in her nightgown stirring a pot of porridge on the stove. “Have a seat girls! Breakfast is almost ready,” she smiled.

They sat at their places smiling as they watched the preparations. While Fae finished the porridge, Ailene’s little unit rolled out from the cupboard, glasses of juice and plated servings of fruit on her tray. She rolled over to them, placing the plated servings of fruit at each of their places along with a bowl, utensils, and the glass of juice. Finishing at Fae's unoccupied spot, her lid lifted to show a tray with three coffee mugs and a service, which she placed on the table next to Fae’s spot.

“Does that mean Fae gets the coffee?” asked Sunset as she scarfed down her fruit.

“No, little mistress. It means I trust Fae to serve it up without spilling it. You both are a bit young to handle pouring warm liquids, so I would rather let Fae take care of it,” Ailene responded.

“Okay,” Sunset shrugged. Fae turned off the stove, bringing over the pot of porridge and placing it on a hot pad on the table. The girls passed her their bowls at her request, then she used the ladle in the pot to serve them up portions of the porridge. She added honey and cream from the service to their porridge then passed them back their bowls.

“Thank you, Fae!” Sunset said, taking the porridge and passing the first bowl along to Aiko. She took the second and began eating. Aiko bowed in thanks and did the same.

“You're welcome, girls. Happy to help. I’m glad you woke so easily. When you are finished here I will help you get dressed for the day, then get dressed myself so I can take you downstairs for your ride to school. So are you excited?” she asked them.

Sunset grinned and nodded happily. Aiko smiled and nodded as well. “We’re looking forward to seeing Shimmer!” Aiko said. “We’re going to ask her if we can have a sleepover for our play-date!”

“Really? That sounds like a lot of fun,” agreed Fae, returning to the kitchen counter to get the carafe of decaf coffee she had made earlier. She filled the three coffee cups then put the coffee back in the maker. Adding cream and honey to their drinks she gave them to the girls, sitting at her place with her own.

The girls carefully sipped their beverages as they finished their remaining fruit and porridge. Once they finished everything, Fae took them back to the bathroom to brush their teeth and clean up, then took them to their room to get dressed. While they were getting into their uniforms she went back to her room, throwing on a blouse and some jeans as well as her loafers. Returning to help the girls finish dressing, she showed them how to tie their shoes and adjusted their uniforms so they were comfortable.

Seeing everything looking good, she told them to get their backpacks, then taking them by hand led them to the elevator and down to the lobby. Crossing the lobby they found a limo waiting for them in the cutout.

“Hello, Miss Shimmer? Miss Adobaizā? I’m your driver, I will be taking you to school today. Please hop on in and we’ll get started,” greeted the driver opening the rear door for them. Sunset, Aiko, and Fae entered, sitting in the back of the limo.

“You are coming to school too, Fae?” asked Sunset in surprise.

“Just for today. I need to sign a few papers for Father John, and discuss a few things with the school. Most days it will just be you and your sister heading to school,” explained Fae with a smile.

“Wow, you sure do take care of us,” noted Aiko, smiling back at her.

“I love helping you girls out. There’s nothing I would rather do,” smiled Fae back. “Thanks again for letting me be a part of your lives, girls.”

Sunset hugged her. “Thank you for saving us. I love you, Fae,” Sunset said, snuggling into her friend.

Fae hugged her back, rubbing her shoulder. “I love you too, Sunny. Both of you,” she smiled and winked at Aiko who grinned back.

The limo pulled through a gate, driving through a parkway to a fancy looking building. They could see many girls entering, talking to each other as they passed, all wearing the same uniform they were wearing. The driver stopped, exited the limo and helped the girls out. Sunset noted that unlike the store where everyone was gawking at them as they got out of the limo, here no one even seemed to notice or care.

“I guess they see this all the time,” she said out loud.

“What’s that Sunny?” asked Fae, coming up behind them with a hand over each of their shoulders.

“I was just thinking, I guess they must see this all the time,” said Sunset as their ride drove away behind them. “Not like the store where everyone was staring at us. Here they must see a lot of people getting dropped off.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re right,” agreed Fae, guiding them into the building through the wide automatic doors. “The school doesn’t really have a parking lot, so if you drive here you have to get dropped off. The store has a parking lot so everyone just parks and goes in.”

“Huh,” agreed Sunset. “That kind of makes sense.” They passed through the halls, Fae following the signs that said New Admissions. They arrived at an auditorium. Giving both the girls a hug, she told them, “Okay, this is where we part ways for the day. You have a great day, girls, and I will see you when you get back. Take care of each other!” She gave them both a quick kiss, then waved as they passed into the auditorium and found a seat.

“What do you think this is for?” asked Sunset, holding tightly to Aiko’s hand.,

“It’s probably where they tell us the rules and stuff. And then how to get to our classroom. I guess we’ll find out,” said Aiko as she looked around.

A pair of arms wrapped around them both from behind. “I knew I would see you here. Hi Sunny, Hi Aiko!” called out Shimmer hugging them tightly. They both turned, pulling her into a shared hug.

“Hi Shimmer! Is this your first day too?” Sunset asked.

“Sort of!” Shimmer said, snuggling in between them still hugging them both. “I was in the preschool and kindergarten program, but it’s my first day at the school proper. So I’m here to find out all about it with you two.”

Aiko and Sunset took her hands, and together they waited while the rest of the girls filed in. Sunset turned to Shimmer. “Hey Shimmer? You know the play date we are having? Can we do it for the weekend? We talked to Sister Mary, and she said if we do it on a day we don’t have school the next morning, she is okay with us sleeping over if your parents say it is okay. Can we do it Friday? Is that okay?” she asked.

Shimmer smiled. “We can ask them after school. I’m sure they will say yes.”

“Okay!” agreed Sunset.

On the stage in the front of the auditorium one of the professors walked to the podium. She was wearing a long straight black skirt with a white blouse and the school blazer over that. As she looked out over the large roomful of girls the talking died down, everyone noticing she was ready to begin. She cleared her throat, silencing the last of the girls who hadn’t noticed she was ready.

“Thank you girls. Welcome to Canterlot Academy. I know for many of you this is more of a welcome back than a welcome, as you graduated into the academy from our sister institutions. Nonetheless, this is a welcome for all of you, and a shared introduction to our school and what is expected of you as our students.

“We strive to maintain the highest levels of excellence in education. What that means for you is you will be expected to strive as well. While it is important to connect with your friends and fellow students, our main focus here at the academy will be your development into the fine, outstanding young women of our future who will help in shaping and molding our world, your world, into what we all know and dream it could be. We will share our vision with you. You will share your enthusiasm with us and each other. And together, we will become what we were always meant to be. You will become the women who shape the world of tomorrow.

“Our rules are very simple. Do as instructed. Ask when you have questions. Work diligently, learn voraciously, and live completely. Follow us as we lead you to your better selves and a brighter future. And when you don’t understand?”

She smiled, and raised her hands out to the students.

“Ask!” they chorused back.

She smiled and continued. “Yes, ask. There are no questions you cannot ask. If you don’t know, if you don’t understand, if you are uncertain, ask. And if we can, we will answer. And if we can’t we will help you find those answers yourselves, because some questions can only be answered by your own efforts. But you will not be walking alone. We walk with you, and your sister students walk with you as well. We are a sorority of sisters, embracing our future and each other. So be strong, be steadfast, and be courageous as we face this year together.”

She bowed as the students applauded, stepping back to allow another older instructor to take the podium.

“Thank you Miss Cadenza for that stirring welcome. Students, this is Miss Cadenza’s first year here as an instructor, and we are looking forward to her contributions to our fine institution. Know that not too many years ago she too sat where you are sitting, being welcomed into our sisterhood, ready to face the challenges of our program. Know that one day you too could be here, greeting the next generation of sisters just as our dear Miss Cadenza is here now,” she smiled. There was another round of applause as Miss Cadenza smiled and waved, taking a seat at the edge of the stage with the other instructors.

“We will begin now by calling out your names. When you are called, please come forward and one of our instructors will take you to your first classroom.” She began calling out names. Unsurprisingly Aiko was called in the first group.

“Miss Aiko Adobaizā, and Miss Sunset Shimmer,” she called, smiling as she saw them both rise. “Yes, unlike some institutions, we do not separate sisters. It’s in our name, and our blood. You will both be kept together.” She looked down as the girls didn’t move from their spots, looking worriedly back at Shimmer who was also looking concerned.

“Oh, excuse me. How odd,” the instructor clarified. “We seem to have two of you with the same name. Yes dear, you too! Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Aiko Adobaizā please all come forward.” She smiled at their relief as they came forward as a group, joining the waiting instructor at the top of the auditorium who greeted them with a brief hug then instructed them quietly to stand in a row beside her while they waited for the rest of their class to be called.

A little over a dozen more girls were called out, coming forward and greeting the teacher, then lining up smiling excitedly at one another as they waited for the rest of their classmates. When all the girls had been called, the instructor gave a nod to their teacher, who gathered them up and led them out of the auditorium and down the hall.

Sunset noticed their teacher was the very young woman who had given them the rousing speech that started their assembly. She took her hand, and the young instructor smiled down at her. “Do you need something, dear?” she asked.

“Did you really used to go here, like the other instructor said?” asked Sunset, looking up at her.

Miss Cadenza smiled down at her. “Yes I did, not that long ago. I attended all through grade school then graduated to Crystal Prep. Why do you ask?” she smiled.

“Please don’t be mad, but you don’t look old enough to be a teacher. You look even younger than our nanny, and she is barely an adult,” commented Sunset.

Miss Cadenza laughed. “You got me there, Sunset. Yes, I am just barely an adult. I just graduated from Crystal Prep last year, and am teaching here as part of the program to earn my teaching credentials. You girls are my very first class!” she grinned.

“Wow! That’s awesome!” said Sunset, giving her a hug as they walked. “I thought you looked younger than the other instructors. So, what’s it like?”

“What’s the academy like?” clarified Miss Cadenza.

“Yeah, like, is it going to be really hard? Is it fun? Will we have to study all the time?” asked Sunset.

Miss Cadenza laughed again, hugging Sunset. “Let’s just say, yes to all three. And if you are anything like the rest of us, you will love every minute of it,” she replied. “Trust me, there aren’t many places as wonderful as Canterlot Academy.”

They stopped before a classroom door. Miss Cadenza opened it for them and the girls all poured in, finding desks with their friends and settling in while Miss Cadenza watched from the door. Sunset was still holding her hand watching her sisters and the rest of the class take their seats.

“Go ahead, Sunset! Take a seat with your sisters and we’ll get started!” smiled Miss Cadenza, giving her a hug and a gentle push towards the seat her sisters had saved for her. Smiling, Sunset joined them, putting her bag by the side of her desk as she sat down, watching Miss Cadenza shut the door then go to the head of the class, sitting casually on the corner of her teacher’s desk as she looked out over her students.

“Welcome to Canterlot Academy girls! As you heard mentioned in the assembly, my name is Miss Cadance Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Miss Cadenza. I was a student here not too long ago and can tell you this is one of the most wonderful schools you will ever attend. Normally at this point we would take attendance, but we really already did that when we called you all up to join the class, so we’ll skip that today.

“We teach six subjects every day. Two in the morning, then a break for recess. Then two more and a break for lunch, then two after that and it’s time to go home. We do assign plenty of homework, but for the first week we will be focusing on getting you used to school and our routines, so you will get a break for now.

“Twice a week one of your classes will be a little something we like to call Physical Education. Basically it’s a bit like recess, but your play will be structured, meaning we will all be playing some sort of sport together, like kickball or soccer. There will be what are called calisthenics too, but don’t worry if you don’t know what that is, we will show you and none of it is that hard.

“It should probably go without saying, but I will say it anyway. You will be staying on the Academy grounds the entire school day. Obviously for all the classes, but when playing during recess and lunch you will be on the grounds as well. During recess and lunch, if you need anything there will always be at least four teachers around to help. Just look for one of us and we can help you work out anything you need.

“Obviously again, the rules are simple. Look out for your sister students. No fighting, no being mean, help each other if someone needs help, and if anything happens or you get in trouble, find a teacher and we will help you. I will be on yard duty today, so if you need anything or have any questions during lunch or recess, find me and I will be happy to help.

“Our focus for younger students like yourselves is reading, writing, math, deportment, crafts, and history. As you get older the sciences will be added in, as well as a few other subjects. When you graduate from Canterlot Academy, you will be a well rounded, grounded, and responsible young woman ready to shape the world of tomorrow. Or, teach the women of tomorrow if you go the route I did and become a teacher,” she grinned. “Any questions?”

One of the girls raised her hand. “Yes Miss Orange. What is your question,” asked Miss Cadenza.

“What is deportment?” asked Orange.

“Ah, an excellent question Miss Orange! Deportment is learning how to behave in any situation, how to maintain your poise - your calm that is. And learning what behaviors are appropriate for what situation. It allows you to move through life with grace and dignity, smoothly navigating the challenges you will face. Any other questions?”

Orange raised her hand again. “Yes, dear. Do you have another question?” asked Miss Cadenza. Orange nodded.

“What if we have to use the bathroom?” she asked.

“Do you need to use the bathroom now?” asked Miss Cadenza. Orange blushed and nodded.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed, dear. Everyone needs to use the bathroom at some point, there is nothing wrong with that. If you need to use the bathroom, raise your hand if I am talking, or just come up to my desk if I am seated there and just let me know. We do the Buddy System if you need to take a bathroom break, so I will ask someone to go with you,” explained Miss Cadenza. She looked over to Sunset. “Sunset, will you go with Miss Orange to the bathroom? We go with buddies so you don’t have to be alone.”

Sunset nodded, getting up and going over to Orange’s desk and taking her hand. “The bathroom is at the end of the hall, with a girl in a dress shaped sign on the door. If you can’t find it, come right back and I will take you both,” instructed Miss Cadenza. Sunset nodded as they left the classroom, heading further down the hall.

Just as promised at the end of the hall was a big sign with a girl in a dress shaped symbol on it hanging on one of the doors. She pushed it open and they entered, seeing the row of stalls across the room. Orange pulled Sunset with her to one of the stalls and entered.

“Uh, do you want me to wait outside for you," asked Sunset, trying to let her hand go.

Orange shook her head quickly, then blushed. “Do you have to go too?” she asked.

“No, not really. I just was going to give you some privacy,” answered Sunset in concern. Orange held her hand tightly.

“Can you please stay here with me? Can you not leave? Please?” asked Orange, looking a bit panicked.

Concerned, Sunset squeezed her hand. “Sure, I can stay. I’ll just stand right outside of the stall and you can get me when you are done.”

“No, please! Can you stay where I can see you?” begged Orange, now starting to truly panic.

Sunset hugged Orange. “No worries! I will stay! I will stand right here so you can see me and talk to me. I’m just going to face the wall so you have some privacy. Sister Mary says we need our privacy for the bathroom.” She turned and faced the wall, shutting the stall door and locking it.

“Thank you!” said Orange in relief, doing what she had to while Sunset waited looking at the wall. When she was done, she finished, then Sunset opened the stall door and turned around. Together they walked over to the sinks, where Orange cleaned up and dried off.

“Orange, why did you want me to stay with you? Is everything alright?” asked Sunset as Orange took her hand again.

At the question, Orange looked away, tears coming to her eyes. “Hey, Orange! It’s okay! I didn’t mean anything by it! It’s okay!” Sunset assured her, hugging her tightly.

In Sunset’s embrace, Orange broke down completely, bawling as she held onto Sunset. “No, nothing is okay. I don’t think anything is okay,” she cried as Sunset gently rubbed her back and soothed her. “He left. He left us all alone, and I hate being alone! I never want to be alone again!” cried Orange.

Sunset held her as she told what had happened to her. Her father had left them, her mother and her, walking out on them never to return. He left while her mother was at work, walking out of their apartment and leaving Orange all alone, not knowing where he went, why he was gone, or what was going on. She had panicked.

Her mother returned home a few hours later to find her curled up in a ball in the corner of her room, crying quietly and shaking piteously. After what seemed like an eternity she was able to get from her daughter what had happened, and she called the police and filed a report against her soon to be ex-husband for what he had done. After the police left, a nice agent lady talked with Orange while her mother held her to get the story again, then left herself. Orange again broke down, crying and begging her mother not to leave her, never to leave her. For the next month, Orange would not let her mother out of her sight, sleeping with her every night, sitting crying outside the bathroom door when she went in to shower or use the bathroom, and begging her mother to accompany her when she had to go or do anything herself.

Her mother took her to a specialist in behavioral therapy, and after a month she had shown progress, enough that her mother and the therapist felt she was ready to attend the Academy for the start of the school year.

But as soon as she entered that large, empty room, it all came flooding back and she desperately didn’t want to be alone again. And Sunset was there to help.

Sunset listened as she poured out her broken heart, noting that Miss Cadenza had entered the bathroom and was listening quietly, no doubt coming to find what was taking her students so long to accomplish such a simple task.

When Orange finished her story, Sunset looked over to Miss Cadenza and saw she was crying, then noticed she was crying herself. She nodded to their teacher who came over and gently wrapped both the girls in a hug.

“I am so sorry, Orange. I had no idea. I am so glad Sunset was here with you to help,” soothed Miss Cadenza, rubbing her back still holding them both tightly. “Are you okay? Do you need a few more moments?” she asked.

Orange shook her head, wiping her eyes with her hands, then going over to the sinks to clean up again.

Miss Cadance hugged Sunset tightly. “Thank you, Sunset. You were a dear friend for Orange when she needed one most. You are a true sister,” she stated gently. Giving Sunset a peck on the forehead, she joined Orange at the sink cleaning up. Sunset joined them.

Once they were ready again, Sunset took Orange’s hand, smiling at her. “Ready, Orange?” she asked with a smile.

“Ready Sunset,’ agreed Orange, squeezing her hand. Together they followed Miss Cadenza back to the classroom where one of the other teachers was watching over the class. Miss Cadenza nodded her thanks, then the other teacher smiled and left. Sunset walked with Orange to her desk.

“Orange, will you be my friend? Do you want to sit with my sisters and I? We would love to have you! You can be our sister too,” asked Sunset. Orange smiled and nodded, so they picked up her bags and moved her to a desk next to the three of them. Aiko and Shimmer gave her a hug in welcome and they all took their seats.

“Alright everyone. Time for our first lesson. Please take out your readers, that’s the large book with the picture of the lamb on the front. We will begin with lessons and practice on sounding out words and sentences. Let’s begin,” said Miss Cadenza.

Shimmer, Aiko, Sunset, and Orange sat watching the other girls play as they talked together, seated on the bench at the end of the field. Orange was holding tightly to Sunset’s hand as they listened to her share her story again, this time with less tears and trauma. Sunset squeezed her hand in comfort during the more difficult parts, the girls snuggled around her providing hugs when they felt they were needed.

“Wow Orange! I am so sorry that happened to you!” said Aiko, hugging her tightly.

“Yeah, that’s awful! I can’t even imagine. You must be super strong to have endured that,” said Shimmer hugging her also.

“I don’t know about that,” said Orange sadly, hugging them back. “I don’t feel strong at all. I feel lost and forgotten. And alone. I hate being alone. I never want to be alone again,” she said sadly.

“You never will! You have three sisters now!” smiled Aiko, hugging her tight. “Now way will we ever let you be alone again.”

“Yup, you’re sister forever, Orange!” agreed Sunset, pulling her over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “We love you and you are one of us now. Sisters forever,” she smiled.

Orange smiled back, squeezing her hand in thanks.

Recess over, they returned to class together to embrace the joy of first grade math. Miss Cadenza was surprised to find many of her students already had a sound grasp of the fundamentals, counting, ordinality, cardinality, and the number line. Some of her girls seemed even more advanced than that, leaving her wondering if she should test them to find the extent of their knowledge. In particular, she got the strongest sense that Sunset and Aiko could likely teach the subject to their peers, and she had a strong hunch Miss Shimmer was not too far behind. She wondered if perhaps she had the unique fortune/misfortune to have a set of true prodigies in her class.

Making a note to herself to set up further testing for Miss Aiko and Sunset, she moved on to the remainder of their curriculum.

Lunch was served in the cafeteria. The girls all lined up to receive their lunches which were provided as part of the tuition, then they found a table together where they talked and laughed as they ate. Aiko played the role of clown well, almost causing Orange to choke as she laughed up her juice through her nose when Aiko made a very funny face as she was swallowing. Sunset gave her a playful smack on the arm as she helped Orange clean up, while Aiko went to get her a new juice, which she gave her with an apology.

“Don’t apologize!” laughed Orange, taking the juice with a thank you. “You made me laugh! Do you know how long it has been since I had a good laugh? Thank you!”

“You’re welcome?” said Aiko with a smirk. “Anytime, happy to help out. Especially if it gets someone to laugh.”

“Yes, you do like being the center of attention,” grinned Sunset.

“And you don’t?” laughed Aiko.

“You got me there,” agreed Sunset. Shimmer snorted at them both. “Yeah, you two are a matched set there. Class clowns, hard core!”

“Hey! I can be serious too,” said Sunset with a grin.,

“Sure, on those rare moments when you can’t think of something funny,” smirked Shimmer. Sunset stuck her tongue out at her sister and laughed.

“So we're going to play kickball or something after we eat?” asked Aiko. “That looked like fun!”

“Sure, I guess,” agreed Sunset. She turned to Orange. “What do you want to do, Orange?”

Orange blushed. “I don’t care,” she said, looking down at the table. “As long as I am with you, I don’t care what we do.”

Aiko pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know if you noticed, Orange. You’re one of us now. Whatever we do, we do it together. Of course you will be with us. Wild horses couldn’t drag us away from you!”

“Or wild foxes!” smirked Sunset, which earned her a gentle smack on the arm from Aiko with a grin.

“Or wild foxes, or anything,” amended Aiko. “Orange, you are our sister. We won’t let you go.”

Smiling, Orange leaned into Aiko’s hug, hugging her back. Sunset grinned, rolling her eyes. “Okay, kickball it is then. As soon as I finish this desert.” The girls all finished their lunches, then placing the trays on the return rack they raced together outside to the playground to find a game of kickball they could join.

