"Oof." Tommy plopped herself down at the cafeteria table unceremoniously, allowing herself to fold forward and rest against the cool surface. "I'm beat, and there's still half a day left."
"What's up?" Annika asked from across the table between mouthfuls of dubious looking cafeteria food.
"Ugh. Where do I even start? Miss Cheerilee surprised the class with a pop quiz, Mr. Doodle wants a two-thousand word essay by Friday, and I've got to do that mile run for PE next period." Tommy waved a hand in the air above her head in weak exasperation.
"You forgot to add that you laid down in mashed potato." Annika pointed her spork at Tommy, who groaned in frustration as she sat up, revealing the mashed goodness spread across the front of her jacket.
"Well, I'll just add that to the list of 'things gone wrong today'." Tommy grumbled as she stole Annika's napkin to clean her jacket.
"You know what'll cheer you up? We should hang out after school!" Annika threw her arms in the air, flinging her own mashed potatoes at another table of students, much to their discomfort. A few of them shot Annika angry looks as she blushed. "Sorry!" She grinned sheepishly.
"Sure. I don't have any plans after school. It'll be nice to unwind." Tommy decided she'd cleaned up most of the mush from her Jacket. "What did you have-"
Annika squealed in delight and bolted from the cafeteria before Tommy had finished her sentence.
"Well, that was... actually that was pretty normal for her." Tommy said to herself. The girl shrugged before sliding Annika's tray of food over and digging in. "Hmm. Not bad."
Tommy didn't see Annika for the rest of the day. She tried sending a text message to her, but didn't get any response. After waiting in front of school for a bit, Tommy shrugged and headed home. If Annika was busy they could just hang out later.
Getting home was a relief. Tommy slipped her leather jacket off and tossed it onto the couch in the living room. A short walk to the fridge yielded a banana yogurt, which Tommy dove into before she had gotten back to the couch. Tommy managed to take one spoonful before an enthusiastic knocking summoned her to the door.
"Hey, Annika. I didn't expect you so soon. What's up?"
"You'll never believe it! The most awesomest thing just happened!" Annika was practically dancing with excitement.
"Okay, what hap-"
"Come on!" Annika grabbed Tommy's hand and began leading her down the street. Tommy barely had time to close the door behind her.
"Okay. Where are we going?" Tommy tried keeping the delicate balance of being lead down the street and eating her yogurt. She failed. The last sight the dropped yogurt had of Tommy was her apologetic frown as she turned a corner.
"You'll see!" Annika grinned.
Thankfully it didn't take long for Tommy to find out where she was being dragged to. Bright lights and a cacophony of sounds assaulted her senses. The smell of fried foods beckoned passers-by to come forward and indulge in delicious treats. Rides spun and swirled their occupants until they threatened to expel the contents of their stomachs.
"A carnival? I didn't know there was a carnival in town." Tommy raised an eyebrow as she let her hand slip from Annika's grasp.
"Mhmm! They just set up today!"
"Oh, cool." Tommy stepped forward a bit, scanning the somewhat sparse crowd of carnival-goers. "Are the girls meeting us here?"
"They couldn't make it. Fluttershy and Rarity are working on a dress thingy, Dashie has soccer practice and then a pizza party with the team, Twilight's doing another experiment, and Applejack's at home helping with the harvest so it's just you and me tonight." Annika beamed and finally took a breath. "So what do you want to do first?"
"Uh, how about bumper cars?" Tommy pointed to the attraction in question. "Those are always fun."
The line for the ride was non-existent. Annika climbed into a pink car across from Tommy, who took a red one. The pink-haired girl grinned manically as she waited for the ride to start. Tommy smirked, accepting the girl's silent challenge.
A loud buzzer sounded the start of the ride, sending both girls barreling at each other. They bounced away, spinning and swirling about the small area, each vying to get the best bump in. Tommy grinned mischievously as she bumped the side of Annika's car, only to be nudged a few moments later. The scoreless battle of bumping lasted only a few minutes before the loud buzzer went off again, shutting down the cars and sending them gliding just far enough for the girls to sneak one last collision in.
The two of them stepped off the ride giggling. "You know, that was more fun than I remember." Tommy smirked. "I guess things are just better when you're not trying to angrily cream the other riders."
