The Swimsuit Contestby Jay DavidChaptersThe PlanRulesThe ContestAftermathThe PlanAuthor's Note Now, I know a few of you will probably ask this question, so I’ll answer it pre-emptively. No, this fic was not written in response to the news that we’ll be getting a beach/swimsuit EG special in the near future. This story was written up some time ago, and only now have I had the opportunity to get around to posting it. The timing is just a coincidence. The Plan When students were called to the Principal's office, it usually meant that bad things were awaiting them, even when said Principal was as fair and open-handed as Celestia. Such was the thinking when Sunset Shimmer walked the hallway towards that aforementioned office, a look of concern plastered over her face. Only a few other students were around right now, and most of them were concerned with getting things in or out of their lockers, leaving the former unicorn alone with her thoughts as she made her journey. However, that solitude did not last long. "Sunset!" Turning, the girl smiled as her lover, Flash, approached her from behind, before walking beside her at the same pace. "Hey, Flash. What's up?" The boy sighed. "Got called to Celestia's office. You?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "...Me too." Flash looked to her, surprised. "What do you think it's about?" His girlfriend shook her head. "No idea. Sounded important though." Flash looked ahead, starting to look a little concerned himself. "Well...guess we'll find out." He had the right of it, as the door to Celestia's office was now right in view. The two young lovers, though clearly hesitant, nevertheless made their way over, with Sunset being the one to open the door. Once that was done, the two soon looked upon their Principal, who sat at her desk trying to look as composed and professional as she could. However, what truly surprised the youths was that, standing beside her, was none other than Adagio Dazzle. The eldest Siren sister, with her hands clasped behind her back, looked to them both with an expression that made it clear that she was very pleased with herself right now. For Sunset and Flash, experience had taught them well that, when Adagio looked like this, nothing good was about to happen. Still, in spite of this, they entered the room in earnest, closing the door behind them just as Celestia spoke. "Please, take a seat." And sit they did, into two chairs which had already been prepared for them. A silence fell between the four for a time until, finally, Celestia herself broke the silence, letting out a long sigh before addressing Sunset and Flash directly. "I'm sure you two have heard recently that the local orphanage has been going through some...difficulties." Hearing that, Flash frowned. "Yeah. I volunteer there quite a bit. They say they're getting pretty under-funded these days. Last time I was there, the secretary was looking pretty worried about it." Celestia nodded. "Indeed. And I'm sure you, along with other students here, have been thinking of ways to try and help out." Sunset leaned forward, adding her own voice to that matter. "We have. Fluttershy's been suggesting trying to make appeals to the public for donations. Pinkie has been talking with Mr and Mrs Cake at Sugar Cube Corner to arrange some kind of bake sale, and all the others girls have been coming up with ideas of their own." Again, Celestia nodded. "I'm glad to hear of it. However..." A slight grimace crossed her face. "...it would appear that...a certain other road to revenue has been...suggested to us." Sunset and Flash looked to each other with confusion, then, as one, looked to Adagio, who maintained that confident look of hers. Celestia, after casting a brief glance of annoyance to the latter, took in a deep breath before reaching down to open a drawer on her desk. After rummaging around in it for a time, she pulled out a sheet of paper, looked to it for a time, before then handing it over to Sunset. The ex-unicorn took it, and, holding it in both hands, began to read aloud. "Official permission granted to Canterlot High School for the hosting of a..." She paused, squinting her eyes and bringing the paper closer to her face, just to make sure she wasn't mis-reading the words before her. "...a swimsuit contest?!" Flash's head snapped in her direction. "Pardon?!" Sunset offered the paper to him. "That's what it says!" Flash took the offered paper, reading it to himself before looking back to Celestia. "With respect, Principal Celestia...is this a joke?!" Celestia hung her head. "Believe me...I wish it was. However..." She cast another glance to Adagio. "...it appears the matter has been taken out of my hands." Sunset too looked to Adagio, frowning slightly. "What have you done?!" Chuckling a little, Adagio now clasped her hands in front of herself, before replying. "Well, I figured many of the other plans to fund the orphanage would not quite meet the levels we needed it to. So, since wholesale school events are so much more this school's forte, I figured it might be more prudent to go bigger." She placed a hand upon her hip. "Besides, I'm fairly certain an event such as this would get us the funds we need. Something like this? That would attract quite an audience." This time, it was Flash's turn to look at her with annoyance. "Yeah, I'll bet it will!" He looked back to Celestia. "Principal Celestia, you can't honestly approve of something like this?!" Celestia shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have done. Unfortunately, the matter was taken to Superintendent Sombra before being brought to my attention." She looked away, frowning. "Unsurprisingly, he was all in favour of the notion." Then, she began to mumble under her breath. "I swear, that man will be the death of me one day." Looking back to the young couple in front of her, the older woman shrugged her shoulders. "Bottom line, it’s been given his blessing. So, this is happening, regardless of my own objections. The school will be hosting this...event." That final word, understandably, had been spoken with barely-restrained distaste, though nobody could fault her for it. Sunset and Flash looked to one another, then to the paper before, finally, speaking to each other. "Think it'll work?" Flash asked, his voice tainted with uncertainty. Sunset considered that. "I...I don't know. I mean..." When she spoke next, it was with a more begrudging tone. "...the orphanage does need the money. And, like Adagio said, it'd probably get in a lot of people." The way she'd spoken that suggested that, at least on some level, she had accepted this idea as a necessary, albeit unwanted, step towards their goal. Moreover, the way she now looked to her boyfriend quietly signalled that she was trying to get him to be more accepting of this whole mess, even though she herself was not exactly happy with it. For his part, Flash frowned, looking away and rubbing his temples. "Those kids need help, so...I guess we can stomach this if it helps them." Adagio nodded. "That’s the spirit!" The boy then looked to her, eyes narrowed. "But we'll need to go over a few ground rules for this. A High-School swimsuit contest is gonna attract a lot of scrutiny, both inside and outside." Adagio, hearing that, raised both hands. "Not a problem. We can discuss rules right here, if you like." Sunset nodded to that. "I guess we'll need judges for it, like we had with the Battle of the Bands." She looked to Celestia. "Will you and Vice-Principal Luna be...?" Celestia knew the unspoken question, and shook her head. "Not this time. We may have authority over the general framework of this, but I think that, this time, it might be best left in the hands of the students themselves." Flash raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't by any chance, just be saying that to try and distance yourself from this contest, would you?" Celestia looked to him with utter stoicism. "...I will neither confirm nor deny that." Sunset and Flash looked to each other again, then back to her. "So...who are you going to get instead?" Flash asked. That question seemed to make Celestia somewhat uncomfortable, and she suddenly found herself unable to answer, leaving the field wide open for Adagio to let her voice known. "Well...let's just say there's a second reason you two were called here." Naturally, it took no time whatsoever for the couple to get the meaning of those words, and their eyes widened with shock and horror. Then, slowly, they sighed simultaneously, as though already resigned to their fate, with Sunset speaking for both of them. "...Of course." Rules"You’re the judges?!" Applejack's shock was as evident for her as it was for everyone else, as all of the girls stared at Sunset and Flash with gaping mouths. Naturally, the couple themselves just let out simultaneous sighs of exasperation as they