Equestria Girls

by Jay David

First published 29th of September, 2014

The lives of Sunset, Twilight and all their friends at Canterlot High

Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and all their friends go through the often-hectic trials of High-School life, with colleagues and ex-enemies along for the ride.

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NSFW side-story

Not So Dazzling

Canterlot High was, on most days, a fairly busy place, and given recent events, it had been even busier than most would have expected. But now, those events had passed, and things were finally getting back to normal for the students. And so here they were, in the school cafeteria, all occupying themselves with their usual activities, eating their lunches, hanging out with their friends and generally just enjoying the peace of the day.

But there were those among them that were not so happy. For there, sitting in a somewhat neglected corner of the cafeteria, was a trio of girls, all sitting solemnly around the same table. These girls had, until recently, been known as the Dazzlings, a group that had participated in the recent "battle of the bands" that the school had played host to. But that event had merely been a cover for the girls' true plans, for these three were no mere students, and more importantly, they were not even truly human.

These three, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, were, in truth, the Sirens, a group of creatures from the world of Equestria, banished here many centuries ago to keep them from doing harm. But harm they had caused, for through their power they had divided the students and gained immeasurable strength, all with the goal of ruling over this world just as they had planned to do to Equestria in ages past. Thankfully for the students, those plans had been undermined by the timely arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle, who, with the aid of her friends, had defeated the Dazzlings and brought peace to the school once more.

And so, here they were. The Dazzlings, who had come so close to achieving the victory they'd longed for, now merely sat there, defeated and without the power that had once made them so dangerous. Sonata was looking down at a meagre lunch, playing with it and barely paying much attention to it. Aria had her arms folded and was just slumped into her chair. And as for Adagio, she was eyeing many of the surrounding students of the cafeteria, with a look that could only be described as contempt. After having sat there together in silence, it was finally broken by Aria, who let out an audible moan.

"This sucks! I can't believe we tripped at the finish line like that!"

Adagio turned to face her companion, with a disdainful look on her face.

"There's no point whining about it, Aria. We lost. They won. And that's the end of it. Just be thankful they haven't cast us intro the streets or something."

Aria grimaced at her leader's words, wanting deep down to try and give some kind of comeback, but none came. For she knew Adagio was right. So, the two merely resumed their respective angry brooding, knowing that bickering amongst themselves was only going to make their lot worse at this point. Not that they felt they could feel worse than they already did of course. They had come within a hair's breadth of gaining everything they'd always hoped of gaining, and within a moment, it had all been taken from them.

It was an unpleasant thought for any person, and frankly it was the last thing any of them really wanted to be dwelling on right now. However, it was here that Adagio and Aria's attention was diverted to something else. For through all the collective chatter and bustle of the students around them, another sound could be heard. They knew it immediately as the sound of someone signing. Craning their necks, the two girls tried to see where it was coming from, but realisation soon dawned on them as they turned their heads, seeing that the singing was coming from none other than Sonata.

The blue-haired girl was still staring down at her lunch plate as she sang, though in truth it wasn't really a song but more like a hum, albeit loud enough for them to notice. It was a pleasant enough sound to be sure, but hardly anything astounding. Regardless, this behaviour from their comrade, who had been completely quiet until this point, provoked a raised eyebrow from Adagio.

"You're singing? Why? Why would you waste your time with that now?"

Sonata looked up at her, and while she had never been known as the sharpest tool in the shed, she understood well enough what Adagio was referring to. In the past, the Dazzlings had access to a trio of magical amulets, which not only enabled them to feed of the magic produced by hate and strife, but also enhanced their singing considerably. But in the battle with Twilight, those amulets had been shattered, stripping them of their ability to harmonize their voices as before. So, knowing this, Sonata just looked down at her plate, her expression one of sadness, before giving her companions the only answer she could think of.

"I just...miss our singing."

In this one moment, things changed for Adagio. She looked upon Sonata, and knew that she spoke the truth. For such a long time, she had seen their singing as a means to an end, a way to feast off the energies of conflict, and gain power and influence over others. Their voices, together with the power of the amulets, had been among the most beautiful sounds anyone could hear, able to entrance both ponies and humans alike. But now, as she looked upon her saddened compatriot, she knew that their singing was so much more than that, at least to Sonata. It was, in many ways, the only thing they had of their real lives, their origins back in Equestria. Nopoy there would have seen it's effects as anything good, but it was theirs, and it was precious to them.

Now, that too was lost to them, and in this moment, Something changed in Adagio's mind. It was a thought she'd never even considered until now, but there it was. In this world, in this place, with them defeated and stripped of all that had once been theirs, all they had was each other. The Sirens had each other, and they knew they had to cling to that. So, in an act that would have seemed completely out of character for her mere days ago, Adagio let out a sigh before gently placing a hand upon Sonata's.

This gained the girl's attention immediately, and she looked up at her, seeing her leader wear a smile upon her face. Not a forced smile or one of mischievousness, as she was so often used to wearing, but one of genuine warmth. Seeing this, Sonata couldn't help but break into a smile of her own, one which widened even further as she saw that a second hand had been placed on hers, that of Aria. The usually dour and cynical girl received quizzical glances from her companions, to which she merely shrugged and gave a small smirk. After looking at each other, they afforded themselves a genuine chuckle, the first they'd had in far too long a time.

However, those smiles soon vanished as they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, Adagio's expression became one of contempt once more as she looked upon who was standing there. For but a few feet away from them were the very girls that had been responsible for their defeat. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer. Adagio, Sonata and Aria removed their hands from one another, and instead focused all of their attention on the six girls that had approached them.

There was an incredibly uncomfortable silence between the two groups, and even as most students around them just carried on with their own business, some, who had managed to catch a glimpse at this gathering, decided wisely to simply walk in an opposing direction. Among the six girls that had gathered, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity all had looks of anger, Pinkie just seemed nonplussed about the whole thing, Fluttershy was acting just as worried as ever, and as for Sunset, she had an expression that was rather hard to read.

Eventually, Adagio decided to break the silence.

"Well? Come to gloat, have you?"

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at this before stepping forward.

"Oh, believe me, I'd like nothing better!"

With this vocal act of aggression, all three of the Dazzlings stood up, and for a moment, it looked as though some kind of fight might break out between the girls. However, Rainbow's expression lost some of it's anger as a hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning, she saw that it was Sunset's hand, who gave her a somewhat stern expression, leading to the rainbow-haired girl letting out a sigh before taking a step back. Sunset, having calmed her friend, stepped forward and addressed the Dazzlings.

"We're not here to gloat. We're not her to make fun of you or insult you. And we certainly aren't here to try and make you leave, as you probably suspect we are."

The mood still tense, Aria let out a scoffing sound before replying to that.

"Yeah right! Why else would you six be here?"

Upon hearing that question, Sunset's expression changed to one that made it look as though she had great difficulty in bringing out her next words. And after some silence on her part, she spoke, and it became quite clear why she had such difficulty.

"We're here...to ask if you'd like to have lunch with us."

That, needless to say, was not something the Dazzlings were expecting, as they looked at each other with looks of either shock or confusion. Adagio turned her attention back to Sunset before speaking, her scepticism quite clear from her tone.

"Excuse me? Is this some kind of joke?"

Sunset shook her head before answering.

"Far from it."

Adagio kept her gaze fixed on Sunset and the other girls, trying to put the pieces together in her mind. After a few moments of pondering, she spoke.

"Oh, I get it. You beat us, and now you want to keep us around as some kind of victory trophies, right?"

Sunset groaned at that statement, not knowing that behind her, Rainbow Dash had a smirk on her face that showed she was clearly thinking that suggestion over with great favour, until she was stopped from doing so by a quick jab to the ribs from Rarity's elbow. Meanwhile, Sunset looked upon Adagio and the other two, her expression now softening, and took another step forward.

"No, Adagio. This isn't about us beating you. This is about...giving you a chance."

Adagio scoffed at that statement.

"A chance? Are you serious? You expect us to believe that you'd just let us into your little group? Just like that?"

Sunset's eyes became more stern as she answered the girl.

"Nothing is that simple, Adagio. What you three did was terrible, and I doubt anyone here at this school is going to be willing to forget or forgive you anytime soon, us least of all."

Adagio glanced at the rest of the group, seeing a general murmur of agreement at Sunset's words. However, she soon looked at the latter once more as she sighed.

"But we're willing to at least let you try and make up for the things you did."

Adagio looked over to her companions, who were looking just as confused as she was, before turning back to Sunset.

"Why?"

Sunset looked away from her, and to Adagio's surprise, her expression was a pained one, which was also reflected in her tone as she gave her answer.

"Because if I can change...so can you."

Sunset's dour tone caused the girls around her to look at her with comforting glances, which did much to return her smile to her. Adagio considered this carefully. She'd almost forgotten that, not so long ago, Sunset had tried to achieve dominance and power in much the same way that she, Aria and Sonata had done. She too had gone through a time when she had been brought low and hated by the people around her. And yet, here she was, accepted as one of them as though nothing had happened. Adagio didn't really know what to make of this, and so turned to look at her two allies, hoping they'd have some insight.

To her surprise however, she saw that Sonata had already started to move away from the table and towards Sunset and the others. She stopped just short of reaching their group. The blue-haired girl turned and looked to her leader, her eyes almost pleading with her. No words were said, but none were needed, for Adagio and Aria both knew Sonata well enough to know what this meant. If they stayed their course, then survival in this world would be even more difficult and unbearable than it was before, and that was saying something.

But, if they accepted this offer, then they at least had a chance of making some kind of life for themselves. Not a happy one perhaps, at least not right away, but it was something. It would take a long time, certainly, but given that these three had lived for many centuries before these Rainbooms had even been born, patience was not something they struggled with. Ever prideful though, Adagio let out a groan before speaking her begrudging words.

"Well...I suppose it couldn't hurt to accept your offer."

She looked Sunset square in the eye, her expression far less aggressive than it had been, before continuing.

"Thanks...I guess."

Sunset smiled a little before turning to her friends, all of whom seemed to have mixed feelings about all this. Eventually though, the awkward silence was broken by Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, well...you're welcome...I guess."

With that "sort of" acceptance established, the Dazzlings joined the group that they'd once called outright enemies and, apprehensively, joined them in walking over to their regular lunch table. With every step they took, they would catch the eye of a few of the other students, all of whom were simply astounded that these girls would want to be anywhere near each other. In truth, even the girls couldn't quiet believe it, and knew deep down that this was going to be difficult at best. And so, as they kept on walking together, Aria expressed this sentiment.

"We still hate you, you know."

A sentiment that was then responded to by Applejack.

"The feelin's mutual."

Sunset, hearing all of this, simply took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Baby steps, Sunset. Baby steps."

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I know, defeat the bad guys and take away their source of dark power. I get it. But as far as I'm concerned, taking away singing voices as beautiful as the Dazzlings' was just a crime.

After the Battle

The halls of Canterlot General Hospital were usually pretty quiet. Most people in this town seemed to avoid injuries or illnesses pretty well, so the usual frantic hustle and bustle of other hospitals was frequently absent in this place. However, that was not the case today. For throughout the hospital there was activity both seen and heard throughout the wards, as doctors and nurses found themselves far busier than they were used to. Still, they did their jobs as well as could be expected. In the middle of all this however was a single teenage girl, dressed mostly in white, with bright blue hair and purple glasses, striding in from the welcome room to one of the building's many hallways.

Vinyl Scratch, noted amateur DJ and student of the local High School, was waltzing through the hospital with a big smile on her face, stopping every once in a while to check the names on the wards as she passed them by. Eventually, a particular name on a nearby door caught her attention, and she opened it and looked inside. There were a number of people in the beds here, many of which she recognised as fellow students from Canterlot High, including one Lyra and Bonbon. The girls were dressed in the standard light-blue attire of those staying at the hospital for extended periods of time, and they noted briefly as she entered, giving a small smile and a wave in greeting to her, which she returned.

However, it was in a much closer bed that she saw who she had come looking for. It was another girl her age, with long black hair. Octavia, who like Vinyl was known in their school for her love of music, though anyone who knew them could tell you that this is where their similarities ended. Octavia's left arm was covered in a plaster cast, which already had the names of a few of her friends scribbled on it, wishing her a speedy recovery. The girl looked up and saw Vinyl entering the room, closing the door behind her as she did. She gave a small smile as she saw Vinyl grab a nearby chair and sat down next to her bed. Octavia let out a sigh before speaking.

"I'm glad you were able to come here, Vinyl. Faust knows I could use some company right now."

Vinyl smiled at that before gaining a look that suggested she just remembered something. Sliding her school-bag off her shoulders, she unzipped it and began rummaging around in it, all while Octavia was looking at her with some confusion and curiosity. After a few moments, Vinyl smiled again and pulled out what Octavia recognised immediately as the latest edition of the Canterlot High newspaper. The blue-haired girl offered it to Octavia, who took it with some hesitancy. Using her one available hand, Octavia unfolded the paper and read the headlines, wherein her eyes widened. At the front of the paper was the title "Battle of the Bands Over!" accompanied by a photograph of the winners, the Rainbooms. Octavia stared at the photo for a moment before letting out a sigh, which prompted Vinyl to tilt her head a little. Seeing this, Octavia gave her friend a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Vinyl, really. The better musicians won in that contest. I was upset at the time, to be sure..."

She then looked away from her friend and towards the cast on her arm.

"...but it was mostly because of this."

A look of annoyance gripped her face as she continued speaking.

"I just don't get it! Music isn't supposed to send people flying off the stage like that! Not unless it was one of your so-called "super-wubs" or something."

A similarly-annoyed look took root on Vinyl's face, though it subsided once that realised that it was Octavia who was in the right to be angry right now. So, she simply remained silent as her friend carried on.

"I mean, there I was, giving a fine musical performance if I do say so myself, when all of a sudden, BAM! That Rainbow girl struck a chord on her guitar and sent me off the stage like a rocket, right into the wall!"

She looked down at her cast again.

"I'm just thankful the doctors say I'll be recovering soon."

"I hear that!"

Both Octavia and Vinyl looked up to see that the second voice had come from none other than Lyra, who along with Bonbon had looked over to watch the two girls. Lyra's expression matched Octavia's as she spoke.

"Since when does music suddenly become weaponized like that? When Trixie did that guitar stunt of hers, me and Bonbon here fell flat on our backs afterwards. Did a real number on our shoulders when we fell too."

Vinyl looked over to see that the two girls did indeed have some sort of bandaging on their shoulders, Lyra's on the right and Bonbon's on the left. However, it was here that Bonbon spoke up, her tone of voice far sadder than that of Lyra's.

"I just wish we'd have gone further than we did. I thought we were doing so well."

Lyra looked over to her friend and her expression softened. The girl smiled before reaching over and placing a hand gently on Bonbon’s hand, gaining her attention. It took a few moments, but Bonbon returned the smile, and the two girls let out a small chuckle together. Octavia too had a smile on her face as she addressed them.

"I caught a glimpse of your song together. You were very good."

The two girls looked over, still smiling.

"Thanks! Yours was great too," Lyra commented.

The girl then narrowed her eyes a little, seeming deep in thought, before addressing the whole group.

"I just...don't understand how I could have felt so angry towards you, Flash and all the other competitors. It was like...like something was pushing me to act like a real jerk towards you."

Octavia nodded at that. It was a feeling she had known for some time, but only now that Lyra had said that did she realise that she was not the only one to feel it. It was as if some long-dormant competitive spirit had taken root in her, urging her to keep going forward and compete against her schoolmates, even going so far as to openly insult them every once in a while. It was a far cry from how she normally behaved, and even now she felt no small measure of guilt over allowing herself to act that way. Though, if Lyra's words were any indication, she was hardly alone in this. Still, as she let out a small sigh, she spoke softly to the girl.

"It's fine, Lyra. I think all of us just got wrapped up in the moment. No harm done."

Lyra and Bonbon looked at her for a moment before smiling at her, which Octavia promptly returned. With that matter settled between them, Octavia's attention was then drawn back to Vinyl. A sound could be heard from the blue-haired girl's ear-piece, which Octavia recognised immediately as her usual brand of music. In spite of her friendship with vinyl, Octavia couldn't help but let out a groan as she heard it.

"I still don't understand how you can stand to listen to music like that. It's so...loud and gaudy."

Vinyl must have heard her, because it was in that moment that she turned to face her friend with an even wider smile than before. No words were spoken, but the message was clear, that she agreed with Octavia’s opinion on the matter, but still loved the music anyway. Octavia, knowing all-too well that this was a lost battle on her part, merely let out a sigh before leaning back onto her pillow.

"Well...I suppose in all fairness it's far from the worst kind of song I've heard."

Looking straight ahead, her eyes narrowed a bit.

"That honour goes to theirs."

Vinyl raised an eyebrow a little before turning her head to see where Octavia was looking, at which point her eyes could be seen widening under her glasses, making it clear that she understood exactly what her friend was talking about. There, on a pair of beds on the opposite side of the room from them, was Snips and Snails. They too were dressed in the standard outfits of overnight patients to the hospital, but it was their faces that caught Vinyl's interest, as their mouths and lower faces were completely wrapped in bandages. Both boys looked rather annoyed at the moment, not helped by Octavia letting out a small giggle.

"Well, one good thing about all this is that we won't have to hear any more of their terrible attempts at rap music. Fell right on their jaws after Bulk was done with them."

That remark got the desired effect, as both boys started mumbling from under their bandages, though naturally their voices were severely muffled. Both Lyra and Bonbon jokingly put hands to their ears, both knowing they wouldn't be able to make out what the two were saying, before letting out contented sighs. The four girls all shared a laugh together, much to the chagrin of the two boys, but the mood was then interrupted by the sound of the ward door opening. All of them looked on with shock to find that it was none other than Trixie who now stepped inside. Like everyone else there, save for Vinyl, she was dressed in the attire of the patients. The only difference being her trademark purple hat, which she rarely went anywhere without.

However, what everyone there noticed immediately was that the girl was coming in on a pair of crutches. Looking down, they noticed that her left foot was wrapped in bandages, clearly showing some kind of injury. Looking up at her, they all noticed the annoyed look on her face. She was scouring the room, looking over her fellow patients, though when she caught sight of Lyra and Bonbon, she started to look somewhat embarrassed. Octavia didn't need to ask why though, since she knew that it was Trixie who had bested them in the band competition. Even so, the girl decided it would probably be best to break the silence.

"What happened, Trixie?"

The blue girl took the opportunity to look away from her still-angry-looking schoolmates and turned her attention towards Octavia, before attempting to strike one of her famous over-dramatic poses.

"The great and powerful Trix-ARGH!!!"

Clearly Trixie had forgotten about her foot during that pose, as she'd put too much pressure on it and was now leaning heavily on her crutches again. As she took a few deep breaths to recover from that, she spoke.

"Like I was saying, Trixie fell over a wall after the contest. Sprained her ankle. She'll be here a day or two at least."

Octavia raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why were you trying to get over a wall?"

Trixie gained an unmistakeable look of embarrassment on her face before replying to that.

"None of your business!"

Lyra, who had been angrily watching Trixie this whole time, gained a smirk on her face before speaking up.

"You tried one of your failed escape attempts again, didn't you?"

Trixie frowned at that.

"Shut up!"

Lyra chuckled at that.

"Well well, I was going to stay mad at you for beating us, but after that, I guess we can forgive you. If only for giving us something to smile about."

She and Bonbon both chuckled at that a little, prompting no end of annoyance from Trixie, who was very clearly fuming over the remark. Letting out a huff, she began to turn around and make her way out of the ward.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need this! She is off to find more appropriate company. Good day!"

The girls all watched as Trixie made her way out of the ward, slamming the door behind her quite loudly. After a few minutes of silence however, Octavia started pondering over something before looking over to Vinyl.

"Now that I think about it...did the contest actually change Trixie all that much?"

Call of the Sea

The night air was cold in the town of Canterlot, with the sky above clear and showing off many sparkling stars. Most in the town had already gone home to be with their families, or closed up shop for the day. But on one road, beside the coastal region of the town, there was a solitary figure walking down it. Sunset Shimmer, former apprentice of Princess Celestia of Equestria, now a permanent resident of this human world. While her self-imposed exile had once been a source of great discomfort for her, nowadays there was nowhere else she'd rather be. She'd made friends for herself, something she'd once never thought possible, and for once, her life was a happy one. Walking down the road, she had a smile upon her face. Having just come from a party hosted by one of her friends, Pinkie Pie, it was hard not to smile about such things.

But now she was heading home, enjoying the great silence around her in contrast to the loudness of the party she'd left. The only sound she could hear was that of the waves lashing upon the nearby beach. It was a soothing sound, and as Sunset turned to look at it, she couldn't help but think to herself how beautiful the sea looked, bathed in the glow of the full moon above. She smiled as she looked upon it, but that smile soon faded once a new sound could be heard. It was a splash of some sort, and at first Sunset merely took it for another crashing of the waves. But as she looked closer, she could see something or someone moving in the water. It was too dark to see properly, even with the bright moonlight, but Sunset's curiosity demanded that she discover what was out there.

So, straying from the road, she began walking out onto the deserted beach, squinting her eyes so as to try and see what was there. After a few moments, something caught her eye to her right. It was a rocky outcropping, jutting out of the sand of the beach and extending outwards towards the waters. Whatever was moving, it was around there, so that was where Sunset now found herself moving towards. It didn't take her long to reach the rocks, and so she looked around for a bit before finding something that she knew shouldn't be there. It was a pile of clothes, neatly folded. Sunset looked towards the sea briefly and thought about this. Someone out on a midnight swim? At this hour? Turning back to the clothes, she reached out and picked up the item on the top of the pile to examine it more closely.

Immediately, Sunset's eyes widened with shock when she got a good look at them. With a combination of both light and dark purple, the clothes before her were very familiar, as were the knee-high boots that accompanied them. Standing up, Sunset spun around and looked out to the sea to try and see who she suspected was now out there. In mere moments, her instincts were proved correct, as a figure now emerged from the water at great speed, flinging her massive orange hair backwards in a dramatic fashion. Adagio Dazzle, leader of a group of Canterlot High students known as the Dazzlings and, more importantly, a former Siren of Equestria. Though there had been bad blood between them and Sunset's own friends, the Rainbooms, things had thankfully calmed down a great deal between them.

As she looked out at her former rival, Sunset took note of how she practically shone in the moonlight, her fingers trailing through her soaking hair. Although an admittedly beautiful sight, Sunset's face soon erupted into a massive blush when she finally noticed that Adagio was not, in fact, wearing anything for her late-night swim. Turning, Sunset felt that maybe it would be best to give the girl her privacy. However, fate seemed to have other plans, as a mis-timed step from Sunset caused a stone to come loose from where she was standing, which then fell into the water below with a loud splash. This, naturally, caught Adagio's attention, and she turned to see what was causing the noise. Her gaze caught sight of Sunset immediately, and the two girls just stared at each other in silence for a few uncomfortable minutes. Eventually though, Adagio broke the silence, placing a hand on her hip as she did so.

"So...come to enjoy the view?"

Sunset's blush, if possible, became even more fierce, as she began to fumble her words in defence of her being here. However, Adagio let out a brief chuckle before shaking her head a little.

"No need to get so upset. I'm only joking."

Sunset began to calm down a little, watching as Adagio started swimming closer to the rock. In mere moments, she was there, turning around and leaning against the rock behind her, with her legs gently swaying in the water before her. Sunset watched her carefully for a while before clearing her throat a little, taking a few steps close and kneeling down before speaking to her again.

"So...what are you doing out here?"

Adagio turned her head around as much as she could, though with all that hair her face was still obscured to Sunset.

"You're a smart girl. I'd have thought you'd recognise swimming when you saw it."

Sunset rolled her eyes a little at that. It was clear that the girl was in no mood for polite conversation, or at the very least wasn't prepared for it. Sunset sighed a little with this, realising that for all her and her friends' efforts in reaching out to the Dazzlings, there was still some animosity. It was to be expected though. After all, this was a case of the victorious speaking to the vanquished. Nevertheless, Sunset knew from experience what unhappiness looked like, and right now it was plastered all over the former Siren. So, clearing her throat again, she spoke up.

"Adagio...if there's something wrong, then I'd like to help."

Adagio still had her head facing away from her, and for a moment, Sunset wondered if she was just wasting her time here. However, after starting to look away from the leader of the Dazzlings, she began to hear her speak up again.

"I suppose..."

Sunset's head snapped back towards Adagio's direction, watching and listening to her intently. There was a brief cough from the girl, a clear sign that she wasn't comfortable in speaking on such intimate terms. But even so, she kept on speaking.

"...there are times when I just...want to feel a little bit of home."

Sunset tilted her head in confusion over that, and as Adagio turned to face her, she saw the look and began to explain herself.

"Did you know that we Sirens are creatures of the sea? From birth to death, the oceans were our home. Our domain. Our...our everything."

Adagio looked down at the water around her, raising one hand and making circles in the surface with her index finger. The girl's face made it obvious that this was something that bothered her a great deal. And while the scholar in Sunset would have wanted to ask many questions, she knew all too well when somebody just needed their space. So that's exactly what she gave Adagio now, remaining silent until she started speaking again, which she did moments later.

"My sisters and I would spend many a day swimming against one another, always keen to see who was the fastest. We'd go to the surface and hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the coast. We'd play tricks on pony sailors. To us, the sea was like air to you surfacers. We could never imagine our life without it."

Deep down, Sunset could feel where this was going, but even knowing that, it didn't make it any easier once Adagio started speaking about it. Lifting her hand out of the water, Adagio looked at the little pool of water she'd collected in her palm. She stared at it for a few moments before gaining a look of great anger, clenching her fist hard and allowing that water to seep through her fingers and back into the sea.

"But then...you know the rest. The sea was taken from us, just like the rest of Equestria. We became beings of the land. We could never go back to the deep like we once could. Sonata tried once, back in the early days of our banishment. She couldn't stand the thought of no longer being able to go back to the sea. She swam out, tried going down as deep as she could...and if it hadn't been for Aria and me pulling her out...she'd have drowned."

Sunset clasped her hands over her mouth in horror over having heard that. She knew that, like her, it must have been a difficult experience to no longer be in the place they'd called home for so long, but to go that far because of their grief over it, that was something she'd thankfully never experienced. Images were conjured up in her mind now after hearing that. Images of a terrified and unsure Sonata crying on the beach with her sisters doing their best to comfort her. Needless to say, Sunset felt sorry for them. Granted, she too had lost her home, but they had been cut off from theirs in a way that was, in many ways, much worse than what she'd known herself. Looking upon Adagio, she saw the Siren look out at the sea before them, her expression now one almost of contempt.

"And the worst part? The waters that should be our rightful home...are right here! We can see them. We can touch them! But we can never be one with them again. The best we can hope for is to know it as you surface folk know it...scratching the surface, and nothing more."

Adagio let out a sigh, her anger subsiding for the time being as she looked down at herself and her body through the clear waters.

"You may have lost much, Sunset, but us? What we lost can never be brought back...thanks to that bearded interloper."

Sunset looked away, feeling terrible over what she'd just heard. Adagio was right, that Sunset could always go back one day, have her home, her magic once again. The option was there for her. It was not there for them. Compared to what the Sirens had been through, her transition from pony to human was child's play. Turning back towards her old foe, Sunset began to fumble her words a little. What should she say? What could she say? What words could possibly alleviate what must have been centuries worth of anger over this issue? However, before she got the chance to say or do anything, Adagio began to move, making her way to the shallower water beside the rock and standing upright, her body glistening thanks to the many droplets of water that covered her. As Sunset watched her approach, the leader of the Dazzlings took a few calming breaths before looking at her.

"...It's fine."

Sunset tilted her head over that.

"It's...fine?"

Adagio chucked a little.

"Yeah. I just need to vent about this kind of thing every once in a while. I've got used to it, this life on the land. I'm still angry about it, and I still need to let that anger out every once in a while...but...I'm fine with it...more or less."

Sunset looked at her carefully, seeing that there was no lie in her eyes over those words. After some silence between the two girls, Sunset gave the Siren a small smile, which was promptly returned. A few moments later, Adagio spoke up again.

"And...thanks. It was nice to say this to someone for once."

Sunset smiled even more after that.

"No problem. If you, Aria or Sonata ever need to talk to anyone about that stuff...me and the other girls can help you."

Adagio chuckled a little.

"Good to know. Still, I'd better be getting back home. No doubt Sonata will be driving Aria crazy without me there to keep the peace."

Sunset nodded at that and watched as Adagio took a few steps away from her and onto the more sandy part of the beach. However, realisation struck Sunset and she cleared her throat again, catching Adagio's attention. As the Siren raised an eyebrow, Sunset explained her intent by holding up one of Adagio's discarded clothes. Looking down at herself, the Siren facepalmed herself briefly before walking back to Sunset.

"For as long as I live, I will never get used to wearing these things."

Sunset chuckled at that.

"Preaching to the choir on that one, Adagio."

And in that moment, the two shared a laugh together, feeling that, just maybe, things between them wouldn't be so bad after all.

Of Rainbooms and Dazzings - Pinkie and Sonata

On most days, Sugar Cube Corner was, without question, one of the most popular hang-out spots in all of Canterlot, with virtually every person in that town having gone there at some point in the week. Today, however, things were relatively calm, which was fine for the store's owners, the Cakes. With all the custom they'd been having, a little bit of peace and quiet every once in a while never hurt anyone. That being said, there were a few locals sitting in the place and having a good time there, most notably, Pinkie Pie. This student of Canterlot High, perhaps most famous about town for her boundless energy and enthusiasm, was currently in the middle of downing a strawberry milkshake, a loud sucking sound echoing throughout the shop as a result.

But, she was not alone here today, as there, sitting beside her, was one of the infamous Dazzlings, Sonata Dusk. Despite their rather "unfriendly" intentions during their first meeting, both Pinkie's group of friends, the Rainbooms, and Sonata's had managed to become friends, however unlikely that might have seemed. As for right now, the blue-haired girl was in the middle of eating a large plate full of delicious-looking donuts, smiling all the way.

"Umph! Phwis ish wiffy gud!"

Pinkie looked up from her drink, giggling slightly at the sight of Sonata having stuffed her face full of those confectionaries, with her cheeks currently puffing out like a squirrel.

"Silly! You gotta swallow before speaking!"

Realising this, a slight blush appeared on Sonata's cheeks before, as requested, swallowing the whole lot in one go. Although it seems as if this might have been too much too quickly, she soon got over it, smiling right back at Pinkie soon afterwards.

"Sorry. I was trying to say it tasted really good!"

Pinkie leaned back into her chair and folded her arms, a look of pride crossing her face.

"Well sure it does, Nata! It was made by the Cakes! The best bakers in all of Canterlot! With a little help from yours truly of course!"

Sonata let out a gasp before pointing to Pinkie.

"Really?! You helped make these?!"

Pinkie nodded at that before pointing her own finger over at the nearby counter, where Mrs Cakes were standing and getting ready to just do a little bit of cleaning.

"Yep! I started working here part-time a couple of summers ago. The Cakes are really nice to me and they let me help out with pretty much everything!"

Hearing that, Mrs Cakes, who had started to wipe the counter, looked over to Pinkie with a smile of her own.

"Oh hush! We'd have probably hired you even if we didn't need the help! You are truly a wonder in the kitchen, Pinkie, you really are."

Pinkie waved her off with a look of slight embarrassment.

"Aw, shucks, Mrs Cakes!"