As they sat together waiting for their turn to try to kick the ball and run around the bases, Sunset turned to Shimmer. “So, Shimmer, what do you think? Can we have a sleepover instead of just a play date this week? We would have to do it Friday, Sister Mary said. And can Orange come too?”

“I think that should be okay. I will ask mom. And heck yeah Orange will come! She’s a sister! We don’t leave sisters out of our fun!” answered Shimmer.

Sunset turned to Orange. “Do you want to join us for a sleepover this Friday, Orange? We are going to spend the night at Shimmer’s house with her parents. She has a ton of fun games to play, and we can stay up and tell stories and stuff until we decide we want to sleep.”

“Yes! Yes I would love to come!” agreed Orange, holding tightly to Sunset’s hand again. “I just have to ask my mom. But I am sure she will say yes, because she is always telling me to make some friends.”

“Well you got better then friends now, Orange! You got us!” grinned Aiko. “You got sisters!” She hugged her again.

“Aiko, you’re up!” called out one of the girls, sitting back down in line.

“Okay!” grinned Aiko, popping up and going to the home base to kick the ball. Her sisters cheered as she kicked it clear out to the outfield, running around the bases whooping with her hands over her head while everyone laughed.

After the last class, Miss Cadenza dismissed them for the day, thanking them for being so well behaved and telling them she was looking forward to seeing them all tomorrow.

The girls packed up their bags, then together went to the front of the school to wait for their rides.

“Orange, do you have a phone? We should add each other to our contacts so we can talk and chat when you get home. Then you don’t have to be alone even if we are not there with you,” said Sunset.

Orange shook her head sadly. “No, mom said not yet, they are too expensive. Maybe later.”

“Can I talk to your mom about it?” asked Sunset. “I would really like you to have one, because I am going to miss you if I can’t talk to you when we are not at school.”

Oranges smiled and nodded her head. When her mom pulled up the girls all joined her in going to her car. She opened the door and smiled at her mom.

“Hi Mom! I want you to meet my friends!” she grinned. “This is Sunset Shimmer, and her sister Sunset Shimmer, and their sister Aiko Adobaizā. We became friends today and they said they wanted to ask you something.”

Her mom nodded happily, hugging Orange as she got into the car. “Thank you for being Orange’s friends,” she smiled at them.

“We’re more than friends!” smiled Aiko. “We’re sisters! Orange is our sister too now! We decided. We want her to be a sister too!” Her mom nodded and grinned.

“And,” added Sunset. “Orange said she doesn’t have a cell phone. Can I please give her my old one so we can talk when she is not at school? You can check it whenever you want, just like Sister Mary does to mine to make sure I am not using it wrong.”

“Are you sure? Those are very expensive. Are you sure you would be allowed to give it to her?”

“Yes, I am certain. In fact,” Sunset took her phone out handing it to Orange, “She can have it right now. Here Orange, this is your phone now. You can have this one.”

Her mom’s eyes went wide. “Wow Sunset, that’s very generous of you. But I am not sure your parents will be okay with that,” she said.

“That’s okay! I will ask them to call you on it tonight so you can talk with them and see I am telling the truth. Can she have it? Please?” begged Sunset.

“Okay. If your parents are okay with it when I speak with them, then it is okay with me,” agreed her mom.

Orange cried happily at that.

“Also, can Orange please spend the night with us Friday night? We are having a sleepover at Shimmer’s house, and we would like her to be with us,” asked Sunset.

“I will need to talk to her parents. If they are okay with it, and I can get some information from there about where they live and what you will be doing, I am okay with it. So I just need to pick Orange up Saturday then?” asked Orange’s mom.

“We can drive her home. But yeah, usually Mrs. Shimmer wants us to go home after dinner, so we have dinner with the Shimmer’s on Saturday then drive home. We can drop off Orange on the way home if we have the address,” explained Sunset.

“You are awfully sophisticated for a six year old,” noted her mom.

“I hear that a lot,” agreed Sunset.

“I will talk to the Shimmers, just have them call me and we can work it out,” agreed Orange’s mom.

“Thank you Mrs. Orange!” said Sunset. Smiling, they shut the door and Orange drove off, waving as they cleared the driveway and drove off the grounds.

“Sunset, don’t you think you’re going to get in trouble for giving away your phone?” asked Shimmer.

“Nah, Sister Mary won’t mind. You’ll see, she will be totally okay with it. I will just get a new one and sync it up to the cloud. Easy peasy,” Sunset answered.

“If you say so,” said Shimmer. “If I gave my phone away, dad would want to tan my hide.” She laughed.

“Tan you hide?” asked Aiko, perplexed. “I don’t get it.”

Shimmer laughed. “It means spank. Dad would swat me on the backside for being so dense.”

“Ah.. got it,” nodded Aiko.

Shimmer’s mom showed up next. They spoke with her while Shimmer got into the car. Mrs. Shimmer said it sounded fine, but she would talk to Mr. Shimmer and Sister Mary about it, and let them know if it would work out. The girls did a little fist pump together, prompting a chuckle from her mom. They shut the door, waving to Shimmer as they drove off.

Their limo came next, Sunset and Aiko piling in, planning on all they were going to ask Sister Mary when they got to the mission.

Sister Mary listened as Sunset explained about her phone, and why she had given it to Orange and needed to buy a new one.

“That was very kind of you, Sunset,” agreed Sister Mary, giving her a hug. “Of course you can get a replacement. While I hope you don’t make a habit of just giving your stuff away, I certainly can’t fault you for what you did. You helped a friend when she needed you most, and in a way that possibly only you could. I am proud of you, Sunset.” Sister Mary gave her a hug, which Sunset melted into.

“I am so happy you said that, because part of me was afraid I was going to get in trouble,” said Sunset.

“Well, you didn’t,” grinned Sister Mary.

“That’s good! Because if she did, there is no way you would have said yes to the next part!” said Aiko.

Sunset rolled her eyes as Sister Mary grinned. “Really? And just what is the next part?” she asked.

“We want to change the play date to a sleepover, so we and Orange can spend the night together and have fun. Can we please?” asked Sunset.

“I’m okay with it. But I will need to talk to the other parents,” agreed Sister Mary.

“Good thing I gave Orange my phone then,” smirked Sunset. “Aiko, can we borrow your phone?” she asked her sister.

Grinning, Aiko handed it over. Sister smiled as she dialed her phone, then handed it to Sister Mary to speak. Sister listened until someone answered. “Hello?” came a woman’s voice from the phone.

“Is this Mrs. Orange?” asked Sister Mary.

“Yes, that’s me,” agreed the woman. “To whom am I speaking?”

“I’m Sister Mary Magdalen, the guardian of Sunset Shimmer and Aiko Adobaizā. I understand you wanted to speak with me?” Sister Mary answered.

“Uh.. yes!” the woman agreed. “Your daughter, uh… guarded.. Uh…”

“Daughter is fine,” agreed Sister Mary. “And yes, she told me she had given her phone to Orange, your daughter. It’s totally fine, I have no objections with Sunset giving to others, as long as you are okay with your daughter having the phone. Is it okay for her to have it?” asked Sister Mary.

“Uh.. wow. Yes! Thank you! You have no idea what that means to me! To her! Uh.. to us. Thank you!” replied her mom.

“Oh it wasn’t me. This is entirely Sunset’s generosity. It does my heart good though to see her embracing the teachings of the Maker,” smiled Sister Mary.

“Wow,. thank you!” repeated Mrs. Orange. “Thank you both so much!”

“Did your daughter get to ask you about the sleepover as well?” asked Sister Mary.

“She did! She said that all the parents needed to agree on it. I certainly am happy for Orange to attend, she has my blessings,” stated Mrs. Orange.

“Can I call you back in a moment?” asked Sister Mary. “I will call the Shimmer’s now and we can get this all straightened out.”

“Sure!” agreed Mrs. Orange.

“Okay. I’ll call back in a bit. Good bye,” said Sister, hanging up. She handed the phone back to Sunset. “Please call the Shimmers, and let’s get this worked out,” she requested.

“Wow, Sister, you really get stuff done!” nodded Aiko happily.

“You will find that is the best way to do stuff, Aiko,” grinned Sister Mary. “No sense in putting off what can be finished in the moment.”

Sunset dialed Shimmer, who answered. “Aiko?” she asked.

“Nope! Sunset!” grinned Sunset. “I’m calling on Aiko’s phone because I gave mine to Orange so she would have a phone too. Did you get to talk to your mom about the sleepover?”

“Yeah! She was okay with it, but wanted to talk to the other parents. Wonder how that will work?” mused Shimmer.

“Watch and see,” smirked Sunset. “Is your mom there now? Can you put her on the phone? Sister Mary wants to talk with her right now.”

“Sure! One sec!” said Shimmer. “Mom! Sister Mary wants to talk to you!” they heard her call out as she raced through the house. A moment later, Mrs. Shimmer came on the line.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi Mrs. Shimmer! One second while I had the phone to Sister Mary,” replied Sunset handing the phone over.

“Hi Mr. Shimmer! Sister Mary here. So, I’m good with the girl’s plans if you are. What do you think?” asked Sister Mary.

“I spoke with my husband and we are both fine with it, with the usual rules. I gather we still need to talk to their new friend’s mom, Mrs. Orange, right?” asked Mrs. Shimmer.

“Yup!” agreed Sister Mary. “If you have a moment, I will pull her into the conversation, and we can get this figured out right now.”

“Sounds like a plan!” agreed Mrs. Shimmer. Sister Mary handed the phone over to Sunset.

“Can you conference in your old phone so Mrs. Orange can speak with us both?” asked Sister Mary.

“You bet!” agreed Sunset, conferencing in her old phone. She handed it back as it was ringing.

“Hello?” they heard Mrs. Orange answer the phone again.

“Hi dear, Sister Mary again,” replied Sister Mary. “I have Mrs. Shimmer on too. Let’s figure this out for our girls, shall we?”

They worked out the details to everyone’s satisfaction. On hearing the news, Sunset and Aiko did a little happy dance, while they could hear happy squeals through the phone as the other parents hung up too.

“We’re gonna have a sleepover!” crowed Aiko as Sunset held her hands and danced around her.

After a very happy dinner with Father John, Sister Mary, and the mission regulars, they helped with the cleanup then returned with Fae to their apartment, still overjoyed at the prospect of the weekend sleepover with their sisters. Sunset noted her new cell phone was waiting for her on the table, already set up and synced with all her information. Fae helped them get ready for and settled into bed, with Ailene once again opening the blinds to let them look out over the city as they fell asleep.

Just as on the previous night, though they were certain they were too excited to sleep at all, they were both sound asleep within minutes, dreaming of the fun they would have with their dear friends, their sisters, this coming weekend.

05 - The First Sleepover

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Sunset woke, excitedly hugging her sister awake.

“Aiko, wake up! It’s Friday! Today’s the sleepover!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Come on! I can’t wait to get to school!”

“Hey Sunny, good morning,” yawned Aiko with a smile. She rolled over, flopping out of bed and heading for the bathroom. Grinning and bouncing happily, Sunset followed behind her. They performed their morning ablutions, then washed up and headed into the kitchen to join Fae for breakfast.

Fae was in her nightgown just placing three plates of french toast on the table, already slathered with butter and syrup. “Have a seat girls! Breakfast is ready,” she smiled.

As they sat, Ailene’s little unit rolled out from the cupboard, glasses of juice and plated servings of fruit once again on her tray, same as every morning. Placing the juice and servings of fruit at their places, the little unit once again placed a tray with three coffee mugs and a service on the table next to Fae’s spot.

Fae brought the carafe of decaf coffee and filled the three coffee cups, adding cream and honey to their drinks then giving the girls theirs as she sat and sipped her own.

“So are you excited for your first sleepover?” she asked them.

“Heck yes!” both girls exclaimed excitedly, syrup dripping down their chins. Sunset wiped her face with her napkin.

“And for going to the beach! Shimmer’s dad invited us to join them on Saturday for a day at the beach! It’s going to be awesome!” she added.

“So I’ve been told,” grinned Fae, finishing off her french toast and daintily wiping her lips.

The girls both grinned madly, finishing their breakfast. They adjourned to the bathroom to clean up then went to their rooms to get dressed. Fae joined them in their room as they finished up.

“Okay girls, because you are going straight to the sleepover from school, we need to pack up for the weekend before you head out. Just put them in your bags at the bottom, then you will have it when you leave for the weekend,” Fae explained. She helped them pick out nightgowns, spare panties, fun clothes for Saturday, as well as their swimsuits. They returned to the bathroom to gather their brushes, and toothbrushes, then together headed down to the lobby to meet their ride to school.

The limo was waiting for them, the driver as courteous as always. Fae waved to the happy girls as they excitedly drove off, heading for school and their friends.

At school they were quickly joined by Shimmer and Orange, talking excitedly among themselves as they headed into the school and to their classroom. They saw Miss Cadenza working at her desk as they entered. She looked up smiling as they took their seats.

“So girls! Have anything fun planned for the weekend?” she asked pleasantly.

“Heck yes!” agreed Sunset. “We’re going to have a sleepover at Shimmer’s house! And then tomorrow they are taking us on an outing to the beach all day! It’s going to be awesome!” The girls all nodded, grinning like loons.

“That sounds like fun! I hope you have a great time!” smiled Miss Cadenza, returning to her work.

A few minutes later, all her students had filed in, and she began class.

“Okay class! You know the drill. Call out here when I call your name, then we will begin our first lesson,” she said pleasantly, and the last day of the girls first week of school began.

The girls were gathered excitedly, waiting for their ride to start their sleepover. A limo drove up, the driver opening the door and calling out to them.

“Miss Sunset, Miss Aiko, Miss Shimmer, and Miss Orange I presume? I am here to take you to the Shimmer residence for the evening. Are you ready to leave?” he asked.

Sunset looked at him in confusion. “I thought Mrs. Shimmer was coming to pick us up?” she asked.

“Ah. Apparently it was decided to let us bring you to them. If you don’t mind, please get in and I will take you to them,” the driver replied.

Sunset shrugged, entering the back of the limo. Her sisters joined her, taking their seats in the back of the limo as the driver shut the door behind them, returning to his seat. He pulled out of the driveway, taking them to the Shimmer residence.

Once there, he dropped them off, watching as they went to the door and entered, waving back at him. Mrs. Shimmer waved as well, greeting the girls at the door. The driver waved then and got back into his car, driving off.

“So girls,” greeted Mrs. Shimmer with a smile. “Ready for your sleepover and our beach trip tomorrow?”

“Yeah!” the girls called out happily.

“Alright! Go put your bags in Shimmer’s room, then come join us for snacks,” smiled Mrs. Shimmer. The girls all gleefully raced to Shimmer’s room, dropping their bags on the bed then racing back to the kitchen, where Mrs. Shimmer had placed out chips, dips and juice for the girls.

“Thank you Mrs. Shimmer!” they called out, diving into the snacks while they talked excitedly about what they wanted to do for their sleepover.

“You’re more than welcome, girls,” smiled Mrs. Shimmer, delighted to see her daughter and her friends, her sisters - that phrase of theirs still brought a smile to her face, as they happily snacked and chatted. “Call me if you need anything,” she told them as she returned to preparing their dinner.

Finished with their chips and drinks, the girls put the dip away and cleaned up their dishes, then went to the living room where they gathered several of Shimmer’s favorite board games which they had decided to start their evening by playing.

Back in her room, they cleared off the bed, moving the backpacks to the floor so they could spread out on the bed around the first of the board games Shimmer had picked for them, Chutes and Ladders.

“This one is my absolute favorite!” said Shimmer as she gave them their pieces and explained how to play. The rules were simple enough it took no time at all, then they rolled for the first turn, won by Aiko, and went clockwise around the bed from there.

While it wasn’t the funnest thing Sunset had ever done, playing it with her sisters made it a delight, and in about fifteen minutes or so when it was over, they cleaned up the pieces and moved onto the next game.

Three games later, Mrs. Shimmer came into the room, calling them down to dinner. They set the game aside to play later, then stopped by the bathroom to wash their hands before heading down to eat.

Entering the dining room, they found Mrs. Shimmer had already set the table for them and placed the dinner out ready to serve. Mr. Shimmer was sitting in his spot, next to Mirs. Shimmer, when she finally sat down after brining in a pitcher of iced tea and pouring a serving for the girls, Mr. Shimmer and herself. Seated, they held hands and bowed their heads as Mr. Shimmer said some words thanking the Maker for their meal, then Mrs. Shimmer started serving the dinner, vegetable lasagna, onto each of the girls plates. She also had a small bowl of salad to go with the dinner.

“Wow, I didn’t know you did that too?” asked Sunset.

“Did what, dear?” asked Mrs. Shimmer as she cut off a portion of lasagna for herself, taking a bite.

“That you thanked the Maker before eating. I thought that was something only Father John and Sister Mary did. We never see anyone do it at school, so we thought it was just them,” responded Sunset.

Mrs. Shimmer laughed. “No dear, many people do it. Not usually at lunch or breakfast, but sometimes then too. But many people do it for dinner. It’s just something we have always done, even growing up.”

Sunset nodded. “I guess that makes sense. I wondered why Father John and Sister Mary were the only ones that did it.” She thought for a moment. “I guess we should do it too then, Aiko. We can do it when we eat at home,” she mused.

Aiko nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

After dinner, Mrs. Shimmer served them all a serving of key lime pie. Neither Sunset nor Aiko had ever had it before, and were delighted with the treat.

Desert over, the girls thanked Mrs.Shimmer for dinner, then cleared their settings and returned to their room for the rest of their evening.

“We should get dressed in our nightgowns,” noted Shimmer. “Then we can just go to sleep when we get too tired.”

It was agreed that was an excellent plan, so they changed into them then resumed their board game.

Two hours and another snack run later, this time for soda and popcorn, and one adorable movie later, the girls' eyes were all having trouble staying open.

“I don’t want to go to sleep yet,” complained Aiko, “But I can’t keep my eyes open. I just keep nodding off.”

“Let’s go clean up, then we can lay in bed and tell stories!” suggested Shimmer. So they took their bowls to the kitchen then cleaned up and brushed their teeth. They crawled back up onto the bed, and Shimmer pulled back the covers. Orange went to the far side, Sunset next to her, then Aiko and finally Shimmer. Pulling the covers up over them, Shimmer grinned at her friends.

“Who wants to go first?” she asked.

“Go ahead,” answered Sunset. “I’m so tired I’m not sure I could tell a story. What about you, Orange?” she asked the girl snuggled up next to her. Not getting an answer, she pulled her into a hug, seeing her friend was already completely sound asleep. Sunset laughed. “Orange is out.”

Aiko grinned. “Fine, I’ll go first,” she laughed. She started into a story about a magical fox that was stealing a farmer's chickens and got caught.

Sunset smiled, having heard it a few times before, gently dozing off holding her friend Orange. Soon the sound of both of them gently snoring came from their side of the bed.

Shimmer laughed. “Good job, Aiko, you put them to sleep,” she teased.

“Those two were going to sleep no matter what story I told,” Aiko laughed back. “What about you? Are you going to tell a story?”

“Nah, I think I’m about to fall asleep too. And I don’t want to be super tired tomorrow. I want to have lots of energy so I can have fun all day at the beach with you and not be all cranky,” answered Shimmer, yawning. She snuggled up to Aiko. “Nice story, Aiko. Goodnight.” Within moments she too was gently snoring.

Laughing, Aiko snuggled up to her friend. “Goodnight, Shimmer,” she said, shutting her eyes and resting her head against her friends. A few moments later, all four girls were asleep for the night.

They woke the next morning to a gentle knocking on the bedroom door, Mrs. Shimmer smiling at them from the open doorway.

“Rise and shine girls,” she called out gently. “Time to get ready for the beach! Don’t forget your bathing suits, and come downstairs when you are ready and dressed. We have breakfast waiting. We want to get an early start so we can find a nice parking spot before the beach fills up. Rise and shine!” Smiling at the girls as they sat up from under the covers, she left them to get ready heading back downstairs to the kitchen.

“Yay! Finally time to go to the beach!” Sunset said, yawning. She looked over at Orange, just waking up and looking around. Sunset took her hand. “Good morning, Orange.”

Orange looked over and smiled, sitting up then taking Sunset’s hand again. “Good morning, Sunset,” she smiled back.

“Ready for a day at the beach?” Sunset asked.

“Heck yeah! I’ve been looking forward to this all week!” smiled Aiko at the two of them. Giving Shimmer a quick hug, she dropped down off the bed and went to her backpack, pulling out her bathing suit and sundress then heading for the bathroom.

“Aiko’s got the right idea,” said Shimmer, pulling her Sundress and bathing suit from her drawers and running after Aiko. Sunset turned to Orange.

“We should join them before they get done and eat all the breakfast,” she teased, pulling Orange along after her. They gathered their dresses and suits, following their friends to the bathroom.

Dressed and ready for the day, the girls headed downstairs joining Mr. and Mrs. Shimmer in the kitchen. There was another woman there with a younger girl, both clearly as Japanese as Aiko.

“Aunt Hana! Cousin Deijī! What are you doing here?” asked Shimmer happily, giving them both hugs.

“We’re joining your family outing!” smiled her aunt. “We didn’t think you would mind.” She grinned, hugging her niece back.

Shimmer happily shook her head, hugging her aunt tightly. “Not a bit!” she agreed.

They all sat at the table while Mr. Shimmer served them eggs and toast. Mrs. Shimmer passed out glasses of Orange juice and put honey and jam on the table. She then returned with coffee’s for Mr. Shimmer and Aunt Hana.

“Can we have coffee too?” asked Aiko, hopefully.

“I don’t really think coffee is a great idea for little girls your age,” replied Mrs.Shimmer as she sipped her coffee.

“But we have it all the time at home,” Aiko insisted.

“Sorry, no. No coffee for little girls in our house,” insisted Mrs. Shimmer. Aiko harrumphed, then returned to eating her eggs and toast. Aunt Hana grinned.