nodded in conformation. Currently, the two, along with the other six girls, were sitting together in one of their usual booths at Sugar Cube Corner, with a variety of drinks and milkshakes laid out before them. Sunset and Flash, as one would expect, weren't looking too comfortable right now, being subject to the looks of astonishment and disbelief from their friends. But, after a time, it was Flash who eventually broke this long and uncomfortable silence. "It was Adagio's idea. Apparently, she thinks we'd be good choices." Sunset frowned. "Either that, or she just loves messing with us, since she’ll be judging too." Flash considered that. "Yeah, that works too." The other girls all looked to one another, not quite sure how to react to all of this, before eventually turning to face them yet again. "So...when's this contest going on?" Rainbow asked. Sunset looked to her. "About a week from now. It'll take a while for arrangements to be made to the gym to make it suitable for the show." Twilight, adjusting her glasses a little bit, was the next to speak. "How exactly is this contest supposed to work?" Sunset, upon hearing that, looked over to Flash, who himself glanced to Twilight before leaning forward and starting to explain things. "We talked it over with Celestia and Adagio. Basically, anyone who wants to take part will submit their name on a list outside Celestia's office. Then, any student who wants to see that person on stage being...well..." "Displayed?" Rarity suggested. Flash gave her an appreciative nod. "Yeah, that. If you want to see that person on-stage, you donate some money. If that person get's a minimum of a hundred dollars to their name, they go through to actually take part." It was Sunset who carried on afterwards. "Celestia's not happy about this whole thing, so her involvement in this isn’t like it was for other events we’ve had. She’ll be there, just to make sure everything’s on the up and up, but that’s about it." There was another round of nods among the girls, who thought long and hard on that. "Um...how much money is needed for the orphanage to be helped?" Fluttershy asked. Sunset and Flash looked to one another, then back to Fluttershy. "Including everything we’ve got from all the bake sale and other stuff? About fifty thousand dollars," Flash answered. The girls' eyes widened at that. "Geez! Well, here's hoping the contest goes ahead then," Pinkie exclaimed. Of course, all eyes were on her after she'd said that, prompting her to shrug her shoulders. "What? It's all for saving an orphanage, right? Besides, it's not like we haven't all been in swimsuits in public before, right?" Rarity looked to her, aghast. "That was quite different, Pinkie! We were all at the beach that day! This? This is...this is..." "Like a bunch o’ girls wearin’ pretty dresses an' marchin' down a catwalk?" Applejack added with a smirk. Rarity smiled to her. "Yes, exac..." Then, her expression turned to one of irritation. "No! It's nothing like that!" Applejack chuckled, and she and Rainbow shared a private fist-bump at the joke, all while Rarity fumed in silence. Meanwhile, Sunset looked over to Flash, putting a hand over his. "If we raise enough money, it'll be worth it to go through all of this, Flash." Though still somewhat put off, the boy nevertheless nodded. "Yeah...guess I'll just have to keep telling myself that." He turned to his lover, offering her a small smile. "Still...I guess I should be grateful Adagio was willing to accept the rules we set down." Sunset nodded, but didn't say anything, as it was instead Rainbow who spoke next. "What rules?" Both Flash and Sunset turned to the others, seeing the curiosity on their faces. Sunset, in silence, gestured to her boyfriend, quietly urging him to explain matters, to which he simply cleared his throat before speaking. "Well...first of all, only the older students get to participate." He frowned a little. "The absolute last thing I want in this is to see Scootaloo parading herself out there at her age." He then looked to Rarity and Applejack. "And I figure you two don't want your sisters there either." The two girls, upon realising that, looked to each other. "Oh my! I hadn't even thought of that!" Applejack frowned, adjusting her hat before replying. "Eyup! Ain't no way ah'd let little Bloom be part o' that!" Nodding in agreement, Flash then continued. "Secondly, only decent swimsuits allowed. So no putting a couple of pieces of string across your chest and calling it a bikini or whatever." Rainbow turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, bro. You really think some girl is seriously gonna...?" But, in answer to her unfinished question, Flash gave his half-sister a pair of narrowed eyes, and in the silence that followed, Rainbow considered her own question, before coming to a stark realisation, scratching the back of her head and letting out a nervous chuckle. "Oh...hehe...right. Never mind." Shaking his head, Flash let out a long sigh, only to find Rarity speaking towards him with an enamoured tone. "Ah, how sweet. Gallant Flash Sentry, valiantly defending the virtue of the young maidens of Canterlot High." The boy let out a dry laugh. "Apparently not defending you enough, since this thing is still going on." To that, Sunset placed her hand on his shoulder. "It was out of our hands before we even knew it was happening. Don't worry about it." Her boyfriend smiled to her, then, after realising that he wasn't finished yet, concluded his explanation. "Finally...the guys can compete too." As expected, a rule like that earned him the undivided attention of all the girls. "Er...what?" Pinkie asked. Flash sighed. "Yeah...we figured that it'd be better if all of the older students were allowed to enter, and not just the girls. The last thing Celestia needs right now is to have this be even more controversial by having just the female students put out there." Pinkie, after letting that information sink in, started to develop a sly smirk. "...Nice." Applejack looked to her with a frown. "Careful, Pinkie. Yer Adagio is showin'." But Pinkie just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, like you girls aren't interested in this?" The other girls, of course, blushed slightly at the suggestion, particularly Twilight, who suddenly found her glasses fogging up a bit. As she took them off to wipe them down, she mused on the situation. "Well...I suppose there are plenty of girls who'd be happy with this. Getting the chance to see some of the boys up there. Sandalwood, Wiz, Big Mac..." Hearing that final name, Applejack shot her a frown. "Pardon?!" Before Twilight could defend her statement, Rainbow did so in her stead. "Come on, AJ. If it gets known that this thing is gonna save an orphanage, do you really think your brother won’t volunteer for it?" Applejack opened her mouth to reply, only to have the realisation of her friend's statement hit her hard. "Oh...shoot." Flash and Sunset, after glancing to one another, let the awkwardness of this whole matter sink in, as they leaned back into their side of the booth all while their friends continued to think on this situation in silence. However, the period of quiet did not last, as Pinkie, before anyone could really stop her, looked to all her friends and asked the one question that had probably been burning on everyone's mind during this whole thing. "So...which of you girls is going to be in this?" The ContestAs soon as word of the upcoming contest made its way to the ears of the student body, Canterlot High became awash with gossip, excitement and, as expected, some trepidation. Talks were had among classes, cliques and close friends. For a time, the lonely list hanging outside Celestia's office would simply be stared at for a good long while, all while the boys and girls of the school debated amongst themselves. Who would sign it? Who would be seen when the day came? But, slowly, names eventually did start to emerge on that list, a few more each day, though it was clear that those who did so did it with an equal sense of confidence and nervousness. Eventually, as these things do, the fated day arrived, and the students, in larger numbers than expected, began to make their way during the lunch hour to the gym where the contest was to be held. In many ways, the place had been set up in a similar fashion to how it was back when the Battle of the Bands had been established some time ago, with one end having been converted into an all-out stage for the event. Students from every class were gathered here, sitting in the area set apart for the audience. In-between the audience and the stage, however, was a table, behind which were three chairs. It was, of course, where the three judges were to be seated, and sure enough, those very three now began to arrive at the gym. Adagio arrived first, walking with her usual confident