Looking back to Sonata, Pinkie then pointed to her plate of donuts.

"You really like em?"

Sonata nodded enthusiastically at that.

"For sure! We never got the chance to eat stuff like this when we were out on the road. It was always stop here, stir some trouble, feed off the negative energy, then do it over and over again. Kinda got tiring after a while."

Pinkie frowned slightly at that.

"Didn't you ever, ya know, feel bad about that?"

Sonata shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure...but we gotta eat, right? We're Sirens and...well...that kinda stuff was our food."

Pinkie considered that for a moment, only to then break out into another big smile.

"Well, those days are behind you. You're nasty amulets are broken and you get to eat real food whenever you want!"

Hearing that, Sonata's expression became somewhat dour, and she raised her hand, gently placing it upon her bare neck. Seeing this, Pinkie immediately knew what was going on in the blue girl's mind, and her smile faded instantly, replaced instead by a rather guilty expression.

"Oh! I'm...I'm sorry! I know you still miss your singing and stuff."

After a good deal of silence between the two, Sonata began to shake her head.

"No...it's fine. I know our singing did a lot of bad stuff. It's just...I miss it."

Pinkie nodded.

"You know...it was pretty. Your singing, I mean. Even if it was...well...causing evil stuff and all"

Looking to her, Sonata offered her a small smile in response.

"Thanks. That means a lot."

For a brief moment, Sonata seemed hesitant to speak, with her eyes darting away from Pinkie and then back again. But Pinkie herself noticed this, and, in a feat most wouldn't normally think of her, sat there, waiting patiently for her former enemy to speak. In the end, she did just that.

"I...I've been practising. My singing. I think it's getting better, but...it's not as good as it used to be."

Pinkie tilted her head slightly.

"Do...do you wanna sing to somebody?"

Sonata looked up at her, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Yes...I would like that."

At that, Pinkie broke out into an even wider smile.

"Well shoot, Nata. Why didn't you say so? I'd love to hear you sing!"

Hearing those words, Sonata seemed taken aback slightly.

"You...you mean that?"

Raising her hand, Pinkie placed it upon Sonata’s shoulder, nodding as she did so.

"I Pinkie promise that I do!"

With that said, Pinkie made an "X" mark over where her heart was before then cupping the space over one of her eyes. Although Sonata had no real clue as to why she did that, she nevertheless continued to smile.

"Thank you. It's been so long since somebody actually wanted me to sing for them! I'd almost forgotten what that feels like."

Pinkie gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't you worry, Nata. This time, it'll be even better than before. You'll see! Having someone want you to sing will be way better that using freaky-deaky magic to get them to want it!"

Becoming practically giddy at all of this, Sonata squealed slightly before lunging forward, embracing Pinkie in a hug, which was enthusiastically returned.

"Thank you, Pinkie! You are so totally not the worst!"

Pinkie simply smiled at that.

"Thanks! You're not the worst either...whatever that means."

As they broke apart from each other, both with a smile from ear-to-ear, they turned in unison towards Mrs Cakes, who had finished cleaning and was instead casually making her way over to them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, girls. But would you two like anything else before you go today?"

At that, Sonata looked uncharacteristically ponderous for a moment, before turning to Pinkie with some uncertainty in her expression.

"What do you think, Pinkie? Should we get ourselves another cake to eat or something?"

Turning to her, Pinkie raised an eyebrow and let out a brief scoffing sound before giving an answer that, frankly, Sonata should have expected.

"Well duh! As if you even need to ask?"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Applejack and Aria

The sun was beating down hard on Sweet Apple Acres, and the vast orchards of apple trees were green, lush and utterly laden with their titular fruit. The land's owner, the Apples, were hard at work collecting their trade from every tree they could lay their eyes on, carefully climbing up ladders to pick them from the branches before laying them in the baskets below. Applejack especially was giving it her all, going from tree-to-tree, never stopping, never slowing down, and most of all, never doing her work without a smile upon her face. This was her life, what she loved, and was work she put her heart into with every moment of the day.

However, as the hours rolled on by, she stopped for a moment, looking around for a while before laying her sight on someone on the other side of the orchard. For some reason, she narrowed her eyes, and climbed down her ladder before marching off in their direction. It took a few moments, but Applejack finally made it to that person; Big Macintosh, her brother. She stood there in silence for a few moments, raising one eyebrow and folding her arms while tapping her foot, and after a while, Mac stopped his own work before finally noticing her. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two siblings, with Mac's eyes darting from left-to-right, all while his face bore the unmistakeable signs of someone guilty. After this unbearable silence had gone on for as long as humanly possible, Mac finally relented.

"Um...eyup?"

Unfolding her arms, Applejack instead placed her hands on her hips before speaking to her brother.

"Mac...ain't this the part of the orchard we asked Aria ta help us with?"

Yet again, Mac seemed uncomfortable in answering his sister, yet her piercing gaze effectively forced him to do so.

"...Eyup."

Applejack frowned.

"And yet ah see y'all bein the one ta do it?"

"...Eyup?"

Applejack's frown deepened.

"..She convinced y'all ta do it for her, didn't she?"

At that, Mac looked down with a degree of shame.

"...Eyup."

Applejack slapped her forehead and let out a grunt of frustration.

"Ugh! Alright! Where is she?"

Mac said nothing, instead raising one hand and pointing over to the other side of the orchards. Applejack turned in that direction, knowing full well in her mind where their visitor would be, and so, without giving her brother another word, began to storm off in that direction, leaving Mac quite relieved she wasn't glaring at him anymore. Applejack marched onwards with purpose in her expression, passing tree after tree in search of her quarry. And soon enough, her journey yielded fruit, as she finally caught sight of her. Aria, one of the three Sirens of Equestria that had caused Applejack and her friends a great deal of trouble in the past.

Currently, the purple-haired girl was sitting beside a scenic-looking pond, resting on the grass while leaning her back against a nearby apple tree. Her hands were resting behind her head, her face bore a look of contentment about it, and, to complete this "relaxed" image, she had put her boots to one side, leaving her feet bare as she rested. Applejack, frowning at this inactive image, walked right up to her and folded her arms yet again. Aria, at first, didn't notice her arrival, until Applejack stood between her in the sunlight, casting a shadow upon her face. Now frowning herself, Aria cracked one eye open, upon which she saw a rather irritated-looking Applejack looking down on her. However, the Siren seemed unconcerned with this, and instead began to speak in that dismissive tone she always had.

"Would ya mind stepping aside, farm girl? You're kinda in my light."

At that, Applejack's frown deepened.

"Y'all are supposed ta be helpin out with the orchards! Not layin here doin nothin!"

Aria scoffed at that.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not doing nothing. I'm relaxing! That's something!"

Applejack slapped her forehead again before speaking up.

"That's...ugh! Why did y'all volunteer ta help out if yer just gonna ignore yer job?"

Like Applejack, Aria gained a deep frown of her own with those words.

"As I keep telling you, I didn't volunteer! Adagio, in her infinite wisdom, just put my name forward for this herself!"

But Applejack just waved that reasoning off.

"Well, yer here, and if yer here, then there's gonna be work. End of story!"

Aria chuckled at that.

"That big brother of yours has it covered, Apples. Real nice guy too. Pretty sweet of him to take on a whole other job like that when he heard I hurt my arm and all that."

At that, Applejack's sight drifted down to both of Aria's arms, neither of which seemed to have any sign of bruising or injury to them, which, naturally, only caused her to look even more annoyed.

"They don't look hurt ta me."

Aria rolled her eyes.

"They were getting tired. That's basically the same as getting hurt for real, right?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow, prompting Aria to let out a huff.

"Ugh! Fine! So I told a bit of a lie. Big deal! What's the problem? The work's still getting done, isn't it?"

If Applejack was merely annoyed before, she was positively furious now, as she glared angrily at the Siren below.

"Y'all lied ta mah brother! Ya didn't even hesitate ta do it!"

But Aria seemed unconcerned with that, looking to Applejack with her usual dismissive attitude.

"So? It's not hurting anyone, right? Besides, I hear tell that old Rainbow shirks the work you give her whenever she comes over, so why should I get this kind of treatment?"

Unfortunately for Aria, Applejack already had an answer for that.

"Rainbow takes a while ta get going, and yeah, she grumbles all the way, ah grant ya that. But she still does it! Besides..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"...she never did anything bad that she needed ta make up fer!"

At that, Aria gave Applejack her full attention, finally starting to get up from her spot. Once she was up on her feet, she gave Applejack an equally-angry glare.

"Oh no, Apples. You don't wanna go there. We're having such a nice chat here, so I doubt you wanna go and ruin that by bringing up bad memories, now do you?"

Applejack narrowed her eyes further.

"Get back to work like yer supposed ta do, and ah won't."

Both girls had their faces about an inch from one another now, and the tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. But Aria, standing her ground on this matter, raised one hand, brought it close to Applejack's beloved Stetson, and gained a look of utter cockiness.

"Make me!"

And with that, the Siren casually flicked her fingers, knocking Applejack's hat clean off her head. The farm girl watched as her Stetson slowly dropped to the ground, and when it finally reached the grass below, she turned to Aria with fire in her eyes. Both girls knew what was going to happen now, and neither hesitated to just get on with it, as they ferociously lunged at each other. Applejack's efforts were effective at the start, knocking Aria back into the tree she'd been sitting by, before the latter began to quickly recover and shoved her off, before charging at her, with the impact knocking her to the ground. Both girls rolled around in the grass for some time, each trying to get the upper hand in this fight, and both were becoming covered in stray bits of grass with every roll they made. This went on for several minutes, until finally, they rolled once too much, and soon found themselves going right into the nearby pond, sinking beneath the surface as a result.

However, even here, they continued to struggle, shaking each other and even getting a few blows to their respective opponent's stomachs every once in a while. Unfortunately, one can only fight underwater for so long, and sure enough, both of them began to stop fighting, instead clutching at their throats with a lack of air. A look passed between them at this point, and though no words were spoken, the message was nevertheless clear; truce. They swam as fast as possible back to the surface, letting out a massive gasp for air as they clambered for the edge of the pond. After climbing out, with their clothes utterly sodden, they both turned over and collapsed onto their backs, both trying to catch their breath for a few moments, all while Aria looked more than a little annoyed.

"A Siren...unable...to breathe...underwater. How...humiliating!" she said, while still panting.

Applejack turned to her, and, in spite of everything that had just happened between them, spoke in a far calmer way than she had before.

"Well...ah gotta say...y'all don't...go down easy."

Aria turned to her, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"Yeah? Well...you're pretty tough too, Apples."

Turning from each other, both girls instead looked up at the sunny sky, still catching their breath. Then, much to Aria's confusion, she actually started to hear Applejack, of all things, laugh. She turned, bearing a look of confusion as the farm girl continued to chuckle away, and soon afterwards, despite not really knowing why, Aria herself joined in. And so, the two girls laid there, tired, soaking, yet still laughing together, if for no other reason than their mutual knowledge of how ridiculous this whole situation was. When the laughter finally died down, Applejack, having caught her breath at last, slowly got up to her feet and, in a move that surprised Aria to no end, actually offer her a hand.

"So...cider?"

Looking from Applejack's face to her hand and then back again, Aria gained a sly smile before chuckling again, taking the hand and holding it tight.

"Oh Faust, Yes!"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rarity and Adagio

A single yellow finger was traced over the surface of the dress. It was a pretty little thing, shining and sparkling with many additions and carefully-placed sequins, and truly a work that had a lot of love and attention put into it. Although she was not easily impressed, Adagio couldn't help but smile and nod in approval at the sight of it, as she slowly took a step back and got a better look at the thing from a distance. Currently, she was in one of the school's workshops, specifically, the workshop most often used by Rarity, the school's resident fashionista, who was actually not far away, working at her desk and sewing the last few touches on her current project. As for Adagio, she glanced around the room, taking in all of the outfits the girl had made, from large to small, shining to sparkling, there didn't seem to be any area of fashion that wasn't being covered in this room.

"Fine work. You have talent."

Rarity looked up from her creation, taking off her work glasses and looking, for the most part, surprised that Adagio would pay her a compliment like that.

"Well, one does try their best after all. I've been working on things like these since I was a child. I tell you, Adagio, there's nothing quite as relaxing as spending the afternoon doing something you love."

Adagio nodded in agreement, moving over to another rack of dresses.

"Most clothes places my sisters and I went to over the years never seemed to have this kind of craft to them."

Rarity scoffed at that comment.

"Oh please, darling! I don't wish to brag or anything, but..."

"But you're going to, right?" Adagio finished with a smirk.

Rarity afforded her a brief frown before clearing her throat and composing herself and continuing her answer.

"...I have seen most of the clothes stores in this town, and very rarely have any of them truly spoken to me on a creative level. They may as well be factories, churning out the same dress over and over."

However, it wasn't long afterwards that Rarity started paying attention to the outfit that Adagio wore, looking it over from her neckline to her shoes. It was a move that did not go unnoticed by the Siren herself, as Adagio soon raised an eyebrow at the stare.

"Enjoying the view?"

A slight blush crept over Rarity's cheeks with that comment, to which Adagio couldn't help but chuckle, before she started to explain herself.

"I was just wondering, where did you and your sisters get your ensembles from? They seem a touch more...unique than what most stores do around here."

Adagio nodded before starting to explain.

"We picked them up from a shop on the way into town. I figured since we were going to be trying to win an audience, it was probably best to do it in style."

Rarity nodded, actually looking appreciative of those words.

"Well, I can't say I care for your "world domination" plans, but I must say I approve of wanting to look good while doing it."

Rarity turned to her desk, carrying on with her work, and it wasn't long before Adagio moved over to her, watching her do so. As more and more threads went into the outfit that now took form before her, Rarity put on her glasses before, with great concentration, starting to speak to the elder Siren once more.

"I'm curious, Adagio. What was it that drew you to that outfit in particular?"

Looking down at herself, Adagio considered that for a moment before replying.

"Well, short story was that, after having been forced to wear nothing but a trio of samey-looking hoodies for who know how long, any outfit would have looked good. But, I went for this one since I felt it was the most...me. Besides, I wanted my audience to look at me and want me when I came here, so my chosen clothes had to reflect that."

Rarity stopped her work for a moment and turned to give her full attention to Adagio's clothes. They did indeed suit her, that much nobody could deny. However, her remarks of making people "want" her were also well-serviced here, from the way it hugged off her oft-used hips to the way the neckline went down just enough to show off some cleavage, it was clear that getting attention was not something that Adagio was going to have to struggle with.

"Well, I doubt you'd have been lacking for admirers looking like that, Adagio."

The voice wasn't entirely dismissive, but still, Adagio could sense there was a degree of disapproval behind it. However, rather than seem offended or mocked, Adagio merely let out a hearty chuckle. As Rarity looked up to her with a raised eyebrow, the Siren began to explain.

"It's all about control, my dear. The way I talked, the way I looked, the way I moved, all of it was carefully thought-out to get people under my influence, magic or no magic. A boy of this school, or maybe even a girl or two, they would see me, and if I played my cards just right, I would have them in the palm of my hand without ever even opening my mouth."

A smirk crept on her face before she carried on.

“I tell you, Rarity, there was no better feeling in the world than to have someone look at you, knowing that you were what they desired most in the whole world!”

At that, Rarity frowned slightly.

"As I said before, I don't exactly approve of your...shall we say controlling intentions for the school."

To that, Adagio merely raised an eyebrow of her own. Watching as Rarity got back to her work. However, in the awkward silence that fell between the two girls, it wasn't long before the Siren started to gain a rather sly smile upon her face. And so, with a quickness of hands nobody would have seen coming, Adagio, much to Rarity's utter shock, reached forward and undid the button at the top of the latter's blue blouse, opening it up so that her neckline was going down almost as much as hers. Needless to say, this was quite unexpected for the fashionista, and she leapt out of her chair, raising her arms and covering herself, despite being far from unclothed here.

"Wha...what do you think you’re doing?!"

Adagio, placing her hands on her hips, which she tilted to one side slightly, merely kept on smiling.

"You know, you and your friends should really consider showing off more, Rarity. Loathe as I am to offer praise to other people, the six of you do have rather fine bodies. There's no need to hide them away like you do."

Rarity turned from her, trying to hastily button herself up again, but not before Adagio saw the massive blush she was having, prompting another laugh from her.

"Oh come on! You girls should be proud of what you've got to show! A little emphasis never hurt anyone you know."

The fashionista, having finally done her clothes up back the way she liked them, turned back to Adagio with her frown still very much plastered to her face.

"I'll have you know, Miss Dazzle, that I and my friends are quite happy with how we present ourselves thank you very much! You and your sisters may be alright with exploiting your looks to get what you want, but I am a lady. And ladies of refinement do not resort to such...such base means of achieving their ends!"

Rarity, still bearing a look of righteous indignation, folded her arms and turned her head away from Adagio with a loud "huff". However, yet again, the Siren leader was far from insulted by those words. Instead, she looked Rarity over, thinking her next moves and words carefully, and, in that way only an expert of understanding people could do, a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. Naturally, as soon as Rarity saw this, she was somewhat nervous, though she tried her best to hide it. Adagio began to walk forward, swaying her hips from side-to-side as she did so, in that way she was rather famous for doing. When she finally came to within a foot of Rarity, she spoke in a calm and collected manner.

"So...you consider using your looks to be beneath you?"

Rarity frowned slightly before nodding in confirmation of that question, to which Adagio responded by smirking even more than before.

"So...I suppose that story I heard of you...shall we say...charming a trio of brutish thugs to do some heavy lifting for you was just...hearsay?"

A silence feel between the two girls, during which Rarity looked to Adagio with shock in her eyes, while the latter's expression was one of utter victory. After this incredibly uncomfortable silence had gone on for some time, Rarity unfolded her arms, scratching the back of her head while letting out a nervous cough.

"Yes...well...I suppose...a lady can sometimes resort to...to..."

But Adagio finished her sentence for her.

"To such base means of achieving their ends, Rarity?"

The young fashionista looked to Adagio, at the way she smirked with such confidence, before frowning considerably.

"You know, something, Adagio? You enjoy winning far too much!"

At that, Adagio chuckled again, before raising one finger and carefully tracing a line down the side of Rarity's face, before resting it under her chin. As the latter began to blush yet again from this motion, Adagio maintained her composure utterly, speaking in that confident and sultry manner she was so known for.

"True. But as far as I'm concerned...that's never been a bad thing."

Hearing that, Rarity turned from her and let out a groan.

"Ugh...all the baths in the world aren't going to make me feel clean after this!"

Smiling at that, Adagio responded in a joking manner.

"They might...if I joined you."

Rarity's head snapped in her direction, her face as red as tomato now.

"Stop doing that!"

But Adagio shook her head.

"Stop? When I can get a reaction like that? Never gonna happen, hun."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Sunset and Sonata

While Canterlot High could rightly be called a hectic and busy place on most days, there was one spot on the campus that was usually devoid of any kind of excitement; the library. Thanks to the efforts of aides like Miss Cheerilee, this place was the pinnacle of quiet study, and most students just stuck to themselves, silently reading their books in their own little corner, creating an atmosphere of peace all over the place. And it was in this place that Sunset now found herself, standing beside one of the library's many bookcases. There, she looked over book after book, narrowing her eyes until she found exactly what she was looking for, at which point her face lit up with a smile. As she carefully took the book from it's resting place, she flipped through a few of the pages, giving an approving nod after confirming that this was indeed what she needed.

And so, with her search finished for the time being, she made her way towards the front desk, ready to check the book out before leaving. However, before she reached that desk, she stopped, as she'd caught sight of someone familiar in the corner of her eye. Turning, she found that she had not been imagining things, as there, sitting alone on one of the library's many study desks, was Sonata. She was looking through a book of her own, with a strained look on her face, and was completely alone. Curious, Sunset decided to walk over, and as soon as she was close enough, she spoke up to the blue girl, making sure to keep her voice as hushed as possible in this library environment.

"They there, Sonata. You studying?"

The youngest Siren sister looked up from her book, breaking out into a small smile when she saw Sunset.

"Hey there, Sunset!"

Her voice had been loud and, as students now expected in this place, that now caused Miss Cheerilee to suddenly appear out of nowhere behind a nearby bookcase, giving a loud "shhh", complete with a disapproving glare in Sonata's direction. A look of embarrassment crossed the Siren's face as she shrugged her shoulders and chuckled nervously, prompting Cheerilee to slowly and creepily retreat back behind the bookcase again, while keeping her eyes on her the whole time. With that incident now behind them, Sonata turned to Sunset, now knowing to keep her voice down.

"Um...yeah, I'm studying. I've got this history report due next week and I need to really get to work on it."

Sunset's smiled faded a little, and she looked around their immediate location, and saw, as before, than none of Sonata's sisters were here with her.

"Adagio and Aria aren't here to help you?"

Sonata shook her head.

"Nope. Just me. Dagi and Ari said they'd already done theirs. And, well...they've tried helping me before on this kinda stuff, but...I kinda couldn't really pay attention to what they were saying. There was this really pretty butterfly near us and..."

Sunset, despite herself, stifled a giggle, before, to Sonata's confusion, taking a seat beside her.

"You know, I could help you, if you like."

Sonata turned to her with a now-massive smile on her face.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

Sunset nodded.

"Sure. We're friends now, right?"

Sonata looked like she was right on the verge of letting out a very loud "squee", but, remembering what happened the last time she was loud, she slapped her hands over her mouth, simply resorting to giving Sunset a nod, to which the latter merely smiled.

"Alright then. So, what are you studying for?"

Lowering her hands, Sonata pointed a finger at her book.

"History. I've got to write a paper on this old English king. You know, the really fat one?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

"Henry the Eighth?"

Sonata nodded.

"Yeah, that's the guy. The teacher said I've gotta talk mostly about his wives, and, you know...how they died and stuff."

Sunset gained a small smile at that.

"Well that's no problem. During my first year here, the teachers actually gave us a fun way of remembering that."

Sonata raised an eyebrow, showing clear confusion.

"Fun? In homework?"

Sunset giggled slightly.

"Well...maybe fun is the wrong word to use, but it did help us. They came up with this little rhyme to help us remember what happened to each wife."

Sonata scratched her chin a little before putting on a smile of her own.

"Huh, well...that sounds alright then. How'd it go?"

Sunset cleared her throat before responding to that.

"Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived. That was the order of the wives and what happened to each of them."

Sonata grimaced at that.

"Yeesh!"

Sunset nodded in agreement.

"I know. Old Henry wasn't exactly the nicest guy when it came to his women."

Sonata nodded herself before leaning in with a sly smile.

"Plus, he was, like, a major flirt with all the other girls. It took pretty much all the magic me, Dagi and Ari had to keep him from groping us every day."

Sunset looked to her with confusion in her expression, only to then have it morph into a look of shock and realisation.

"Wait...you mean...you girls actually met Henry the Eighth?"

Sonata nodded.

"Oh sure. We've been in this world for centuries, remember? Been all over the place, met a whole bunch of people."

But, her face then became one of disgust as her old memories resurfaced.

"I tell ya though, that Henry was the worst. We weren't in his court very long, but it was long enough. At first, Dagi just wanted to charm him like everyone else, you know, get in good with a king and all that? But, you know, Dagi has some pretty high standards, and there was no way she'd want to be anywhere near that guy after some of the stuff he pulled while we were there."

Sunset nodded.

"I can imagine. I heard he did some pretty nasty stuff to most people."

Sonata nodded back.

"Yeah. But, it all came back to bite him, right? A few days after we left, Dagi told me that all the castle's doctors said he died of "silliness" or something. Guess that'll teach him, right Sunset?"

Sunset looked to the blue girl before her, gazing at the completely innocent and oblivious look on her face, and tried, in vain to get herself to explain things.

"Silli...no, Sonata, it wasn't silliness, it was..."

But, one look at the sweet smile on Sonata's face, and the way she tilted her head, and Sunset now found she just couldn't go through with it, and instead let out a long sigh before putting on her own smile.

"...Sure, silliness, that was it."

However, mere moments later, Sunset gained a look upon her face that was very reminiscent of Rarity whenever the latter had an "idea" pop into her head. Turning back to Sonata, she placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"Hey! You know what this means, right? If you were actually there, that means you could write all sorts of stuff in your report! You now, first-hand accounts and all that kind of stuff!"

Sonata, hearing that, broke out into a massive smile, but, yet again, covered her mouth when she was on the verge of "squeeing". After nodding in silence for a few moments, she lowered her hands and spoke softly.

"That sounds great, Sunny! I can't wait to hear what my teacher thinks when I tell him about all the weird stuff that Henry guy did while we were there. Like when he tried touching Aria's butt in the castle gardens and she punched him in the face for it? Took him a whole day to regain consciousness! That was really funny!"

Hearing that, Sunset's mind conjured up an image of the teacher in question looking over that particular passage in Sonata's as-yet unfinished essay. Needless to say, the prediction she came up with did not bode well for the youngest Siren, or her grade-point average. So, her smile faded, and after a while, she let out another sigh before pointing a finger to Sonata's history book.

"On second thoughts...let's just stick to how he used to cut his wives' heads off. Much less controversial."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Fluttershy and Aria

On a Saturday, most places in Canterlot were fairly active, filled with people going about their day or just generally having fun. One of the more notable exceptions to this was the town's local animal shelter. While most people about town would agree that it was a worthy cause to look after homeless animals, very few of them actually went out and contributed to it by volunteering. However, out of all of them, there was one who was undoubtedly the shelter's biggest supporter, Fluttershy, who went down there at every opportunity to help out. At present, she was busy feeding a number of small cats in their pens, all of which went to her with their typically large eyes, meowing expectantly as she fed each one in turn. While doing this, the whole place was abuzz with the sounds of other animals, from other cats, to dogs, even smaller creatures, like hamsters and even a few birds here and there.

Because of this loudness, Fluttershy did not hear the distinct sound of the shelter's front door creaking open. The new arrival was one that most would never think to find themselves in such a place, Aria, who, after taking one look at the shelter's interior, and all the continually-loud animals, let out a disapproving snort before looking around. Soon enough, she caught sight of Fluttershy, who still hadn't noticed her. The purple-haired Siren walked up to the distracted girl, clearing her throat deliberately to get her attention, but sadly, Fluttershy was still too focused on her animals to notice. Frowning at this, Aria just tapped her on the shoulder, which resulted in Fluttershy jumping up in shock.

"Eep!" she exclaimed.

Turning around, she finally saw Aria, who, at this point, was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, hands firmly on her hips. Realising who it was, Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief and put on a small smile.

"Goodness, Aria! You startled me!"

Aria rolled her eyes at that.

"I noticed."

Ignoring the dismissive tone in which she'd said that, Fluttershy gained a somewhat confused look.

"If it's okay to ask, why are you here?"

Before Aria had a chance to answer that, Fluttershy's face lit up with wide eyes and a massive smile.

"Oh my gosh! Have you come to volunteer too?"

Aria looked quite taken aback at that.

"What?! No!"

As one might expect, Fluttershy seemed a little disappointed at that, looking down at the ground slightly.

"Oh...my apologies. But...why are you here then?"

Aria looked over her shoulder, to the door behind her, before answering that.

"The others decided they were going to grab a cake and stuff over at Sugar Cube Corner. But they couldn't reach your phone or something, so they wanted me to come over and ask if you wanted to come."

A slight blush appeared on Fluttershy's cheeks.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to turn it back on. I didn't want to risk disturbing the animals with my ringtone. Sorry about that."

But Aria just shrugged her shoulders.

"No problems here. So, you going?"

Fluttershy nodded, walking over to the nearby front desk of the shelter, where her backpack was resting.

"Oh, certainly! I just want to pack up and..."

The girl stopped, and instead looked over to Aria with a look that could only be described as horror. Though confused at this, the Siren soon gained a look of realisation, as she looked down to where Fluttershy was looking; her arm. There, upon her pink skin, was a single dark patch. A bruise. Becoming somewhat self-conscious all of a sudden, Aria grabbed hold of her arm with her other hand, looking away from Fluttershy with a look of embarrassment while trying to hide the dark spot.

"Oh. That. Look, it's nothing."

But Fluttershy was having none of it and immediately rushed over to her, grabbing hold of the offending arm and taking a look at the bruise more closely. It wasn't a serious one, but noticeable enough for Fluttershy, who now looked to Aria with a great deal of concern.

"Oh, Aria! What happened?"

The Siren girl, still somewhat embarrassed about this, wrestled her arm out of Fluttershy's grip before answering.

"I told you, it's nothing! I just ran into a guy on the way here. Threw a few insults my way, so I threw some right back. There was a scuffle and...well...here I am."

At that, Fluttershy looked even more worried than before.

"Goodness! Are you alright?"

Aria chuckled at that.

"Trust me. He walked off far worse than I did."

Fluttershy frowned slightly.

"Applejack told me you keep getting into fights. You should really be more careful."

Aria raised an eyebrow.

"Believe me, I've got nothing to worry about. That guy bit of more than he could chew. I didn't want a fight, but I sure as Tartarus ended it."

Fluttershy clearly disapproved of that attitude, but, or the time being, she said nothing. Instead, to Aria's confusion, she walked over to her backpack, wherein she began rummaging around for a few moments, after which she put on a small smile. She pulled out what was clearly some kind of ointment tube, to which Aria merely raised an eyebrow. She watched as Fluttershy brought it over to her, held her arm again, and then carefully applied some of the ointment to the bruised area. Though she knew Fluttershy meant well, Aria couldn't help but roll her eyes at this display.

"You don't need to do that, Flutters. I'm fine."

Putting the tube aside for a moment, Fluttershy continued to rub the ointment into Aria's bruise before looking up to her with a slight frown.

"You're my friend now, Aria. And I'm not going to let you walk out of here until I've helped you."

The Siren looked away from her, knowing in her heart that there wasn't going to be any negotiation on this point. Instead, she turned her attention to the animals around them, many of which were still occupied with their evening meals. After a minute or two, Fluttershy was finished, and gave an approving nod at her handiwork before finally letting go of Aria's arm.

"There we are! That should help. Just try and avoid getting into any more fights, okay?"

Aria scoffed at that.

"I told you already! If other people start it, I'm gonna finish it!"

Hearing that response, Fluttershy frowned and put her hands on her hips, showing a more authoritative posture than Aria would have thought her capable of.

"Aria, I know you have your own way of doing things, but it really isn't good for you to be getting into trouble all the time! Have you ever tried...um...being nice?"

But Aria just let out a hearty laugh.

"Nice? Seriously? Like just turning the other cheek and all that stuff? Appreciate the sentiment, kid, but I'm not gonna just ignore jerks who give me a hard time."

Fluttershy let out a sigh.

"I know there are mean people out there, but it might be worth being nice to them anyway, even if they do bad things to you."

Yet again, Aria rolled her eyes.

"Oh please! Name me one time when being nice to bad or jerky people has actually paid off."

Fluttershy considered her options and, for a moment, actually seemed hesitant to give an answer. But, in the end, she just blurted it out.

"Well...my friends and I were nice to you, weren't we?"

At that, Aria snapped her head in Fluttershy's direction, giving her full attention. At first she was quite taken aback with the sheer forwardness of those words, and as such, opened her mouth, ready to give some sort of counter argument, or maybe to just deny that point. But, as she stood there with her mouth open, she thought those words over in her head, until finally, and after a great deal of reluctance on her part, she let out a sigh, slumping her shoulders in defeat. In time, however, she put on a small smirk, chuckling to herself while looking at Fluttershy as if she was actually impressed with her.

