Sun, Surf, Sun lotion, Spring Break!
“WOOHOOO!! WE’RE FINALLY HERE!!!” a perky pink haired girl shouted from the back seat of an old school convertible that was pulling into a parking lot, much to the chagrin of those sitting next to her.
“Ugh, Pinkie darling, we can see that. No need to shout so loud that Twilight can hear you from Equestria,” a white skinned girl with deep purple hair explained as she gingerly rubbed her ear.
“I’m just happy that we don’t have to listen to ‘Are we there yet!? Are we!? ARE WE!?’ like we’ve been forced to since eight in the morning!” the rainbow haired girl sitting to the girl named Pinkie’s right stated with great emphasis, which caused the pink haired girl to smile sheepishly.
“Sorry girls, I’m just super nervous-cited!! I haven’t been to the beach in forever! The last time I went I think was when we took that freshmen trip to Myrtle Beach!” Pinkie said as she put her hand in her hair, and after digging around for a few seconds pulling out a framed picture of her and four other girls arm in arm at a pier overlooking waterfront.
“Heh, well shucks, ah remember that.” a girl wearing a stetson said from the front seat of the car. “That was taken right before the Freshmen Fair! Before when we were….umm….uhh….” the cowgirl continued as her gaze shifted to the red and yellow haired young woman sitting in the driver’s seat. “Umm…..before...well...the rest.”
The red and yellow haired girl sighed. “Yeah Applejack...we know.”
“Sorry Sunset, ah didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” Applejack started with a hint of regret in her voice. Just then, Pinkie moved forward and put her arms around the two girls sitting in front.
“Hey! No need to frown girls! We’re finally at the beach again for Spring Break! I’m initiating my no sad faces policy! Smile or else you’ll have to face capital punishment….TICKLES!!” Pinkie exclaimed as she suddenly started to tickle both girls all around the backs of their necks and ears.
“Heh...ok Pinkie, ok….Hah! Okay Pinkie we get, please stop!” Sunset pleaded with her tormenter with a big grin on her face.
“Y-Yeah, we get it cuz! C’mon...hehehe...just stop already! Ah can’t take it! Eeep!!” Applejack squeezed as Pinkie was tickling her behind her ears. These cries for mercy were apparently enough for Pinkie, as she released her ticklish hold on the two.
“Good! This is the first time in forever we’ve gone to the beach together, and the first time Sunny has come with us on a vacation. We need to make new, good memories! Not remember the yucky old bad ones.” Pinkie stated matter-of-factly.
“Pinkie’s right, darlings,” the purple haired girl spoke up. “But still, I’m a bit saddened by the fact that Fluttershy was unable to accompany us.” She lamented.
“Nah, don’t worry about her Rares. You know Fluttershy is probably having the time of her life right about now!” the rainbow haired girl assured the ivory skin girl sitting on the opposite end of the back seat. The only reason that their friend Fluttershy didn’t go with them was because her and her father went on an african safari near the beginning of the break; one of the aforementioned girl’s life dreams. “Heh, she sounded so excited telling us about that trip, I think she spoke more last week than the last two years combined.”
“I suppose you’re right Rainbow Dash.” Rarity agreed with a nod. “So girls, shall we get going? We wouldn’t want to keep the others waiting.” She further stated, to which her friends quickly agreed as they exited out of the stuffy cadillac and got a breath of the crisp, spring air. The girls then proceeded to gather their bags and beach supplies before walking down a path to the beach. It was an extremely beautiful afternoon, the sky was a brilliant azure; complemented by the dots of snow white clouds above with the cries of seagulls being heard from a distance. They continued down a paved pathway between what appeared to be picnic sites, littered with trees, shelters, and picnic tables on both sides. After a few minutes of walking, the girls finally reached their planned destination of the beach.
“Woah….this is pretty freaking awesome.” Rainbow Dash thought out loud as she surveyed the beach. The water appeared to be a crystalline blue, the beach itself had nothing but silky smooth looking tan sand, save for the occasional large rock dotting the landscape. Another noteworthy aspect of the beach was that it was devoid of people, the only audible sounds being those of the waves crashing against the turf and the cries of seagulls overhead.
“Indeed it is Rainbow.” Rarity agreed as she walked out and threw down her towel on the hot sand. “My hairdresser a while ago told me of this lovely spot that’s quite a few yards away from the part of the beach with all the restaurants and sports bars by it. It’s much more quiet, and may I add, a much more scenic venue.”
“Eeyup, ah agree with ya there Rares, this place sure does look peaceful.” Applejack said with a nod as she wiped her brow.
“WOOHOO!! BEACH TIME!!” Pinkie Pie cried out in excitement when she got her first glance of the beach. Then without warning, she jumped into the air, somehow leaving her t-shirt and shorts behind as she flew several feet into the air; revealing her sky blue bikini in the process. After a few seconds of being airborne, she then plummeted down to the earth as she landed on the ground feet first. “YEAH! Now let’s get this party started!!”
“Easy Darling.” Rarity cautioned her friend as she removed her clothing, revealing the jet black bikini she was wearing underneath. “We have all afternoon, we don’t need to go all out right off the bat.”
