Worn Leather (Sunset)


                                            The little bell resounded through the clothing store as Sunset pushed open the door and the soft smell of lavender and expensive fabric filled her senses. She stopped and took a deep breath of the odd aroma as she stood on her toes to look over the racks after a few steps in to get a quick look around. Sunset wondered if Rarity had actually sent her the right address when she couldn't manage to find them.  With no vibrant purple hair bobbing about obsessing over one of the racks in sight, she reached for her phone, thinking she might've shown up at the wrong place.


                                            "Sunset! Over here!" Rarity said in her trademark sing-song voice from across the store, poking her head out by the changing room. Fluttershy stood beside her, giving a gentle wave to her friend as well.


                                            Sunset gave them a bright smile and waved back as she made her way over to them. She silently wondered why they wanted her here, since Rarity never specified in her text and couldn't imagine what she'd want to do with clothes outside of her boutique. If it was anything like last time, she and Fluttershy could be expecting an afternoon of constantly changing clothes as Rarity's models over the Fall designs.


                                            "Oh! I'm so glad you could make it, dear. We have a little surprise for you," Rarity said, and excited smile on her face, pulling a gift-wrapped box out of her purse and handing it to Sunset.


                                            Sunset held the box in her hands, a confused smile on her face. She raised an eyebrow at the vibrant package in her grasp. No one ever gave her presents anymore. "What for?" she asked. She looked between both of them for a moment as their smiles faded and she realized  that was probably pretty rude.  "Sorry," Sunset said, shaking her head and giving the girls an apologetic smile, "I'm not really used to people just giving me things anymore."


                                            "For your birthday," Fluttershy said with a bright smile, "All of us put a little money together to get you something special."


                                            "We hope you don't mind. We asked principal Celestia about it since you've never told any of us. We're just sorry we didn't make it in time."


                                            Sunset gave an awkward cough, realizing that she'd actually forgotten about it too. She hadn't celebrated her birthday in almost four years and only ever put it down on official paperwork she needed for school or work or something. In the past few years of her life, celebrating her birthday wasn't exactly high on her priority list, all things considered. It was actually a little more than two weeks ago, if she had the Equestrian dates lined up correctly with Earth's. "Girls, you shouldn't have. My birthday isn't that big of a deal... I mean in Equestr--"


                                            Rarity laid a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "Nonsense, darling. Here you're our friend, so we simply must do something special for your birthday."


                                            "We thought you might not want a party just yet, so we decided to get you this for now," Fluttershy said, nodding at the box in Sunset's hands.


                                            "Unless you would like a party. Pinkie Pie almost blew a fuse when we told her to hold off. I'm sure she'll be happy to provide," Rarity said.


                                            Sunset's mind wandered to the extravagant parties Pinkie usually threw. She gulped at the thought of going through all of that just for her. "I don't know. It might be fun, but you don't have to--"


                                            "Dear, please don't be so modest. You deserve just as much as anyone else. Now, why don't you open your present," Rarity said, motioning to Sunset's gift.


                                            Rarity and Fluttershy looked at her expectantly, hopeful smiles on both of their faces. After a few moments of hesitation, Sunset gave into her childish desire to voraciously tear into the wrapping until she revealed what was inside.


                                            With the wrapping gone, Sunset pulled out a pristine, real-leather jacket that looked like it had been custom made. The orange chevrons would match perfectly with her complexion, and the style made her eyes brighten up with happiness. If there was ever a gift she would've actually wanted, this was it. Wrapped up with them was a pair of boots that matched the jacket perfectly. A wave of happiness passed through Sunset as she took the pieces in, noting at how expensive they were.


                                            "Girls... These are amazing!" Sunset said, a beaming smile on her face as she looked over the garments.


                                            Fluttershy and Rarity looked to each other with satisfactory grins at Sunset's delight. "Why don't you try them on?" Fluttershy suggested.