"No bad, Flutters. Not bad at all."

The Siren raised one hand, tussling the pink hair atop Fluttershy's head in a good-natured manner, though the latter seemed less than appreciative of the gesture, doing her best to straighten her hair out again soon afterwards. Even so, she smiled back, thankful that she'd managed to get her point across, at least in some small way. In this silence, Aria gestured to the door, silently asking if she wanted to leave. Nodding in response, Fluttershy turned around and grabbed hold of her backpack before joining Aria in leaving the shelter. As the two girls began to walk away, Fluttershy looked to Aria in a hopeful manner.

"So...do you think you might want to come volunteering here in future?"

At that, Aria just turned to her with a frown.

"Don't push your luck, kid."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rainbow and Adagio

The sun was shining brightly down on the soccer pitch of Canterlot High, its bright green grass swaying gently in the cool breeze of the afternoon. Though most students were at lunch, there was nevertheless one person out here, and of course, it was the one that anybody would expect out here; Rainbow Dash. Without a doubt the most notable athlete at the school, with the possible exception of her friend Applejack, and like always, she was practising her sport. Using one knee, she kept a single soccer ball bouncing up and down several times, while also keeping an eye on the goal several yards away. A smirk formed upon the cyan girl's face as she regarded it, and counted the moments before she made her move.

Then, at long last, it came, and she stopped the bouncing to deliver and almighty kick to the ball. The orb flew right across the field and, in a feat only Rainbow could have pulled off, landed slap-bang in the middle of the goal, impacting with the back net so fiercely that it almost looked as if it was going to tear from it. But, it had still been a perfect aim, and as such, Rainbow, like always, smiled widely to herself, pleased at her solo performance here. However, her smile faded somewhat when she began to hear a slow clapping. Turning, she took on a look of surprise to find that it was none other than Adagio, sitting alone in the audience stand beside the field, watching and clapping at Rainbow with a smirk of her own. Frowning slightly, Rainbow marched on over to meet with her, and when she arrived, Adagio finally stopped clapping, giving Dash an opening to get the first word in.

"Didn't think you the type to come watching sports, Dazzle."

The tone ad been somewhat harsh, but Adagio merely brushed it off, along with some of her hair, before putting on a smile and talking back.

"On the contrary. I always try and look out for new things to be interested in. Sports may not have taken much of my fancy in the past, but I must confess, you did it well...considering that there’s nobody else here to challenge you of course."

Rainbow's frown deepened at the sarcasm in the Siren's voice.

"Practice is still practice. Besides, I find it fun."

Adagio rolled her eyes.

"Oh please! You're kicking around a ball! How fun could it be?"

At that, Rainbow regained her smirk from earlier, and so walked off, with Adagio watching, back over to the net, before picking up the already-kicked ball in question and bringing it back over to the Siren, wherein Rainbow started twirling it on a single finger.

"You know, if you keep looking out for fun stuff, like you said, it might be worth trying it out."

Adagio raised an eyebrow.

"Me? Kick that little thing? Are you sure you don't just want to laugh at someone who's obviously not as good at sports as you are?"

But Rainbow raised her hand, trying to look as dignified as possible.

"Nope! I mean what I said, Dazzle. Go ahead. Kick it."

Turning around, Rainbow carefully placed the ball back on the ground, before looking to Adagio and silently inviting her to come over. Though silence was prevalent between the two girls for some time, in the end, Adagio merely let out an annoyed grunt, before then getting up from her chair and making her way over to the ball. She stared at it, and then at Rainbow, before looking up at the net at the other end of the field. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she brought her leg back before giving as hard a kick as she could, sending the ball flying off. Though, at first, her expression seemed hopeful, as the ball went straight towards the net. However, that expression changed to annoyance as the ball stopped just short of the goal line. Turning, Adagio noticed Rainbow stifling a snicker, much to the latter's embarrassment.

"Um...sorry. But, you know, you did good...kinda...sorta...not really."

Adagio narrowed her eyes again, before then letting out a sigh and morphing her expression into a small-yet-wicked smile.

"Forgive me, Rainbow, but I feel this is more your area of expertise, rather than mine."

Rainbow frowned slightly.

"Oh come on, Dazzle! You and your sisters should try something like this! There's gotta be some kind of out-of-school thing you guys can try doing, right?"

Adagio pondered that for a moment before slumping her shoulders somewhat.

"Well...Sonata did express an interesting in joining the swimming team. She always did love swimming back in the day."

Rainbow's face lit up with a smile.

"There you go! That's something, right? Maybe I could help her out with it later on?"

Adagio turned to her, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Tell me something, Miss Dash...why do you do all these things. These sports and all that showing-off with your music and everything else?"

Rainbow, at first, was taken aback by that question, but then stopped for a moment to think about it. After placing her hands on her hips for a while, she looked back to Adagio and shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno. I guess I just think its fun. Competing against everyone else is...well...thrilling to me. And when I win, which I usually do..."

Rainbow afforded herself a prideful look, to which Adagio rolled her eyes somewhat, before the former carried on.

"...it's, like, the best feeling in the world. All those people in the crowds, cheering me and my friends on? It's awesome!"

Adagio considered that for a moment before, to Rainbow's confusion, putting on a small smirk. Though she didn't know why, the cyan girl suddenly felt a shiver going down her spine when she saw Adagio like that. As for the latter, she began to make her way over to Rainbow before speaking up.

"So...you say you love the feeling of winning? The praise? The cheers? The...adoration?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...why, what are you getting at?"

Adagio chuckled and shrugged her shoulders somewhat.

"Oh, nothing. Just that you and I might actually have more in common than I thought. We do seem to like something similar after all."

Realisation crossed Rainbow's face at that, and she shook her hands in a desperate attempt to refute Adagio's point.

"Whoa there! I'm talking about something way different!"

Looking back to Rainbow, Adagio raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? You think so? You've never felt a pleasant zing from the cheers of those who love what you do? Never smiled at the thought of those in the crowd watching you as they utterly adore what you've done? You've never wanted to be the centre of attention, to be admired by all around you? You've never wanted to be completely loved by all for having done something amazing?"

Rainbow thought long and hard about that, thinking over all the times when she and her friends have been up there, in front of many others, doing good things and being celebrated because of it. If she'd said right then and there that Adagio was wrong about her, that she didn't love those things, she knew in her heart that it would have been a complete lie. And as such, she let out a huff before looking to Adagio, who already knew from looking that she had been victorious in this little verbal sparring match of theirs. Frowning, Rainbow's own frustration at having lost it led her to turn and gaze upon the soccer ball on the ground, giving yet another almighty kick. But this time, the ball did tear through the net upon impact, after which, Rainbow, having got out her frustrations on it, turned to Adagio with a look of annoyance.

"Rarity was right...you do enjoy winning too much."

But to that, Adagio merely let out a giggle.

"Like I said, Miss Dash...we have so much in common."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Pinkie and Aria

As was so often the case during lunchtime, the Canterlot High cafeteria was abuzz with activity, with students from every class mingling in the ways they always did, from the musicians to the sports teams to everyone in-between, just generally hanging out with one another. There were smiles and happy times all over, and all-in-all it was a particularly pleasant place today. However, there was one person here for whom smiling did not seem to be the agenda for the day, and as usual, it was Aria. The middle child of the Siren sisters sat alone, as she often did, upon one of the cafeteria's many tables, eating her meal. As she ate bite after bite of her lunch, she didn’t notice, until the last minute, a bouncy pink-haired girl walking beside her. As Pinkie sat beside the lone girl, she put on a massive smile, before speaking in her usually cheerful manner.

"Hey there, Ari! Liking the food?"

Aria turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure. Its fine, I guess."

Pinkie picked up on the bad mood immediately, but rather than seem concerned, she simply giggled, giving a playful punch to Aria's arm, which, as one might expect, got on her nerves immediately. But, ignoring this, Pinkie just kept on speaking in that usual upbeat manner of hers.

"Cheer up, silly! The sun is shining, the day is good and everything is happy! There's no reason to be glum!"

Aria let out a dry chuckle at that.

"Oh really? I seem to remember you having the gloomiest sister in the world. Maud, wasn't it? I don't hear you giving her a hard time over it."

But Pinkie merely snorted at that and waved her hand a little.

"Maud and me have an understanding. She's smiles on the inside, and that's good enough for me!"

Seeing the ceaseless grin on Pinkie's face, Aria rolled her eyes and let out a grunt before getting back to her food.

"Whatever."

Pinkie looked to her current companion, wanting to say yet another cheerful thing to her, but, she hadn't the chance to do so, as mere moments later, one of the other students, a boy, began to walk towards their table. Just as he was about to sit down upon it, Aria glared angrily at the guy.

"Does it look like we want some company, pal?"

The anger in her voice was almost palpable, and it did its intended job, scaring the guy immediately, as he then darted off to find another table. Seeing this, Pinkie put on as disapproving an expression as she was capable of wearing, looking to Aria with a slight frown.

"You know, that wasn't very nice, Ari."

But the Siren merely looked to her with a frown of her own.

"I'll act nice when I feel nice. And right now, I don't!"

With that, Aria got back to her meal, leaving Pinkie to look at her in silence for a while. In time, however, the bubbly girl put on yet another smile, getting up from her chair and moving behind Aria. Before the latter got a chance to react, she found a pair of pink fingers reaching from behind to grab onto the corners of her mouth, which were then forcibly turned upwards into a smile. Naturally, Pinkie's happy-go-lucky voice came soon afterwards.

"Come on, Ari! Let's turn that frown upside down!"

Pinkie kept her fingers there for a while, completely oblivious to the anger she was causing in Aria. When she finally did let go, she looked at the other girl's face, half-expecting her to retain the smile she'd put there. Instead, Aria's mouth instantly morphed back onto a more sour look, perhaps even more so than in had been before.

"Are you sure you're not just a pink clone of my sister? Because you and Sonata are both just as unbearably cheerful."

Pinkie placed her hands firmly on her hips at that.

"Oh Ari! I'm sure we can get that frown off your face somehow!"

But Aria just turned away at that.

"My frown is perfectly fine exactly where it is, Pinks. Now can we please drop the subject?"

Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

"Geez! Why are you always so grouchy?"

At that, Aria turned to her and narrowed her eyes.

"Why? Why?! Why do you think?! My sisters and I got our asses handed to us by some old bearded weirdo back in the day, got banished to this wretched world, we had to scrape by on the barest of negative energy, and just when it finally started to look up for us, guess what happened?"

Pinkie looked genuinely ponderous at that before, to Aria's annoyance, shrugging her shoulders.

"I dunno. What did happen? Was it something nice, like getting a whole bunch of sunshine and rainbows and stuff?"

Utterly flabbergasted that such a question would even be asked, Aria's expression became one of rage.

"Oh, we got some rainbows alright! Right in the face! Thanks to you and your friends, we have no hope of getting back what we used to. So you'll forgive me if I feel well within my rights to be as miserable as I damned well please!"

With that, Aria slumped into her chair, folding her arms and looking away from Pinkie with an indignant huff. In the silence that followed between the two, Pinkie just stared at her for a while, being calm and still in a way that most wouldn't think her capable of being. After a good couple of minutes of this, Pinkie slowly took a seat beside Aria again, speaking far softer than before.

"You know...I didn't want to hurt you and your sisters, you do know that, right? None of us did. You were just being mean to everyone and, well...we kinda had to do it."

Aria turned to her, eyes still bearing a tint of anger.

"Sure, I get that. But that still doesn't mean you get to tell me to be happy when I don't want to be."

At that, Pinkie, to Aria's shock, actually nodded in response.

"Okay then."

Aria gained a look of confusion.

"Erm...okay what?"

Pinkie put on a small smile before explaining.

"I mean if you want to be all...you know...grouchy and stuff, then I'll just let you do that. What I want, Aria, is to make people happy, and forcing you to do that is pretty much going to make you as unhappy as possible. So if you say you don't want me to come along and cheer you up, or put a big smile on your face...then I'm okay with that."

Aria looked her over, half-expecting her to just be joking about what she'd just said.

"You...you mean that?"

Pinkie nodded.

"Sure. You feel however you wanna feel. And if you wanna feel different...maybe if you wanna feel like smiling and laughing...you come to old Pinkie...promise?"

Another silence fell between them, during which, Aria felt immensely uncomfortable while looking at the earnest look on Pinkie's face. There was also shame there, as the purple-haired girl looked away from her, letting out a sigh in a manner than could only be described as defeat.

"...Sure. And...thanks, I guess."

Pinkie put on another massive smile before reaching over and patting Aria on the shoulder.

"No problem. It's what friends are for, right?"

At that, Aria, in spite of the dour way she'd been acting before, actually let out a brief chuckle at that.

"Yeah...I guess they do."

Seeing the more cheerful look on Aria's face, Pinkie actually gained an uncharacteristically sly smile upon her own.

"Well well well...guess I can turn that frown upside-down!"

At that, Aria looked a little annoyed, only to once again find herself let out a small laugh.

"Yeah...I guess you can."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Applejack and Adagio

A warm wind was blowing through the vast orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, and, as was so often the case on the weekends, Applejack was hard at work, plucking the last of her apples for the day, placing them in the baskets below. Making her way down from her ladder, she placed her hands on her hips, surveying the bare trees all around her, and gained a look of pride upon her face. She had done good work today, and now, she was going to take a well-earned rest. So, picking up her basket, she began to cart it off towards the red barn beside her family home, and when she arrived, she placed it down inside the thing, right next to many other such baskets, which were also full of apples. Smiling at this, she closed up the barn and headed off for her home, entering it and setting off the bell that lay above it as she did so.

Upon entering, she took off her hat for a moment, placing it on a table beside the front door while wiping away the sweat from her brow that had gathered during her work. She didn't bother to say she'd come back, for she knew the bell would have been enough for that much, and so she simply began to make her way over to the nearby kitchen, wherein Granny Smith was busy cooking up a stew for dinner. The older woman gave a smile and a nod to her granddaughter, which was happily returned, before the latter then turned her attention to the kitchen table. There, sitting upon it, was not only her sister, Apple Bloom, but also a visitor to their home; Adagio Dazzle. At present, the eldest Siren was, along with Apple Bloom, looking down at a school textbook upon the table, speaking to the youngster as she did so.

"And then, when Archduke Ferdinand made that wrong turn in Sarajevo, what happened?"

Apple Bloom, now seeing Adagio close the book to keep her from seeing the answer, wracked her brain for it, and after a few moments of Adagio waiting patiently, she watched as the younger girl broke into a smile before turning to her.

"Ooh! He got assassinated, right!"

Adagio smiled and nodded.

"Correct! Thus starting the bloodiest war in human history. Such a sweet story, don't you think?"

Apple Bloom, as well as Applejack for that matter, both raised an eyebrow over the joking manner in which Adagio had said that, eventually leading to the former eventually getting her words out.

"Um...sure. So, how did ah do?"

Adagio, picking up the book, flipped through the pages a few times before turning to Apple Bloom with a smile on her face, tussling her hair in a good-natured manner.

"Well, by my count, you got pretty much every answer right, little one. I'd say you're pretty ready for that test on Thursday."

Apple Bloom smiled at that, looking over to Applejack, who looked back to her sister with pride.

"Hey, sis? Does this mean I can go now? Scoots an Sweetie said they were gonna do something up at the clubhouse fer today."

Applejack considered that for a moment before chuckling a little and nodding, giving her silent permission to go. Leaping out of her chair, Apple Bloom rushed over to her sister, embracing her in a tight hug, which was very much returned. When the two siblings parted, Applejack watched as her little sister rushed off upstairs, no doubt to get ready to join her friends. Granny Smith too was heading off, having set her stew to one side to rest for the time being. That left only the two girls in the kitchen together, and Applejack, after getting herself a glass of water, sat opposite the table from Adagio before speaking to her.

"It was real nice of ya to help Bloom with her studies an all, Adagio."

The Siren nodded at that, leaning back into her chair for a moment.

"Think nothing of it, Apples. Truth be told, it's actually rather nice to help out these days. If you can believe it, I got the idea from Sonata. After her little study session with Sunset, she came back, talking about how "the best" it is that we three know so much about history, having lived so long and all. So, when you said your sister needed help with just that, I figured, why not?"

Taking another sip of water, Applejack nodded.

"Ah gotta say though, it's mighty weird thinking of y'all three as being so much...well..."

It was clear she was trying to avoid offending Adagio, but in the end, she simply blurted it out.

"...older."

But, to Applejack's relief, the elder Siren was not angered in the slightest, and merely chuckled as she brushed aside some of her copious hair.

"I know. Looking like we do, you'd never guess."

At that, Applejack let out a brief laugh of her own.

"Ah bet y'all have had to fend off fellas with a stick fer a long time, right?"

Considering that, Adagio rolled her eyes slightly as her expression became one of annoyance.

"Oh, you have no idea, Apples. Over the centuries, my sisters and I have had thousands of guys coming to call. And a few girls, now that I think about it. It hasn't been as pleasant as you'd think."

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Ah'd have thought you of all people would love the attention."

Adagio nodded.

"The attention? Yes. But you'll soon find that most of the people who rushed over to "woo" us over the years have...how shall I put this...not been of the savoury sort. I'd say for every hundred guys who took an interest in us, only about one was someone we even wanted to look at, much less spend any actual time with."

Applejack considered that for a moment before speaking up again.

"But...y'all did love it when ya did find someone good, right?"

At that, Adagio put on her trademark sultry look, which, as per usual, sent a shiver down Applejack's spine when she saw it. Though she remained silent as the Siren spoke up again.

"Oh yes, very much so. You're probably too young to hear this Apples, but when my sisters and I were actually able to come across some good ones, and I mean some seriously good ones, they were nights we'd never forget."

Grabbing both of her arms, Adagio closed her eyes and bit her lip as a quiver went through her, no doubt remembering those nights quite vividly. As for Applejack, her sudden wave of discomfort made her very much regret having gone down this line of questioning in the first place, and so awkwardly looked away while sipping her water. In mere moments, however, both girls were shaken out of this by a loud cracking sound coming from outside. With curiosity upon their faces, they got up from their chairs and walked over to a nearby window, wherein they saw that it was none other than Big Macintosh, who was busy chopping wood outside. However, in the heat of the day, he'd elected to do so without his shirt, which, as one might expect, left Adagio with that same smirk upon her face.

"Well now...maybe this town isn't as devoid of decent males as I thought."

With her head snapping in Adagio's direction, Applejack looked from her, to her brother and then back again before frowning deeply.

"Whoa there, missy! Mah brother is off-limits, ya hear?"

But, hearing that, Adagio merely let out a giggle.

"Relax, Apples. I was only joking. I know better than to try anything with the relative of one of my inner circle. Too many complications. Besides..."

Looking to her, Adagio just kept on smirking.

"...I doubt you'll have such reservations about dating when you start it."

At that, Applejack gained a fierce blush.

"Wha...ah ain't like that!"

Adagio nodded before replying.

"True. Not yet. But you and your friends are of that age. It'll start, sooner or later. And trust me when I say that, when it becomes known that you six are...available...you'll have more guys knocking on your door than you'll know what to do with."

Retaining her blush, Applejack fumbled her words a little before walking away from Adagio and back to the table.

"Don't be ridiculous! We ain't that popular."

But Adagio shook her head.

"On the contrary. I've known boys a lot longer than you, remember. And like I told our friend, Rarity, the six of you have a lot going for you. Play your cards right, and any one of you could probably have guys melting just from being near you."

Picking up her water again, Applejack drank, not out of thirst, but rather to cool off from the heart that had been rising in her with every word Adagio had spoken. When she finished, she slammed her glass down on the table again, looking to the latter with a disapproving glare.

"We'll date our way, thank ya very much, and when we want, okay?"

Hearing that, Adagio considered her friend for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders.

"Suit yourself. Although..."

Yet again, a smirk emerged upon her face.

"If you disapprove of that sort of thing so much, you might want to keep an eye on your little sister in future."

At that, Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Wha...what about mah sister?"

Still smirking, Adagio took her place on the other side of the table.

"Trust me on this, friend, I've got experience in this. In a few years’ time, when your sister is your age, believe me...heads will turn."

But, rather than seeming worried, Applejack just let out a hearty laugh.

"Ya don't frighten me, Adagio. That won't happen fer a long time!"

Adagio opened her mouth, ready to answer, only to stop when she and Applejack noticed that Apple Bloom herself had now returned, having come down from her room and was wearing a back-pack, clearly ready to head off and meet her friends.

"Well, ah'm off, sis! Just got off the phone with Sweetie, said they're gonna go and see some new movie with some of the others."

Applejack nodded.

"Well, have fu...wait...others?"

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Eyup. Aside from us three girls, a couple of the boys form our class are comin too. I think she said it was Rumble, Pip and Button, maybe a few others. It'll be really fun!"

Applejack started to gain a look of concern, but was unable to say anything as Apple Bloom, to her surprise, gave her yet another tight hug as a means of saying goodbye, after which the younger girl simply darted out of the front door. Standing there in utter silence, Applejack turned to Adagio, the latter of which seemed to be having trouble stifling a laugh of some sort.

"Oh my! And at such a young age too! Quite a little heartbreaker, your sister."

At that, Applejack narrowed her eyes a little.

"Ah hate ya...so much right now."

But Adagio merely smiled in response.

"That's what makes it fun."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rarity and Sonata

The bell for lunch had rung some time ago, and as such, most of the students of Canterlot High were in the cafeteria, eating food while spending some time with each other. That left a lot of the rest of the school pretty empty, and it was in such an environment that Rarity now found herself. She was walking down one of the hallways, carrying a bag of fabrics with one hand, no doubt ready to use them for some new fashion project. As she walked, she was muttering to herself, looking as if she was thinking hard on something, most likely considering some particular dress design she could make. As smile appeared on her face soon afterwards, perhaps satisfied in her upcoming plans, and not too soon either, because she then happened upon the door that led to her usual workshop in the school.

Raising a hand, she turned the knob and entered. But, it wasn't long after that when she stopped, her smile fading and replaced instead with a look of surprise, for there, sitting next to her usual desk, was none other than Sonata. Raising an eyebrow, Rarity showed clear confusion at the presence of the youngest Siren sister here, and so she placed her bag of materials aside for the time being and began to walk up to the girl. For the moment, Sonata hadn't noticed her, and seemed quite occupied with something else. Craning her neck, Rarity found, to her shock, that Sonata was actually sewing there. But, she wasn't using the usual sewing machine, but rather her own fingers, carefully trying to get a thread through the eye of a needle in the other hand. Rarity kept silent as the blue girl attempted to do it, only to step back as, inevitably, Sonata's finger was pinched by the needle she held.

"Ouch!"

Putting on a small smile, Rarity decided that now was the time to reveal her presence.

"Having trouble?"

At that, Sonata immediately leapt out of her chair, frantically waving her arms in surprise at having been discovered, before composing herself as best she could, standing straight before Rarity and holding her hands behind her, while darting her eyes left and right. To Rarity, the image was not unlike a small child trying to look innocent after their parents had caught them with their hand in the cookie jar, and as such, found it rather amusing. As for Sonata, she soon began to look rather guilty at all of this.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Rarity, I just...I kinda wanted to...you know..."

Rarity, looking far more understanding than Sonata expected her to, gestured with one hand to the needle and thread behind her before speaking in a calm manner.

"You wanted to try your hand at clothes-making?"

Sonata looked around for a bit before finally giving a single nod. Rarity, still smiling, simply took a step forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"There's no need to worry, Nata. Though I am surprised you'd want to take this up as a hobby."

Seeing Rarity move past her and take her usual seat by the sewing machine, Sonata considered that for a few moments, gently poking the ends of her index fingers together before starting to explain herself.

"Well...it's just...Dagi was telling me about all these wonderful dresses you made, and so I thought I'd come over and have a look."

Rarity turned to look at her, eyebrow raised.

"Oh? May I ask what you think of them?"

Sonata broke out into a massive smile as she skipped over to a few of the dresses that had been placed on racks nearby.

"I think they're beautiful! Probably the prettiest clothes I've ever seen!"

At that, Rarity gained a look of pride as she brushed aside some of her purple hair.

"Well...one does not like to toot her own horn, but I do have a certain flair for these things."

Sonata looked to her and nodded enthusiastically at that.

"You do! And I got to thinking, well...maybe I could try doing something like that?"

Rarity considered that for a moment, before then putting on a smaller smile than before.

"I'm glad to see a love of fashion being taken up by more people."

Sonata nodded, but then, all of a sudden, started to frown as she pointed in an accusing manner at the needle that was still on the desk.

"But its super hard! I probably poked myself on that thing a dozen times before you got here!"

Doing her best to stifle a giggle at that, Rarity picked up the needle in her own hand before twirling it around on her fingers a bit, thinking things over before looking to Sonata with another smile.

"You know...how about I help you?"

At that, Sonata's face lit up.

""You...you mean that?"

Rarity nodded, placing a hand on her heart.

"I mean what I say, Miss Dusk. You and I shall, if you desire, work together here in my workshop. How does that sound?"

Sonata's smile was so wide now that it practically threatened to burst out of her face. On top of that, she was right on the verge of letting out a "squee" so loud it might have deafened Rarity. But, in the end, the blue Siren calmed herself, smiling and nodding in confirmation of Rarity's offer. Smiling back, Rarity turned, gesturing to another chair that was beside her own, and Sonata, getting the message, sat in it immediately, now watching with rapture as Rarity, with a delicate and expert hand, slotted the thread through the eye of the needle with ease, much to Sonata's amazement.

"Wow, Rarity! You're amazing at this sorta stuff!"

Yet again, Rarity looked quite pleased with herself.

"Why thank you, darling. I'm sure you can become just as good, given time."

Sonata considered that for a moment.

"Maybe. I was thinking of making something like what you usually make...but this clothes-making stuff is way harder than the last time."

Those words caused Rarity to pause for a moment, and instead, she turned to the other girl with curiosity upon her face.

"Last time? Pray tell, Sonata...have you tried making clothes before?"

Sonata nodded at that.

"Yep. When me and my sisters were making our way over to Canterlot for the first time, we decided to get some new clothes. Dagi and Ari got theirs, but I didn't really like the look of anything the stores had, so...I found a quiet place and...well...made this."

At that, Sonata then looked down to her own outfit, tugging at the hem of her jacket slightly. Rarity, now finding herself quite shocked, sat there with her mouth hanging open.

"Sonata, you...you made this?"

The blue girl looked up and nodded, blushing slightly at admitting to it. As for Rarity, she now paid closer attention to the outfit Sonata had so often taken to wearing at school. Now that it had been pointed out to her, it did look rather different form the clothes of either Aria or Adagio. While those two outfits did look good, and suited their wearers quite well, it was clear that they were probably designer creations, made to be sold in a store. Sonata's by contrast, had several noticeable differences, the most obvious of which was stitching. There were overt signs of the stitching that went into it, especially on the front of her pink skirt, a sure sign of having been home-made, rather than, say, factory produced. These were hand-crafted clothes, no question, but Sonata was now starting to look somewhat embarrassed.

"Are...are they okay?"

Rarity looked up at Sonata's face, and then back down to her clothes, and then back again before breaking out into a smile.

"Okay? Okay?! My dear Sonata, this is fabulous work! I never knew you had such talent!"

At that, a fierce blush emerged on Sonata's cheeks, and she looked away slightly.

"Well...it's not as good as your work, Rarity."

But Rarity simply waved a hand at that.

"Pish-posh, darling! Never under-sell what you've done here. There are a few signs of it being a first-time creation of course, and you may need some help in learning to hide the stitching a bit better, but this is nevertheless fine work you've done. You should be proud. You're clearly better at this than you thought!"

Turning back to her, Sonata broke out into a massive smile.

"You...you think so?"

Rarity folded her arms and nodded in a far more serious way than before.

"Indeed! And that, I think, absolutely settles the matter! Sonata, you are to join me as often as you can, here in my workshop, and together, we're going to help you nurture this budding talent of yours!"

At that, Sonata's smile reached critical levels yet again, only this time, she didn't bother to hold back the noises that came with it, as she let out that aforementioned ear-piercing "squee", causing Rarity to cover her ears briefly. After her enthusiasm had calmed down somewhat, the youngest Siren, instead coughed nervously, trying to look as dignified as Rarity.

"Rarity...I accept your offer."

Smiling at that, Rarity nodded back to her before turning back to her desk, after which she picked up the previously-offending needle and held it up in front of Sonata.

"In that case, my dear, lesson one. How to get a thread through a needle...without poking yourself with it."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Sunset and Aria

If there was one thing Sunset enjoyed more than anything else when she was alone, it was simply to spend time with a good book. That was, however, only one of many things that she had in common with a certain pony princess, the one who had helped her walk the path that made her into the girl she is today. In some ways, that love of books was like an unspoken link to the friend who wasn't here by her side most of the time, and as such, she couldn't help but smile as she carried those beloved books out of the school and towards her usual favourite reading spot. The place in question was the steps just at the front of Canterlot High, and while students were, by-and-large, still coming and going from the school, her spot was still pretty much empty. So, still smiling, she got herself comfortable and began reading.

As the minutes rolled on, she found herself feeling more and more relaxed at doing this, which was to be expected from doing a favourite hobby. However, it wasn't long before the relative peace of the moment was interrupted by the unmistakeable sound of somebody grunting in annoyance. Sunset knew that voice immediately, and so looked up from her book to check around the place and see who it was. Sure enough, she soon caught sight of her; Aria Blaze. The middle Siren sister was, at this moment, leaning against a nearby wall, holding a soda can in one hand as she did so. Sunset raised an eyebrow as she saw the girl, especially as she seemed to glare at every passer-by who looked her way. Sighing, Sunset put down her book and, with some trepidation, walked over to her. When she arrived, she spoke, albeit in a quiet manner.

"Hey there, Aria. Rough day?"

At that, Aria turned, having finally noticed Sunset's presence. After regarding her for a while, the girl simply took a gulp from her soda before replying.

"Hey there, Shimmer."

The words were brief and to the point, and it was clear that Aria wasn't in the mood to really talk to anyone. While Sunset was loathe to interrupt somebody when they clearly wanted to spend time alone, she nevertheless felt the need to help in whatever was eating at Aria. So, after clearing her throat a little, she took up position on the same wall, leaning against it just as Aria was doing, before then speaking up again.

"I'm guessing you've got something on your mind?"

Aria turned to her, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Despite what you girls probably think of me, I've always got something on my mind. And as you can probably guess, it's usually the same thing."

Sunset nodded at that, looking away with some discomfort upon her face. It was true, what Aria had said, that Sunset had a good inkling what was on her mind. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Pinkie had come to her, trying to get the Siren to cheer up a bit more. In that moment, the girl's troubles had been laid bare, and it wasn't long afterwards that Pinkie had revealed that to not only Sunset, but the rest of their friends. Aria's defeat, as well as the defeat of their sisters, had been a constant source of discomfort for her, not to mention all the other bad stuff that had happened to them over the years, and no amount of friendly gestures on their part ever seemed to pry those unhappy thoughts from her. So, Sunset simply let out a sigh.

"You know...I understand that you have every right to feel upset, Aria."

The other girl turned to her, letting out a snort before replying to that.

"I'll say. You were in the same spot, remember? Rainbow magic to the face, made to feel low."

Giving Sunset her full attention, Aria frowned somewhat.

