> It's Your Birthday! > by Midknight_Stardust > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Rise & Shine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canterlot, Equestria- St. Sunshine church & Orphanage: 25 years ago As the evening sun began to set upon Canterlot, the many fillies and colts that would play in the park outside of the church were called inside. One little filly sat alone under a large oak tree whose leaves looked like they'd been burned to cinders, a solemn look on her face as she allowed the wind to blow through her fiery red and yellow mane. The other fillies and colts passed her by without a word, some glared at her and others snickered, she tried to pay them no mind but some of their hurtful words still floated to her ears. 'Ha, party of one.' 'She actually thought anyone cared?' 'That cake looks terrible' 'This is why no one wants to adopt her' 'And she burned Sister Sunshine's favorite tree!' Sunset sniffled and felt more tears rushing to her eyes, no one had remembered or even cared! No one showed up to her party, no one got her any gifts, no one baked her a cake and not a single pony except for Sister Sunshine had said happy birthday to her. Sunset would slowly begin to cry as the other kids went back into the church, refusing to follow them at the behest of their matriarch who Sunset was afraid to face after having sinned so gravely and burned the mare's favorite tree. True it had only been the leaves but Sunset still felt horrible about it and she truly did hope and pray to Celestia that Sister Sunshine would forgive her. Still that didn't fix the heartbreak Sunset was feeling right now, nopony remembered her birthday! She turned 5 today! It was a big, big deal! At least to Sunset it was! All the other fillies and colts got thrown parties on their birthdays or when they got their cutie marks; so why not her? True, she didn't have her cutie mark yet, a fact that she was teased about constantly by other children but she still wanted to feel special! As she continued to cry under the light of the setting sun, a familiar voice rang out to her. "Sunset Shimmer, it's time to come inside my little pony."  "Hmph, I don't wanna. I'm trying to have a party here. Go away, it's invite only." Sunset sniffled and kept her back turned to the older mare, she had gone as far as setting up piles of rocks and leaves with sticks to act as her 'party guests'. A sigh came from the mare as she came close and took a seat next to Sunset and placed a hoof around Sunset's shoulder and brought her into a light embrace, her bright blue eyes gazing down at Sunset with a look of compassion. "Sunset..." "NOPONY WANTS ME!" Sunset cried out as she buried her face in the mares nun robs. "Sunset that's not..." "YES IT IS! NOPONY REMEMBERED MY BIRTHDAY! NOPONY CARES ABOUT ME! NOPONY LOVES ME OR WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!! W-WHY?! A-AM I A BAD FILLY?" Sunset sobbed intensely into the caretaker mare's robes, unable to stop. "Hush now my little pony" The middle aged mare said with determined compassion as she hugged Sunset close. "You aren't a bad filly Sunset; never think that. You are a wonderful ray of light in this world and I just know that someday, you'll have friends and a family who love you and want you for who you are. By the light of Celestia I know it to be true." Sunset sniffled and hiccupped as she nuzzled into her caretaker, the only pony in this entire orphanage who seemed to care about her but that was a given. Sister Sunshine was the endlessly loving and caring type and never let any of her little pony's feel unwanted, though even if she could give them all her love, she couldn't not ensure they would all love one another. Looking at the tree and its torched leaves, she would nuzzle Sunset tenderly. "I'm not upset about the tree either sweetheart; leaves, trees; they all wither and die some time and in time, the leaves will return. I am merely thankful you are unharmed, though I must say getting into a fight with an adopting family's child wasn't very smart of you dear and you are typically a very smart filly." Sister Sunshine didn't sound angry or upset, no she was disappointed and somehow that felt worse to Sunset. She would cringe at the memory of what she had done, wringing her hooves in shame. "I-I didn't mean it! But he...he kept making fun of my..." "lack of a cutie mark. While I understand why you got upset dear, violence will never solve our woes; only increase them." "I know...I'm sorry. Am...Am I grounded?" Sunset asked, wincing at the possible punishment she would get. "Ordinarily? Yes BUT that is no longer up to me." Sister Sunshine said with a smile, looking over her shoulder she would nod to somepony out of view to come closer. "Huh?" Sunset tilted her head, understandably confused. "Turns out the parents of the colt you fought with were of the royal family, in short young prince blueblood is the nephew of our dear Princess Celestia." The nun mare would hold her hooves in prayer at the mention of the Princess of the Sun. Sunset's face went pale and her eyes shrank in. "Oh." "And after your little tussle they went to the princess to complain and while she refused to entertain the idea of throwing you in the deepest, darkest dungeon; she did say she wished  to meet you."  "W-What?!" Sunset said in total shock, her little 5 year old brain still trying to process it all. "Indeed young Ms. Shimmer." Celestia would finally speak up "Thank you for coming, Princess." Sunshine said to the solar princess. "Anything for one of my old students, so you are Sunset Shimmer?" Celestia asked as she leaned down to meet the little filly at eye level. Sunset was stuck in stunned silence, here was her hero, her idol, everything she and so many other fillies aspired to be; speaking to her directly! Sunset had to struggle to keep her smile from splitting her face in half as she fervently nodded her head to the princess' question. "I see, I do sincerely apologize for my nephew and on that note, I also here it is somepony's birthday today?" Celestia gave her a sweet smile. "Mmhm! I-I'm five!"  Sunset said, her voice octave having gone a pitch higher from her excitement.  "My oh my such a growing little filly and I must say you magic potential fascinates me" "R-Really?!" Sunset asked, utterly stunned. "Oh my yes, I had felt your magical surge earlier and had planned to look into it but imagine my surprise when my adoptive daughter, husband and nephew come into my throne room rambling on about some dastardly little filly who created a sparkling fireball with her magic only to have it blow up and scorch only the leaves of a tree." Sunset sheepishly smiled at that and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." "Oh sweetie it is nothing to be ashamed of, everypony has to start somewhere and I see great potential in you Sunset Shimmer and so, I am also here for one other very important reason. To bring you home." Celestia smiled as she nuzzled Sunset. "W-What?" Sunset asked, confused. "Our princess wishes to adopt you Sunset." Sister Sunshine smiled, tears in her eyes as she held her hooves in prayer. "R-Really?! You want...me!?" Sunset asked, her excitement overflowing! "I do indeed. And our first order of business when we get home will be to throw you a Cute-ceañera to make up for this rather lackluster party here. Not enough guests and a special little filly like yourself deserves a much larger cake" Celestia said with a bright smile towards the little filly. Sunset's smile was about to split her face but then she looked confused. "But I don't have a-" "Oh? Then what's that?" Celestia asked as she pointed a hoof at the filly's flanks. Sunset turned to look and saw the symbol of the sun printed on her flanks with eight rays of sunlight coming from the red and yellow sun. She let out a squealing yell and hopped up and down in place, overjoyed that she finally got her mark! "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Sunset hugged into her new mother, crying joyfully as she never felt this happy in her entire life! Celestia draped a wing over her and nuzzled her, leaned in close and whispered to her lovingly. "It's time to wake up my little pony, and happy birthday Sunset." Celestia said with motherly love as she placed a kiss on Sunset's cheek and Sunset's entire world went white and her dream came to its conclusion.   