                                            A sudden lump Sunset's throat at the prospect of taking off her jacket. Her happiness faltered and she took a defensive step back and averted her eyes from her friends. Her smile quickly turned form delight to sheepish. "O-oh, I couldn't do that right now. That'd be rude, wouldn't it?" Sunset said, trying to look as innocent as possible. With her free hand, she instinctively grasped her jacket, as if without her grip it would suddenly fly off and never be found again.


                                            Rarity and Fluttershy cast concerned looks towards each other before turning back to Sunset.


                                            "Okay, darling. But," Rarity said, putting her distinct flair on the word as she pulled out a handful of clothes. "We did have a little money left over, so we took the liberty of picking out a few more clothes that would fit you perfectly. Would you like to try them on?"


                                            "Sure, that sounds like fun. I need a new shirt more than anything," Sunset said with a tiny laugh, trying to shake the worry that was building up inside her.


                                            Sunset carefully slid her jacket off her shoulders and placed her new clothes on the bench beside Fluttershy, but made sure to put her old leather jacket on a hook close to her, eliciting another round of odd looks from her friends.


                                            Rarity went on one of her usual tirades of what colors would properly go with her hair, eyes, or skin tone. She tossed and endless number of combinations at Sunset, with Fluttershy sitting on a nearby stool commenting on what she thought looked nice and keeping quite about the more odd combinations. Rarity used Sunset as more of a model than anything, picking and choosing a myriad of options until finally she arrived on a combination she liked.


                                            "Oh, do go on, darling," Rarity said, looking up and down Sunset's figure as she admired it. "That looks absolutely fabulous on you."


                                            "You think?" Sunset turned around, looking over her shoulder down at her new clothes and again in the mirror.


                                            "That blue really goes with your eyes," Fluttershy added quietly.


                                            The little blue shirt flowed off of her hips into very comfortable pair of jeans. The entire outfit made Sunset feel great, but the lack of a familiar weight on her shoulders made her uneasy.


                                            "Why don't you try it with your new jacket with it, hmm?" Rarity asked.


                                            "Good idea," Sunset said, reaching for her old jacket on the hook.


                                            Rarity put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, then gave her a concerned look. "Sunset, I said your new jacket."


                                            Sunset stepped back from Rarity, not wanting to meet her eyes. She rubbed her arm and looked at the floor as she became increasingly uncomfortable. "O-oh, well I just--"


                                            Rarity sighed. "You don't like it, do you?" Rarity pinched the the bridge of her nose, a little frustrated with herself. "I knew I should've listened to the girls when they said all black and full-length. But not to worry, I did save the receipt just in ca--"


                                            "No, Rarity, that's not it. I really do love the jacket, it's just..."


                                            "Oh!" Rarity perked up. "That's wonderful!" Rarity picked up the old jacket off of the counter and gave it a once over. "It really is about time you throw away this ratty old thing, darling. It's absolutely--"


                                            "NO!" Sunset yelled, snatching the jacket out of Rarity's grasp. Sunset was so loud that even the attendant jumped at the other side of the room and gave them a cross glance. Rarity looked over at a startled Fluttershy, concern plain on both of their faces now.


                                            Sunset looked between them, immediately regretting her little outburst. She held her old jacket tightly against her chest, not daring to let it go. "Sorry, girls," she said, bowing her head and sliding down the wall behind her.


                                            "Sunset, dear. Is everything alright?" Rarity said as she knelt down next to her friend.


                                            "I'm fine, just... please don't make me throw away my jacket," Sunset said softly. Rarity could see the sudden glisten off of Sunset's eyes as Sunset looked over the leather in her hands.


                                            "darling, we would never just make you do something against your will, but why are you holding onto this old thing?" she said, pulling up a sleeve hanging by Sunset side and brushing a thumb over a large cut in the leather. "It's practically falling apart."