"Not unless you're trying to ice cream them!" Annika snorted, imagining bumper cars driving through mounds of caramel vanilla swirl. "Mmm, so tasty." She shook the thought from her head, scouting for the next ride for them to go on. "Ooh! Let's go on the haunted castle." She started walking towards the ride in question.
"Really? But it's so cheesy. All you do is sit in a car while cardboard pops out at you." Tommy followed close behind.
"Yeah, but it's fun 'cause you don't know when something's gonna pop out and then wham! Werewolf attack!" Annika slammed a fist into her open palm for emphasis.
"All right." Tommy rolled her eyes with a smile. "Lets go get scared by fake monsters. I just hope we don't get paper cuts."
"We'll be fine as long as we keep our hands, feet, and snacks inside the ride." Annika reassured, missing the sarcasm in Tommy's voice.
The haunted castle ride was pretty much what Tommy had described. The whole thing had a cheesy, B-movie-esque feel to it. A plastic mummy stood stiffly on the other side of the ride's track, arms outstretched. Somewhere near it, a fog machine billowed out it's sole export, hiding Tommy and Annika's feet from view. Hidden speakers played 'spooky' sounds; howling, groans, screams, and organ music filled the air. It was all Tommy could do to not roll her eyes. Had it not been for Annika's obvious excitement, Tommy would have suggested another ride.
"Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times." A somewhat bored ride attendant said from his stool at the ride's control console.
"Told ya." Annika whispered. Tommy snorted involuntarily, trying to stifle her laugh as the ride lurched forward.
"Beware, all who enter!" A deep voice whispered before breaking out into laughter.
Annika let out a squeak of either fear or excitement. Tommy couldn't tell which. They hadn't made it five seconds into the ride when a cheap looking zombie popped from a coffin propped up to one side. Annika let out a shriek of terror and clutched tightly to Tommy's arm. Tommy jumped more from the sudden contact than from the lame special effects of the ride. Annika had gone from screaming to peals of laughter in the span of an instant.
The laughter was infectious, and Tommy found herself grinning despite herself. Annika was remarkably good at that; taking something boring, like a bad carnival ride, and making it fun. A giant spider dropped from the ceiling. Even in the dim light of the ride, Tommy could tell the legs were made of pipe cleaner. That didn't stop Annika from crying out in surprise and hugging Tommy's arm tighter.
"You're not actually scared of this, are you?" Tommy asked as her fingers went numb from Annika's vice-like grip.
"It's fun! Being scared is like... like drinking coffee before math class. It gives you that super-duper shock of energy and makes you giggle so much that Miss Cheerilee sends you to Vice-Principal Luna's office for disrupting the class." Annika grinned. "Why?" Annika loosened her grip and leaned away from Tommy, squinting to try and see Tommy's expression in the dim light. "Are you not having fun?"
"It's... not my favorite ride. Back in Equestria, when somepony did a haunted house-" A vampire was suddenly illuminated by a spotlight while a fog machine hissed loudly, interrupting Tommy. "when somepony did a haunted house, it was... different. Magical haunted houses are just... better."
"Oh." Annika looked down, frowning in thought. She looked back up, her trademark smile back on her face. "We should go see one sometime!"
"Go see-" Somewhere up ahead on the ride a recording of a woman's scream cut through the air. Tommy glared into the dark, tired of being interrupted. "see a haunted house? Like in Equestria?" Annika nodded. "I, uh, I dunno. I haven't been back since the whole 'stealing-Princess-Twilight's-crown' thing..." Tommy looked away from Annika, letting the sentence hang in the air.
The two sat in silence for the rest of the ride. Whatever magic of the ride that had managed to scare Annika had been lost. They stepped off the ride, Tommy deep in thought.
"Have you tried going back?" Annika broke the lull in conversation as they walked to nowhere in particular.
"Going back? To Equestria? I couldn't just leave behind my life here."
Annika giggled. "Not to stay, silly. To visit. So you can be all like 'I'm sorry I stole Princess Twilight's crown and enslaved a high school to take over your country.'"
"I dunno. I've thought about it, but..." Tommy stopped suddenly, forcing Annika to stop to face her.
"But?" Annika tilted her head in confusion.
"What if they don't want to see me?"