When they finished, the girls placed their dishes on the counter, then ran upstairs to brush their teeth. When they were done, they ran back down the stairs, ready for their outing.

Mrs. Shimmer was finishing up packing a large picnic basket while Mr. Shimmer filled up several large thermoses with lemonade. Finished, he placed them on the counter next to the basket, leaving for a moment. He returned with a large cloth bag filled with towels and two large blankets, as well as several sand toys. Gathering them all up, Aunt Hana, Mr. Shimmer and Mrs. Shimmer headed into the garage, loading them all in the back of the Shimmer family van.

The girls and cousin Deijī followed after them, climbing into the back of the car while the adults took the front row and seats, Deijī sitting next to her mother with Aiko as she tried to speak Japonies to Deijī who smiled bewildered. Aunt Hana replied, so Aiko and her spoke Japanese while everyone else grinned and Sunset explained to Shimmer and Orange what they were talking about. With everyone settled and buckled in, Mr. Shimmer slid the door shut and got into the driver’s seat. Hitting a button on the remote attached to his visor, the garage door slowly opened, and he drove out onto the street, pressing the button again to shut the door behind them. The sun was still low in the morning sky, and they were off to the beach for a day of fun.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the beach, parking still plentiful due to the early hour. Parking next to the beach, they got out, the adults taking the bag, basket and thermoses as they picked out a spot on the sand to claim for the day, close to the surf but not so close they would have to deal with the high tide. The girls and Deijī were running around playing as the adults set up the blankets and put the bag, basket and thermoses down to hold them in place from the occasional gusts of wind.

They sat on the blankets talking and joking among themselves as they watched the girls play together.

“Do you want to go in the water now?” asked Shimmer, racing over to the waves gently rolling in and letting them rollover her bare feet. She kept the hem of her sundress in her hand to keep it from dropping down into the waves and getting wet.

“Nah, not yet. Let’s let it warm up a bit first,” said Sunset, joining her friend in watching the waves roll over her feet, her toes scrunched into the sand as she copied her friend in keeping her dress from the waves. The other girls joined them, laughing and kicking water at each other as they ran through the surf.

After several minutes of this they noticed the beautiful shells being uncovered by the lapping waves and started collecting them, comparing them among themselves to see who could find the most interesting or beautiful shell.

Aiko found a crab, and they laughed and shouted as they followed it along the beach until it hid itself back among the waves. Birds were landing up and down the beach, looking for their own breakfast. The girls laughed and called to them, running among them and sending them scattering until the next thing took their attention.

The adults watched them play as they chatted, smiling at their simple joy and abundant energies. As they played, more people arrived, eventually filling the beach to the point the girls could no longer run freely across the sand without watching where they were going.

Aunt Hana got up, and went over to the girls, offering them a treat if they joined her on a little adventure. The girls happily agreed, so taking them hand in hand, she led them down the beach and to the pier, where she bought them all popsicles to eat as they slowly headed back.

After they got back and finished their treats,they agreed it was warm enough, so they decided to play in the surf completely. Pulling off their dresses and tossing them on the blanket, they were about to run down to the beach when they noticed the adults had all stopped talking.

“Miss Shimmer! What do you think you are wearing!” called out Mr. Shimmer to his daughter, as he got up. “Get back over here right now and answer me!”

The girls all returned, Shimmer looking upset and confused. “I’m wearing my swimsuit,” she answered standing before her irate father.

“That is not your swimsuit,” he answered her firmly. “That is your old swimsuit from last year that we instructed you to put into the donation basket after we gave you your new one. Where is your swimsuit, Miss Shimmer?” he asked her crossly.

‘Still in my drawer at home,” she answered meekly.

Mr. Shimmer grabbed a towel. “Wrap this around you. You cannot parade around like that. No daughter of mine is going to wander around dressed like that. You will sit here while the others play.”

“Why did you not wear your new suit?” asked her mother.

“I just like this one. It’s my favorite. I don’t like the new suit,” she answered honestly, sitting down at her father’s feet. The girls all returned to the blanket, sitting around her.

“I don’t want to play if Shimmer can’t play with us,” said Sunset. The other girls nodded in solidarity.

Mr. Shimmer groaned in frustration. Mrs. Shimmer came over, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “I got this honey. I just need the car keys.” He reached into his pocket, handing them over. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you dear.”

Taking Shimmer’s hand, she scooped up her purse and headed back towards the car.

“Where are you going?” called out Sunset in concern.

“To fix my daughter’s mistake and have a little talk with her. We’ll be back in a bit, then she can join you. Go ahead and play, she’ll be back in a bit,” answered Mrs. Shimmer as they left. They got into the car and drove off, another car almost immediately filling the spot.

“So much for our primo parking spot,” grumbled Mr. Shimmer.

About an hour later, Shimmer and her mom returned, Shimmer now wearing a much more modest suit, no longer two sizes too small that didn’t cover what her parents wished to cover.

“So where did you end up parking?” Mr. Shimmer asked as she handed him back the keys.

“I lucked out a bit, there was an opening in a lot across the street and I grabbed that,” she answered with a grin.

“Thank the Maker for small favors,” smiled back her husband. Shimmer slid off her shoes, leaving them by the blanket as she ran down the beach to join her friends and cousin already playing in the water. They called out happily to her when they saw her, and together they splashed and played in the waves.

“I had a little chat with her, and explained why we were angry. She didn’t understand the idea of something not fitting correctly or propriety, so I used this as a teachable moment. I think she gets it, she’s a smart girl. I took the suit and put it where it belongs in the donation basket, so that’s done with,” Mrs. Shimmer explained, smiling as she watched them play.

“I’m glad you did that,” her husband agreed, placing his arm around her as they watched their daughter, niece and friends.

“Me too. Seeing her friends join her in such solidarity, not wanting to play if she didn’t join them? That really touched my heart. I had to fix it so they didn’t lose the joy they had hoped for today,” she sighed, leaning up against him.

“You have a good heart, dear,” he agreed, pulling her into a hug.

A while later it was time for lunch. Aunt Hana went to fetch them. They all laid on towels over the blanket to dry as they waited for Mrs. Shimmer to pass out lunch. Opening the basket, Mrs. Shimmer passed out sandwiches, which the girls hungrily ate, as well as cups of lemonade and fruit snacks. When they finished eating and passed back the cups, Mrs. Shimmer had them wait for a bit for the food to settle so they wouldn’t have to worry about cramps while they were playing in the surf.

They laughed and joked while they waited, then twenty minutes later Mrs. Shimmer told them they had waited long enough and they all happily ran back out to the surf, splashing, playing and diving into the waves.

Smiling, Aunt Hana pulled her dress off, tossing it onto the blanket as well revealing the modest bikini she was wearing underneath.

“Going to join them?” asked Mrs. Shimmer with a grin as Aunt Hana picked up her purse.

“You’ll see!” she teased, heading back to the pier. A few minutes later she returned, an oversized paddle board under one arm and a medium sized life jacket with her purse in the other.

“You spoil them, you know that right?” laughed Mrs. Shimmer as she put her purse back on the blanket.

“That’s what aunts do,” agreed Aunt Hana with a grin, heading down to the beach, board still under one arm with the life jacket swinging back and forth in the other. The girls saw her coming, and ran from the surf to surround her, dancing happily around her.

“What’s that, Aunt Hana?” asked Shimmer excitedly as they followed her back out into the surf.

“This is a little treat for you girls,” answered Aunt Hana with a grin. “You were having so much fun splashing around in the waves, I thought I would give you all a chance to come with me out to the big waves so we could take turns riding them. Who wants a turn?” she asked, laughing.

All the girls excitedly raised their hands. Grabbing the girl closest to her, she put Orange up on the board, securing the life jacket around her then sitting on the board herself. “Okay girls! Watch us have some fun on the big waves, then I will come and take the next one of you out. Everyone will get a turn! I promise.” Laying down on the board as Orange sat holding tightly to the sides in delighted panic, she paddled them past the small breakers and out to the larger breaking waves.

Orange got washed off by the first wave they crashed through, but Aunt Hana caught her and put her back on the board, paddling out past the breaking waves where they sat on the board together, riding the rippling swells before they broke as they neared the beach. They could see Orange, eyes as big as saucers and grin wider than a Cheshire cat as she held onto the board laying down like Aunt Hana, watching the surf pass beneath them to break and crash as they neared the shore. After several minutes of that, Aunt Hana said something to Orange and she nodded excitedly.

Aunt Hana angled the board towards the shore, paddling to keep them abreast of the current swell as it headed inward. As the wave broke, Aunt Hana gave a few quick strokes, pushing them out before it. They were swept up in the trough of the wave, riding it almost all the way back to the girls. Aunt Hana paddled them over to where the girls were waiting, smiles plastered on everyone’s faces.

“Orange, were you scared? That looked awesome!” called out Sunset, hugging her friend as she slid off the board.

“It was pretty scary, yeah,” admitted Orange. “But it was so fun I didn’t care!” Sunset squeezed her friend tight in happiness.

“Can I go next?” asked Aiko, trying to pull herself up onto the board.

“Sure, why not?” agreed Aunt Hana. She helped Orange take off the life jacket, putting it on Aiko as she sat squirming happily on the board.

“You know, this is actually easier if you hold still,” teased Aunt Hana. Aiko tried her hardest not to fidget, and the jacket was quickly secured and adjusted. Laying down on the board before Aunt Hana like she had seen Orange do, Aunt Hana paddled them out past the breakers and into the swells. Because she was laying down, Aiko was not swept off the board when they breached the waves heading out to large swells.

“I am definitely laying down too,” observed Shimmer as Sunset nodded in agreement. “I don’t want to be swept off the board.”

“Yeah, mom takes me out all the time, and that’s definitely the best way to do it,” agreed Deijī. “If you are sitting up too much, you catch the wave and it will sweep you off. But if you lay down it just rolls over the top of you and you come out the other side,” she explained.

“That makes sense. So your mom takes you to the beach all the time and you get to do this with her?” asked Sunset.

“Mostly during the summer, but yeah,” agreed Deijī. “My mom rocks.”

Shimmer, Sunset, and Orange just nodded in agreement.

Aunt Hana took them all out several times each all through the afternoon. Eventually, as the sun fell in the sky and the wind picked up making things a bit colder, they decided to head back into shore and play on the beach again. Aunt Hana took the life jacket and paddle board back to the shop on the pier she had rented it from, then returned to join them as Mr. Shimmer started a fire in the fire ring with some wood he had purchased from a vendor down the beach. Once the fire was going, Mrs. Shimmer took out several thin long wooden rods and a package of vegan wieners from the basket. She pushed the stick through the wieners and passed them out to the girls so they could have fun cooking their dinners. When they were cooked, she helped the girls make them into hotdogs, loading up the condiments each one chose, and their plates with beans and chips. Giving each girl a napkin and utensil with their plates, she joined the adults in taking their turn grilling their own dinners. The hungry girls took a few turns each after, cooking a few more hotdogs for themselves until they had eaten enough.,

Once everyone finished with their dinner. Aunt Hana brought out a bag of marshmallows and introduced the girls to the wonderful world of Smor’s.

Watching the sunset as they ate their smor’s and sipped their lemonade, Sunset smiled as her friends laughed and joked with each other, making a chocolatey marshmallow mess as they enjoyed their treats.

After the Smor’s they took turns singing around the fire, leading each other in songs that seemed perfect for the mood. Sunset was surprised to see all three of the adults were quite good at singing, able to carry a tune and keep the group immersed in the songs and the moments.

Others around them were packing it in, leaving the beach and heading home as the darkness grew, the night beginning. Eventually they were nearly the only one’s left on the beach, only a handful of stragglers still sitting around their own fires, or just enjoying the night breeze on their blankets.

“Well girls, that was certainly a wonderful day,” smiled Mrs. Shimmer at them as she rose and began gathering their things. “But I think it's time to get home. We wouldn't want your parents to be worried because we kept you out too late,” she said.

Mr. Shimmer got up and used a small shovel to pour sand over the embers to kill the fire. The girls rose gathering up their dresses and towels as they prepared to leave.

While they finished packing, Mr. Shimmer left, bringing the car back to the spots next to the beach. When he pulled up, they gathered up everything, the girls helping them carry it all, and headed back to the van. Loading everything up in the back, they took their seats again, ready for the ride home.

When everyone was buckled in, Mr. Shimmer drove out of the lot and back to their home.

The girls helped unload the car, then gathered their dresses, putting them back on over their now very dry swimsuits and packing up their bags. Together with Orange, Aiko and Sunset said goodbye to the Shimmers and their Aunt and cousin with hugs and smiles, thanking them for the wonderful day. Outside a limo was waiting for them, as Mrs. Shimmer had called Sister Mary to let her know they were done for the weekend. Waving goodbye to their friend and new friend, they entered the limo, settling down in the back for the ride home. The limo stopped at Orange’s apartment first where they hugged their friend goodbye as a very happy Mrs. Orange looked on.

Giving her a kiss on the cheek Sunset hugged her one more time. “Don’t forget to call me tomorrow! And see you Monday!” she smiled, giving her one last hug. Orange happily hugged her back, then taking her bag joined her mom by their apartment door. Sunset and Aiko waved as the limo driver shut the door, then sat in the driver's seat and drove them home.

When they got to the Towers, they found Fae waiting for them with a big smile. They swung their bags over their shoulders and she took them by the hand, leading them back up to their apartment as their ride drove away behind them.

Entering the apartment, she led them to their room to drop off their bags then took them into the bathroom, getting them into the tub and washing away all the salt and sand of the wonderful day they had just had. Once they were completely clean she let them play in the tub for a bit, laughing with them as they related all the fun things they had done on their sleepover.

Eventually Fae let the water out of the tub, rinsing them one last time before drying them off and helping them get ready for bed. They brushed their teeth and did what was needed then snuggled up in bed, watching the city lights as they talked about how much fun they had. Within a few minutes there were no sounds other than the gentle snoring of two very happy, very tired girls as they replayed the happy memories of the day in their dreams.

The next morning, Fae woke them, then they enjoyed the breakfast she and Ailene had made for them. Getting dressed for the day, they left the apartment, heading down to the lobby for their ride to the mission where they were to spend the day. Together, Aiko, Sunset, and Fae helped out wherever needed, preparing meals with Sister Mary, moving their tables out and chairs around for Father John’s service, or just enjoying quiet time reading or talking with Orange and Shimmer on their phones while Sister Mary and Father John took care of mission business.

After dinner, they said goodbye to Father John and Sister Mary. Entering the waiting limo, they returned to their apartment to prepare for bed and sleep, ready to greet the next day.

06 - Another Sleepover

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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.

07 - The Apple Festival Part 1

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Warning:
This chapter contains a description of childhood trauma of a sexual nature for one of the girls. While not explict and inadvertent, it can still be triggering.

The girls continued to work hard, applying themselves to their studies and supporting each other. Aiko and Sunset took turns tutoring Orange to help her keep up, with Shimmer studying with them. Together the sisters advanced to the head of the class, mastering every lesson often even before it was taught. Cadance was very proud of the girls.

Their parents and guardians were quite proud as well. They had agreed as long as the girls kept up their grades and deportment, they could continue to have their weekly sleepovers and hang out together. It was an agreeable arrangement all around.

“Hey, girls, have you ever been to the Apple Festival?” asked Orange as they studied together after school in the library. “My cousins usually host it on their apple farm outside of town, and it’s a lot of fun. Would you want to go??”

“I’ve never even heard of it,” answered Shimmer. “It sounds like fun.”

“Me neither, but I would love to go,” agreed Aiko. Sunset nodded without looking up from her math homework.

Aiko bumped her elbow. She looked up, then looked around and smiled. “Yeah, me neither. But I would love to go too!” she clarified. She smiled again at her sisters then returned to her homework.

“So when is it?” asked Shimmer.

“It’s this weekend. I can ask my cousins if we can stay with them for the festival so we don’t miss anything. We could just have our sleepover there. And you’ll all love Jacqueline. She’s very down to earth. Her parents are farmers, they grow apples and some other fruits and vegetables. But mostly apples. That’s their family name actually,” added Orange.

“Let’s do it then. It sounds like fun, and I’d love to meet your cousin,” agreed Aiko. “You know, I remember where I came from. Growing up we had cherry blossom festivals when the cherry trees blossomed. I could dress up like I was going to that,” she smirked.

“Do it,” agreed Shimmer. “I’d love to see you in the clothes from where you grew up.”

“You know,” snarked Sunset without looking up. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t wear clothes most of the time.”

“What?” gasped Orange. “That’s not possible. Everyone wears clothes!”

“Not everypony.” Sunset reminded her.

“Oh,” nodded Orange. “Huh.”

Aiko smirked. “And just for that, you have to wear traditional festival attire too!”

“Ponies don’t have traditional festival attire,” smirked Sunset back.

“You have to wear my traditional festival attire,” clarified Aiko.

Sunset grinned. “Whatever.”

Orange smiled in excitement. “Then I want to wear it too!”

“Of course you do,” Aiko smirked, looking at Sunset. “Anyone else?”

“What the heck, I’m in,” agreed Shimmer.

“Okay then. We will definitely stand out at the festival,” laughed Aiko.

Orange told them more about the festival while they studied.

When they got home they discussed their plans with their parents. A conference call later it was agreed they could go. The girls would all be getting new kimonos for the festival and Orange’s mom would coordinate with the Apples to set up the sleepover.

Wednesday after school the girls all went with Sunset and Aiko in their limo to be fitted for their kimonos. Mrs. Orange had arranged a fitting for them at a fashionable boutique in downtown Canterlot.

They arrived at a little store with the sign Fashion For You over the storefront, with several formal dresses displayed in the window. As the girls entered the bell over the door tinkled announcing their entrance.

A well-dressed young woman approached them, smiling. “You must be Miss Orange and friends. Come! Welcome to Fashion For You! We specialize in unique and refined fashion, including exotic and cultural attire. I understand you are looking for Kimonos?” she greeted.

“That’s correct,” smiled Aiko. “My name is Aiko, and my sisters and I would like to wear our kimonos this weekend to the apple festival.”

“How daring! Of course,” smiled the woman. “Follow me, please. We’ll get started right away.” She led them through the store, passing through the doors in the back. She led them down a hallway, past a break room where two girls dressed similarly to the associate were taking their break. They smiled at the girls as they passed.

Past the break room, she led them into a large room, tastefully decorated. There were several couches and plush chairs around the room with small end tables next to each one. In the center of the room was a small stage.

Setting the girls down on two of the couches, she left, promising to return with some light refreshments for them while they waited.

Sitting next to Aiko, Shimmer looked over the room. “I wonder what light refreshments are?” she said out loud.

Aiko laughed. “Probably small snacks that won’t make a mess,” she mused, bumping her friend. “I can’t imagine they would want a huge mess to clean up.”

“Good point,” Shimmer agreed.

Orange turned to Sunset, holding onto her arm. “Wow, this place is really fancy,” she said, taking in the room around them. “I’ve never been to a place like this. We usually just go to the department store and buy stuff off the racks.”

Taking her friend's hand, Sunset smiled. “Yeah, but you can’t do that for kimonos. Not many places even sell them. And, they have to fit right, or they just look silly, like you’re wearing a costume.”

“Aren’t we?” asked Orange.

“No. We are definitely not in costumes. We are going as ourselves, and celebrating Aiko’s heritage with her. We are going as sisters, proud of who we are,” Sunset answered with a smile.

“Darn straight!” called out Aiko from her couch with a laugh. “We are bringing a touch of my homeland’s Cherry Blossom Festivals to the Apple’s Apple Festival. We are ambassadors.”

“Ambassadors? What’s that?” asked Orange.

“We are representing Aiko’s family and heritage to the people at the apple festival,” Sunset replied.

“Oh, okay,” smiled Orange.

“That’s right! We will represent!” called out Aiko. She threw her arms up pointing randomly into the air, nodding her head with her eyes closed.

Orange looked over at her confused. “What’s she doing?” she whispered to Sunset.

Sunset shook her head with a smirk. “I have no idea,” she laughed. Shimmer just grinned and shook her head too.

“What?” said Aiko, opening her eyes, hands still in the air. “I’m representing! I saw this on MyStable.” She closed her eyes and went back to nodding her head with a grin.

“Yup. Representing class clown, sis. You still have it,” teased Sunset.

“You know it!” grinned Aiko. She shook her hands one more time, then shot finger guns at her friends, getting them to laugh.

“You are such a clown,” grinned Sunset.

“Takes one to know one,” Aiko grinned back.

The young woman returned with a cart holding their refreshments. It turned out refreshments meant scones, tea cakes, and tea with cream and sugar.

“Nailed it,” called out Aiko, still grinning, as she saw the cart enter. Sunset smiled, rolling her eyes.

The young woman poured the tea into fine china tea cups. “How do you like your tea, ladies? Cream and sugar?” she asked.

The girls all nodded, so she spooned two measures of sugar, then poured a dollop of creamer into each of their teas, stirring the tea with a spoon and then setting the spoon back on the tray. She then set the teacups down next to the girls on the end tables.

“Would you like something to nibble on as well?” she asked them. They nodded. Sunset selected a scone, adding some jelly, while Orange went with a plain croissant. Aiko picked out a decadent-looking Danish while Shimmer went with one of the tea cakes.

Snacks settled, the young woman sat down before them. “We’ll need to take your measurements first. Each of your dresses will be fitted to you uniquely. After that, we will wait for a bit, then you’ll each try on your dresses while we check the fit. You will get a chance to move around in them and get comfortable, then we will pack them up for you to take with you for your outing. Enjoy your refreshments then we will get started.”

The girls ate their snacks, giggling among themselves. When they were finished, the young woman snapped her fingers and an assistant entered. Together they measured each of the girls.

Orange blushed and giggled as the assistant measured her bust.

“Chest out and proud, dear. We can’t get a good measure unless you stand straight. You’re a beautiful young woman. Stand tall and proud, dear,” the assistant assured her, causing Orange to blush even brighter. She did stand tall though, allowing the woman to finish the measurement.

“First time getting fitted?” laughed Aiko. Orange nodded, still beat red.

