Greetings. I am VultarianI'm . I'm sorry for any delays, but I managed to finish this chapter a little faster than my previous one. I can't promise that it will be like this all the time, obviously, but you guys seem to value quality over quantity, and I like that. I'll still try to write them as fast and efficiently as possible, though. Also, this chapter is shorter than the previous one, but I still hope you like it. Danke.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP or any of it's respective characters. I also forgot to add in the last chapter that I made Dr. Daroque, so don't go crying copy-cat. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

---

Chapter 39

Monday, October 20, 4:10pm

Twilight Sparkle walked down the sidewalk of her street, and everything was wet from the storm that had subsided not too long ago. Small puddles of water splashed lightly with every step she took, picking up small quantities of dirt on the bottom of her boots. However, these were miniscule details were not her biggest concern. Her sorrows were the only things she was thinking about. With the rain clouds gone and the sky getting clearer she would think that it would have lifted her spirits. That wasn't the case. She couldn't have peace with the memory of last Saturday weighing in her mind.

She had woken up from her unconscious with a terrible pain at the side of her head. When she sat up to gain her bearings she noticed that almost everyone was gone. She was moved to the bleachers, all the lights were on, and the only ones that were there besides her were Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity. Everyone else seemed to have left for home, more noticeably Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer. They informed her of what had happened while she was out, and she didn't take it too well. She started to cry, and the three of her friends had to comfort her before they all went home. Twilight didn't speak to anyone, nor did she have dinner. She went straight to bed, wondering if Fluttershy or Sunset were crying themselves to sleep too. Sunday wasn't much better for her, but she was more worried about Sunset at the time. She and Fluttershy thought it would have been a good idea for Sunset to schedule an appointment with her therapist today so she could talk things out with someone else. It took some convincing, but Sunset Shimmer submitted. Twilight had not checked up on her yet, but she'll probably tell her how it went later on. Twilight also asked if Fluttershy was alright, but she assured her that she was okay. Twilight knew she wasn't okay, but she didn't want to press her. Besides, she was sure that the rest of the girls would give her some comfort.

Now here she was, walking back from Canterlot High School, thinking about how quickly things had escalated. She knew inviting Sunset Shimmer to Canterlot Carnage Pro Wrestling carried a risk, but she didn't think that the risk would end up being this great.

Twilight: "Maybe Rainbow Dash was right; maybe I'm not as intelligent as I thought I was," Twilight though with a depressed sigh.

She continued her saunter down the sidewalk, trying to forget everything that had happened. For now anyway. But that task was more difficult than it sounded in her head because her gloom kept jumping on her. She tried thinking back to her classes and what she learned, but then she remembered that she had a Physics class in 7th period discussing precipitation, and the formation of rainbows. This just made her more irritated. As if that wasn't bad enough, right above her house in the distance was a rainbow.

Twilight: "Of course…" Twilight thought apathetically.

Suddenly, Twilight heard a voice.

"Hey, Twilight! Wait up!"

Twilight turned around, and saw a figure in the distance. The figure was running at her from the same sidewalk. As the figure came closer and closer, she was able to make it out to be…

Twilight: "Flash?"

Flash Sentry eventually caught up with Twilight, but he was on his knees and out of breath. He wasn't carrying his guitar case which was very uncharacteristic of Flash. He was instead wearing a backpack that looked pretty brand new. She supposed it was less heavy than a guitar case, but why he was without his instrument wasn't the first question that came to her mind.

Twilight: "Oh. Hey Flash. Did you need something?"

Flash caught his breath and stood. "*huff* I forgot *huff* to return this," Flash said as he took off his backpack and began digging around. After a bit of searching, out of his backpack came a calculator.

Twilight: "Oh! My calculator!" Twilight exclaimed as she took the device.

Flash placed his hands in his pockets, rocking side to side. "I was supposed to give it back to you weeks ago, but I kinda forgot. Sorry."