"Why wouldn't they? You're already friends with Princess Twilight, and you're super cool, and you feel bad for what you did. I know if I were a pony princess I'd forgive you."
"Maybe you're right." A grateful smile made it's way to Tommy's features. "Thanks, Annika."
"Of course! Oh, let's go ride the Dizzitron before we eat. You don't wanna eat before that one, trust me." Annika skipped off towards a saucer shaped ride that was spinning rapidly. "I learned that the hard way."
Tommy opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Sometimes it was better to just not ask.
The Dizzitron looked like something out of a bad eighties sci-fi film. Neon lights of all colors flashed brightly, begging people to notice it as synthesized music pounded from speakers hidden underneath it. The ride itself was painted in a purple and green spiral pattern, like one of those cartoon hypnosis wheels. Tommy suddenly understood why Annika wanted to ride it before eating; she was feeling nauseous just looking at the eyesore of a ride.
For the third time in a row, there was no line for the ride. Tommy and Annika walked on unhindered. The inside of the ride was mostly empty, save for colored pads on the walls, differentiated only by color. Each one looked just large enough to hold one person. The two leaned back against the pads, waiting for the ride to start.
"You really think it would be that easy?" Tommy asked, continuing their previous conversation. Annika smiled brightly and nodded. "Hmm..." Tommy lost herself in thought.
Could it really be that easy? Tommy did have the journal at home. She could write Princess Twilight and ask to visit Equestria. Maybe just for a quick visit. To say hi to Twilight. And if things went well, maybe she could see Celestia? What would she say though?
Tommy was pulled from her thoughts when she felt the ride lumber to a start. She looked around in surprise. Apparently, nobody else had gotten on; the only other person on the ride was Annika, who seemed to think something was funny.
"What's so funny?" Tommy asked as the ride's momentum started pressing her into the padding.
"I was just thinking you looked c-" Annika clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away from Tommy, breaking into a coughing fit. "you looked like you were, um, thinking really hard! Yeah, that's it!" A nervous laugh escaped her.
"Are you okay?" Tommy called out, raising her voice above the rising din of the ride and increasing volume of the music.
"Yeah!" Annika struggled to stretch her arm out to give a thumbs up as she grinned. Centrifugal force had other ideas, and eventually Annika was forced to let her arm thud softly against the padded wall.
The rest of the ride was too loud to carry a conversation, so the girls entertained themselves by abusing the force of the ride to stick to the wall in funny poses. Annika folded her arms out like an Egyptian. Tommy mimed making a snow angel, though the effect was lost thanks to her being unable to move her arms and legs quickly enough. When the ride began to slow to a stop, Annika was hanging upside-down while Tommy was striking a yoga pose. As the music died down, the two looked at each other, each breaking into uncontrollable laughter at the other's silliness.
They had trouble acclimating to solid ground as they stepped off the ride. Annika laughed as she used a lamp post to keep herself upright. Tommy had unceremoniously dumped herself on a bench next to the light, which was arguably the better choice of the two.
"Oh, man. I can see why you suggested not eating before that ride. Everything's still spinning." Tommy chuckled as she looked at two Annikas holding themselves up with the lamp post. A quick shake of her head dispelled the fake Annika, leaving only one of them still standing.
"Told ya. I know my carnival rides. It helps when you help set them up." Annika let go of the lamp post and stumbled her way into a seated position next to Tommy.
"Wait, you helped set up the carnival today?" Tommy looked at her friend with a look that was both mildly surprised and impressed. "Is that why you weren't answering your phone?"
"Mhmm. I know Side Show, the guy who owns this carnival, and asked if he'd need help setting up today. He did, so I worked super-duper hard to make sure everything was set up just right for tonight." Annika looked up at the darkening sky. The first pinpricks of starlight were just now starting to remind the world of their presence, winking merrily down on the carnival. "Carnivals are special places. They can take any frown and turn it upside-down. Kinda like how I was on the Dizzitron. And since you said you were having a bad day, I knew this would be a terrific surprise."
"That's," Tommy broke into a bright smile. "really sweet actually. Thanks, Annika."
"Eh, don't mention it. It's kinda my thing anyway." Annika gave a small smile. "Ooh! We should get some funnel cake!" Annika hopped to her feet.
