Prologue: Catatonic StateView OnlineSunset Shimmer is Also a Cat NowPrologue: Catatonic StateAuthor's Note Apologies if this is rushed, but prologues do jack these days and I had no idea on how to break in the cat Sunset thing without it being random and silly. Plus, any tie-ins to Sunny Flare is a Cat Now is pretty good if you haven't seen the first fic. Enjoy this, my friends. This is gonna be fun. Prologue: Catatonic State Sunset Shimmer strolled down the street without a care in the world. Usually, her days were always very eventful. Whether it was helping Fluttershy out with the animals at the shelter, giving Applejack a hand on the farm, or playing one-on-one soccer with Rainbow Dash to help her endurance, there was always something going on in her life. Day in, day out, it was the kinda life where she barely had any time to herself, to relax, to enjoy the solace she had in-between each activity. One day, though, she heard a commotion coming from the mall and decided to head over there to see what was going on. At first, she thought that there had been another surge of Equestrian magic and that someone else had become corrupted and twisted by its' power, but that thought quickly went out the window when she saw Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest all dressed up like cats and playing around with Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. Wait... Cats? This, she had to see. "Lemon! Get out of my bags!" Sugarcoat tried to take the bag off of her, but Lemon just hissed and make a quick swipe at Sugarcoat, gliding her squishy claws over her arm. "You're not a cat and she's just being weird! Snap out of it!" Sunset hid herself behind a light pole and watched the mischief unfurl as Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare played with Sugarcoat and Sour's shopping, eating sushi off of the ground and playing around with balls of yarn, letting out their best cat impressions and walking on all fours, just like a cat would. "Is this some kind of new trend?" Sunset asked herself as she watched the three cat-dressed teens pin Sugarcoat down and brush themselves against her body. "Like a prank or something?" Either way, she took her phone out and started recording the rest, watching as Sour Sweet scrambled and panicked to pull Sugarcoat out of the cat-girl pile and watch the two of them run away. "Well, whatever it is, those three seem to be having fun with it." As Sunset watched the three cat-girls get back on their feet and laugh their butts off, she finally stopped recording, slipping the phone back into her pocket as she walked into the mall. Whatever was going on in Sunny, Lemon, and Indigo's minds, I may never know. She went into the shops and played back the video, watching closely as the three cat-dressed CPA students were messing around with Sugar and Sour. Sunset played it on repeat, seemingly unable to tear her eyes away from it and nearly ended up falling into the fountain in the mall because of it. She even debated showing it off to her friends, but wasn't quite sure on how they would react. Would they like it? Would they find it weird? Either way, she had found her interesting thing for the day; even if it wasn't what she was expecting. "Sunset!" Twilight came over, giving Sunset a wave. "Oh. Hey, Twilight." Sunset waved back and put a hand on her shoulder. "Do anything interesting today?" "Well... not really, no." Twilight shook her head. "Unless you count university-level science as interesting, that is. All those equations, formulas, re-working, changing what we know about elements, it's all interesting to me. Maybe not so much for you and the others; especially not Rainbow Dash." "You never know." Sunset shrugged and rubbed Twilight's cheek. "Science can be pretty fun at times, provided it's the right kind of experiment." "So, what's new with you?" Twilight asked. "Nothing much, really. Just saw a prank going on outside." Sunset shrugged, hiding the details. "Couple of teens messing around with people." "Practical jokes or mean-spirited pranks?" Twilight's brows lowered slightly. "I've never liked the latter. But if it's one of those old, comical ones with cream pies, rake-stepping, and other stuff, then that's fine." All she got was silence and a quick stare from Sunset. "What? I'm allowed to like the old stuff. Don't look at me like that, Sunset." "I never said you weren't allowed to not like them." Sunset lifted a brow. "I never really took you for a jokester, Twilight." "Oh, it was just one of the things I used to do when me and Shining Armour were left home alone. Mom and Dad went on a lot of trips when I was a kid, y'see, so I tried to play some jokes on him to pass the time." She blushed slightly and twiddled her fingers. "Personally, you should've seen his face when I poured shaving gel on his hand while he was sleeping and tickled his nose. It was priceless!" A little chuckle slithered out of Twilight's lips and teeth. "I bet." Sunset nodded, thinking back to her days as a kid. "Man. I wish I could have that kind of fun. Just going around, playing a joke on people. Nowadays, pranks are all about getting a high view count on the internet or playing a cruel trick on somebody..." "Yeah..." Twilight sighed as she walked on ahead with Sunset. "Anyway. You wanna head to the frozen-yogurt stand? I hear they've got some great new flavors today." "Y'know what? Sure." Sunset nodded and held Twilight's hand. "I could use a little more fun in my life." And without another word, the two of them went off towards the deeper parts of the mall, to where their creamy prize awaited them. Later that very same evening, Sunset Shimmer was in her apartment, the only light visible being from that of the moon and the string of lights leading up to her bed on the mezzanine. All of her other electronics were off, save from the phone she clutched gently in the palm of her hand. Since