“Rarity’s right Pinkie. We should take it easy at least until the other girls get here first.” Applejack explained as she removed her daisy dukes and plaid shirt. She was wearing a bright orange one piece. The pink haired party planner reluctantly agreed, opting to help her friends unpack their stuff and lay their towels out where they wanted. Pinkie was quick to set up the radio and turn on some reggae music to help with the Spring Break feel. Sunset and Rainbow Dash were still undressing and stuffing their normal clothes into the duffle bags they brought with them, with Sunset wearing a dark magenta bikini and Dash wearing a yellow and blue one piece; the same swimsuit worn by the ladies of the Canterlot High Swim Team. Rarity laid down on her towel as she put on some designer shades while Applejack set up a lawn chair she brought with her, which she promptly plopped her butt down on. The girls got settled down and relaxed for a while until they heard footsteps stop behind them.
“Heh, are we comfy?” asked an elegant voice that sounded close to Rarity’s. The five girls glanced back to see that three more girls were on the beach, all wearing similar shorts and hoodies. One girl with a ponytail of two streaks of blue was wearing a light lavender hoodie with plain jean shorts. The girl next to her had enormously puffy orange hair with yellow streaks in it. She was wearing a bright crimson hoodie with shorts that matched the first girl. The third and final girl had strait dark, dark purple hair with bright aquamarine highlights. She was wearing a green hoodie with the same shorts as the girls before were wearing.
“Well it’s about time you guys got here.” Rainbow Dash joked as she nodded in their direction.
“Yeah, I thought you guys were ahead of us, what happened?” Sunset inquired the three, to which the middle one rolled her eyes.
“Ugh, we were ahead of you girls, that is until somebody here so desperately insisted that we needed to stop for tacos as well as trips to the bathroom….three times.”
“Hey, It’s not my fault!” the girl with the blue ponytail whined. “It was the big gulp and the three tacos I had before we came here! FYI girls, tacos and 1.5 liters of soda don’t go very well together.”
“You have the bladder of a nat, Sonata.” the purple haired girl groaned as she crossed her arms. She then looked over to where Rainbow Dash was staring and walked up to her. “Hey Dashie, what’s up?” she asked as she extended her fist to the cyan skinned athlete.
“Nutin’ much Aria, I’ve been good.” Rainbow replied as she knuckle bumped the girl. “I’ve been practicing my shredding and my strokes. They’re both pretty awesome.”
“Heh, well I don’t know about your shredding, but I’ll be the judge of how well you can swim.” Aria boasted with a smug grin.
“Oh? Do I smell a challenge?” Rainbow asked as she started grinning in a similar manner to Aria.
“For now maybe, but later all you’ll be smelling is the stench of defeat.” Aria assured Rainbow as she leaned in closer to her. After the Battle of the Bands the two groups of girls faced off against one another in, Sunset’s group; The Rainbooms slowly but surely tried their best at reaching out to Aria and her two sisters Sonata Dusk and Adagio Dazzle; known by most students that went to their school as the Dazzlings. It took a lot of time and effort, but the group of former sirens finally took the Rainbooms’ collective hands in friendship, most notably with a friendly rivalry sparking between Aria and Rainbow Dash due to the latter of the two suggesting the former to try out for Canterlot High’s swim team. Aria was an incredibly strong swimmer, breaking several of the school’s records that previously belonged to Rainbow Dash; the rest is history.
“PINKIE!!!” Sonata suddenly exclaimed as she quickly jumped towards the Rainbow's drummer and gave her a big bear hug.
“‘NATA!” Pinkie Pie chirped as she returned the blue skinned siren’s hug, only with double the force. “What’s up!? I feel like I haven’t seen you in like forever!”
“I KNOW RIGHT!? We haven’t even Skyped since….like...yesterday morning! That’s crazy!” the young woman agreed with Pinkie. Another strong friendship that was formed after the Battle of the Bands was the not at all unexpected friendship between Pinkie and Sonata Dusk. The two became fast friends (day after the actual battle to be exact) when they were paired up as partners in cooking class.
“Well now it looks like the gang’s all here.” Adagio assumed as her eyes skimmed the beach a bit. “Hmm….wait, where’s Fluttershy?”
“African Safari.” Rainbow Dash stated plainly. The two groups of girls then chatted for a bit to get caught up on what was going on in their lives for a few minutes before Pinkie Pie came up to Applejack and elbowed her in the arm softly.
“Noooooooow!?” Pinkie asked in an extremely giddy tone.
“Heh, Sure Pinkie, go nuts.” the cowgirl told the young party girl. That was all she needed to hear, as a cheshire grin grew across her face.
“Oh yeah! Now it’s party time!” Pinkie shouted with glee as she hopped up and down excitedly. She then started to rummage through her beach bag and pulled out several squares of plastic. “‘Nata! Get your blue butt over here, we got balls to blow!”
Sunset’s eyes widened in a millisecond as she looked back towards Pinkie. “Uuh...Pinkie, you’re blowing wha now?”
“Beachballs of course! What else?” the pink haired high schooler replied as she held up a fully inflated beach ball that seemingly came out of nowhere.
“O-Oh...umm, nothing, nevermind. I just didn’t really hear what you said.” Sunset quickly explained with a nervous chuckle. Pinkie just shrugged it off as she continued to blow up some deflated beach balls with Sonata.