“Don’t worry, that was nothing. Just wait until they measure your inseam,” smirked Aiko as she was measured herself, standing tall with her chest flaunted.

“What?!” asked Orange in mild alarm. Sunset scowled at her sister, making her laugh.

Orange felt a hand moving up her inner thigh to her underclothes. She gasped out, dropping to the floor with her hands guarding her lap.

“What are you doing?” she gasped looking at the associate in shock. Sunset rolled her eyes as she was similarly measured.

Aiko laughed out loud as she was measured as well. “Warned you,” she guffawed.

The associate finished taking Sunset’s measures, around her backside, shoulders and back, then Sunset helped her friend back to her feet.

“Why did you touch me there?” Orange asked the associate in confusion.

“I’m just taking the measurements needed for your dress. Yes, some of them can seem a little uncomfortable. But we need the correct measures to be certain your dress fits appropriately,” the associate responded, attempting the measure again. Orange held still this time, still blushing profusely.

“This isn’t so bad. Where I had this done before, we had to take off all your clothes while they did the measurements,” assured Sunset.

“Oh no! No no no no no…” gasped Orange, starting to fold back into herself.

The associate looked at Sunset crossly, then turned back to Orange. “Don’t worry dear, we don’t do that here. We respect our client’s privacy. This is as invasive as it gets,” she promised, reassuring Orange. She finished with the measures, putting the tape away and jotting down her notes.

“Okay! Just give us a few minutes, and we’ll have your dresses out for you to try. Does anyone need more tea or another snack before I leave?” the associate asked.

The girls all nodded, so she refreshed their tea adding more cream and sugar while they each picked out another treat. Once they were settled, she rolled the refreshment cart to the side of the room and left with her assistant. The girls nibbled on their snacks.

“So, what was that all about Orange? You seemed awfully skittish about being measured,” asked Aiko from her seat. Shimmer nodded as well.

“I just was shocked that she was touching me there was all,” blushed Orange.

“You seemed shocked every time she touched you,” Aiko added.

“I’m not used to being touched, that’s all,” Orange deflected.

“Not at all?” asked Aiko.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Orange mumbled. “Can we talk about something else please?”

“Sure Orange, we can change the subject,” Sunset assured her. She looked over at Aiko, who raised an eyebrow. Sunset shrugged. Aiko nodded.

“So, want to hear about the festivals where I come from?” asked Aiko. Orange nodded, so Aiko launched into a story about her first cherry blossom festival that she attended with her uncle. Sunset, Shimmer and Orange listened raptly while they sipped their tea.

About forty minutes later the associate and her assistant returned with a rack between them holding the four girls' kimonos. They were stunning.

Aiko wrapped up her latest story about her and Sunset’s first time at a festival together as they took the dresses off the rack and brought them over to the girls.

“Do you girls need to use the rooms?” asked the associate.

“We’re fine,” replied Sunset, slipping out of her school clothes. “We have sleepovers all the time.”

Orange followed her friend's lead, flushing the color of her name. They folded their clothes and placed their outfits on the sofa as the associate helped them into their kimonos.

Aiko and Shimmer were already undressed as well, ready for their turn. Once all the ties and sashes were in place on Sunset and Orange, the associate and her assistant helped Aiko and Shimmer into their kimonos. All dressed, the girls stood next to each other.

“Wow, this fits fantastic,’ noted Sunset. “I thought it was going to be all stiff and hard to move in like a formal gown or something. This is way easier to move in.

The girls all started dancing and hopping around, acting like a bunch of silly ballerinas. The associate just crossed her arms, put her hand over her face, and sighed.

A few deep cleansing breaths later, she removed her hand and smiled. “Okay, girls! That’s enough for now. We aren’t done yet. We need to try on the shoes.”

Sunset turned, noticing the four boxes at the bottom of the rack. “There are shoes too!? Awesome!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, they come with footwear. Sit down please, and we’ll help you put them on,” continued the associate.

“How hard is it to put shoes on?” asked Aiko as she sat down.

“I guess we will find out,” grinned Shimmer, plopping down next to her.

Sunset and Orange sat back down on the couch, careful not to knock over their clothes.

The associate brought the boxes over to the girls. Opening them up, they saw oddly toed stockings and wooden sandals, raised up on two wooden strips.

“Whoa! Wooden sandals!” gushed Shimmer in wonder.

“Right!? How awesome is that?” agreed Sunset. “So those are completely made out of wood?”

“Except for the straps to hold them on your feet, yes,” agreed the associate as she helped Sunset into the stalkings. They fit over her toes so her big toe was in one part, and the rest of her toes in the other.

“Well, and the rubber backing we added to the bottom to give them some grip. There are some improvements to the original design,” she amended with a smile. “Safety first.”

Sandals strapped on, Sunset stood up, clomping across the floor noisily. “This is so cool!” She hopped up and down a few times. Finished, Orange joined her, hopping up and down as they held hands. The associate rolled her eyes and helped her assistant finish with Aiko and Shimmer. Once their sandals were on, all four girls laughed and hopped in place, clunking loudly in the back room.

Again, the associate crossed her arms and held her face in her hand, sighing.

After several minutes the associate composed herself, then gathered the girls back over to the couch.

“Okay ladies, it’s clear the kimonos fit well and you have figured out how to move around in them. You’re supposed to walk sedately in them with your hands clasped before you over your hips and head bowed,” she supplied.

“That’s true,” nodded Aiko. “And smile, but demurely. Like this,” she bowed her head with a smirk.

“I don’t think you know what demure means,” grinned Sunset.

“Whatever,” laughed Aiko, sitting back down and taking her sandals and stockings off. The assistant helped Shimmer, while the associate helped Orange and Sunset. The sandals and stockings were boxed back up with the girls' names written on each box, while the kimonos were taken and hung back on the rack as the girls scrambled back into their school uniforms, Orange once again glowing in her namesake color in embarrassment.

Once they were dressed, the associate led them back out to the shop then to their waiting limo. Several boutique customers watched the girls parade as they passed through the store grinning with their dresses in tow.

The limo driver helped them into the car, then carefully laid out the dresses and boxes of sandals in the limo trunk. Thanking the associate, he entered his seat as they returned to the store.

“So girls, drop you off next?” he turned to them asking.

“Yes, please,” answered Sunset. Nodding, he pulled out into traffic as the girls happily chatted.

“I can't wait to show my parents! They are going to flip!” gushed Shimmer.

“Do you remember how to fasten the ties and sashes?” asked Aiko. “You were paying attention, right?”

Shimmer rolled her eyes and smacked her friend's arm. “Yes, I was paying attention, mom. I got this.”

“Okay, call me if you get confused,” replied Aiko.

Orange smiled brightly holding Sunset’s hand. “I am showing mine off to my mom. She’ll love it!” she smiled.

“I’m sure she will, Orange,” replied Sunset, squeezing her friend's hand.

“So should we wear ours over to the mission?” grinned Aiko.

“I think probably not. Serving food we would probably make a mess of them. We should probably try to keep them clean at least before we wear them at the festival,” Sunset replied.

“Ah. Yeah, good point. So when will we get to show them off to Father John and Sister Mary? They really need to see us in them,” Aiko asked.

“We should invite them over after dinner tomorrow. We can show them off then before we go to bed,” suggested Sunset.

“Okay, that would work,” agreed Aiko.

They arrived at Orange’s apartment. The driver opened the door for her, taking her hand to help her out. They went around to the back of the limo, where he opened the trunk.

Mrs Orange stepped out of the apartment and joined them by the trunk. The driver carefully handed her the dress, which she draped over her arms. The box with the sandals he handed to Orange.

“Thank you, sir,” she called out smiling. Her mom grinned happily at her, and together they returned to the apartment, smiling at the girls waving at them from the limo door. The driver smiled at the girls as he shut their door, then returned to his seat to drop off Miss Shimmer next

The girls giggled in the back as he drove, Aiko entertaining everyone with more tales of her and Sunset getting into mischief. They pulled up to the Shimmer residence to find Mr. and Mrs. Shimmer waiting outside.

“I texted them I was almost here,” smiled Shimmer as she scooted towards the door to get out. The driver opened the door for her, taking her hand as well as he led her around to the back of the limo and opened the trunk. Mrs. Shimmer took her dress as well, also draping it over her arms, and Mr. Shimmer took the box with the sandals. Dancing between them, Shimmer waved to her friends as she skipped between them back to the house, the girls behind her giggling happily at her enthusiasm.

Sunset turned to Aiko. “So, how do you remember so much about what we did and the Cherry Blossom Festivals? I don’t recall any of that. I can still barely even remember our sisters from back in the castle. Did you get your memories back?” she asked.

Aiko gave her a sheepish look. “No, not exactly. I do remember that I went to a Cherry Festival with my uncle when I was a little cub. I can barely remember his face and nothing at all about what we did. Like you said, I can barely remember our time in the castle and our sisters. I mean, some things come back sometimes, like remembering that with my uncle, but no, I don’t remember the rest of it,” Aiko admitted.

“So, how did you remember all those cool stories about what we did? And how do you know so much about Cherry Blossom Festivals and how to wear a Kimono?” asked Sunset.

Aiko grinned. “I looked it all up after we agreed that was what we were going to do. I figured everyone would ask me about it and I didn’t want to look stupid,” she laughed.

“And the stories? All our adventures together?” Sunset asked.

“I made them up. I don’t remember any of them. But I bet they were super awesome and we were brave and rescued lots of people from danger!” admitted Aiko.

“You brat!” laughed Sunset. “I thought you remembered and we really did all that cool stuff!”

“Maybe we did?” laughed Aiko with her. “You never know! Whatever we did together, I’m sure it rocked.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” laughed Sunset back, giving her sister a hug. She punched her arm lightly. “And you’re still a brat!”

Aiko laughed and hugged her back.

The driver pulled into the covered roundabout. He got out and opened the door for them, holding out his hand. Smirking, Aiko gave him five, slapping her hand down on his. “My man! Thank you for driving us!” she laughed, getting out of the car.

The driver grinned and rolled his eyes. Sunset laughed as they exited, taking his hand in hers. “Thanks!” she grinned.

The driver led them to the trunk, waving over a valet. The valet brought a cart, and the driver carefully pulled the dresses out and hung them on the cart, then placed the boxes with their wooden sandals on the cart under them.

Shutting the trunk, he bowed to the girls. “Always a pleasure, Miss Sunset, Miss Aiko,” he smiled, tipping his hat.

Sunset and Aiko bowed back, grinning. “The pleasure was all ours, sir!” Sunset laughed.

“If you say so!” the driver replied, still laughing. He got into the driver's seat waving back at the girls, then drove off.

The valet followed the girls into the foyer and over to the elevators, then up and into their condominium. Fae joined them, taking the dresses and carefully hanging them in the hall closet, placing the boxes with the sandals on the top shelf. She thanked and dismissed the valet while the girls went to wash up.

They joined Fae in the small kitchen where she was preparing their dinner. “Can we help?” asked Sunset, watching her peeling potatoes.

“Sure. Did you both wash your hands with soap?” Fae asked. The girls nodded. “Okay, pull over a chair and step up here. You can help me peel the potatoes.”

The girls quickly pulled one of the dining room chairs over next to the sink, climbing up next to Fae.

“Okay, Aiko, you are in charge of putting the potatoes in the pot when we are done. And Sunset, you get to wash them then hand them to me to peel,” directed Fae. She handed the potato she had just finished to Aiko. “Okay put this one in the water in the pot. Be careful, they are slippery.”

While Aiko held the potato in both hands and dropped it into the pot, Sunset grabbed another potato off the counter and started scrubbing it with the brush lying in the sink. Fae smiled. “Good work girls.”

Together they filled the pot with the potatoes on the counter. Fae turned on the burner under the pot. “That will take a while. Let’s check on the casserole,” Fae said.

She opened the oven, and the blast of heat was felt by all the girls as the oven door opened. She placed a meat thermometer in the casserole, waiting until the reading appeared. “Not quite ready yet. A few more minutes I think,” mused Fae. She closed the oven door.

Fae smiled. “Well, now we just have to wait for the potatoes and casserole to finish cooking. That gives up a good twenty minutes to do something else. What do you girls want to do?”

“Oh! I have to invite Father and Sister over for dinner tomorrow. We want to show them the dresses!” said Sunset.

“Why don’t you just wear them over to the mission, then everyone can see them,” suggested Fae.

“If we do that, our dresses will get all messy when we serve the food. And especially when we clean up all the dishes,” replied Aiko.

“I don’t think they will get too dirty serving the food. But you are right about the cleanup. We can bring other outfits for you to change into for the cleanup. And then all the regulars can see your outfits too,” answered Fae.

“But why can’t we just have Father and Sister over here for dinner?” asked Aiko.

“We could probably invite one of them, but not for dinner. They wouldn’t be able to both come. One of them has to be there to run the mission. But if you go over there, they can both see you,” suggested Fae.

“Ugh. I forgot about that. That’s true. I guess if we don’t get dirty serving the food, we could do that,” agreed Sunset.

“Okay, I would kind of like to show all the regulars our dresses too,” nodded Aiko.

“Then it’s settled. Let’s call them and let them know,” smiled Fae.

“On it!” called out Sunset, racing back to her room to get her cell phone. She ran back out, the call already ringing on speaker.

“Hi Sunset! What’s up, little one?” said Sister Mary through the speaker.

“Hi Sister Mary! We wanted to wear our new kimonos for dinner tomorrow. Can we come to dinner wearing them and then change afterwards for clean up? That way you and Father John can see them before we go to the festival,” asked Sunset.

“And then the regulars can see them too!” added Aiko.

“That sounds wonderful, girls,” agreed Sister Mary. “I’m sure everyone will be thrilled to see them.”

“Thank you Sister!” the girls called out happily.

“So how was the fitting?” asked Sister Mary. “Did you girls have fun?”

“We sure did! We got to bounce around in wooden shoes!” called out Sunset.

“And eat cake and pastries!” added Aiko.

“And dress up really pretty and dance around!” giggled Sunset.

“So how many of those pastries did you eat?” laughed Sister Mary.

“From the sound of it, quite a few,” snarked Fae.

“If dancing and bouncing were the highlights of the evening, I would say so,” agreed Sister, laughing as well.

“And Orange got super embarrassed and curled up in a ball,” added Aiko.

“I don’t think she would want us to talk about that,” said Sunset.

“But it’s Fae and Sister Mary. They are good protectors too. We should tell them,” argued Aiko.

“Tell us what?” asked Fae, suddenly quite serious.

“It’s not our secret. We can’t say,” said Sunset.

“It’s not anyone’s secret. We don’t even know. We just think something,” argued Aiko.

“Girls, what are you talking about?” Sister Mary asked, also serious.

Sunset sighed. “Orange is my friend. She is a sister. I don’t want to make her feel bad by talking about her when she isn’t here.”

“Sunset, if there is something going on, it’s better if we know so we can help,” replied Sister.

Sunset looked at Aiko and sighed. She nodded.

“When Orange was getting measured, the girl almost touched her private parts. That’s why Orange curled up in a ball. She said she didn’t like being touched,” said Aiko.

“That’s normal. No one wants to be touched there. That’s why they are called privates,” explained Fae.

“Yeah, but that was not normal,” said Sunset. “Normal is pulling away, or smacking someone’s hand and looking very cross.”

“But Orange looked panicked and curled up with her hands blocking her privates. That was a really big reaction to a girl accidentally touching you,” added Aiko.

Sunset looked at Aiko. Aiko looked back, eyebrow going up. Sunset scrunched up her face, then nodded.

“We think she may have been hurt. We are afraid maybe someone like the pervert man that tried to hurt us hurt her,” said Aiko.

“Is that true, Sunset? Is that what you both think?” asked Sister.

Sunset nodded sadly. “Yes, Sister.”

“Then I need to speak with Orange and her mother,” said Sister.

“She’s going to be so mad at us,” said Aiko sadly.

“But sisters look out for sisters. We have to do this,” Sunset added.

“I will call her mother. Thank you for telling me this,” Sister said. “I will see you both tomorrow. Goodnight girls. I love you both.” She hung up the phone.

“Should we call Orange?” asked Sunset.

“I think we should,” agreed Aiko.

“Let’s do it together,” suggested Fae. “I can help. Have a seat at the table and we’ll call her now.”

The girls sat down on either side of Fae as she took Sunset’s phone and dialed Orange. It went straight to voicemail.

“Hi Orange! It’s Fae and the girls, we just wanted to talk with you. Call Sunset back, okay?” Fae said, then hung up.

“It’s busy? Why’s it busy?” asked Aiko.

“Sister probably called her mom on the cell phone. She’s probably talking to her now,” said Fae. “I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure she’ll call back.”

The girls waited at the table quietly, all their earlier chatter gone now in concern for their friend.

“I hope she isn’t mad at us,” moaned Sunset.

The timer went off on the stove, so Fae got up to finish the dinner. Aiko wandered over to help with the potatoes while Sunset moped at the table, concerned for her friend.

While Fae and Aiko were finishing up dinner, Sunset’s phone rang. She grabbed it quickly and answered. “Hello?” she asked tentatively.

There was crying on the other end of the line.

“Orange is that you?” asked Sunset in a small voice.

The crying stopped. A small voice answered. “Why did you tell? I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Orange, you were so sad and scared. I don’t want you to be sad and scared. I love you! You are my sister. You are my friend. Please don’t be mad, please?” begged Sunset, tears in her eyes.

“I didn’t want to talk about it, or think about it, or anything. Now I can’t stop thinking about it,” Orange sniffled.

“You don’t have to hide anymore, Orange. We want to help you, all of us. Aiko and I, and Fae, and Sister and Father. We all love you and want to help. You can talk about it. We will love you no matter what, I promise,” assured Sunset.

“Are you sure?” asked Orange in a very small voice.

Aiko and Fae had returned to the table and were listening. “Yes Orange, we’re sure,” answered Aiko. “You are our sister and we will never let you hurt alone. We love you.”

“And I love you too, Orange. Anything you need, I am here for you too,” promised Fae.

Orange cried again on the phone while the girls repeatedly assured her they loved her and were there for her. She stopped eventually. “So, will you be with me if I talk about it?” she asked hopefully.

“Sisters forever, Orange. If you want us with you, we will be there with you,” promised Sunset.

“Okay. I’ll ask my mom,” said Orange. “Mom..?” they heard in the background. There was muted conversation, then Orange returned, sniffling. “She said yes, I could have whomever I wanted come, as long as I agreed to talk about it and get it out in the open. Can I come over tomorrow and we can do it then?”

“Do you want to just do it today and get it over with?” asked Aiko.

“Can I? Yeah, I would rather do that if that is okay. I don’t think I am going to get much sleep tonight waiting,” agreed Orange.

“Go ask your mom. If she says yes, we can call Sister and see if she will do it tonight,” suggested Sunset.

“Okay. I’ll call you back,” agreed Orange, hanging up.

Fae took the phone and dialed Sister Mary. “Hello Sunset. What’s up little one?” Sister Mary greeted.

“Hi, Sister Mary. It’s Fae, we’re all here at the kitchen table on speakerphone, Sunset, Aiko and I. We have a proposition for you if it’s okay,” answered Fae.

She laid out the girls' idea to have Orange over with her mom so she could say what she needed to tonight, and for Sister to be there to hear her story. They would all be with her and her mom for moral support if needed.

“I’ll have to clear it with Father John. Can we do it after dinner? I won’t be able to find anyone to take over for me on such short notice,” Sister Mary replied.

“I think so?” replied Fae. “I can do whatever you need. Do you need me to help, Sister?”

“You’re right where you belong, with our precious girls. We’ll figure out how to take care of stuff on our end, but thank you for the kind offer,” replied Sister. “I’ll call Mrs. Orange and work things out after I talk to Father. I’ll see you later, girls.” Sister Mary hung up the phone.

“Good thing I made the larger casserole,” smiled Fae. “I’ll go finish the potato salad. Girls, call Orange and invite her and her mother over for dinner. If they say yes, ask Ailene to send a car for them, okay?”

The girls nodded, and Sunset called Orange back to tell her what was happening and invite her and her mother over for dinner. Orange got her mom on the phone while Sunset and Aiko explained the plan, and invited them to come over now and join them for dinner.

“You could even sleep over if you wanted, both of you,” added Sunset.

“Are you sure? Where would I sleep?” asked Mrs. Orange.

“I’m sure Fae wouldn’t mind sharing her room with you,” said Sunset. “Please?”

“If Fae says it’s okay, then fine. Put her one please so I can talk to her,” replied Mrs. Orange.

Aiko scooped up the phone off the table and both girls ran to the kitchen holding the phone out to Fae. “She wants to talk to you,” they both called out.

Fae took the phone from Aiko, setting it on the counter. Still stirring the potato salad she replied to Mrs. Orange. “Mrs. Orange, this is Fae. Are you there?”

“Yes dear, I’m here. The girls have invited my Orange and I over for dinner, and to spend the night. Is that okay with you?” Mrs. Orange asked.

Fae looked surprised for a moment but just smiled. “That’s fine, Mrs. Orange. We would love to have you over for dinner, and to spend the night. You can sleep in my room with me. It’s a large enough bed. If you don’t mind sharing a bed?” she added.

“No dear, I don’t mind sharing a bed. Shared a bed for years, and he snored,” Mrs. Orange laughed. “Okay, when should we come over?”

“We’ll send a ride for you. It should be there in about ten minutes. Is that okay?” suggested Fae.

“That sounds fine, dear. We’ll go pack up for the night now,” answered Mrs. Orange.

“Mrs. Orange?” added Sunset.

“Yes, dear?” replied Mrs. Orange.

“Would you be interested in coming to the Apple's Apple Festival with us too after the sleepover?” invited Sunset.

“That sounds lovely, Sunset. No, I would not mind at all,” Mrs. Orange answered.

“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Orange!” Sunset replied. Mrs. Orange said goodbye and hung up the phone. Fae handed the phone back to Sunset.

“Okay, girls! Go make sure your room is straightened up so we have room for our guests. Dinner is almost ready,” directed Fae.

The girls ran off to make sure there was space for Orange in their room while Fae finished dinner.