she had gotten back, she had been watching the video she had recorded of Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, and Indigo Zap non-stop, with Twilight's words also rattling around in her head. The more that she watched and re-watched the video, the more she began to think deeper about the whole thing. Maybe it was a prank done by the three girls to mess with Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet, but it wasn't entirely harmful or negative for any of them. The way that the cat-girl Crystal Preppers laughed their butts off as the clip ended was what was swaying her more. "Hmm..." Sunset had never really been influenced by a video or activity in real-life before, but this might have been the first one that swayed her over. Everything seemed to be good, clean fun for everyone. "I don't really know the whole thing, but that... kinda looks like fun." She slumped back into her bed, went away from the video, and idly opened the messages app on her phone, tapping on Pinkie Pie's avatar. Sighing to herself, Sunset Shimmer began to type. Hey, Pinkie? I saw this video today and... well, I'm not really all that sure about it. The joke is pretty random, but I figured that you might like it. Here. Have a look. Sunset added the video to her message, putting it on the feed for both sides to see. She played it one more time, thinking that Pinkie was watching it together with her. She had even tried envisioning her laughing, smiling, or even slightly giggling at the nonsensical shenanigans, but only silence accompanied the video once it had ended. Almost immediately after it had ended, Sunset began receiving a response, as evidenced by the ellipse in the box that appeared underneath the video. It stayed there for a while before a little message in a pink box appeared in its' place. LOL, that video was super-funny, Sunny! Oops! I mean Sunset! Well, both of you, really. Heck, I think that you should've joined in on it, Sunset. You'd have a super-cute cat-tail, those nice, bushy ears, and maybe even a little collar with a super-duper adorable tiny bell on it. I say go for it! After all, you can never have too much fun in your life! Those last words hit Sunset like a shipment of bricks detaching from the crane that had been carrying them. With Twilight's words added in to Pinkie's message, a huge idea began to surface in her head. She put the phone down on the bed and climbed out of it, went down the stairs and headed out of the room. She went around the house, gathering whatever pieces of fabric, cotton, and elastic she could find. She was moving so quickly that whole night that it she could have been mistaken for a ghost, rushing around an abandoned building trying to find some innocent souls to reap. Once her quest was finished, Sunset went into the kitchen and laid everything out underneath a dim light. "Y'know what? It is fun." Sunset thought back to the video once again, and the sheer, unbridled joy that was on Sunny, Lemon, and Indigo's faces. "And sure, it's weird, but I've been dealing with Equestrian magic for a pretty long time now, so this is pretty normal by our standards." She started to pick up some scissors and glue as she began to work on her creation. "What is weird, though, is how I'm talking to myself in the middle of the night. C'mon, Sunset! Snap out of it!" As Sunset worked on her masterpiece, bolts of lightning began to crash outside, illuminating the room for brief instances as she cut, stuck, and amalgamated her resources into something truly strange. With the last, bolt, though, she stopped, went over to the windows, and closed the blinds. "Geez. That's some pretty obnoxious weather..." She muttered to herself as she went back to work. The next morning, the sun poured into Sunset's bedroom, lighting everything up without the slightest amount of effort. The blinding light hit her eyelids, prompting her to wake up, throw her hands into the air, and let out a big, drowsy yawn as she finally put an end to the sleep demon that had been plaguing her since last night. She considered walking down the stairs as usual, but quickly decided against it. She got onto all fours and leapt from the mezzanine, landing perfectly on the soft, springy upholstery of her bedroom couch, almost breaking it from the amount of force she had when landing. With another spring, she jumped off the couch and towards the door, waltzing off with her tail swishing gently with each step. Sunset came down into the living room and walked up to the glass box by corner of the room. She looked into said box, which was covered in shavings, had a few rocks and tree pieces in it, and was warmed by a powerful light on the roof. The small lizard inside was relaxed as anything, but one look up at Sunset made its' eyes bulge. "Good morning, Ray." Sunset opened the box, reached inside, and lifted the tiny lizard out. She gave it a gentle pat, stroking it gently as she held it close. "Did you sleep well?" Ray had no idea what to make of his mistress's new look, if he had a mouth, he would have given her an honest opinion. But, alas, that was one of the downsides of being a pet. No verbal communication whatsoever unless you were a parrot. Stupid parrots. Why did they always have to be the ones that could talk while everyone else was left behind? Ray hated parrots. Sunset chuckled. "Don't worry, silly." She pulled the ears off of her head, her hair cleverly concealing the plastic that held both ears together. "It's just me. Sunset Shimmer. I'm not some crazy cat-girl who kidnapped the real Sunset for the day." Ray breathed a mental sigh of relief as he saw Sunset's plain face once again. "If you're wondering what the get-up's for, I'm gonna be having a little bit of fun today." Sunset put Ray back into the box and poured some chopped pieces of vegetable into it. "Let's just say that I saw this little game yesterday and I didn't wanna