She awoke to the sound of her vibrating phone on her dresser as well as the magic book that linked her back to Equestria, a soft smile on her face, she wiped the tears from her eyes that formed during her dream, touching a hand to the sun pendant around her neck. She often wore it to bed whenever she wanted to have a good dream and this one was a favorite of hers, the day she met Celestia, got her cutie mark and was adopted by the solar princess. Truly it was one of her happiest memories and she never got tired of having that dream and it was fitting since today was a very special day. "Happy Birthday to me~" Sunset said with a relaxed sigh as she allowed the morning grogginess to drain out of her system and be replaced by euphoria. It was her 30th birthday! A milestone and as she looked around her apartment, she felt a swell of pride for how far she had come. Looking to her right, she saw something she adored waking up to see on her dresser. A framed picture of her and her closest friends, The rainbooms, all eight girls huddled together smiling; the group having met the human version of Starlight Glimmer during their time in college and she quickly became a part of the group and she even joined their band as their DJ. A snort and snore roused her as she giggled and looked down to the left of her and saw the other thing she adored seeing early in the morning, her girlfriend Twilight 'Sci-Twi' Sparkle or Sparky. Sunset giggled to herself as the nerdy prodigy stirred and curled up in bed, her hair a disheveled mess of purple curls, Sunset would boop her on the nose and watch it twitch cutely. "Wakey, wakey Twi~" Sunset whispered as she watched Twilight stir. "Mmmm five more hours, dreamland is too much fun" Twilight mumbled as she retreated under the covers to hide from the rising sun.  'Oh she wants fun does she?' Sunset grinned to herself and slipped under the covers herself and skillfully made her way between Twilight's pretty purple thighs and licked her lips in lewd excitement. She then lapped her tongue across Twilight's pussy lips and latched her lips onto the girl's exposed clit once she spread her purple velvet curtains, her love button twitching and begging for attention. Above her, Twilight gyrated her hips and gasped, a hand instinctively coming to the top of Sunset's head and keeping her face planted firmly between her thighs as her free hand gripped the sheets and her toes curled. After a few moments, Sunset slipped her index and middle finger inside of her and began blasting away at her pussy, Twilight's moaning reaching a high pitch as she came, squirting right in Sunset's face to which to kinky unicorn turned human opened her mouth and took a fresh sip of Twilight's love.  Once her climax had ended, Twilight's back fell flat on the bed and she was panting, her eyes half open as she gazed down at Sunset with a dopey smile that looked like she was trying very hard to frown or pout but Sunset just smiled back at her teasingly.  "Mornin' Twi, got something to say to me?" "Yeah..." Twilight said as she panted to catch her breath. She then clamped her thighs down around Sunset's head and put her in a thigh headlock and began squeezing down on her. "Happy birthday Sunny~" "Gyak! Ah! T-Twi! Ok, ok! Uncle, uncle!!" Sunset laughed and gasped for air, slapping her hands on Twilight's thighs to try and get her to let go. "Ohoho no, you're getting choked for 30 seconds; consider these your birthday lumps." Twilight mocked as she squeezed her pillowy thighs down harder against Sunset's neck and head, she wasn't actually strong enough to crush Sunset though, she wasn't Applejack.  True to her words she held Sunset like this for 30 uninterrupted seconds before finally letting her go and hugging her from behind, kissing her on the cheek and smiling. "Happy birthday Sunset." Sunset chuckled and wheezed, having finally caught her breath. She relaxed when she felt Twilight's loving embrace and she held her hand lovingly and caressed it softly. "Thanks Twi; I love you." Sunset said, looking over her shoulder at her girlfriend. "I love you too, heheheh but hey I won't hog all the love, I think you've got some messages." Twilight said, pointing to her dresser and showing the magic book and her phone still vibrating.  "Oh, right. I'll check those out now." Sunset said as she grabbed her magic book and sat back on the bed, opening the book she smiled happily to see a joint message from Princess Twilight, the elements of harmony and Celestia. "You do that, I'll go and get breakfast started and take Spike out." "Thanks Sparky." Sunset called out sweetly to her girlfriend as she walked out of the room, her eyes glued to that bouncy purple butt as she walked away. Sunset bit her lip and shuddered in delight a bit. "Sweet Celestia, she's perfect." Sunset muttered to herself and then got back to reading her journal.  Dear Sunset Shimmer;  HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY FROM EQUESTRIA! We are all so happy to see you reach this milestone in life and wish you many more in the future which is no doubt looking bright for you. You've come so far from where you used to be and we all couldn't be more proud of you. We hope for you to come and visit soon! Pinkie has a party all ready and waiting whenever you decide to make the trip. Celestia of course would be overjoyed to spend time quality time with you, as would Princess Luna and Flurry Heart hasn't seen you in awhile! She's getting so big and strong! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and that all your wishes come true. With love and friendship, Princess Twilight Sparkle & Friends P.S.- Come by the portal at noon, I have something for you. -Princess Twilight Sparkle Sunset smiled warmly at that message and felt her heart swell. She adored that she had so many loving friends and that she could visit Equestria whenever she wanted to; she could never be forced to choose between the home she was born to and the home she had found. Reaching onto the dresser she grabbed a pen and began to write back. Dear Princess Twilight; Thanks a bunch for the well wishes and I'll be sure to come and visit again real soon! Give Flurry a kiss and hug for me and tell Pinkie I can't wait for that party. I'll see you at the portal at noon Twi.  