Tommy didn't need to be asked twice. Just in case there was any hesitation, though, her stomach growled loudly with it's opinion.
Soon the girls were tucking into their sweet treats with gusto. Tommy had opted for a simple topping of strawberries. Annika, on the other hand, hadn't held back on the toppings. Tommy wasn't even sure there was a funnel cake underneath the mound of whipped cream, chocolate syrup, ice cream, and three types of fruit. That didn't stop Annika from devouring the sugary monstrosity with the fervor of a college student back home for the holidays.
"Annika, you've got something..." Tommy pointed a finger at her own face, trying to point out where Annika had whipped cream on her face. This was less than effective, though, as the whipped cream could have been described as 'everywhere'. Tommy gave up with a laugh, passing a few napkins to her friend. "Here."
"Thanks. Wanna try?" Annika offered a fork-full of her funnel cake, somehow managing to fit every flavor into one bite. Tommy leaned forward and took the bite. Her taste buds were immediately assaulted by a cavalcade of flavors that somehow blended into something that tasted good.
"Hmm. Not bad." Tommy offered a bite of her own food. "Want some of mine?" Annika accepted the offer, reveling in the simplicity of Tommy's choice in toppings.
A relative quiet fell over them as Tommy and Annika finished their food. Afterwords, they were off in search of another ride.
"How about that one?" Tommy asked, pointing to the Ferris wheel. "I don't think I'm up for another go on the Dizzitron right after eating."
"The Ferris wheel?" Annika asked hesitantly. "Okay..." She lead the way, though the usual pep in Annika's step was missing.
The seating for the Ferris wheel could be best described as cozy. It wasn't cramped, but it wasn't exactly roomy. Tommy supposed it wasn't too bad, though. Annika scooched to the other side of the car to let Tommy take a seat next to her. After the generic safety warning of 'keep your hands and feet in the ride', the car started gliding up towards the top of the neon-lit wheel. They slowed to stop once they reached the apex of the ride.
"Hey, I can see my house from here!" Tommy pointed to the apartment complex a couple blocks away. "It's a nice view from up here." She noted.
"Mhmm." Annika nodded.
"Hey, who else's house do you think we could see from here? I bet we could find some of the girls' houses." Tommy scanned the skyline. "Hey, there's your house!"
Tommy glanced at Annika, only to have to do a double-take. Annika sat with her hands clenched in her lap and looking downward. She bore a striking resemblance to Fluttershy.
"Are you okay, Annika?" Thoughts of playing spot-the-house were immediately forgotten as Tommy turned her full attention to her friend.
"Y-yeah. Why do you ask?" Annika asked shakily.
"Are you afraid of heights or something? We can yell down to the ride operator to let us down if you want." Tommy leaned over the side of the car a bit to try and get the attention of the carnival employee below.
"No!" Annika's eyes widened. "I mean, no. I'm not afraid of heights. I've just been... thinking."
"About what?"
"I... stuff, I guess."
"Annika, whatever it is, you can talk to me. You're my friend." Tommy placed a hand awkwardly on Annika's shoulder.
"I know, but... but what if the thing I'm thinking of is super scary? Like, what if you thought differently of me because of it?"
"Annika, that won't happen. We're friends, and that's not going to change."
"Promise?" Annika looked up hopefully.
"I promise." Tommy reassured.
"Annika promise?" Tommy couldn't stop a snort of laughter from slipping out.
"I Annika promise." Tommy confirmed, even going so far as to mime the motions to the promise.
Annika seemed a bit less apprehensive after that. Even so, she took a few moments to speak again. "You know how I throw parties and stuff?"
"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "what about it?"
"Well, when I throw parties its because I like making people smile. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, like chicken noodle soup when you feel sick or when you wrap up in a fuzzy blanket on a cold day. But with you, Tommy, it's different. I like your smile."
"Didn't you just say you liked making everyone smile?" Tommy interrupted, tilting her head in confusion.
"I do! But I don't just like making you smile, Sunny. I like your smile. Making others smile gives me warm fuzzies. When you smile, it's like... like I could float up with the clouds." Annika had started to turn a deeper shade of pink than usual. "I like you, Sunny. Like, like like you. And I want to make you super happy and do stuff that people do when they're more than friends.