feel left out. Plus, I do kinda need a little bit more excitement in my life." Once Ray began to eat, she went off to the kitchen. "Some might say that I've lost my marbles, or that I've developed some kinda strange disease or something, but in reality, I'm just dressed as a cat." She poured herself some cereal and then slipped on some yellow-furred claw gloves as she sat at the table. "Catset Shimmer! Or is it Sunset Kittens? I dunno. Maybe Pinkie can come up with something later." She playfully shrugged and began to eat, using nothing more than her mouth to get at the food. Ray didn't even want to think about what Sunset was planning with the outfit that she had made as he continued to eat his food. As his dopey, peaced-out smile returned, he lost himself in the food, the lettuce, tomato, and pieces of celery hitting his stomach with every single nibble. "Y'know, Ray. What do you think cat-people like to do in their spare time?" Sunset asked, pulling her head from the cereal briefly. Bits and pieces stuck to her face as she waited for an answer, but got nothing. "You think they chase mice around all day? Or go fishing and then eat the fish? Or maybe they've got some kinda super-special scratching post playground for their kittens!" Again, nothing more than silence. "Yeah, you're right. Cat-people don't exist. Not yet, at least. Actually, maybe Equestria has some cat-people in it. I should head back there sometime and find out." Eventually—and I do mean eventually, Sunset finished eating her breakfast; still with pieces of it stuck to her face from how she refused to use her hands for any of it. She brushed those off with a paw and guzzled them up as well, obeying the three-second rule as best as she could. "Anyways, I've gotta go, Ray. I've gotta give my friends a visit." She went back to Ray, gave him a big, goofy grin, and blew him a kiss before walking towards the door. "I'll be sure to get you something nice too. See you soon!" Sunset finally exited her house and went off down the road. She took a few steps, then got another thought in her head. Maybe this whole cat business would be more fun if she acted like one as well, instead of dressed like one. She might as well try it. When would she ever have the chance again? Flopping back down onto all-fours, Sunset began to gallop off, her claws and feet providing all of the momentum as she barreled down the street, ready to start her first day in cat-hood...
Chapter 1: Paws and EffectView OnlineSunset Shimmer is Also a Cat NowChapter 1: Paws and EffectAs Sunset prowled down the path in her new cat clothes, the first girl she came across on her travels was dressed in a pink shirt with a picture of four lemon slices across it, a pair of black trousers that went down to her ankles, and a pair of pink headphones with slices of pie on each of the speakers. A small smile popped onto her face as she walked forward. "Hi, there!" Sunset beamed and pounced on the girl, rolling across the floor. "Meow!" "Whoa!" Lemon Zest's eyes widened at the sight of the girl. "Sunset? Sunset Shimmer?" "I remember you from yesterday. You're one of those cute girls who were playing around in cat clothes." Sunset stood up and helped Lemon back onto her feet. "Lemon Zest, isn't it?" "Yeah. From Crystal Prep. You've met me before." Lemon dusted herself off. "Once at the Friendship Games where I was a fun raver girl, did awesomely at the Academic Decathlon and Speed Skating, and then one of the girls who made Twilight into a super-creepy and horrific monstrosity because some old hag wanted to win the contest by any means necessary. And we met again when we were trying to make that super-fun music video and raise that money for Camp Everfree and our awesome party on that yacht." She grinned. "Y'know, we really should hang out more. You and your friends know how to have a good time." "We should!" Sunset smiled. "But we've always got our own plans and stuff to attend to. Me and my friends especially. Heck, there's not a day where we don't have something going on." "Tell me about it." Lemon smiled and put a hand behind Sunset's back. "Indigo and Sunny are always too busy with their sport and drama classes to do something cool with me. And don't even get me started on Sugarcoat and Sour. Those two need to get out a bit more. I think all that time in class is starting to get to their heads." She shuddered slightly. "Sour more than anyone." "Yeah." Sunset nodded. "So, what were you and your friends doing dressed up at cats in the first place? Is that a whole new trend going around these days? Did Rarity have another one of those things where she comes up with a trend on the fly and then suddenly, everyone wants to get in on it?" "Nah. Rarity's a cool girl and all, but this style's all us." Lemon. "Well, technically, it was all Sunny's idea. And to be fair, that was pretty random and spontaneous with how she came up with it, but I still thought it was pretty neat." "Oh. So, she just did it like that too? That's kinda why I went with it too." Sunset gently brushed her slender tail and bushy cat ears. "I kinda like it, though. Even though this is kinda my first day in it and all." "Oh, being a cat's pretty awesome. Especially if you're a super-nimble ninja girl like Sunny is." Lemon Zest started to walk down the path, taking Sunset with her. "I tell ya, it's like she took some super-secret classes she's not allowed to say. But she was wall jumping and crouching on top of streetlights, it was pretty rad. Really added to the immersion. Actually, what is immersion? I don't really pay attention to those kinda big words. Raving's more of my thing. I just know the words because Mr. Svengallop won't stop DRILLING them into my head in english class..." "Wait, for real?" Sunset asked. "Yeah. He's always going on and on about how great he is and how the others should look up to him an—" "Not your english class, Lemon. About