-Mini Story by Colonist! (Sunset Forgotten Friendship!)-

*Sunset and Sci-Twi were checking out the local electronics store: the one where the latter sometimes worked on a part time basis. The former came looking for some extra components to improve her gaming setup.*

Sunset: You seem to be looking very intently at the merchandise as if you don’t work here.
Sci-Twi: Not for the reason that you’re thinking. New employees, and unfortunately some of the seasoned ones too, have some trouble naming a section of the store off the top of their heads where a certain component or product is located. I’ve decided to make an extra challenge to myself and see if I can also keep track of how many items in each section that we’ve sold since I last worked.
Sunset: Without doing a formal inventory count?
Sci-Twi: I’m fairly confident that we’ve sold quite a few graphics cards. Maybe ten or so since the last shift?

*Sci-Twi glances across the checkout counter at a familiar clipboard.*

Sci-Twi: Yep, eleven to be exact!
Sunset: Your eidetic memory never ceases to amaze me.
Sci-Twi: Your ambition and “stick-to-it-tiveness” are more praiseworthy though!
Sunset: Really? That’s commonplace.
Sci-Twi: I dunno. I feel like there’s something to be said about enjoying something more when you work hard for it, but I experience that feeling less often than I’d like in some ways.
Sunset: I mean, it’s pretty obvious that academic pursuits are definitely your forte given how naturally it comes to you.
Sci-Twi: That’s the problem though. I’ve seen it in other gifted kids. They coast by on their natural talent so easily when it’s early in the game, but if they don’t keep up with time management and study habits when the more difficult content comes around…well…I wonder if the same could happen to me in the postgraduate years after the undergraduate years…

*Sunset gives Sci-Twi a reassuring pat on the back.*

Sunset: It won’t. Know why? ‘Cause you’ve got a good set of friends to keep you well-grounded and humble. If need be, we’ve got your back. Strong coffee, study buddies, whatever, you name it. Don’t worry about it too much, okay?
Sci-Twi: Hehe, thanks. I know. All right, I’ve think I’ve had enough practice memorizing the entire store’s inventory count. Food court?
Sunset: Sounds good. I mean, who hangs out at their workplace on their off days?
Sci-Twi: Hey!
Sunset: Kidding, kidding. Lunch is on me.
Sci-Twi: Courtesy of semi-legal laundered Equestrian gems?
Sunset: Not my fault that there’s no official exchange rate between our dollars/coins and Equestrian gems/bits!

*The girls share a quick laugh as they leave the electronics store. They get to the down escalator when they spot a familiar pair riding the up escalator.*

Flim: Brother I’m telling you, we should be getting in on this NFT craze!
Flam: Remember what happened when you tried to get us in on the last crypto craze? I still remember when you said that the internet would be a passing fad back when we were teenagers!

*Flim continued to gesture at his phone and yammer on about potential NFT schemes as Flam looked away and rolled his eyes. The latter’s eyes made contact with Sunset’s. Both of their eyes narrow slightly for a second before giving each other a cordial nod as their respective elevators took then in opposing directions. Sci-Twi caught a glimpse of the exchange with a raised eyebrow.

Sci-Twi: Something up?
Sunset: O-oh that?
Sci-Twi: They sell some of our refurbished stuff at a significant markup at their pawn shop. I mean a triple-digit percent figure, too! I get the feeling that that wasn’t about the parakeet, was it?
Sunset: Eidetic and reflexive. Heh, guess I can’t do much without you noticing easily, huh?
Sci-Twi: Hey, I can’t help it!
Sunset: I suppose you’ve earned an answer. Well, it wasn’t that incident with Applejack’s bass or the rigged ring toss game that I first got acquainted with the Film and Flam brothers.
Sci-Twi: Oh? How long ago are we talking here?
Sunset: Before your pony self even crossed the portal here for the first time…

*Months before Princess Twilight’s arrival in Canterlot City: Sunset was on one of the hills that overlooked the city, burying a bag under a nondescript bunch of foliage. It was the last bag of gems that she had taken with her from when she had first fled Equestria just a couple years prior. She had to relocate this one carefully: her other couple of caches had been compromised. How or who? She was still trying to figure that one out. Either way, she knew that this was partially her own fault. Two years in this world, and she hadn’t been able to launder the valuables into a less conspicuous form of everyday currency. Banks weren’t willing to do business with someone who didn’t have an official picture I.D., and her landlord was starting to give her an ever increasing suspicious look every time the monthly rent arrived via gem stone. Sunset carefully moved the brush over the dirt and made her hasty exit off the site.*
Sunset: I need to figure something out. How can medium-sized city like this one not have any pawn shops in the public listings!?
???: Because the one and only would be called an “emporium,” miss!