                                            "I've had this jacket ever since I came to Canterlot High," Sunset said, letting the jacket fall away from her chest and onto her knees so she could look at it. She let the leather flow through her hands, and she looked over every little scratch and scuff fondly. "I know I did a lot of bad things in this jacket, but I did a lot of good things too..."


                                            Sunset nodded to the cut Rarity was inspecting. "That one was from the first soccer game I played with Rainbow." A little further up, she nodded to a tiny scuff on the shoulder. "That one is from me getting caught on a nail the first time I ever helped out Applejack on the farm."


                                            Sunset turned traced her hand across a few tiny marks up the back. "These are from when Fluttershy brought me to the animal sanctuary here in town and we got attacked by adorable puppies," Sunset said with a little laugh and a sentimental smile.


                                            Fluttershy gave a little giggle as well at the memory. "They did really like you. That was a really fun day."


                                            Sunset let out a content sigh. "It was..."


                                            Sunset turned the jacket over, revealing a spot in the lining that was a little bit darker than the rest of the fabric. "This one is from that everybody-has-to-try-hot-sauce-on-cupcakes party that Pinkie threw."


                                            Rarity rolled her eyes with a little grin. "That girl and her hot sauce. She got it all over you."


                                            "And I'm sure you know what this one is from, Rarity," Sunset said, brushing her hand against a tiny black patch inside the lining.


                                            "The first time you ever came by the Boutique... right after the Fall Formal. You were still so rude back then..." Rarity said, lost in the distant memory, "But when I handed that jacket back to you, it was the first time I saw something other than a sinister smile on your face."


                                            Sunset's smile turned back into worry once she remembered why she was saying all this. "That's why I don't want to throw it away, Rarity. I love the jacket you bought me, but..."


                                            Fluttershy knelt down on the other side of Sunset, putting a hand on Sunset's knee. "You don't have to get rid of it if you don't want to. If it means that much to you, I think you should keep it."


                                            Sunset gave her a smile, hugging her jacket close to her again. "Thanks, Fluttershy."


                                            "Fluttershy is right. I shouldn't have tried to get you to throw it away, even if it is a little," Rarity looked across some of the cuts with an unsure expression, "um... worn," Rarity said, a sheepish smile coming across her face. "I didn't realize how much it meant to you, dear," she said, putting a comforting hand on Sunset's shoulder. "By all means, you should keep it close to your heart."


                                            "But," Rarity said in her trademark inflection. She lent a hand down to Sunset to help her up off the ground. "That doesn't mean you can't make new memories in something just as fabulous."


                                            Rarity grabbed the brand new jacket off the nearby table and presented it to Sunset. "Would you like to at least try it on?"


                                            Sunset smiled, feeling a little bit safer now that Rarity wasn't eyeing her jacket any longer. "Okay."


                                            "Wonderful!" Rarity grabbed Sunset's wrist and slipped it into the sleeve herself, giving Sunset no chance to reconsider before it was on her completely. Once she'd dressed her, Rarity turned Sunset to the mirror. "What do you think, darling?"


                                            Sunset couldn't believe her eyes. She thought she looked beautiful, and that thought hadn't crossed her mind in a long time. All these brand new clothes looked and felt amazing, and every piece was from the kindness of her friends. Sunset looked down at the old jacket in her hand. Rarity was right; with so many memories on her old jacket, she was running out of room for any new ones. She looked up and down the sleeves of her brand new jacket, a massive smile coming over her face. She could feel the tears of joy start to form already.


                                            Rarity noticed in the mirror as a tear formed on Sunset's cheek. "Darling, are you al--oof!"


                                            Sunset cut her off by turning around and wrapping her arms around her and Fluttershy. "Thank you, girls. Thank you so much," Sunset said, her voice shaky and cracking, even through the massive smile on her face.


                                            Both Rarity and Fluttershy wrapped their arms around Sunset in a loving embrace. "That's what friends are for," Fluttershy said softly.


                                            "It was our pleasure, dear."