Lucille had insanely good air conditioning.
That was two marks in its favor. Rarity’s new car, posh and quiet and not-a-Firebird as it was, was a gorgeous piece of work and had a hell of a good air conditioning system. Sunset and Rarity had decided to take a long trip together, to visit some family Rarity had out west. The chance to hit some beachfront property factored into this, but the real nail in the coffin, for Sunset at least, was more of a ‘might as well’.
Ever since Jasmine Lane had called them to come visit and presented Rarity with the key to Lucille—a gorgeous ‘08 Jaguar XJ that her brother had taken care of and left to her after his untimely death—Sunset had had to drag her away from it so they could do the little things like eat. And sleep.
Rarity was a bit obsessed, was the point.
Sunset had half-reclined her seat and stretched her legs out into the ample space beneath the dash. Maybe three marks in its favor. “You sure this is the way your family used to take, Rares?”
“Not exactly, darling, but we are still heading west,” Rarity replied, sounding as chipper as could be. They didn’t exactly have a time limit on this drive, to be fair. They’d been on the road for about thirty hours so far, not counting stopovers for a hotel, food and gas, and even once for an oil change. They’d fudged the route early on, opting to go further south sooner to avoid a rolling storm that was currently knocking down trees a few hundred miles north of them.
Sunset pulled out her phone to grab a map and, sure enough, they were headed west. Pretty much all of the roads in this part of the country led in that direction, so if they kept traveling down it they’d come upon one of the big highways. A quick zoom-out showed them skimming the bottom of a huge desert. “Looks like we’re hitting a town soon.” She squinted at the phone. “At least it says it’s a town. Wanna go rustic for lunch?”
“I was just starting to get stiff,” Rarity said. She sat up in her seat, as if trying to get a look further ahead. “But how far away is it?”
Even as she asked, they took a turn and ran smack into Coyote’s Ridge.
Quaint was a word some people used to describe towns like Coyote’s Ridge. The population could fit inside one Manehattan building, and the whole town could fit inside six city blocks. They’d only just seen the place come around the bend, but they were already driving through the center of main street. Sunset pointed out a small diner, and Rarity hooked a graceful turn into the ten-car lot.
Sunset scampered out first and circled the car to help Rarity. It wasn’t so much an act of chivalry, though Rarity certainly took it that way. They’d been crossing windswept plains and the car had gained a healthy coating of dust. If Rarity saw that, the food would have to wait until after they found a car wash, if one even existed out here.
Sunset succeeded with gentle nudges and a guiding hand on the small of Rarity’s back. It would have been harder if Rarity hadn’t shared Sunset’s hunger. They'd even eat at a dive bar, and Sunset wondered for a moment if that's what they'd be doing. The faded sign over the door read “The Watering Hole”, and Sunset craned her neck back to make sure the neon letters above spelled ‘Diner’ and not ‘Bar’ or ‘Saloon’. They did.
With a bit of trepidation, Sunset pushed the door open and peeked inside. Rarity, though, interrupted with a squeal.
“Oh how absolutely charming!” she crooned, skipping a few steps in and placing her hands on the small host stand. The room was, in a word, nice. Sunset had expected cheap furniture and garish colors — maybe those red-and-white checked tablecloths — but she was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t the type of place she’d expect to order a sixty dollar meal the size of her pinkie, but the tables were lacquered and clean, the lighting was calm and pleasant, and the layout felt almost trendy.
The only problem, at the moment, was the service. Sunset peeked around Rarity’s giggling form, but she could only spot one person, sitting at a tastefully downplayed counter along the side of the dining room. No staff was immediately recognizable, though there was a muffled sizzle coming from the kitchen. She checked her phone.
“Guess we did come in at a weird time,” she said, turning it to show Rarity the large 3:00 on the screen.
“Oh don’t be impatient, darling!” Rarity replied, bouncing on her toes in the least patient manner possible. “The best restaurants always leave you waiting just long enough to let you know what you’re missing.”
“That doesn’t seem like a good business practice.”
“Of course it is. It won’t be long...see?”
