Partay Time
Hard lyrics and a pounding beat echoed in her ears, drowning out the world around Lemon Zest as the steady, sure feeling of her skates beating down the rough gravel surged up her legs. She didn't bother pushing herself very hard. She let the wheels on her feet glide her around the city, up and down streets and sidewalks, deftly sliding around pedestrians and cars with long-practiced ease.
The warmth of the sun leaning just slightly towards the western horizon helped calm her nerves. Though she still couldn't help but feel like something was missing. She glanced quickly to her left side, as if expecting Vinyl Scratch to be pacing her on the sidewalk, but the space was as empty as usual, these days. A pang of regret stabbed her right in the heart, and all of her attempts to brush it away were for naught.
She and Vinyl were friends, still. They had worked it out between them, and they texted each other frequently, but they rarely met face-to-face. It was a sharp contrast from before, when they would spend as much time together as they possibly could. It was for the best, Lemon knew it was. Vinyl needed to work through her issues, and she was even talking about possibly seeing a psychiatrist. But somehow all the knowing in the world didn't make it feel like it was for the best...
Lemon sighed as her skates glided from the sidewalk up the driveway to the front door of her house. She turned off her iPod and brought the headphones down to her shoulders before pushing the door open, taking a single step inside.
"Surprise!"
She squawked like a parrot and jumped clean out the front door again when a joyous scream erupted from inside. Her skates slipped on the pavement in her panic and she fell hard to her butt with a pained yelp.
"Gah! Owwwie..." Lemon Zest grunted.
"That was so worth it," Sugarcoat remarked from the group as Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare rushed to help Lemon to her feet.
"Wh-wha...?" Lemon Zest let herself be lifted to her feet by each arm, taking a moment to absorb the scene. All of her friends were standing in front of her. Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Twilight Sparkle, and even Spike was standing near the couch with Mina. The entire room was decorated with streamers and balloons, and there was a cake sitting on the coffee table. "Oh gosh... this is awkward... my birthday was months ago, guys."
Sunny Flare shook her head. "This isn't a birthday party."
Indigo Zap punched her shoulder with a grin on her lips. "This is a we love ya party!"
"A wha?" Lemon Zest gaped.
Twilight spoke up next with a soft blush on her cheeks. "We know you've been feeling down lately about... you know, what happened with Vinyl. So we thought we'd do something nice for you." She waved her arms around her at the party covering the walls. "We want to see you get back to your old self."
"Awww... you guys..." Lemon Zest couldn't stop the smile from infecting her face. It broke into a full grin when Spike and Mina leapt into each of her arms and began licking at each cheek. "Ahahahaha! Okay, okay! Geeze! I... I don't even... I don't even know the words..."
Indigo Zap threw her arm around Lemon's shoulders. "Who says you have to say anything?" She gestured to Sour Sweet, who snatched the remote to Lemon's stereo system off the end table by the sofa and tossed it to them. Indigo snatched it out of the air and put it in Lemon's hand. "All you gotta do is get this party started."
Lemon grinned down at the two puppies who were sitting in her arms, then let her eyes scan the room. Everyone was smiling at her, though there was kind of an odd look in Sour Sweet's eyes. She blinked and looked away slightly when she noticed that Lemon was looking at her. Lemon Zest just smiled, carefully let the puppies drop from her arms, and stood with the remote in her hand.
"I think I found the words, guys!" Lemon hit the button on the remote, and a pounding bass began reverberating throughout the room. "Mosh pit!"
"Gah!" Twilight gasped as the room dissolved into dancing, leaping girls moving towards her. "Not me! I'm tiny and fragile! Aaahhh!"
By the time the dancing came to an end Lemon Zest was panting and sweaty all over again. She had kicked her skates off early on, and the group of girls were chilling out in the living room in their socks in the afterglow of their intense dance party. Twilight Sparkle had an ice-pack pressed to her stomach, lying lengthwise across the couch with her head in Sunny's lap.
