Author's Note
This is a short story commissioned by an anonymous client.
While it incorporates some familiar elements, this tale is entirely separate from my Equestria Girls belly dance stories.
Dancing at Dusk
Sunset Shimmer sighed with relief as she entered her apartment. It had been a busy afternoon at the Mako sushi restaurant, and she was more than ready to unwind. She lowered the shades of her living room window before going up the stairs.
Upon reaching her loft, she drew the window curtains shut and shed her sushi chef uniform. She then stretched her arms high over her head, taking a deep rejuvenating breath. After several minutes of limbering up, she sauntered back downstairs.
She opened the cabinet near the base of the steps and dug into a cardboard box within it. From the box she lifted a clear plastic bag containing a pink strapless bandeau-style top, matching pantaloons and slippers with pointed toes that curled upward. Along with the costume was a large, opaque veil of like-color.
Humming to herself, Sunset donned the outfit, draping the veil over her head and shoulders like a hooded cloak. She then opened her smartphone’s music app and selected one of her favorite tracks - the very ditty she had just been humming.
The song pulsed in through her living room speakers. It began with a rhythmic drumbeat, which was soon joined by the chiming of zills (finger cymbals). Over the percussion came an entrancing flute melody reminiscent of a Saddle Arabian tune she had once heard back in Equestria.
Sunset immersed herself in the song, swaying her hips from side to side. Clasping her hands in front of her face, she rolled her belly, pulling her navel in then up before pushing it back out then down in one fluid motion.
Ever since she first came to this world, she had been curious about her new body. She was especially intrigued by her abdominal muscles, to which she never gave much thought as a pony. It was not long before she discovered something called “belly dancing.”
It all began when she happened upon a video online - a simple one-minute clip of the uploader rolling her belly as she did now. After watching countless videos online, she managed to teach herself the basic moves. Before long, she was recreating the choreography from the videos in her own living room. A month ago, she decided to dress the part and bought herself the classic Applewood-style harem girl costume she now wore.
Lost in the music, she glided about her apartment, circling her hips as she stepped. She was shimmying in the middle of her living room when a sudden thump on the floor snapped her out of her reverie.
Sunset froze and opened her eyes to find her friend Twilight Sparkle staring wide-eyed at her. Sunset gasped as she jumped back.
“T-twilight!”
Twilight struggled for a moment before finding her voice. “I just came by to return the books I borrowed.”
Sunset’s cheeks flushed red. She had completely forgotten that she had given Twilight a copy of her apartment key only last week! She had been so absorbed in the music and her dance that she did not even notice that her friend had entered the apartment!
Twilight crouched down to pick up the books she had dropped. As she gathered them back up, her eyes drifted back up to Sunset - more specifically, Sunset’s bare midriff.
“I didn’t know you practiced raqs sharqi.”
Sunset cocked her head. “Rocks what?”
“I believe that’s the proper term for belly dancing.”
“Oh yeah,” Sunset said, relaxing a little. “I practice every now and then.”
“It shows,” Twilight said as she set the books down on the sofa. She then quickly added, “I mean, you dance very well!”
Sunset had never told anyone about her hobby, mostly out of fear of ridicule. Twilight’s compliment took her pleasantly by surprise.
“Wanna see it from the beginning?” Sunset asked.
Twilight’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”
Sunset gestured to the sofa as she restarted the song on her phone. Twilight sat mesmerized as her friend danced before her - almost an entirely different person from the Sunset she knew. Sunset drew closer, undulating just inches from Twilight’s face.
Giving into her curiosity, Twilight placed a hand on Sunset’s belly, feeling it ripple smoothly beneath her palm. Twilight then lifted her shirt and attempted to mimic Sunset’s movements, albeit with nowhere nearly as much fluidity.
Sunset giggled. “You know, if you’d like to give it a try, I do have an extra costume. We’re roughly the same size so it should fit you.”
Sunset returned to the cabinet, reached back into the box, and produced a bag containing an identical costume and veil set. Twilight excitedly changed into the costume. It was not one of Rarity’s masterpieces, but it was cute all the same.
Once Twilight had donned the costume and veil, Sunset placed her hands on her friend’s hips. “Just slide your hips from side to side, nice and easy.”
Despite her reputation as a klutz, Twilight hardly needed any guidance to perform the simple motion. Sunset decided to go onto the next move.
“Let’s work on that belly roll. In, up, out, and down.”
They both undulated their bellies. Twilight’s rolls gradually got a little smoother. After several minutes, both she and Sunset were feeling as though they had just done a hundred sit-ups each!
Sunset spread her arms out to her sides as she circled her hips. “Now for the last move, pretend like you’re drawing a figure eight with your belly button.”
Twilight followed suit, giggling at the analogy. They danced across Sunset’s living room, shimmying and undulating through her entire belly dance playlist. Before they knew it, night had already fallen outside.
Exhausted, they both plopped down on the sofa. The only light in the apartment came from the string of lights lining the loft overhead.
Sunset turned to find Twilight smiling at her. It was the very same smile Twilight had given her when she took her hand after becoming Midnight Sparkle. In that moment, neither of them had to say anything. Closing their eyes, they leaned in toward each other and kissed.