Sunset tied her hair back as she got ready for bed. Tomorrow was the final PostCrush performance of the tour which was to take place at Carousel Park. Wrapping up in the bathroom, Sunset walked out into the room to hear the contented snoring of Pinkie Pie who had fallen asleep earlier. Stepping over a half-finished chess game on the set she had purchased along the way, Sunset sat on her bed and saw that Pinkie was still clutching her stuffed doppelganger that she had been sleeping with regularly for the past week. She heard Pinkie mutter something before rolling over to continue her slumber; with a quiet laugh, Sunset pulled the blanket over her and got to bed herself.
Sunset’s eyes shot open at the sound of Pinkie’s excited cry, before she could vocalize her shock she bounced into the air as Pinkie dive bombed her bed.
“Morning, Sunset!” She sat on her knees at the foot of the bed. “It’s the last day of the tour and we can’t waste a second!”
“Pinkie.” Sunset focused on the window and saw that it was still dark. “What time is it?”
“Five.” She informed with a huge smile. “I figured we could get some breakfast and be at the park by the time it opens.”
“Ugh.” Sunset’s head fell back onto the pillow. “My name is Sunset not Sunrise.” She moaned. “Can’t you give me like one more hour?”
“C’mon, Sunset.” Pinkie pouted, grabbing her ankle and jostling her.
“Okay, okay.” She rolled onto her stomach, face buried in the sheet. “Start packing up.” She further mumbled.
“You got it!” Pinkie bounded from the mattress and set herself to task.
Sunset dragged herself from bed and shambled into the bathroom after grabbing her outfit. By the time she emerged, the room was pristine and Pinkie was waiting eagerly by the door. Checking out of the motel, Sunset drove them to a nearby diner for breakfast where she was able to fully wake up after some coffee. With their stomachs full, they proceeded to Carousel Park and scored decent parking due to the early hour. Pinkie hopped out of the car and smiled up at the cresting roller coaster track that rose and disappeared again behind the exterior fencing. With a happy giggle she ran around the car, took Sunset by the arm and began hurrying along towards the front gate. The morning line was short and they quickly received their hand stamps; passing through into the beautiful courtyard of the park.
“Wow.” Sunset admired the late 19th century motif. “Rarity would have gotten a kick out of this.”
“That’s what pictures are for.” Pinkie said as she pressed her cheek against Sunset’s to take her hundredth selfie. “So, what’cha want to do first?”
“Let’s take a look at the guide.” Sunset led her over to the standing map of the park. “I’d like to let breakfast settle before we do anything with too many G’s, so how about we check out Pasture Promenade?”
“Sounds perfect.” Pinkie nodded.
Pasture Promenade was a series of shops and eateries all themed in the style of 1800’s county living with staff wearing period appropriate attire and speaking in long lost formalities. By this point, funds were running slim so the pair mostly resigned to window shop and enjoy the relaxing guitar music that played over the speakers that rested in the trees. As the weight of their meal wore off, they then dove into the rides and games of Carousel Row; the centerpiece of the park. From getting their picture taken during the main drop of the coaster to Pinkie turning a simple teacup ride into a centrifuge worthy of training astronauts; the duo had a blast as they ran through the attractions. Working up an appetite, they decided to have a proper theme park lunch of hot dogs, soda and pretzels. Sitting under the umbrella of a three seated steel table, Pinkie began devouring her food.
“I think all my organs are in different spots now.” Sunset laughed as she bit the upper right bend off of her pretzel.
“Mmmm.” Pinkie happily chewed on her oversized bite of hotdog. “Hotdogs always taste better at an amusement park.” She noted through her mouthful, tiny bits of bun leaping from her mouth.
“They’d better for how much they cost.” Sunset chuckled as she sipped her drink.
“We’re paying for the experience.” Pinkie countered. “I could be eating a hotdog at home alone; or, I could be eating one here with you at an awesome theme park.” She smiled. “This is way better!”
“True.” Sunset conceded as she started on her own dog, reflecting on the past month. “I’m glad we decided to go all in and do this.”
“Me too.” Pinkie beamed. “This month is going down in history as one of the best ever.”
After they finished eating, Sunset took their trash and dumped it in the nearby bin. When she turned back she found Pinkie before her, laughing impishly. “What?”
“You’ve got mustard mouth.” Pinkie snickered, reaching her thumb up and running it across the corner of Sunset’s mouth. Without much thought, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked it clean.