Fae called out. “Ailene? You there?”

“Always, Miss Fae. What can I help with?” responded Ailene from the room around her.

“That’s kind of creepy hearing your voice come from all around me. I think if you want to come across as more… human, and not scary or weird, you should just pick a spot in front of whomever you’re talking to and only use that,” commented Fae.

“Noted. Is that better?” responded Ailene, her voice now just coming from in front of Ailene.

“Much better. Ailene, we invited Orange and her mother over to spend the night, and possibly longer if I know those three. Can you please send a car to her home address to pick them up now?” Fae directed.

“Of course, Miss Fae.” After a brief pause, she continued. “A driver is on his way now. He should be there in a little over five minutes,” Ailene answered.

“Awesome,” responded Fae, scooping the salad into a serving dish and putting the rest and the dish into the fridge to cool. “Do we need to order any extra supplies with them coming?”

“Already taken care of, thank you,” responded Ailene.

Fae left to clean up her room too, and wash up from making dinner. She joined the girls back at the table when she was done.

“Well, girls, ready for this? I’ve been through this a few times myself, it’s going to be difficult. But you’ll be there for your friend, and so will her mom, Sister Mary and I. She’ll get through this, and she’ll be in a better place afterwards because she won’t have to carry it around as a secret,” Fae told them.

“You’ve been through this before?” asked Aiko, surprised.

“It happens more often than you think. More than a few of the girls I worked with had their own stories, and it was good for them to get them out in the open,” Fae replied.

“Did you..” Sunset started.

“Yes. And no, we are not talking about it tonight. Maybe when you are both older. Much older,” Fae answered truthfully. “Tonight is not about me anyway. Tonight is about Orange, and being there for her as the sisters I know you are to her.”

Sunset and Aiko nodded, wide-eyed.

Ailene interrupted their conversation. “They’ve arrived. The valet is bringing them and their bags up now in the elevator. They will be here shortly,” she informed them. A few moments later, the door opened and they heard Ailene speak from the doorway.

“Come in, please. You can put your bags in the first bedroom. We can unpack and sort them later. The girls are waiting for you at the table,” she called out.

They waved at Orange and her Mom as they passed by into the hallway, Mrs. Orange’s eyes wide, taking in the condominium. She stopped cold seeing the half panoramic view from the living room.

“Come on, Mom, let’s put our stuff away so we can sit with them. Please?” said Orange, pulling on her mom’s arm.

Snapping out of her trance, Mrs. Orange smiled down at her daughter and took her hand, following the valet and her cart down the hall and into Fae’s bedroom. A moment later, they reappeared, thanking the valet as she left with the cart. They sat down with the girls at the dining room table.

Orange sat next to Sunset, her mother on her other side.

“Wow, really nice place you have here,” noted Mrs. Orange, still a bit overwhelmed.

“Yes, Father John’s brother bought it for us. He is really nice,” answered Aiko.

“I bet. Wow, I’ve never seen a place this fancy,” Mrs. Orange noted, looking around. “I don’t have to be careful not to break anything, do I?” she asked.

Fae laughed. “We have two six-year-old girls living here. It’s pretty indestructible. And if you do manage to break something by accident, it’s not a problem. Accidents happen, so please, no worries. Just relax and consider yourself with family. We just want to share our happiness with you and let you both know how much we care.”

Mrs. Orange teared up a bit. “Do you really mean that?” she asked.

Sunset and Aiko nodded emphatically while Fae reached across the table and took Mrs. Orange’s hand. “Of course we do. We’re all friends, and because of the girls, family. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.” Fae grinned. “As long as you don’t snore. You don’t snore, do you?” she teased.

Mrs. Orange laughed. “Dear, I slept next to a snorer for years. I know exactly what you mean.” Both of them laughed, the tension broken. “No, I don’t snore.”

“Thank goodness,” Fae teased back, giving her hand a squeeze. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll go get it prepared and bring it out,” she smiled, getting up to return to the kitchen.

“Let me help you, dear. Four hands are better than two!” she beamed brightly, following Fae into the kitchen.

Sunset hugged her friend tightly, while Aiko moved over to the seat her mom had just left to hug her from the other side. “How are you doing?” she asked Orange.

“I’m okay. I’m still a little bit mad you told, but I’m also happy to finally get it out. I’ve been living with the nightmares for too long. Thank you,” she hugged her two friends tightly. “But I’ll be honest. I’ll be glad when this is over. I’m scared,” she admitted.

“We’ll all be glad when this is over, and we love you now and will love you after. We love you, Orange,” said Sunset, snuggling her friend close in a hug.

“Yeah, what sis said. We love you forever and always will,” added Aiko, hugging her tightly from the other side.

Orange’s eyes teared up a bit, but her smile was radiant.

Dinner was pleasant, mostly spent with Mrs. Orange telling stories about her daughter, to Orange’s embarrassment and delight, with Sunset and Aiko asking questions. When dinner was finished Fae offerect to clean up. The girls and Mrs. Orange waited for Sister while they chatted in the living room.

Mrs. Orange looked out over the city, clearly taken with the view from the large wall windows.

“Super cool, right?” asked Sunset with a smile, sitting on the other side of Orange from her mom.

“It’s breathtaking,” agreed Mrs Orange.

“We could trade rooms if you wanted,” replied Sunset. “We love the view, we go to sleep with it every night. It’s okay if you want to take a turn. We don’t mind.”

She looked over to Aiko, who smiled and shrugged. “See, it’s okay, we really don’t mind.”

“That’s a very kind offer, Sunset. But I can’t take your room. It’s your room. If I want to see the view, I'll just come out here. But thank you,” answered Mrs. Orange.

“That’s the same thing Fae said,” mused Sunset. Mrs. Orange grinned.

“Sister Mary has called and let me know she is on her way over. I have sent a ride to her, and will announce when she arrives,” Ailene informed them.

“Thank you, Ailene,” said Fae as she joined everyone in the living room. “And yes, that’s exactly what I said. For the same reason. It really is a wonderful view of the city.” She sat down on the other side of the girls, next to Aiko.

“Thank you for that wonderful dinner,” said Mrs. Orange. “The vegetable lasagna was delicious. And the potato salad was too.”

“Thank you!” smiled Fae. “Though only the potato salad was the girls’ and my contribution. The lasagna was store bought.”

“You should send me the recipe,” smiled Mrs. Orange.

“I’ll ask Ailene to send it,” replied Fae. “What’s your email address?”

Mrs. Orange spelled it out.

“Noted,” responded Ailene. “I will send the recipe to you.”

“Thanks Ailene,” said Fae.

“Wow, is she listening all the time?” asked Mrs. Orange.

“Yes, she is,” answered Fae.

“But if you wish me to not listen, just tell me to not listen for the next however many minutes or seconds, and I will not listen. Also, you can tell me to forget the last however minutes, and I will do that too,” responded Ailene.

“That’s good to know,” responded Mrs. Orange, looking down at her daughter. Orange smiled up at her mom.

“Don’t worry. Ailene would only tell Sister Mary of Father John if she heard something she felt she had to do something about, and Sister Mary is already going to be here,” Fae added.

“Indeed. That is correct,” added Ailene.

They say quietly for several moments, looking out the windows at the city lights twinkling below. Looking down towards the mission, Sunset could see a tiny limo pulling away.

“I think I see Sister coming,” mused Sunset aloud.

“That is correct, Sunset,” confirmed Ailene. They resumed looking quietly out the window lost in their own thoughts.

Several minutes later, Ailene broke the silence. “Sister Mary has arrived and will be up shortly.”

Fae looked at the girls, then to Orange. “Would you be more comfortable here or at the table? Wherever you want, just tell us,” Fae smiled kindly.

“Here please,” said Orange, shrinking in a bit. She snuggled into her mom, pulling Sunset close too as Sunset snuggled into her. Aiko reached over Sunset and held both their hands.

The door opened, then Sister Mary entered, shutting the door behind her. “Sorry for the delay, girls,” she called out.

“We’re in the living room,” Fae answered back helpfully. Sister came and joined them, sitting in the loveseat facing the couch.

“So, any questions before we state, Miss Orange? Or anyone?” she asked.

Orange timidly raised her hand.

“You don’t have to raise your hand, dear. Just ask,” Sister encouraged.

Orange put her hand down, taking Sunset and Aiko’s hands again. “Okay,” she asked in a small, quiet voice. “Am I going to get in trouble?” she asked.

“No dear,” smiled Sister Mary. “Nothing you say here will get you in any trouble,” she answered. Her mom nodded encouragingly.

Orange folded in on herself, clearly uncomfortable. “Okay,” she said quietly.

“Go ahead dear,” Sister Mary encouraged.

The girls held her hands tightly. Shutting her eyes, Orange began.

She was five years old and home from kindergarten. Her mom was at work and had asked her neighbor’s son to watch her until she got home.

Orange was bored. She wanted to play, so she went looking for her friend, her sitter. He was nice, he would play with her. But she couldn't find him anywhere.

She heard something from down the hall. Walking down the hall, she heard some noise coming from the bathroom.

She tried the door, thinking it might be locked if he were in there. Mommy always locked the door, so if it were locked, that meant he was in there.

The door was unlocked. Curious, she opened the door and peeked in. He was sitting on the toilet with his pants down and his eyes closed, his hands in his lap. “Are you going potty?” she asked.

“Get out!” he screamed at her, only now noticing her in the doorway. “Get out!”

Then she noticed his hands. They weren’t just in his lap. They were holding something. They were holding a part of him that didn’t look normal. Instead of little like the boy at school who got pantsed by his friend, it was big, and poking straight up through his hands. She just stared in shock.

“What are you looking at!” he screamed at her. “What, you want me to stick it in you, you little pervert! Get out!”

She was horrified. There was nowhere she wanted that thing to go in her.

Screaming, she ran from the bathroom and into her room, running to her closet where she hid under a pile of her clothes. She was shaking in terror, just thinking of that thing trying to stick into her somehow. She cried quietly.

The boy called out to her. “Orange! Where are you? Come out!” She didn’t move, crying under the clothes in her closet. He heard her crying, and came in, standing in front of the closet. “Orange, come out. Let’s just go play something,” he said.

She just pulled the clothes further over her, shivering and trying to hide. He reached out to touch her, but she just flinched away. He gave up, leaving the room. She stayed hidden, crying in terror.

Later, she heard her mom come home. “Where’s Orange?” she heard her ask.

“She’s hiding in her closet,” responded the boy.

“Why? Are you playing hide and seek?” laughed her mother.

“No. She is crying and won’t come out. She walked in on me in the bathroom and I got embarrassed and yelled at her. I tried to talk to her but she is terrified of me now. She won’t even let me touch her. She’s been back there since then, just crying. Nothing I do seems to help,” said the boy sadly.

“What did you yell at her?” asked her mother in concern.

“I don’t even remember. I was just so embarrassed. I remember screaming for her to get out. I’m sorry, Mrs. Orange,” he said. She heard him leave.

She heard her mom come into the room. She bent down, reaching into the closet and pulling the clothes away. Orange looked up at her mom with tear stained eyes.

“Honey, are you okay?” her mom asked, cupping her cheek. Orange shook her head no.

“Come here, sweety.” Her mom pulled her out of the clothes, enfolding her in a tight hug. “What happened honey?” she asked, picking her daughter up and holding her gently.

“He yelled at me mommy. He got mad and yelled. I don’t want to play with him any more. He is scary,” sniffled Orange.

“Okay dear. It’s okay,” said her mom, carrying her back out to the living room and sitting down on the couch with her. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

Orange just shook her head emphatically no. But she stayed in her mother’s arms while she gently rocked her and comforted her.

The boy never did sit for her again. But starting that night, her nightmares started. She kept seeing that thing, his thing, trying to get into her. It was climbing all over her, trying to find some way in. She woke up screaming. Her mom came in and took her in to sleep with her as she cried and shook in terror.

The dreams got worse, eventually settling with the thing trying to get under her clothes. She slept with her mom every night for a while until eventually the dreams settled and went away. But now she knew fear. If anyone or anything touched her under her clothes she immediately seized up, right back into the terror of those horrible dreams.

Sister Mary was in tears. She stood and crossed over to Orange, who had buried her tear stained face into her mother’s blouse after relating her story. Kneeling down before Orange, she turned her face towards her, cupping her face in her hands.

“Orange, do you trust me?” she asked gently. Orange nodded. “Do you trust your friends? You know they love you, right? That we all love you, right” she asked. Orange nodded again.

“No one will ever hurt you like that,” Sister told her. “No one will do those dreams to you. We won’t let them. Your mom won’t let them. Your sisters won’t let them. And Orange?”

Orange looked up to Sister Mary hopefully.

“You won’t let them. You are strong, Orange. You’ve seen your sisters be strong, and you are strong too, just like them. You won’t ever let anyone hurt you. Trust yourself, and trust your friends. Your sisters. And your family. You’re not alone, and no one is going to hurt you,” Sister assured her. Orange cried and nodded as Sister kissed her on the forehead.

“So what do you want to do now?” asked Sister, smiling.

“I want to spend the night with my friends,” smiled Orange.

“I think we can do that,” smiled Sister back. She stood up, and Aiko and Sunset took Orange's hand, leading her into their room to play. Sister sat on the couch, talking to her mom.

“That was really brave of you, Orange,” said Sunset, hugging her friend.

“Yeah, we’re really proud of you,” added Aiko, hugging her too. “So, what do you want to play?”

“We could play dress up? Do you want to play dress up with me?” asked Orange.

“Okay!” said Sunset. They pulled out their clothes and picked out goofy mismatched outfits to dress up in, laughing as they played.

A while later, Sister came in to say goodbye to the girls. She thanked Orange for being so brave.

Mrs. Orange came in and thanked them for being Orange’s friends, and then thanked Orange for being so brave, and for being such a wonderful daughter. She asked if Orange wanted to sleep with her tonight, but Orange asked if she could sleep with the girls.

Sister spoke to them as well. “Good night, girls. You did wonderful, and you are wonderful friends. Orange, thank you for being so brave and sharing with us. I promise, you will never have to worry about being hurt like that. You’re mom and friends and I promise. You are safe, and that will never happen. I’ll see you all tomorrow for the festival and sleepover. I love you, girls. Good night,” Sister smiled. The girls ran over to give her a hug which she happily returned.

Orange shyly joined them, giving Sister a hug too.

Smiling, Sister waved and left, shutting the apartment door behind her. Mrs. Orange and Fae returned to the girls room.

“So, who wants to watch a movie?” asked Fae.

The girls ran over, hugging her in agreement. Orange hugged her mom. “Will you watch a movie with us, Mom?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course, dear,” smiled Mrs. Orange, hugging her daughter tightly, “I would love to watch a movie with you,”

Orange pulled her mom to the living room couch, Fae right behind them pulled along by Sunset and Aiko. Together, they all snuggled into the large sofa, Orange on her mom’s lap, Sunset and Aiko smooshed beside them with Fae between them both, her arms around them.

“So what movie should we watch?” smiled Fae, picking up the remote. “Something silly?”

“Nah! Let’s watch a SciFi movie!” suggested Aiko.

“With magic!” agreed Sunset. Fae grinned, looking at Orange. “Any suggestions, Orange?” she asked kindly.

“Umm, that sounds okay to me,” agreed Orange softly.

“Okay then. You’re the guest, you get to pick out the movie. SciFi movies, take your pick Orange,” suggested Fae. She pulled up the available SciFi movies, scrolling through the list slowly. Sunset and Aiko read off the choices to help her out.

It took a few minutes, but Orange finally picked Star Wars. They all settled down to watch it.

Fae requested snacks and drinks from Ailene. The little unit rolled out shortly with chips and drinks for them to enjoy while they watched.

By the time the movie was over, the girls' eyes were drooping shut, despite their heroic efforts to stay awake. Fae helped them brush their teeth and clean up, then get ready for bed while Mrs. Orange assisted Ailene in the cleanup. Once they were all dressed and ready for bed, the girls all stumbled into the bed and snuggled up under the covers.

“So honey, do you want to sleep in here with your friends tonight?” Mrs. Orange asked as she and Fae tucked them in. Orange nodded sleepily, a smile on her face as she settled in between her two sisters. Mrs. Orange smiled and kissed her goodnight.

“Good night Orange. Good night girls. Sweet dreams,” said Mrs. Orange.

“Good night girls. I love you, see you all in the morning,” Fae added. Together, they left, shutting the door partway.

The girls looked out happily over the cityscape, asleep in moments.

Celestia looked at Starswirl's mirror, sorrow clear on her face. A purple haze glowed over her head. She looked at the mirror, confused.

“Sunset, my little Sunbeam, why did you demand I make you an Alicorn? You knew you weren’t ready yet. You never learned how to make friends,” she slurred, staring sadly into the mirror. Her eyes drooped and her head sagged.

Her head dropped low enough to pull her gaze from the mirror, snapping her out of her stupor. She looked up again at the mirror.

“Oh Sunset, why couldn’t you just have made some friends? That’s all you needed to be ready for everything you dreamed.” She shook her head sadly, shutting the door in her magic as she left the room.

Cadance sadly looked over her empty room. She couldn’t place why, but she felt an aching emptiness. A purple haze lingered over her head as she looked over the large room. While she was sitting in her malaise, Twilight trotted happily into the room.

“Hey Cadance, do you know where Aiko and…” she trailed off as a purple haze hovered over her head. Shaking her head, she looked back up a Cadance. “Uhm, Cadance, do you know why I came in here? I forgot,” she admitted sheepishly.

Cadance, looked up at the filly, and her eyes cleared. “Oh! Hi Twilight. I was supposed to tell you something. I remember now, Princess Celestia wants me to be your foalsitter!”

“Really! Awesome… wait,” Twilight looked confused for a moment. The purple haze returned, then she shook her head. “That sounds wonderful! Do you want to start now?”

“Surre!” chirped Cadance happily, rising to nuzzle the little filly. “What do you want to do?” she asked.

“Let’s study!” the little filly bounced happily, leading a grinning Cadance over to books.

Outside Cadance’s room, a purple haze bounced down the hallways. A soft evil chuckle was heard as it faded away.

08 - The Apple Festival Part 2

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The girls woke to find Fae and Mrs. Orange standing over them, smiling.

“What, did something happen?” asked Sunset groggily.

“Nope, just time for school,” smiled Fae. “We were just noting how adorable you all looked, all snuggled together like that.” She grinned.

Sunset smirked and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She gave her sisters a hug then rolled out of bed, heading for the bathroom. Orange woke, looking around. Spying her mom smiling at her, she ran over to hug her, then followed Sunset into the bathroom. Aiko smiled watching them, then gave Fae a high five on her way to the bathroom too.

A few moments later, washed up and relieved, the three girls returned to get dressed.

Fae and Mrs. Orange had gone to the kitchen to start breakfast, so the girls joined them at the table.

“One more day of school, then it’s time for the festival,” crowed Aiko. “I am so looking forward to wearing my kimono again. That’s going to be so fun.”

Sunset nodded. “I bet we are the only ones there in kimono’s,” she added.

“Maybe,” mused Aiko. “We’ll see.”

Ailene’s little robot rolled out with plates and sliced fruit for everyone, along with the cups for their coffees. Fae brought the coffee over and poured cups for everyone, adding cream and sugar as requested. Mrs. Orange was a bit concerned at her daughter drinking coffee, but was satisfied when Fae assured her the girls’ coffee was decaffeinated and would not stunt her daughters growth.

She then led them in a quick grace, thanking the Maker for their blessings and committing the day to her, then served up the fruit. While everyone enjoyed their breakfast and chatted, she went back to check on the porridge.

Returning with the porridge, she served it up, adding sugar and cream to suit everyone’s tastes.

When everyone was finished, Fae and Mrs. Orange cleaned up while the girls went to brush their teeth and wash up. They then fetched their book bags, running to the door where Fae and Mrs. Orange were waiting.

They took the elevator down to the lobby where Ailene had a limo waiting for them. Waving goodbye to Orange’s mom and Fae, they left for school.

School finished for the day, the girls rode the limo back to their condominium, Shimmer now with them, and of course Orange as well. They planned to work at the mission tonight wearing their kimonos so Father John and Sister Mary could see them, then go to the apple festival first thing in the morning. So it was decided the sleepover this weekend would be at their condominium rather than at the Orange’s.

Of course, with the Orange’s temporarily staying with them, it kind of was at the Oranges, sort of.

Arriving, Ailene let them in. They found Fae and Mrs. Orange waiting for them, both dressed nicely for dinner.

“Wow, how come you got all dressed up?” asked Aiko laughing as they all went into the bathroom to clean up for the day. Fae insisted they all take a quick bath before wearing the kimonos to keep them as clean as possible.

“We figured with you girls getting all dressed up in your kimonos, it would be nice if we dressed up as well. Then we will match, sort of,” laughed Fae. “Come on, get in the tub. And don’t any of you dare splash. I’d like to stay nice too.”

“And what will you do if we do?” grinned Aiko.

“Then I will tickle you until you shriek with laughter and leak!” teased Fae.

“You wouldn’t!” challenged Aiko, grinning.

“Try me,” dared Fae back with a smirk.

Aiko grinned through the entire bath, but didn’t push her luck. The girls laughed and giggled the entire time, Orange decidedly more relaxed about being bathed than her usual, then they quickly dried off and dressed in their kimonos.

Fae and Mrs. Orange did their hair up in the traditional bun, with perl hair snaps made to look like pins. Then they all headed downstairs to the limo for the drive over to the mission.

“Wait! Let me get a picture of you all!” said Mrs. Orange as they were about to get into the limo. She lined them up beside the limo, their driver standing by the open door, as the girls stood arm in arm. After taking several pictures, including one with the girls all making funny faces, they entered the limo and sped off to the mission.

Father John was waiting for them when they got there, greeting them with smiles and hugs. “You girls look fantastic! Those are perfect for you, and the wooden sandals too!” He beamed at them, welcoming them into the mission.

“Thank you, Father John!” Sunset smiled. “They really are awesome.”

They headed to the kitchen where Sister Mary was busy putting together dinner. She was working over a large mixer when they walked in.