"Tell me something...if, after you were beaten, someone were to come up to you and tell you that you should just "get over" whatever bad stuff you were feeling...would you appreciate it?"

After thinking that matter over for some time, Sunset let her shoulders slump in defeat, for she knew what the honest answer was to that question. Seeing that, Aria smirked a little before looking away from her again.

"Thought so. So don't go trying to be all psychological on me, Shimmer. I'm not in the mood!"

Sunset knew, in her heart, that Aria had every right to say what she'd said. Bering beaten was a bad feeling, regardless of what one may have been doing at the time it happened. She knew that all too well. And as such, she felt that, despite Aria's overt aggressive behaviour here, she might, perhaps, be the best person around to talk to her about it. But, she knew that simply, as Aria put it, telling her to "get over it", wasn't going to be an option, nor was it something she'd be particularly comfortable doing anyway. As such, the two girls simply stood there, in silence, for a few minutes, while Sunset thought the situation over carefully. In the end, her expression softened, and she started to speak in a hushed manner.

"You know...I was a lot like you...before my defeat."

Aria slowly turned to her, with eyebrow raised, as Sunset continued.

"I was known as the queen bi...well...I wasn't known as anybody pleasant. I kept people at each other's throats...I was rude to pretty much everyone...and I never let anyone close to me."

Aria frowned at that.

"Don't give me that, Shimmer. I know for a fact that you had a boyfriend during all that. That doesn't sound like something a lonely person would go through."

Sunset nodded before continuing.

"You're right, I did go out with a guy. But he and I...well...it didn't really work. I was only using him and he...he was just with me because he was a nice guy, not the kind to just outright refuse a girl. Bottom line, it was a doomed relationship from the start."

Sunset narrowed her eyes as the memories of her old life came flooding back.

"I was angry...I was bitter...and I lashed out at anyone I could because I knew I could get away with it. And do you know what it made me feel whenever I did all that?"

Aria shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno. Strong? Powerful?"

Sunset shook her head and looked Aria right in the eye.

"Miserable."

Aria's frown lessened somewhat as she watched the girl continue.

"I may have told myself that all those things made me feel like I was the boss...and I may have been the boss...but in the end...all I was...was unhappy. I had nobody, Aria. No friends. Nothing!"

At that, Sunset looked over to her, her gaze almost piercing.

"I look at you, and I see a lot of what I used to be. There's anger there, and not without cause. But...if you let that become your whole life, your whole outlook..."

Sunset's expression became one of sadness as she spoke her final words.

"...life will be very, very uncomfortable for you."

The two girls stood there together, in silence, for some time, as Aria let her words sink in. Sunset watched her, waiting for her to make some kind of response, and when she finally did, it began by her looking away and letting out a grunt of annoyance.

"Ugh! First Flutters, then Pinks, and now you. You girls are relentless!"

Another silence fell, but this time, it was far shorter, as Aria raised her hand and began rubbing her temples, before speaking in a strained manner.

"...Fine! Maybe I can learn to be a little more...friendly. But I just don't get how you and the other girls can be so hung up on this."

Sunset, knowing exactly how to answer that, put on a small smile.

"Because you're our friend, Aria. And that's all the reason we need. Like Pinkie said, you have every right to feel unhappy if you want to...but what kinds of friends would we be if we let you spend the rest of your life like that?"

Aria considered that for a moment, perhaps thinking over all the previous interactions she'd had with not only Sunset, but the other girls. As she did this, Sunset watched her thinking on the matter, hoping in silence that her words had somehow gotten through to her. In time, her answer came, as Aria looked to her with a far less abrasive look than before, and simply gave a nod. It wasn't outright capitulation to her way of thinking, but it was at least an acknowledgement. And that was something Sunset could live with. Smiling at her, Sunset watched as, all of a sudden, Aria looked away from her, and instead to a pair of girls who were walking by their general area. The Siren seemed to struggle with something for a few moments, before then, to Sunset's surprise, calling out to them.

"Hey there! Nice...nice day...right?"

The girls stopped for a moment and looked at her, at the way she was obviously forcing a smile and a cheerful attitude, and looked to each other with a slight degree of discomfort at it. However, rather than simply walking off an ignoring her, they put on somewhat small smiles of their own, waving back in response, out of courtesy if nothing else, before beginning to continue walking. After Aria had seen them off, she looked over to Sunset, perhaps wanting her opinion on what had just happened. Considering that, the ex-unicorn shrugged her shoulders and let out a giggle.

"Well...it's s start."

At that, Aria just let out another grumble.

"Ugh! Niceness is going to be the death of me, I just know it!"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Fluttershy and Adagio

While Canterlot, as a town, could rightly be called a fairly busy and hectic place at times, there were, however, places dotted about it that experienced relative peace and calm most of the time. One such place was located right on the outskirts of town, adjacent to a small woodland on the border between where the town ended and the countryside began. There, just short of the treeline, was a tiny cottage that most would normally expect to find on the cover of a fairy tale book. Thatched roof, a little stream, and some small trees out front with singing birds in their branches. This place was the very definition of tranquil and peaceful. And so it should have been, for this was none other than the home of Fluttershy, noted CHS student and volunteer of the town's only animal shelter. If ever there was a home that suited her, it was this.

And so it was that the girl in question now found herself back here, in the small kitchen of the cottage, preparing what was easily recognised as a pot of tea. She smiled as she did this, occasionally looking out of the window to see how her numerous animals were getting on, and only stopping once the kettle had finished boiling. After a few minutes, the tea was prepared, and the shy girl placed two full cups of it onto a small tray and began to carefully take them out into the adjacent living room. There, much like everywhere else in this house, there was a real feeling of comfort, as virtually every piece of furniture was soft and endowed with many pillows. And it was in one such chair that Fluttershy now saw her home's guest; Adagio. The eldest Siren, seeing her host arrive, put on a small smile before graciously taking a single cup from her.

"Thank you, my dear. It's rare to find one with manners as impeccable as yours these days."

But Fluttershy merely blushed at that as she took her own cup and sat upon a chair of her own, right across the table from where Adagio now sat.

"Oh, there's no need for that, Adagio. You're my guest, after all."

The Siren nodded, blowing on her tea a little before taking a sip.

"Maybe so, but still, it was nice of you to invite me over today, Flutters."

Fluttershy nodded at that.

"Well, the other girls all wanted to go and see that movie, and, well, I thought it was going to be a bit loud, so I decided not to go with them. And I guess I wanted some company today."

Adagio considered that for a moment, raising one eyebrow before gesturing to a nearby window.

"Far be it from me to criticise your day plans, friend. But I'd have thought you'd have plenty of little companions to spend the day with."

Looking to the window, Fluttershy put on a small smile before replying.

"Oh yes! I do so love my animals. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with them and caring for them. But sometimes...I suppose I just need somebody to talk to."

Adagio nodded, conceding that point, at which point she took another sip before speaking up again.

"Speaking of which, where's that favourite pet of yours? You know, the little rabbit?"

At that, Fluttershy looked a little down.

"Oh, you mean Angel? Yes, he needed to go to the vet today. I already miss him, but he needed to go after he swallowed that tangerine."

Adagio rolled her eyes a little.

"I wouldn't worry, my dear. That bunny of yours has survived far worse than fruit in the past. Seriously, that little thing is dynamite sometimes."

Fluttershy smiled at that, clearly appreciating Adagio's attempt to cheer her up.

"Thanks. Do...do you have any pets?"

Adagio shook her head at that.

"I'm afraid not, Flutters. Sonata kept begging me for a puppy at one point, but, as expected, she kept forgetting we had it after she actually got the thing, so we had to leave it with another family."

Fluttershy's smile faded a little, prompting Adagio to continue speaking.

"Oh, don't worry about the little thing, dear! He's fine! Sonata, when she does remember, checks up on the little guy every once in a while. He's doing well, or so I’m told."

Seeing her guest take another sip of tea after that, Fluttershy considered her words for a few moments, after which she smiled, now satisfied that the animal in question was properly cared for. As the two sat in silence for a few minutes, Adagio began to look around the room. It was, without question, a serene and calm place to be, as well as comfortable, as her own chair could testify. And yet, as she looked to a nearby window, to how far away the actual town of Canterlot was, one question seemed to burn on her mind.

"I must confess...with you having as many friends as you do, I was rather expecting you to be living far closer to town than this."

Hearing that, Fluttershy's expression become somewhat thoughtful, after which she gave a nod before answering.

"Well...I do like my friends and everybody in town, but...I suppose I'm more comfortable out here, where it’s quieter and…less busy."

Adagio considered that before placing her tea down on the table, after which she thought back to all the times she'd seen the girl. On the rare times she wasn't part of her main group, the Rainbooms, she was often by herself, or with her animals. Socializing or spending time with others seemed to be pretty far from her mind, prompting to raise an eyebrow before speaking up again.

"Darling, you really mustn’t be so worried about getting attention the way you do."

Fluttershy looked up from her own tea, though remained silent as Adagio continued.

"Being around others, especially when they like you, is a wonderful feeling. And given everything you've done for this town, and the school in particular, I don’t doubt that you'd have plenty of people wanting to spend time with you."

Fluttershy looked down a little, considering that for a moment before starting to reply.

"You...you enjoy all that attention, don't you?"

Adagio chuckled.

"But of course, Flutters. You know me. My sisters and I practically lived to be adored for a very long time, remember?"

Fluttershy nodded at that.

"I know. And I know that, when people like you, it's nice to have them pay attention to you. Like when my friends and me used to sing really well in front of them."

Adagio smiled before gesturing to the shy girl in what looked like triumph.

"There you go!"

But, Fluttershy, to Adagio's surprise, then put on a small frown.

"But...people's attention isn't always good."

At that, Adagio raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And when has it ever been Bad?"

With that, Fluttershy knew exactly how to respond.

"Well...there was when we sang in the contest and everything went wrong. Or how you made it so it looked like we won when we didn’t deserve it. Or..."

Fluttershy began to look more than a little uncomfortable, as if ashamed of what she had to say.

"...there was also...when you and your sisters...lost."

With that, Adagio's smile faded entirely. Instead, she began to sit in silence, and while at first she was tempted to ask Fluttershy not to bring up such unpleasant memories, in truth, it actually made her think. Her memories called forth that terrible moment, when all the attention and adoration they'd gathered for themselves turned sour, replaced instead by humiliation. The way the crowds had jeered at them, the way they were driven off in shame. They'd wanted attention in that moment, and they'd got it. Remaining silent, Adagio let out a sigh, picking up her tea and taking a sip, leaving Fluttershy worried that she may have accidentally insulted her guest. But, in time, Adagio began to wear a smile, albeit a much smaller one than she usually wore.

"You're right...attention was bad that day. The crowd may be with you one moment...but when it goes, it really goes."

Fluttershy, relieved at having avoided a bad moment with the other girl, began to smile along with her.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, but...I hope you can understand why I might not want to put myself out there as much as you do."

Adagio nodded.

"No need to apologise, my dear, you made a fine point. I suppose, as much as it may pain me to say it, that level of attention is something I could possibly try and do without every once in a while."

Fluttershy's smile widened, only to stop as Adagio gave her full attention to her.

"However...this is not simply a matter of getting people to notice you being an all-around bad thing, dearie. You've got to learn not to hide yourself away like you do. Those girls you spend so much time with? They'd want you to be part of things, putting yourself out there. You've been asked to do it before, and you'll no doubt be asked to do it again. The eyes of many others could be on you one day, and you will need to deal with it."

At first, Fluttershy gulped at that prospect, but, over time, her look of concern gave way to yet another sigh on her part, and her words were, admittedly, hesitant.

"I...okay. I guess we can both cope with a little change like that, right?"

Adagio smiled and nodded in conformation, but was prevented from assaying anything further when, all of a sudden, the phone began to ring. Although taken aback by this, Fluttershy soon began to move over to the thing. Adagio watched her go, sipping her tea as she did so, and began to watch her pick the phone up, after which she started to have a barely-audible conversation with whoever was on the other side. After a while, Fluttershy gave a smile and a nod before putting the phone down, after which she turned to Adagio with an even wider smile on her face.

"It's the vet. They say Angel's fine and they want me to pick him up!"

Adagio chuckled a little before getting out of her chair.

"Very well then. Let's do it."

At that, Fluttershy seemed somewhat surprised.

"Oh, you don't need to trouble yourself."

But Adagio shook her head.

"Ah ah ah! What kind of friend would I be if I just let you go alone?"

Fluttershy considered that, and the “I’ve already won” tone with which Adagio had said that, before simply nodding her head and exhaling deeply, showing defeat before the battle had even started.

"Alright then. But...there'll probably be lots of people down there, and I'd rather do this quietly and get back home. So…promise you won’t try and get too many people's attention while we're in town, okay?"

At that, Adagio merely smirked in that famous way of hers.

"My dear...when have I ever done that?"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rainbow and Sonata

The sun was shining high in the sky today, and the whole town of Canterlot had a real feeling of summery warmth, despite it supposedly being the start of autumn at this point. Though, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, many of the locals, in particular the students of Canterlot High, were getting out and about as much as they could, enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasted. One such student was none other than Rainbow Dash, who, at this very moment, was in a place just adjacent to the main building of CHS; the school pool. It was by no means as large as the public one in town, but it was still big enough for all of the swimming sports the school occasionally hosted. She stood beside the thing, clad only in the dark-blue one-piece swimsuit that CHS gave as standard to its female students, tapping her foot as if waiting for somebody.

Counting the moments, she began to look increasingly frustrated with the inactivity going on around her, only to look on with some relief as she saw that, running towards her, was another of her fellow students; Sonata. This youngest of the Siren sisters was running towards Rainbow, panting as she did so, wearing a full jogging-suit and sneakers. When she finally met her, she paused for a moment, giving an apologetic look, most likely for being late. Dash, though at first irritated, nevertheless let out a sigh before smiling in response, silently letting her know that everything was fine. Smiling at that, Sonata sat upon a nearby bench, kicking off her sneakers before stripping off her jogging suit, wherein it was revealed that she had the exact same kind of swimsuit on underneath that Rainbow had. Seeing this, the latter spoke at last.

"So, your sister tells me you wanted to join the swimming team?"

Carefully placing her outer clothes aside on the bench, Sonata stood up and began nodding enthusiastically.

"I do! I've always loved swimming, and, well...I figured I'd enjoy this kind of thing."

Rainbow nodded at that before turning her full attention to the pool beside them. Getting down on one knee, she placed a hand in the water, testing its temperature. After a few moments, she pulled it out and gave an approving nod of what she'd felt before standing up again and looking to Sonata.

"Well, today seems a good day to give you a try-out, Nata. Though I should warn you, as a member of this team myself, only those who can go real fast are let in. You sure you can keep up?"

Sonata smiled widely and nodded just as frantically as before, prompting a chuckle from Rainbow as she folded her arms.

"Alright then. Let's start. But, first things first..."

Raising a hand, Rainbow pointed to the top of Sonata's head.

"You should probably wear a swimming cap. All that hair could get in your way."

Sonata, though at first tilting her head at that, soon looked over to her ponytail, grabbing hold of it and stroking it slightly before looking to Rainbow with understanding, giving a single nod before making her way over to where she'd put her clothes. There, she rummaged around her pockets for a while before pulling out exactly that, a swimming cap. She held it up in triumph, eliciting another laugh from Rainbow, as the latter turned around and looked over the pool, thinking over how best to really do this test. However, mere moments later, she heard a deliberate clearing of one's throat, prompting her to turn back in Sonata's direction. The rainbow-haired girl then found her eyes widening with surprise as she saw that Sonata was now wearing her cap as instructed, with all of her hair having been packed into it like it wasn't even there.

"Wha...how did you get that on so easy?" she asked.

Sonata considered that for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders.

"Dunno. Me and my sisters used to stuff our hair into hoodies all the time back in the day. No problems there either."

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, only to silently say to herself that it would probably be for the best if she didn't ask too deeply on the matter. Instead, she shook her head and turned around to the pool once more, walking over and standing on the very edge of it. Looking over her shoulder, she silently gestured to Sonata, who then walked over and took up her own position beside her. After a few moments of them not saying anything, Rainbow looked to Sonata with a determined expression.

"Okay, Nata. Here's the test. You and I are going to swim from one side of this pool to the next, and we'll see how fast you can do when swimming next to me."

At that, a somewhat cocky look grew on Rainbow's face.

"Although, don't feel too bad if you don't manage to swim as fast. I have been on this team longer than you after all."

But Sonata, rather than feel irritated at those words, as most would, instead looked somewhat nervous.

"Well...I really want to be on the swim team, Dashie. I hope I do well."

Looking to her, Rainbow gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. You'll do fine, okay?"

Sonata, appreciating the gesture, put on a small smile in response. After that, Rainbow looked over to the other side, her goal in clear view, and gave a silent nod to her swimming partner, who nodded back. The two girls both took up proper diving poses before, after a few moments of waiting, they leapt off the edge together, heading headlong into the water below. Rainbow had seen Sonata until that point, and had made note of how professional-looking her dive had been, just like her own in fact. But, as soon as she was in the water, her attention was instead fully committed to the end of the pool. And so, determination plastered all over her face, she swam as hard as she could, arcing her arms and paddling her legs as much as her muscles would allow her, and all the while, the constant up-and-down of the water in her eyes kept things frantic.

She didn't really know how long she was doing this for, only that time was going by quickly. Her breathing had been steady and practised the entire journey, and like a short-but-vigorous sprint around a racetrack, she found herself feeling the burn of her efforts. However, thanks in no small part to the relative shortness of the pool itself, she soon came upon her goal, as her hand made contact with the other side at long last. With a look of anticipated victory upon her face, Rainbow turned around, expecting to see Sonata still paddling further back in the pool, or perhaps just a few seconds behind her. Instead, to her confusion, she saw that there was nobody behind her, just an empty pool. Gaining a look of confusion at this, Rainbow didn't know what to think, until her attention was diverted to a voice calling to her.

"Hey, Dashie!"

Turning, Rainbow looked on with amazement as she saw that there, kneeling down on the concrete bank of her side of the pool, with a big smile on her face, was Sonata. The youngest Siren sister looked down at her swimming partner, looking happy with herself, and utterly oblivious to the dumbfounded look Rainbow had on her. As the latter opened her mouth, no words came out, and instead, she looked form Sonata to the start point of the pool, and then back again, before finally managing to say something.

"How...why...what...what did you do?!"

Sonata put a finger to her chin and considered that for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

"Well, I did what you said. I dived into the water, swam to the other side, then got out and waited for you to catch up."

As before, Rainbow looked utterly shocked at that.

"But...but...how long were you waiting for me?"

Sonata thought on that before answering.

"Er...I think about twenty seconds or something."

Twenty seconds, Rainbow thought to herself. That was about how long it took her to cross a full half of the pool. To say that she was not expecting this outcome would have been a great understatement, as she looked up to Sonata in much the same way that the hare would have looked to the tortoise in that old kid's story. As for Sonata, she just kept on smiling blissfully, waiting for Rainbow to speak to her.

"Well...how did I do?"

Finally shaking herself out of her trance-like state of shock, Rainbow looked back to the other side of the pool, thinking things over for a moment before looking back to Sonata, letting out a sigh before putting on a smile.

"Yep...you're on the team."

At that, Sonata put on a smile so wide that it threatened to burst from her face, letting out a rather high-pitched squeal of joy.

"Eeee! I can't wait to tell Dagi and Ari! They'll never believe this!"

Hearing that, Rainbow gave out a dry chuckle before speaking to herself in a hushed manner.

"Trust me, Nata, I know the feeling."

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Pinkie and Adagio

The sun had long since set upon the town of Canterlot, and all over the place, people were heading off home, from the students of Canterlot High, to the owners of the local establishments, and everyone in-between. The whole town had a real feeling of winding down for the night, as light after light began to flicker on in the homes of the various residents. The whole place was becoming a centre of calm and peace as the sounds of the night crept in. Crickets chirping in the grass, maybe the occasional owl hooting off in some far-off tree, and of course, the sheer silence of nobody out on the streets. To top off this classic night-time image, the skies were clear of all clouds, giving a brilliant view of the moon and stars above. It was a lovely night, that much was certain, and one that invited rest and relaxation.

Well, rest and relaxation for most people. But then, Pinkie Pie was not most people. The noted drummer of the Rainbooms was, in fact, quite busy, darting from place to place in her home, making sure everything was absolutely perfect for what she had planned. Clad in her usual blue nightie, she looked over her room. A few sodas, some chips in a bowl, and even a film or two ready to watch at a moment's notice. One looked at this place and it screamed of one thing; a slumber party. However, this was not the packed-full slumber party that she had experienced with the rest of her friends, as there was, in truth, only one other person in there with her. Adagio Dazzle, the eldest Siren sister, who was dressed similarly to Pinkie, albeit with a purple nightie instead of a blue one. She sat there, cross-legged on the edge of Pinkie's bed as she looked to her host.

"I appreciate the invite, Pinkie, but aren't these things usually supposed to have more people?"

But Pinkie simply smiled widely at that.

"There's no rule about that, silly! All you need for a good slumber party is to share it with friends! You're a friend, so I've got that covered!"

Adagio rolled her eyes, but couldn't really argue with that logic. As she looked over to Pinkie, who then grabbed the bowl of chips and started to munch on them enthusiastically, she stretched out her arms, enjoying the feel of the nightie on her body, before then smiling with contentment as she looked out of the nearby window.

"It is a pleasant night for it, I'll grant you that much."

Pinkie turned to her, a mouth full of chips, then swallowed them all in a comedic manner before smiling widely to her again.

"What's even better is that you showed up, Dagi! You'd have never agreed to something like this when we first started being friends!"

Adagio nodded at that, thinking her words over.

"True. But I suppose...I have grown rather...fond of you girls of late."

At that, Pinkie to Adagio's surprise, leapt over to her and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Dagi! That's so nice of you to say!"

Although taken aback by this embrace, and even a little bit winded from it, Adagio soon composed herself, chuckling slightly as Pinkie finally let go of her.

"Thank you for the sentiment, Pinkie. I don't normally say this kind of thing...but it is nice to spend time with you...even if we don't have all that much in common."

But Pinkie simply rolled her eyes at that.

"Pfft! We have lots of things in common, Dagi! We've both got lots of friends! We both love music! We both love candy!"

That last point was punctuated with Pinkie pulling out a previously-unseen bowl of candies, which, naturally, soon found themselves being swallowed wholesale by the girl, much to Adagio's amazement. As she witnessed this gastronomic display, she let out a brief giggle, after which she regarded her host with a somewhat raised eyebrow.

"True, we have some things we can share. But then...I do have certain...other interests. Interests I doubt you'd be all that excited about."

Having finally finished her candy, Pinkie set her bowl aside and looked to Adagio once more.

"Ooh! You mean how you like to act all sexy and in-control around people? Or how you love it when guys and girls give you lots and lots of attention and googly-eyes?"

Her smirk fading a little, Adagio let out a sigh before giving an answer to that.

"Well...I wouldn't have put it quite as bluntly as that...but yes, I do rather like that sort of thing."

At that, Adagio looked away from her, with her smirk now returning in full force.

"And like I said, I doubt you could relate, Miss Pie."

But Pinkie tilted her head slightly in response.

"Er...I actually kinda do, Dagi."

Adagio turned in her direction, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Pardon?"

In a rather uncharacteristic move, Pinkie gained a sly smile, not dissimilar to what Adagio herself might have.

"Well, I can get all sexy and flirty too you know. Why, I'm a regular kinky-Pinkie when you get right down to it."

Though Pinkie was, of course, trying to be as serious as possible in this situation, on Adagio's side, things were somewhat less professional, as she was very much in the throes of a massive bout of laughter, which she was using all of her willpower to hold back. It took a few moments, a whole minute in fact, but thankfully, she got it back entirely, with Pinkie being oblivious to the whole matter of course. And after calming herself down at last, Adagio cleared her throat a little before speaking up again.

"Um...Pinkie, dear? No offense, but your style of flirt probably isn't the same as mine. Yours is probably more along the lines of my sister, Sonata. Just look adorable and you get attention. As for me, I tend to lean more towards a…more intimate style.”

But Pinkie seemed undeterred, looking to Adagio with a smile that could only be described as sultry.

“Oh yeah? I bet you I could be just as flirty as you, Miss come-hither-eyes!”

Adagio rolled her eyes at that, but nevertheless let out a sigh.

“Very well, Pinkie. If you’re so adamant about making this point, then by all means, flirt away.”

The elder Siren looked to her host, who just seemed to be brushing herself off a little bit, and expected at any moment that she would be subject to some kind of half-hearted attempt at sexiness, maybe some kind of funny Pinkie-style flirts. What she didn't expect was what actually happened, which was for Pinkie to start looking at her with her eyes half-lidded, scooting over before raising a hand a gently placing it upon her shoulder.

“You know, Dagi…I do so love the way your eyes look this evening. It’s so…enchanting.”

Although taken aback by this display, Adagio soon composed herself, putting on a similar smirk before looking right back at Pinkie.

“Oh? How nice of you to say.”

But Pinkie wasn’t done, as she took her hand from Adagio’s shoulder and instead placed a single finger upon her lips.

“Shhh. There’s no need for words, friend. It’s just you and me here. No eyes to watch us but ours. And we have all night to spend together.”

Needless to say, Adagio was rather unsure of how to react to all of this. The look Pinkie was giving her right now was a very familiar one, as she’d seen it in her own reflection many times before. But still, the pink-haired girl continued, leaning closer so their faces were barely a few inches from one another now.

“I must say, Adagio, that I truly appreciate being able to spend this time with you. We very rarely get to be so…close.”

At that, Pinkie’s hand started to drift downwards, and before long, Adagio found, to her shock, that the former now rested it upon her own knee, using one finger to gently caress it. Though it would normally be her causing such a retraction, Adagio now found a heat rising through her body, her cheeks becoming more and more red with every passing moment. In addition, she found herself very much at a loss for words during all of this.

“Well…I…Pinkie…I didn’t really expect that…”

But yet again, she was stopped, as Pinkie drew her face ever closer to hers, their lips only a few millimetres from each other now.

“Say…since we’re all alone here…why don’t we put all that whipped cream of mine to some more…special use?”

At that, Adagio’s eyes snapped open with shock, now having absolutely no way to respond to all of this. Instead, she soon began to close her eyes, as the intimacy of the moment began to wash over her. Her and Pinkie’s lips drew closer and closer, looking as if a kiss was imminent. But, before the final contact was made, Adagio was taken aback when Pinkie pulled away, now looking and talking as chipper and upbeat as usual.

“See? I told you I could do it!”

Adagio, now somewhat flummoxed, found herself yet again at a loss for words.

“I…wait…what?!”

But Pinkie simply giggled before scooting back over to her original spot on the side of the bed.

“I mean, can you imagine me using whipped cream like that? Sheesh, how silly would that be?”

But Adagio was just frozen in one spot, looking to Pinkie with her mouth gaping open. In the silence, Pinkie simply gave herself a stretch before giving a single wave to her guest.

“Well, I’m pooped! Time to catch some sleep. Goodnight, Dagi!”

Before the Siren had a chance to react or say anything to that, she watched as Pinkie leapt up and landed right into her bed, falling asleep the instant her head hit the pillow. As the sound of her comically-loud snoring filled the room, Adagio sat in silence, letting the past few minutes sink in, before finally putting on a look of annoyance and letting out a sigh.

“Yep…not getting any sleep tonight.”

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Applejack and Sonata

In the bright sunlight of the afternoon, Sweet Apple Acres was truly a beautiful sight, with its row upon row of fresh apple trees stretching as far as the eye could see. It was a veritable paradise of green when contrasted with the adjacent town of Canterlot, and for it's residents the Apple family, it was, is, and always would be one thing; home. And speaking of the Apple family, one of its more notable members was right there in the orchards right now. Applejack, who, rather unusually, was not hard at work amongst the trees, but rather resting down by the nearby watering hole. Granted, her being Applejack, her work had been finished some time ago, with many full baskets dotting the orchards around her. So, she had afforded herself a well-earned break. At this moment, she was sitting beside that pond, soaking her feet in its waters, with a look of contentment upon her face.

It wasn't so long ago that this pond was the scene of a rather aggressive interaction between her and one of her new friends, but now, she simply chuckled as her mind looked back on that day. In fact, it was that memory that caused her to look as if she'd just remembered something important, as she turned to look in the direction of her home. Letting out a sigh, she pulled her legs out of the water, gave them a quick dry with a nearby towel, before pulling on her boots and making her way back towards the house. It didn't take her that long to get there, but, before she reached for the door, she stopped, having smelt something from a nearby open window. Knowing what it was, a smile crept onto her face, as she finally turned the knob, entering her home. After placing her Stetson to one side, she walked through the halls, eventually coming upon the family kitchen, and it was here that she finally spoke up.

"How are ya doin in here, Nata?"

Sure enough, there she was, Sonata Dusk, who was presently wearing an apron decorated in apples, all while waiting in front of the oven. As soon as she’d heard Applejack's voice, she turned to her, smiling widely.

"It's going great, AJ! It should be ready any minute now!"

Applejack smiled back at that, walking over to the table in the middle of the room, taking a seat and keeping her eyes on her guest. Within only a minute of doing this, Sonata squealed with glee as she began to open the oven. Craning her neck, Applejack saw that the youngest Siren, while wearing proper oven gloves, carefully pulled out what anybody would recognise upon seeing it; an apple pie. The look of it made her stomach grumble, but she remained silent as the blue-haired girl brought it over, placing it upon the table. After this, she put her gloves to one side before taking a seat herself.

"Okay...I think Granny Smith said we're supposed to wait a few minutes before eating it. Let it cool down and stuff."

Applejack nodded, giving a small smile to her guest as she did so.

"It’s mighty fine that ya want ta try this sort of thing out, Nata."

Sonata nodded back before looking up to her host.

"Thanks. I've been trying a whole bunch of new stuff lately, and after I heard Pinkie say how much baking she does...well...I figured I'd give it a go."

A look of understanding crept upon Applejack's face with that.

"Well...ah reckon its just dandy that yer doin so well. A gal should try new stuff. Happy ta hear its going well fer ya. After all, yer putting in a lotta hard work, and ah sure can respect that."

However, for a brief moment, Applejack turned from her, letting out a slight grunt of annoyance.

“More than a certain sister of yers anyway.”

Sonata smiled, having apparently not heard her, and was looking very much appreciative of that.

"Thanks!"

Turning, the Siren looked up at the nearby clock, and counted the seconds as they rolled by. Applejack too waited patiently, and it wasn't long before Sonata looked as if she was satisfied with the time that had passed. Getting up, she grabbed hold of a nearby knife and, after setting up a small plate, cut the pie and took out a good-sized piece of it. With steam from the pie still rising after the cutting, Sonata placed the thing upon the plate before serving it to Applejack, after which she took a spoon from one of the cutlery draws and handed it to her. Applejack, looking quite appreciative of the gesture, took the spoon from Sonata and, in a very Applejack-like way, simply delved in, taking a big chunk of the pie and lifting it to her face.

"Well...here's ta apple pie!"

Opening her mouth, she took in the pie chunk and began to chew, all while Sonata looked on eagerly. A few moments passed and Applejack really tried to taste the thing, looking around as the flavours worked themselves in her mouth. However, as time passed, the smile she had on before was now starting to fade, as, quite frankly, the pie in her mouth was, perhaps, one of the most bitter things she'd ever tasted, devoid of any of the sweetness she usually associated with the dish. After finally swallowing it, she slowly glanced over to Sonata who, like her, no longer had a smile upon her face.