With love and friendship; Sunset Shimmer. Sunset would close the book and then pick up her phone and unlock it, finding several text messages in her group chat labeled 'Rainbooms' and they were all messages from her various friends. She had one group chat for the Rainbooms, one for the Dazzlings and one for the crystal prep girls otherwise known as The Crystals. She smiled as she read each and every heartfelt message and well wishes sent to her, especially the ones sent by her best friends. Happy Birthday Sunny! HBD Sun-Shim! Have a rootin' tootin' happy birthday sugarcube! Happy Birthday Sunset Have a marvelous 30th darling! Happy birthday Sun-Butt She giggled and smiled at all the messages her friends sent her, sending back a joint message telling them all thank you and that she couldn't wait to hang out today. Her heart swelled again at the thought of spending an entire day with her best friends and ending it with a Rainboom tradition: A slumber party! Sunset didn't care if it was childish and she was 30 years old, it was a tradition they swore to keep as best friends, they even Pinkie Promised on it! Her friends were insistent on making today all about her and who was she to tell them no right? Scrolling through the rest of her messages and giving thanks to those who wished her well, the smell of eggs, pancakes and tofu bacon hit her nose and she sighed as her stumble grumbled angrily, demanding sustenance. She rolled her eyes as she patted her stomach and crawled out of bed. She was still naked from last night and decided that she would be going around the apartment in her birthday suit or as Sunset liked to say 'Going Equestrian'. Once out of bed she made her way down the hall to the kitchen and smiled to see Twilight standing at the stove using her magic to work multiple things at once, flipping pancakes, cooking eggs and sizzling tofu bacon all with minimal effort on her part. She noticed Sunset walk into the room and her face tinted pink as she gazed at Sunset's naked body, she was built like a supermodel and some would even call her Amazonian with how well toned her abs and muscles were thanks to all the working out she did with Rainbow Dash. "Like what ya see Sparky? How do I look?" Sunset struck a sexy little pose. "Like finely aged wine, just in time too. Breakfast is ready, I made your favorite." Twilight said with a sweet smile as she levitated plates and silverware over to the table for Sunset and made her a plate of food. A stack of 6 pancakes, eggs scrambled with cheese and a bit of pepper, toast and tofu bacon with a tall glass of apple juice made fresh from apples from Sweet Apple Acres and a bowl of freshly chopped strawberries. Sunset walked over to the table and sat down, mouth watering at the delicious meal spread that Twilight had prepared. A candle was placed in the middle of her stack of pancakes and Twilight smiled as she began to sing to Sunset. "Happy birthday Sunset.  Happy birthday Sunny Happy birthday my silly filly Happy birthday Sunset." Sunset smiled and felt a little tear roll down her cheek, Twilight was so sweet to her. She closed her eyes and allowed her angelic voice to ring in her ear for a few precious seconds as she sang happy birthday. Once it was done, Sunset opened her eyes and blew out the single candle and Twilight smooched her on the cheek. "Thanks Sparky; I love you."  "I love you too Sunny; now you eat up. I'm gonna take Spike out for his walk and then we can truly get your special day started." Twilight said with a smile as she finished washing up the dishes she had used to make Sunset's breakfast and had Spike nipping at her heels, leash in her mouth. Twilight had already thrown on her outdoor clothes which consisted of her sweat pants, sneakers, jacket and hat. "Thanks Twi, mmmm delicious as always!" Sunset said as she took a bite of the pancakes and savored the flavor of the buttermilk pancakes that Twilight made. Twilight would exit the apartment and  squeed with excitement as she took out her phone and messaged Cadence. 'Today is finally the day! I'll come and pick it up when we stop by later today.'  'I'm so proud of you ladybug! It's ready and waiting for you in your room.' 'Thanks Cady, I'm so excited!'  Twilight smiled from ear to ear, giggling like a lovestruck schoolgirl as she walked down the sidewalk, a pep in her step as Spike followed along on his leash, he rolled his eyes and chuckled at his dopey owner. "You're such a lovesick dope." "Heh jealous?" Twilight teased her loyal companion. "Pft, as if." Spike teased and smiled at her proudly. "So you're really gonna ask her huh?"  "I think the time is finally right and I want us to live happily ever after. This'll be the first step towards that." Twilight smiled as she held a hand to her heart and kept walking, her eyes fixated on the sun that now sat high in the sky, it's radiant light shining down on her and making the whole world seem brighter and very soon she would give Sunset Shimmer the fairytale life she had always dreamed of. > Dream Come True > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After stuffing her tummy full with Twilight's cooking, Sunset would go about her morning routine as normal. Taking a shower, she freshened up from head to toe, washing out her long, flowing crimson and gold locks that cascaded down her back like flames. It was her most distinguishing feature and she wanted to flaunt it today. Her shampoo gave her hair a strawberry and rose scent and her body wash made her skin smooth to the touch after she was fully washed off. Now feeling fresh and clean, Sunset stepped out of the bathroom and would get herself dressed in one of her favorite outfits. Purple jeans with her sun cutie mark printed on the right leg, her magical pendant replaced with a belt that bore her cutie mark as well, purple and yellow boots, and a sunset color pattern shirt under her black jacket. Posing in the mirror she got a good look at herself and smiled, remembering when she got the outfit from Rarity for her birthday when they were still in High School and ever since then Sunset Shimmer had truly come into her own as a woman. It still befuddled her to no end why the portal aged her down into a teenage body when she crossed dimensions but it mattered little now, the best she could guess was that the magic in the portal sensed her mentality and as such, regressed her to how she behaved. Looking at herself now in this normal mirror, she no longer saw the visage of her old self and was proud of that. She didn't see the spiteful, cruel, mean, sadistic and heartless girl who hated friendship anymore. She didn't see the self entitled brat of a pony that she had become under Celestia's guidance and to this day she still tries to remember where exactly she had begun to go bad. With a sigh and shake of her head, she would chuckle and shake the bad thoughts from her mind, none of those mattered today. 