“Uh… thanks.” Sunset shyly raised her hand to her mouth.
They continued to walk the park as their lunch settled, spending some time amongst the barnyard animals of Rodeo Way and hitting up the photo booth for a few scrapbook shots. Rounding the quieter side of the park, Pinkie suddenly squealed and grabbed Sunset by the wrist.
“Let’s do the boat ride!” She pulled her along towards a long, manmade waterway lined with small boats.
“Pinkie, this isn’t really a ride.” Sunset refuted.
“Sure it is.” Pinkie insisted as they went past the slightly confused attendant. Before Sunset could say anything more, Pinkie had her in the boat and they began their slow drift into the mouth of the tunnel. The subtle lighting played off of the neon flowers that accented the path and soft piano music echoed around them.
“Isn’t this fun?” Pinkie asked, dipping her fingers into the water.
Sunset looked up and around the boat with a tad of suspect. “I guess… but, you know this the tunnel of…” She stopped as she felt Pinkie hug onto her arm and lay her head on her shoulder. “Love...”
“I know.” Pinkie said softly.
“Pinkie?” Sunset glanced down at her.
“This trip has been the best.” She began. “But as much as I love PostCrush and as much fun as it’s been seeing all these new places… it’s been the best because of you. I’ve gotten to learn so much about you and the thing I’ve learned the most is that I like how I feel when I’m with you.” Sunset began to flush as she realized what was happening. “I know I’m a lot sometimes and most people get tired of me or angry at me, but not you; you take the time to teach me things and you always go along with my ideas even when I know you don’t really want to.” Pinkie smiled and closed her eyes. “I’m really happy right now and I wish this boat could just float on forever.”
Sunset searched for words but couldn’t find any; Pinkie sensed her hesitation and slowly pulled away from her, quietly looking away. “Pinkie… I’m sorry, I just don’t really know what to say. You really caught me off guard.”
“That’s okay.” Pinkie turned to her with a smile. “I just… wanted you to know.” As the boat left the tunnel, Pinkie hopped out and perked at the sound of the large crowd gathering in the nearby amphitheater. “Oh, sounds like the show is starting soon. Let’s go!” As if a switch had flipped, Pinkie returned to her normal self and headed off towards the concert.
“Pinkie!” Sunset called after her, unsure if she was really okay or just playing off the lack of response to her confession. She ran after Pinkie and found her bouncing up and down in line, rapidly waving her over. The hustle of the moving entry line prevented any further discussion and before they knew it they were standing on the grass before the stage alongside hundreds of other chattering fans. In time, the arena was full and PostCrush took the stage, reciting their typical introduction which had been catered for the local area. Under the cheers of the crowd they broke into song and everyone began singing along, everyone except for Sunset. She stood at Pinkie’s back, watching her cheerfully sing; the music barely registered in her mind as it worked backwards over her long trip with Pinkie and began to pick out the little hints that had been piling up as to her friend’s evolving feelings. The recollection slowly brought a smile to her face, realizing that the reason she never noticed anything out of sorts is because it all felt so natural it didn’t set off any alarms. She stepped up beside Pinkie and put her arm around her waist. Pinkie immediately stopped singing and looked over at her with a surprised smile; she hugged onto Sunset in return and they began singing together as they returned their eyes to the stage.
As the first song came to an end and the crowd quieted while PostCrush set the stage for their next number, Pinkie timidly looked back at Sunset. “Sunset, I…”
“I’m sorry, Pinkie.” Sunset cut her off. “I didn’t mean to leave you hanging back there.”
“So, does this mean we can… date?” She asked sweetly.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I mean… if that’s what you want.”
“It is.” Pinkie assured.
Sunset saw that the next number was about to start and thumbed towards the stage. “Hey, let’s get our stage pic in.”
“Okay!” Pinkie whipped out her phone and held it out before her. Sunset got in close and she framed them in front of the stage. “Say crushin it!” Just as her finger went for the onscreen button, Sunset turned her head and pressed her lips against Pinkie’s. She reflexively hit the button, capturing a keepsake of their first kiss. Her face reddened under Sunset’s smile and she lightly licked her lips. “You taste like cinnamon.” Pinkie noted with enamored eyes.
“It’s… the lip gloss.” Sunset shyly laughed. “So, you gonna post it?”
With a bright smile, Pinkie posted the photo to her page for all her friends to see. The crowd ignited once again as the next song started. Pinkie laced her fingers between Sunset’s and laid into her side as they started singing along in perfect harmony.