"I wanna go to the movies with just the two of us and snuggle close while we whisper and make fun of the bad scenes. I want to go out to restaurants and share food with you, the way people do where they pretend not to see the person they like sneaking a bite off their plate because they're going to do it, too. I want to take long walks on the beach and hold hands and maybe kiss and have picnics by the creek on the weekends, and to have sleepovers where we stay up late talking about mushy stuff and cuddle to keep warm because the heat went out and we've got fifty-million blankets on us to keep warm but all we need is each other. And I know I haven't really tried to say any of this before, but I didn't want to upset you and now we're together and I can't stop talking and I really needed to say all this because I've felt like I'm going to pop!" Annika gasped for breath, looking deep into Tommy's eyes and trying to gauge her reaction.
Tommy opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. She had never thought about any of her friends in a romantic light. Come to think of it she hadn't thought of anyone romantically since she dated Flash Sentry, and even then it had been more to try and raise her social standing rather than for any real feelings.
Annika was different. She was a bit random, but funny. She was energetic and always seemed to know how to make Tommy smile when she felt down. Tonight was a perfect example of that. But dating Annika?
Would it really be that strange, though? Sure, it would be different from their friendship now, but Tommy had to admit there might be some chemistry between the two of them. Dating Annika was far from the worst idea she'd ever had. Oddly enough, the thought of it now sent her stomach back to the Dizzitron.
"It's okay. I didn't think you would say yes. I just needed to get that out." Tears had started to spill from Annika's eyes. The girl had seemed to wither under the silence.
"Annika..." Tommy frowned.
"I'll be fine," Annika forced a smile. "really." She turned away as much as she could from Tommy, though it didn't hide the sniffling.
"Annika, can you just... just give me a moment? It's a lot to take in, is all." Tommy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay."
"Okay? Okay what?" Annika turned back slightly, her face full of confusion and heartbreak.
"I- Let me rephrase that. Annika, you wanna, I dunno," Tommy rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "get dinner with me on Friday? Maybe we could see a movie together?"
"L-like a date?" Annika turned to fully face Tommy.
"Well, no, not 'like a date'. A date. A date date, with me and you, together." Tommy let out a nervous chuckle. "Wow, I'm bad at this."
"Y-you're not just saying that?"
"What? No, of course not. Annika, you're a good friend. And if I'm honest, there could be some real chemistry between us. Enough of it that, yeah, the idea of going on a date with you sounds like a really fun idea."
Annika's mouth kept opening and closing. Tommy was starting to worry she'd broken her friend until Annika spoke."
"You really think there's chemistry? I mean, it's not my best subject, so its a little hard for me to know what chemi- mmph!" Annika's eyes widened in surprise as Tommy's lips met her own. All her worries were gone, replaced by a bubbliness as Annika melted into the kiss. Time only started moving again when Tommy reluctantly ended the kiss.
"Oh, yeah. There's definitely some chemistry here." Tommy smirked confidently.
"Nice." A male voice interrupted. Tommy and Annika both snapped their attention to the ride operator. They hadn't realized it, but the ride had ended and they'd been sitting at the bottom of the Ferris wheel for who knew how long. Tommy scowled at the ride operator while Annika grinned in embarrassment. "I'll, uh, just send you two back up." He gulped before starting the ride again.
Annika and Tommy cuddled close. An involuntary shiver ran through Tommy.
"It's cold up here." She noted. "It's a good thing you're warm," She joked. "you made me leave my jacket at home."
Annika giggled and rested her head on Tommy's shoulder, snuggling as close as she could.
"That was fun. Thanks for taking me, Annika. I had a good time." A faint smile tugged at the corners of Tommy's mouth, one that had been lingering for the last few hours. "You want a drink?"
"Mhmm." Annika yawned. "I didn't realize how thirsty I was."
Tommy smiled and stepped into the kitchen. She returned moments later with two water bottles in hand. She found Annika fast asleep on her couch already, contentedly smiling.
Tommy smiled and set the waters down, tiptoeing out of the room. She came back with a blanket and slipped next to the sleeping girl, cuddling up close to her. Annika murmured something in her sleep and sank into Tommy. Tommy couldn't help but grin at how cute Annika was.
Tommy held Annika close as sleep started to overtake her. 'Yeah, definitely some chemistry here.'