“Heh, Been at the beach for five minutes and your mind is already in the gutter Sunset?” Adagio chuckled from behind the pony-turned-human.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Heh, well maybe it is and maybe it is….n’t…..” she said as she turned to face her former-Siren friend, only to be briefly stunned silent due to her appearance. Just as quickly as Sunset had turned away from Adagio before, the Dazzling had removed her clothing to unveil the deep scarlet red bikini she was wearing underneath; both extremely form fitting and left very little to the imagination. Sunset speechlessly looked her friend over from head to toe, beholding her voluptuous form as her pale golden skin glistened in the sunlight.
Dear Celestia…. Sunset thought to herself as she stared at Adagio for a rather uncomfortable amount of time.
“Umm….Sunset?” Adagio said with a puzzled expression on her face. Sunset was just staring at her with a plain expression while standing solid as a statue. “Hello, earth to Sunset! Do you copy?” the siren asked as she brought her hand up close to her friend’s face and snapped her fingers a few times. With no reaction, Adagio sighed. “Honestly, I expect this more from Sonata.” she said before suddenly clapping her hands in front of Sunset. This appeared to have worked as Sunset blinked a few times before shaking her head.
“H-Huh? Wha?” Sunset asked quickly.
“Glad you could rejoin us Shimmer.” Adagio said with a chuckle. “You zoned out on me for a moment there.”
“I did?....geez….sorry...” Sunset apologized as she shifted around uncomfortably.
“Oh it’s fine Sunny, nothing to worry about.” Adagio assured her bacon haired friend. “I for one certainly don’t mind being stared at by someone like you.” she said as she brushed some of her orange locks of hair away from her face while bouncing her eyebrows in front of Sunset, causing her to very quickly blush. This was met with a chuckle by the former siren. “Oh I’m just messing with you Sunny, you can take a joke right?”
“A joke? Pfftt, yeah Dagi, of course I can take a joke, I mean..it’s just a joke….” Sunset said with a nervous chuckle. Adagio nodded.
“Well good, I’d hate to have you melt into a puddle before the day was over.” Adagio joked once more as she laid down on a nearby beach towel and grabbed a white bottle. “Oh Sunny? I almost forgot, would you be a dear and put some lotion on my back? I’d absolutely dread getting a sunburn.” she asked as she handed the bottle to Sunset.
“Yeah, sure Dagi, no problem.” Sunset told Adagio in the most nonchalant voice she could muster. With that, she kneeled down next to her friend and began applying the whitlee liquid to her back slowly.
“I don’t know about you Sunny, but I love coming to the beach every now and again.” Adagio informed as Sunset continued rubbing her back. “It reminds me of home.”
“O-Oh does it? Well I guess that makes sense, you guys used to be giant fish creatures back in Equestria right?”
“Mmhmm, we lived in a shoreside cove that was on a beach a lot like this one. The cove had a little opening in the top that would shine down on the water below, and due to us being in a secluded local, far from any ponies who’d possibly come by the beaches, it was always tranquil and quiet there.” Adagio remembered as she breathed a sigh of nostalgia. “We spent a lot of time there, only ever leaving to feed. While we were there we’d practice our singing, go swimming in the coral reefs, or even just sunning ourselves on the rocks by our cave. I really miss that place...but the sounds of the waves crashing and the smell of sea salt here brings me back.”
“Well it sounds like a wonderful place ‘Dagi, I would’ve loved to have seen it. Honestly I’ve actually never been to a beach before today, so I kinda just now realized what I'm missing.” Sunset said in a genuine tone. Adagio shifted her body so that she was looking at Sunset with a shocked expression.
“Wait, hold on. You’ve NEVER been to the beach EVER in your life before today?”
“Nope”
“Not as a filly, not as an apprentice to Princess Celestia? No? Nothing?”
Sunset shook her head. “Nothing. I lived a pretty sheltered life in Canterlot, my family never took me to the beach because I was busy being schooled on magic twenty four seven and they thought it’d be a waste of time. Celestia never took me to the beach either because aside from teaching me magic she was always busy doing something else. You know, royal duties and all that tough stuff.”
“Not even when you came to the human world? Your ex-boyfriend never took you to the beach during summertime?”
“Not really, I only dated Flash for about a year, and during the summertime all we did together was go to lunch and dinner a bunch of times, maybe a movie and some shopping here and there, but no beach.” Sunset explained clearly. Adagio shook her head.
“You poor, poor, deprived young woman.” Adagio mourned. “I simply can’t believe that you’ve never had a day out on the beach. My sisters and I always make sure to visit a beach at least twice a month during the summer times! Granted that may be our siren roots, but still the beach is wonderful! I’m awestruck that you’ve never been to one.”
“I can see that. Now lay back down so I can finish sunscreening you.” Sunset ordered as she pulled Adagio down so she was laying on her stomach again. She continued to rub the cream over her friend’s backside as she began thinking to herself.
“Heh, Is it that hard to believe that I’ve never been to the beach before? Well….for someone like Adagio who probably has saltwater in her veins I guess it would be. Still, she’s been really excited for this, plus it’ll let us spend some time together.” Sunset thought to herself as a pleasant grin graced her face. “We don’t really have instances where we hang out together. I mean sure, we talk all the time during lunch and spend some time together while helping at Rarity’s boutique these days, but that isn’t exactly a lot compared to some of my other friends. But even so...”