Twilight put her calculator in her pocket. "Oh, no need to be sorry. I bought me a new one because I thought I lost mine. Guess I forgot I was lending it to you," Twilight said with a sheepish smile.

Flash frowned. "Sorry."

Twilight put her hands in front of her. "No! Like I said it's, ehe, perfectly oh-KAY!" Twilight said in a cheerful tone that ended up sounding desperate.

Flash grinned. "Alright. So what's, uh, been happening with you?"

Twilight's smile sunk into a frown, her depression kicking back in.

Flash sensed her sadness. "Nothing good, huh?"

Twilight's sighed and turned away from Flash, rubbing her arm. "It … could have been better, I suppose."

Flash thought for a moment. He smiled. "Hey … maybe I could … walk you home?" Flash said, rubbing the back of his head.

Twilight wasn't really in the mood to do anything with anyone right now, but maybe this was just what she needed to get her mind of her troubles. "Sure. Why not."

Flash beamed. "Cool!"

Twilight and Flash walked side by side on the sidewalk. Twilight's house wasn't but a few blocks away, but it was still a nice gesture from Flash. She didn't know him too well, but at least she knew him enough to know he's a nice guy. However, even the nicest of people can accidentally say the wrong things.

Flash: "Hey, Twilight! Check out that rainbow over your house!" Flash shouted excitedly pointing to the arc of colors.

Twilight's frown deepened. "Yeah … great," she said as she looked at the ground with dispirit.

Flash caught this, and he decided to stop her in her tracks. He then puts on a worried expression. "Hey, what's the matter Twilight?"

Twilight looked up at his face. He looked pretty concerned. She really did want to tell him her problems just to let them out, but she knew she couldn't do that. So she forced a perky smile and waved his concerns off. "Oh, don't worry about me! I'm just not having the best day."

Flash nodded knowingly, and suddenly his face widened into a smile. "Hey … you know what makes me feel better after a bad day?"

Twilight: "What?"

Flash: "A hug from a friend," Flash answered with his arms out.

Twilight blinked. That came out of left field. She wanted to decline, but Flash was so nice, and it would've been difficult for her to turn him down. I mean he went out of his way to make her feel better. Besides, with Pinkie Pie being sick she couldn't help but succumb to withdrawals. So, with a shrug, she embraced Flash, and they both keep it for a while. It felt pretty nice actually. Except…

Twilight: "Hey? Flash?"

Flash: "Mm-hmm?" he responded with a dream-like inflection in his voice.

Twilight: "Are you … sniffing my hair?"

Suddenly, Flash broke the embrace and slicked his hair back; eyes darting. "N-No I wasn't! I guess I'm still worn out from that run."

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "Okay … well thanks for the hug, Flash. I feel a bit better now. I think I'm going to keep strolling along now."

Flash nodded. "Yeah ... well I got stuff I need to do too. Catch you later?"

Twilight smiled. "Sounds great-

Abruptly, and without any reason, Flash took off while yelling 'take care!" over his shoulder. Twilight wondered why he was in such a hurry. Twilight didn't say that his presence wasn't welcome, but she supposed she'll ask him about that later. For now she kept on walking until she made it to her driveway. Her dad's van was gone, so she figured that nobody was home. Good. It had been a long day, and maybe she could get some alone time now.

She entered her house and placed her backpack neatly on a hook in the hallway. She entered the kitchen entrance only to find her big brother, Shining Armor, eating cereal in his blue jeans and grey muscle shirt. So much for alone time.

Shining Armor eventually noticed Twilight in the entranceway and greeted her with a nod. "Hey Twiley. How's it goin'?"

Twilight smirked and went over to the kitchen table, taking the seat opposite to her brother. "Oh you know. The usual," said Twilight. "You're back early."

Shining: "I left early. Hey, are you okay? You don't look too hot."

Twilight forced a laugh. "Whaaat?! Pff! No, of course I'm fine! Don't be silly!"

Shining sighed, put down his spoon, and pushed his bowl away. "Okay Twilight. Cut the crap and tell me what's going on." Shining Armor said with a smirk.