"You...you don't like it, do you?"

Letting out a sigh, Applejack realised that she couldn't lie to the girl, and so shook her head in confirmation. Naturally, Sonata looked utterly crestfallen at this, taking a seat and looking at her pie with disappointment. Letting out a sigh, Applejack set her spoon to one side before leaning over, placing a hand on Sonata's and gaining her attention.

"Look, sugarcube...ya shouldn’t let this get ya down. Sure, it may not be great now, but these things take time. Ah know ya've done a lot of good stuff lately... but ya can't expect to be great at everything right away."

Sonata looked at her, taking those words in for a few moments, before looking down slightly.

"I...I know. It's just...I was really hoping I could do this well."

At that, Applejack put on a smile.

"Hey there. Ah know ya can do this, Nata. Ya just need practise, that's all. In fact, why don't ah help ya?"

Looking up, Sonata's face broke out into a massive smile.

"You'd do that for me?"

Chuckling at her response, Applejack gave a single nod.

"Sure ah would, friend! What kind of Apple would ah be if ah didn't help someone make the best apple pie they could make?"

Sonata's smile widened at that, and she nodded, agreeing to Applejack's offer. Smiling back at that, the farm girl got up from the table, with Sonata close behind her. The two girls walked over to the side of the kitchen, where a number of cooking materials still lay unused from Sonata’s cooking. After looking them over for a bit, Applejack placed a hand on her hip before turning to her guest.

"Alright then. First things first. How much sugar did ya put in this the first time?"

At that, Sonata looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait...I was supposed to put sugar in this?"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rarity and Aria

Creativity was a wonderful thing most of the time. It's one of those things that, when used right, can lead people to make fantastic creations, or be inspired to make things better than they were before. For Rarity, creativity had never been much of an issue. Whenever she saw an outfit, she almost always imagined a way in which it could be improved, or made to be more beautiful. While others looked at some mundane everyday item, she saw something that could be used as the basis for something magnificent. That was the real sense one got of this girl when they walked into her private workshop on the Canterlot High grounds. Here, there was row upon row of experimental outfits or designs that had yet to be made, and even now, she was still working, pouring over some new idea in an effort to make it a reality. It was a mood where nothing could bring her down.

"Ugh! This is ridiculous!"

Well, almost nothing. The rather dismissive voice had not come from Rarity, but from a nearby changing room, which was currently locked tight. Given the gruffness and huskiness to it, there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that this was the voice of Aria Blaze, the middle Siren sister. Looking up from her desk, Rarity turned to the changing room and simply put on a smile.

"Oh come now, Aria dear. I'm, sure you'll look lovely!"

A silence followed before the girl on the other side finally spoke up again.

"This...this is...argh! Why did I even agree to this?!"

Putting a hand on her hip, a slight smirk appeared on Rarity's face.

"Well, I do believe your sister, Adagio, convinced you to come, since she was going to be busy with Sunset this week."

"Well...this is still a stupid idea! I'm not coming out looking like this!"

Rarity rolled her eyes at that.

"Aria, I spent a lot of time on that dress and I would like to see someone wear it. Now please, I promise I won't laugh or anything of the like, alright?"

A silence fell yet again, and Rarity kept her eyes on the unmoving door, becoming somewhat irritated as the moments passed. However, eventually, the door finally began to slowly creep open, and when it did, Rarity saw the girl on the other side. Stepping out, Aria was indeed wearing an outfit of Rarity's creation. However, unlike many of the costumes and other items she made, this one was somewhat more theatrical. It was the spitting image of the kind of dress that would appear on the cover of fairy tale books featuring princesses. A light blue in colour, it had a distinct puffiness to it, complete with a very wide hip area of the skirt section. As Aria stood there, her expression was one of barely-contained rage, whereas Rarity simply looked at it with stars in her eyes.

"Oh, my dear, you look positively adorable!"

But, after looking down at the dress, Aria looked up at its creator and narrowed her eyes.

"In ancient days I wielded dark magic the likes of which you could not comprehend. I would have laid siege to the castles of those who ever gave me strife. And a gesture, an insult like this, would have compelled me to wipe out villages and burn crops simply to get back some measure of satisfaction for the humiliation dealt to me by the pitiful mortals who had dared to mock me."

Rarity looked at her with a blank expression, looking from her to the dress and then back again, before finally speaking in an uncertain tone.

"So...you don't like it?"

Letting out a long sigh, Aria rolled her eyes somewhat.

"No...I don't like it."

Rarity slumped her shoulders a little bit, letting out a slight huff before moving over to her desk.

"Oh well, back to the drawing board I suppose."

Frowning slightly, Aria looked at the outfit with a great deal of distaste on her face.

"How...how did you even think to make something like...like...this?"

Rarity turned to her and, for a brief moment, a look of nostalgia crossed her.

"Well...a few days ago, Adagio was telling me about the slumber party she and Pinkie had..."

Briefly, she started to look confused.

"Though, for some reason, she wouldn't go into too many details about it, which was odd for her."

Shaking her head, she looked back to Aria.

"Anyway. It got me thinking of the slumber parties I used to have when I was younger, and I remembered one in particular that Applejack was a part of. We got into a little fight of sorts and we ended up daring each other a lot of silly things. Mine was to have her wear something very similar to that dress."

Again, confusion became her expression.

"Not entirely sure where she found it, however. She just popped out one minute and the next, there it was."

Aria looked to her with some incredulity.

"Seriously? Applejack wore something like this?"

Rarity nodded.

"Indeed. Though, if memory serves, she was no happier to wear it than you are."

Aria nodded in response, silently agreeing to the absent farm girl's sentiment in this matter. In the end, she looked back down at the dress she was wearing.

"So you thought you'd just make a new version of something that you already knew your friend didn't like?"

Rarity considered that for a moment.

"Well...I always say that there are no bad dresses, only the wrong people to give them to."

Aria turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"...You've never said that in your life, have you?"

At that, Rarity turned away with some measure of guilt in her expression.

"Well...no, actually. But still, it's a good thing to say regardless."

Shaking her head, Aria turned around and made her way back into the dressing room, closing the door behind her. Now alone, Rarity looked back to some of the designs on her desk, adding new features and crossing out old ones, all with a look of absolute focus on her face. After a few minutes had passed, she turned as Aria re-emerged, and was once more wearing her usual attire, complete with a slightly torn green vest. Giving herself a stretch, the middle Siren sister began to look very happy with herself.

"Ah! Now this is more like it! More...me."

Rarity stopped for a moment and considered the outfit.

"Yes...your sister told me that you three got them from some store on the edge of town?"

Aria nodded.

"Yep. Most of the stuff they had in there was junk. But we were able to fine at least some decent outfits. Well...aside from Sonata."

Rarity looked away from her with a smile on her face.

"Ah yes. Sonata made hers, didn't she? Fine work too. You should be happy she could do something like that."

Aria paused for a moment, putting her hands into her pockets and avoiding Rarity's gaze.

"Yeah...I guess. She was always happier doing that kinda stuff than me or Adagio were."

Looking back to her, Rarity gained a look that suggested that she had just thought of something.

"Oh, I almost forgot! How much did they charge you for those clothes?"

Aria looked to her and shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno...we didn't pay."

To that, Rarity leapt out of her chair and looked at Aria with shock.

"You...you stole them?!"

But the Siren merely put her hands on her hips and scoffed.

"No! We just...you know...used our magic to...convince them to let us have it."

Immediately, a deep frown appeared on Rarity's face, as she marched forward, grabbed a hold of Aria's arm and began dragging her to the door, much to the girl's confusion.

"What...what are you doing?!"

Rarity stopped and turned to her, still frowning.

"I can abide attempted take-over plans and using mind-controlling dark magic...but to simply take someone else's clothing creations without even a thank you is something I cannot abide! So what we are going to do, Miss Blaze, is go back to that store so you can apologize for what you and your sisters did!"

At that, Aria's eyes snapped open.

"What?! But...it was ages ago now! They probably don't even remember us!"

Rarity nodded.

"Maybe not, but it's still the right thing to do! You and your sisters may be reformed...somewhat...but you still need to make amends to the people you've wronged or inconvenienced over the years."

To that, Aria frowned.

"In case you haven't noticed...that's a lot of people, Rares."

Slowly, the fashionista put on a small smile.

"Perhaps...but think of it this way. That just means a longer list of good things you three can do!"

Aria, naturally, let her shoulders slump as she let out a sigh of defeat.

"Ugh! Fine! I'll go! But I swear, you girls are going to be the death of me one day!"

Turning, Rarity put on a happier expression as she opened the door of her workshop, taking both herself and Aria outside.

"There, you see! That's the spirit!"

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Sunset and Adagio

On most days, Sugar Cube Corner was one of the most pleasant places to be in the town of Canterlot. The kind of place where you'd hang out with your friends or just generally have fun. A large part of why that is was, of course, its owners, the Cakes. Both of them always had a smile on their faces as they tended to their customers, making sure they always had everything they needed, all while loving their work. It was the kind of place that gave Sugar Cube Corner the atmosphere it was so loved for. And yet, today, that atmosphere was somewhat dimmed, as the one at the counter, Mr Cakes today, was feeling just the tiniest bit wary. Now, he would normally not feel this way about any of his customers, but today, he did not have his regular customers. Instead, he looked over to one of the girls sitting in the corner booth; Adagio Dazzle.

For whatever reason, this girl always gave him and his wife a deep chill down their spine. Perhaps it was the way she looked at people, or the way she moved, or maybe it was that whole "trying to take over the world thing" from some time ago. Regardless, the two Cakes always felt unnerved having her around. Fortunately for the both of them, this feeling was greatly tempered by the fact that Adagio was currently sitting beside a customer that they did have a fondness for; Sunset Shimmer. Letting out a sigh, Mr Cakes got back to his work, instead choosing to let the girls just get on with their business. As for the girls in question, Sunset was looking to Adagio with a smile, casually sipping her milkshake, until finally, she spoke to her.

"I've gotta say, Adagio, I'm happy with how you've all been adjusting lately."

Putting down her own drink, Adagio nodded at that.

"Indeed? I must confess, I do find myself enjoying this world far more than when...well..."

Sunset turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Than when you were constantly trying to take it over?"

Adagio looked to her with a somewhat annoyed look, before then letting out a sigh and nodding, acknowledging her point. Giggling slightly, Sunset placed a hand upon the elder Siren's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now. Besides, I still remember how difficult it was for me when I tried giving up all those take over plans."

The Siren turned to her with that distinct smirk of hers.

"Yes. I must say that I'm always fascinated to hear of you when you were like that, Sunset. Back when my sisters and I first came to the school, we kept on hearing about how much of a "bad girl" you were. But aside from that little confrontation in the hallway we had, all I ever saw was this meek little girl trying to make friends."

Although somewhat irritated by those words, Sunset soon found herself letting out a sigh of her own.

"Well...believe me, I was a far different person than I used to be. Like you, all I could think about was power and getting to the top. I didn't care about who I stepped on to get what I wanted."

Looking away from Adagio, a look of slight shame crossed Sunset's face.

"Who knows what I might have done if I'd actually won against Twilight and the others back then?"

A silence fell between the two girls, during which, Adagio considered her companion. After a few moments, a small smile crept onto her face as she cleared her throat, gaining Sunset's attention.

"Have you ever, you know...considered how things might have been if you had won?"

Sunset turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"I try not to think about it."

But Adagio merely chuckled at that.

"Oh come now! It might be fun to speculate."

The look on Sunset's face made it clear that she did not approve of that kind of thinking, which simply led to Adagio being even more amused than before.

"You're such a downer at times, Sunset, you do know that?"

Looking away from her, the Siren put on a somewhat ponderous look.

"As for me, I know exactly what my sisters and I would have done. We'd have completely reshaped this world in our own image. Statues of us would be erected everywhere, and wherever we were we'd have thousands of our adoring public calling out our name."

Holding onto herself, Adagio put on an expression that could not be described as anything but aroused.

"Just thinking about all the love that would have come our way...it makes me feel...ooh...tingly."

Looking away with some discomfort, Sunset nervously coughed a little at that.

"Well...it certainly sounds like you would have enjoyed yourselves."

Letting go of herself, Adagio turned to her with another smirk.

"Oh, you know it. As for my sisters, I'm sure they would have amused themselves in their own ways. Aria would probably just bask in everyone's attention. And as for Sonata, she would probably go around with her own personal harem of the best-looking boys of CHS. I swear that girl was never satisfied unless she had at least a dozen boyfriends back in the day. Hearing her giggle when they showered praise on her was always the cutest sound you could ever hear."

Sunset looked to her with some incredulity, after which, she started to look more thoughtful.

"Well...I wouldn't have been concerned with all that. I'd have just usurped my surrogate mother, taken her throne, made everyone bow down to me."

Immediately, shame returned to her expression.

"I really was a terrible person."

Adagio turned to her, seeing the genuine look of sadness upon Sunset's face, and soon afterwards, her own expression began to soften. A pang of guilt was felt in the Siren in this moment, and she let out a sigh, now regretting having brought up this subject in the first place. However, soon afterwards, she looked down at her milkshake, and immediately, a smile returned to her. Reaching down, she picked the glass up, holding it in front of Sunset, gaining her attention.

"Well then...here's to a pair of failed take over plans...and the more peaceful lives they led to."

Sunset was somewhat taken aback by those words, but, one look at Adagio's face made it clear that this was no mockery on her part. After a few moments of silence, Sunset finally broke out into a smile of her own, albeit a small one, and she picked up her own class, carefully clinking it against Adagio's

"Cheers."

With that, the two girls downed their milkshakes, letting out a joint sigh as they finished, before placing their glasses down upon the table once more. With that done, Sunset turned to her companion, and for a moment, looked hesitant. It was the look of someone who clearly had something important to say, but did not actually want to say it. But, as is so often the case in times like these, she did.

"Adagio...I have a confession to make."

The Siren turned to her, her interest piqued by those words as Sunset continued.

"As you know, I'm in regular correspondence with Princess Twilight back in Equestria. Normally it's just her and me telling each other about how well things are going here and there. But..."

A look of slight shame crossed Sunset’s face for a moment, before she looked back to Adagio.

"...recently...I've been letting her know about...well...you three."

Adagio was taken aback by that, but, rather than looking insulted or concerned by those words, as Sunset feared, she instead let out a hearty chuckle.

"Oh my, Sunset! Sending spy reports on us? How naughty!"

But Sunset was not amused by that, as evidenced by the frown on her face.

"I think you should take this more seriously, Adagio. I’ve been letting Twilight know about how well you girls have been getting on here, how well you've been mingling with the rest of us. Most of the time, Twilight's responses have been fairly accepting of everything I've told her. But her last message was...different."

At that, Adagio stopped smiling, looking to Sunset with a raised eyebrow.

"Different how exactly?"

Sunset looked away before continuing.

"Well...she said...she was going to come here...in person...to speak with all of you. She wouldn't say why, only that it was important."

Looking to her, Adagio started to frown.

"So...it's finally happening."

Sunset turned to Adagio with confusion, prompting the latter to start explaining herself.

"Isn't it obvious? Your precious Twilight has been reading your reports and deciding what she wants to do with us. Now she's coming to make her judgment known."

But Sunset shook her head at that, looking aghast at the idea.

"What?! No! I'm sure that's not what's happening!"

Adagio rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, Sunset! Think about it! My sisters committed grave crimes, not only in this world, but in Equestria's distant past! We may have been doing our best to fit in here, but, as a princess, Twilight will be duty-bound to...deal with us."

Sunset looked away, still shaking her head.

"No...that can't be the reason. I kept telling her than everything's fine with you. She wouldn't try and...and punish you! Not after everything's been going to well! I mean…she let me have a second chance in this world, so why not you three?"

Adagio let out a sigh.

"Well...we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? When is she coming?"

Sunset turned to her and gave a quick shrug of her shoulders.

"A few days. A week at most. She has other stuff in Equestria to deal with...but once she's free...she'll be coming."

Hearing that, Adagio nodded grimly.

"I see. Well...I guess my sisters and I have that long to enjoy our time in this world."

Sunset looked to her companion, and was now saddened that the pleasant mood this meeting had started out with was now well and truly dashed. Adagio, sitting in silence for a few moments, looked down at her empty milkshake glass, before then picking it up and standing up from her chair. Looking to her, Sunset watched as the elder Siren began to make her way towards the front desk. But, before she even got halfway there, she stopped, turning to Sunset and pausing for a few moments. After a while, she spoke, in a tone and expression far softer than she was usually known for having.

"For what it's worth...the time my sisters and I have spent with you...it's been...good."

Taken aback by that, Sunset, for the first time since interacting with these three ancient girls, had nothing to say in response.

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Fluttershy and Sonata

As was so often the case when Fluttershy’s home was concerned, everything was as calm and peaceful as a dream. Being so far away from the main area of the town of Canterlot, scarcely a single sound could be heard, save for the tweets of birds, the rustling of trees as the wind blew by, or even the splash of the pond out front as some fish jumped from it. Indeed, this place was about as far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life as one could ever hope to get, and for Fluttershy, that suited her quite well. However, right now, she was not in her beloved cottage, but rather, further into the green and pleasant woodland it sat by. There, she was sitting on a log, which itself was situated by a small stream, looking at everything around her with a smile upon her face. But, she was not alone here today, for there, sitting beside her, was none other than Sonata, the youngest Siren sister.

The blue-haired girl looked to her host with a degree of nervousness upon her face, though remained silent as Fluttershy appeared deep in thought. Then, the latter raised a hand, bringing it to her throat as she let out a small cough, clearing it somewhat. With that done, Sonata watched as the other girl took in a deep breath, after which she began to let out a low hum. Soon enough, however, that hum evolved into a louder outright song, though it was largely just the sound of her voice, rather than any real lyrics. It was a beautiful thing to hear, and from the look on Sonata’s face, it was clear that she was enjoying listening to it. The song went on for some time, with Fluttershy still smiling all the way, until, at last, she brought it to a close. Slowly, she turned to Sonata, who was still beaming at her, and blushed slightly at the attention. As for Sonata herself, she was far more enthusiastic about this.

“Wow, Fluttershy! That was…beautiful!”

Taking a strand of her own hair, Fluttershy twirled it in her fingers while keeping her gaze away from Sonata.

“Thank you, Nata. It wasn’t so long ago that I was actually afraid of singing in front of others. If it wasn’t for my friends, Rainbow and the others, I’d still be keeping my songs to myself.”

Sonata nodded at that, though was clearly taken aback by it.

“Good thing they helped you. A voice like that should be heard, not locked away!”

Turning to her at last, Fluttershy put on a small smile of her own.

“Thank you.”

But, it wasn’t long after that when Fluttershy’s expression became one of concern, as if she was worried about what it was that she was going to say next.

“Um…are…are you okay? With singing, I mean?”

Immediately, Sonata’s smile faded, and instead, she looked away, raising a hand and holding it up to her bare throat. Fluttershy looked at that spot, the place where her magical amulet had once been, and could feel the discomfort going through the girl. One look at her face told her everything she needed to know, that singing had been a big part of her life. It wasn’t just for power, like it might have been for Adagio or Aria back in the day. No, for Sonata, singing was far more than that. It was something she loved, something she considered and important part of her life. And as such, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt at having had a hand in taking that away from her. As for Sonata, after a long silence, she let out a sigh.

“I’ve…I’ve been trying to get back to how I used to be. Back to the kind of singing I could do…before.”

Looking down at the ground, she shook her head a little, after which she looked up to Fluttershy.

“But…I just can’t do it. Every time I try…the words and the sounds…they’re all wrong. Like…like I was never meant to sing at all!”

Seeing the despondent look on her face, Fluttershy scooted over on the log, gently placing a hand upon her guest’s shoulder.

“There there. I’m sure everything will be alright.”

Sonata looked at her with an uncharacteristic amount of incredulity.

“How? You never needed the help of magic to make your voice sound beautiful. But me, and my sisters…ever since we came to this world, our amulets were our voices. It wasn’t like back in Equestria where they were a part of us. Sending us to this place…it separated our voices, made it something outside of us. Something…that could be broken.”

Looking away, Sonata’s expression was one of sadness.

“And now…it is broken. And I…I can’t fix it.”

To say that Fluttershy was unhappy seeing the girl like this would have been a great understatement. If Fluttershy had one great strength, it was that she truly felt for others. Be it animal or human, if she saw that someone was hurting, she wanted to help, just like how Pinkie always wanted to put a smile on everyone’s faces. Slowly, Fluttershy thought about something, though was hesitant to bring it up. Burt, in the end, she cleared her throat, getting Sonata’s attention. After a while, the pink-haired girl put on another small smile before speaking sweetly to her.

“You know…I could help you…if you like.”

Sonata seemed taken aback by that offer, prompting Fluttershy to continue.

“It’s just…well…I’ve been doing a lot of singing in my spare time and…er…I’d like to help you…if you’re willing.”

But Sonata just sat there, seeming very unsure about all this.

“I…I don’t know if you can help me.”

But Fluttershy shook her head at that.

“Oh, I’m sure we can do something. In fact…why don’t you try a little singing right now?”

Sonata’s head snapped in her direction, looking, of all things, nervous. But Fluttershy was unconcerned with this.

“There’s no need to worry. I promise you I won’t make fun or judge.”

Sonata considered that, poking her index fingers against each other for a few moments, before finally letting out a sigh, her shoulders slumping as if in defeat. Getting up from the log, she cleared her throat, much like Fluttershy had done before, opened her mouth, and then started to belt out a tune. Immediately, Fluttershy could hear what the other girl had been worried about. From the sound of it, it seemed like she was trying to replicate that same chorus tune that she and the other Dazzlings had used when they were together, the one that started off that big song in the cafeteria. But, much like Sonata had warned her, the notes were all wrong, and the music sounded broken. So bad was the singing, that a pair of birds that had been watching from the nearby tree branches actually flew away in fear of it. Eventually, Sonata stopped, and looked down to Fluttershy, nervously waiting for her verdict. The latter opened her mouth trying to think of something nice to say, only to close it again and look away, leading to a despondent look from Sonata.

“You think it’s bad, don’t you?”

The way Fluttershy avoided her gaze told her everything she needed, and so she sat back down on the log, burying her face in her hands. In time, Fluttershy turned to look at her once more, and, seeing this saddened state she was in, let out a sigh before putting her hand on her back.

“Sonata…I think…I think what you need to realize is that, your voice…it’s the voice of a singer who isn’t bad, just…out of practise.”

The blue girl turned to her, clear confusion upon her face.

“But…we’ve been singing for centuries!”

Fluttershy nodded.

“I know…but when you came to this world, those voices weren’t yours anymore. They were the voices cause by all that mean magic. It was fake…made up. Your real voices, the ones you were left with…they were ignored, left to wither, so now…”

Sonata turned, placing a hand on her throat again.

“…and now they sound terrible.”

Fluttershy, unable to lie to the girl, simply gave a nod, though nevertheless kept smiling.

“Sonata…can I tell you a secret?”

The Siren looked to her and gave a single nod, prompting her to continue.

“I used to be bad at singing myself once.”

Sonata looked at her as if she’d just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“But…your singing! It’s so…”

Nodding, Fluttershy spoke up before her friends could finish.

“I know. But I wasn’t born with that voice, Sonata. It took time. Like Rarity with her dress making, or Rainbow with her sports. Nobody ever starts out as brilliant. It takes…practise. And I did practise, a lot. I was alone for a lot of it, never wanting others to see me, but in the end, I worked on my singing so much that…well…it’s what you hear today.”

Sonata looked away from her, still seeming unsure about all of this.

“I know I can practise…but…you remember how good I used to sing. How good we all used to sing. My sisters and me…our voices were so…beautiful. I’ll…I’ll never be that good again.”

Fluttershy considered that for a moment, giving a small nod in response.

“Maybe not. But, given time, I’m sure you can be good in your own right, and this time, with your own voice. Wouldn’t that be better? Wouldn’t you be happier knowing that the beautiful song coming out of you was yours, and not…not from a magic necklace?”

Sonata looked to her, and for a moment, looked as if she was thinking the matter over carefully. In the end, she let out a sigh, nodding in response.

“Yeah…I guess I would.”

Smiling at that, Fluttershy got up from the log, turned to her friend and offered a hand.

“In that case…let me help you. We can start right here…if you want.”

Sonata looked at the offered hand, and remained nervous about all this. But, one look at Fluttershy’s face, at the sincerity of her expression, and the Siren knew, in her heart, that this girl was going to do everything in her power to give the help that she’d promised to give. So, after a while, the blue girl smiled, taking Fluttershy’s hand and standing up alongside her. With both girls smiling at each other, Sonata, to Fluttershy’s surprise, moved closer and took her in a hug. Although taken aback by that, Fluttershy soon returned the embrace, and a few moments later, they parted. In the silence that followed, Sonata looked around before glancing back to her friend and shrugging her shoulders.

“So…what do we do first?”

Smiling at that, Fluttershy answered.

“Try and hum a note. Just…don’t try and make it loud and big like you did before. Start off small.”

Sonata nodded, and after clearing her throat again, did exactly as she was told, humming a low and quiet note. However, despite not being as forced as her earlier attempts at singing, the sound didn’t sound any more in-tune than it was the first time, and after a few moments of it, Sonata stopped, looking disappointed in herself. But, looking to Fluttershy, she saw that she looked to her with an encouraging expression.

“It’s just day one, Sonata. And you have many more to come.”

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rainbow and Aria

Although the last bell of the school day had long since been rung, many of Canterlot High’s students still lingered about the place, staying in their various groups and just hanging out with each other, at least until it got darker. One among them, Rainbow Dash, had herself finished everything she needed to for the day, and so, after having bid her friends farewell, began to make her way down the steps of the school and away from the place, giving a wave goodbye to those who saw her go. However, it was not to her home that Rainbow was heading off to right now, but rather deeper into the town. While many of the shops and venues were starting to close up for the day, there was nevertheless one place that remained open, and it was here that Rainbow was walking towards in earnest; the town’s local gymnasium. It was a small place, and from the looks of it didn’t seem to have many regulars going to it

Although an active member of every sports team in the school, Rainbow nevertheless took her fitness seriously even outside of school hours, hence her being here. Having entered the building, she was greeted by the gym’s front desk worker, a boy just a few years her senior, who recognised her immediately, giving a nod and a smile. Nodding back, Rainbow moved past the desk and into the gym proper, carrying a duffel bag upon her shoulder. Once in, she smiled at all the available equipment here to use, from dumbbells to treadmills and everything in-between. However, before getting herself ready, she noticed that, for once, she was not alone here, for there, standing before a hanging punching bag in the corner of the room, was Aria. Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow looked quite curious to see her here, especially after the other girl started pounding on the bag in question, a look of frustration upon her face.

As Rainbow drew closer, she noticed for the first time that Aria was not wearing her usual attire, but rather something more in-keeping with her surroundings. The middle Siren sister was clad in a pair of green shorts, white-and-black sneakers, and had a white sleeveless shirt. Also, perhaps in readiness for a long period of punching, Aria had tied bandages around her hands, giving her an overall fairly dangerous appearance. Once she was close enough, Rainbow cleared her throat, gaining Aria’s attention.

“Er…hey, what’s up?”

Aria raised an eyebrow before answering back.

“Hey there, Dash. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Rainbow chuckled a little before folding her arms.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

Aria rolled her eyes a little before looking back to the bag, punching it a few times before replying to that.

“Yeah, well…I kinda felt like hitting something tonight.”

Standing where she was, Rainbow watched the girl as she continued to land blow after blow to the bag. After a while of this long silence, a small smile crept onto the girl’s face.

“Want some help?”

To that, Aria shrugged her shoulders, though never took her eyes off the bag.

“Knock yourself out.”

Nodding at that, Rainbow dropped her duffel bag on the floor before taking position on the opposite side of the punching bag to where Aria was. Once there, she held her hands against the thing, steadying it, after which she looked over to the Siren and gave a nod. Nodding back, Aria resumed her many blows, and Rainbow could feel that she was putting her all into each one, given how much she had to work to keep the bag in one place. As Aria landed hit after hit against the thing, Rainbow finally spoke up.

“So…what’s eating you this time?”

Scoffing at that, Aria kept up her punches as she answered.

“You heard what happened last time I went to see Rarity?”

Rainbow nodded, prompting Aria to continue.

“Well, guess what? After I was made to own up to what my sisters and I did, taking our clothes and stuff, the shopkeeper generously decided not to call the police, and instead…offered me a job.”

To that, Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“A job? You’re working for her now?”

Aria nodded.

“Yeah. Except I’ve gotta work at least until I’ve paid off the outfits we stole. Never mind that all three of us took part in that, because apparently the idea of having Adagio or Sonata help out never even occurred to the woman!”

With that, Aria delivered a particularly fierce blow to the bag, to the point where Rainbow honestly felt like she’d be knocked back from it. But, she kept her ground, though with a look of slight nervousness as she did so.

“So…I’m guessing your job is…erm…frustrating you?”

Aria stopped for a moment, looking to Rainbow with a hand on her hip.

“What do you think? It was meant as a punishment. Of course I don’t like it! And it doesn’t help that the old battle-axe I work for keeps reminding me every day about what my sisters and me did to her. I mean, sure, we basically brainwashed her to do what we wanted, but we weren’t hurting anyone!”

Looking back to the bag, Aria frowned again, before giving another swift punch.

“I swear, you humans are all so…ugh! I don’t even know what to think of you anymore!”

But, this time, Rainbow looked to her with a frown of her own.

“You know…staying all bitter and stuff isn’t going to help you, Aria. I know that, to you, all this stuff that’s happened kinda sucks, but you never know, you might eventually like the life you have now.”

Looking back to her, Aria gained a look of genuine amusement.

“Like? Ha! That'll be the day! Living like a human has been one of the most tedious and annoying things I’ve ever done! You have to do everything yourself! You’ve got no magic to make life easier! And worst of all, everyone’s always on your case!”

Keeping her eyes on the bag, Aria narrowed them fiercely.

“I just don’t get how you guys can stand to live like this all the time! And I’ve been in this world for centuries you know, and I still don’t get it!”

However, rather than looking perhaps offended by those words, Rainbow instead let out a hearty laugh, much to Aria’s confusion.

“You can be so melodramatic sometimes, Aria! You’re thinking about this all wrong!”

To that, Aria raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? And how, exactly am I seeing things wrong?”

Hearing that question, Rainbow considered the girl for a moment, thinking hard on how to give an answer that would satisfy her, and as she did so, she let go of the bag, walking around it so she was facing Aria in earnest. After a few more moments of silence between the two girls, Rainbow got herself a “lightbulb” look, snapping her fingers before speaking up with a smile.

“Think of it like this. You’ve spent your time after we beat you thinking that everything sucks, right?”

Aria nodded.

“Yeah…because it does!”

But Rainbow waved a hand.

“But that’s just it! It doesn't suck!”

Hearing that, Aria raised a hand, slapping her forehead in frustration.

“Ugh! You’re not going to go philosophical or something on me, are you?”

To that, Rainbow frowned.

“No!”

After which, she looked ponderous for a moment.

“Well…maybe a little.”

And then she shook her head.