“Can we help you, Sister Mary?” asked Aiko, trying to see what was in the mixer.

Sister Mary looked over and saw them.

“Oh, look at you girls! You look so adorable!” she gushed. She took Aiko by the hand, leading her back over to the others. “No mixing duty for you girls tonight. We have to keep you clean and pretty. You can help rack up the food and put things out. The coffee is already out, how about you take the rolls out and the butter and jelly so our regulars can snack while we finish up the rest of dinner?”

Fae and the girls started pulling the rolls out of the warmer while Mrs. Orange watched, trying to help out where she could. Orange and Shimmer were not sure exactly what to do, but they copied their friends and it worked out fairly well.

“Mrs. Orange, would you mind going into the fridge and pulling out the cart with the butter and jelly on it? We’ll need that as well. The fridge is the big metal door over there,” requested Fae, pointing at the large metallic door on the other side of the kitchen.

“Wow deary, you really know your way around here, don’t you?” smiled Mrs. Orange as she crossed to the fridge, opening the door and marveling at how large it was.

“A bit, yes,” laughed Fae, helping the girls in loading up the trays of rolls.

Mrs. Orange rolled the cart out, shutting the door behind her. She joined the girls and Fae as they wheeled the now full tray cart out to the dining room, where Father John was waiting with the regulars, chatting as they sipped their coffees.

Everyone looked up as they walked in, noticing their dresses.

“Girls, you look absolutely stunning!” Father John smiled at them as the entered. “Don’t they?” he asked everyone around him. They all nodded and answered in agreement.

“They look kind of fancy to be serving food in a mission kitchen,” groused a young man sitting at the table. “I bet those dresses cost a lot of money.”

“I’m sure they did,” agreed Father John amicably.

The young man scowled.

One of his friends nudged him. “Hey, Scott. Don’t be like that. They look wonderful and are having a good time. Nothing wrong with that. And they are here helping us.” He turned to the girls. “You look wonderful, girls. Thank you for being here tonight.”

The young man, Scott, grew cross.

“Sure! How wonderful! I sleep on a stupid sidewalk or in an alley by trashcans, get beat up twice a week, would be robbed every time, but I don’t have anything worth taking anymore. All because there aren’t enough beds for me to sleep in the shelter. But Noooo! It’s wonderful if some girls get to spend lots of money to play dress up, then come slumming it acting like it’s some kind of field trip! Come to look at the homeless, girls! Better than the zoo, right! How do you like us, better than the monkey exhibit, right?!” he yelled out at them. He mimed scratching his head and rubbing his nose, acting like he was a monkey.

The girls stopped in shock. All the conversation had stopped, the entire room staring at the man.

“What!” the young man yelled. “You’re all thinking it too! Don’t tell me you aren’t! Look at the girls come slumming it with the homeless monkeys!” His friend was smacking his arm, trying to get his attention and get him to stop.

Father John stood up and leaned over the table, looking down at the man. He stopped, looking intimidated.

“Scott, right?” asked Father John. The young man nodded.

“Right, new to the streets, if I recall. And this is your first time at the mission, yes?” Father asked. Scott nodded.

“Okay, Scott. Let me introduce you to these girls. Girls, come over here, please,” Father requested. Sunset and Aiko came over to stand next to Father, looking confused.

“Scott, I’d like you to meet Sunset and Aiko. They are my kids. No, I didn’t make them, if that’s what you're thinking.

“They came to me homeless, and I took them in. They are my wards. I’m their protector. And yes, they don’t live here anymore. They have money now. But do you know what?” Father leaned down, looking into Scotts eyes.

“Do you know where they are most evenings? Here. And doing what? Helping. Cleaning. Cooking. Serving. They were here almost every day, never complaining, happy to help and cheerfully serve.

“Yes, they have money now. Yes, they have a place to live off the streets. But they started here, and on the street. And they deserve some respect and consideration. So, I’ll thank you not to ride their case about having pretty dresses, and instead enjoy how beautiful they look and be grateful they are here serving you.

“You’ll find an attitude of gratitude in life will take you a long way.”

With a final glare, Father sat back down.

Dejected, Sunset spoke up. “He’s right, you know,” she said.

“He most certainly is not,” answered Father.

“No, he is,” continued Sunset. “I get that we’re allowed to have dresses and look pretty. He’s not right about that. But, he is right that it’s wrong that we sleep in our own home while he sleeps on the street. He is right that we aren’t doing something about that,” Sunset replied.

“Look, kid. I was just pissed. It’s not like the cost of a dress is gonna make more beds in the shelter. Sorry, I was just pissed about being stuck on the street is all. I didn’t mean anything I said about you and your friends,” apologized Scott.

“I can do it,” said Sunset. She turned to Father John. “I want to do it, He’s right. We need more beds. I want to get you more beds.”

“Are you sure?” asked Father John.

“Yes! I am sure,” nodded Sunset. Aiko nodded as well, looking between Sunset, Father John, and the young man.

“Okay,” sighed Father. “We’ll do it,” he agreed.

“Wait, what? You can do that? How the heck much money do you have?!” asked Scott in amazement.

“We found a treasure,” answered Aiko, looking at Sunset and smiling.

Scott just looked dumbfounded.

“Okay, that’s settled then. I’ll have Steward go over the particulars with you later,” agreed Father John. “So, that's finished, let’s all have some dinner.”

Sunset crossed over to Scott, taking his hands. “I’m sorry you’ve had a rough time. I know how that feels. I hope things get better for you.” She gave him a hug, then returned to Sister Mary.

They went back to setting out the jelly and butter on the table, then serving plates and rolls to anyone who wished them. A chastised Scott thanked the girls for his roll.

Sunset handed a roll to Father John, “Father, I’m serious. I don’t want anyone to have to sleep on the street even one more night. I know it takes time to build new stuff, but isn’t there something we can do now?” she asked him quietly.

“We do have the loading area. We can put a tarp up over it maybe, and get some cots and bedrolls in for people to sleep there. I can sleep out there with them so no one bothers them. That might work until we can get something more permanent,” Father thought.

“But what about when you need to get deliveries, like when the food comes in the morning?” asked Sunset.

“I can have everyone up and inside by then, and we will put the cots and bedrolls away and roll up the tarp. It won’t be in the way of the deliveries,” Father thought out loud.

“Do you need me to help with anything?” asked Sunset.

Father John smiled at her, cupping her chin. “Sunset, you already have. Thank you!” He gave her a hug. Smiling, Sunset resumed serving the dinner rolls to the regulars.

Still smiling, Father excused himself for a few minutes to make some calls.

When dinner was ready, they brought the trays out and set them up to serve. Father John led them all in grace, then they served up everyone.

With the abundance of helpers she had this evening, Sister asked the four girls if they would mind being hostesses for the night, talking to the regulars and asking them if they needed anything, then fetching it for them if they did. Fae and Mrs. Orange helped with the serving line, with Fae serving coffee at the tables when one of the girls came back with a request for coffee or refills.

The girls got to bring everyone their desserts, to the delight of the regulars. Everyone enjoyed seeing the girls happily running about in their exquisite kimonos and wooden sandals. Once dinner was finished, Father stood to make an announcement.

“Okay everyone, this is normally the point where I bid you goodnight, and those of you unfortunate enough to not have a place here tonight would have to leave to spend the night on the street. But at the suggestion of my little Sunset, I’ve ordered bedrolls, cots, and a tarp so no one has to leave if they don’t wish to tonight, and from this point forward,” announced Father.

The regulars cheered.

“Tonight we won’t have the cots and tarp, but we will at least have the bedrolls. We will be sleeping in the receiving area. Which, while it is very much like an alley, it’s at least fenced in and private, so we won’t be bothered by the local gangs looking for someone to beat up and rob.

“And I will be joining you, sleeping out there with you, so if anyone does come looking for trouble they will have me to answer to.” That got laughs and applause from the entire room.

Nodding to everyone, Father sat back down, looking to Sunset and the girls and giving them a thumbs up.

Sunset turned to Fae. “Can we sleep with them tonight?” She turned to the other girls, who all nodded as well. Fae turned to Sister Mary, who looked pensive.

“We would have to get some bedclothes for you. I wouldn’t want you sleeping in your fancy dresses,” Sister mused.

“I’ll call Ailene and have her send some over. She has everyone’s measurements. And some smaller sleeping bags for you girls,” supplied Fae. She turned to Mrs. Orange. “Would you like to spend the night with us on the pavement, Mrs. Orange?” she asked.

“I’m not sure my old bones would do too well sleeping on the pavement,” sighed Mrs. Orange.

“Don’t worry, you can share a bed with me,” replied Sister Mary. “We can fit two in my bed. The girls used to share the bed with me when they got here.”

“Okay, that sounds fine by me,” smiled Mrs. Orange.

Fae called Ailene and explained their plan. Ailene arranged the necessary outfits and supplies, including toiletries and sleeping bags for Fae and the girls, dispatching a driver to bring them to the mission.

About forty minutes or so later, Fae got a message. She took one of the carts out to the front of the mission. She returned a bit later with four small and one large sleeping bags as well as several overnight bags. She rolled them down the hall and into Sister Mary’s room, returning to the girls and everyone still chatting and enjoying each others’ company.

A short while later Father led everyone out to the loading area, where a flat with bedrools was waiting for them. Those that were sleeping outside all took a turn picking out one of the bedrolls while the rest of the group bade them goodnight and returned to the dormitory inside to sleep.

While that was going on, Sister Mary pulled aside Mrs. Orange, Fae and the girls, taking them into her room to change and get ready for the night. They all took a turn in the bathroom, then changed out of their kimonos, which Sister carefully hung up. Mrs. Orange changed in the bathroom while the girls and Fae changed in the room.

Once everyone was dressed ready for sleep, Sister Mary and Mrs. Orange said goodnight to them, then Fae led the girls out to the loading dock carrying their sleeping bags with them.

Father John greeted them, having saved a place for them to sleep. The girls giggled happily, laying out their bags between Fae and Father John. They climbed in and snuggled up, falling asleep happily next to each other as they looked up at the stars overhead.

The next morning they woke early to the sound of people talking. Looking around, Sunset saw everyone was rolling up their bedrolls and placing them back on the pallet they got them from, then heading back into the mission for breakfast.

Giggling, the girls climbed out of their sleeping bags, rolling them up to take with them. With a hug for Father John, they followed Fae back into the mission and into Sister Mary’s room. There they used her little bathroom, then changed into their kimonos and wooden sandals again.

Their hair was no longer done up fancilly like the night before, but Fae helped them comb the out the tangles at least for breakfast, then dressed herself. They all followed Fae out to the kitchen where they found Sister Mary and Mrs Orange serving up coffee and danishes.

“Hey! You started without us!” frumped Sunset.

“You were busy keeping everyone company outside. It seemed only fair you get a bit of a break today,” grinned Sister Mary. “Want to help serve breakfast?”

The girls nodded happily, so she invited them behind the serving counter where they helped pass out plates of eggs and danishes.

Fae circulated the tables, filling coffees and getting water as requested.

Once everyone had been fed, the girls were served breakfast, joining Father John, Sister Mary, Mrs. Orange and Fae. They enjoyed their breakfasts while the rest of the regulars chatted together until they wandered off to wherever they planned on spending the day.

Once they were finished, Sunset and Aiko jumped up and started cleaning up, starting with their own breakfasts. Smiling, Sister Mary teased them.

“You two are such wonderful helpers,” she acknowledged. “But isn’t there somewhere you are supposed to be today?” She grinned. “We can take care of this. Time for four little girls and their guardians to start the day’s fun, don’t you agree?”

Sunset looked to Aiko and grinned. “Okay,” they both agreed, taking the settings they were clearing to the dish cart, then returning to the table.

Fae rose, addressing them and their friends. “Go back to Sisters room and clean up, then we will do your hair and head out to the festival,” she instructed them.

The girls happily fled down the hall, taking turns using Sisters' little bathroom then sitting on the bed to wait their turn for their hair styling. Sister Mary, Fae, and Mrs Orange joined them, and together started on the girls hair, combing it out then putting it back up in the traditional buns they had arrived in last night.

Once all their hair had been set and placed, with perl faux pins set, Fae called for their ride. They packed up the sleeping bags and supplies they used the night before then waited at the front of the mission for their ride.

Several people in the street and driving by called out and waved to them while they waited, charmed to see the four little girls dressed so fancily in their Kimonos.

When the limo arrived, Sister Mary had them pose for a picture in their dresses in front of the mission, and then again in front of the limo. While they did that the driver loaded their sleeping and overnight bags into the limo’s trunk. Pictures taken, they all piled into the limo and took their seats.

“Do we have to stop by home to drop off our stuff?” asked Aiko.

“Nah, the driver can drop it off after he drops us off. We’re heading straight out to the festival,” answered Fae. The driver nodded, pulling out into traffic and heading out of town towards the Apple Family farm where the festival was held every year.

There was very little traffic on the highway out of town, so it only took them a little over fifteen minutes to pull up to Apple Acres, the Apple family farm.

They had cordoned off a fallow field in the front acreage off the driveway as a parking area. The lot was already half full, with people leaving their cars and heading towards the barnyard and main acreage where the festival was being held. Their limo continued past the lot, continuing up the driveway slowly with the arriving people. When they arrived at the main house he stopped in front of it, getting out and opening the door for them.

A small crowd gathered to see who was arriving in a limo while they exited. Seeing the two women dressed smartly with four little girls dressed in traditional Japanese Kimonos, they smiled, though puzzled as to who they could be.

A little girl came running from the house, dressed in overalls with a cowboy hat. She ran down the steps and pulled one of the girls into a tight hug.

“Orange! How the heck are you, cousin! I haven’t seen you in a stretch! And what’s this getup y'all are wearin’?” the little blonde girl called out as she continued to hug her.

“Hi cousin Jackie!” the little blonde girl in the kimono greeted in return. “Girls! This is my cousin Jacquelin I told you about. Her mom and dad own this place. Isn’t it cool!”

The rest of the girls gathered around them, hugging them both, while Fae and Mrs. Orange walked over to the parents.

As she was walking away, the driver leaned over to Fae. “I’m going to be here for a awhile. If you need anything, just call Ailene or stop by and I will assist. I’m going to wait until there isn’t any foot traffic on the drive there before I head out. I don’t want to inconvenience everyone by heading out while they are trying to use the drive to head in.”

“Very considerate of you. Thank you!” smiled Fae.

She joined Mrs. Orange with the blonde girl’s parents. Mrs. Orange had just finished hugging them both and was talking their ear off, happy smiles on all their faces. She turned when Fae joined them.

“Bright Mac, Pear Butter, this is Fae. She’s the girls’ Nanny, and from what I have heard stanchest protector. Fae, this is my cousin Bright Mac and his wife Pear Butter,” she introduced.

Fae laughed. “I don’t know about stanchest protector,” she grinned. “I really think Father John would take that prize. He was the one that kicked the door down when the girls were taken.”

“The girls were taken?!” said Pear Butter in shock. “Oh gracious! When did that happen?”

“It’s fine. Father took care of him but good. He won’t be coming around anymore. He was a lowlife who grabbed the girls off the street,” explained Fea. “They were homeless, like I was at first. But Father John and Sister Mary took them in, then made me their Nanny. So they’re fine now. We even have a nice place to live.”

“That sounds like one heck of a story,” noted Bright Mac, watching the girls dance around with Jackie. “So all three of them are your charges?” he asked.

“Oh no, just the two. The little Japanese girl, Aiko, and one of the two redheads that look like twins. The one in the golden kimono. That’s Sunset. Sunset Shimmer. And in the weirdest inexplicable coincidence, the girl that looks just like her has the same name. But they aren’t related. They met when Sister Mary looked up her name to try to find her family, and contacted them. They aren’t her parents, but as their daughter was adopted, we’re guessing they were separated at birth. We can’t even understand how they ended up with the same name though. Totally wild, right?” Fae grinned.

Jackie was leading Orange and the girls back into the house, so her parents, Fae, and Mrs. Orange followed them back into the farm house.

The crowd had scattered by this point, correctly concluding they were friends and relatives of the Apples’. The limo driver parked the limo by the side of the house then turned off the engine, reading in his seat while he waited until he could safely leave.

In the house, Jackie was leading the girls around in a tour.

“Wow, how odd is that!? Ya’ll both are named Sunset Shimmer, but ya ain’t sisters or nothin’? Woo-wee… that’s something.

“This here’s the family room. It’s got a TV and internet. And this here is the stairs to the upstairs. My brother and I have rooms up there. And so do ma and pa, and grannie. Ma brother is Big Mac. He’s named after ma’ pa. I’m named after an aunt or someone. I don’t think she is alive now ‘cause I ain’t never met her. Big Mac’s out tending the animals and getting stuff ready for the festival with the helpers. Ya’ll get to meet him later…”

Their voices trailed off as they headed up the stairs as a herd, then down the hallway towards Jackie’s room.

“Well, they sure hit it off well,” smiled Pear Butter. Mrs. Orange and Fae laughed with her as they faded from hearing.

“Should I go check on them?” wondered Fae.

“Nah, there’s nothing they can get into up there. They’re fine. Come sit a spell. We’d love to get to know you,” invited Pear Butter, leading them all over to the dining room table, a large long oak table that looked like it could comfortably sit twenty.

“I’ll get us all some coffee and we can sit for a bit,” offered Bright Mac, heading into the kitchen.

“Wow, how large is your family?” laughed Fae as they sat.

“There’s just the two of us, Jackie, her big brother Big Mac, and Grannie. We do have the extended family over for holidays and special occasions, and the help eats with us during harvest season. So the table is a bit larger than we usually need,” answered Pear Butter with a laugh.

“Wow, it’s just like I imagined a farm house would look,” smiled Fae. She took the cup of coffee Bright Mac offered, thanking him and taking a sip.

“Thanks, I think,” laughed Bright Mac as he finished passing out the coffees and took a seat next to Pear.

“So how can we help out? I know the girls would love to help, and I would be happy to as well,” asked Fae.

“Not much left needs to be done, ‘cept the officiating and making sure everything goes well,” smiled.

“So basically, all that’s left is actually doing everything?” teased Fae.

Pear Butter laughed. “Yup, something like that, But we got it covered. You and your charges can join our Jackie in enjoying the festival and having a good time. But thank you kindly for the offer.”

Pear Butter changed topics, asking more about the girls, and how they ended up all friends. Fae was happy to tell their tale.

“This room is all yours?” asked Aiko, looking around. The bedroom window looked out over the front of the house, guests milling about enjoying the start of the festival. There was a large dresser up against the wall next to a nice sized writing desk. The bed and a freestanding closet were along the other wall with plenty of room left for the girls to move around.

“Yup. Ma brother has the next room over, and Ma and Pa are down the hall. The guest rooms are across from ma brother and Ah’s rooms,” answered Jackie proudly.

“I think your room is a bit larger,” offered Orange.

“I don’t know. I think this room might be bigger,” responded Sunset.

“Ya’ll got a big room too? Where ya’ll live?” asked Jackie.

“We live in the Towers downtown,” said Sunset. “It’s really nice. We can see the whole city at night while we fall asleep. Almost the whole wall is a window, and it can turn clear or dark if we want it so no one can see it. And it’s high up so no one can look in from the street.”

“That sounds right fancy,” noted Jackie.

“Yeah, but your room is way homier,” responded Aiko. Jackie looked at her confused.

“That means it looks more like a girls bedroom and less like a hotel room. I like our room, but it looks more like a hotel room than a bedroom like this,” explained Sunset.

“Ah. Thanks!” smiled Jackie. “I’d love to see your room though. I bet that’s something else, looking down on the city and all like that.”

“It is pretty cool,” admitted Aiko. “You’re welcome to come over anytime you want to visit. Just let us know and we can do something together.”

“Well much obliged. I reckon I will,” smiled Jackie. “So, ya’ll want to see the rest of the house?”

“Sure!” smiled Sunset. Jackie led them back out, taking them through the rest of the impromptu home tour.

The girls entered the living room where the adults were still sitting and chatting. “So Jackie, did you give girls the full tour?” smiled her mother.

“Sure did! An’ we all can’t wait to go have fun at the festival, ain’t that right girls?” Jackie replied. The girls all nodded, smiling.

“Okay then, ya’ll have fun,” her mother smiled. “Stay outta trouble, and don’t go buggin’ yer brother much, he’s supposed to be helpin’ out.”

“Okay! Thanks ma, pa!” Jackie said. Waving and bowing, the girls turned to join her heading to the front door to go explore the festival.

“I’d better go with them and provide at least a little adult supervision,” stated Fae.

“Nah, they’ll be fine. Not much trouble to get into ‘round here. Just lots of fun,” assured Bright Mac.

“Okay,” said Fae, sitting back down hesitantly as the girls left.

The first thing Jackie wanted to do was take the girls to meet her big brother.

They roamed through the festival asking where he was and ended up at the corn maze, where he was supposed to be working.

The worker waved them in on account of them being guests of the Apples. Entering the maze, they wandered through it looking for Big Mac, Jackie’s older brother. Not that they weren’t having fun too, getting lost in the twists and turns of the maze and jumping, screaming and laughing in surprise when they stumbled across one of the scary props.

Coming around a turn to yet another dead end, they came across a scarecrow propped up against the corn stalks. “That’s funny, I don’t recall a scarecrow lookin’ like that in the corn fields,” mused Jackie.

Sunset and the girls went over to have a closer look. “Wow, it looks so lifelike!” said Aiko.

“Sure ‘nuff does,” said Jackie suspiciously.

Sunset reached out to touch it.

The scarecrow suddenly threw out its arms, leaning out towards them. “Brawwww!” it growled loudly, launching itself off the corn wall towards the girls.

Shimmer and Orange shrieked in terror. Sunset and Aiko launched themselves at the scarecrow, knocking it off its feet and onto its back. Sunset reached up and ripped off the course bag covering its head.

A smiling young boy looked back at her. “Howdy!” he smiled.

Sunset growled. “No one tries to hurt my sisters!” she called out, her hand clawed above his face.