'Always remember where you've been so you have a good idea of where you are going or want to go.' Sunset thought to herself as she walked through the bedroom she shared with Twilight Sparkle, a gentle smile on her lips as she reflected on the life she had been living for the past five years since graduating college. She had the best friends in the world, a loving girlfriend, a job she loved and a place to call home. "Life is good." Sunset said as she walked through her room to grab her backpack and her keys. Heading into the hallway she saw Twilight was waiting for her, Spike sitting next to her. "Ready to go birthday girl?" "Always." Sunset smiled and took Twilight's hand as they opened the door and headed out of their apartment, Twilight would smile as they exited the apartment complex and the light of the midmorning sun shined down on them both as if greeting Sunset happy birthday. "First stop, Canterlot High!" Twilight said as she pulled out a checklist. Canterlot High School Arriving at Canterlot High School, it had seen some noticeable improvements in size since their time spent there. Principal Celestia was still in charge and Vice Principal Luna still did her due diligence to keep the students in line, though every now and again Sunset and the Rainbooms would pay the school a visit just to make sure no magical mishaps were going on. It didn't take long for one to crop up and it was nostalgic to say the least, though she had no idea a freshman could be that evil; Cozy Glow reminded her of a very important lesson: Don't judge a book by its cover. After that incident, Sunset had taken it upon herself to do the work needed to earn her college degree and was currently a substitute teacher/tutor at CHS and she was given special permission to teach a very special class: Friendship 101. An idea she had gotten from Princess Twilight after seeing her Friendship School in Ponyville, Sunset admired the idea but knew that something that large was out of her reach. So she opted to go for the next best thing and do what she could to spread the magic of friendship as far and wide through the human world as possible. This world may not have had a princess of friendship but it did have Sunset Shimmer & the elements of harmony and that was more than enough. Today however was her day off, mandated by Celestia since Sunset had a tendency to be a bit of a workaholic just like Applejack. As she waited near the portal with Twilight, she wondered when the Princess counterpart of her girlfriend would arrive but then right on cue, the magic portal rippled open and Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped through. She'd gotten a bit taller and filled out more compared to how she looked as a teenager in this world, her body a spitting image of the more nerdy version of her, though the Princess lacked glasses. "Hi Sunset, Happy Birthday" Princess Twilight said as she came out and hugged Sunset Shimmer. "Heya Princess; it's so good to see you Twi." Sunset said as she returned the hug, after a moment or two she would break away from Twilight and smiled at the friendship princess. "So ya got something for me?" "mhmm. Hold out your arm." Twilight said as she reached into the backpack using her magic. Sunset did as she was told and held her arm out to Twilight, a moment later Twilight would fasten a bracelet to Sunset's wrist. From the gold band of the bracelet hung 8 miniature versions of her friend's cutie marks, each representing one of the elements of harmony. Sunset looked in awe and felt a surge of energy course through her body, she then looked back at Twilight curiously. "What is it?" "Simply put? A friendship bracelet. One that I and the other elements of harmony poured our magic into. It would be a little weird for this world's princess of harmony to walk around with a crown on since royalty works differently in this world so this was my idea." Still in awe at the gift Twilight had given her, she hadn't processed part of what she said. Looking up in confusion, Sunset blinked. "Wait...back up, say that last part again." Twilight smiled wryly and repeated herself. "It would be weird if this world's princess of harmony was always wearing her crown. So I got you a friendship bracelet instead." Sunset felt her heart skip a beat and tears come to her eyes as she stared in disbelief at Twilight. "Twilight I..." "You earned this. Don't even try to convince me you haven't. You've saved this world more times than I've saved Equestria, you've shown you embody the virtues of friendship and even became one of them under your own power! Sunset Shimmer, I; Twilight Sparkle hereby royally declare you as this worlds Princess of Harmony. Go on, try it, you'll notice the change." Sunset marveled at the bracelet around her wrist and could feel a warm surge of power rush through her body, similar to what she felt during the friendship games and she became Daylight Shimmer. Activating her magic she would pony up, her hair extending and pony ears appearing but this time from her back flaming phoenix wings sprouted and a long infernal tail sprang from her tailbone, A crown of fire appeared above her head and a shimmering glow surrounded her body. The two Twilight's would gaze in awe at Sunset, Princess Twilight smiled with pride and Sci-Twi smiled with astonishment as Sunset floated to the ground majestically and opened her eyes to reveal her sparkling teal eyes, tears pouring down her cheeks as she smiled happily. She floated over to Princess Twilight and hugged her tight, wrapping her flaming wings around her in a warm embrace. "Thank you Twilight, thank you so much! T-This...I..." "Shh, you don't have to thank me Sunset. You truly did earn this, this world needs a protector, a guardian angel to help show them the way when they are unable to see it, a beacon of friendship and harmony. That is what I believe your purpose is and I know in my heart that you'll serve that purpose well." Twilight smiled and bow curtsy bow to Sunset in reverence. "Hail to the princess of harmony; Sunset Shimmer." Sunset couldn't believe it, her lifelong dream of becoming a princess was actually coming true! These wings were proof of her ascension, this magic power that burned through her was proof of her growth, the warmth in her heart was proof that she was worthy. She cried happily into Twilight's shoulder, unable to find any other way to express her thanks that didn't involve making out with the Princess on the spot! She loved her Twilight Sparkle with all her heart but she would be lying if she said she had no feelings for the princess of friendship. Princess Twilight hugged her back and comforted her, patting her back as she smiled warmly. "I'm so proud of you Sunset and Celestia is too. She looks forward to seeing you again soon."  Sunset sniffled and regained some of her composure, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she giggled and hiccupped. "I-I'll be sure to visit as soon as I can. Thank you so much Twilight, this means more than the world to me. Is this a dream?" Sci-Twi smiled and pinched Sunset's cheek. "Ow!" Sunset flinched. "Nope, not a dream." The two Twilight's said at the exact same time. > Puppy Love > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After spending several more moments embracing the two Twilight's, the Princess of friendship would depart back to Equestria as she was still the Head Mare at the Friendship school and needed to return to her students. Sunset would thank the Princess a few more times before she left and promised to visit Equestria the very next chance she got. When the Princess of Friendship returned to her world, Sunset and Sci-Twi stood in front of the marble horse statue that acted as the portal between dimensions and she wiped her remaining tears. "So, how does it feel to be a Princess?" Twilight asked, holding Sunset's hand tenderly. "Better than I ever could have hoped, guess what I saw in that mirror all those years ago was right, I just took a while to get to where I needed to be but now that I'm here? It feels so unreal." Sunset said with a chuckle as she had finally gotten out the last of her happy crying. "This is your reality Sunset, you earned the right to enjoy it. Now c'mon, the next stop on the list is the animal shelter."  "Right, right. I wanna go into the school real quick though; haven't seen Mrs. Celestia in awhile." Sunset smiled as she walked towards the High School with Twilight walking beside her hand in hand. "Alright, but we can't stay too long. We're on a schedule and we don't want to disturb the students while they're working." Twilight nagged, her inner nerd showing clearly. "Hehe you are such a dork but fine, just a quick pop in" Sunset said as she walked up the stairs of the High School and opened the front door, Twilight and Sunset marveling at the halls of their old school.  