“Look, the point is this. What you think of as a bad life is actually not. Sure, you don’t have magic anymore, and yeah, you won’t be able to make people do what you want with your songs and stuff. But, when you think about it, that’s probably the best thing that could’ve happened to you.”

To that, Aria raised her eyebrow once more.

“Oh, this is gonna be rich!”

Ignoring her, Rainbow began to explain herself.

“Look, before this all happened, you and your sisters were just barely scraping by. The energy you got was never enough to satisfy you, and the stuff you did get, that was just used to fuel your voices and stuff. You were always going from place to place, never settling down or really doing anything besides doing the same thing over and over again. You know, one of those, er, cycle things.”

Considering that, Aria looked away for a moment

“…It did get kinda boring after a while, I’ll admit that.”

Seeing her, Rainbow smiled.

“But now…things are different. You may think of all this as a bad life, but the truth is…you should look at this as you actually having a life!”

Turning to her again, Aria’s curiosity had been piqued, prompting Rainbow to continue.

“You and your sisters…you’re doing all these things you never would have done before. You’re trying new things, you’re making friends. Heck, you’ve even got a job now! Granted it’s not one that you like exactly, but still, would you have ever thought you’d do something like that before?”

Putting her hands on her hips, Aria frowned again.

“No, and there’s a pretty good reason for that, Dash.”

Coughing a little, Rainbow continued.

“The point is…you keep going on about how your life is ruined and stuff. But actually…what’s happened is that you now have opportunities. You’re not obsessing over power because of all that dark magic and stuff, you’re not living without a home anymore, you’re not…you’re not alone anymore.”

With those words spoken, a silence fell between the two girls. Aria stared at Rainbow, clearly thinking over everything that had been said to her, while Rainbow, by contrast, looked back to Aria, very much concerned that her words might not actually cheer her up. After a while, Aria looked away from her companion, letting out a deep sigh, after which, she finally spoke up again.

“That…that all sounds like the cheesiest after-school special moral message I have ever heard!”

Hearing that, Rainbow thought on that for a moment, after which she scratched the back of her head and let out another laugh.

“Yeah…guess Twilight kinda rubbed off on me a bit.”

Looking back to Rainbow, Aria paused for a moment, after which, her expression, just for a moment, actually softened down somewhat.

“But…you did try and make me feel better, so…thanks…I guess.”

To that, Rainbow looked to her, quite taken aback that an actual thank you had come out of that girl. But, in the end, she cracked a smile, offering her hand. Looking at it, Aria was hesitant for a moment, after which she put on a smile of her own and took the hand, shaking it. When they let go of each other, Rainbow turned back to the bag and gestured to it with her thumb.

“So…feel like giving this guy a few more hits?”

Rolling her eyes, Aria chuckled a little before getting back into position.

“Please! I’m always ready to hit something!”

Of Rainbooms and Dazzlings - Rainbooms and Dazzlings

Although there were many places on the grounds of Canterlot High that could rightfully be said to have special meaning for the Rainbooms, by far the most important was the music room. This place, which serves as their unofficial headquarters within the school, was not only the place where they practised their music and singing, but also a place where they generally came to spend time with one another. On any other day, being here would bring the pleasant feelings of being surrounded by one’s friends. But today was not like any other day. Instead, both the Rainbooms and the Dazzlings sat in various places around the room, looking a combination of nervous, uncomfortable and, to some extent, excited at the same time. However, that excitement was felt mostly by Pinkie, who, as usual, just felt excited about everything. As for everyone else, today was something they’d been both looking forward to and dreading in equal measure.

On one side of the room was the Rainbooms; Sunset, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity. And on the other side were the Siren sisters themselves, the Dazzlings; Adagio, Aria and Sonata. All three of the Equestrian exiles sat together, with Sonata especially seeming almost afraid of what was going to be happening. For today was the day that the Rainbooms would once more see their final member; Princess Twilight Sparkle. She had sent word some time ago about her arrival here, and now it was simply a matter of waiting, which, for the Sirens, proved rather discomforting, with Aria in particular taping her foot in frustration as the nearby clock on the wall did its usual “tick-tock” sounds. However, after a long and awkward silence between them all, it happened, as the door of the music room opened, leading to the Rainbooms looking to it with smiles.

“Twilight!” they all called out.

Sure enough, there she was, Twilight herself, wearing a backpack, entering the room with some trepidation, though broke out into an affectionate smile as she saw her human friends. Giving them a small wave, she opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped as Pinkie rushed forward, holding her tightly in a hug. Although taken aback by this, Twilight soon composed herself, resuming her smile and returning the embrace, which soon led to each of the other girls walking over and joining in. In the end, there was a massive group hug, which the Dazzlings looked at with varying reactions, from Sonata’s cheeriness to Aria’s dismissiveness. In the end, as the girls finally let go of Twilight, the young princess brushed herself off before finally speaking up to them.

“It’s good to see you too, girls. I’m sorry it’s been such a long time, but…”

But she was prevented from continuing as Sunset raised a hand, stopping her.

“There’s no need to apologise, Twilight. We know you’ve got a lot on your plate back home. It’s just good to see you at all.”

Twilight looked to her former rival, smiling sweetly at her.

“Thanks.”

However, her expression became a more dour one as she let out a sigh.

“I just wish…I wish my visit wasn’t for…official reasons.”

And with those words, all of the smiles vanished from her friends, even Pinkie, as they slowly turned around, looking upon the three Sirens, who had each been sitting quietly during all of this. Now looking up, Twilight gazed upon her three ex-enemies for the first time today, taking a few steps towards them. Seeing this, Adagio got up from her chair, followed shortly afterwards by her two sisters. The three walked closer to Twilight, stopping a few short steps from her, with Adagio placing a hand on her hip as she looked the young princess over.

“Princess Twilight. It’s…been a while.”

Twilight nodded.

“Yeah…it has.”

The silence between them was incredibly uncomfortable at this point, and Aria and Sonata looked to each other behind Adagio. Shortly afterwards, the Siren leader let out a sigh of her own before speaking.

“Well…as much as I enjoy this unnatural quiet, I believe you had business to attend to with us?”

Although Twilight paused for a time, she eventually nodded. But, before anyone could say anything, Sonata rushed forward, dropping to her knees and grabbing onto Twilight’s skirt. Although shocked by this behaviour, Twilight looked down as the blue girl looked up at her with near-tears in her eyes.

“Oh, please don’t punish us, princess! We’ve all been trying really hard to fit in and…and…and…we’re really sorry for everything we did and…!”

But, Sonata was interrupted, as Aria stepped forward, grabbed onto both of her arms, and hoisted her up to her feet.

“Sonata! For the love of…have some dignity, will you!”

Turning to her youngest sister, Adagio folded her arms and nodded.

“Indeed, sister. We may be facing our end here today, but that’s no excuse to meet it with anything less than composure!”

But Twilight, glancing at all three of them, took on a look of pure confusion.

“Facing your…what are you talking about?”

At that, all of the other girls, Dazzlings and Rainbooms together, stopped, and looked to each other. It was clear from looking that all of them were taken aback by Twilight’s comment, as if she had no idea what was going through their heads right now. Adagio, never taking her eyes off the young royal, raised an eyebrow.

“Why…isn’t it obvious, my dear? After everything my siblings and I have done…you’re here to…end us, aren’t you?”

But, after hearing that, Twilight’s eyes widened with shock, and she shook her head frantically.

“Wha…NO!!! I’m not here for that!”

The three Sirens glanced at one another, before Adagio then took a step forward, frowning slightly as she did so.

“In that case…what are you here for?”

Twilight paused again, and looked over her shoulder, seeing the looks on each of her friends. It was obvious that they were just as curious about all of this as the Dazzlings were, and so it wasn’t long before Twilight let out a sigh. Taking her backpack off, she placed it upon the ground, opened it up and then began to rummage around inside it. All of the others looked on with curiosity, only to then regain looks of confusion as she took out what appeared to be a scroll of some sort. Standing up, she held it carefully in her hand and kept her eyes upon it as she resumed speaking.

“After reading all of the reports that Sunset sent me about you…I got to thinking. I am a princess of friendship, and that means that I believe that anyone, and I mean anyone, can be friends. Given all the good things I heard you’d been doing…I started talking to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and my sister-in-law, Cadence. All four of us got together and…well…”

Slowly, the princess stretched out her hand, offering the scroll to Adagio. Although hesitant, curiosity eventually won out, and the eldest Siren took the scroll from her, unrolling it before starting to read its contents. Aria and Sonata looked over her shoulder to get a better look, and all of the other girls stood closer to Twilight, looking from her to the Sirens and then back again. After a while, and for reasons the Rainbooms couldn’t understand, the Sirens gained looks of utter shock. They looked to each other, hoping that one of them would have something to say. But, in the end, it was Adagio who finally spoke, albeit in a hushed tone.

“Is this…is this a joke?”

But Twilight shook her head.

“It isn’t. Every word is true.”

Seeing the disbelieving look on Adagio’s face, Sunset took a step closer before speaking.

“What…what does it say?”

Adagio looked to her for a moment before, hesitantly, starting to read the scroll out loud.

“It is the official decree of the four princesses of Equestria, that the Siren sisters, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk…are hereby…hereby pardoned of their crimes against the peoples of Equestria. With immediate effect, they are to return to Equestria…if that is their desire.”

Silence fell upon the room, and the Rainbooms stood there with their mouths hanging open, utterly dumbfounded as to what they’d just heard. In the end, all of them looked to Twilight, and soon enough, it was Sonata who spoke next, almost whispering her words.

“We…we can go home?”

Twilight put on a small smile as she nodded.

“If you really have become better people, as Sunset tells me you have…then yes.”

For a moment, she looked away, a look of regret crossing her face.

“Being unable to make you into friends of others…it was something Starswirl always considered his greatest failure. He said as much in his ancient journals. He’d always hoped that, one day…you could return…having accepted friendship into your hearts.”

Slowly, she looked back to them.

“If that really is who you are now, and I truly hope it is…then your exile has come to an end.”

To say that the Sirens looked shocked at this would have been a great understatement, as Adagio let her arm drop for a moment, the parchment falling from her grip and onto the floor. The other two looked to each other, sharing looks of confusion, concern, perhaps even a little joy, though the latter seemed very much muted.

“Home,” Aria muttered.

“Equestria,” Sonata added.

“After all this time…it’s over?” Adagio finished.

The Rainbooms kept their eyes on them, and many in their number had smiles upon their faces, all silently happy for the ones they had managed to become friends with over the last few months. However, to their confusion, they found that happiness was not the expression that the Dazzlings themselves wore. They were, if anything, conflicted in their expressions. Slowly, the three girls turned to each other, and silently looked into each other’s eyes. Although none of the other girls could hear any words, they knew that, between the sisters, a great deal was probably being said with just a few looks. After some time had passed, the three Sirens turned to Twilight, and after clearing her throat, Adagio finally spoke.

“Princess…Twilight…on behalf of my sisters and I…we just want to say…thank you. This is…this is something we’ve wanted for…a very long time now.”

At long last, Twilight broke into a smile.

“You’re…you’re welcome. I’m happy I could do this for you.”

Immediately afterwards, Twilight took on a look of curiosity.

“I’m wondering…what are you three going to do when you get back home?”

However, to Twilight’s confusion, she saw the girls look to each other, exchanging unsure glances, before Adagio started speaking up again.

“Yes…about that…”

Tilting her head a little, Twilight looked to her former rivals with uncertainty, as indeed did the other Rainbooms. Each of them had been expecting the three girls to be leaping for joy over what they’d been told here. To see them like this, so unsure, was actually quite a shock. But, after a long silence, Sonata began to speak.

“Well…um…I would love to go home…I mean…it’d be the best thing that’s happened to us in, like, forever.”

Afterwards, she held onto her arm a little, seeming somewhat demure on her overall look.

“But…you know…I’ve still gotta whole lot of stuff here to do. There’s my singing practise with Fluttershy, Rarity’s still helping me to learn sewing and stuff, Applejack and Pinkie still need to teach me how to bake, I've still got some essays that Sunset is helping me with, and…well…I’ve kinda agreed to help the swim team out in this contest next week so…”

She looked away, as if unable to look Twilight in the eyes. As for the latter, her confusion grew, but it wasn’t long before she turned to Aria, who spoke next, folding her arms as she did so.

“Yeah…I still hate this place…but…I did kinda promise to keep working for this old lady. It’s just, ya know…this debt I’ve gotta work off and stuff…not that I like it or anything!”

Looking to her two sisters, Adagio let out a sigh before rolling her eyes and adding her own voice to the mix.

“Well, if you must know…I suppose…I’ve grown rather…accustomed to this world. I mean, I obviously hold us Sirens as better, naturally. But…”

In the silence that followed, Adagio looked to each of the Rainbooms in turn, from Rarity, to Rainbow, then Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and then finally Sunset, before looking to Twilight and putting on her infamous smirk.

“…but…I suppose some humans have, shall we say…endeared themselves to me.”

Twilight turned, looking to her friends, all of whom were smiling at what the Dazzlings had each said. At the end of it, the young princess turned to Sunset, who gave her both a smile and a nod. Looking back to the Sirens, Twilight paused for a few moments, after which she broke out into a small smile of her own.

“Well…I appreciate that you may not want to go back just yet. But…”

Taking a step closer, Twilight raised a hand and offered it to Adagio.

“…if ever you want to come back, even if it’s just for a visit…our door is always open.”

Adagio looked to the hand, and there was some hesitation in her eyes. However, after a few seconds of silence, she cracked a smile, reaching forward and shaking the hand back. After smiling at each other over this, the two girls parted, and soon afterwards, both groups came together, resulting in an uproar of chatter as everyone began talking to everyone else. Looking at it all, Adagio felt the tension of the past wait begin to lift, and it wasn’t long before she spotted Sunset approaching her from amidst the crowd. When she finally reached the Siren, standing beside Twilight as she did so, the fellow exile folded her arms and put on a smirk of her own.

“I appreciate what you all said, Adagio. In the past, when we first met, I never would have ever thought to say this, but…I’m glad you’re staying.”

Adagio nodded at that, and soon, Sunset let out a chuckle, catching Twilight’s attention.

“I’ve gotta admit, I’m actually surprised you three are as adamant as you are about staying.”

Turning to Face Adagio herself, Twilight nodded at that.

“Me too.”

Adagio considered that for a moment, turning to look upon not only her own sisters, but all of the other girls of the Rainbooms, seeing them all talk to each other in such casual ways. Looking back to Twilight, she raised an eyebrow.

“Well…you shouldn’t be too surprised, princess. After all…”

Slowly, the eldest Sirens sister turned to look at Sunset, and, for the first time since starting to spend time with them, put on a look of genuine affection.

“…we are all friends here, aren’t we?”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Twilight

The day had passed on like it usually did, peacefully and without incident, as the final strokes of the clock at last ebbed away, leading to the inevitable bell that signalled the end of classes. In a frantic rush, the students of Canterlot High charged out from their various rooms, gathering up their things, putting stuff away in lockers, meeting up with their various cliques and making their way home at long last. The atmosphere was one of excitement, as was so often the case at the end of a school day, and within mere moments after the bell had rung, virtually all of CHS had become empty. That is, except in one lone hallway, where Sunset Shimmer was taking a bit longer than usual to get her things in order. But, as always, she finally did so, and began to walk towards the exit with her bag slung over her shoulder.

After leaving, she began to walk in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner, ready to meet up with her friends. However, it was here that she stopped, having caught sight of someone out of the corner of her eye. Turning, her expression turned to surprise, and then to a happy smile, as she saw that there, standing nervously at the front steps of the school, was Twilight Sparkle. But this was not Princess Twilight of Equestria, but rather the Twilight of their world. Specifically, the star pupil at CHS' long-time rival, Crystal Prep, who had only recently competed against them in the "Friendship Games". Sunset, still smiling, walked over to the spectacled girl, who at last noticed her and began to smile back in response. Only when the two were a few feet away from each other did Sunset finally speak up.

"Hey there, Twilight. Didn't expect to see you back here so soon. I thought your transfer wasn't gonna be finalised for another few days?"

Twilight nodded at that, adjusting her glasses slightly before answering.

"Yeah. I guess I just wanted to come over before that."

After that, the timid-looking girl looked away a little.

"I'll admit that, after everything that happened, it was kinda hard for me to really feel comfortable being here. All that magic and, well..."

At that, Sunset let out a brief giggle.

"I know. It was...crazy."

Looking to her, Twilight paused for a moment before breaking out into a smile, after which the two girls started to laugh together. When the laughter died down, Sunset took a step forward, gently giving Twilight a friendly pat on the shoulder, which the latter smiled back at in appreciation. With one hand, Sunset gestured down the road, silently inviting Twilight to join her, and it wasn't long before the message was understood. Nodding back to her, Twilight soon began to follow Sunset as the latter began to walk off.

"So, how have things been at Crystal Prep the last few days?"

Twilight let out a sigh before answering.

"Pretty hectic. All that stuff about magic and other worlds, it...it was hard to take in."

Sunset nodded at that.

"Don't worry. I won't judge. Besides, you remember what everyone at this school was like when they found out about that kind of stuff?"

At that, Twilight stopped for a moment, looking to Sunset with confusion.

"Um...no? I don't think I was here for that."

Now stopping herself, Sunset gained a look of realisation, and then of embarrassment, as she chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head slightly.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I guess I'm still forgetting that you're not...well...her."

It took a few moment for Twilight to realise what Sunset was talking about, but when she did, her expression became one of understanding.

"Ah. You mean the one you spoke of before? The...other Twilight? The one who came through the portal during our picnic?"

Sunset nodded, prompting Twilight to look off into the distance with a ponderous look.

"Another me...who looks just like me...but also happens to be a magical talking pony princess."

Letting those words sink in a bit, Twilight shook her head before letting out a grunt of annoyance.

"Ugh! I thought I could handle all this weird nonsense when you told me about it, but…argh! I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the world the same way again after all this!"

Seeing the way Twilight was struggling to take it all in, Sunset, to Twilight's slight annoyance, simply let out a chuckle.

"Like I said...it takes some time to get used to it. But I'm sure you'll manage. You're smart, remember?"

Looking to her, Twilight gained a slight blush at receiving such praise.

"Thanks. So are you, Sunset."

The fiery-haired girl smiled and nodded before looking away from Twilight, before then pointing off to something in the distance. Turning, Twilight saw that it was Sugar Cube Corner, and so put on a smile before, like Sunset, starting to walk off towards it. As they did so, however, they noted a pair of Sunset’s fellow students, a boy and a girl, walking in the opposite direction. When these two newcomers caught sight of Twilight, and her Crystal Prep uniform, they narrowed their eyes at her slightly, though said nothing as they walked past. Seeing this, Twilight looked down at the ground, and Sunset looked to her with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry about that. It's just..."

But Twilight raised a hand, stopping her.

"No, it's fine. After everything I did...everything I almost did...I'd be surprised if they weren't hesitant about being near me."

She considered that for a few moments before carrying on.

"Even if I didn't have all that behind me...I'm still technically part of Crystal Prep, at least for another few days yet. Our schools have been at each other's throats for years. I can't expect them to become friends overnight, even after what happened. Besides, there have been one or two back at my school who aren’t exactly happy that I spend so much time with you or the other girls."

Sunset looked to her carefully for a few moments before adding her voice to the mix.

"You know...have you considered changing your look? Since you'll be going to CHS soon, it might, you know..."

Twilight looked down at her uniform, tugging at the hem of her jacket a little before looking back up at Sunset.

"Actually...as unorthodox as it is, I was thinking of keeping my uniform while at CHS. It just feels...me. Although..."

She looked away before continuing.

"...I doubt it'll help anybody there forget everything that happened."

Sunset looked away, a slightly pained look upon her face.

"Believe me...I know that all too well. When you've spent a long time disliking a person...it takes a long time for that to give way to something better."

Twilight looked to her with curiosity, seeing a look on Sunset's face that told her that there was definitely a story behind those words. Sunset had already given her a fair bit of info about herself during their magical confrontation, but despite that, she knew there was more to be told. Even so, it was also a look that warned Twilight not to enquire to deeply, at least not yet. After all, the last thing she wanted right now after having made a friend like Sunset was to risk losing it by opening up whatever old wounds were on the girl's mind. So, the two simply walked together in silence for a few more minutes, after which, Sunset put on a small smile and turned to Twilight yet again.

"You know...I've been thinking."

The spectacled girl looked to her with a raised eyebrow, prompting Sunset to continue.

"Now that all that Friendship Games chaos is behind us, have you ever considered...you know...having our groups mingle a little?"

At that, Twilight looked quite taken aback.

"You mean...Wondercolts and Shadowbolts actually...socializing with each other?"

Sunset nodded in confirmation of that, leading to Twilight looking off and thinking the matter over carefully.

"Well...it's not impossible. I mean...if I can become friends with you girls, I guess my classmates can too...maybe."

Looking back to Sunset, Twilight's expression was one of concern.

"But are you sure about this? Like I said, our schools have never been friends…and it took all of that craziness at the Games just to get us to stop all this rivalry stuff. I mean...I know we were all friendly with each other at the end back there, friendlier than we've ever been in fact. But...history doesn't just fade in an instant like that."

At that, Sunset smiled and began laughing a little.

"Trust me. I'm pretty much the poster girl for proving that anyone can be friends with anyone. It'll take time, that much is clear...but yeah, I think it can happen."

Twilight considered that for a few moments before exhaling deeply, after which she gave a single nod.

"Okay. If you really want to try, then I guess I can talk to some of the girls back at Crystal Prep. I may be transferring out soon, but I think I can still get them to hear me out. Not sure it'll go over well...but I think they'd at least be willing to try."

Sunset nodded back, looking ahead as they both reached Sugar Cube Corner.

"I know. It won’t be an easy sell on my side either."

Raising a hand, Sunset pushed open the door to the Corner, and almost immediately, she caught sight of her friends inside. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all there, sitting in their usual place, and gave the girl a friendly wave in greeting. She waved back, stepping aside to reveal that Twilight was with her, at which point the other girls took on looks of surprise. Although at first worried at this, Twilight soon felt relief as she saw that, one by one, the others put on smiles as they began to wave to her as well. Turning, Twilight looked upon Sunset, who smiled back at her and gave her another pat on the shoulder, before speaking in a somewhat hushed manner.

"But then...what better outcome could there be for the Friendship Games...than for some actual friendships to be born from it?"

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Indigo

Crystal Prep had always maintained a high reputation about itself, and everywhere one looked across their grounds, there were signs of how prestigious and dedicated the place was to its academics. From the students diligently working on their assignments during their lunch break, to the meticulous way in which the grounds and building were being kept properly maintained, to even small things like how quiet a lot of the place was. Every element of the place spoke of professionalism and the elite, and after all, why not? This was, at the end of the day, a school where you'd find the best and brightest of students, not only in this city, but in perhaps the entire region. In both academics and athletics, these students were the cream of the crop, admired, or perhaps even envied for their abilities, something that many took a certain pleasure in knowing.

And speaking of athletics, beside the main building of the school itself was yet further signs of just how far beyond this place was to other places of education. For there, stretching out a vast distance, was a running track going all the way behind the school, dwarfing that of the track used by Canterlot High. As one might expect, the thing was, at the moment, almost empty, reserved only when needed, such as practise for upcoming events or even just general fitness training by the students. However, there was, in fact, some activity going on, as there were two individuals standing at the start point of the track. One was a student of Crystal Prep, Indigo Zap, one of its most notable athletes. And beside her was, quite frankly, someone that most wouldn't expect to see at this school, a student of Canterlot High. Rainbow Dash, a girl who, like Indigo, had cultivated quite a reputation for athletics. As the two girls took their respective places, they gave each other a little smirk, after which, Indigo finally spoke.

"Ready?"

Rainbow, looking ahead, narrowed her eyes.

"I was born ready!"

At that, both girls took up a crouching position, and after a few moments of silence, they were off, racing each other as fast as their legs could carry them. As expected of girls who took athletics seriously, both Rainbow and Indigo ran faster than what most would be capable of, tearing across the track like a pair of blurs. However, despite their great enthusiasm, as well as the clear competitiveness upon their faces, neither one seemed to be getting ahead of the other, and for many minutes, they stayed neck-and-neck. Being as fit as they were, they passed one lap of the track fairly easily. Then a second. A third, fourth and then finally a fifth. And it was on that fifth lap that their efforts were starting to show, with sweating and panting now evident for both of them. Without even a word, they stopped where they had begun, on the starting point, and after a long while of catching their breath, Rainbow spoke.

"You...getting...tired?"

At that, Indigo gave a scoff.

"Ha! Not...on your...life!"

The fact that they were having trouble just talking at a normal pace made it clear that they were not doing any more running for the time being, and so, after simply looking at each other for a few moments, they broke out into smiles, chuckling slightly as, at long last, they collapsed, sitting on the track together as they continued to gather breath. As they did this, Rainbow looked over the track they'd run, nodding in approval before looking over to Indigo.

"Gotta hand it to ya, Zap. This is a pretty sweet place ya got here."

Indigo, naturally, gained a look of pride at that.

"Well duh! We're Crystal Prep! What did you expect?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow after hearing those words.

"Yeah, you guys got some fancy stuff. But don't forget that we held our own against you even without this kinda stuff."

Indigo nodded, looking way from Rainbow for a moment.

"Good point. Still...we don't really know how the Games would have ended. I mean...we kinda had other things on our mind."

Rainbow chuckled slightly at that.

"Yeah. Trust me, our school has had more than it's fair share of that sorta thing."

Hearing that, Indigo looked back to her.

"Yeah, I heard. That's gotta be weird, all those monsters and stuff you go against, right? I mean, it's cool, but also kinda weird."

Leaning forward, Rainbow nodded.

"Sure...but it's done a lotta good, remember? I mean...when was the last time someone from CHS was ever allowed near here, much less racing on the track?"

Indigo considered that for a moment, and shortly afterwards, a smile crept onto her face.

"Good point. I mean sure, we may have all been blasted by a crazy magical whatever-it-was, but hey, at least we can stop all that bad stuff between us, right?"

Rainbow nodded again, and after a moment, her expression changed to a more cocky one.

"Well...at least until we have another contest between the schools."

At that, Indigo laughed a little.

"Oh sure, then it's on!"

In this moment, the two girls shared a moment of laughter together, and when it finally died down, Rainbow regarded the sports field around them, a look of slight nostalgia crossing her face.

"You know, I never really paid much attention to this place before. It's kinda nice."

But Indigo, hearing that, looked to her with confusion.

"Before? You mean this isn't the first time you've been here?"

Instantly, the rainbow-haired girl looked a little guilty, as she started scratching the back of her head and chuckling in a somewhat nervous manner. She looked away from Indigo for the time being, but even then, she could feel the girl's gaze piercing into her, until at last, she let out a sigh before explaining herself.

"Okay...I may have...kinda...sorta...spied on you guys before the games began. Well...me and Pinkie. Didn't stay long though."

After hearing that, Indigo's eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait...that was you?! I'd heard a couple of Canterlot High girls snuck into the place, but..."

Rainbow nodded, confirming the matter.

"Yeah, it was us. Sorry about that."

However, rather than looking indignant or angry about it, Indigo, to Rainbow's confusion, actually started to look similarly guilty, and when she finally spoke up again, the reason became clear.

"Well...if we're being honest with each other...I kinda spied on you guys too."

Rainbow's head snapped in her direction, giving her full attention now.

"What?! Really?! I don't remember hearing about that."

To that, Indigo started to look somewhat pleased with herself.

"Well, I guess I was better at hiding than you or Pinkie were. Besides, I didn't really stay too long."

Rainbow titled her head a little.

"Why?"

Indigo looked away, looking as if she was having difficulty putting her words together.

"Well...it was kinda weird. I got to your auditions for the Games, and all I saw was a pair of girls wearing bird outfits and squawking at each other. Didn't know what was going on so I just left."

Rainbow turned, a look of embarrassment plastered all over her face.

"Ah. Say no more."

For a moment, Indigo smiled at having caused that kind of reaction in her racing partner. However, that smile faded when she saw that Rainbow now started to look somewhat uncomfortable about something. Turning, Indigo looked to where she was looking, an immediately, she understood. For Rainbow was looking right up at a large window at the nearby school building, and there, looking down at both of them with a look of disapproval, was none other than Principal Cinch. Rainbow regarded the older woman with a slight tint of dislike in her expression, but neither said or did anything about it. As for the Principal herself, she stayed there, looking at the two for some time, before simply turning away like she had better things to do with her time. After this uncomfortable silence had passed, Rainbow looked to Indigo with a softer expression.

"Sorry if me being here is gonna make things bad for you."

But Indigo merely waved a hand at that.

"Don't worry. She can't do a thing. I mean, it's not technically against the rules for Canterlot High people to come and race here."

Rainbow considered that for a moment, only to look up again as Indigo continued.

"It's probably a good idea Twilight is going to your school now. I don’t like to think how difficult Cinch would make it for her if she stayed here."

Rainbow nodded, frowning slightly as she looked up to the window where Cinch had been.

"I'll say. How can you guys put up with someone like her?"

Indigo shrugged her shoulders before replying.

"Meh. As long as you can get used to the whole evil-stepmother vibe she's got going, she doesn't really bother anyone. But still, she was really ticked off after the Games. Twilight should count herself lucky she won't be here anymore."

Rainbow considered that for a moment before looking to Indigo with a somewhat curious expression.

"I'm surprised you'd be all that worried about her. I mean...you guys didn't really seem all that friendly to her back then."

Indigo looked away, a look of slight shame on her face now.

"Yeah...I guess we kinda messed up on that. But still...she is...or...was one of us."

At that, Indigo looked to Rainbow, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"So you guys better treat her well, you hear?"

Smirking at that, Rainbow let out a brief cackle before putting a single thumb to her chest.

"No worries there, Zap. Paragon of loyalty, right here!"

Indigo rolled her eyes a little at that.

"Yeah? Well, you're not the only one who can be loyal to her own, Dash. Twilight may be moving over to you guys, but once a Crystal Prep, always a Crystal Prep. So..."

Almost immediately, Indigo started to look a little uncomfortable, as if she were almost embarrassed to say what she needed to say.

"...you know...look out for her, okay?"

Rainbow looked at her, at the sincerity in her expression, and knew that Indigo had meant every word of it. There was genuine concern for Rainbow's soon-to-be-classmate, and that was something the girl could definitely respect. Smiling, she reached out with one hand, and Indigo, seeing it, smiled right back before taking it. The two shook, an unspoken agreement having been made, and soon afterwards, they began to stand up at long last, having felt recovered from their earlier sprint together. As they dusted themselves off, Rainbow turned, looking up at a nearby clock on the side of the school. It was still technically lunch time, and there was more than enough time for more to be done, so, looking over to the track once more, a smirk grew on her face before she looked yet again to Indigo.

"So...one more lap?"

At that, Indigo looked over the place herself, before looking back to Rainbow with a smirk of her own.

"Please! As if you even need to ask?"

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Lemon

It was another gloriously sunny day in the town of Canterlot, and in the local high school, the day was passing pretty happily for all concerned. The classes were more-or-less finished, the students were all packing up for the day, and everywhere one went there were boys, girls and teachers all getting ready to head on home. Those who stayed all did so because of some extra-curricular activity, like those in the sports teams or other clubs. One such stay-behind student was Pinkie Pie, who, along with her closest friends, had become something of a celebrity around these parts thanks to her efforts in thwarting so many of the magical threats to have emerged over the last few years. However, today, she had far simpler things on her mind, like delivering a box of music sheets to the school's music room, which, as usual, she did with a smile.