Twilight felt her mental defenses crumble, and her smile faded back into its original upside-down position. She sighed and rested her elbow on the wooden table. "It's Rainbow Dash."

Shining: "What about her?"

Twilight: "We got into a fight."

Shining shrugged. "Well wrestling isn't that much different from fighting, so…"

Twilight gave her brother a crossly look. "No! I meant we got into an actual fight! Well, we did wrestle each other, but we also argued. Not for who won the match, I was unconscious so I couldn't argue … but I meant we were arguing about arguing over—Ugh, I can't get my thoughts out correctly!" Twilight exclaimed holding her head with her palms.

Shining: "Woa-HO! Take it easy Twilight. I'm just trying to help. Now tell me what happened."

And so Twilight did. She told him almost every detail of what had happened over the course of last Saturday. He didn't interrupt her, and only did for washing out his bowl and going to the bathroom. Only after Twilight was finished did Shining Armor respond.

Shining: "Man, that's rough. How's Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight rested the side of her head on crossed arms. "From what I heard one of us called her step-father, Rainbow Blaze, and she was grounded for two weeks."

Shining: "She thinks it was you, Twilight?"

Twilight groaned softly. "Probably…"

Shining frowned. "Hey, cheer up. Rainbow Dash will come around. She always does."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so, Shining Armor. I don't think Rainbow Dash wants to be my friend anymore. When we were in the same class today she didn't even look at me. She didn't even sit with any of us at lunch. In fact not almost none of my friends sat together today. Rarity was sitting at the fashionista table because of what Applejack did to her in their match. Applejack thinks that Rarity was taking it too seriously, and went to sit with her brother. Rainbow Dash secluded herself at the corner of the lunchroom with those other athletes, and none of us wanted to bother her for … obvious reasons. I had NO idea how the rest of the members were feeling, but judging by the looks they were giving one another I assumed it wasn't good. And Pinkie Pie is going to be so disappointed that nobody's getting along when she recovers. Fluttershy and I were the only ones sitting together, and I guess everyone else just didn't want to bother us because … I don't know!" -Twilight raised her head from her arms, and placed both of her hands on her face- "…Wow. None of this ever would have happened, and we would all still be enjoying ourselves if I hadn't had accidentally found Sunset Shimmer that day…"

Shining shrugged. "I dunno Twilight. I mean you did what you thought was right," Shining Armor said as he got up from his chair.

Twilight got up from her chair too. "I know what I did was right, and I would still do it. I … *sigh* … I just kind of regret bringing in Sunset Shimmer like this. I knew everyone was going to dislike the proposal of letting her join, but I didn't think they were going to let her join just to torment her. I don't know Shining. I just feel like we would have all been better off if Sunset Shimmer hadn't joined Canterlot Carnage Pro Wrestling, and you have no idea how bad I feel for having a thought like that!"

The two walked over to the cabinets where Shining Armor was searching the contents.

Shining: "Life is bogus like that sometimes. I mean I had my arguments with my friends before, and sometimes we went our separate ways. But that was mostly because we never talked things out, and let things in the past get to us. But friends, no matter how much they get into it, will eventually make up if you give it time. You still want to be their friend, right?"

Twilight nodded slowly.

Shining: "Twiley, friends fight all the time. You guys have been in fights before, and you made up then. There shouldn't be any reason you all wouldn't make up eventually. Pinkie Pie would've gotten sick anyways. Applejack and Rarity would've gotten in a fight anyways. Even Vinyl Scratch and Bon Bon would have been at each other's throats at some point. Sunset Shimmer being there didn't make those things happen, did it?"

Twilight: "I guess not. But what about Rainbow?"

Shining Armor shrugged once more. "As for what Rainbow Dash said about you before the match … she was probably just saying that because she was angry. Rainbow Dash can be hot-headed like that."

Twilight: "You weren't there. It felt like every inflection, every word she said, was genuine," Twilight said gloomily.

Shining managed to find a cup from the cabinet. "Hmm … did she say that she hated you?"