Ever since the battle of the bands, Adagio had been the siren that was the most reluctant to accept the Rainboom's hands in friendship. She didn’t show up to school for a few weeks afterwards, and when she did she was as bitterer than baking chocolate as Pinkie Pie put it. She took the longest of the three Dazzlings to warm up to the others, but after spending some time with them and seeing how they acted towards one another, Adagio finally relented and decided to try being friends with them, especially Sunset, who she spoke with more than the other Rainbooms.
“...I’m glad I was able to help Adagio come out of her shell, I really like talking to her. I mean sure, our groups had their….troubles for a while, but I’m glad we were able to work things out. I’m glad to be friends with Aria and Sonata too, but for some reason I feel more of a connection with Adagio. I mean, we do have a lot in common. We both did our best to be in control of any situation we’re in, we both know what it’s like to crash and burn during big moment and be completely hated for it, and we both know what it’s like to be helped to stand up again after our biggest falls.” Sunset thought as she looked back over to where her friends were. Pinkie and Sonata were still blowing up beach balls, they must’ve had at least eight big ones blown up around them, with the two young girls still huffing and puffing away. Meanwhile Aria and Rainbow Dash were both doing some stretches as they were talking, most likely some friendly trash talk before a race. Rarity was still lying in the sun as Applejack was sitting on her lawn chair, occasionally sipping a bottle of fizzy apple cider. After gazing at her friends she turned her attention back to Adagio’s back, as she continued to tensely rub it.
“Sunset”
“Though Adagio does seems more distant to some of the other girls. Maybe being in the same spot that she was in kinda put my foot in the doorway so to speak. Perhaps she likes spending with me too? Maybe, but that’s crazy, I mean she’s crazy hot and amazing while I’m just plain old Sunset...wait…” Sunset thought as she shook her head a bit. “No no, bad brain! Just because I like spending time with her, talking with her, and occasionally staring into her gorgeously brilliant raspberry eyes of hers doesn’t mean I like her like that!”
Liar
“Sunset?”
“Grrrr Oh….you look into a girl’s eyes and stare at her hips one, maybe two times…”
“SUNSET!” Adagio blurted out as she glanced back at Sunset.Her loud shout reached her friend's ears as she shook her head and looked at her.
“H-hm? Y-Yeah Adagio? What’s up?” Sunset quickly asked.
“I’ve been trying to tell you for the past six minutes I think I’m good!” Adagio explained as she pointed to her back. Sunset looked at her back to see that it was extremely shiny, the sun’s rays very nearly reflecting off of it. Sunset then glanced back at the previously full bottle of sunscreen to see that it was just about half empty now.
“Oh....umm….whoops?” Sunset said while grinning sheepishly and shrugging. “Well...at least you don’t have to worry about your back getting sunburnt. Hehehe…..”
“Why yes, you made sure of that didn’t you Sunset?” Adagio asked in a cool tone. “You’re really out of it today, aren’t you?”
“Heh, yeah I suppose so. That normally never happens to me, super weird really. It must be the sun or something, you know? The heat can really get to a girl on a day like today, you know? Phew!” Sunset answered quickly as she brushed some imaginary sweat from her brow. This earned a raised eyebrow from Adagio as she continued to stare at Sunset for a few seconds, making the latter feel more uncomfortable than she was a moment ago.
“Hmph...sure Sunset, sure.” Adagio agreed as she shifted her body so that she was now laying on her side in front of her friend. “Say Sunset...there’s been something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about as of late.”
“Uum..ok, what’s up ‘Dagi?” Sunset asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Much to her surprise, it seemed the slightly judgemental look Adagio was giving her before had switched places with a look of slight unease.
“Well you see Sunset, for the past..couple of weeks or so, I’ve been...thinking about certain things regarding my life and what’s...been happening in it.” Adagio explained in somewhat casual manner. “What I was thinking of talking with you about was...umm...hmm...how exactly do I put this?” she asked as she put her finger to her lip and glanced off to the side. She stayed quietly in thought for a few more seconds until speaking up again. “Well...what I believe I’m trying to...express is-”
As Adagio slowly but surely continued to convey her thoughts to Sunset, the latter of the two girls saw something flying through the air out of the corner of her eye. She glanced to her right to see what was coming towards them, only for a blur of color to go by her face as whatever it was went past her and hit Adagio in the forehead.
“Hu- What the?” Adagio said as she grabbed whatever it is that hit her. She looked over to see that she had clamped her hand down upon a small beach ball.
“Oh ‘Daaaaaaagiiiiiiiii!” a perky voice shouted from a few feet away.
“Oh Suuuuuuunyyyyyyy! Come out to play!!” a bubbly voice called out from the same place as the other. Both girls looked over to see that both Pinkie and Sonata were waving at them while standing in front of a volleyball net that somehow appeared there after the short time in which Sunset glanced over at them.
“P-Pinkie! Sonata! Where the hell did you get that volleyball net?” Sunset asked.
“Found it!” Pinkie and Sonata replied simultaneously, not a millisecond later they looked at one another and gasped. “JINX!! GAH!! JINX AGAIN!! TRIPLE JINX!!!” The two of them said as they kept pointing at one another, only to burst out laughing at themselves.