Sunny Flare being that agile." Sunset was quick to cut Lemon off with a simple wave of the hand. "Did she really say stuff like that?" "Well, it kinda gets a little bit lost along the way. You just really have to see Sunny for yourself. She can do all the super-cool jumping stuff," Lemon said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she actually did take one of those classes." "I see. So what are you doing today, Lemon?" Sunset lifted a brow. "Meh. Not really much. Kinda like most of the time when I'm off Crystal Prep. I just take my headphones out and see what the world's gotta offer." Lemon slipped the aforementioned headphones off. "You wanna try them on, Sunset? Gotta warn you, though. They're pretty good at blasting out beats." "Sure. What've you—" Sunset felt the headphones immediately land on her ears. Within seconds, her eardrums were deafened with what could only be described as a car crash and an electrical grid meltdown at the same time, along with some drums being played in the background. That wasn't exactly accurate, but it was the best she could come up with other the cacophony of noise pulsing through the speakers. "Pretty good, aren't they?" Lemon asked after she took the headphones off. "Twilight was pretty awestruck as well. I bet that shocked look on her face after a couple seconds means that she loved 'em." "I'm sure she was pretty awestruck too. Just... not in that way." Sunset's pupils diluted as Lemon put the headphones back on her own head. She wondered how Lemon hadn't completely lost her hearing with how loud and screechy the music was. "These beats are pretty sick, eh? They're from that awesome new band I saw the other day." Lemon spoke loudly, as the headphones were covering out all other noise; including her own. "Something about nine inch nails or something like that. I don't know about you, but the band name could be better. Kinda along the lines of long and hard, or sharp and pointy. I mean, who's gonna wanna support a band that's literally just named after a bunch of nails? Unless there's a hammer involved in there somewhere, I don't really see the point of the name." "Oh, it's just a band name. Nothing really that serious or anything. Heck, my friend, Pinkie Pie's been into this pretty weird sounding band recently that I don't really remember the name of." Sunset tipped her hand. "But that's enough about me and my love for heavy metal and stuff. What're you going to do today, Sunset?" Lemon slipped her headphones off of her ears and hung them around her neck, like an open collar. "I know you didn't just put on that catsuit just because we were playing with Sugar and Sour yesterday. So tell me. What's going on?" "Oh. Well, I was just going to give my friends a little bit of a surprise with this suit." Sunset looked down at herself, and the paw gloves around her hands. "Just a little hello, some playing around with them, making them think I actually have turned into a cat. Maybe some playing with Rarity's fabrics and eating some fish from the fridge, drinking some milk from a bowl if there's time. But there may or may not be time. I dunno. It depends on whether or not the girls are in or not." Sunset shrugged. "Sounds good. Mind if I tag along?" Lemon asked, tugging gently on Sunset's sleeves. "I've still got my cat stuff from yesterday. And my house is just up the road. I could make a quick pit-stop to grab 'em, then we can totally say hi to your friends. K?" "I don't see why not," said Sunset. "I'm sure everything would be much more fun if you tagged along for the ride. Plus, I kinda need someone to break me into this whole 'being a cat for the day' kinda thing." "Sure. I'd be glad to give you a hand, Sunset." Lemon patted Sunset's back. "Plus, if anything, I kinda wanna be a cat again. One day wasn't enough for me, especially if it was just a big prank on two of CPA's stuffiest and grumpiest students in the end." Lemon Zest and Sunset Shimmer eventually arrived at a large, three storey house, with all of the third floor windows wide open and wind blowing through them. There were faint traces of music, mostly stuff playing on the radio at the top, but apart from that, the rest of the house was indistinguishable from the others. There was a small garden leading up to the door, but it was mostly filled with grass and almost no flowers. In fact, there wasn't really much of anything in the garden or around it, and it more so looked like the grass had been bent out of shaped and kicked around, making a rather distorted pattern of flattened blades. "Check it, Sunset. My pad." Lemon vaulted herself over the gate and landed on the pavement. "Oh, and I'm sorry about the lack of flowers or stuff like that. I kinda had 'em for a while, but I wasn't really much of a flower girl myself. So, I just gave them to Sunny." She opened the gate up for Sunset. "She didn't mind much." "Oh, it's fine. Really." Sunset walked through the gate and shut it behind her, watching as Lemon charged into the door and up the stairs. She followed closely behind, catching glimpses of the living room and kitchen on her way up. The kitchen was fine, but the living room had almost zero furniture save for the couches at the wall and a wall-mounted TV. There were a few speakers by the TV, but they were also hanging from the walls. Almost as if it was more of a large, empty dancefloor if any. "Huh. Guess it fits her," she said as she went upstairs to the second floor. On Sunset's travels up, she saw a few doors on her path, all leading to a few extra rooms that she had not expected to see today. There was a makeshift dance studio room complete with wall rails and mirrors stretching along it; a little video game room with a TV, some consoles, and a high quality set of headphones; a bedroom for two people—which she believed to be Lemon's parents' bedroom; and a spare room for if Lemon ever had any guests over. Just