swagger, a smirk plastered on her face, all while Flash and Sunset walked behind her. The latter two, obviously, seemed less than thrilled at their position here, but were here nonetheless, if only because they knew it was all for a good cause. After taking their respective seats, as well as glancing to the chatting crowds behind them, Flash let out a long sigh. "Well...guess this is it." Sunset offered him an affectionate smile. "If it helps...just think of this as a band-aid moment." Flash turned to her. "What, just get it over with and carry on?” She nodded in response. "Yep, pretty much." Flash let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah...sounds about right." The moment was, unfortunately, spoiled somewhat, as Adagio let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh! I swear, sometimes you two are some of the most maudlin people I've ever met." Sunset frowned to her. "Don't think you don't have a part to play in that." Adagio brushed aside some of her hair, smiling to herself. "The orphans will be grateful. We've already raised enough money, or else we wouldn't be hosting this right now." Flash sighed. "Right...it was for them. So I guess...all that's left is to follow it through." And it would appear that "following through” was exactly what was to happen, as the lights in the gym began to dim, causing a slight increase in the chatter of the audience, followed by an audible "hushing" as everyone tried to make everyone else quiet. The show was about to begin, and while Adagio kept on looking pleased with what she'd arranged here, Sunset and Flash tried to maintain more professional expressions about themselves. In time, a figure emerged from behind the curtain. It was Vice-Principal Luna, and after tapping on the end of a microphone, she began to address the gathered students. "Welcome to the Canterlot High swimsuit contest. Now, I hope we can keep this event clean, so I don't want any howling or hooting at those participating here today." Looking out to the darkened crowd, she narrowed her eyes. "That means you two, Snips and Snails." Sunset and Flash, along with everybody else, heard a mumbled "awww" in the room, making it clear how that particular sentiment had gone down. As for Luna, she shook her head, then once more spoke up. "Let the contest begin." At her word, a spotlight began to shine on the area where she had been standing, prompting her to move away. There was a complete silence in the room, and soon, that silence was broken when, to the surprise of many, some music began to play. Though few there would call themselves experts on this sort of thing, it sounded vaguely like what would be played at some kind of fashion show, when the models would walk down the stage to show off their outfits. Hearing it, Flash let out a brief chuckle, earning him Sunset's attention. "Well...guess Applejack wasn't too far off the mark after all." Naturally, Sunset had to stifle a laugh at the remark, giving Flash a quick playful punch on the arm as a result. Shortly afterwards though, the show began in earnest, and, to the surprise of perhaps only a few of the students, the first to step out onto the stage was none other than Trixie. The amateur magician walked out there, clad in a very simple two-piece suit, which, as one would expect of her, was blue, much like most of her usual attire. It was a fairly modest one too, much to the relief of those like Celestia, and about her waist was wrapped a purple sarong, which was almost see-through. She strutted out there, hands on hips, before striking a pose with one hand behind her head, winking to the audience. In the darkness behind the judges, the distinct sound of somebody about to give a wolf-whistle was heard, prompting Flash to spin his head around and give a dark look. As one would expect, the would-be whistler soon silenced themselves, and instead, there was simply a polite series of claps, particularly towards the back of the audience, where there was genuine cheering towards the on-stage girl. "Yeah, Trixie!" "Show them how it's done!" Through the gloom, Sunset could just about make out the shape of Trixie's most notable friends, the two girls who had played alongside her at the Battle of the Bands. Trixie, for her part, smirked at this before making her way back behind the curtain, leaving a great deal of murmuring amongst those in attendance, particularly the three judges. "Well?" Sunset asked. Flash shrugged his shoulders. "Not a bad start. She was certainly having fun from the looks of it." "Indeed. And she wears her suit well, if I do say so myself," Adagio added. The judges began to write their notes down, and before long, the curtain moved a second time. However, when next a girl emerged, nobody was expecting it. For the one now stepping out was, to the shock of Flash in particular, Rainbow Dash. The young athlete walked out with confidence, albeit with less of a feminine swagger that Trixie had displayed. Her outfit, surprising absolutely nobody, was of a more sporty bent, consisting of pink shorts and a black shirt that had a single yellow lightning bolt image on the front. Once at her spot, she placed both hands on her hips, bearing a slight smirk as she walked up and down the stage. Though certainly taken aback, Sunset soon turned to look at Flash, whose mouth was gaping open right now. Meanwhile, Adagio looked to the boy with obvious amusement. "Well then, guess you won't be looking at your sister the same way again, eh Flash?" The boy simply sat there in silence, watching as his half-sister made her rounds before retreating back behind the curtain. At last, he shook himself out of that state, looking back to Sunset. "Am...am I going to Hell?" Sunset, smiling, patted him on the shoulder. "No more than the rest of us." Flash nodded. "Well, that's...comforting...I guess." As before, notes were written, and not too soon, for they once more had to behold another movement from the curtain. This time, it was two girls emerging, which seemed to take everyone by surprise. Lyra and Bon-Bon, walking out with one-pieces similar to Trixie's, though the former's was a light blue whole the other's was pink. Leaning over to Adagio, Flash whispered. "I didn't know you could go out as a double-contestant?" Adagio smirked again. "We never said you couldn’t either. Besides...it's not the only one happening here." Flash frowned at that veiled foreknowledge, then watched as the two walked together in unison, smiling both to the audience and to one another, before spinning around and heading back where they came from. The judges wrote more of their thoughts down, and after waiting a few moments, there seemed to be some unseen hesitation on whoever was up next. In fact, there even seemed to be some talk behind the curtain, like some kind of pep talk. Hearing it, Sunset sighed. "I think I know who's next." Sure enough, her instincts proved to be right. Fluttershy, as well as Twilight, nervously peeking their heads out of the curtain, soon entered the fray. Both girls bore yet further one-pieces, with Fluttershy seemed to have not quite got to grips with the whole “swimsuit contest” thing, as hers was more-or-less just a green, yellow and black wetsuit, like she was going deep-sea diving. Twilight, for her part, had dark blue as her colour, with lighter blue for the chest area. Although, besides the fact that hers actually was a swimsuit, there was little in the way of flair in her outfit. The two of them walked out, Fluttershy offering a jittery wave to the audience, many of whom clapped at her entrance in an admittedly tasteful manner, even in spite of her unexpected choice of suit. As for Twilight, she was a little bit more confident, her hands clasped in front of her as she joined her friend out there. She looked to Sunset, who offered her a reassuring smile as best she could, before starting to give a similar walk up and down the stage as Rainbow had done. As those who knew them would have expected, their time out there was less than the others, and they soon hurried themselves back behind the curtain, leading to Flash leaning closer to Sunset. "If Fluttershy was okay with posing nude for a painting, why would this make her nervous?" Sunset looked back to him. "I think there's a big difference between posing for a friend and stepping out to an audience." Flash considered that, nodding in agreement before looking back to the stage. Here, the curtain revealed yet another double-pair of contestants, and this one had many of the guys widening their eyes, and giving Adagio a reason to smirk once more. Aria and Sonata, walking out with typically seductive Siren-esque movements. The former was clad in a sporty-looking two-piece, dark green, while the latter bore a bright pink one-piece. They struck simultaneous poses, clearly trying to look as alluring as possible. And given