“C’mon Sunset! Come play a game of beach volleyball with us!” Pinkie pleaded excitedly. Sunset looked at her pink haired friend with mild annoyance.
“Maybe later, Pinkie.” Sunset replied as she shifted her attention back to Adagio. “I’m sorry about that Adagio, what were you about to say?”
Adagio shook her hand in front of Sunset while doing the same with her head. “Oh, It’s not really important.” she said as she stood up. “Come on, let’s go humor them.”
Are you sure?” Sunset asked as she stood up too. “Whatever you wanted to say sounded important to me, are you sure?”
“Yes Sunset, it’s absolutely fine. I can just tell you later.” Adagio promised her. “But for now, let’s go have some fun with the others. At least with this you won’t be able to go off to lala land again,” she said with a chuckle.
“Well...alright then, if it can wait then I guess we can play a game or two.” Sunset reasoned as the two made their way over to the volleyball net. Pinkie and Sonata were on the opposite end of the makeshift court waiting for them.
“So, are you two ready to get your tukases kicked?” Pinkie asked with a smug grin on her face.
“I guess so…” Sunset answered. “Are any of the other girls going to be playing with us?”
“HAHA!! EAT MY DUST DASHIE!!!” Aria screamed out as she swam a few meters ahead of Rainbow Dash.
“Eergh….LIKE HELL I WILL!!” Rainbow Dash shouted back as she swam after Aria with increased fervor, gaining on her very slightly with each stroke.
“O...kay then…..Applejack, Rarity, do you two want to play?” Sunset asked her two friends who were off to the side of the court.
“Eh, if it’s all the same ta y’all, ah’m just gonna take it easy here for a while.” Applejack said as she reclined in her chair. “Work has been killer on the farm, and ah just wanna take a little bit to relax.”
“And I’ve decided that while I’m here, I’m going to try working on my tan.” Rarity said as she laid herself down on her towel.
“Well alright then, I guess we’re ready to play then.” Adagio assumed.
“I think you meant to say ‘I guess we’re ready to lose.’ Adagio.” Sonata said with a smug expression on her face. “Umm...I mean you guys are ready to lose, yeah, it’s you who’s gonna lose, and the winners will be us, Sonata Dusk and Pinkie Pie!”
“Whatever Sonata, just serve the ball.” Adagio deadpanned.
“Alright then!” Sonata exclaimed as she threw the ball she was holding into the air. “Here we go!!!”
________________________________________________________________________
“Ugh!” Sunset grunted as she dived for a ball and pancaked it up into the air. Adagio quickly got into a ready position and quickly gave the ball an offset hit, pushing it just past the net. Sonata made a dive for the ball, but was too short as the ball landed just in front of her balled up fists.
“Aw dangit!” Sonata muttered as she picked up the ball and threw it back to Adagio. “What is that, like sixteen for you guys now?”
“Uhh..I lost track, ref?” Sunset asked as she looked over towards Applejack.
“It’s now twenty two-seventeen you guys.” Applejack answered as she glanced over at Sunset. “Honestly ah’m surprised that you two are winnin’. No offence, but I thought Pinkie would’ve creamed y’all by now.”
“Well it helps that we’re both on the volleyball team at school.” Adagio stated proudly. “And the fact that I’ve been playing this game for a few hundred years, so even though you two are quite good with your raw abilities, our honed volleyball skills more than stack up against it.”
“Yeah yeah yeah, less talking, more serving!!!” Pinkie interrupted as both she and Sonata got into ready positions. Sunset and Adagio both got into position as the former of the two began the attack. She served the ball immediately as it fell into the center of the other team’s side of the court. Sonata was able to get under it and set the ball, as Pinkie performed a strong cross shot; propelling the ball to the opposite side of where she was. Luckily, Adagio was there to net her fingers and pass the ball over to Sunset, who hit the ball over the ball over the net, only for Pinkie Pie to run up and spike the ball to the ground on Sunset’s side of the field.
“Haha! Oh yeah! Yo, let’s go!!” Pinkie said as she high fived Sonata. Sunset gave her the ball and returned to her side of the court as Pinkie began serving once more. She smacked the ball with great force as it went over the net, though Sunset positioned herself in just the right spot and was able to hit the ball just past the net. Sonata was able to intercept this shot as she jumped up to spike the ball. Adagio made a dive for the ball, and tried hitting it with her balled up fists, to which Sunset tried hitting the ball over to Pinkie’s side, only to fall short and hit the net.
“Yeah! Here we go! We’re bringing it back!” Sonata proudly proclaimed as she and Pinkie fist bumped.
“Alright Sunset, we need to get our heads in the game if we’re going to beat these clowns.” Adagio said as she passed the ball back over to Pinkie. “I’ll take the front while you cover the back.”
“Right!” Sunset nodded as she returned to her ready position.
“FOOOOOORE!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she served the ball once again. Sunset was able to hit the ball back over the net . Sonata blocked the ball and sent it spiraling towards Sunset once more, who hit the ball towards Adagio, so that the former siren was able to deliver a fierce cross court shot to Pinkie’s side of the field. Pinkie made a dive for the ball and was able to hit it, though her attack lacked the momentum it needed and she ended up hitting the net smack dab in the middle. “Dangit!!”