A middle-aged woman nudged a swinging door open with her back and lugged a large plastic bin under perhaps the longest arm Sunset had ever seen. She paused with a start and set her load down to bustle over to them.
“Oh, sorry ‘bout that, we’re...understaffed today.” She plucked two menus from a stack. “Table, booth, or counter?”
“Oh, whatever’s open,” Rarity said, without missing a beat. The woman looked back over her shoulder. Everything was open, save for the one seat near the end of the counter. She gave Sunset a look, who returned a helpless shrug.
“If you don’t mind the occasional company, why don’t we get you set up at the counter? Not often we get strangers coming in here.”
“That sounds lovely, don’t you think?” Rarity gave Sunset the sparkly eyes, which made her feel slightly manipulated, even though she fully agreed to the seating choice.
The woman placed them on the opposite side of the counter, nearest to the front window, then disappeared back into the kitchen. The menu was fairly spicy. Tex-Mex, mostly, though they had a few diner staples peppered throughout. “What do you think, Rares?” Sunset asked, peeking through the breakfast menu out of curiosity.
Rarity ran her fingers over the countertop, drawing invisible, loopy lines. She hadn’t touched her menu.
“Rarity?”
“Hm?” Rarity turned to look at Sunset, looking a little surprised to see her there. “Oh, I’m sorry, darling, I was just wondering.”
Sunset looked back down at the menu and closed it. She lowered her voice so as not to be overheard. “About the woman?”
Rarity nodded and frowned. “If that wasn’t a woman in distress, then I don’t know what was.” She gave Sunset a dry look. Rarity knew distress.
Sunset concurred. “Think there’s anything--”
She clapped her mouth shut as the woman emerged again, carrying a tray with two sweating glasses of ice water, which she set down in front of them. “Can I get you anything else to drink?”
“How is your tea prepared?” Rarity asked, wrapping her hands around her glass to vent some heat into it.
“Fresh brewed right in back,” their waitress said, giving a slight smile that only exaggerated the bags Sunset could now spot under her eyes. “Got bags from the store, but there’s a local blend if you want to be more adventurous.”
“That sounds divine.” Rarity clapped once, beaming. “As hot as you can.”
“I’m fine with water,” Sunset said, giving the woman a once-over to see if she could catch any more telling details.
“You need some more time to decide?”
Sunset looked at Rarity, who was scouring the menu. “Go ahead, I’ll be ready by the time you’re done.”
Sunset shrugged. “I saw your shrimp stuffed pepper, what’s in that?”
“Shrimp, and pepper, ‘course. Then there’s bread, corn, garlic, cheese…”
“No other meat?”
“We could sure add some for you, if you like.”
“No, that’s fine.” Sunset had taken months to adjust to an omnivorous body, and had been thrilled that vegetarianism was a thing. Two months of almost literal grass later she’d lost 20 pounds and was told in no small words by Nurse Redheart to ‘balance your diet better or I’ll personally pour protein powder down your throat.’ With the choice between dietary supplements and trying some new food, Sunset chose the latter. She still couldn’t quite stomach beef—she’d talked to one too many cows—but seafood? Seafood might have been the best thing that had ever happened to her palate.
Rarity settled on the house salad, which seemed to have bacon on it. She was sympathetic to Sunset's diet choice, but not to the point of being too sacrificial. Sunset didn't begrudge her in the least.
The meal went pretty smoothly, despite the tension that their hostess was giving off. She always seemed to be on the very edge of asking them a question, but kept her peace. Sunset was burning to know what was wrong, and she could see the same flame reflected in Rarity's glinting eyes whenever they were left to their food.
Finally, when they'd eaten their fill (the tea was grassy, and Rarity loved it; the peppers were baked to perfection; and Rarity's salad had a lot of bacon,) their host set their check down, closed in a black folder. She didn't immediately take her hand off of it.
"I hate to be rude," she said, shifting her stance, "But have either of you seen my daughter around?"
Rarity and Sunset exchanged glances. "Sorry." Sunset frowned. "We just got into town, we haven't seen anyone."
"Oh. Right. Of course. Sorry to bother you." The woman's shoulders sagged and she ran her arm across her forehead to wipe away some sweat.