In truth, she would always have been happy to go to that room, given that she and her friends often spent time there practising with their various instruments. However, their band, the Rainbooms, hadn't really had much time to do so recently, what with the Friendship Games and all. Still, she did her task in a cheery manner, greeting all of her fellow students as she passed them by. Although, when she actually got to the music room, she was surprised to hear the distinct sound of drumbeats from the other side of the door. Curious, she put the box down and turned the knob of the door, opening it and finding an unexpected visitor on the other side. There, standing behind her drum kit, was none other than Lemon Zest, a girl who had competed along several others as part of the Crystal Prep team recently. Seeing her, Pinkie put on a welcoming face.

"Um, hello?"

Unfortunately, Lemon was in no position to actually hear her, for the girl was currently busy beating a pair of sticks against Pinkie's instrument. And if that wasn't enough, she was, as per usual, wearing a pair of headphones and keeping her eyes shut tight, smiling all the way. She was definitely enthusiastic about the drums, that much was certain, though to Pinkie, the music wasn't really all that great. As Lemon kept on bashing away, having the time of her life, Pinkie brought the box in and set it aside before walking closer to her, speaking up once again.

"Er, excuse me?"

But, once again, Lemon didn't hear her, leading to what was definitely a rare sight around these parts; Pinkie Pie looking annoyed.

"EXCUSE ME!!!"

This time, her words got through, and Lemon immediately snapped her eyes open, catching sight of Pinkie almost instantly. Realising that she was being watched, she stopped her drumming, putting her sticks aside before looking at the pink-haired girl in earnest.

"Oh! Hey there! Didn't expect to see you here."

Pinkie, having recovered from her earlier annoyance with an almost inhuman speed, put on a massive smile before replying to Lemon.

"Nice to see you too! Didn't think I'd see you here either."

Lemon nodded at that before giving the drums a quick pat with her hand.

"Normally, I wouldn't, but I kept on hearing that you guys had some killer bands here, so I thought I'd check it out. I found the music room here, saw these drums and, well...”

But Pinkie raised a hand, stopping her from continuing as she started speaking herself.

"Say no more! I can barely keep from playing those drums myself most of the time. Well...to be honest I can't usually stop myself from doing anything, but still..."

At that, Lemon turned to her with a look of surprise on her face.

"Wait...these are your drums? Oh, man! I'm so sorry!"

But Pinkie just snorted at that.

"There's no need to say sorry, silly! You seemed to really like them, and who am I to come between a girl and what makes her happy?"

Although somewhat taken aback by those words, Lemon soon let out a brief chuckle.

"Man, you are so cool about this kinda stuff!"

Pinkie put her hands on her hips and struck a prideful pose.

"Yeah, I know."

After that, she walked over to the box she'd brought, opening it up and setting aside some of the music sheets she'd been asked to bring.

"So, do you guys do a lot of music over at Crystal Prep? I'm guessing you're pretty good at it, you know, like everything else you do there."

But to that, Lemon simply let out a grunt of annoyance, letting her head rest on the drums before her.

"Yeah, kinda. But Cinch always says we're supposed to stick to "proper" music. Lots of violins and flutes and stuff. Nothing great, like this stuff!"

Pinkie looked to her, at the way she was looking at her drums with such envy, and considered those words.

"You really like this kind of music so much?"

At that, Lemon broke out into an even bigger smile.

"Are you kidding?! I love this kinda stuff! It's just so exciting and awesome and...and...and cool!"

Pinkie smiled at that, gesturing to her ears for a moment.

"I'm guessing that's what you listen to on those nice headphones, right?"

Nodding in agreement, Lemon took the aforementioned headphones off for perhaps the first time since Pinkie had first seen her.

"I sure do! Wanna listen?"

Pinkie's smile widened at that and she nodded enthusiastically, silently agreeing to the offer. Getting up from her task, the pink girl walked over to Lemon, and the latter carefully placed her headphones over her ears, which wasn't easy given all of the puffy hair she had to get past first. Once they were on, Lemon pushed a button on her player, and out came the music. The effect was immediate, as Pinkie suddenly looked as if she was hit by a bolt of electricity, holding onto the headphones with a look on her face that made it clear just how loud those tunes were. As for Lemon, she looked to her and, knowing from experience just how loud the music was, shouted to get Pinkie to hear her.

"IT'S AWESOME, RIGHT?"

Pinkie tried putting on a smile at that, but the music was getting too much for her, and so she yanked the headphones off, letting out a deep sigh shortly after doing so.

"Wow...that was really...um...loud."

Lemon smiled at that, apparently having not noticed the less-than-enthusiastic way Pinkie had said that.

"I know! I love music like this! They're pretty much the only excitement I get when I'm over at CP. I can't even tell you how dull my day would be if I didn't have this little baby with me all the time."

She patted her music device in an affectionate manner, to which Pinkie couldn't help but smile back at.

"It's good you've got something to make you happy at that stuffy old school."

But, her expression soon turned to guilt as she realised what she'd just said.

"Ooh! I'm...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

But Lemon raised a hand, stopping her.

"Nah, its fine. Even I'd talk about it like that. It may be the best of the best, but it's not where you wanna go for a fun time."

Turning form her, Lemon looked around at the music room, and gestured to it with a single hand.

"Not like this school."

Pinkie considered her for a moment, looking from her to the rest of the room and then back again. For a while, there was silence between the two girls, during which, Pinkie put her finger to her chin, looking as if she was thinking over something important. After a few moments of this, she let out a loud gasp, gaining Lemon's attention again, and before the latter could react, Pinkie grabbed a hold of her, bringing her face close with a massive smile upon it.

"I've got an idea! If you love that kind of music, and Crystal Prep doesn't let you play that kind of music, then why don't you come here for it?!"

At that, Lemon's eyes grew wide.

"R...really?! You'd be okay with me coming here for that?"

Pinkie nodded, slapping a single hand upon Lemon's shoulder.

"Sure I would, silly! I'm not going to deny a fellow drum-lover the chance to hear some beats! In fact, how about I help you practise on them when you come to visit?"

To that, Lemon took on a look that made it clear she was touched. In fact, she actually looked like she was welling up at this point.

"That...that's so..."

But, rather than let out a barrage of tears and emotion, as was usually customary with such a gesture, she merely put on a look similar to what she had when she played the drums earlier, speaking up loudly.

"That sounds awesome, Pinks! You got yourself a deal!"

Nodding to her, Pinkie then finalised the matter with an unexpected leapt forward, grabbing hold of Lemon in a hug. Though the latter was clearly unused to getting this kind of treatment, she soon got used to it, rolling her eyes before smirking a little and patting Pinkie's back as she held her. When Pinkie finally let go, she began to move over to her drums, with Lemon watching her the whole way. Once there, she picked up the drum sticks that Lemon had set to one side, and then twirled them around in her fingers in a display that clearly impressed the Crystal Prep girl. With that done, Pinkie then let out a series of beat on the drum herself, with Lemon watching in amazement. When Pinkie's far more professional-sounding session on the drums was finally done, she looked to Lemon with sheer confidence in her eyes.

"Okey-doki-loki! Lesson one!"

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Sugarcoat

Being a Sunday afternoon, many of the people of Canterlot took this day as a time of rest and relaxation. Most of the shops were closed and, throughout the town, the people were simply enjoying their day, either with their friends or their loved ones. Nothing major was going on today, so all around there was a real feeling of calm and contentment. One of the few places that was open, however, was Sugar Cube Corner, the noted local confectionary store and café, owned by Mr and Mrs Cakes. Because, while most would take this day to rest or recuperate, the loving couple never missed out on an opportunity to provide their many regulars with some delicious baked goods when needed. Right now, it was Mrs Cakes behind the counter, and as she sorted out a few of the display items, she looked around their store, smiling as she caught sight of one of their regular customers.

For there, sitting in her normal booth, was none other than Applejack, local student of Canterlot High. The Stetson-wearing girl was currently downing a milkshake while sitting there, looking as if she was waiting for something, or rather, someone. She kept staring at the door, stopping only occasionally to glance over at Mrs Cakes, giving her a smile and a nod to let her know she was enjoying her milkshake. As the time passed, on Applejack kept a look at the nearby clock, counting the seconds before the due time arrived. However, when it did arrive, right on the exact mark, the bell on the store's front door rang, alerting the girl to a new arrival. There, standing in the doorway, clad in the distinct uniform of Crystal Prep and wearing her silver hair in pigtails, was Sugarcoat. This former rival of Applejack and her friends looked around the room, before eventually spotting the farm girl.

"Greetings."

Her words were brief and to the point, but they were nevertheless a greeting. As such, Applejack afforded her a smile, waving her over. Sugarcoat nodded in response, but unlike Applejack, she did not smile, instead maintaining a completely deadpan expression. Still, she nevertheless moved over to the booth, with Applejack scooting over a bit to give her space to sit down. Once settled in, Sugarcoat set her school bag aside before looking to Applejack, and a long silence followed. The farm girl looked to her visitor for a while, waiting for her to say anything to start a conversation. But, when it became clear that she was just going to stay quiet until she was spoken to, Applejack cleared her throat a little before speaking first.

"So...how've ya been?"

Sugarcoat adjusted the cufflinks on her wrists as she replied.

"It's been pleasant. Far less...eventful than the Games were. Crystal Prep has been fairly calm of late, as is often the case immediately after big events like that."

The monotone way she spoke gave an impression of dismissiveness, despite Applejack feeling in her gut that Sugarcoat was not actually trying to sound uninterested. So, putting on another smile, the girl instead turned to Mrs Cakes, gesturing to her. The older woman nodded, getting the message, and smiled in response, before moving over to the milkshake machine. Looking back to Sugarcoat, Applejack leaned back into her part of the booth before speaking up again.

"So. Sunset and Twi are real excited bout us girls getting ta know each other. Might be worth it. Ah mean, always nice ta make new friends an all."

Sugarcoat turned to her, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"Indeed. Twilight seems far more upbeat than usual. Whenever she walks the halls, she no longer does so in a way that suggests that she's trying to avoid being seen by anybody. If that's what being friends with you and the other girls has afforded her, then there may indeed be merit to our groups mingling in this manner."

After hearing that, Applejack paused for a moment, after which she let out a brief nervous chuckle.

"Well...yer pretty talkative, ain't ya?"

Sugarcoat nodded.

"So I have been told. However, since this never occurs to me to be a real issue, I see no reason to change my behaviour. Does it bother you?"

At that, Applejack raised her hands, looking quiet apologetic.

"No! It's just...well...it's rare to see somebody so...erm..."

But Sugarcoat beat her to the punch on that count.

"Direct? To-the-point? Blunt? Capable of fully explaining what it is I mean to get across to the people I'm speaking to?"

To that, Applejack just blinked at her.

"Er...well...all of the above ah guess."

Yet again, silence fell between them, which, naturally, was a great discomfort to Applejack. After clearing her throat again, the farm girl put on a smile and spoke in a more chipper manner.

"Well, why don't we get this started off right? What do ya do over at Crystal Prep? When yer not studyin of course?"

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow to that.

"Given the expectations placed upon the students there, studying takes up most of our time."

Applejack folded her arms before replying to that.

"Ah can guess. That Cinch is a real task-master from what ah've heard."

Sugarcoat nodded.

"Indeed. She has always been an effective administrator. Always knowing what is needed to bring prestige to the school."

For a moment, the girl hesitated.

"Although...I would not exactly call her one to really like her students...with some exceptions of course."

Applejack looked to her, and for brief moment, she could feel as if there was an untold story behind those words. Even so, she shook her head, deciding instead to keep the discussion on-topic.

"Well, sure. But ah'm guessing y'all have gotta have some time away from all that, right?"

Sugarcoat looked away from her, pausing for a moment before starting to speak up again.

"Indeed. When I am not involved in my studies, I am heading the chess club, the debate team and the school's history society. In addition..."

Looking back to Applejack, Sugarcoat raised one hand and adjusted the glasses on her face slightly, which, given the sunlight coming in from the nearby window, caused the spectacles to glint briefly.

"...I am also class president."

Naturally, Applejack regarded her visitor with some degree of amazement, which was then reflected in her startled manner of speech.

"Well...that's...something. Guess ya could probably give Twilight a run fer her money, right?"

But Sugarcoat simply shook her head.

"I doubt it. Though I am loathe to admit to my fellow students being better at me, as any CP student would in fact, Twilight's areas of expertise are more of the scientific variety."

After another brief pause, the Crystal Prep girl turned once more to Applejack.

"And what of yourself? I imagine the less-taxing regiment of Canterlot High students affords you a great deal more free time than our school does."

Despite her words being a somewhat veiled jab at the way CHS does things, Applejack nevertheless ignored that remark, wanting instead to keep the peace, rather than have this descend into the schools' age-old rivalry again. Instead she put on a smile, looking as if she was rather proud of herself.

"Well, if ya want ta know, ah spend most of mah time helping mah family out at the orchards out of town."

To that, Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

"You're a farmer?"

Applejack nodded with a smile on her face.

"Eyup! Born an bred! We Apples have been tendin our orchards fer generations! Ah tell ya, there ain't no better feelin in the world than helpin out with work like that."

Regarding the girl, Sugarcoat gave a single nod.

"Indeed. You do seem rather enthusiastic about it."

Hearing that, Applejack turned to her with a slight smirk on her face.

"Well...ah reckon ah'm more "enthusiastic" bout it than you are fer what you do."

However, rather than looking offended by those words, Sugarcoat merely nodded.

"I trust you are referring to my present demeanour? If you must know, I choose not to smile unless I feel the need to do so."

To that, Applejack let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh boy! Just wait till Pinkie meets you! It's gonna be fun, ah can tell ya right now!"

Sugarcoat looked at her with some incredulity, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, she looked past the farm girl, looking instead to Mrs Cakes, who was arriving at their table with a tray bearing two full milkshake glasses. Placing the tray down upon the table, she smiled at the two girls, which Applejack very much returned, before heading off for the counter again. Now alone, Applejack licked her lips at the sight of her shake, before picking it up and starting to drink. As for Sugarcoat, however, she regarded the drink with more scepticism, bringing it to her nose and giving it a brief sniff, after which she looked at it in a rather dismissive manner.

"These are one of those drinks with a high sugar content, correct? I doubt these are very good for us, Applejack."

But Applejack simply let out another laugh to that.

"Probably not. But that don't stop em from being mighty tasty every once in a while."

At that, Sugarcoat looked from her, to the drink and then back again. One look at Applejack's face made it clear that she wasn't going to let up on this matter, leading to a long sigh from the Crystal Prep girl. Lifting the glass to her face, she regarded it carefully, before giving a final look to Applejack, who silently urged her on. To this, Sugarcoat let out another sigh before taking a quick sip of the thing. Moment after moment passed, and Applejack watched her, hoping in her heart that she would at least crack a smile over this. But, sadly, she did not, and simply set the drink down on the table once more.

"It is...satisfactory."

For the first time in this, Applejack regarded the girl with a genuine smile.

"Well, that's sure something at least. Maybe we can have fun with each other after all."

Sugarcoat looked to her, considering that question for a moment before giving a single nod.

"I believe there is a distinct possibility of that outcome, yes."

To that, Applejack just let out another laugh.

"Who knows? Maybe ya can even help out on the farm every once in a while?"

Thinking on that, Sugarcoat spoke up with a suggestion of her own.

"Perhaps. And perhaps you can come over to Crystal Prep and give a presentation in the history society about the cultural changes during pre-renaissance Italy."

Once more, a long silence fell between the two girls, ultimately ending a minute later when Applejack let out a brief grunt.

"On second thoughts...let's just stick ta milkshakes fer now."

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Sour

If one were to describe Fluttershy, there are many words that would naturally come to mind. Quiet. Calm. Meek. Demure. Shy. Unsure. These words, and many more besides, spoke of a girl who was rather reserved in nature, and in many respects, they were correct. As such, anyone who thought of her would usually associate her with quiet or calm places, the kinds of areas where one could hear themselves think without much difficulty. However, this was not where Fluttershy now found herself. Instead, she was where she usually was after school; the town’s local animal shelter. Although the young teenager had frequented this place many times, the animals nevertheless remained as loud and as frantic as ever, barking, squawking and generally making as much noise as possible. In a place such as this, it was little wonder that Fluttershy often found herself as one of the few to come here.

And yet come she did, as she went from enclosure to enclosure, tenderly feeding and caring for every animal, big or small, that she came across. And with every bird or beast, it was as if she had some magic way with them, getting them to calm themselves with her mere presence, even before she’d actually fed any of them. A clearing throat caused her to turn, seeing the shelter’s normal carer, an older woman, who gestured to her to let her now she was leaving for the moment, to which Fluttershy simply nodded. After watching the carer leave, she got back to business, albeit for a fairly short time, as the front doors of the place now opened, catching her attention. There, standing in the door, stood a girl clad in the uniform of Crystal Prep, wearing her mostly-pink hair back into a ponytail. Seeing her, Fluttershy put on a smile before giving a small wave to her.

“Oh! Welcome to the shelter, Sour!”

The girl, Sour Sweet, turned to look at Fluttershy, giving a nod before entering the place in earnest. Once in, she paused for a moment, looking around at all of the enclosed animals, many of which had started to get riled up again with the arrival of this newcomer. Seeing the animals look at her this way, Sour put on a smile and had an overall bubbly attitude.

“Oh, these cutie pies are so adorable!”

But, almost immediately, her expression turned, instead becoming somewhat dour and gruff.

“You know, if you like loud an annoying that is!”

Having finished off one of her animal’s meals, Fluttershy stood tall, looking over to her visitor and walking up to her.

“But there’s so much to be had from caring for these little guys! You’ll see, Sour, helping out in a place like this truly is worth the effort!”

To that, Sour regained her smile from before.

“I’m sure, you’re right, Fluttershy!”

And again, it disappeared just as quickly.

“If I wanted to spend my afternoon in a place that smells as bad as this one does!”

Taken aback by the sudden and harsh turn the girl had taken, Fluttershy took a step backwards.

“Um…well…I’m sure we can find you something fun to do.”

Looking around, the girl began to look deep in thought, trying to think of something Sour could help out with that didn’t involve animals.

“Well…oh! How about you help me organize the fliers!”

Raising a hand, Fluttershy gestured to the desk, prompting Sour to turn towards it. Sure enough, there was a pile of fliers upon it, each bearing the name and address of the shelter. Looking back to Fluttershy, Sour raised an eyebrow, prompting the former to explain.

“You see, every few weeks, we send out fliers to get the people of town to come and visit.”

Hearing that, Sour folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.

“Does it work? Besides when you first came here of course?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, ready to reply, only to shut it again when she considered what was being asked.

“Um…no. But that’s no reason to stop trying, right?”

Sour Sweet clasped her hands together upon hearing that, walking over to the fliers.

“Oh sure! It’s really a good thing to be doing this kinda stuff!”

But, as before, her expression instantly became an aggressive one, as she took a hand and slammed it down onto the papers.

“Assuming you actually think people are gonna care about these kinda places!”

As before, Fluttershy was taken aback by the harshness of her words. It wasn’t really the kind of thing she was used to hearing from anyone while she was working here. Granted, she was usually the only one working here, but even so, the words still stung. After looking to her guest in silence for a few moments, Fluttershy considered something.

“Well…why did you agree to come if you don’t like this kind of work?”

Sour rolled her eyes and leaned against the front desk before answering that.

“Meh. My parents both said I should try out some volunteer work. And since this was the only place for miles that was under-staffed, I guess they figured this should be the place.”

Fluttershy nodded at that, having now fully understood that the Crystal Prep girl was very much unenthused with working here. Thinking the matter over, she meekly took a few steps closer to her.

“Um…you know…I’m sure you can come to like this kind of work, if you give it a chance.”

But Sour simply let out a scoff at that.

“Yeah, right! Working with animals has never really been all that good for me.”

And those words piqued Fluttershy’s interest immediately.

“You…you’ve worked with animals before?”

Sour shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Well…just my dog really.”

At that, Sour’s massive smile from earlier returned.

“He’s the sweetest little guy you could ever meet!”

And, as was frequent at this point, the aggression returned with a vengeance afterwards.

“You know, if you don’t mind having some savage beast tear your face off and stuff!”

But, rather than be cowed by such words, Fluttershy, to Sour’s confusion, simply put on a small and sweet smile.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s not all that bad! All any animal needs is a little love and kindness!”

Yet again, Sour rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s what they all say…until they meet him. Then they run for the hills!”

But Fluttershy shook her head.

“Well, I’m sure I can give him some help. I don’t suppose he’s here, is he?”

Sour nodded, turning to the front door.

“Yep. He’s out front. Didn’t wanna bring him in in case he…you know…ate some of these critters here.”

Hearing that, Fluttershy let out a brief giggle.

“That’s silly! Go on, bring him in!”

Sour shrugged her shoulders, letting out a sigh before heading for the door. Fluttershy watched her go, and then counted the moments as she stayed there. A minute, then two, then three, until finally, there was activity. The door opened, and immediately, Fluttershy saw why Sour had been so concerned. The dog she now brought in, having difficulty keeping him held back on his leash, was indeed a fearsome sight. A massive Rottweiler, glaring angrily and growling loudly at everything he saw in the shelter. As soon as he came in, all of the animals, even while in their enclosures, tried to hide from his sight, and as soon as he saw Fluttershy, he began to immediately start barking loudly. Sour, trying her hardest to hold him back, looked to the meek girl ahead.

“See? I told you! He’s great if you want a guard dog and all, but there’s no getting him to calm down!”

But Fluttershy was not unnerved in the slightest, instead keeping that smile of hers as she took a step forward. The dog, still barking, never let up in it’s efforts to break free of Sour’s hold, all while Fluttershy drew closer and closer. Once she was within a foot of him, the young animal carer dropped down to one knee, reaching out with a single hand.

“There there. There’s no need to be angry. You’re with friends here.”

Sour looked away, perhaps anticipating some kind of horrific savagery to take place soon. But, instead, she turned back with a surprised expression as her dog, in a very uncharacteristic manner, actually started to pull less on his leash, though still kept growling. As for Fluttershy, her smile widened at this.

“There we go! You’re alright here, Mr Growly.”

Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

“Um, his name is…er…actually, sure Mr growly is fine.”

Ignoring her, Fluttershy reached further, coming within a few inches of the dog’s head. Though hesitant, the dog somehow found himself calming in the presence of this girl, much like all the other animals of the shelter so often were. A moment or two passed until, finally, her hand was on him, giving him a gentle scratch behind the ear. Now ceasing all resistance, the dog opened his mouth and started hanging his tongue tout, sitting down politely as he did so. As Fluttershy continued to smile at her efforts, Sour just stared at her with disbelief.

“How…how did you do that?! Every time we’ve tried to be nice to him before, he’s nearly bitten our hands off!”

But Fluttershy just shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh, I’ve always had a knack for animals. I’m sure that, with enough time, I can help you to live with Mr Growly like he was the sweetest little guy in the world.”

Sour considered that, looking to her previously-aggressive pet for some time, before letting out a sigh.

“Well…I guess that can work.”

But, she soon folded her arms and looked away.

“Assuming you can actually do what you say.”

Looking to her, Fluttershy nodded.

“I guarantee it!”

Looking to her, Sour paused for a moment, her expression going from happy to suspicious and back again several times over, before eventually settling on a smile then.

“Well then…guess I’ll be coming here more often than I thought.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Sunny

Crystal Prep was, without question, one of the most prestigious schools in the district, and perhaps even the entire state. While it’s record of endless victories had been rather definitively ended with the recent Friendship Games, that seemed to have little impact on the morale of the students. Every single one of them was just as diligent and hard-working as they always were, striving to improve themselves to the best of their abilities. Sports teams practising out on the tracks, study groups sitting down on the grounds together, even the odd pairing of students just spending time discussing their next classes. One looked at this place and it just screamed of high class and studiousness. However, there was one among the students out at the front of the school who did not seem to fit this mould, at least at first. Sunny Flare, who was currently sitting alone on a bench out at the front.

This young girl, who had been part of the school’s representatives at the Games, was currently looking down at one of the devices she wore on her forearms. Looking at the screens, which scrolled page after page of text before her, her general attitude right now was one of focus, much like many of her classmates. However, as she continued to read, her attention was drawn to a now-stopping bus on the nearby road. Getting off the thing was, to Sunny’s surprise, a Canterlot High student. Specifically, Rarity, who had competed against Sunny and her classmates some time ago. As the young fashionista drew closer to the school, she regarded it carefully, all while Sunny observed her. After a while. The Crystal Prep girl let out a sigh and turned off her wrist devices, before finally speaking up to the visitor.

“Well…I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Immediately, Rarity turned in her direction, and while she was, at first, rather taken aback, she quickly composed herself, putting on a smile.

“Ah! Sunny Flare, is it? How nice to meet you again.”

Sunny chuckled a little at that.

“Yeah…likewise, I guess.”

Giving Rarity her full attention, Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“Should you really be here? I mean, no offense or anything, but shouldn’t CHS still be in session or something?”

Rarity nodded for a moment before looking to the nearby school.

“Normally, it would be. But there was a surprise inspection from Superintendent Sombra. Unpleasant man from what I’ve heard, but, it did end up giving us a half day, so I thought I’d come over.”

Sunny let out a dry laugh at that.

“Oh yeah? What for?”

To that, Rarity raised a hand, gesturing to the school.

“Why this of course! Our schools may have been at odds for some years now, but that’s no excuse to ignore that fact that it is a superb building! Such refinement! Such class! I just had to get a first-hand look at it.”

Turning, Sunny looked at her school, her expression somewhat less enthusiastic than Rarity’s.

“Guess I’ve kinda gotten used to it myself. Still, you came all this way just to look at it?”

Rarity brushed aside some of her hair before replying to that.

“Perish the thought, darling! I came for inspiration! You may have heard that I spend my time making outfits. I thought I could come up with something based on the elegance of this school and its students.”

Looking to her, Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“Well…don’t let me keep you.”

Once that was said, Sunny got back to her device, reading page after page as it appeared on her screen. Though initially annoyed by the girl’s attitude, Rarity found her interest caught by her wrist attachment. Walking over to look over Sunny’s shoulder, Rarity found that the girl was reading pages of what appeared to be an online science textbook, to which she put on a sly smile in response.

“Ah, I should have guessed you’d be studying. So dedicated you all are here.”

Sunny, not looking up from her screen, nodded in response.

“We’ve got to be. A place like this…well…a lot is expected of us.”

For a brief moment, Rarity could have sworn that Sunny had actually sounded sad at that, but, rather than probe too deeply, she instead cleared her throat before speaking up in a more perky manner.

“Well…I’m sure Twilight will be sure to bring some of that studiousness with her when her transfer is complete.”

But, unbeknownst to Rarity, Sunny frowned at the mention of that name, only to let out a sigh as she allowed her expression to soften a bit, as if she were, for some reason, forcing herself to calm down. When Rarity finally did turn to look at Sunny again, she clasped her hands together with a smile on her face.

“I say! If you have some free time, perhaps you would consent to showing me around the school? I’m sure a student of this place could give me all sorts of important tips for what to look for.”

Sunny let out a grunt at that.

“Look, Rarity, I appreciate the visit, but if you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot of work to be getting on with.”

Rarity looked to her, a little taken aback at the gruffness with which she’d spoken. But, as she opened her mouth to speak, she stopped, for she had seen something across the school grounds. Now looking somewhat nervous, the fashionista stopped entirely, her attention now fully on the figure who was approaching. Sunny, seeing her, turned around out of curiosity, and when she did, her own expression became one of discomfort. For there, looking just as stern and authoritative as ever, was Principal Cinch. This woman had not left Canterlot High on the best of terms, and while her outwards demeanour spoke of calm and reservation, Rarity could tell from looking that there was anger beneath the surface. When the older woman finally arrived by the two, she kept her hands clasped behind her back, and turned to Rarity with a raised eyebrow.

“Miss Rarity, I presume?”

Although hesitant, Rarity nodded in response, prompting Cinch to continue.

“While I am not the type to outright ban other schools’ students from visiting our distinguished Crystal Prep, I do prefer that they let it be known that they are arriving before they arrive.”

The icy way she spoke got to the girl quite easily, as evidenced by the gulp she made soon afterwards.

“Yes…well…I do apologise, Principal Cinch. No offense was meant.”

Raising a hand, Cinch adjusted her glasses slightly.

“Indeed. I’m sure it wasn’t.”

Soon afterwards, she turned her attention to Sunny, the latter of which was actually trying to avoid looking her in the eye.

“And as for you, Miss Flare, I trust this little get-together of yours isn’t interfering in your studies?”

Sunny shook her head, speaking in a voice that sounded like it was right on the cusp of being aggressive.

“…No, Principal Cinch. I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Cinch nodded at that.

“Very good. After all, we’ve lost our best student recently, and I expect all of you to keep up the standards I expect of you. We don’t want to be lagging behind other school now, do we?”

Again, Sunny avoided her gaze as she replied.

“No, Principal Cinch.”

The woman regarded the girl carefully, all while Rarity looked from one to the other and then aback again, sensing the tension in the air is if it were electricity. In the end, Cinch turned from them both, and without even saying a word, began to walk away, with many of the nearby students instinctively getting out of her way as she made her way back to the school. Now free of her gaze, Rarity frowned.

“I say! What a ghastly woman!”

Sunny didn’t look at her, but instead frowned slightly as she got back to her device.

“Er…yeah, sure.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Rarity continued speaking as she kept her eyes on where the older woman had been standing.

“I mean, I’m all for maintaining order in one’s school, but there’s no need to be so hostile about it!”

Sunny nodded, letting out a grunt as she did so. Looking to her, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“I say…I hope she hasn’t given you and the other girls too much grief over what happened…at the Games I mean?”

Sunny shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. Like we all said at the time, she can’t really prove what happened, given…well…all the magic and stuff. Mostly it’s just been her acting like she usually does…”

Briefly, Sunny looked down at the ground.

“…not that that’s ever been the best thing of course.”

Rarity looked to the girl with some concern, her expression softening somewhat.

“I just don’t understand how you and all the rest here can tolerate such…such overbearing behaviour from a woman like that.”

But, rather than agree with her, as Rarity had expected, Sunny turned to her with anger in her eyes.

“Hey! Being a principal isn’t an easy job you know! Sometimes you have to be that kind of person if you want to make your school the best it can be!”

Rarity took a step backwards, shocked at this angry turn Sunny had taken. As for the latter, her eyes widened, the realisation of how she’d just acted becoming all the more evident to her.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I just…get a little upset when people keep saying everything they do about her.”

To that Rarity gained a well-earned look of confusion.

“But, Sunny, whatever for? You and all the others here…surely you know that your principal isn’t…well…”

But, rather than let her finish, Sunny merely nodded her head.

“I know. She’s not the nicest person around. And yeah, I know she did some…I know she overstepped her bounds sometimes. With Twilight, with others…with all of us. But still…”

Looking to Rarity, Sunny’s expression was one of softness, almost to the point of silently pleading with the girl.

“…just…don’t go talking about her like she evil…okay?”

Seeing the sincere way in which she’d spoken, Rarity was rendered speechless for a time. But, in the end, she nodded, silently agreeing to not make such comments again. Sunny, seeing this, gave a small smile in thanks before nodding once and turning away. After a long and uncomfortable silence passed between the two girls, Rarity asked the question that would have been on anyone's mind in a time like this.