“Ok, it’s twenty three-nineteen. We can do this…” Sunset muttered to herself as the ball was passed to her. Adagio glanced back at her and gave her a smug grin, to which Sunset nodded and grinned a bit herself. She confidently tossed the ball into the air and put it into play. The ball flew in a lazy arc over the net, allowing for Sonata to hit the ball underhanded back over to Sunset, who sent the ball back over the net with a strong smack. Pinkie was already at the net, ready to intercept the ball for a spike, but when she began her move Adagio quickly sprang up and blocked her strike, effectively deflecting it to the ground on Pinkie’s side of the court.
“Alright, this is match point Sunset, we have this!” Adagio said as she clenched her fist. “Let’s finish them off!!
“Heh, sure thing Adagio.” Sunset replied as she served for what she hoped was for the last time. The ball quickly went over thee net as Sonata hit it back to the other side. Adagio was quick to counter, though Pinkie tried hitting the ball back to Sunset, who quickly knocked the ball in front of Sonata so that she could get another shot in. Sunset once again hit the ball over the net, as now she and Adagio were both on opposite sides of the field. Pinkie took a shot straight for the middle, as it went towards the ground.
“I got it!!” Sunset and Adagio said in unison as both girls charged for the ball. Adagio tried jumping up to hit it, while Sunset tried going low to get it, which caused the two girls to ram into each other. Before Adagio fell to the ground, she put a bit more energy int smacking the ball just before falling into the sand with Sunset.
“Ow! Uuggh.” Sunset grunted as she opened her eyes that she had closed during her impact. She looked to see that surprisingly, she had her face in a familiar spot. Instantly, she blushed as she looked up towards the owner of said assets, as she looked back at her with much the same look; one of surprise.
“U-Umm…you alright there Sunset?” Adagio asked sounding mildly shocked.
“EEp! Um..I mean yeah, yup, yes I am!” Sunset replied embarrassingly as she got up off of Adagio and helped her up. The two girls looked at each other awkwardly before averting their gazes to the sand by their feet.
“Good job you two! You won again!”
Sunset and Adagio looked up to see that Pinkie and Sonata came over to their side of the court with smiles on their faces.
“Wait, we won?” Adagio asked in disbelief.
"Yeah! When you hit the ball last, you got it to go just barely over the net, so you guys win!” Sonata said as she quickly gave each girl a congratulatory hug.
“Yeah girls, that was an awesome game! We should play again!” Pinkie proclaimed.
Sunset sighed. “Eh, if it’s all the same with you Pinkie, I think this is where we’re going to stop. I mean, we’ve already played four games of first to twenty five! I’m bushed.”
“I agree with Sunset, I’ve volleyed enough for one day.” Adagio added as she wiped some sweat from her brow.
“Oh, okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie chirped as she turned over to Sonata. “Hey ‘Nata, you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Oh I think I do.” Sonata answered with a sly grin on her face.
“Sand sculpture building contest go!!” the two shouted at the same time before running off towards where they were keeping their beach supplies.
“Whew….those two wear me out.” Sunset sighed as she stretched a bit.
“Yes, they tend to do that frequently.” Adagio chuckled. “But you have to give them one thing life certainly isn’t dull with either of them around.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that Adagio, I’m glad those two are here with us.” Sunset stated proudly as she looked over at her orange haired friend. “Say umm….sorry about what happened...with….well….you know….crashing into your…..your..”
“Dazzlings?” Adagio asked as she gave a slightly flirty look to Sunset.
“Yeah...those….” Sunset murmured as she glanced over Adagio’s body once more, taking it all in for a second time.
“Sunset?”
“Yes?” Sunset answered once more with Rainbow Dash brand speed.
“You blacked out again. Is this going to become a regular thing with you?”
“No, no I’m just...being a little weird is all, it’s nothing I’m sure.” Sunset assured her friend. She hoped that Adagio would buy it, but judging by the quizzical look she was getting, it wasn’t happening. Was she going to press further on the subject? Sunset didn’t know. What she did know was that the best way to end this conversation topic, was to switch to another. “S-So umm….Adagio, a few hours ago before Pinkie and Sonata challenged us to that volleyball-athon, you wanted to say something right? What was it exactly?”
Adagio’s gaze shifted from one of suspicion to a look of unease in a millisecond. Sunset noticed that as soon as she asked that question, Adagio glanced all around to the rest of the girls, all of whom were relatively close by. Even Rainbow and Aria; who were currently on their seventy-second lap of their race, give or take a few. Sonata and Pinkie were working feverishly on their sand sculptures, and Applejack was reading a book.
“Oh that? Pfft, it was nothing Sunset, truly something miniscule. Not really worth our-your time.” She was quick to correct. She tried smiling, but it came off as her trying to hide something. It was now Sunset’s turn to give the suspicious looks to the bikini clad former siren. She thought of pressing further, but she knew that Adagio would most likely press on her previous blackout if she did. For all intensive purposes, she decided to drop both subjects.
“Alright then, I guess that’s it then.” Sunset assumed to which Adagio nodded. “So umm..anyone here hungry? I saw there was a burger place not too far back, walking distance. You girls wanna go?”
“That sounds wonderful Sunset, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a good burger.” Adagio stated.