the slack-jawed stares they were getting, they were clearly succeeding in that regard. So, after giving winks to their audience, they withdrew, leaving quite a few stunned onlookers. "You're welcome," Adagio remarked. Sunset shot her a frown, then got back to her own writing before the next contestant came out. As before, there was surprise to find that it was actually Applejack who now emerged. Eschewing the typical swimsuits that had come before, the farm girl was instead dressed in a simple bikini bottom, though her upper body was clad in something that, like Fluttershy’s, resembled a wetsuit, albeit just the upper section. Both items of clothing were largely blue, save for a few white stripes here and there. As usual, she bore her distinct hat, and walked out towards the audience before tipping said hat and giving a friendly wink. Like Fluttershy, however, her time was brief, and as she retreated back behind the curtain, Flash spoke quietly to Sunset. "Huh...not bad." Sunset smiled back to him. "Agreed." But, as surprising as a lot of this had been so far, what now took place was something that many had not expected to see at all. Because, as Flash himself had explained not so long ago, a male student had indeed taken part, and it was, of course, the one that all the girls of CHS had wanted to be here; Big Mac. The burly teen walked out, clad in simple blue swims short, and the sight of both him and his muscles caused quite a few swooning sounds from the girls in the audience, as well as a few guys, if Sunset's hearing was anything to go by. And while some of the girls were eventually giving him a few come hither stares, that was a practice soon ended when, in a surprise twist, Applejack's head poked out from behind the curtain to give a stern look to any who was looking at her brother that way. Of course, the message was sent, and Big Mac himself soon withdrew to the backstage, leaving the judges to discuss the matter. "Well...I guess it gives us some variety at least," Flash admitted. Adagio looked on hungrily at the spot Mac had been standing. "Yes, yes it did." Sunset rolled her eyes at that display from the Siren, instead watching as the curtains, to her slight confusion, now started to move about quite a bit, as if the one behind them was eager to get out more than anybody else. Predictably, it was Pinkie doing this, as she hopped out, seeming as giddy as a schoolgirl, which was appropriate, given that she was one. Her suit? It was another one-piece, though the mid-section appeared to be designed to resemble a corset, bright white, while the upper and lower sections were of a dark pink. At the top part, however, was a bright yellow bow, giving just that tiny bit of Pinkie-level cuteness. She skipped out onto the stage, smiling, waving and winking at the audience and just generally being her happy and bubbly Pinkie Pie self. It was an endearing display, and one that Sunset and the other judges couldn't help but smile at. Another giggle escaped the pink-haired girl soon afterwards, and before long, she once more headed to behind the curtains, thought it was clear that she would have wanted to stay out longer. Adagio, after watching her go, turned to her fellow judges. "Guess just one of your friends is left." The Siren's predication turned out to be true, as the last of their immediate circle, Rarity, now walked out, with the same kind of grace and poise that one would normally expect of a fashion model when walking down an official show. Her garb was yet another bikini, albeit a more stylish and elaborately-made one, whose colour was that of a dark-purple, similar to her own hair, with what appeared to be a diamond right in the centre of it. About her waist was wrapped a blue sarong, which obscured one of her legs as it trailed behind her. And atop her head was a wide black hat, much like what you'd wear on a hot summer day. She walked out, with all the movements and spinning expected of someone who had experience with this sort of thing, before striking a proper fashionista pose and heading back behind the curtain, leaving a clearly-impressed audience. "We've had some good entries," Flash commented. Sunset nodded to him. "I'll say. How many are left?" Flash looked down to the list before him, then let out a long sigh. "Quite a few." A chuckle to their left caused them to turn and face Adagio, who looked to them with her typical mischievousness. "If you think that’s bad...just wait until you have to declare the winner." Realising that, the young couple looked to each other with concern, as Flash uttered their shared sentiment. "...Oh dear." Author's Note As you can probably tell, this particular chapter has been re-written somewhat to better match the now-canon suits the girls have been confirmed as wearing, both from the upcoming EG special as well as whatever images I could find regarding the recently-released beach toys. I had originally planned to do suits of different designs, but, owing to my policy of having these stories match the look and feel of the canon stories, I felt the changes were necessary. Plus, the designs I had planned for originally weren’t actually that interesting in comparison, so I was pretty grateful for the need to change it. AftermathThe sound of jangling keys broke the silence of Sunset Shimmer's apartment, and before long, the darkness of the place was also ended by the opening of her door. On the other side, both she and Flash stood, and it was clear from the looks on their faces that both of them had been through quite an ordeal. Entering the apartment in earnest, Sunset once more closed the door after she and Flash were in, locking it up again before raising her arms and giving herself a good stretch. As for Flash, the boy rubbed his temples slightly as he found a nearby sofa and sat himself down, letting out a long sigh. "Well...that was...something." Sunset chuckled as she walked over to him. "Stuff like this does tend to happen to us a lot, doesn't it?" He returned the smile to her. "Kind of the price of entry when you girls are considered. Not that I'd change that of course." She smiled back to him, leaning forward and giving him a quick and tender kiss upon his forehead. "Likewise." Leaning back into his chair, Flash looked to his girlfriend, clearly intrigued about something. "Gotta say, it was a near thing for a while, having to choose between all those girls and guys." Sunset slipped out of her jacket, gently placing it upon a nearby hook on the wall. "Yeah, but we got past it." Flash nodded, leaning forward as he continued. "I’ll say. Your choice really was the most logical when you got right down to it. Even Adagio had to agree. I mean, when you have someone who knows how to make and show off her own outfits? Yeah, I don’t think anyone was all that surprised when she took the top spot." Another laugh escaped the ex-unicorn as she turned to face him again. "Think Rarity will lord it over the rest?" Flash shook his head. "Nah. She’s not the kind of girl who'd do that." He then considered his own words. "Well...maybe once or twice. But no more." The two young lovers shared a laugh together, and when it died down a few moments later, Flash looked to Sunset with a genuine smile. "Still...I'm glad the kids at the orphanage will be okay." Sunset too looked to him with warmth. "Think you'll tell them about all this?" A grimace crossed her boyfriend's face. "Hmmm...maybe when they're older." Again, Sunset laughed, then turned to head through the door that Flash knew from experience led to her room. She left the door open, however, and while she was in there, she continued to speak out to him. "I imagine most of our friends and classmates will be talking about this for some time." Flash nodded. "Probably. But not me." He looked away. "I don't know about you, Sunset, but I think I've seen enough swimsuits for one day." As soon as he'd finished, Sunset re-emerged in the doorway of her bedroom. But, unlike before, it seemed she'd slipped into something a bit more comfortable than before. Instead of her usual attire, she was instead clad in, what else, a swimsuit of her own, leaving Flash staring at her with both surprise and obvious interest. The Equestrian girl’s suit started with a yellow skirt, which bore a red fire pattern along the bottom ridge. Her midriff was bare, and across her chest was her swim-top, which was not only strapless but also completely black, save for a black-and-yellow sun insignia in the middle. Sunset, for her part, looked to her boyfriend with clear amorousness, leaning against the door frame while one hand rested behind her head. It was a sight that left no chance whatsoever of anyone misinterpreting what she wanted to do right now. Flash, after considering this new situation, thought long and hard before reaching his very well thought-out conclusion. "Well...I suppose one more swimsuit wouldn't hurt."