as Sunset went up to the final floor and saw Lemon's bedroom door marked with stickers, she watched as the girl launched herself out of it with her own tail, paw gloves, and cat ears. It was almost blinding how fast she was moving. "Ta-da!" Lemon threw her arms out and pulled Sunset into a tight hug. "Now, we're BKs!" "B...Ks?" Sunset parroted. "Best Kitties!" Lemon purred and gently batted at Sunset's cheeks playfully. "And now, we're more than ready to get out there and have fun. Even though cats sleep more than they actually get out, but we're not like those peasant cats. We're the much better kind who play more than sleep!" She bounced on the spot. Sunset laughed at the sight and watched as Lemon prowled down the stairs, stretching her arms and legs out as she climbed down on all fours. The more that she watched her playing, the more and more that she got an impressions that she and Pinkie Pie would get along. They were pretty much the same, minus the headphones and screeching mess of music that she liked listening to. "C'mon, Sunset! Come on down!" Lemon waved. "Oh, but not on both legs, silly. Can you do it like I did?" "I'll try." Sunset assumed the position, limbered up, and put her first hand down on the step. She followed with her other one and arched herself over the top step, beginning to crawl down. Admittedly, she had never tried going down the stairs this way, and found it a bit more of a hefty chore than she had imagined what with balance any everything, but eventually, she got a good rhythm and started to pick up the pace, finally arriving at Lemon's feet. "How's that?" "There ya go. You're learning. And what a fun way to learn it is, eh?" Lemon winked at Sunset and nudged her shoulder lightly. "Now, before we go out there, do you want something to eat? I've still got a bit of Sugarcoat's sushi from yesterday. It's still pretty good as it is, what with it being floor sushi and all." "I... think I'll pass." Sunset lifted a paw. "But thanks for the offer anyways." She continued to follow Lemon downstairs, crawl-climbing down again instead walking down it normally. "Ah, c'mon, Sunset. Floor food isn't that bad," said Lemon as they made it to the bottom floor. "In fact, in video games, floor food usually brings the main character back to full health most of the time. Indy can vouch for that." "Indy?" Sunset asked. "Yeah. Indy. Indigo Zap. Crystal Prep's ace in the hole when it comes to sports." Lemon finally stood back up and went towards the fridge in her kitchen. "She's the captain of every team at Crystal Prep, and she was the number one pick out of the top twelve who qualified for the Friendship Games last year." "Kinda sounds like somebody I know." Sunset leaned against a wall and smirked casually, seeing Rainbow Dash's face appear on the girl she was thinking about." "I kinda wish she could've made it to that music video thing we did too, but she was on vacation with her parents at the time." Lemon pulled out some salmon and seaweed rolls and popped a few into her mouth. "When she showed me some of her photos, I was SUPER JEALOUS. And don't even get me started on the theme park she went to. She is a lucky girl." Her voice was muffled slightly by the food, but she still cleared herself a path in her mouth so her voice was still comprehensible. "Mmm." Sunset watched as Lemon finished off her fish-based snack and came back to her side. "But let's not focus too much on Indy. She's pretty awesome and she knows it, but it's not all about her. Instead, let's talk about who you're gonna see first. And by the way, who are you going to see first?" "Hmm..." Sunset looked outside and watched the sun's rays twinkling down on the grassy patches outside. She hadn't thought about who she was going to see first out of her circle of friends, only that she was going to see as many of them as she could before the day was over. "Maybe Rarity first. Just came to my head." "Rarity, eh?" Lemon's smile grew ever wider. "You think she'll do opera for us if we put our paws on her clothes? She kinda sounds like she has the voice to do that kinda thing." "Well, let's just say that Rarity's a little bit... too advanced for drama class." Sunset walked over to the door, swishing her new tail with each and every step. "Come on, Lemon. Let's say hi to her." "A'ight. Let's go!" Lemon ran out of the house on all fours again, leaping over the gate this time and landing graciously on her feet. "And on the way, we can think of some clever cat names. Then, we'll really be adding to the experience. "Yeah. I was thinking on Sunset Mittens or Catset Shimmer. But I could always use a second opinion." Sunset still walked through the gate normally. "Like, what do you think sounds good for me?" "Well... Maybe something like Fluffset Shimmer, because you're so fluffy with that extra fur. Ooh! Ooh! Or maybe we could go with a little bit of a title and call you a Furever Friend, and still call you Sunset after that," said Lemon as they headed off down the path. "But then there's always the chance that we could do something else and change your name entirely. Like Early Fur or Cat Drag. Y'know, because you're a cat and everything. The possibilities are endless!" "Yeah." Sunset felt something warm in her heart, knowing that this would be an even better day than she had thought. Author's Note This is kinda like a high-speed anime now, ain't it? But in all seriousness, guys. I had no idea what to write here, so I just said "screw it" and have Sunset meet Lemon and have the two of them be Best Kitties for the story. And besides, it's not gonna derail the story in anyway. Instead, it gives me a lot more ideas to bounce off of, and more possibilities to explore with two catgirls instead of one. And if you like the idea, then feel free to do the usual stuff that involves sharing a story and spreading the love as you always do. It always means the world when people like the stories I write. But regardless, ta-ta for now!