"Are you feeling better, Twi?" Sunny asked with a half-concerned, half-amused smile on her lips.
"Yeah, I... I'm fine." Twilight blushed. "I've just never moshed before."
Sugarcoat looked toward the couch. "I would apologize, but you shouldn't have been just standing there."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future..." Twilight moaned.
Indigo Zap rested her heels on the coffee table with her hands behind her head, lying on the carpet on her back. "Mmmh, I don't know about anyone else, but I could use a refuel about now. How about we cut into that cake?"
"Allow me." Sunny went to get some plates and silverware from the kitchen, then returned to begin slicing the strawberry cake into slices to pass around the room to the gathered friends. She even set a plate in front of the puppies.
"Mmmh, thanks!" Spike exclaimed as he and Mina began hungrily digging into their proffered meal. Lemon Zest giggled and pet each of the puppies in turn before grabbing her own plate when it was offered.
"Thanks." Lemon took a slow, savoring bite of her cake. "Aaah, strawberry... forget chocolate, this is where it's at."
Sugarcoat took her own plate with a grimace. "To each their own. Even if your own is completely and totally wrong."
Indigo spoke around her second bite, now sitting up on the floor with her plate in her hand. "What should we do next?"
"Hmm..." Lemon Zest looked away as the other four began to speak amicably among themselves. Sour Sweet was keeping to herself a bit apart from the group, having come in just long enough to grab her slice of cake. Lemon glanced around to make sure she wouldn't be missed before sliding her butt across the floor to end up beside her freckled friend.
"Hey."
Sour Sweet glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, then mumbled softly around her cake. "Hey."
"You doing okay? You've been really quiet all day."
"M'fine." Sour Sweet half-spoke, half-grunted.
"You sure?" Lemon Zest leaned forward, trying to get a good look at her face.
"I said I'm fine," Sour Sweet snapped without looking at her. Lemon Zest jerked back and raised her hands in surprise. Sour glanced over at her, then just grunted and climbed to her feet, moving to the other side of the group in a huff.
"Okay... sorry..." Lemon blushed softly.
"Come on ladies, we've been quiet for too long, now!" Indigo Zap jumped up from the carpet, leaving her empty plate sitting on the coffee table. "Let's get this party kicking again!"
"Heh... yaaay..." Lemon Zest agreed half-heartedly.
Up next was a game of Twister. Lemon Zest had a sneaking suspicion one of the girls had set this up for her benefit, but she wasn't sure who, and nobody said anything about it. She had always tried to be respectful of her friends' personal space unless she was feeling particularly silly, and she wasn't really feeling silly right now. Sour Sweet's worrying silence continued well into the game, during which she spent most of the time standing on the sidelines, politely refusing when her turn came around. As opposed to Lemon Zest, who was drafted into every round.
"As our treat to you." Sugarcoat winked with her usual air of subtlety.
Still, it wasn't so bad. Lemon Zest did enjoy physical activity, and contorting her body into strenuous positions wasn't something she did regularly. It was interesting, and she found herself having a lot of fun with it. Anything she brushed against was a happy accident. And the game even had a twist ending. Twilight Sparkle ended up taking the crown in the last round, by holding herself up with her head, her arms folded beneath her with her butt sticking straight up in the air.
"Alright, way to go, Twi!" Lemon Zest sat up after collapsing to slap her friend a high five.
"I guess having no muscle mass whatsoever makes you pretty flexible," Sugarcoat noted with some interest.
"Heh..." Twilight blushed as she slipped her glasses back onto her nose. "I'm just used to getting out of people's way."
"Hahaha, awwww. Well, that's all over with now." Indigo Zap threw a companionable arm around Twilight's shoulders after she stood up.
"Totally." Lemon Zest stood with a grin. Her eyes flicked over to Sour Sweet again, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest.
"I think it's about time for some drinks." Sunny Flare stretched her arms over her head as she headed towards the kitchen.