The PlanAuthor's Note Now, I know a few of you will probably ask this question, so I’ll answer it pre-emptively. No, this fic was not written in response to the news that we’ll be getting a beach/swimsuit EG special in the near future. This story was written up some time ago, and only now have I had the opportunity to get around to posting it. The timing is just a coincidence. The Plan When students were called to the Principal's office, it usually meant that bad things were awaiting them, even when said Principal was as fair and open-handed as Celestia. Such was the thinking when Sunset Shimmer walked the hallway towards that aforementioned office, a look of concern plastered over her face. Only a few other students were around right now, and most of them were concerned with getting things in or out of their lockers, leaving the former unicorn alone with her thoughts as she made her journey. However, that solitude did not last long. "Sunset!" Turning, the girl smiled as her lover, Flash, approached her from behind, before walking beside her at the same pace. "Hey, Flash. What's up?" The boy sighed. "Got called to Celestia's office. You?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "...Me too." Flash looked to her, surprised. "What do you think it's about?" His girlfriend shook her head. "No idea. Sounded important though." Flash looked ahead, starting to look a little concerned himself. "Well...guess we'll find out." He had the right of it, as the door to Celestia's office was now right in view. The two young lovers, though clearly hesitant, nevertheless made their way over, with Sunset being the one to open the door. Once that was done, the two soon looked upon their Principal, who sat at her desk trying to look as composed and professional as she could. However, what truly surprised the youths was that, standing beside her, was none other than Adagio Dazzle. The eldest Siren sister, with her hands clasped behind her back, looked to them both with an expression that made it clear that she was very pleased with herself right now. For Sunset and Flash, experience had taught them well that, when Adagio looked like this, nothing good was about to happen. Still, in spite of this, they entered the room in earnest, closing the door behind them just as Celestia spoke. "Please, take a seat." And sit they did, into two chairs which had already been prepared for them. A silence fell between the four for a time until, finally, Celestia herself broke the silence, letting out a long sigh before addressing Sunset and Flash directly. "I'm sure you two have heard recently that the local orphanage has been going through some...difficulties." Hearing that, Flash frowned. "Yeah. I volunteer there quite a bit. They say they're getting pretty under-funded these days. Last time I was there, the secretary was looking pretty worried about it." Celestia nodded. "Indeed. And I'm sure you, along with other students here, have been thinking of ways to try and help out." Sunset leaned forward, adding her own voice to that matter. "We have. Fluttershy's been suggesting trying to make appeals to the public for donations. Pinkie has been talking with Mr and Mrs Cake at Sugar Cube Corner to arrange some kind of bake sale, and all the others girls have been coming up with ideas of their own." Again, Celestia nodded. "I'm glad to hear of it. However..." A slight grimace crossed her face. "...it would appear that...a certain other road to revenue has been...suggested to us." Sunset and Flash looked to each other with confusion, then, as one, looked to Adagio, who maintained that confident look of hers. Celestia, after casting a brief glance of annoyance to the latter, took in a deep breath before reaching down to open a drawer on her desk. After rummaging around in it for a time, she pulled out a sheet of paper, looked to it for a time, before then handing it over to Sunset. The ex-unicorn took it, and, holding it in both hands, began to read aloud. "Official permission granted to Canterlot High School for the hosting of a..." She paused, squinting her eyes and bringing the paper closer to her face, just to make sure she wasn't mis-reading the words before her. "...a swimsuit contest?!" Flash's head snapped in her direction. "Pardon?!" Sunset offered the paper to him. "That's what it says!" Flash took the offered paper, reading it to himself before looking back to Celestia. "With respect, Principal Celestia...is this a joke?!" Celestia hung her head. "Believe me...I wish it was. However..." She cast another glance to Adagio. "...it appears the matter has been taken out of my hands." Sunset too looked to Adagio, frowning slightly. "What have you done?!" Chuckling a little, Adagio now clasped her hands in front of herself, before replying. "Well, I figured many of the other plans to fund the orphanage would not quite meet the levels we needed it to. So, since wholesale school events are so much more this school's forte, I figured it might be more prudent to go bigger." She placed a hand upon her hip. "Besides, I'm fairly certain an event such as this would get us the funds we need. Something like this? That would attract quite an audience." This time, it was Flash's turn to look at her with annoyance. "Yeah, I'll bet it will!" He looked back to Celestia. "Principal Celestia, you can't honestly approve of something like this?!" Celestia shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have done. Unfortunately, the matter was taken to Superintendent Sombra before being brought to my attention." She looked away, frowning. "Unsurprisingly, he was all in favour of the notion." Then, she began to mumble under her breath. "I swear, that man will be the death of me one day." Looking back to the young couple in front of her, the older woman shrugged her shoulders. "Bottom line, it’s been given his blessing. So, this is happening, regardless of my own objections. The school will be hosting this...event." That final word, understandably, had been spoken with barely-restrained distaste, though nobody could fault her for it. Sunset and Flash looked to one another, then to the paper before, finally, speaking to each other. "Think it'll work?" Flash asked, his voice tainted with uncertainty. Sunset considered that. "I...I don't know. I mean..." When she spoke next, it was with a more begrudging tone. "...the orphanage does need the money. And, like Adagio said, it'd probably get in a lot of people." The way she'd spoken that suggested that, at least on some level, she had accepted this idea as a necessary, albeit unwanted, step towards their goal. Moreover, the way she now looked to her boyfriend quietly signalled that she was trying to get him to be more accepting of this whole mess, even though she herself was not exactly happy with it. For his part, Flash frowned, looking away and rubbing his temples. "Those kids need help, so...I guess we can stomach this if it helps them." Adagio nodded. "That’s the spirit!" The boy then looked to her, eyes narrowed. "But we'll need to go over a few ground rules for this. A High-School swimsuit contest is gonna attract a lot of scrutiny, both inside and outside." Adagio, hearing that, raised both hands. "Not a problem. We can discuss rules right here, if you like." Sunset nodded to that. "I guess we'll need judges for it, like we had with the Battle of the Bands." She looked to Celestia. "Will you and Vice-Principal Luna be...?" Celestia knew the unspoken question, and shook her head. "Not this time. We may have authority over the general framework of this, but I think that, this time, it might be best left in the hands of the students themselves." Flash raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't by any chance, just be saying that to try and distance yourself from this contest, would you?" Celestia looked to him with utter stoicism. "...I will neither confirm nor deny that." Sunset and Flash looked to each other again, then back to her. "So...who are you going to get instead?" Flash asked. That question seemed to make Celestia somewhat uncomfortable, and she suddenly found herself unable to answer, leaving the field wide open for Adagio to let her voice known. "Well...let's just say there's a second reason you two were called here." Naturally, it took no time whatsoever for the couple to get the meaning of those words, and their eyes widened with shock and horror. Then, slowly, they sighed simultaneously, as though already resigned to their fate, with Sunset speaking for both of them. "...Of course."