*Sunset turns her head in the direction of the voice. It was a mustached man who had just walked past her and had turned his head back to address her. She really needed to stop thinking aloud!*

Sunset: You know where one is?
Flam: Indeed! I am half owner of the Everything-Under-The-Sun Emporium! Have you wares to sell? Quick cash, lots of cash, and satisfaction guaranteed!

*Sunset recognized the dripping deception beneath the friendly salesman veneer. Still, she was willing to pursue this lead. She figured that if he tried anything untoward, she’d just knee him in the nuts or something like that*

Sunset: Legality of goods not inquired?

*Flam looked slightly taken aback at the request. He and his brother dealt with the rare semi-legally acquired goods (if not semi-legal goods on their own), but he wasn’t expecting to run into that situation with an unassuming girl like this one. Oh well, that’s why they call it a legal gray area. Cash to the right people would make it legal if it came to that - not that it ever did.*

Flam: W-we aspire to help people from all backgrounds and scruples, miss! If it’s hush-hush business that we’re talking here, we have a boat that we could discuss this business on!
Sunset: You have a boat?

*Later that day on a yacht…*

Sunset: You have a yacht!?
Flam: Yes, sometimes I surprise myself with that. Only a couple months in business with the emporium, and we’ve already cleared enough to make the down payment on it!
Flim: Brother, who’s this?
Flam: A young lady who needs to discuss transactions of a certain *ahem* gray nature.
Flim: Oh, do tell!

*Sunset told the brother about the gemstones, the latest problems regarding making payments using said gems, and the loss of her hidden caches. She left out references to her homeland but claimed that she was an “off books” resident of the city. The brothers convened with each other for a quick minute before turning back to her with a grin on their faces.*

Flam: That’s a relief - we thought you were involved in something even worse!
Flim: We’ll be more than happy to convert your “gray area” stones into innocuous paper! We just need a show of good faith.
Sunset: Like..what?
Flim: Our back room for some of our “after dark” wares is looking a little boring. A fresh wall pinup is in order for the redecoration, but we’d like something original. Why don’t you strip off and give us a few good ones one on the pool float for us?

*Sunset balked a little at the proposal, but she had to admire their negotiation skills and knowing when the other party was over a barrel. Fine. Just pretend you’re back in Equestria, right? Sunset had little trouble getting naked and was rather surprised to see the brothers tossing her a couple swimsuits to model on the pool float with. She was surprised to see how business-like they were with this photoshoot. They weren’t ogling her from behind the camera, and the whole set was evenly divided between swimsuits, semi-nudes, and full-nudes. It was over in under an hour. Sunset was putting on her pants when a couple of familiar-looking bags fell at her feet. Wait a minute - those were the bags from the missing caches! Except…they were now filled with neatly stacked hundred-dollar bill denominations.*

Flam: Swear on our nonexistent honor that we didn’t know they were yours, but we figured that finders keepers right? We invested the gems in stable bonds and stocks, and this cash is just a fraction of the dividends. It’s yours, of course! For your trouble with this ever sexy pinup session, my brother is already in touch with our resident documents expert and will get you an appointment for your first “gray area” official I.D. How’s that?

*Flam extends his hand for a handshake to seal the deal. Sunset was at a loss of words. It was a rollercoaster of expectations ending in a high.*

Sunset: O-okay. Thanks!

*Present day…*

Sci-Twi: No way!
Sunset: Way. Not a word to the others, okay? I don’t want to imagine how Applejack would react.
Sci-Twi: Disapproval and a pronounced shaking of her head?
Sunset: I get the feeling that she’d do something like sell me jugs filled with salt-and-pepper water during the next cider season.
Sci-Twi: Pffft, she’d have a hard time telling that lie. Funny you should mention that scenario though…