"Can I get some soda?" Indigo called after her.
"I'll bring out the water." Sunny vanished into the kitchen. Indigo stuck her tongue out after her, then plopped down on the couch.
Lemon Zest pursed her lips as she slid discreetly up beside Sugarcoat, whispering in a soft tone. "Hey, Sugarcoat."
"Hm?" Sugarcoat looked up curiously.
"Do you know what's up with Sour Sweet? She's being really quiet today."
"I dunno." Sugarcoat shrugged. "I've been noticing that too. Not sure what's up with her. Maybe she overdosed on her meds and got too mellow."
"Or maybe she just doesn't want to be here..." Lemon looked down. "Do you think she's upset with me somehow?"
"Upset with you?" Sugarcoat looked at her strangely. "If she is she has a weird way of showing it, considering this was all her idea to begin with."
"It... what?" Lemon blinked in surprise. "Sour Sweet suggested this party for me?"
"Yeah. She said she sent you to fetch some tampons for her so she could ask us all about planning a surprise party to cheer her up."
"Oh yeah, I do remember that..." Lemon put a finger to her chin. "I guess that was kind of a weird thing for her to ask..."
Sugarcoat smirked. "And you didn't notice. You are so friend-whipped."
Lemon blushed. "I am not!"
"Mmm... I could use another slice of cake."
"Sure, I'll get it." Lemon Zest hummed to herself as she tromped through the room to the cake to cut two more slices for herself and Sugarcoat, then walked back to hand off one plate to her friend.
"Thank you." Sugarcoat hefted her fork between two fingers and began happily munching on her soft, spongy goodness. Strawberry or not, cake was still cake.
As Lemon leaned against the wall beside her she couldn't help but look towards Sour Sweet. While the rest of the girls were hanging around the room chatting in low tones as they recharged their batteries, Sour Sweet was leaning against the wall with her hands folded behind her, watching the others idly with a worryingly blank expression on her face. Lemon watched until Sour's eyes met hers, then flitted away again to watch Twilight and Sunny having an energetic conversation about Twilight's flexibility.
The rest of the party went by smoothly. There were only two more games planned, which were seemingly selected to put Lemon as close to her friends as possible. They consisted of a three-legged race, which Lemon and Indigo won despite collapsing all over the finishing line, and a game of Truth or Dare, which Sour Sweet politely declined to take part in and which saw Lemon kissing both Twilight Sparkle and Indigo Zap. They took it in stride, but it didn't really do anything for Lemon since they were clearly so not-into it. Still, she knew Sugarcoat meant well, so she didn't protest.
After the games were out of the way and Twilight Sparkle's party schedule had been satisfied, they finished the night out with a final round of dancing before letting the party go. Lemon Zest met her friends at the front door, giving each of them a tight, warm embrace as they filed through.
"Thank you girls sooo much for this," she said as she wrapped Sugarcoat in her first hug of the night. "I feel so much better."
"Don't sweat it." Sugarcoat patted her back comfortably. "Try to take it easy for a while."
"I will." Lemon nodded and let Sugarcoat leave before pulling Sunny Flare into her next hug.
Sunny hugged her back smoothly. "If I may be so bold, I'd advise against looking for another relationship right away. Take a little time to yourself to heal, alright? Even if you don't think you need it."
"I'll do my best to resist the temptation to elope with the first hot babe I see." Lemon chuckled and released her friend.
Twilight Sparkle and Indigo Zap exchanged their own hugs on the way out, bidding her goodnight and well-wishes. Sour Sweet was the last one who tried to leave, moving past Lemon with a brief smile and a curt salute. Lemon raised one hand and hooked the back of Sour Sweet's shirt with one finger, holding her in place on the front patio while the others reached the sidewalk. Sour Sweet tried to tug away a couple times, but Lemon slowly pulled her back like a fish on a hook, bringing her inside and closing the door in front of her with the other hand.