Twilight looked to her side while brushing back her hair with her hand. "No, But-

Shining: "Then there's still a chance. Don't give up just yet, Twilight. If she's your friend she'll come around," Shining Armor said before he went to the refrigerator and filled his cup with orange juice.

Twilight's head sunk, but she understood her brother's perspective. "If you say so. I'm going to go to my room now." Twilight said as she started to walk away.

Shining: "Wait! I actually wanted to ask you a favor regarding CCPW."

Twilight turned back around. "Sure, shining. What is it?"

Shining sipped from his cup before asking her his question. "Do you think I can come watch you guys this Saturday?"

This was the second time today that Twilight was cut off guard. "Seriously? THIS Saturday?"

Shining: "Totally! I meant to ask you a few weeks before, but I was pretty busy. I just want to see what my little sis can do in the ring." Shining Armor said with a prideful gusto.

Twilight blushed and laughed uncomfortably. "Thanks, but you know as well as I do that this isn't the best time."

Shining smirk grew. "I'd say this was the perfect time. I mean Rainbow Dash isn't there, and I don't have any problem with your other friends."

Twilight: "But Sunset's going to be there, and … well, I'm not sure how you would feel about that."

Shining closed his eyes and nodded. "That's true. She isn't my cup of tea, but she hasn't really done anything bad to me specifically. Besides, I'm going to be too busy watching you kick some tail!" Shining Armor said suddenly putting Twilight in a headlock, and giving her a playful noogie. Twilight giggled profusely, begging him to stop.

Twilight: "Okay, Okay! I'll let you come!" Twilight laughed as her big brother released her. "But you're going to have to keep this to yourself. Don't let Spike know either. This isn't the best time for him to be around the ring. Also, I think it goes without saying that you can't hit on anyone."

Shining Armor grinned. "What if they hit on me?"

Twilight gave Shining Armor a look.

Shining Armor folded his arms. "Twiley, I'm not going to be hitting on anyone. I already have a girlfriend: Cadence. Remember?"

Twilight: "Just reminding you that it's not a good time to mess with anyone."

Shining Armor hugged her sister. "Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sure. No problem."

Since Twilight was already down there she thought she might as well get some lunch: a fried bologna sandwich, some chips, and a glass of OJ. She walked into the hallway and up the stairs. Before she entered her room, she noticed that Spike's door was ajar. She went to close the door, but her curiosity couldn't help but make her want to take a little peek.

Twilight stuck her head out the door. She could see that his room was perfectly intact. His bed was made, and everything was put up. The only thing missing was Spike. He was probably out with some friends, or maybe he was at Pinkie's. She wondered what compelled her to look in his room to begin with until she saw his little brother's window, and had her curiosity pull her towards it. Then she remembered the rainbow outside, and went to see if it was still present.

Unfortunately no. She opened the window, looked outside, and it appeared that the rainbow had vanished. She frowned. She frowned deeper than she had all day. Somehow, her brother's words of support seemed to had lost their weight, and her heart sank into her stomach. It was strange how after being momentarily and slightly uplifted that reality can come to remind her of her troubles immediately. It was also tragic at how real these things were. All of these horrible things happening to her and her friends. She still couldn't help but blame herself somehow despite what Shining Armor had said.

Twilight decided to eat in Spike's room next to the open window. She didn't move from that spot even after she was done eating. She was watching the dark clouds come in from the horizon. It looked like there was more rain to come. Maybe she would be able to see a rainbow after the end of the rainfall. If the end was ever to come.

---

I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but hey at least this is something to hold you off until the next chapter. Speaking of which, there will be some wrestling action next chapter, and the first chapter of every show is usually long, so you got that to look forward too.

Until then, however, please leave me a comment and/or review. let me know what you think. Arevoir.

*Hey you guys. I'm updating this chapter to give you the message that chapter 40 is going to be my longest chapter, and I'm halfway done, but it could still take a little while longer. Im going to remove this message once chapter 40 is up.*