Twilight Shimmer

Another Color

"Heh heh, sorry about that," Rainbow Dash giggled in that uniquely embarrassed manner of hers. Some might even call it raspy.

"Still not taking it easy," Twilight shook her head and led the rocker girl into the apartment.

Rainbow closed the door behind them and took Twilight's offer to sit down on the small gray sofa with her. She couldn't help bouncing a bit on it and admiring the comfortableness. Twilight noticed this and rose a brow.

The rainbow-haired girl's ponytail looked messier than usual and her outfit was different as well. Her black v-neck shirt and dark blue jeans looked like they had seen better days, but they also didn't look any worse than typical fashion for the kind of girl Rainbow was. A rough-and-tumble athlete and lead guitarist. Rarity so often disapproved.

It was only now that Rainbow had still not spoken and continued looking around at the room in awe that Twilight realized something was wrong. This was not the typical unscheduled friendly surprise visit. Rainbow had come here because something was up. The only question was what. The genius bookworm took the hospitable route.

"Want something to drink?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, nah. I'm good," Rainbow made that embarrassed chuckle again.

"Well you might want to change your mind before I sit down again," Twilight grinned and got up. She went to the kitchen, which wasn't that far away because of the apartment's size. "I'm having grape juice."

"Isn't that stuff for kids?" RD joked in return.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she retrieved two glasses and opened the fridge. "Real fruit juice is a useful part of any balanced diet. It's high in Vitamin C and I happen to know you drink it from time to time."

"Touche. How about some cider instead?"

"Coming right up."

The bespectacled girl was done with the drinks and back on the sofa without incident. She gave Rainbow her glass of fizzy cider and set her own on one of the coasters on the coffee table. Before Twilight could try to find the elusive topic, Rainbow spoke up.

"How'd you even get this place?" she leaned back on the sofa as if it were her own. "I mean, you haven't started that lab assistant job yet and Sunset doesn't make a lot from invention work, right?"

"It's research associate," the young married woman corrected her friend as gently as she could for a matter that was so vitally important to her. "There's a big difference and it's for a very serious scientific frontier. Quantum energy transmission. Yes, Sunset doesn't make a lot, but it's enough to get by until I start earning. We got this apartment on discount through Applejack. I would have thought she'd have told you."

"Applejack?!" Rainbow almost spit her cider out onto the sofa but stopped herself. "Since when has Miss Hayhouse had a sweet pad like this?!"

"It's not hers, silly," Twilight smiled and sipped her juice. "It belongs to her aunt and uncle who live here in the city. They wanted to rent it out to people they could trust, so AJ jumped on Sunny and I when she heard we were looking. They're really very sweet people."

Rainbow shook her head. She could almost see herself in the reflection of the polished wooden floor. "That's the Apples for you," she shrugged. "I remember her mentioning some Orange relations or something. Just never thought they were the rich city types. Kind of surprised they allowed pets."

Spike was napping peacefully in the corner of the room. His plush doggie bed looked even more fancy than the apartment. The purple velvet lining could have been Rarity's doing and, in fact, there did seem to be a tag on the side with her emblem.