Chapter 2: LogisticatsView OnlineSunset Shimmer is Also a Cat NowChapter 2: LogisticatsSunset Shimmer and Lemon Zest, both fully garbed in their catgirl attire finally made it to Rarity's house. Or rather, Rarity's boutique that was coupled to her house. The interior of the building's bottom floor was just the same way that Sunset remembered, with mannequins lining the walls and dresses draped over their bodies. There were some catalogs in a nearby holder that showcased all of the different fashions, as well as a separate room to the side that had a sewing machine poking out of the side of it. To Lemon Zest, the whole thing was like a gold mine of fabrics for her and Sunset to play with; to truly get into the catgirl vibe of it all. "So, Sunset. Ya ever wanna know why I'm the way that I am?" Lemon Zest asked as she strolled into the room; faux tail swishing with each and every step that she took. "Sure, go ahead." Sunset followed after Lemon Zest. "I decided to get the way that I am because most of the guys and gals at Crystal Prep are SO BORING! Like, seriously. They're so stuffy and uptight that the stuffiest stuffbags from Stuffsville, on the planet Uptightia would be more easy-going and better than them," Lemon moaned, temples throbbing as she even thought about the other students at Crystal Prep Academy. "I mean, don't get me wrong, they do know how to have fun, but they just seem to focus on work, work, work, and more work. Which, alright, fair point, Crystal Prep is a private establishment, but it's still no excuse for how we're all getting turned into boring robots with programming made to be boring. I mean, come on..." "Well, I'm sure that the students at your school are totally different on the outside. There's a thing called work/life balance, after all," Sunset, with her new cat outfit tried to see what Rarity was making, but she couldn't grab hold of the clothes properly without her claws sinking into the fabric. She had to take extra care not to rip the clothes that her friend had worked so hard on. "So, what made you decide to become a catgirl, Lemon Zest?" "You have Sunny Flare to thank for that," Lemon Zest's smile came back as she looked into Sunset's eyes. "Sunny Flare decided to be totally cool and throw her stuffiness out of the window. She dressed up as a catgirl and played the act pretty well, to the point where she got me and Indigo on board as well," Lemon Zest explained with a smile as she looked down at her furry paw gloves. "Sunny decided to prank Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet; also known as the stuffiest super-smart geniuses on the planet and the girl with two flip-flopping personalities. Needless to say, it was a riot. The three of us had so much fun playing around with them, and it was just a fun way to spend the day, really. Though, I'll never be sure as to what inspired Sunny in the first place. Still, it was a fun prank. You probably saw the hashtag somewhere along the way. Hashtag Teenage Cat Disease?" "I think I remember Pinkie Pie showing me that video of you and the other two once..." Sunset thought back to the day that she had first seen Lemon Zest in a cat outfit with her two other friends. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, then, taking her cat gloves off for a second, used her thumbs to find the video that Pinkie had shown her, and played it back to Lemon Zest. "This one, right?" "Yeah. That's totally it." Lemon Zest nodded as she watched the video play back before her eyes. "Let me see how it's doing at the moment." She looked down at the comments, like counts, and other reactions that people were leaving on the video. "I dunno about you, but I'm pretty sure that this is a viral video." "I mean, you did just dress up as a catgirl with Sunny Flare and Indigo Zap for the sole purpose of pranking Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat. The internet goes crazy for some of the weirdest things, I tell ya..." Sunset just rolled her eyes as she slipped the phone back into her pocket and slipped the cat gloves that she had been wearing back onto her hands. "But then again, I've got no room to say whether or not that's bad, since I'm also in a cat outfit now." "Yeah. And it was totally harmless. Didn't mean to maliciously attack the two of 'em. Just thought that it'd be good for a laugh. And turns out, it was. It was one of the best laughs I've had in a while, actually." Lemon Zest clapped her cat gloves together, then made her way towards another door at the back of the building. "Hey, Sunset? You're Rarity's friend, right? Ya mind if you get the door for us?" "Oh, sure. It's no bother at all." Sunset made her way over to Rarity's house and knocked on the door gently. "Rarity? Are you there? It's me. Sunset," she remarked. "Do you mind if we come in at the moment?" "Sunset? Whatever is the matter?" Rarity's refined voice came from the other side of the door. Lucky for Sunset and the others, this was one of the days where she was at home, rather than outside with her friends trying to find some inspiration for a new line of dresses and outfits. "Of course I can let you in, but I simply must know for whatever reason first, if that's alright with you." "I'm with a friend, actually. I wanna get your opinions on a new outfit that we're trying on," said Sunset. This prompted a mini-giggle from Lemon Zest. That wasn't what they were doing at all. "You don't mind letting us in for that, do you?" "I don't mind that, darling. Not at all, in fact," Rarity remarked, and the sound of a lock unlocking could be heard. The door swung open. "Now, what was it that you wanted me to..." Her words started to trail, and then vanished completely when she saw exactly what Sunset and Lemon Zest were wearing. The sight of the fully completed catsuits was enough to catch her off-guard. "Sunset? Since