“Girls, stop. Sunset, jus’ stop,” said Jackie. “Girls, we found him. I’d like ya’ll to say hi to ma’ brother, Big Mac.”

From her position on the other side of his chest, Aiko grinned down at the older boy. “You're kind of cute,” she smirked.

“Ah, thanks?” the boy blushed, smirking back.

Jackie stormed over, pulling Aiko then Sunset off her brother and helping him up. “Don’t ya’ll be flirting with ma’ brother,'' she growled.

“Now don’t get like that, sis, she weren’t flirtin’ none. She was jus’ being nice is all,'' laughed Big Mac, holding his sister back. “Howdy all! Name’s Big Mac, happy to meet ya’ll. How ya’ll enjoying the festival?” he asked kindly.

“It’s pretty fun so far,” laughed Aiko. “Nice scare. Had me convinced you were some kind of trouble.”

“Then I was doin’ ma’ job right,” laughed Big Mac back.

“I’m Aiko, and this is my sister Sunset. And her twin here is Shimmer. And Orange you know,” introduced Aiko.

“Well howdy all! How ya’ll enjoying the festival so far?” smiled Big Mac.

“We’ve been having fun,” answered Aiko.

“Yup, so far we had the full tour by your sister of the house, and have ran all over looking for you. And the maze has been awesome,” replied Sunset. “Sorry about tackling you. And here is your mask bag back,” she offered, holding the bag back out to him.

“Much obliged,” Big Mac grinned, taking his mask back. Smirking, he put it back on, tucking it back into his shirt. “Brahh! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” The girls all laughed.

“Can’t rightly do ma’ job right without it,” Big Mac laughed. “Welcome to the festival girls. I’ll catch up with ya’ll later. Ya’ll go and have a good time. And I love yer outfits. Japanese, raght?”

“Yup!” smirked Aiko, giving him a bow. Sunset followed her sister’s lead. “We’re wearing the traditional clothes of the Cherry Blossom Festivals from my home. We wanted to honor your festival by wearing them,” explained Aiko.

“That’s right nice,” smiled Big Mac. “And those there’re right pretty. Thanks!”

“Dōitashimashite!” said Aiko and Sunset, bowing again.

“Gesundheit,” smirked Big Mac.

“No, it means Your Welcome,” said Sunset.

“He knows,” growled Jackie, glaring at her brother. “He’s jus’ tryin’ ta be funny!”

“It was pretty funny,” admitted Aiko, winking at Big Mac.

He laughed, waving to the girls. “Ya’ll have a good time! Jackie, don’t be such a stick in tha’ mud. Have some fun, sis!” He wandered back into the turns of the maze.

“I think I like him,” laughed Aiko.

“Me too,” grinned Sunset.

“Come on,” groaned Jackie. “Still more ta’ see. Les’ go.”

Everywhere they went, people enjoyed the sight of the little country girl in her hat with her four friends in their kimonos and sandals.

The girls enjoyed the attention, especially Aiko and Sunset. Aiko hammed it up, speaking in Japanese and bowing and smiling to everyone, with Sunset following her lead.

Orange and Shimmer laughingly copied them, but not speaking Japanese. They just smiled silently while they were showing off.

Jackie just grinned and nodded, with a kind, if exasperated, wave and smile.

“You’re dressed up in a festival costume just like us? How come you seem annoyed?” asked Aiko after yet another couple wanted pictures of them all.

Jackie sighed. “This ain’t no costume. This here’s ma’ work clothes, jus’ all cleaned up. I jus’ wanted to look like a farmer really looks, and this here’s it,” she explained.

“That makes sense. You’re wearing the clothes appropriate for your festival,” nodded Aiko. “And where I come from, this isn’t a costume. These are the clothes we really wear at our festival, just like yours. So I understand your frustration. It’s not an act. This is who you really are. Just like this is who we really are.”

“Yeah, that ‘bout sums it up,” agreed Jackie with a sigh. “But Ah’ don’t hold it agains’ ‘em. Just frustration’ is all.”

Aiko pulled her new friend into a hug. Sunset and the rest of the girls joined them.

Feeling better, Jackie looked up from the middle of the huddle. “How’d ya’ll like to make some homemade apple pies?” she offered.

The girls were laughing and smiling together, each of them putting together an apple pie from mostly scratch.

A large group of festival-goers were joining them, working on their own pies while a larger group surrounded them, cheering them on and taking pictures, especially of the girls in their cute dresses, and especially the redhead and the japanese girl speaking with each other in japanese.

“Kore wa shijō saikō no appurupai ni narudeshou! (This is going to be the best apple pie ever!)” laughed Sunset, mixing the cut apple slices into the sugary apple glaze then pouring the resulting pie filling into her pie crust.

“Iya, koreha shijō saikō no appurupai ni naru yo! (No, this is going to be the best apple pie ever!)” laughed Aiko in reply, mixing her own filling.

“Kore o yūshoku to issho ni taberu to īdesu ne. (I hope we get to eat these with dinner.)” said Sunset, smoothing her filling over, then placing the crust strips across the top as they were instructed.

“Mazuwa kore o yaite miyou to omoimasu. (I think I’ll bake mine first.)” snarked Aiko.

“Baka! Watashi ga iitakatta koto wa wakarimasu ne! (Stupid! You know what I meant!)” laughed Sunset.

“Hai!” agreed Aiko. “Demo, karakau hō ga zutto tanoshīdesu. (Yes, but it is much more fun to tease you.)”

“Gaki! (Brat!)” Sunset laughed, finished up with her crust. She placed it into the provided box.

“Hitotsu o shiru ni wa hitotsu ga hitsuyōdesu. (It takes one to know one.)” smirked Aiko, finishing up her pie as well and placing it into a box. They both wrote their names on the top, and handed them one of the helpers who placed them on a cart.

The other girls were finishing up as well, with varying degrees of finess and success. Once all their pies were done, the helper took them as well, and placing them on the cart rolled them back towards the farmhouse.

“Naze kanojo wa son'na koto o suru nodeshou ka? Kanojo wa watashitachi no pai o doko ni motte ikimasu ka?” aked Aiko.

“Watashi ni hanashite imasu ka? (Are you talking to me?)” asked Sunset.

“Why’s she doing that? Where’s she taking our pies?” asked Aiko in english.

“She’s taking them to my ma. She’ll bake them for us so we can eat them after dinner,” replied Jackie.

“Ah, awesome!” smiled Aiko.

Everyone finished, they cleaned up and headed off to their next fun task. Jackie led them to a small covered stage that had been set up in a small clearing, sitting in the front row with her new friends while the stage was set up.

When everything was set, Bright Mac came out, waving and smiling to the small crowd. “Howdy all! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Ya’ll having fun now?” he asked happily.

The crowd cheered in assent, especially Jackie and the girls.

“I’m here to sing for you now, just a few little tunes that ah’ grew up with. Ah’ hope ya’ll enjoy ‘em,” he encouraged.

A stage hand brought out an acoustic guitar, plugged into an amp behind him. Bright Mac strapped it on and strummed a few cords, then gave the stage hand a thumbs up.

Strumming a few chords, he launched into a popular old tune, the crowd singing along with him at his encouragement. From there he segued through several other popular old tunes the crowd could sing along with.

Several minutes later, he paused at the end of the song. “This last song is special to me. This is the song I sing for my little AppleJack, my youngest. Now it might not seem the most appropriate song to sing to my daughter, but it’s all in good fun. Speaking of my youngest, she’s right here with us now. Everyone, give a nice welcome to my daughter, my AppleJack. Jackie, stand up an’ take a bow, darlin’,” Bright Mac called out.

Blushing brightly, Jackie stood and faced the audiend, then bowed. They all clapped and cheered for her.

She waved and sat back down, thoroughly embarrassed while her father continued. “So without further ado, here is my little AppleJacks song.” He strummed and started singing. The crowd joined in as he belted out the refrain. Even the thoroughly embarrassed Jackie joined in on the refrains, singing out with her friends.

When the song was finished, everyone cheering, he called Jackie up to the stage with him, giving her a huge hug picking her up hugging her tight. “Everyone, I present to you my dearest AppleJack!” he called out, hugging her. The crowd cheered in response, including the girls clapping and stomping enthusiastically.

Jackie cried happily, holding on to her father.

When the set was over, Jackie gave her father a big hug, then ran back down to be with her friends.

Wiping her eyes, Sunset smiled. “Wow AppleJack, that was amazing. Your dad really loves you!”

“That’s jus’ his nickname for me, nobody actually calls me that,” smiled Jackie.

“I think we should! All of us should call you that. He gave you that name from the love he has for you. We should honor that!” agreed Aiko.

“Ya’ll really think so?” asked Jackie hesitantly. The girls all smiled and nodded.

“Well, alrighty then. AppleJack it is,” smiled Jackie.

The girls were hungry after the little concert, so Jackie, now Applejack at the girls' insistence, led them to a booth that served delicious apple fritters. A few moments later, fritters in hand, they wandered looking for more fun things to do. Applejack suggested they could do the apple picking, just like she and her brother did to help out her dad.

They ran to the section of the orchard set aside for picking, getting into the line. A few minutes later they were racing happily through the orchard, bags in hand, pulling down apples to fill them. They spent the better part of an hour going through the trees as Applejack showed them how to find the ripe fruit.

Sunset and Aiko hiked Orange onto their shoulders to pick some of the fruit while Shimmer laughed. Orange was nervously fliching, grabbing onto the tree branches to keep from falling while passing the fruit down to the girls below. Applejack just shook her head laughing watching their antics, then showed her technique. With a well placed kick, she shook the tree, knocking down several of the ripe apples.

She was on her fourth or fifth kick when one of the hands came over, scolding her and reminding her that her father had asked her not to do that.

Blushing, Applejack nodded, helping the girls pick up the rest of the apples she had knocked down.

They moved on to another tree, where Applejack lifted Shimmer up onto her shoulders so she could work with Orange to get the higher apples. Laughing and jostling around, to the terror and delight of Orange, who shrieked and laughed in turn, they moved through the trees, filling their bags.

Bags full, they returned to the farmhouse, Shimmer and Orange still riding their mounts, Shimmer holding on tightly while Applejack held their bags, and Orange holding on for dear life as Aiko and Sunset raced after them, one arm holding Orange and the other clutching their bags.

They entered the farm kitchen, girls still mounted and laughing, setting their haul down on the kitchen table.

Mrs. Orange, Pear Butter, and Fae saw them and laughed. Fae shook her head. “Leave it to you girls to find new ways to surprise me,” she chuckled, helping the girls down from their mounts.

“We just needed a little extra height to reach the really good ones,” grinned Sunset. “And Orange was the lightest.”

“And the bravest,” noted Fae, giving Orange a hug. Orange smiled and blushed, returning the hug.

“So, do you girls want to do something special with those apples?” asked Pear Butter with a smile. The girls all nodded excitedly.

“Then after dinner, how about I show ya’ll how to can some apples?” she suggested. The girls all cheered. “They ya’ll go wash up. We’re about to eat lunch, and we can get started right after.

The girls raced down the hall to scrub up then returned, taking places together at the table to eat.

Pear Butter noted they were all calling her Jackie Applejack, which prompted the girls to launch into the story of the concert, talking over and interrupting each other in their excitement to tell the story.

Applejack just blushed and nodded, supplying the occasional “Yup,” as they told the tail.

“Oh Applejack, that’s just wonderful. I agree, and I think you’ve made some wonderful friends here,” Pear Butter smiled, giving her daughter a side hug which was happily returned. “Applejack it is then,” she agreed.

A simple lunch of salad and apple slices was served, quickly consumed in the girls desire to start with their next fun project.

When everyone was finished, they washed up again, then returned to the kitchen to start. Pear Butter had them wash several colenders of their apples, then setting the collenders of apples before them, showed them how to peel and core the apples then slice them, the adults carefully monitoring and helping them as they cored and cut them.

When all the apples had been sliced up and placed in a large tureen, the water, sugar, lemon juice and other ingredients were added and the placed on the stove to simmer. The girls all took a few turns stirring the mixture before the adults chased them out, telling them to have some more fun while they took care of the rest of the process.

The girls happily agreed, returning to the festival together. They returned to the stage, where they watched a talent show where one of the farm hands juggled apples, then carved them into funny faces while telling jokes and stories. He passed the carved apples out to the children present to enjoy as he finished each one. The girls let others have the turns, already feeling quite fortunate with the preserves their parents and guardians were making for them back in the kitchen.

When the entertaining farm hand finished, two ladies took the stage and had a quick cooking show with apple themed recipes. They prepared apple pie, apple fritters, apple filled scones, apple turnovers, and apple cobblers, finishing by passing out samples of the prepared treats to the audience, especially their younger enthusiasts. The girls did partake of these, taking two of the small sample servings each to enjoy.

They decided next to try the handful of rides at the festival. A small ferris wheel was running on the far side of the barn, next to a carousel mounted on the back of a large truck.

From the top of the ferris wheel they could see over the orchards back to the country road leading into the city.

The carousel was very small - the five girls took up most of the seats, leaving room for only three more riders. That didn’t stop them from thoroughly enjoying themselves. Kimonos hiked up to their shorts as they rode astride their mounts, moving up and down to the canelopie’s music. Aiko was clowning around so much her sandals flew off, and she had to fetch them after the ride.

They then raced over to the dirt track, where children were waiting in line for a chance to race small electric cars around the course laid out through one of the orchards.

When their turn came, they all took off together, two to a car, Applejack with her cousin Orange, Shimmer with Aiko, and Sunset on her own. They raced through several laps of the course as a group, calling out to each other happily as they jostled each other through the course.

Giving their rides to the next group in line, they headed back to the barn where a hay bale tossing contest was being held. This wasn’t open to the public to join, the contest only being between the hired help. So it was really more of a show than a contest.

Big Mac was competing with them, so Applejack and her friends rooted him on during his efforts. Despite his youth he did end up taking the second place prize to their delight.

He joined them afterwards, taking them to the back orchard where he had built a treehouse complete with a rope bridge between two trees.

The girls had to leave their sandals behind in the treehouse, as they were less than useful on the rope bridge. Barefoot, they scampered happily back and forth through the branches, laughing with each other in delight.

Eventually, Big Mac had to return to help with the rest of the festival, so they joined him, returning to the festival in time for a pie eating contest.

Wearing a bag over themselves to protect their dresses, they joined in. When the buzzer sounded to start the contest, they dug in, Shimmer and Aiko taking a quick lead, followed by an enthusiastic Sunset and Applejack. Orange was thoroughly enjoying her hands free apple feast, but with nowhere near the enthusiastic abandon of her sisters and cousin.

Despite Sunset and Applejack giving the two frontrunners a good challenge, Shimmer ended up taking first place, followed closely by a very pie smeared Aiko. Applejack came in third, with Sunset winning the consolation prize - a small apple plushie, which she happily gave to Orange with a hug.

After helping each other clean up, Aiko taking a bit longer due to them having to pick the evidence of her enthusiasm from her hair, they returned to the farmhouse to see if they could help with dinner. Pear Butter thanked them gratefully, putting them to work on the apple peelers while Fae supervised. When they finished peeling the apples, Fae helped them cut them up then mix half of them into a fruit salad, and the other half into a garden salad, both of which they would eat with dinner.

When they had finished with those, they watched from the table with Fae as Mrs. Orange and Pear Butter finished the rest of the dinner then joined them while it all finished cooking. While the adults talked, the girls excused themselves, heading up to Applejack’s room to play for a bit while dinner finished cooking.

After they had been playing together for a while, Aiko looked up with a question.

“Applejack, you seem nice. Would you like to be a sister with us?” she asked.

“A what now?” asked Applejack, confused.

“A sister,” replied Shimmer, Orange and Sunset nodding and smiling. “We decided that we were all going to be sisters. Do you want to be a sister too?”

Applejack smiled. “Well shucks. I reacon I might. Don’t have me no sister yet, though ma’ and pa’ say I might eventually. Sure, I’d love to be a sister with ya’ll.

“Hey, ya’ll want to have a sleepover with me tonight when this here’s all over?” asked Applejack hopefully.

“We’d need to get permission,” noted Shimmer. The girls all nodded, so they raced back down the stairs to ask.

Seeing the giggling horde descending back on them, Fae laughed. “What do you need, girls?” she asked, smiling.

“Can we please spend the night with our newest sister?” asked Sunset hopefully. “We didn’t know her then, so she didn’t get to spend the night with us yesterday.”

“I don’t mind, do you?” Fae asked, turning to Pear Butter and Mrs. Orange. They both nodded and smiled. “I guess we’d better check with the Shimmers then.” She pulled out her cell phone and dialed them. When Mrs. Shimmer answered, she asked then placed her on speaker phone so they could discuss it together. The girls looked on, hopeful expressions plastered on their faces.

“Another sleepover tonight? What do you think, dear?” Mrs. Shimmer asked her husband.

“Well, this does seem like a rather special occasion. I wouldn’t want it to be how things are normally done but I certainly don’t see any harm in them doing so tonight. Don’t you agree dear?” answered Mr. Shimmer.

“I do, dear,” agreed Mrs. Shimmer. “I take it you are all fine with it, given you called us,” observed Mrs. Shimmer.

The girls cheering and hugging Applejack and each other drowned out the sound of the rest of the adults conversation. The girls raced back up happily to Applejack's room to plan out the sleepover.

“So, ain’t never been to a sleepover. What in tarnation do ya’ll do besides sleep?” asked Applejack.

Aiko laughed, throwing an arm around the farmgirl. “Well first off, even though it’s called a sleepover, sleep is about the last thing you do,” she smirked. The other girls laughed at that.

“You mostly just play games and tell stories,” added Orange, hugging her cousin from the other side.

“And do fun stuff, like watch movies and eat popcorn,” added Aiko.

“And play games,” added Sunset.

“And do each other's make up,” smiled Orange.

“I don’t have make up, and ma likely won’t be none to happy with me if I asked her for some,” noted Applejack.

“Don’t worry, we brought some we can all use,” grinned Aiko.

‘How’d ya’ll get yer hands on that?'' asked Applejack.

“Sunset stole it from our nanny,” teased Aiko.

“I did not steal it! I just borrowed it!” protested Sunset.

“Without her knowing,” smirked Aiko.

“That was one time,” protested Sunset with a huff. “And she said it was fine after that. She even gave me some to practice with.” Aiko cackled as Sunset laughingly wrapped her sister in a headlock.

“So, anyways, we have some we can practice with. It’ll be fun,” smiled Shimmer.

“Alrighty then. Guess ya’ll can show me how ta do makeup,” grinned Applejack, watching Aiko tickle Sunset to break the headlock, both girls laughing loudly as they rolled around the room.

“You do know, Fae is going to be cross with you both if you mess up your hair before dinner,” smirked Shimmer, watching them as well.

They both stopped, still laughing as they straightened their hair. “Good point,” laughed Sunset. She stuck her tongue out at her sister Aiko. “Brat!” Aiko returned the gesture with a laugh as she fixed her hair as well.

They picked out a board game, then played it together on Jackie’s bed while they waited for dinner to be ready.

The girls raced down the hall and stairs, sandals clunking and clacking through the house as they hurried down into the bathroom then to the table for dinner.

The adults were all smirking at the amount of noise the girls could raise with the wooden sandals on the hardwood floors. “New house rule,” smirked Pear Butter. “No clogs or wooden sandals in the house.” The girls took their seats, blushing.

“Sorry,” said Sunset.

“No problem. New rule for next time you stay over. Now, let’s eat. Bright, care to lead us in grace?” she asked her husband.

“Yup,” he said, bowing his head. Everyone followed suit, hands folded before them. Bright Mac led them in the traditional harmonists thanksgiving prayer, then everyone passed around the food, digging in.

“So, do you girls want to go back out to the festival after dinner?” asked Pear Butter while they ate. “There’s still the light show and a D.J. before we close up for the night.”

“Light show! Heck yes!” agreed Sunset! The rest of the girls nodded, Aiko doing a fist pump.

“And dancing too then?” asked Aiko.

“Yes, though only with a chaperone,” replied Pear Butter.

“No problem. I’ll go. I wouldn’t miss it,” smiled Fae.

“Okay then,” smiled Pear Butter, “it starts in about half an hour. You should have plenty of time to finish and clean up.”

They enjoyed the rest of their dinner, then cleaned up and joined Fae following Applejack’s directions to the open field, joining a crowd of revelers surrounding a soundstage set in the open field. Laser lights all around the field pointed into the night sky, lines drawn by the colorful lasers through the early night mists.

“Woah!” exclaimed Aiko, looking around at the lasers pointed skyward. An electronic beat was looping through the speakers. The girls could feel the beat pulsing in their bones.

“Awesome!” called out Shimmer, leading them all to an open spot before the stage where they watched the DJ at work. A few minutes later, she looked up, smiling.

“Alright! Sweet Apple Acres! Are you ready to rock your roll?!” she called out. The crowd yelled back the affirmative, jumping up and down waving their arms. “Then lets rock this farm so hard they can hear us back in Canterlot! Bring it, Sweet Apple Acres!”

The crowd roared in delight as she segued the beat into the first song, lasers unlocking from their upright positions, cutting wild shapes and patterns into the fog above. Heart of Glass pounded out, the crowd dancing jubilantly, the girls and Fae clustered in their midst as they jumped and stomped, waving their hands to the beat, giggling and hollering in delight.

Five songs and an hour later they were joined by Bright Mac and Pear Butter, Mrs. Orange waving from the seats on the side. Bright Mac and Pear Butter danced right along with them, laughing with Fae at the girls' tireless antics.

An hour and a half or so later, the DJ called out the last song, apologizing that she had to go, but thanking them for being such a wonderful crowd. She played a slow song, allowing the couples to have a dance for them finally.

Pear Butter snuggled up into Bright Mac as they danced, hugging each other close and smiling into each other’s eyes, with occasional laughs and grins at the girls as they danced together in twos and threes, bouncing back and forth hugging each other and laughing as they copied the older two. Fae danced with a grinning Big Mac, watching them and laughing as well.

The dance over, the smiling adults shepherded the girls back to the farmhouse as the crowd dispersed. They left the DJ and her crew tearing down the lasers and equipment as they headed back into the sound stage.

