Found Wanting

"So, uuh..."

Sunset hesitated as Rainbow Dash spoke up for the first time since they had started. Rainbow dunked her roller in paint again, though at this point she might as well have just used her smock to paint the new walls in the school lobby for all the paint she had gotten on her.

"Didn't you used to be on the cheer squad?"

"Yeah." Sunset said. She stepped down from her ladder and moved it a few feet to the right.

"Ok." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Cool."

They fell back into silence as Sunset continued working on the trim over the doors.

"Why'dya quit?"

"Huh?"

Rainbow Dash spun her roller, splattering more paint around. "Why did you quit? You were pretty good, I thought. At least, the PE teacher was complaining all through sophomore year."

"I was kinda busy." Sunset shrugged.

"With what?" Rainbow asked brightly, a rather enthusiastic roll sending taupe paint onto Sunset's leggings. "Oops. Sorry."

Sunset glared down at her. "Plotting a social takeover and a extradimensional coup takes a lot more effort than you'd think."

Rainbow Dash snorted irreverently. "Yeah, I bet. And I thought keeping up with school, sports and a part-time job was hard."

"You have a job?" Sunset asked, surprised. Really, she never seemed the responsible type to-

"Not anymore I don't. Pinkie Pie fired me."

Sunset hesitated as the implications of Pinkie Pie firing Rainbow Dash caught up with her, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Rainbow Dash saw it and laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know! I just didn't have the time back then. I hope I never have to get a real job, really. They're boring, I would rather play sports."

"Wouldn't we all. What do you do now that soccer season is over?"

"Na'much. Usually I'd be trying to get my band back together for the winter, but now that, uh... well... we're all friends again. I guess I don't know, someone will have a plan and wanna hang out. We just haven't done that since..."

"August thirtieth, two years ago. The day I figured out how to make fake caller-IDs for phones." Sunset stepped down from her ladder, watching Rainbow Dash for her reaction. Rainbow Dash winced.

"Yeeeah. Since that."

Sunset turned back to her work, feeling oddly disappointed and a little angry.

Rainbow Dash gave her a sidelong glance. "Did... did'ja wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Phew!" Rainbow let out a breath. "That's good, I suck at all that touchy-feely crap. Y'know, I was really worried about what to do when Twilight told us we should make friends with you. I was like, 'I dunno what the heck I'm doing!' but..."

"But what?" Sunset set down her materials and stepped back, pulling her smock over her head and checking her handiwork.

"You're pretty easy to talk to. You're okay, really."