when were you into... promiscuous japanese anime catgirls?" This was enough to catch Lemon off guard. She fell to the floor and let out the heartiest laugh that she could muster. She hadn't been expecting Rarity of all people to say that about her and Sunset's attire. The way that her body curled upwards was enough to draw both pairs of eyes towards her. That had been the funniest thing that Lemon Zest had ever seen, and she laughed so much, that she started to hack and cough. That was the moment that she stood back up and brushed herself down with her cat gloves. "Oh, aren't you... Lemon Zest, is it?" Rarity asked, watching as Lemon finally recomposed herself and stood next to Sunset. "You got that right, Rares," Lemon Zest replied. "Sorry if I'm still semi-chuckling here, I just hadn't been expecting to be called a prom... promis... whatever it was." "Promiscuous," Rarity corrected. "Yeah, that," remarked Lemon. "Anyways, Sunset invited me out to this little shindig." "I can see that," Rarity stepped aside and let both Sunset and Lemon Zest walk into her humble abode. "Well, don't let me keep you, ladies. Oh, but, if you will, do you mind if you wait a smidge for me? I've got some business to attend to with my own cat, Opalescence." As the two went inside, Rarity heard a meowing noise coming from one of the nearby rooms. "Just hold on tightly, Opal. Mama's coming." Sunset Shimmer and Lemon Zest made their way through the entrance hall of Rarity's house towards a staircase that looked like it had been embroided. One foot on it immediately broke the illusion, as the fabrics were squashed underneath Lemon's foot. She speedily scurried up the stairs like a cat would, giggling all the while. Sunset Shimmer could only watch at her speedy ascent. "C'mon, Sunset! There's no time to just sit back and think about it!" Lemon called. "If ya wanna be a catgirl like me, ya gotta live in the moment; just go for things!" "Just... go for it?" Sunset remarked, blinking. Then, she looked back at the staircase. She had been up the staircase to Rarity's bedroom before a few times, but never on all fours. The way that Lemon Zest did it made the climb feel effortless, but this was the first time that Sunset Shimmer had ever thought of climbing a staircase on all fours like a cat would; let alone a pony. She shouldn't have been so worried, since she did come from a magical land of talking horses, where climbing up stairs on all fours was perfectly natural for them, but climbing stairs as a human and climbing stairs as a pony was two completely different things. "Oh, what the heck?" And just like that, Sunset sped up the stairs on her hands and feet. Her many years of being a pony had served her well, as she was scurrying up the stairs with a speed that she had never known before. She barely even had time to register the top of the stairs as she shot up. Because of how sudden the end came, Sunset ended up tripping and falling over herself, which sent her and Lemon Zest tumbling into Rarity's room in a heap. "Whoa," said Lemon Zest as she tried to climb up out of the mangle that was her and Sunset. "Didn't know you liked it that way, Sunset. Next time, warn me about being really, REALLY rowdy." "Rarity? What's going on in..." Another girl stood by the door wearing a yellow dress. She had white skin like Rarity's, but her hair was curled pink and purple. She took one look at the two newcomers, blinked, and then backed away from the door. "Actually... never mind. Think I'll just... head back to my room now," she said, then dashed for her room, leaving a cloud of smoke behind her. Lemon Zest giggled again, then stood back up again. She took one look around Rarity's room and did a catcall-style whistle at how it all looked. From the four-poster bed, to the dresser for applying make-up and other beautifying products, and the regal shades of white and purple that lined it all, Lemon Zest was impressed. "Okay, I know that Rarity's a dressmaker, but I didn't know that translated to her head as well. I swear, you'd think that this room belongs to some fairy-tale princess or something." "Rarity has a taste for the... finer things in life," said Sunset. "Honestly, I'm surprised that, at this point, she hasn't introduced us to caviar yet. Maybe she's just trying to be normal, like the rest of us." She shrugged. "Yeah, kinda impossible when you're friends with a magical god girl with superpowers," said Lemon Zest, remembering the Friendship Games clear as day. "Seriously. Why don't more people talk about you, Sunset? You've got the powers of some kinda light-angel fairy goddess thing now." "It's... nothing really that special." Sunset blushed at each cheek. She had never been praised for having the Magic of Friendship like that. "We all just did what we could to save Twilight from being controlled by magic. Nothing more beyond that." "What? Don't be like that, girl. That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen!" Lemon exclaimed. "Like, seriously. You and the other Rainbooms should start some kind of superhero team. I can see you right now wearing awesome costumes with masks on, using your magical powers to stomp out bad guys and save Canterlot City. Just like in the movies!" "Please, Lemon. I'm really not used to praise like that." Sunset just tipped her paw-covered hand down towards Lemon Zest. "What? I'm just being nice. That's what they call it at CHS, niceness, right?" Lemon shrugged innocently. Sunset could only sigh. She didn't fully know what to expect with Lemon Zest. She hadn't had much time to be with her, especially considering the fact that they had vastly different circles of friends. While she had the Rainbooms to fall back on, Lemon Zest only had the four other girls she was known for hanging with. Maybe, when she had the time, Sunset would have to invite Lemon around for a day out with the Rainbooms to show her the