The girls all headed upstairs and straight to the bathroom to clean up. They then went to Applejack’s room, where she lent them all some of her nightshirts to sleep in. Fae, Mrs. Orange, and the Apple’s came to tuck them into bed, with all five girls snuggled together in the bed.

Laughing, they left the girls in bed, turning out the lights as they left. The girls were out in less than two minutes.

Fae and Mrs. Orange took the guest bedroom across the hall, thanking their hosts for a wonderful day. Bright Mac and Pear Butter bid them goodnight, then went to their bedroom as well.

The next morning, Sunset woke to the sun shining into her face. “Ouch,” she squinted after opening her eyes, rolling to her other side and noticing that Applejack was no longer there. She untangled herself from Orange, then carefully slid out of bed, leaving her sisters to their slumber.

Pulling back on her dress, she picked up her shoes and slid into the bathroom, then quietly slipped down the stairs and looked for anyone else up. Seeing no one, but hearing something outside, she stepped out the back kitchen door, slipping on her sandals and heading down the back steps to the barnyard.

There, she could see Big Mac and Applejack feeding the farm animals. Applejack was scattering feed to the chickens while Big Mac was slopping the pigs.

Sunset walked up next to Applejack. “Good morning Applejack? What’re you doing?” she asked, smiling.

“Gotta feed the critters, every morning and evening. Best to get it done before everyone gets here,” replied Applejack with a grin. “Wanna give it a try? Just toss out small handfuls to them, an’ they’ll jus’ peck it up from there.”

Sunset nodded, scooping out two handfuls then copying Applejack in tossing it out to the waiting chickens. They scrambled over to the fallen feed, pecking it up and clucking happily.

“Wow, that’s kind of fun,” smiled Sunset, watching them peck up the feed and eat.

“Reckon it is,” agreed Applejack, tossing out the last of her feed. “Still gotta feed the sheep and goats. Care to give me a’ hand?”

“Sure!” agreed Sunset, following her over to stalls where she gathered several pails of feed, handing two to Sunset. Taking the others, she led her over to the goats.

“Just dump each pail into one of these here feed troughs, tryin’ to make sure ya get it spread out mostly evenly. Only one pail ta each,” she explained. “I’m gonna go toss these out to the sheep, then we can go give Big Mac a hand with the larger critters.

Sunset nodded, following her instructions carefully. When they were both done, they returned the pails and joined Big Mac.

“Hey girls, want to help out?” he asked.

“Like ah have a choice,” snickered Applejack. Sunset just smiled and nodded.

“Ah got most of this covered,” grinned Big Mac at Sunset. “But we get done quicker workin’ together. Feeding the cows next, just scatter the bales so every critter can get some after I drop them into the feed troughs.”

He hefted a bail, carrying it over to the cattle troughs. Applejack and Sunset used sturdy sticks to pull them apart, scattering the feed around so all the cattle would have a chance to eat. Big Mac brought over two more bales that they gave the same treatment.

For the horses he gave them both two pails of oats, taking two in each hand for himself. Together the scattered them through the feeding troughs for the horses, the returned the pales.

“Now we jus’ gotta water ‘em,” instructed Big Mac. “Jackie, show yer friend how we do it while i start cleaning this all up so we can get some breakfast.”

Applejack nodded, taking Sunset and showing her how to fill up the water tanks that filled the water troughs. Once Sunset was started, she took the other hose to fill up the rest of the tanks. When all the tanks were filled. Applejack removed the hoses and curled them up to return to the barn.

Sunset reached over to carry one.

“Nah, ah’ got this, Sunny. Don’ want ta get your fancy dress there all mussed’,” smiled Applejack, placing both the hoses over her shoulders. Together they walked to the barn, hanging the hoses on the wall then joining Big Mac in returning to the farm house.

As they entered they noticed that everyone was up, washed and seated at the table waiting for breakfast.

“Go wash up and take a seat!” called out Pear Butter from the kitchen. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

Big Mac and Applejack hurried into the bathroom, wiping down their overalls and washing up in the sink. Sunset washed up after them, then joined them all at the table, sitting down in the open spot between Aiko and Orange.

“I woke up and you noticed you and Applejack were gone. I wondered where you went,” noted Aiko as they sat.

“Living on the farm, your livestock have to eat before you do. Jackie and Big Mac take care of them in the morning and late evening. I guess Sunset was helping out this morning,” responded Bright Mac from his place at the table.

“Sure ‘nuff she did. She came wandering out when we’d jus’ stated, offered to help. Right good friend you are, Sunset,” added Applejack with a smile.

“Anything for a sister, right?” smiled Sunset.

“Yup. Anything for a sister,” agreed Aiko, Shimmer and Orange nodding as well.

“And you’re our sister now too,” added Shimmer.

“Well, alrighty then. Recon’ I am,” grinned Applejack.

The adults smiled at the exchange. Pear Butter came in, a tray of pancakes held in both hands. She set them down before Bright Mac, then returned with a tray of eggs and bacon. Bright Mac served up helpings of all three onto plates, passing them around the table. Pear Butter came in again with a tray holding syrups and butter, which was passed around the table as well.

Once everyone had a plate of food before them, Bright Mac called out. “Okay everybody, bow yer’ heads. Time for grace.” He led them in grace, then they all laid into the meals before them.

“Hey, Orange. Do you want my bacon?” asked Sunset.

“Why, you don’t want it?” asked Orange, swallowing the pancakes she had in her mouth first.

“No, vegetarian, remember? I don’t eat meat. Happy to give them to you if you want though,” smiled Sunset.

“Okay. Thank you,” replied Orange, taking them carefully from her plate.

“Thanks, Orange. And you’re welcome,” smiled Sunset, laying into her eggs.

“I don’t quite get it,” wondered Applejack. “If’n yer vegetarian, how’s it yer eaten eggs?”

“Fair point,” replied Sunset. “I guess if you wanted to be particular about it, I’m an ovipescitarian.” She took a bite of the pancakes. “These pancakes are wonderful. Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Apple.”

“Ovi-pecker-what-now?” asked Applejack, confused.

Fae almost spit out her orange juice, snorting and coughing instead as she hurriedly put down her glass and wiped her face, then patted her chest.

“Thank you, Sunset,” acknowledged Pear Butter. “You’re welcome. Fae, are you okay?” Fae just smiled and nodded, still coughing. Bright Mac smirked.

“Ovipescitarian. It’s a fancy word for someone who is a vegetarian who eats fish and eggs as well. It makes it easier to stay healthy with enough protein in my diet. I just basically don’t eat animals that had to be killed to be my food, except fish,” responded Sunset.

“Why’s that?” Applejack asked.

“Just don’t,” replied Sunset. “It’s how I was raised, basically growing up.”

“Huh, okay. Was jus’ wondering. Thanks for explainin’ it,” nodded Applejack, finishing up her pancakes and starting on her eggs and bacon. “I can’t imagine not wanting to eat bacon, but to each her own.”

“Yup,” agreed Sunset, finishing off her eggs and moving on to her pancakes.

Having finally caught her breath, Fae smiled. “Okay girls. After breakfast you need to say your goodbyes then we need to get you all back home. Our ride will be here in a little less than an hour.”

“Ah shucks. Ah’m gonna miss ya’ll. So what’re ya’ll donin’ for the rest of the day?” asked Applejack.

“My parents are Harmonists. We’re going to church services today, then we spend the rest of the day doing stuff as a family,” answered Shimmer.

“Sister Mary and Father John are Harmonists too. We help out at the Mission, then have a service before dinner. And after that we help out with dinner, too,” answered Sunset. Aiko nodded, her mouth too full of eggs to reply.

“And we will be going with Sunset and Aiko,” replied Mrs. Orange. Orange nodded happily.

“Well, shucks. Ah wish Ah could go with you. We’re jus’ doin’ more ah the festival today,” responded Applejack.

“You know dear, you could go with them if ya’ wanted,” smiled Bright Mac. “We got it covered here.”

“Really?” Applejack turned to Aiko and Sunset. “Do ya’ll think I can go with you today?” she asked hopefully. The girls turned to Fae, smiling.

“If your mom and dad, don’t mind, I don’t see a reason why not. We’ll just have to get you back home after dinner, if that’s okay,” smiled Fae in reply.

“It’s fine by me,” Pear Butter smiled at her daughter. Bright Mac smiled and nodded.

“Wah-hooie! Ah’m a gonna help out at the mission!” exclaimed Applejack.

The girls and Applejack finished up their breakfast, then hurried back to Applejack's room to pack their things up. When the limo arrived, they all thanked the Apples for having them and for the wonderful time they had at the festival. Then they piled into the limo, a very happy Applejack in tow, and headed back into the city.

Shimmer was dropped off first. The girls all hugged her goodbye, including Applejack, then she ran to her parents, talking a mile a minute about everything they did at the festival. The girls waved as they drove off, Shimmer happily waving back.

“That’s a right nice house they live in,” noted Applejack as they were driving away.

‘Yes it is,” agreed Aiko. “And they’re getting a pool soon.”

“They are?” asked Applejack, surprised.

Sunset smirked. “They haven’t said yes, yet,”

“They will. Shimmer has been working on them,” Aiko grinned.

“With your help, I’m sure,” smirked Sunset.

Applejack looked back and forth confused.

Orange grinned. “Sunset and Aiko are buying them a pool. They just haven’t said yes yet,” she explained.

“Wow, that there’s a heck of a gift for a friend,” noted Applejack, surprised.

“Sisters take care of sisters,” said Aiko with a smile.

“Yes, they do,” agreed Sunset, nodding.

“Well, okay then,” commented Applejack. “So, still living in the condo with yer’ ma, Orange?” she asked.

“Yes, but we are living with Sunset and Aiko for a little while,” replied Orange.

“Really? Why’s that?” asked Applejack, curious.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” said Orange, looking down ashamed.

“Hey now, sorry there cousin! Didn’t mean to pry none,” said Applejack, giving her cousin a hug. Sunset and Aiko pulled close as well, rubbing her back.

“I’m sorry,” said Orange, tearing up. “I’m just so ashamed and embarrassed. I just can’t talk about it right now.”

“And you don’t need to. It’s okay Orange. We’re all sisters here, and we’ve got your back,” comforted Sunet. Fae slid over and wrapped the girls in a large hug.

Mrs. Orange looked back from her seat next to the driver. “Girls, are you okay back there? Orange honey, are you alright?” she asked in concern.

“I’m okay mom,” Orange answered, drying her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m feeling better. My sisters are helping me,”

“Okay dear!” replied her mom, smiling. “If you need anything, let me know.”

“I will mom, I promise!” smiled Orange.

Smiling at her daughter, her mom turned back around.

“We love you, Orange,” reminded Sunset. The other girls nodded and smiled as well.

“Yeah, I love you too, Orange,” agreed Applejack. “An’ Ah’m sorry I asked. Forgive me?”

“Of course, Applejack,” smiled Orange, hugging her.

Hugs delivered, the girls sat back in the seat next to each other.

“So, where we headin’ next?” asked Applejack.

“We are heading back to our condominium to change and drop off our stuff, then we are all heading out to the mission for the day,” replied Fae.

“Oh, so I’ll get to see where ya’ll live. Nice,” noted Applejack.

“Well, part of it anyway,” agreed Aiko. “We won’t have time to see the pool of the movie theater, but you can see the apartment anyway.”

“Oh, so ya’ll live in an apartment,” noted Applejack. “I was wondering what a con-do-whatsit was.”

“Condominium. And it’s kind of like an apartment. But we don’t rent it. Sunset and Aiko own it.” corrected Fae.

“What now?! Ya’ll own it? Ya mean your parents like own it, right?” corrected Applejack.

“No. Sunset and Aiko own it. We just take care of it and them,” corrected Fae.

“You don’t just take care of us and the apartment. You are family!” insisted Sunset, hugging Fae. “You’re a sister, too!”

Fae hugged Sunset back. “Forever, Sunset,” she agreed.

“Huh,” mused Applejack.

The limo pulled up before the Towers. Applejack's eyes grew huge.

“Ya’ll live here?” she gasped.

“Yup!” grinned Aiko, giving her a hug. “Wait until you see the inside. And meet Ailene.”

“Who’s Ailene?” asked Applejack, confused.

“You’ll see,” smirked Aiko.

The limo driver opened the door, smiling and nodding to the girls and Fae as they exited. They entered the lobby, Applejack looking back in surprise as the driver loaded their bags onto a cart for the valet, then climbed into the limo and drove off.

“Hey now, ani’t he suppose’d to wait for us? How we gonna get to the mission?” asked Applejack in surprise.

Aiko hooked her arm in Applejack’s, pulling her along. “Don’t worry about it. Come on, you don’t want to get left behind. And you don’t want to miss this.” She pulled her across the lobby and into the waiting elevator.

Applejack turned to face the doors as they rose. Aiko poked her in the side. “Turn around,” she suggested.

“Why?” asked Applejack, turning around.

Seeing the open glass back of the elevator, and the city spreading out beneath them as they lifted into the air, Applejack's knees buckled and she clutched onto Aiko.

“What in tarnation!” she exclaimed, getting back on her feet and looking out over the city, still clutching onto Aiko. “Whoa…” she gasped.

“Quite a view, isn’t it cousin?” asked Orange, smiling. She took her cousin’s hand. Applejack held her hand tightly, looking out over the city in wonder.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened behind them. The girls, Mrs. Orange, and Fae exited, heading across the foyer to their front door.

“Ailene, we’re here. Let us in, please,” called out Fae.

The door opened, Ailene’s voice calling out from inside. “Welcome home, girls, Fae, Mrs. Orange, and visitor.”

They all stepped inside, Applejack looking around.

“So, Ailene is your housekeeper?” Applejack asked, seeing no sign of her no matter how hard she looked.

“You could say that,” agreed Ailene, her voice coming from the living room. Applejack ran into the living room, still seeing no sign of her. As she turned, she noted the window walls and the city below and she dropped to her knees again, clutching the coffee table tightly.

“Sweet Harmony! We’re so high up!” he voice cracked as she stared out in wide eyed panic at the city below.

Fae came over and gently lifted her off the floor and into her arms. “Oof, you're a right solid kiddo,” she grunted as she held her. “Come on, Applejack, come see the bedrooms.”

Applejack nodded, holding tightly to Fae as she half carried her back to the bedrooms.

Ailene had darkened the window in the room after seeing Applejack’s reaction to the view. Fae set her down and she rejoined the girls as they packed.

“So, this here’s your room?” asked Applejack, looking around. “It’s nice. I can see why you said it was like a hotel room though. It’s all modern like a’ clean. Not much stuff out.”

“Yup. We don’t have a lot of personal stuff. When we first got here, all we had was my backpack and the clothes we were wearing,” said Sunset, changing out of her dress and into her work clothes, a jumper with a skirt and her boots.

“Yeah, we basically just had each other,” agreed Aiko, changing as well. Both hung their dresses in the little closet.

“Got here? In this apartment?” asked Applejack, confused.

“No, this world,” answered Sunset, combing out her hair and putting the pins away.

“She means the city. They were on the street, like I was,” replied Fae, helping Orange comb her hair out.

Mrs. Orange came in, taking over with a smile and nod.

“Ya’ll were homeless?” asked Applejack in surprise.

“Yeah, basically. We were on the street, in an alley,” replied Sunset. “Fae found us, and took us to Father John and Sister Mary.”

“And they took care of us. And Father John and Sister Mary asked Fae to care for us, because she already was,” continued Aiko, finishing with her hair and putting her brush away.

“And his brother bought us this place,” added Sunset.

“Well, that was right generous of him,” noted Applejack, looking around.

“He didn’t pay for it, Sunset did. He just bought it for them,” corrected Fae.

“Say what now? How in tarnation did you do that?” asked Applejack.

“She found a treasure,” answered Fae. “Okay, go wash up and we’ll head out, girls.”

“Well that was a lucky break,” noted Applejack, following them all out to the bathroom.

“It sure was! I have to use the bathroom. I call firstsies!” replied Sunset. The rest of the girls waited while she went in. After everyone who needed to used the bathroom they finished washing up, then headed back downstairs together with Fae and Mrs. Orange to the lobby.

Applejack stayed facing the door, not wanting another episode of the panic she felt at seeing how high up they were.

As they exited, they were escorted into a waiting limo. The driver shut the door for them, then got in and drove them to the mission.

Jackie was quiet on the ride over to the mission, trying to wrap her head around what she had learned.

She was afraid of heights. She never knew that. She had never been higher than the top of the trees in the orchard, or the barn roof. She never realized how high up things could be.

Truthfully, she never realized she could be that afraid of anything. She wasn’t happy about that. She would do something about it.

Sunset and Aiko were the richest people she knew. Not their parents. Them. She was trying to wrap her head around that.

And they were homeless. Orphans maybe? How did that work? She had no idea.

And Fae wasn’t their older sister, but she was a sister like her, and she took care of them, even when they were on the street. Her opinion of Fae went up several times higher than it already was.

They found a treasure. On the street? And were allowed to just keep it? And what did Sunset mean by ‘came to this world’? Her and Aiko sure were smart. And they were kind too, looking out for their own. Their family, sisters. That took character. Her opinion of them went up too.

Her musings were cut short by their arrival at the mission. The driver opened the door for them and they piled out, heading into the mission to find Sister Mary already working on breakfast for their regulars.

She greeted them as they entered the kitchen. “Good morning girls, Fae! And you brought reinforcements,” she grinned at them. “Wash up and come on over! I’ve got plenty of work for everyone,” she laughed.

They washed up and went to work, cracking eggs into the tureen and washing and shredding potatoes for the hash browns. Once the eggs were all cracked she set Fae and Mrs. Orange to making french toast from the leftover bread from yesterday while she and the girls made scrambled eggs.

Jackie and Orange she put to work making a large vat of orange juice from concentrate they pulled from the freezer.

Sister filled the two giant percolators with coffee and set them to brewing, then pulled the donuts and danishes from the fridge, placing them in the oven to warm. She then returned to the stove where she began frying bacon.

Sunset wrinkled her nose at the smell of the sizzling meat.

Leaving Mrs. Orange still making french toast, Fae rolled the now finished coffee out to the dining room, setting them up on the cart by the serving table. She returned, loading the now warmed trays of donuts and danishes into the serving cart and wheeling it into the dining room then placing them out on the serving table next to the coffee, placing a tray of cups and a tray of cream and sugar next to the coffee.

Father John arrived with his flock of regulars, greeting her with a hug then helping serve his hungry flock. Smiling, Fae returned to the kitchen to help with the rest of the breakfast.

“Father’s here with regulars,” she announced as she returned to the kitchen. She returned to the grill, helping Mrs. Orange finish the rest of the french toast. When they ran out of bread, they scrambled up the rest of the sweetened eggs and placed them into a serving tray, placing the trays of french toast and the eggs onto a serving cart.

Finished with the bacon, Sister entered the large fridge, pulling out a cart with syrup and butter while Fae loaded the still sizzling trays of bacon onto the serving cart as well. The girls and their friends helped them wheel the carts out to the dining room where they set everything up to begin serving breakfast.

“Looks like we’re about ready to begin,” smiled Father. “If everyone would bow their heads, we’ll thank the Maker for our food.” He led them in Harmonic Grace, afterwards helping Sister and her friends serve up breakfast while Fae and Mrs. Orange circulated, filling coffees and helping out the regulars.

Everyone was delighted to meet the girls’ new friend to Applejack’s delight.

Once everyone was served and sated, the girls and adults served themselves, sitting down at the tables, laughing and chatting as they enjoyed their breakfast. Sister and Fae finished first, disappearing back into the kitchen while the girls and Mrs. Orange finished. Father thanked them for their help, giving the girls a quick hug then circulated among his flock, smiling and chatting with them as they finished their meals.

Sunset and Aiko finished, clearing their plates to one of the carts, then circulated among the others, clearing dishes, smiling and chatting with the regulars as they did. Orange and her mother joined them as soon as they finished.

As the cart filled they wheeled it into the kitchen where Fae and Sister loaded the dishes onto racks to run through the washer, while the girls returned with the empty cart to the dining room to gather more dishes. Eventually, all the dishes had been gathered, and the unserved food returned to the kitchen to be processed into leftovers and refrigerated. The coffee and sugar were left out for anyone who desired.

When everything was finally cleaned and put away, the kitchen restored to pristine spotlessness, the girls and their friends gave Jackie a tour of the mission, then hung out in Sister’s room while the adults went off to chat elsewhere, giving the girls a chance to play together.

Sunset got out a few board games, and they took turns picking one to play, laughing together as they did.

“So, this here’s where ya’ll stayed when you first came to town?” asked Applejack as they played.

“Yup! Fae and Father John saved us from the pervert man after we landed in the alley,” nodded Aiko.

“Woowie, that sounds like quite a story,” replied Applejack. The girls responded with a tag team rendition of their arrival and adventures, ending with them sleeping in this room with Sister Mary.

“Wow, that there’s quite a story,” said an amazed Applejack. “An then ya’ll met Orange?” she asked, nodding to her cousin.

“That was on our first day of school,” responded Sunset, launching into that story, while Orange smiled and nodded.

The tales continued, the girls describing their sleepovers together, Applejack smiling and nodding. Eventually Sister Mary entered, asking the girls if they wanted to help with lunch. They enthusiastically agreed, putting the games away and following Sister Mary back to the kitchen.

The day progressed, the girls happily helping out when they were allowed, playing games and swapping stories when not.

Applejack enjoyed the Harmonic Service and dinner, sad when the time came to leave. She was mostly lost in thought the entire trip back to her farm, rousing from her musings when they drove under the Sweet Apple Acres sign.

Hugging them tightly, she thanked them for the day, then exited, heading into the farmhouse to tell her parents of the wonderful new friends she had made.

The girls, Fae and Mrs. Orange returned to their condominium where the girls took their bath, playing and laughing in the bubbles, then dressed and climbed into bed, where Fae and Mrs. Orange tucked the three of them in.

The lights out, they looked out the window over the city, snuggled together as they fell happily asleep.