Rules"You’re the judges?!" Applejack's shock was as evident for her as it was for everyone else, as all of the girls stared at Sunset and Flash with gaping mouths. Naturally, the couple themselves just let out simultaneous sighs of exasperation as they nodded in conformation. Currently, the two, along with the other six girls, were sitting together in one of their usual booths at Sugar Cube Corner, with a variety of drinks and milkshakes laid out before them. Sunset and Flash, as one would expect, weren't looking too comfortable right now, being subject to the looks of astonishment and disbelief from their friends. But, after a time, it was Flash who eventually broke this long and uncomfortable silence. "It was Adagio's idea. Apparently, she thinks we'd be good choices." Sunset frowned. "Either that, or she just loves messing with us, since she’ll be judging too." Flash considered that. "Yeah, that works too." The other girls all looked to one another, not quite sure how to react to all of this, before eventually turning to face them yet again. "So...when's this contest going on?" Rainbow asked. Sunset looked to her. "About a week from now. It'll take a while for arrangements to be made to the gym to make it suitable for the show." Twilight, adjusting her glasses a little bit, was the next to speak. "How exactly is this contest supposed to work?" Sunset, upon hearing that, looked over to Flash, who himself glanced to Twilight before leaning forward and starting to explain things. "We talked it over with Celestia and Adagio. Basically, anyone who wants to take part will submit their name on a list outside Celestia's office. Then, any student who wants to see that person on stage being...well..." "Displayed?" Rarity suggested. Flash gave her an appreciative nod. "Yeah, that. If you want to see that person on-stage, you donate some money. If that person get's a minimum of a hundred dollars to their name, they go through to actually take part." It was Sunset who carried on afterwards. "Celestia's not happy about this whole thing, so her involvement in this isn’t like it was for other events we’ve had. She’ll be there, just to make sure everything’s on the up and up, but that’s about it." There was another round of nods among the girls, who thought long and hard on that. "Um...how much money is needed for the orphanage to be helped?" Fluttershy asked. Sunset and Flash looked to one another, then back to Fluttershy. "Including everything we’ve got from all the bake sale and other stuff? About fifty thousand dollars," Flash answered. The girls' eyes widened at that. "Geez! Well, here's hoping the contest goes ahead then," Pinkie exclaimed. Of course, all eyes were on her after she'd said that, prompting her to shrug her shoulders. "What? It's all for saving an orphanage, right? Besides, it's not like we haven't all been in swimsuits in public before, right?" Rarity looked to her, aghast. "That was quite different, Pinkie! We were all at the beach that day! This? This is...this is..." "Like a bunch o’ girls wearin’ pretty dresses an' marchin' down a catwalk?" Applejack added with a smirk. Rarity smiled to her. "Yes, exac..." Then, her expression turned to one of irritation. "No! It's nothing like that!" Applejack chuckled, and she and Rainbow shared a private fist-bump at the joke, all while Rarity fumed in silence. Meanwhile, Sunset looked over to Flash, putting a hand over his. "If we raise enough money, it'll be worth it to go through all of this, Flash." Though still somewhat put off, the boy nevertheless nodded. "Yeah...guess I'll just have to keep telling myself that." He turned to his lover, offering her a small smile. "Still...I guess I should be grateful Adagio was willing to accept the rules we set down." Sunset nodded, but didn't say anything, as it was instead Rainbow who spoke next. "What rules?" Both Flash and Sunset turned to the others, seeing the curiosity on their faces. Sunset, in silence, gestured to her boyfriend, quietly urging him to explain matters, to which he simply cleared his throat before speaking. "Well...first of all, only the older students get to participate." He frowned a little. "The absolute last thing I want in this is to see Scootaloo parading herself out there at her age." He then looked to Rarity and Applejack. "And I figure you two don't want your sisters there either." The two girls, upon realising that, looked to each other. "Oh my! I hadn't even thought of that!" Applejack frowned, adjusting her hat before replying. "Eyup! Ain't no way ah'd let little Bloom be part o' that!" Nodding in agreement, Flash then continued. "Secondly, only decent swimsuits allowed. So no putting a couple of pieces of string across your chest and calling it a bikini or whatever." Rainbow turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, bro. You really think some girl is seriously gonna...?" But, in answer to her unfinished question, Flash gave his half-sister a pair of narrowed eyes, and in the silence that followed, Rainbow considered her own question, before coming to a stark realisation, scratching the back of her head and letting out a nervous chuckle. "Oh...hehe...right. Never mind." Shaking his head, Flash let out a long sigh, only to find Rarity speaking towards him with an enamoured tone. "Ah, how sweet. Gallant Flash Sentry, valiantly defending the virtue of the young maidens of Canterlot High." The boy let out a dry laugh. "Apparently not defending you enough, since this thing is still going on." To that, Sunset placed her hand on his shoulder. "It was out of our hands before we even knew it was happening. Don't worry about it." Her boyfriend smiled to her, then, after realising that he wasn't finished yet, concluded his explanation. "Finally...the guys can compete too." As expected, a rule like that earned him the undivided attention of all the girls. "Er...what?" Pinkie asked. Flash sighed. "Yeah...we figured that it'd be better if all of the older students were allowed to enter, and not just the girls. The last thing Celestia needs right now is to have this be even more controversial by having just the female students put out there." Pinkie, after letting that information sink in, started to develop a sly smirk. "...Nice." Applejack looked to her with a frown. "Careful, Pinkie. Yer Adagio is showin'." But Pinkie just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, like you girls aren't interested in this?" The other girls, of course, blushed slightly at the suggestion, particularly Twilight, who suddenly found her glasses fogging up a bit. As she took them off to wipe them down, she mused on the situation. "Well...I suppose there are plenty of girls who'd be happy with this. Getting the chance to see some of the boys up there. Sandalwood, Wiz, Big Mac..." Hearing that final name, Applejack shot her a frown. "Pardon?!" Before Twilight could defend her statement, Rainbow did so in her stead. "Come on, AJ. If it gets known that this thing is gonna save an orphanage, do you really think your brother won’t volunteer for it?" Applejack opened her mouth to reply, only to have the realisation of her friend's statement hit her hard. "Oh...shoot." Flash and Sunset, after glancing to one another, let the awkwardness of this whole matter sink in, as they leaned back into their side of the booth all while their friends continued to think on this situation in silence. However, the period of quiet did not last, as Pinkie, before anyone could really stop her, looked to all her friends and asked the one question that had probably been burning on everyone's mind during this whole thing. "So...which of you girls is going to be in this?"
The ContestAs soon as word of the upcoming contest made its way to the ears of the student body, Canterlot High became awash with gossip, excitement and, as expected, some trepidation. Talks were had among classes, cliques and close friends. For a time, the lonely list hanging outside Celestia's office would simply be stared at for a good long while, all while the boys and girls of the school debated amongst themselves. Who would sign it? Who would be seen when the day came? But, slowly, names eventually did start to emerge on that list, a few more each day, though it was clear that those who did so did it with an equal sense of confidence and nervousness. Eventually, as these things do, the fated day arrived, and the students, in larger numbers than expected, began to make their way during the lunch hour to the gym where the contest was to be held. In many ways, the place had been set up in a similar fashion to how it was back when the Battle of the Bands had been established some time ago, with one end having been converted into an all-out stage for the event. Students from every class were gathered here, sitting in the area set apart for the audience. In-between the audience and the stage, however, was a table, behind which were three chairs. It was, of course, where the three judges were to be seated, and sure enough, those very three now began to arrive at the gym. Adagio arrived first, walking with her usual confident swagger, a smirk plastered on her