“Eeyup, ah could really go for a nice bacon cheddar cheeseburger right about now.” Applejack agreed as she got up from her chair.
“NO CAN DO!!” Rainbow Dash shouted from the shore. “I STILL NEED TO BEAT ARIA!”
“Yeah, we may be here for a while.” Aria taunted as she grinned a cheeky grin, only for Rainbow to glare at her.
“Working on sand sculptures! I’m gonna beat Sonata!” Pinkie declared as she kept forming a large mass of sand that was about half her height.
“I brought tacos with me, so I’m good!” Sonata answered with a mouth full of taco meat, cheese, and shell.
“Well alrighty then.” Applejack said as she glanced back over to where Rarity was lying down. “Hey Rarity, Sunset, Adagio, and I are gonna go get burgers, ya wanna tag along?” she asked to which Rarity remained motionless on her towel. Applejack rolled her eyes as she walked over to where her fashionista friend was lying. “Rares, did ya hear me? Ah asked if ya-ummm….ahhh….”
Applejack stopped a few steps away from Rarity as she could more clearly see the ivory skinned girl….well….the usually ivory skinned girl. All over Rarity’s back was a bright tinge of pink, all over her legs, back, neck, and back of her arms were all pink. Applejack made careful to poke a white spot on Rarity’s arm with her toe.
“Uh Rarity, did y’all fall asleep while tannin’ today?” she asked as she started poking harder. “Rarity, wake up!”
“Mmhh...hmmm...uuhh?” Rarity babbled as she turned her head over to Applejack and opened one sleepy eye. “Huh? Applejack? What is it darling? And-ehh...why is the sun so low?”
“It’s been a few hours Rares. Ya’ll fell asleep while you were lying’ down. And uhh..ah don’t think you should get up for a bit.”
“What?” Rarity asked as she started picking herself up off of the ground. “Why shouldn’t I-AYYYEEE!!!”
No sooner did Rarity rise than she fell back down to the ground, wincing in pain. “Dear heavens! My backside is on fire!”
“Hold still, ya got sunburn all over your body.” Applejack ordered. “Ah got some medicine for stuff like this back in my bag, ah’ll be right back. Sunset, Adagio, can ya just order me a burger while ah do this? Shouldn’t take more than a spell.”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s go Adagio.” Sunset said as both girls walked off to the restaurant.
__________________________________________________________________________
“Dayum, that burger really done hit the spot!” Applejack stated splendidly as she started to slap her stomach like a drum. “Ah swear, these seaside burger joints got the best food for a mile around!”
“Yes, that burger place was amazing. What was it called again? Rusty’s? Quaint as it was, they had a great chef.” Adagio stated matter of factly.
“Yeah, good atmosphere, cool location, awesome food, ten out of ten would eat there again.” Sunset added as the three girls continued on the path back to the beach. “Yeh, either of you know what time it is?”
“Eeyup, it was about six fifty when we left Rusty’s, so ah reckon it’s seven now. We should round up the others so we can get on back to Canterlot soon.”
“Oh, yes I think we should get going in a few minutes. Lord knows it’s a long way back home.” Adagio agreed. “But umm....first, Sunset would you care to come with me somewhere first? I need your help with a little thing in my car.”
“Sure Adagio, I’d be happy to.”
“Alrighty then, I guess ah’ll go ahead and see what the others are up to. We’ll let you know when we start packin’ up girls.” Applejack explained as she continued down the path to where the girls had their spot on the beach. Sunset waved off Applejack before turning back to Adagio.
“So what do you need help with ‘Dagi?” Sunset asked with a smile, eager to help her friend.
“Well….I don’t really need help with anything at the moment. I just needed an excuse to have Applejack return to the beach.” Adagio admitted sheepishly.
“Huh? Well...why did you need AJ to leave?” Sunset asked uneasily as she glanced back to the path her friend went down.
“Come, there’s one thing I need to show you before we leave.” Adagio stated as she walked off the path; motioning for Sunset to follow her at the same time. Sunset was quick to pursue her friend, keeping up with her though she wasn’t moving particularly fast. They went into an area that was mostly grass and trees that was on the edge of the beach, separated by a small drop onto the beach. They were going for a few minutes until Sunset found Adagio sitting on a swing chair by a small clearing amongst the trees. The orange haired girl looked at her with a smile.
“Come on, take a seat!” Adagio urged Sunset as she patted the spot next to her. Sunset obeyed as she plopped her butt down on the bench and looked at Adagio.
“So umm....what exactly did you want to show me?” Sunset inquired. After she asked this, Adagio grinned and put her index finger and thumb to Sunset’s chin.
“The best part about the beach.” Adagio answered as she shifted Sunset’s head so that she was looking out to the beach.
“Woah…..” Sunset said in awe as she beheld the sight in front of her. Right in front of her was quite possibly the most picturesque beach sunset she had ever seen. The sun was a low hanging shimmering half circle on the horizon, a lightish orange if anyone have ever seen it. The sky was a canvas of colors blending seamlessly together. Blues shifting into pinks, shifting into golden yellows, and orange, the clouds partaking in the scene by shifting the light into even more different kinds of colors, all the while the tranquil waters of the ocean shimmering with those very same hues of magnificent color. Add that all to the empty beach and low hanging trees, it all looked like something out of a postcard.