After the last magical mishap, a lot of remodeling needed to be done as the school had become a magic battleground between herself and a she-demon version of Cozy Glow who managed to pull a feat similar to Twilight when she accidentally stole their magic and became Midnight Sparkle. The school had taken heavy damage and Cozy Glow had been imprisoned for her crimes and it was after that moment the existence of magic couldn't be kept a secret but Sunset managed to use her full power to erase everyone's memory of the event except for herself and her friends. With aided funding from Crystal prep, Canterlot High had been rebuilt better than ever! She still remembered the reopening party and how much fun it was to rock out and jam for a new generation of Wondercolts who were eager to learn the magic of friendship and for her to be their teacher. Celestia even floated the idea that perhaps one day, Sunset could replace her as principal when she was finally ready to retire, Sunset wasn't too sure about that but kept it in mind as an option. As the two walked down the halls, the bell signaling the next period would ring and students would begin to flood the halls. Many of them greeted Sunset and Twilight and of course they would all give some form of birthday greeting to Sunset Shimmer. It was then a group of familiar voices caught her ear. "Ms. Shimmer!" A young girl with pink skin, sparkling orange eyes and orange and yellow hair ran up to her smiling and carrying a few books and what looked like an envelope. "Oh hi Luster Dawn, how's my favorite student?" Sunset asked the approaching freshman girl "I'm doing good! Happy Birthday!" Luster smiled and handed Sunset the envelope she had been carrying. "Aw thanks Luster, where are you off to?" Sunset asked as she took the card from her student. "Study hall and then I have friendship 101 with Ms. Moondancer" Luster said with a smile as she clutched her books close to her chest. "Oh that's wonderful, are you making new friends?" Sunset asked as she began to walk with Luster towards her class, it was on the way to Celestia's office anyway. Luster would nod her head, still smiling from ear to ear. "Uh-huh! We're all gonna meet up at Sugarcube corner after school, we're having a sleepover tonight!"  Sunset smiled fondly, she reminded her so much of herself when she was that age. "Oh? Well isn't that a coincidence; I'm having one with my friends too" Luster looked surprised. "But aren't you too old for slumber parties?" Her tone had a tint of tease in it. "Oh no." Sunset scoffed and pouted with a hand on her hips. "You did NOT just call me old" "Don't take it personally Sunset dear, besides I would say you've aged like a fine wine." Celestia said from across the hall, a stack of papers in her arms as she smiled fondly at her former student. "And technically the portal did age you down." Twilight teased. "Tch, whose side are you on woman?" Sunset pouted as she blew some of her hair out of her face. "It's quite good to see you Sunset Shimmer; and a very happy birthday to you as well." Celestia smiled warmly towards Sunset and then looked sheepishly at her. "I don't suppose I could trouble you to help your dear former principal?" "Anything for you Celestia; how's married life and being a mother?" Sunset asked with a coy smirk as she came over and took the stacks of paper from Celestia, allowing the woman to walk freely.  Celestia gave a gentle and calming sigh as she walked forward. "It's blissful and I love my little sunshine dearly; she and her cousin Nyx just started preschool you know" Celestia said with a smile referencing Luna's daughter Nyx. "That's wonderful! I can't wait to see them again and of course I'll happily teach them their first friendship lessons too." "and I'll happily teach them everything else. Oh Nyx is such a cutie." Twilight said, remembering her interactions with Luna's daughter. "Thank you both, well here we are. Thank you for the assistance Sunset; oh I almost forgot. Wait right here." Celestia went into the office, taking the stack of papers with her. When she came back out, she handed Sunset a letter and a birthday card and smiled at her. "For you, my faithful student. Happy Birthday." Sunset had lost track of how many times she felt her heart swell since waking up and the amount of times her eyes had shed tears but she was long past the phase of being ashamed to cry in front of others, it didn't make her weak and she didn't care if anyone looked down on her for showing her emotions. Taking the letter she would read over it, her eyes going wide as her eyes went down the page. "T-This is..." "A formal recognition of your friendship classes as a necessary element in enriching young minds and teaching them the right life values, your side classes are now fully integrated into the curriculum. Mr. Cranky had FINALLY decided to retire-" "Took him long enough." Luster muttered out of the side of her mouth. "And as such, we have an open spot in the primary teaching roster. Of course you would still need to write your own lesson plans and such, like many other first time, full-time teachers you will need to adapt but I have every bit of faith you can do it Sunset Shimmer. So, do you accept it?"  "YES! YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!!!" Sunset squealed like she was a little filly again and jumped up and down around Celestia like a giddy school girl. "Well that answers that. Of course for today you are still on paid leave and next week will be your time to truly get your affairs in order so that you may start teaching in earnest. If all goes well you should be able to hold your first real class before Thanksgiving."  "Eeeeeeeeeeehhehehehehhehe!" Sunset's eyes widened enough to take up her whole face and she was practically vibrating with joy right now, her happiness was reaching Pinkie levels and that was something to be impressed by! "Oh this is so going on Whinny" Luster Dawn said as she was recording with her phone to post on her social media, giggling and grinning at how excited and goofy her Friendship teacher was. "Thank you, so, so much Celestia! I can't wait! Oh, I've gotta start making lesson plans! Eeeee!" Sunset squeed again. "I'm so happy for you Sunset, I can't wait to see your first real class." Twilight said as she hugged Sunset and kissed her on the cheek. "Indeed, well I believe that will be all, do enjoy your birthday Sunset Shimmer." Celestia said as she retreated to her office and then turned to Luster Dawn. "And you run along too, I am certain your friends are waiting." "Yes ma'am." Luster nodded and bowed her head to Celestia as she left into her office. She would then smile and wave to Sunset and Twilight. "See ya later" "Bye Luster" Sunset and Twilight said as the young girl ran off to her next class to meet up with her friends, Sunset would sigh happily watching her go.  