"Has she...been gone long?" Rarity had stiffened noticeably now that her curiosity was being sated.
"She didn't come in to work today. She's been out of sorts lately, but it's just not like her to skip work and we're getting worried."
"We?" Rarity leaned forward a little.
"Ammy — my husband — and I. Oh!" She started, moving her hand to her mouth. "Well, I'll be. I never introduced myself! I'm Dulce. Dulce Waters. My husband is Amargo Waters."
"Aaah," Sunset said, nodding. "The Watering Hole."
"You got it! Best little restaurant in town." Though, by Sunset's best guess, there wasn't a lot of competition. Those peppers were good though.
"Rarity. Charmed," Rarity said. "And this is Sunset Shimmer. If you'd like, we could look around for you. It’s the least we could do: you've been such a wonderful host."
Sunset smiled faintly, watching Rarity. They were on the same page about this: helping was just the thing to do. But something here had Rarity chomping at the bit to get involved. Their last mysterious misadventure had taken Sunset by surprise. Now, she was ready.
She only hoped that this story would turn out less tragically than their last.
"Oh, would you? That would be such a load off my mind." Dulce visibly relaxed, placing a hand over her heart.
"One sec," Sunset said, hopping off the bench. "If we're gonna do this, we'll do it right. Keys?"
Rarity handed the key to the Jag over, and Sunset jogged out the door, returning a moment later with a small notebook and a pen. She gave the key back to Rarity, who carefully nestled it back in her pocket.
"Alright. What's her name?"
"Paella."
Sunset paused, then probably misspelled it. It'd be fine.
Rarity tapped her chin. "Where does she like to spend time?"
Dulce frowned, crossing her arms and bowing her head. "She could be at home, we live up the switchback. She's been spending time at the library lately, too. Really taken to reading. If you can find Eddie Fisher or Bailey Hayseed, they might know more."
"Humph!" boomed a voice from the kitchen door, which promptly swung open. A squat man plodded around behind the bar. He was red in the face, and Sunset couldn't tell if that was from working in the kitchens or from anger. "I bet she's hanging around with that Cricket girl."
Sunset paused her writing and looked at the man. "Cricket girl?"
"She's a nuisance!"
"Oh, Ammy," Dulce said, gently swatting him on the arm. "Cricket's a nice young lady. She's just a bit misguided."
"Forgive me, but," Rarity chewed her lip. "Who is this...Cricket?"
"Cricket Cade," Dulce said, "is a friend of Paella's."
"Some friend! She's a moocher, is what she is! A lousy layabout!"
"I will never understand why you're in such a knot about her."
"I've seen more productive members of society in the State Pen!"
Sunset finished scribbling 'Find Cricket Cade' down, with three underlines, and set her pen down. "You must be Mr. Waters. My name's Sunset Shimmer."
"Call me Amargo," the man said, sticking out a hand. Sunset accepted and got a vigorous handshake for her troubles. "What's this all about?"
"We're going to find out what your daughter is doing," Rarity said, offering her own dainty hand. Amargo was notably more gentle with her, and seemed to calm down a touch.
"Well, if you find her, tell her she's grounded. Then tell her she's ungrounded if she's here before the dinner rush."
"And she's grounded twice as long if she misses it."
The Waters insisted on not taking any money for the meal, and neither Sunset nor Rarity complained overmuch as they waved goodbye and headed out the door. Sunset flipped the notebook open and looked at their sparse information. “Well, where to first?”
“Her house, of course.” Rarity peered over Sunset’s shoulder, resting her chin there in the process. “We should start with the obvious and work our way down.” She moved an arm around to point at the address Dulce had written next to the Waters name.
Sunset felt a bit of a shiver go up her spine from Rarity’s closeness. Rarity, being in close proximity to Sunset’s spine, felt her reaction and switched to a tight hug around her waist and a kiss on the cheek. “Ready?”
“For what?” Sunset asked. Halfway through the question, she realized it was a dumb one, so she just tacked on a suggestive grin.
Rarity giggled and pulled herself away, dragging a hand around her waist. Then she turned the corner of the diner and gasped. Sunset winced. Perhaps their first stop would be a car wash.