face, all while Flash and Sunset walked behind her. The latter two, obviously, seemed less than thrilled at their position here, but were here nonetheless, if only because they knew it was all for a good cause. After taking their respective seats, as well as glancing to the chatting crowds behind them, Flash let out a long sigh. "Well...guess this is it." Sunset offered him an affectionate smile. "If it helps...just think of this as a band-aid moment." Flash turned to her. "What, just get it over with and carry on?” She nodded in response. "Yep, pretty much." Flash let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah...sounds about right." The moment was, unfortunately, spoiled somewhat, as Adagio let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh! I swear, sometimes you two are some of the most maudlin people I've ever met." Sunset frowned to her. "Don't think you don't have a part to play in that." Adagio brushed aside some of her hair, smiling to herself. "The orphans will be grateful. We've already raised enough money, or else we wouldn't be hosting this right now." Flash sighed. "Right...it was for them. So I guess...all that's left is to follow it through." And it would appear that "following through” was exactly what was to happen, as the lights in the gym began to dim, causing a slight increase in the chatter of the audience, followed by an audible "hushing" as everyone tried to make everyone else quiet. The show was about to begin, and while Adagio kept on looking pleased with what she'd arranged here, Sunset and Flash tried to maintain more professional expressions about themselves. In time, a figure emerged from behind the curtain. It was Vice-Principal Luna, and after tapping on the end of a microphone, she began to address the gathered students. "Welcome to the Canterlot High swimsuit contest. Now, I hope we can keep this event clean, so I don't want any howling or hooting at those participating here today." Looking out to the darkened crowd, she narrowed her eyes. "That means you two, Snips and Snails." Sunset and Flash, along with everybody else, heard a mumbled "awww" in the room, making it clear how that particular sentiment had gone down. As for Luna, she shook her head, then once more spoke up. "Let the contest begin." At her word, a spotlight began to shine on the area where she had been standing, prompting her to move away. There was a complete silence in the room, and soon, that silence was broken when, to the surprise of many, some music began to play. Though few there would call themselves experts on this sort of thing, it sounded vaguely like what would be played at some kind of fashion show, when the models would walk down the stage to show off their outfits. Hearing it, Flash let out a brief chuckle, earning him Sunset's attention. "Well...guess Applejack wasn't too far off the mark after all." Naturally, Sunset had to stifle a laugh at the remark, giving Flash a quick playful punch on the arm as a result. Shortly afterwards though, the show began in earnest, and, to the surprise of perhaps only a few of the students, the first to step out onto the stage was none other than Trixie. The amateur magician walked out there, clad in a very simple two-piece suit, which, as one would expect of her, was blue, much like most of her usual attire. It was a fairly modest one too, much to the relief of those like Celestia, and about her waist was wrapped a purple sarong, which was almost see-through. She strutted out there, hands on hips, before striking a pose with one hand behind her head, winking to the audience. In the darkness behind the judges, the distinct sound of somebody about to give a wolf-whistle was heard, prompting Flash to spin his head around and give a dark look. As one would expect, the would-be whistler soon silenced themselves, and instead, there was simply a polite series of claps, particularly towards the back of the audience, where there was genuine cheering towards the on-stage girl. "Yeah, Trixie!" "Show them how it's done!" Through the gloom, Sunset could just about make out the shape of Trixie's most notable friends, the two girls who had played alongside her at the Battle of the Bands. Trixie, for her part, smirked at this before making her way back behind the curtain, leaving a great deal of murmuring amongst those in attendance, particularly the three judges. "Well?" Sunset asked. Flash shrugged his shoulders. "Not a bad start. She was certainly having fun from the looks of it." "Indeed. And she wears her suit well, if I do say so myself," Adagio added. The judges began to write their notes down, and before long, the curtain moved a second time. However, when next a girl emerged, nobody was expecting it. For the one now stepping out was, to the shock of Flash in particular, Rainbow Dash. The young athlete walked out with confidence, albeit with less of a feminine swagger that Trixie had displayed. Her outfit, surprising absolutely nobody, was of a more sporty bent, consisting of pink shorts and a black shirt that had a single yellow lightning bolt image on the front. Once at her spot, she placed both hands on her hips, bearing a slight smirk as she walked up and down the stage. Though certainly taken aback, Sunset soon turned to look at Flash, whose mouth was gaping open right now. Meanwhile, Adagio looked to the boy with obvious amusement. "Well then, guess you won't be looking at your sister the same way again, eh Flash?" The boy simply sat there in silence, watching as his half-sister made her rounds before retreating back behind the curtain. At last, he shook himself out of that state, looking back to Sunset. "Am...am I going to Hell?" Sunset, smiling, patted him on the shoulder. "No more than the rest of us." Flash nodded. "Well, that's...comforting...I guess." As before, notes were written, and not too soon, for they once more had to behold another movement from the curtain. This time, it was two girls emerging, which seemed to take everyone by surprise. Lyra and Bon-Bon, walking out with one-pieces similar to Trixie's, though the former's was a light blue whole the other's was pink. Leaning over to Adagio, Flash whispered. "I didn't know you could go out as a double-contestant?" Adagio smirked again. "We never said you couldn’t either. Besides...it's not the only one happening here." Flash frowned at that veiled foreknowledge, then watched as the two walked together in unison, smiling both to the audience and to one another, before spinning around and heading back where they came from. The judges wrote more of their thoughts down, and after waiting a few moments, there seemed to be some unseen hesitation on whoever was up next. In fact, there even seemed to be some talk behind the curtain, like some kind of pep talk. Hearing it, Sunset sighed. "I think I know who's next." Sure enough, her instincts proved to be right. Fluttershy, as well as Twilight, nervously peeking their heads out of the curtain, soon entered the fray. Both girls bore yet further one-pieces, with Fluttershy seemed to have not quite got to grips with the whole “swimsuit contest” thing, as hers was more-or-less just a green, yellow and black wetsuit, like she was going deep-sea diving. Twilight, for her part, had dark blue as her colour, with lighter blue for the chest area. Although, besides the fact that hers actually was a swimsuit, there was little in the way of flair in her outfit. The two of them walked out, Fluttershy offering a jittery wave to the audience, many of whom clapped at her entrance in an admittedly tasteful manner, even in spite of her unexpected choice of suit. As for Twilight, she was a little bit more confident, her hands clasped in front of her as she joined her friend out there. She looked to Sunset, who offered her a reassuring smile as best she could, before starting to give a similar walk up and down the stage as Rainbow had done. As those who knew them would have expected, their time out there was less than the others, and they soon hurried themselves back behind the curtain, leading to Flash leaning closer to Sunset. "If Fluttershy was okay with posing nude for a painting, why would this make her nervous?" Sunset looked back to him. "I think there's a big difference between posing for a friend and stepping out to an audience." Flash considered that, nodding in agreement before looking back to the stage. Here, the curtain revealed yet another double-pair of contestants, and this one had many of the guys widening their eyes, and giving Adagio a reason to smirk once more. Aria and Sonata, walking out with typically seductive Siren-esque movements. The former was clad in a sporty-looking two-piece, dark green, while the latter bore a bright pink one-piece. They struck simultaneous poses, clearly trying to look as alluring as possible. And given the slack-jawed stares they were