Sour Sweet remained silent as Lemon Zest moved in front of her, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is something wrong, Sour Sweet?" Sour Sweet shook her head. "You've been really quiet all day. I've been really worried about you." Sour Sweet looked away, but her lips remained shut. "Why won't you talk to me? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry at me?"
"Of course not, don't be stupid! Ergh..." Sour Sweet grunted through gritted teeth, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "O-okay... fine... you know how I can be, I didn't want to ruin this party for you by exploding over something stupid like I always do. You needed this party..."
Lemon Zest blushed herself. "Sour Sweet, you don't have to shut up on my account. I do know how you are, and I accept how you are. You know that."
"That doesn't mean you should have to put up with my crap all the time!" Sour Sweet looked up finally. Her fists were clenched in frustration at her sides. "I just wanted this day to be perfect for you... I mean..." She looked down again. Lemon Zest swore she saw a trace of embarrassment in her eyes. "The other day when you came over and broke down crying? It... it hurt me." Sour Sweet put a hand over her chest.
"Sour Sweet...?" Lemon Zest blinked in surprise.
"I hated that I couldn't think of anything to say or do. It took me three days to come up with this dumb plan to cheer you up. I wasn't about to let my mouth ruin this for you, I didn't want you to break down crying at me again. I hated that!"
"Geeze, Sour Sweet..." Lemon's blush deepened. "I'm sorry. I had no idea I did that to you. You should've told me, I wouldn't have-"
"I know you wouldn't have. And it would've been so cool of me to tell you to go away when you need a good friend to cry on! Gah!" Sour Sweet threw her arms up and stalked across the room towards the kitchen. "You're my best friend, Lemon Zest! You can count on me, Lemon Zest! Now go away because I don't want to deal with your problems, Lemon Zest!"
Lemon Zest rubbed the back of her neck, then approached her tense friend. She reached out to take Sour Sweet's right hand in a gentle grip. Sour Sweet twitched for a moment, but soon began to visibly relax. "Thank you, Sour Sweet." Lemon Zest was smiling when Sour Sweet finally turned to look back at her. "It really means a lot to me that you went to all this trouble for my sake." She stepped forward, pulling Sour Sweet forward by her hand to give her a soft kiss on her lips.
Sour Sweet grunted under her breath, her eyes casting about for anything to look at, but her hand not releasing Lemon's. When she saw no means of escape, she finally looked into Lemon's eyes again. "Lemon, I... I didn't mean to... start anything."
"I know." Lemon smiled. "Should I go find that roadkilled skunk?"
"Nah... I don't think so." Sour Sweet giggled softly. "So what's going on here? I'm not exactly the best at understanding this sort of thing..."
"Mmmh..." Lemon Zest squeezed Sour Sweet's hand softly. "For now? Nothing. I think Sunny's right. I need to chill out, and unwind... but I could totally use a close friend to hang out with."
"Yeah?" Sour Sweet smiled.
"Absolutely!" Lemon Zest nodded vigorously. "And in the future... I don't know... I guess we'll feel it out as we go, okay?"
"Y-yeah, of course that's okay." Sour Sweet pulled her hand away at last as a deep, crimson blush spread across her cheeks. "Hey, how about I help you clean up the party? It's kind of crappy for us to barge in, wreck your house without asking, and leave the cleanup to you."
"Sure. That would be really sweet of you." Lemon Zest flashed a bright, cheeky smile at her friend. The smile made Sour Sweet flush and turn quickly away, marching towards the coffee table to snatch the abandoned cake dishes up for transport into the kitchen.
Lemon Zest felt her heart lift at the sight of her dear friend carrying the dishes into the kitchen. It was such a little thing, but Sour Sweet really had done so much for her already, and she had never known the girl to do anything like this before. She wasn't ready to consider dating again... she needed to relax, and think...
But at least, no matter what happened in the future, Sour Sweet would be there for her. That was a tremendous comfort.