A swell of pride filled her chest as she felt Twilight squeeze her hand. "You're gonna be an amazing Teacher Sunset." Twilight kissed Sunset on the cheek as they walked down the halls back towards the front door. "After having lived and learned so much? I'm more than ready to start passing along what I know." Sunset said with determined confidence as she looked around the halls of the school and saw another chance to give back to the place that had allowed her to change for the better. She would soon be a fully staffed teacher, not just an assistant or substitute, she would have an actual classroom with students, during school hours! It was like all of her dreams were coming true today! Exiting the school, Sunset and Twilight returned to Sunset's car; while she still had her motorcycle and rode it often, she felt like taking a drive today. Her car was nothing super special but it was still a nice 4 door, red paint job and a decently powerful engine. Twilight would look over her phone and checklist, smiling brightly. "Alright, we're still on schedule! To Fluttershy's we go." Twilight said as she fastened her seatbelt and Sunset started the car. "You really are just making this the best day ever you know that?" Sunset said as she began to drive off from the CHS parking lot, turning on the radio to hear some jams while she drove.  'It's only going to get better from here.' Twilight thought with giddy excitement as she wiggled in her seat. Meadowbrook Animal Rescue Shelter was Fluttershy's lifelong dream made a reality, she had always wanted to open up her own animal shelter, to have a sanctuary for her little woodland friends to feel safe and sound. She had spent years earning her degree and saving up the funds to have this place constructed and while it may have taken time? In the end all the girl's efforts were worth it as the shelter was truly what any animal wild or otherwise would consider heaven. As Sunset and Twilight arrived and walked inside, they were greeted by the sounds of various animals, most notably dogs and cats. "Hey Fluttershy, you here?" Sunset called out into the  shelter, knowing Fluttershy was likely around somewhere. "Coming girls, one moment! Cotton! Come back here with that!" Fluttershy said in as frustrated a voice as the kind girl could manage as she chased after the tiny white bunny who was hopping away with one of her shoes. The young caretaker's long flowing pink hair was a ragged mess as she panted and huffed trying to catch the little bunny. "Having trouble with Angel's kids again huh?" Sunset asked with a cheeky smile. "Yes. Cotton really likes to play inside my shoes but it's time for her bath and nap." Fluttershy sighed as she relented and let the little bunny run, brushing off her apron and straightening her hair she smiled at her two friends. Fluttershy even being the youngest of the group still managed to grow into a mature and beautiful young woman. Tall, curvy and busty; it was truly a wonder how Fluttershy was still single but she was a saint at heart so there was that. "It's good to see you girls, happy birthday Sunset." Fluttershy said with all her sweetness and hugged Sunset Shimmer. "Thanks Shy, it's good to see you too."  "Here you go Flutters." Twilight said as she used her magic to snatch up the little bunny and her shoe, handing it back to Fluttershy. "Oh thank you Twilight." Fluttershy would slip her shoe back on and cradle the little bunny in her arms and pressed it against her bosom. "Naughty little bunny, if you keep running away like that? No baby carrots for you" Fluttershy gave cotton 'the stare'. "Heheh better listen to her pipsqueak" Sunset teased and poked the little bunny's belly with her finger, the little bunny responded by trying to kick her finger with its tiny foot. "Ohoh feisty little cottontail huh?"  Fluttershy giggled as she cuddled the tiny bunny. "She's just like her daddy when he was a bunny." Sunset, Twilight and Fluttershy shared a laugh for a moment, afterwards Twilight would pick up Spike, who had been surprisingly quiet and scratched him behind the ear. "So you ready for your check up buddy?"  "Yeah, yeah. I get treats after right?"  "If you're a good boy" "I'm ALWAYS a good boy!" Sunset giggled and then sighed a little wistfully, she missed having a pet. Her spotted lizard, Ray, had passed away some time ago when she was in college as the creatures didn't have long life spans and no amount of magic was gonna be able to change that, something Sunset had to accept but that didn't mean she didn't want another pet. When Twilight had moved in with her, she of course brought Spike and Sunset quickly learned she was a dog lover. Fluttershy had asked her numerous times if she wanted to pick out a puppy to take home but Sunset had always put it off, not wanting to try attention from Spike with a new dog, plus she had to consider the extra responsibility.  As she walked through the shelter with Fluttershy and Twilight, she noticed many different types of dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and other adoptable animals who had their own section of the shelter going about their business, playing or sleeping. Though she noticed, far off in the corner there was one little pup who seemed to be what looked like 'fighting' with  another pup, getting Fluttershy's attention she would point over to the little scuffle. "uh, shy looks like you've got a tussle over there." "Hm? Oh dear, Smolder, Garble no! Bad dogs!" Fluttershy shouted as she handed Cotton to Twilight and rushed over to break up what Sunset had pointed out to her. Sure enough a little puppy with a bright orange coat and a tuft of purple atop her head was scuffling with a larger red dog with an orange tuft of hair on his head. The two dogs growling at each other as they tussled around in the fake grass. Fluttershy would break them up, giving them both the stare which ceased any barking right away. Fluttershy would sigh as she gave the two of them a pouted look. "Okay, what happened this time you two?" The two dogs began barking and yapping, seemingly giving their sides of the story. No one else but Fluttershy and Spike could understand them though. "Mhmm, I see and did you try and SHARE the chew toy?" Smolder barked loudly and stomped her paws on the ground, whimpering. "Now Smolder that's not very nice, if Garble was playing with it first you can't just take it before he's done." Fluttershy said in a scolding tone towards the little orange puppy. Smolder whimpered and whined pointing a paw at the ball in question they were fighting over. "She says that ball is hers and he took it from her with the help of some bigger dogs. She just wanted it back." Spike cut in and gave Smolder a sympathetic look, a look of understanding that said 'Yeah, I've been there' "Is that true Garble?" Fluttershy fixed her stare on him now and the little pup couldn't have looked more guilty if he tried. "I see, well then I'm afraid that means a time out for you little mister." Fluttershy said, picking up the little red pup and carrying him over to the dreaded 'time out' kennel, where naughty animals were sent to think about their actions. Placing him in a boxed in kennel with no toys, she wagged her finger at him.  "Now you sit and think about what you've done." Garble barked and huffed, shuffling off into a corner of the kennel and laying down. "That little potty mouth just earned you 10 extra minutes mister!" Fluttershy said, setting the timer she used for the time out's from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. Meanwhile as Fluttershy was punishing Garble and Twilight was getting Spike ready for his check up, Sunset stayed and interacted with Smolder. Sitting with her legs crossed, she smiled at the little orange pup who regarded her with curiosity, tilting her head back and forth. Eventually, she got the courage to come up to Sunset and sniff around her and after a minute or two, smolder hopped into Sunset's lap and rolled over onto her back, looking up at Sunset expecting something. "Heh what? You want somethin'?" Sunset asked as she gently petted the dog's head. "Arf!" Smolder barked, panting as she wiggled in Sunset's lap, belly still exposed. Sunset rolled her eyes and reached out and rubbed the little pup's tummy with her fingers, lightly tickling the dog as she curled into her lap. She giggled as Smolder panted and barked in delight at the attention Sunset was giving her, eventually Smolder would turn over back on her stomach and curl up into Sunset's lap, seemingly falling asleep. "Awwww. She's so cute." Sunset said as she stroked her fingers across her head. "Isn't she? Its really a wonder to me how no one has adopted her yet." Fluttershy said seemingly disappointed at that fact. "What? Seriously? No one's wanted to take her? Why?" Sunset asked in shock as she kept stroking smolders little tuft of purple hair. "Well she's not properly house broken yet and she can be...abrasive. She's a dog we rescued from a really bad abandonment situation." Fluttershy said soberly as she rubbed Smolder's back. Hearing this made Sunset's heart ache with sympathy as she knew exactly how that felt. The feeling of being unwanted and unloved, abandoned and forgotten when all she wanted was to be loved and accepted like everypony else, she could feel a connection to this puppy and she wouldn't abandon her. She knew what she had to do and didn't give it a second thought, Spike did need a friend after all. "Well then today is her lucky day, I'll take her." Sunset said with a gentle smile as she rubbed  Smolders head and scratched behind her ear. "Really?!" Fluttershy's face lit up like the 4th of July "What?!" Spike shouted. "Arf?" Even Smolder was shocked. "Yep, I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it. She's coming home with me for my birthday today." Sunset said as she stood up and held smolder close to her chest and nuzzled her. Looking over to Twilight for approval she got a nod and smile which was all she needed. "Yay! She really seems to like you already too! Let's get Spike set up and then we can get the adoption process going." Fluttershy clapped her hands in excited glee, leaning close to smolder she planted a kiss on the little pup's forehead. "See? I told you someday someone would want you." Fluttershy said reassuringly to Smolder as she scratched under her chin. Sunset was happy that she could give to this little dog what Celestia had once given to her and she would do her very best to make Smolder feel welcomed. After Spike was checked in and tended to by some of the other caretakers that worked with Fluttershy, the two of them went to Fluttershy's office and began to set up the adoption papers. Since it was Sunset's birthday she was given a reduced price on Smolder and Sunset happily paid for her new little bundle of joy and luckily for her she had all her shots too. After Spike's check up was finished, Sunset and Twilight were ready to leave with Smolder following along close by Sunset, panting happily as she danced around Sunset's boots. "Ready to go Smol?" Sunset giggled already having given her little puppy a nickname "Arf, arf!" Smolder barked and nodded "Hehe good girl." Sunset said as she leaned down and picked up her new best friend, who licked her cheek. "Hehehe love you too Smolder." Twilight smiled happily as she watched Sunset fawn and coo over her brand new puppy, reminding her of herself when she first got Spike when she was 15 and the intense love she felt for him then. It was still the same love she felt now as she cuddled her #1 assistant in her arms, leaning over she kissed Sunset on the lips and held her hand. "Guess this is what they mean by the term puppy love huh?" Twilight said with a cheeky smirk. "Sweet Celestia you are terrible." Sunset snickered and tried hard not to laugh. "Hey don't dog on my jokes, its real ruff coming up with these puns! Throw me a bone why don't you?" Twilight continued to sling puns shamelessly at her girlfriend. "Just know I am making you my BITCH when we get in bed later." Sunset said with a devious smirk as they got in the car, placing the two puppies in the back seat where they would cuddle together. > Let's Rainbow Rock! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As they rode down the street, Sunset bobbed her head to the music playing through the speakers; a wild guitar solo roaring through the car and out of the windows that were slightly rolled down. Sunset was a lover of all types of music but her favorites were techno, pop, R&B and Rock & Roll, with the current song playing being one that was suggested to her by Rainbow Dash. She smiled to herself thinking of the last time she and Rainbow Dash practiced guitar together, there was no one else in this world who could match Sunset on a guitar the way Rainbow Dash could and vice versa and that was a special bond the two shared. Of the 8 girls in the group, Rainbow, Applejack and Sunset were the most tomboyish and in that exact order. Sunset was comfortable being soft and feminine but had no issue getting rough and tough if need be, it was a delicate balance but one that Sunset found she was good at striking. As the guitar solo finished tearing through the speakers, the lyrics continued and Sunset sang along. "I'm hanging onto the other side! I won't give up till the end of me! I'm what you get when the stars collide! Now face it you're just an enemy!" The song came to its conclusion and as it did, Sunset would pull into their next location on Twilight's little checklist, Canterlot City mall to meet with Rainbow Dash. Once Sunset found a suitable parking space, she would look to the backseat at the two pups, smiling at them both but gave them a half stare. "You two behave, we'll be back in a little bit ok?" "Arf, arf!" Smolder barked "We'll be fine" Spike waved a paw. Twilight and Sunset shared a look and giggled as they got out of the car, locking it but making sure the back window was rolled down just enough that the car got some cool air so the pups didn't overheat. Heading into the mall, they'd make their way to the location where Rainbow Dash said she would be in her text message. Walking along they would come to the location in question, the music shop where they'd gotten Rainbow her guitar. "Yooooo there's the birthday girl! Sup Sun-Shim!"  Rainbow called out to her from the counter she was leaning on, she smiled broadly and waved at her flame haired friend.   "Yo Dashie, what's up girl? Diggin' the new hairstyle." Rainbow smirked and gave her iconic hair a flip, she had part of her hair braided while the other was more frazzled and punk rock looking. "Remember that time Rarity lost a bunch of her hair and had to go pseudo punk goth for a few months?Got that idea from her." "Oh yeah I remember that, that look really worked for her. Wish she would've kept it honestly but alas there can only be so many tomboys in the group." Sunset chuckled as she greeted Rainbow Dash with their best friend handshake that was shared between the Rainbooms.  "Happy birthday Shims, finally hit the big 30 eh? Feelin' old and pruned yet?" Rainbow asked with a snarky grin. "Hah, you wish youngin'." Sunset teased right back giving Rainbow a playful punch in the arm. "Hahaha, yeah, yeah old timer whatever you say. Hey, since I got cha here, hows about we shred out; for ole times sake." "Eh, sure why not; after all I'm here to pick up my guitar anyway." Sunset said with a shrug and smile to her tomboy friend, she had brought her guitar here earlier in the week to get it fine tuned and today just so happened to be the day she needed to pick it up so she was happy for that. "Funny ya mention that." Rainbow Dash walked over to the counter she was previously leaning on and grabbed a guitar case and handed it to Sunset, she grinned and popped the case open revealing Sunset's old guitar she's had since high school but it looked different. Originally it was a pure red guitar but now its colors were more similar to that of the colors of a sunset with the colors red, orange and yellow mixed in. Across the guitar the image of a phoenix was seen rising up and on the side of the guitar was printed the words "Phoenix Princess". Sunset swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up at Rainbow Dash who was looking at her with a cocky smirk. "Is this why you took all those solo gigs?" Sunset asked. "Eeeeyup. Needed the extra cash to get the paint job done and I got you a new amp too but it's still on the way, you know how delivery can be." Rainbow said with a nonchalant shrug and still sporting that cocky, shit eating grin. "Go on, you can say it." "Dash, you're AWESOME!" Sunset hugged her Rainbow haired friend and jumped up and down laughing.  "Hahaha don’t I know it! You're welcome Shims; now c'mon. Let's rock & roll, like the good ole days." Rainbow grabbed her own guitar which was already plugged into an amp. "Let's rock!" Sunset said with glee as she plugged her refreshed guitar into an amp and looked over to Twilight, grinning ear to ear. "Might wanna cover your ears babe, this is about to get loud!"  "Oh don't mind me, you metalheads have fun~" Twilight said giving them full permission to rock the house. “LET'S ROCK THIS JOINT!” Sunset said going to join Rainbow Dash, the music store they were in, had a miniature stage for people who wanted to put on a show and perform if they had the talent. It was a way for people to strut their stuff since this mall was a frequent hotspot for talent scouts. Once on stage, Sunset and Rainbow tuned their guitars so they were in sync with one another. "So what should we play? I'unno about you but I'm feeling nostalgic." "Hm, nostalgic huh? I think I got just the track, stop me if you've heard this one before." The rift Sunset began playing did indeed sound very familiar to Rainbow Dash as shown by the face splitting smile that came across her lips the moment Sunset played the first few opening cords. Rainbow Dash was a 90's baby and so playing the opening theme to the original  Power Ponies was an instant way to get her blood pumping and her inner child screaming with joy. Rainbow was a power ponies fan since she was a little girl and she was overjoyed to find out that they existed in Sunset's homeland of Equestria and that she too was a HUGE fan, though at first she kept it a closely guarded secret because she didn't want to get made fun of. Among the Rainbooms, Rainbow Dash and Sunset probably had the most things in common when it came to pop culture related things, for the two of them they had two franchises they adored above all else: Power Ponies and Daring Do, both of which Twilight loved as well as she and her big brother was big time Power Pony fans. Sunset's favorite character among the heroes was the newest addition to the team Sun Blazer and her favorite villain was the Mane-iac, both of whom she'd dressed up as for Halloween at one point. As the two friends rifted on their guitars together, passersby took notice and began recording and cheering them on, nostalgia was powerful and these two friends were playing on it masterfully. Sunset then began speed shredding her guitar into a solo and Rainbow Dash follower suit in what soon became an epic shred off, one so epic that both Rainbow and Sunset ponied up right in the middle of the store. The crowd of people watching cheered and clapped for the two guitar girls, Rainbow and Sunset taking a bow after her epic shredding match and the two friends would fist bump. "Hah, looks like you've still got some fire in your belly old timer." Rainbow teased as she floated down to the ground, her wings folding back. "And I'm never gonna lose it. Thanks a bunch Dash, she sounds great!" Sunset smiled as she looked over her precious guitar with sentimental affection. "Aye it's no big deal, anything for a bestie. Oh hey, got one more little rift to play ya before you leave." Rainbow would tune her guitar and address the crowd, speaking into the microphone set up on the stage. "Alright everyone, let her hear it!" Rainbow would begin the opening cords, playing 'Happy Birthday' on her guitar. Sunset's face exploded into a blush as she covered her face with her hands. "Rainbow..." Everyone who had gathered began to sing her happy birthday as Rainbow played the cords for the song on her guitar and once it was finished, everyone wished her a happy birthday and clapped for her. Her face was blushing red and she pouted as she glared at Rainbow Dash.  "Jerk" "Love you too Shims." Rainbow said, grinning the entire time. Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes, playfully punching Dash in the arm. "See you at the slumber party tonight?" "Wouldn't miss it. Guessin' you're going to see Rarity next right?" "Yep, you know how she is with birthday clothes, so who am I to turn down some new drip?" Sunset shrugged and smiled as she took Twilight's hand. "That goes for the both of us, pretty sure she is gonna have matching outfits or at least complementary ones." Sunset knew Rarity all too well. "If anyone knows how to make me look as good as you do it's Rarity, so I trust her." Twilight leaned up and kissed Sunset on the cheek. "Hey, no one pulls off adorkable like you do." Sunset giggled and hugged Twilight close to her. "Oh will you just put a ring on it already?" Rainbow barked out with a roll of her eyes and her arms crossed, Sunset and Twilight giving her 'the look'. "Oh don't look at me like that, you two dorks are perfect for each other." "Tch, your one to talk about putting a ring on ANYONE, what's taking so long with AJ huh?" Sunset smirked as she saw Rainbow's face turn red with embarrassment.  "Shut up, I'm taking my time and making sure I've got everything in order to support her. Taking care of a farm is a big deal y'know?"  "Well you better not wait too long, you two are great together too." Sunset said as she looked at the time and began to leave the store, new guitar in hand along with Twilight. "Thanks for the gift Dashie, see you tonight!"  "Bye Rainbow! Tell Scootaloo I said hello!" Twilight waved Rainbow off as well Once back at Sunset's car, she had to hold back a squee and laugh as she had Twilight sneak up to the back seat with her, her heart melting at the sight she was seeing. Spike and Smolder, cuddled together on the backseat asleep; it was without a doubt the cutest thing she had ever seen!  "Aww, they're almost as cute as us." Twilight replied as she wrapped her arms around Sunset from behind. "Heh yeah, almost. But your cuteness levels are exclusive to you." Sunset replied as she turned to kiss Twilight again and the two pairs of lips met. After a brief kiss, they would part and get back into the car, checking Rainbow off the list, the next stop was to meet Rarity at her shop in the city and then from there they would all head over to Applejack's to meet with her and Pinkie Pie. Turning the radio back on, Sunset would have a Rainboom classic play as she drove down the street. "It's Dance magic! Once You have it! Let your body move, get into the music! It's Dance Magic! And it's Electric! Let your body move to the music!"