getting, they were clearly succeeding in that regard. So, after giving winks to their audience, they withdrew, leaving quite a few stunned onlookers. "You're welcome," Adagio remarked. Sunset shot her a frown, then got back to her own writing before the next contestant came out. As before, there was surprise to find that it was actually Applejack who now emerged. Eschewing the typical swimsuits that had come before, the farm girl was instead dressed in a simple bikini bottom, though her upper body was clad in something that, like Fluttershy’s, resembled a wetsuit, albeit just the upper section. Both items of clothing were largely blue, save for a few white stripes here and there. As usual, she bore her distinct hat, and walked out towards the audience before tipping said hat and giving a friendly wink. Like Fluttershy, however, her time was brief, and as she retreated back behind the curtain, Flash spoke quietly to Sunset. "Huh...not bad." Sunset smiled back to him. "Agreed." But, as surprising as a lot of this had been so far, what now took place was something that many had not expected to see at all. Because, as Flash himself had explained not so long ago, a male student had indeed taken part, and it was, of course, the one that all the girls of CHS had wanted to be here; Big Mac. The burly teen walked out, clad in simple blue swims short, and the sight of both him and his muscles caused quite a few swooning sounds from the girls in the audience, as well as a few guys, if Sunset's hearing was anything to go by. And while some of the girls were eventually giving him a few come hither stares, that was a practice soon ended when, in a surprise twist, Applejack's head poked out from behind the curtain to give a stern look to any who was looking at her brother that way. Of course, the message was sent, and Big Mac himself soon withdrew to the backstage, leaving the judges to discuss the matter. "Well...I guess it gives us some variety at least," Flash admitted. Adagio looked on hungrily at the spot Mac had been standing. "Yes, yes it did." Sunset rolled her eyes at that display from the Siren, instead watching as the curtains, to her slight confusion, now started to move about quite a bit, as if the one behind them was eager to get out more than anybody else. Predictably, it was Pinkie doing this, as she hopped out, seeming as giddy as a schoolgirl, which was appropriate, given that she was one. Her suit? It was another one-piece, though the mid-section appeared to be designed to resemble a corset, bright white, while the upper and lower sections were of a dark pink. At the top part, however, was a bright yellow bow, giving just that tiny bit of Pinkie-level cuteness. She skipped out onto the stage, smiling, waving and winking at the audience and just generally being her happy and bubbly Pinkie Pie self. It was an endearing display, and one that Sunset and the other judges couldn't help but smile at. Another giggle escaped the pink-haired girl soon afterwards, and before long, she once more headed to behind the curtains, thought it was clear that she would have wanted to stay out longer. Adagio, after watching her go, turned to her fellow judges. "Guess just one of your friends is left." The Siren's predication turned out to be true, as the last of their immediate circle, Rarity, now walked out, with the same kind of grace and poise that one would normally expect of a fashion model when walking down an official show. Her garb was yet another bikini, albeit a more stylish and elaborately-made one, whose colour was that of a dark-purple, similar to her own hair, with what appeared to be a diamond right in the centre of it. About her waist was wrapped a blue sarong, which obscured one of her legs as it trailed behind her. And atop her head was a wide black hat, much like what you'd wear on a hot summer day. She walked out, with all the movements and spinning expected of someone who had experience with this sort of thing, before striking a proper fashionista pose and heading back behind the curtain, leaving a clearly-impressed audience. "We've had some good entries," Flash commented. Sunset nodded to him. "I'll say. How many are left?" Flash looked down to the list before him, then let out a long sigh. "Quite a few." A chuckle to their left caused them to turn and face Adagio, who looked to them with her typical mischievousness. "If you think that’s bad...just wait until you have to declare the winner." Realising that, the young couple looked to each other with concern, as Flash uttered their shared sentiment. "...Oh dear." Author's Note As you can probably tell, this particular chapter has been re-written somewhat to better match the now-canon suits the girls have been confirmed as wearing, both from the upcoming EG special as well as whatever images I could find regarding the recently-released beach toys. I had originally planned to do suits of different designs, but, owing to my policy of having these stories match the look and feel of the canon stories, I felt the changes were necessary. Plus, the designs I had planned for originally weren’t actually that interesting in comparison, so I was pretty grateful for the need to change it.
AftermathThe sound of jangling keys broke the silence of Sunset Shimmer's apartment, and before long, the darkness of the place was also ended by the opening of her door. On the other side, both she and Flash stood, and it was clear from the looks on their faces that both of them had been through quite an ordeal. Entering the apartment in earnest, Sunset once more closed the door after she and Flash were in, locking it up again before raising her arms and giving herself a good stretch. As for Flash, the boy rubbed his temples slightly as he found a nearby sofa and sat himself down, letting out a long sigh. "Well...that was...something." Sunset chuckled as she walked over to him. "Stuff like this does tend to happen to us a lot, doesn't it?" He returned the smile to her. "Kind of the price of entry when you girls are considered. Not that I'd change that of course." She smiled back to him, leaning forward and giving him a quick and tender kiss upon his forehead. "Likewise." Leaning back into his chair, Flash looked to his girlfriend, clearly intrigued about something. "Gotta say, it was a near thing for a while, having to choose between all those girls and guys." Sunset slipped out of her jacket, gently placing it upon a nearby hook on the wall. "Yeah, but we got past it." Flash nodded, leaning forward as he continued. "I’ll say. Your choice really was the most logical when you got right down to it. Even Adagio had to agree. I mean, when you have someone who knows how to make and show off her own outfits? Yeah, I don’t think anyone was all that surprised when she took the top spot." Another laugh escaped the ex-unicorn as she turned to face him again. "Think Rarity will lord it over the rest?" Flash shook his head. "Nah. She’s not the kind of girl who'd do that." He then considered his own words. "Well...maybe once or twice. But no more." The two young lovers shared a laugh together, and when it died down a few moments later, Flash looked to Sunset with a genuine smile. "Still...I'm glad the kids at the orphanage will be okay." Sunset too looked to him with warmth. "Think you'll tell them about all this?" A grimace crossed her boyfriend's face. "Hmmm...maybe when they're older." Again, Sunset laughed, then turned to head through the door that Flash knew from experience led to her room. She left the door open, however, and while she was in there, she continued to speak out to him. "I imagine most of our friends and classmates will be talking about this for some time." Flash nodded. "Probably. But not me." He looked away. "I don't know about you, Sunset, but I think I've seen enough swimsuits for one day." As soon as he'd finished, Sunset re-emerged in the doorway of her bedroom. But, unlike before, it seemed she'd slipped into something a bit more comfortable than before. Instead of her usual attire, she was instead clad in, what else, a swimsuit of her own, leaving Flash staring at her with both surprise and obvious interest. The Equestrian girl’s suit started with a yellow skirt, which bore a red fire pattern along the bottom ridge. Her midriff was bare, and across her chest was her swim-top, which was not only strapless but also completely black, save for a black-and-yellow sun insignia in the middle. Sunset, for her part, looked to her boyfriend with clear amorousness, leaning against the door frame while one hand rested behind her head. It was a sight that left no chance whatsoever of anyone misinterpreting what she wanted to do right now. Flash, after considering this new situation, thought long and hard before reaching his very well thought-out conclusion. "Well...I suppose one more swimsuit wouldn't hurt."