real meaning of friendship. "Well, we've still got some time before Rarity comes up, so why don't I teach you a little bit of how to act like a catgirl," said Lemon Zest, shuffling back down onto all fours. "If you wanna make it seem convincing, ya gotta learn your wordplay. Cat jokes, cat puns, anything cat-related sells the deal." "Is... that all?" Sunset tilted her head. "If it's that easy, then why haven't we just started making all of the cat-related wordplay and jokes we want?" "See, because there's so much more than that. As Sunny showed off yesterday, cats are nimble." To demonstrate, Lemon Zest clambered up the posters of Rarity's bed and tucked herself onto the tarp that hung above the bed. "See? Like this. Ya ever climbed a bed like this, Sunset?" "No. I haven't," she could only watch as Lemon wriggled herself out of her snug little space and landed on her feet by Sunset's. "Well, I'll be teaching you some moves later. But first, we gotta see how you can sell the role of being a cat." As Lemon said it, she planted her ear by the door. She could hear that Rarity was coming upstairs and was just about ready to get started with the phony examination that Sunset had mentioned. "No time like the present, girl." Lemon swept Sunset's legs to put her back down onto all fours, threw herself back down onto her hands and knees as well. "Lemon Zest, I really don't think that was—" The door swung open, and Rarity was staring down at Lemon and Sunset, who were both playing the role of being cats. "Uh... Meow?" Sunset turned to Rarity and did the best impression that she could for being put on the spot. Rarity's mouth just fell to the floor at the sight of Sunset. She had to watch for a brief moment as Lemon Zest strolled around the room on all fours, purring subtly under her voice. She soon found herself brushing up against Rarity's leg tenderly, which caused the girl to back up. "Aw, c'mon, girl? What's wrong? Ain't ya never seen catgirls before?" Lemon Zest remarked in a human voice, instead of trying to speak in all meows, much to the relief of one Sunset Shimmer. "We're completely harmless. Promise." "Uh... I..." Rarity tried her best to find the right words to respond to the situation, but she couldn't. All that she could do was walk towards the window, away from Lemon's legs as she tried to scurry over to her again. "I'm... not entirely sure what all of this is about, Sunset, but if you're ready, we can begin that little costume analysis you wanted." "Oh, right, see that's also what I wanted to talk to you about, Rarity." Sunset remained stoic on all fours as Lemon just gave her the innocent smile. "See, there's this thing I wanted to tal—" "Sunset's decided to go super catgirl on everyone, and I decided to give her a little helping hand in letting her inner cat out of the bag!" Lemon Zest blurted out, dashing to Rarity's legs again, causing the girl to yelp in fright. "Sunset? I don't even know what to say about any of this! Will you please explain to me what in the world is happening to you and Lemon Zest here?" Rarity remarked. "Hey, don't look at me. She's the crazy one. I'm just trying to learn about the ways of the cat," said Sunset. "So... I dunno. Nya, I guess?" She made what she could describe as a beginner resting catgirl face, by sticking her tongue out and trying to compress her eyes. "Nya? Oh, this is much worse than I thought. It's just like what Pinkie Pie showed me in that video..." Rarity examined Sunset from head to toe, lifting up her arms and legs. "You might be developing... Teenage Cat Disease." "Guilty as charged!" Lemon Zest chuckled. "Yep. Me and Sunset are infected alright. Infected with purretty good taste!" She skittered back to Sunset's side and flashed her own catface at Rarity. "Nya!" It was at that moment that Rarity realised something. She had let these catgirls touch her. For all that she knew, she could have been infected with Teenage Cat Disease as well. She let out a scream that would have landed her a job as an opera singer rather than a dressmaker, then climbed on top of the nearby couch, hunching herself away from the catgirl teens. "Stay away from me! I won't let the two of you infect me!" "Infect you? Rarity, that's not it at all." Sunset stood back up on two feet again. "I just decided to wear this because I thought it was pretty interesting. Plus, I do kinda look good like this, don't I?" She looked into the mirror, admiring how she had dressed herself in the ways of a cat. "You look..." Rarity couldn't muster up the strength to keep talking. She felt a swirling sensation begin to form in her head as Lemon gave her a cheeky wink. Her words devolved into a gibberish babble as she collapsed onto the couch. Lemon was able to catch her and make sure that she was properly lying down on the couch. "Sleep tight, Rarity." Lemon giggled as she played with her hair. She fashioned it so that she made mini cat ears for Rarity as well, only for her hair to flop back once she wandered over to Sunset. "So, I'd say that we've had a pretty good time here, but I think we'd better scram before Rarity finds out we're still here and calls some kinda doctor." "Yeah. As much as I wanna stay and explain it to Rarity, something tells me that I think we've made her a little bit paranoid," said Sunset. "She'll be fine, though. Once this all comes and goes, that is." "Yeah. Once it blows over, she'll be fine." Lemon Zest stood back up and walked back down the stairs and out of the house, with Sunset following shortly after. "Now, who do you think we should pay a visit to next?" Author's Note GOD! I shouldn't have abandoned this story! But it's back now! Yes. I've decided to get the stuf out of my butt and say yes to more Sunset being a Catgirl. I'm weird, energetic, ecstatic, and a little bit crazy all at once. I'm sorry for leaving this for a while, but I hope with this new chapter, all is forgiven.