‘Mmhmm….Mother Nature’s greatest masterpiece.” Adagio called the scene in front of her. Sunset looked back at her friend to see that her eyes were sparkling like the beautiful ocean ahead.
‘You said that you used to live on the beach right? I can only imagine what it must be like seeing this every day.” Sunset said as she looked back at the other sunset before her.
“It was amazing, being able to watch the sunset used to be, and still is one of my favorite things to do nearly anywhere.” Adagio beamed. “Sunsets...are some of the most beautiful things anywhere in my opinion. I’ve always felt a sense of welcoming whenever I see one. It always makes me feel as though I belong, as though all is right in the world. Like a warm blanket envelops my body whenever I see one.”
Sunset looked back towards Adagio, who was still staring out at the sea. At that moment, she noticed something peculiar about her friend.
“Hey Adagio, did you remember to sunscreen everywhere?”
Adagio looked back at Sunset confused. “Yeah, why do you ask?”
“Cause I don’t know if it’s just me, but it looks as though you have some sun on your cheeks.” Sunset pointed out. Adagio’s usually light yellow skin was now a slight shade of red. She moved her hand to touch her cheek as she sighed a bit.
“Umm….Sunset, can I-c-can I talk to you about what I was trying to talk about earlier?” Adagio asked as she shifted around nervously.
“Yeah, sure Adagio. I was wondering about what that was.” Sunset admitted, to which Adagio averted her eyes from the red and yellow haired girl.
“Sunset I-gulp Sunset for what it’s worth, I wanted to thank you...for all you’ve done to help me and my sisters. Before you came up with your whole ‘magic of friendship’ thing, Aria just plain hated everything, and Sonata would do nothing but fight with her. But ever since, Aria has found a new passion in swimming, with a lot of new friends on the swim team to boot. Sonata, well it’s hard to tell she’s any different, but she’s become quite the socialite amongst the students of Canterlot High, and she doesn’t fight with Aria nearly as much as she used to. But most of all, I’m grateful that you and the others reached out to us when noone else would. I’ll always be thankful for that.”
“That’s what you were nervous about telling me?” Sunset asked slightly dumbfounded. “Adagio, of course I helped you and your sisters. Before you guys came to school, I was in your position. Being ignored, hated, ridiculed by every single person in the school. Well..that isn’t true, I had five amazing people who saw past all the horrible thing I did, and helped me to realize that I didn’t have to be alone, even in a world that wasn’t my own. I only wanted to do the same for you and the others. After knowing how it feels to be alone for so long, I didn’t want anyone else to feel that way, even if they were three people together.”
“Well Sunset, I wanted to thank you for not being there for my sisters, but being there for me.” Adagio admitted. “I’m so used to being the one to be leaned on, to be the one who those who follow me look to for all the answers, to be the one to let them know that everything was going to be okay. It truly felt nice to have someone who was there to help me through another trial in my life.”
“You’re welcome Adagio, We’re friends. You can lean on me whenever you need.” Sunset happily promised, to see Adagio’s blush grow a tinge redder.
“I know that, and for that reason I wanted to thank you. But...I felt as though there was only one way I could truly convey my thanks.”
“Alright.”
“What?”
Sunset nodded. “Sure Adagio, however you need to, you can try if you want.”
“I...can?” Adagio asked in a nervous tone, to which Sunset nodded again. “Well alright, here it goes..” she said as she looked back up at Sunset. Adagio stared at Sunset for a few seconds before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. And within that moment, she pulled forward….
“MMMH!”
And kissed Sunset.
Initially, Sunset was shocked, her eyes widened and her body grew stiff with surprise. However, as soon as she calmed down, she felt an immense sensation of warmth all across her body; like a legion of butterflies in her stomach had taken flight in her stomach and flew through all reaches of her body. Sunset stared at Adagio, who still had her lips pressed to her own, with her eyes still slammed shut. Still in her moment of bliss, Sunset gently closed her eyes, to only feel the supple lips of Adagio gracing her own. She savored every bit of it, the sparks on her tongue, the jitters in her gut, and all the thoughts racing through her head. She enjoyed it for who knows how long, until the moment of contact ended, and Adagio retreated as quickly as she had advanced, her face ablaze with the color red.
“Wow...that was….quite the thank you.” Sunset muttered as she stared at Adagio.
“I apologize if it was a bit...sudden, but I’ve always felt that actions spoke louder than words.” Adagio replied as she looked back at Sunset.
“Heh, well I heard you loud and clear ‘Dagi.” Sunset admitted, blushing nearly as much as Adagio. “And well….I hope I relayed something you were wanting to hear.”
“I did. I really did.” Adagio stated happily as she smiled wide. “You know Sunset, I’ve spent such a long time trying to get people all around the world to adore me, but now after all these years...I think I finally found something that I adore.”
“And I’m glad you did.” Sunset said as she grinned just about as wide as Adagio. Both girls just stared at each other for a few moments, gawking at one another and their ridiculously happy faces not saying a word. This went on for a few moments before Adagio spoke up.
“Hey Sunset, we have a little bit before we have to start leaving for home….would you care to take a walk with me on the beach?”
Sunset beamed. “Nothing would make me happier.”