“Sunny…why are you so concerned about all this? About her?”

Sunny looked to her, and her expression was one of hesitancy. It was clear that, whatever it was she needed to say, she wasn’t going to be comfortable saying it. But, in the end, she let out a sigh, looking down at the ground before giving her answer.

“Because…she’s my Mom.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Indigo

Being a Saturday, the schools were, naturally, not in session for the day, and as such, many of the boys and girls attending Canterlot High, Crystal Prep and all the other schools in the district were instead spending their day in more relaxed ways. Nowhere was this more evident than in the large park right on the edge of the town of Canterlot. Here, students and other residents of the town came to enjoy themselves, be it playing some sports with their friends, or even just having friendly conversations with one another. For two girls in particular, however, other things took up their time. For there, jogging down a single path right down the middle of the park, was Sunset Shimmer and Indigo Zap. These two girls, as one might expect given their current activity, were outfitted in jogging suits, with Sunset’s a Wondercolt-style blue and Indigo’s bearing a Crystal Prep purple. As both girls continued to run together, Sunset looked to her companion with shock on her face.

“Her mother?!”

Indigo nodded, though never took her eyes off the path ahead.

“Yep. Sunny and old Cinch, they’re family.”

Turning at last, Indigo caught sight of the incredulous look on Sunset’s face, leading to her letting out a chuckle.

“Yeah, I didn’t believe it either. But it’s true.”

Looking ahead again, Sunset considered that for a few moments.

“Well…now that you mention it…I guess I can see something of a resemblance.”

Indigo nodded as she too looked ahead.

“Yeah…but you know, it probably isn’t cool to talk about her behind her back like this.”

Understanding that, Sunset nodded.

“Trust me, I know what it’s like to have people talking about you like that.”

With her curiosity piqued, Indigo turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s still kinda weird to think that you were ever a “bad girl”. I mean…just look at you!”

To that, Sunset let out a hearty laugh.

“Oh, believe me, what you see here is a far different person than what I used to be.”

Indigo nodded, and it wasn’t long after that when the two girls started to pant a bit more than they had been doing through the rest of their run. Looking to each other, they both gave a silent nod, agreeing without words that they should stop for the time being. So, spotting a nearby park bench, they both stopped there, taking a moment to catch their breath. Indigo, during this pause, took out a bottle of water from one of her suit pockets, taking a few sips before offering it to Sunset. Looking to her with an appreciative smile, Sunset took the bottle and began to down it herself, all while Indigo watched her with continued curiosity.

“You know…you being bad isn’t the only thing I heard since spending time with you CHS folks. Is it true that…you know..?”

Sunset looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

Indigo began to look uncomfortable, scratching the back of her head for a few moments before letting out a sigh and just blurting out what she needed to say.

“Is it true you were…er…a pony?”

To that, Sunset put on a small smile.

“Yeah, it’s true. A unicorn, specifically.”

Indigo looked her over, from head to toe, before looking her in the eye at last.

“That…that seems so weird to me.”

Putting a hand on her hip, Sunset let out a brief chuckle.

“Oh, you think it’s weird? Imagine what it was like for me, having to come to a whole new world, having two legs instead of four, having no magic, having to deal with…with…these things.”

To emphasise her latter point, Sunset raised a hand, wiggling her fingers in front of Indigo, all while the other nodded, acknowledging her point.

“Yeah…I guess it would be kinda…off.”

Sunset nodded, looking away and putting on a more ponderous look.

“If it hadn’t been for the rift between me and my old teacher…I’d have spent my entire time just sending her messages, just gushing over how bizarre this world is.”

Indigo took on yet another look of curiosity.

“You’re teacher…that was the pony Celestia?”

Sunset turned to her again and nodded, prompting Indigo to look away and appear deep in thought.

“A talking unicorn…who was a student to a magical pony princess.”

After a few moments of silence, Indigo looked to her with an incredulous look.

“No offense, Sunset…but that’s probably the girliest thing I’ve ever heard.”

To that, Sunset nodded a little.

“Yeah, that was another weird thing for me to get used to. For me, and for everypony else in Equestria, it was just…normal. Here, there were all these ideas of unicorns and magic and who could like it and stuff. It was…just odd.”

Indigo looked away from her, considering that.

“Yeah…sorry about that. Still, you got used to it all, right? Being human and all?”

Sunset nodded at that, handing her bottle back before staring down at her own hands.

“I did get used to it. Nowadays, as strange as it may sound…I actually think of myself as a human more than I do as a pony.”

For a moment, she looked somewhat dour.

“There was a time when…when I actually forgot what my old face looked like.”

Indigo looked to her, and in this moment, she gained a look of guilt, perhaps from having brought this subject up in the first place.

“Ah…geez…sorry about that.”

But Sunset, letting out a sigh, looked up at her.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just something I think about from time to time.”

Taking a deep breath, Sunset put on a smile, giving Indigo her full attention.

“But enough about me. I haven’t really asked that much about you yet, have I?”

At that, Indigo leaned against the bench, shrugging her shoulders.

“Not much to say when compared to you. Born and raised in the city, went to Crystal Prep as soon as I was old enough. Pretty standard story really.”

But Sunset shook her head at that.

“Oh come on! I’m sure there’s more to you than that! I mean…you’re pretty big on sports, right?”

Looking back to her, Indigo cracked a sly smile.

“Pretty big? I love sports! The movement, the energy, the excitement of it…I’ve been into that sort of stuff for as long as I can remember. As far as I’m concerned, I eat, sleep and breathe the stuff.”

Letting out a brief giggle, Sunset folded her arms and nodded a little.

“I can tell. Your performance at the Games was pretty awesome.”

To that, Indigo gave her a wink.

“You know it. But, you guys did pretty good too…you know, even if you did have a little magical help here and there.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, after which she let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders a bit,

“Yeah…sorry about that.”

But Indigo shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, I thought it was pretty cool. I mean…can you guys do that all the time?”

Sunset shook her head.

“Not exactly. I’m still not entirely sure on the specifics…but it’s not really voluntary. It just sorta…happens, usually when we’re doing stuff that’s true to who we are. Basically, it’s intrinsically tied to our personalities and behaviours, being triggered only once a certain set of criteria are met.”

To that, Indigo just gave her a blank stare, after which she let out a chuckle.

“Oh yeah, you and Twilight are gonna get on just fine!”

Yet again, Sunset let out a laugh, scratching the back of her head as she did so.

“Sorry, got carried away a bit there. Basically…it just happens when we do something special.”

Looking to her, Indigo raised an eyebrow.

“So…you can’t just switch it on whenever you like?”

Sunset shook her head in response, prompting Indigo to look away from her, before then looking right back.

“So…just out of curiosity…you couldn’t just “pony up” right here and now?”

Looking to her, Sunset hesitated for a moment.

“Er…no, not really.”

Hearing that, Indigo’s smile became even more mischievous, as she took a few steps closer to the other girls.

“Alright then. In that case…race you to the end of the park!”

“Wait…what?!” Sunset blurted.

But she was too late, for Indigo was already off like a shot, running as fast as her newly-rested legs could take her. In barely a moment, she was so far ahead of Sunset that the latter could barely see her anymore. Now alone at that bench, Sunset placed her hands on her hips, sighing and shaking her head, before eventually breaking into a smile and chuckling, looking up to where the other girl had been. In the end, she resumed her jogging in that direction, albeit nowhere near as fast as Indigo had been.

“Okay...now I see why Rainbow likes her so much.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Lemon

With the lunch bell having rung some time ago, most of the students of Canterlot High, and even a lot of the faculty for that matter, were simply taking this time to rest and relax after a long morning of study and work respectively. As was so often the case at a time like this, everything was, for the most part, pretty calm all around. People were enjoying their lunch, chatting with friends, and all-in-all, the day was going by pretty quietly. That is, with the exception of the music room. This place, which served as the unofficial headquarters and clubroom of the school's most noted heroines, was currently drowning in what appeared to be loud guitar music. And indeed it was, for there, rocking on her guitar, was Rainbow Dash herself, her eyes shut tight while a smile was plastered all over her face. As she belted out note after note, it was clear that she was enjoying herself.

But, she was not the only one here, as there, sitting quietly to one side, was Lemon Zest. This girl, a student of Crystal Prep, had taken to visiting CHS for some time now, though how she managed to get from there to here so quickly during such a short lunch-break was something nobody really enquired too deeply into. Regardless, she was sitting there, watching Rainbow's performance with rapture. The song in question was a lyric-less version of Rainbow's famous number, "Awesome as I wanna be", and she was clearly putting her all into it. In fact, she must have been, for during the performance, Rainbow, to Lemon's shock, actually started to glow. She levitated off the ground and, within moments, as had happened so often before, the girl had grown wings, ears and a pony tail. It was around here that she reached the climax of her song, but, after she stopped, the new additions simply "popped" away again, leaving Lemon dumbfounded.

"That...was...AWESOME!!!"

Getting up from her sitting spot, she rushed over to Rainbow, who was in the middle of taking her guitar off. The blue girl took a step back at the sudden rush forward from her new audience, especially since Lemon was rather enthusiastic about what had just occurred.

"That glow! And...and those ears! The wings and...ARGH, it was so cool!"

Putting a hand on her hip, Rainbow afforded herself a look of pride.

"Yeah, it is pretty impressive, isn't it? How'd you like the music?"

Still smiling, Lemon gestured to the now-idle guitar besides Rainbow.

"That was pretty great too! Pinkie wasn't kidding when she said you were good on that thing!"

Rainbow let out a chuckle before moving over to her instrument, placing a hand upon in and trailing it along from one end to the other, all while a nostalgic look was upon her face.

"Yeah...this little baby has done me pretty good."

Immediately afterwards, the rainbow-haired girl grew a smirk, before then turning back to Lemon.

"You know...I actually had a pretty intense shred-off to win her."

Lemon turned to her with interest at those words.

"Really? Against who?"

Laughing a little, Rainbow folded her arms before answering.

"Trixie. You know, that girl who always talks about herself in the third person?"

Lemon nodded, acknowledging that she knew who she was talking about, which prompted Rainbow to continue.

"Anyway, she wanted this other guitar that I'd got my eye on, so we decided to play off and see who got it. I won...obviously. But, in the end...this was the guitar I walked out with. It just...fit me."

Hearing all that, Lemon smiled.

"That sounds great, Rainbow. Like...like you were destined to play it or something!"

To that, Rainbow scoffed a bit.

"Well, I don't know about that...but it was pretty cool, especially when the magic came out. Trixie didn't stand a chance after that!"

Considering that, Lemon looked from Rainbow, to her instrument, and then back again, appearing deep in thought.

"So...you change every time you play music?"

Rainbow shook her head at that.

"Not exactly. It's only when I'm playing especially awesome!"

To punctuate that point, Rainbow struck what, to her, would be considered an "awesome" pose, all while holding her hand up in a fist, probably in an attempt to look impressive. But as for Lemon, she was still clearly focused on the whole "magic" part of this conversation. She raised a hand and poked her chin for a few moments, catching Rainbow's attention. Then, after a long silence, the green-haired girl broke out into a massive Pinkie-style smile, complete with a high-pitched squeal.

"Ooh! You know what you guys should do? You should totally have a catchphrase or something when you change like that! You know, like they do in comics and Saturday morning cartoons with heroes and stuff!"

At that, Rainbow assumed her previous stance before letting out another chuckle.

"Appreciate the idea, Zest, but we already have a slogan for it. We..."

As if to build up the anticipation, Rainbow assumed yet another impressive-looking pose, not unlike a superhero would when their cape is flowing in the wind.

"...pony up!"

After that, Rainbow would have probably expected Lemon to be looking at her with awe, or maybe to let out an enraptured "ooh" of some sort. What she wasn't expecting was for the girl to simply stand there, diverting her gaze from Rainbow while scratching the back of her head. It was the tell-tale signs of someone who was feeling somewhat uncomfortable right now. Rainbow stopped her pose for the moment and looked at Lemon, waiting for her to respond. When she did, it was in a slightly awkward manner.

"Well...that's nice and all, but...it isn't really...you know..."

Letting out a sigh, Lemon turned to face Rainbow in earnest.

"Look...something this big and awesome needs something just as big and awesome to shout out! I mean..."pony up" sounds nice, but...it's kinda like the chant of a football team or something. You guys literally have superpowers! That needs something...extra!"

Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow put a hand on her hip before speaking up.

"Okay...I kinda see your point. So...what do you think we should have instead?"

Considering that, Lemon fell silent for a new moments, pacing up and down in front of Rainbow as she pondered her options. After a while, she broke out into a smile, looking to Rainbow with a look that would not have been out-of-place with a lightbulb over her head.

"How about...we have the power! Or...Wondercolts Ho! Or, if you really want to keep that other phrase, just add onto it, like...pony up and roll out! You know, stuff like that!"

Rainbow stared at her for a few minutes of further silence, after which she cracked a smile before raising a hand and putting her thumb and forefinger close together.

"Wow, Lemon, you were this close to going into full-on cowabunga territory!"

Frowning slightly at that, Lemon folded her arms.

"Okay, so maybe all the good ones are already taken! Fair enough. But you gotta admit, it would be pretty cool to have something epic to shout out like that."

Rainbow nodded.

"Sure would be. But, you know, most of it is all about friendship and all that good stuff. Not really something that can be made into a battle cry, you know? I mean, what can we do with that? Say we're gonna blast our enemies with friendship or something?"

Thinking on that, Lemon took on a look of slight confusion.

"But...haven't you blasted your enemies with friendship? I mean...that’s what it looked like when Twilight went all evil and stuff."

Rainbow opened her mouth to deliver a counter-point, only to shut it tight again and think over what the girl had just said. Looking away, she cast her mind back to the past times her magic had truly been called into action. Sunset Shimmer, the Sirens, and even, as Lemon just said, against this world's Twilight. In the end, the blue girl let out a sigh and let her shoulders slump a little.

"Yeah...good point. Blasting bad guys in the face...with friendship. Kinda weird to say, but it does actually fit."

Lemon smiled and nodded at that, only to get herself yet another "lightbulb" look.

"Ooh! You know what you guys should do? You should totally make yourself an orbital friendship cannon or something! Just wait for some monster to come along and then wham! Friendship laser from space!"

Rainbow let out a laugh at that, shaking her head slightly as she did so.

"Appreciate the thought, Lemon, but we can't just make an orbital friendship cannon."

For a brief moment, she turned, looking somewhat ticked off at something.

"I already asked, we can't get the zoning rights to space."

Turning back to her visitor, Rainbow put on another smile.

"Still, let's just stick to guitars for the moment."

Lemon nodded, apparently satisfied with the idea of having some more rock music to listen to. However, as she and Rainbow walked back over to where the latter's instrument had been put, they stopped, as Rainbow turned to Lemon with an idea of her own.

"Say...Pinkie told me she's been helping you out on drums. How about you give us a shot while I shred?"

To that, Lemon's head snapped in her direction, putting on an even wider smile than before.

"Heck yeah! That's way more awesome than blasting people with friendship!"

At that, she stopped, looked ponderous for a moment before simply shrugging her shoulders.

"Well...almost as awesome."

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Sugarcoat

Pinkie enjoyed making others happy. When it came to facts that most people already knew about her, that was right up there with “she smiles a lot” and “she has pink hair”. It was such an intrinsic part of who she was that it might as well have been included as part of her name. In fact, given the kinds of stuff Pinkie usually said out-of-nowhere, it probably was part of her name. Regardless, nothing brought a grin to the pink girl’s face quite like putting a grin on other people’s faces. And so it was today that this was what she was trying to do. Sitting at the kitchen table of her home, she was currently downing a particularly sugary-looking drink, complete with all of the candy and frosting and other toppings that people would expect her to put on something. The kind of drink that could make your teeth hurt just from looking at it. But Pinkie laughed in the face of such things, and so kept on drinking.

However, she was not alone here today, as there, sitting across from the table, was Sugarcoat. This girl, who not so long ago would have gladly opposed Pinkie in any way thanks to their being from formerly-rival schools, now found herself sharing time with her. As the spectacled girl sat there quietly, she watched as Pinkie continued to chug her drink, not even stopping to take a breath as she did so, as if the universe had somehow forgotten to remind her that she needed to breathe every once in a while. Only when Pinkie had finished did she take a gulp of air, doing it in such an over-the-top manner, complete with massive mouth, that Sugarcoat wondered if it was all exaggeration on her part. But, Pinkie simply smiled to her afterwards, gesturing to the girl’s own drink, which was just as sweet-looking as her own had been. Raising an eyebrow at it, Sugarcoat finally spoke in that deadpan way of hers.

“You and your friends certainly enjoy these things, don’t you?”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically at that.

“We sure do! Because they’re tasty, that’s why!”

Looking from the drink, to Pinkie, and then back again, Sugarcoat let out a sigh, adjusting her glasses slightly before finally picking up the glass and taking a sip. The sip in question was so small that it may as well have been a token effort on her part, as she soon put the glass back down again. Seeing this, Pinkie’s smile faded a little.

“Awww! You’re not having any more?”

Sugarcoat shook her head at that.

“No. I’m not really a fan of sweet things. Too much…sweetness.”

But Pinkie let out a brief giggle after hearing those words.

“Silly! Why didn’t you tell me that! I’d have gotten you something else if that’s what you wanted.”

But Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders.

“You never asked.”

Giggling again, Pinkie bounced out of her chair and began walking over to the nearby closets around the kitchen, rummaging around them in a frantic and energetic manner that was very typical of her. And all the while, the Crystal Prep girl observed her, never cracking a smile as she did so.

“You’re acting pretty hyper. You should slow down.”

But Pinkie, turning to face her again, simply scoffed at that.

“Never gonna happen! Life’s too short to be all slow and stuff!”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at that, opening her mouth to speak. However, before she got the chance to say anything further, she stopped as she began to hear the sound of oncoming footsteps. Turning, Sugarcoat looked on to see a new arrival in the kitchen. A girl around their age, maybe a year-or-two older, with grey skin and purple hair, clad in a simple blue outfit. Like her, the new girl had a completely emotionless face, though stopped to look at her as soon as she entered. Pinkie, by contrast, simply squealed with glee at the stranger’s arrival.

“Hiya, Maud!”

Immediately, the pink girl rushed forward, embracing Maud in a tight hug, which the latter returned, though not in the enthusiastic manner Pinkie had done.

“Nice to see you too, Pinkie.”

Her voice was monotonous, as if someone had made it simply to make someone who sounded like the exact opposite of Pinkie. After breaking apart from her, Pinkie put a hand on her shoulder as she turned to Sugarcoat.

“Maud, Sugarcoat. Sugarcoat, this is my sister, Maud!”

Sugarcoat looked from one girl to the other, and while her face betrayed no emotion, it would have been clear to anyone in that position that her thoughts were of how unlikely it was that two seemingly-different people could be related. Regardless, she was never one to shirk manners, and so nodded at the new girl.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

Maud nodded back.

“Likewise. You’re from Crystal Prep, correct?”

“I am,” Sugarcoat replied.

“You competed against my sister and her friends?”

“I did.”

“And now you’re here.”

“Yes. Pinkie requested my being here.”

Remaining silent after that, Maud turned to Pinkie, who nodded frantically.

“Yep! It’s true! Us and the Crystal Prep girls are all buddies now! Isn’t that great?”

Yet again, Maud cracked no smile, even in the face of the boundless optimism her sister was displaying. Instead, she turned to Sugarcoat.

“The other Crystal Prep girls are spending time with Pinkie and her friends?”

“They are. After what happened, it was decided we should…mingle,” Sugarcoat answered.

Maud nodded.

“I’ve been at Canterlot High a lot longer than my sister has, and we always used to hear bad stuff about you lot from Crystal Prep. Personally, it bored me to hear it over and over like that.”

To that, Sugarcoat nodded.

“Agreed. It was tiresome.”

But Pinkie, in stark contrast to the other two, just kept on grinning wildly.

“Yeah! It was totally silly, right girls? I mean, why be rivals when we can be friends instead?”

Before either of the other two could reply, Pinkie let out a massive gasp, as if an idea had just formed in her head that she was incredibly excited about. And as soon as she spoke, it was clear that this was exactly what had occurred.

“Oooh! You know what I just realised! We have a whole bunch of new friends now! Do you know what that means?”

Maud turned to her.

“You want to throw a party to celebrate?”

Looking to her sister, Pinkie’s smile was so wide that one would be forgiven for assuming that it was going to burst from her face.

“Yeah! How did you know?”

Maud shrugged her shoulders.

“Just a guess.”

Turning to Sugarcoat, Pinkie rushed forward, stopping just an inch from the other girl’s face.

“So, Sugar, what do you like in a party? There’s no such thing as planning too early after all.”

But Sugarcoat shook her head.

“Firstly, it’s Sugarcoat, not “Sugar”, and secondly, I’m not really a fan of parties. Too loud.”

Yet again, Pinkie gasped, only this time it was out of shock.

“What?! You don’t like parties?! Well, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you get over something like that? Oooh! How about a quiet party?! I’ve never done one of those before!”

Sugarcoat opened her mouth to respond, only to stop as Pinkie immediately darted out of the room, no doubt ready to prepare some kind of party-related activity for Sugarcoat to take part in. Now alone with Maud, Sugarcoat looked to the latter, seeing her take out what appeared to be a small rock from her coat and setting it aside on the counter, after which, and to Sugarcoat’s confusion, she actually started to pet it, like a dog. After sitting in silence for some time, Sugarcoat watched as Maud turned to her, speaking in her usual flat tone.

“Trust me on this. Once my sister gets it into her head that someone needs a party, she’s not going to stop.”

Sugarcoat looked to the door Pinkie had zipped out of, before looking back to Maud.

“Indeed. Your sister is very…enthusiastic.”

Maud nodded.

“She is. But…that’s one of the reasons I love her.”

Had this been anyone else, Sugarcoat could have sworn that the next words would have been spoken with a frown.

“Pinkie wants you as a friend, along with all of your classmates. I want her to be happy. So…do you think you can be a good friend to her?”

Sugarcoat considered that for a moment before giving a single nod.

“I believe so. She’s rather…unusual. But yes, I think I can be friends with her.”

Maud stared at her for a while before nodding.

“Good.”

However, Sugarcoat’s eyes flickered for a moment, as if showing some hesitation, before she then spoke up again.

“Only…do you think she can be a little less energetic in future?”

To that, Maud shook her head.

“You may as well ask the sun to be less bright.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Sour

For as long as anyone could remember, Sweet Apple Acres had always been a peaceful and calm place to go to. Not only were it's vast and beautiful orchards a sight to behold, but the whole place simply had a tranquil feel to it, as if you were in another world, far and free from the hustle and bustle of town and city life. That such a place could even exist amidst all the activity and goings on of a place like Canterlot utterly staggered belief, and yet, there it was, under the care of the Apple family, much as it had been for generations now. And speaking of whom, one of that family's most noted members, Applejack, was currently busy with her chores, going from tree to tree, carefully collecting apples to place down in the baskets below. Despite being hard work, the smile on her face made it clear that, however tough it might have been, there was nothing she'd rather be doing right now.

As the day rolled on, she turned, looking upon the others who had joined her on this bright and beautiful day. There was her brother, Mac, who, like her, was bust climbing up the trees to get at the apples. There was Apple Bloom, who went from basket to basket, picking them up and carting them away to the barn as soon as they were full. And then, there was her Grandmother, Granny Smith, who observed the apples before Apple Bloom could haul them away, most likely checking to see which would make the best cider or pies or other such apple-based goods. All-in-all, it was a pleasant family outing with the four of them. However, it soon became clear that there was more than four people here, as Applejack's ears alerted her to the sound of approaching footsteps through the nearby grass. Turning, she put on a smile as she finally caught sight of who it was.

"Well howdy there, Sour! Lovely day, ain't it?"

The girl, Sour Sweet, a former rival of Applejack and her friends, walked past tree after tree as she made her way over. She didn't say anything for the time being, simply giving a nod in response to Applejack's greeting. Instead, she stopped as soon as she reached the girl's tree, looking over to what each member of the Apple family was doing. After a few more moments, Applejack had finished plucking her own apples, and so finally came down her ladder, wherein her sister was waiting for her. Smiling at the youth, Applejack tussled her red hair a little before letting her get on with carrying the final basket away. After seeing her go, Applejack took off her famous Stetson and wiped the sweat from her brow before finally looking Sour again, putting on a friendly smile.

"It's nice ya came ta visit, Sour. Wouldn't have thought this'd be yer kinda place."

Sour put on a big smile of her own, clasping her hands together and generally looking as sweet as the second part of her name would suggest.

"Well, after going to Fluttershy and starting to enjoy spending time with animals, I figured it might be nice to come and see what the rest of you did."

But, before Applejack could respond to that, she noted how the girl's smile almost instantly vanished, replaced instead by a rather aggressive expression.

"You know...not like I had anything else to do on a Saturday or anything."

Although taken aback by that gruff behaviour, Applejack nevertheless kept on smiling, albeit with a nervous chuckle before she carried on.

"Well...yer welcome ta have a look around the farm if ya like. Shoot! Why don't ah give ya the grand tour or somethin?"

Again, Sour broke out into a happy-looking smile.

"Oh! That would be wonderful!"

And again, the smile faded as quickly as it came.

"Unless you were expecting me to just stand here all day!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at these sudden changes, clearing her throat a little before gesturing with her hand to the orchard. Sour gave a single nod before starting to follow the farm girl around. And so began Applejack's tour of their family farm, and through it, she showed her visitor pretty much everything there was to see. She showed the vast orchards, circling the entire perimeter of the place, she showed the massive red barn adjacent to the Apples' home, filled with all of the tools and other farm equipment they needed for their work, and, at the very end of it all, she showed the home itself, looking just as welcoming and, for lack of a better word, "homely" as it had been for years. Given the size of the orchards, the tour had taken the better part of an hour, and by the end of it, Applejack had looked quite pleased with herself.

"And that's the farm! Pretty nice, ain't it?"

As before, Sour looked to her with stereotypical sweetness.

"Oh! It's simply the most beautiful place I can remember seeing in a long time!"

And, as Applejack had come to expect at this point, the girl's temperament soon turned less pleasant afterwards.

"Assuming you can get used to the smell of a farm...which might actually be worse than the animal shelter, now that I think about it."

However, rather than sounding in any way offended by those words, Applejack simply let out a hearty laugh.

"Heck! That's the smell of the country, girl! City types may hate it, but ta me...it's home."

Sour looked to her and, for a moment, some hesitation flickered in her eyes.

"You really love all this, don't you?"

Applejack placed her hands on her hips, looking slightly prideful.

"Eyup! Born and raised fer apples an farmin! Ah wouldn't have another life even if it were offered ta me on a silver plate!"

Sour considered that for a moment, remaining utterly silent as she did so. In this silence, Applejack looked to her, and could see, even without a word, that something was bothering her. But, let it never be said that Applejack never offered help when it was needed, and so she cleared her throat, gaining Sour's attention.

"Is...is somethin on yer mind, sugarcube?"

Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

"Sugarcube?"

Applejack chuckled at that.

"Oh, it's...it's just a thing ah call people sometimes. But even so...ya look like ya need ta talk."

Sour folded her arms and looked away, and it looked as if she was trying to put on a forced smile like before, but was having difficulty in doing so.

"It's...it's nothing. I'm fine, really."

But to this, Applejack frowned, walking closer and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, Sour. Ah'm pretty good at spottin a lie, and ah tell ya now, it ain't gonna do ya any good just bottlin it up like that. Somethin is botherin ya, and if we're gonna be friends...ah'd like ya ta feel like ya can tell me."

Sour looked to her, with a look on her face that made it seem like simply opening up to someone was the strangest thing anyone had ever asked of her.

“It’s just…you have all this stuff you love doing, right? I mean…you really love it?”

Applejack put on a look of confusion at that.

“Well…sure, yeah.”

Sour let out a sigh.

“And nobody ever tells you to like it? You’ve never had something you didn’t really care about but people said you had to?”

Again, Applejack appeared puzzled by that.

“Yeah…where are ya goin with this, Sour?”

Sour opened her mouth to speak, only to close it when her hesitancy reared its ugly head. After a long while of silence from the girl, she finally spoke up again, though avoided her host’s gaze as she did so.

“People are always saying I need to be happy about stuff. You’ve gotta put on a smile, Sour. You’ve gotta be happy about what your’e doing, Sour. Nobody likes a sour grape, Sour.”

Although she tried to resist, Applejack couldn’t help but snort a little at that last one, prompting Sour to look at her with narrowed eyes. With a wave of embarrassment flowing over her, Applejack put on an apologetic look as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Er…sorry.”

Shaking her head, Sour looked away again before carrying on.

“You’ve probably caught on by now, but…those moments when I’m happy? They’re not…they’re not…”

But Applejack, seeing the look on her face, already knew the answer.

“They’re not honest, are they?”

Sour turned to her, and for one moment, there was understanding between the two girls. After a while though, Sour looked away again with a slight frown.

“People always expect us to be happy, even when we’re not. So…I guess I just kinda made myself happy…no matter how much it…bothered me.”

Applejack regarded her carefully, watching with interest as, for the first time, she let out a genuine hearty laugh.

“Listen to me. Going on about my problems! You’re probably not all that interested, are you?”

But Applejack shook her head at that.

“Far from it, Sour. Ah can’t claim ta know what folks have said to ya over the years, but when yer here, with me, then ya can be as unhappy as ya please.”

Sour turned to her with a raised eyebrow, showing her incredulity. Seeing her like that, Applejack put on a smile, placing a hand on her heart.

“Ah mean what ah say, friend. If ya feel like ya don’t wanna smile or be happy, then ya go right ahead and do just that. We do honesty here at Sweet Apple Acres, an the way ya act around others, all sweet an stuff…well…it ain't honest.”

Sour regarded Applejack carefully, still somewhat hesitant about all of this.

“You…you mean that? You wouldn’t be bothered if I was just…just a grump the whole time?”

Applejack chuckled a bit and shook her head.

“If that’s who ya are, then that’s who ya are. An there ain’t no need ta apologise fer that.”

Silence fell between them yet again, during which, Sour looked deep in thought over everything the farm girl had just said to her. As for Applejack herself, she looked on at Sour in kind, waiting patiently for her to say what it was she wanted to do with the offer that had been made right now. After a long while, Sour let out a sigh, putting on a smile, albeit far smaller than the kind she usually put on for the sake of others.

“Thanks, Applejack. I…I appreciate that.”

Looking to her, and to her smile especially, Applejack raised an eyebrow of her own.

“Ya sure ya wanna be smiling right now, Sour?”

To that, the other girl simply nodded.

“For the first time today…yeah…I kinda do.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Sunny

If there was one place in the entire town of Canterlot that was unanimously considered to be more peaceful and calm than Sweet Apple Acres, it would undoubtedly be the small woodland on the other side of town. There, there was only one real resident; Fluttershy. This most timid of girls lived alone in a small cottage right on the edge of the treeline, and if one were to look at it, they could be forgiven for assuming that someone had made it to look exactly like the kind of home you’d find in a children’s story. The kind of unassuming place where some lonely maiden would live while awaiting a handsome prince. It was such a sweet and quaint place, that it wasn’t at all out of place for there to be a near-constant chorus of birdsong or even the splashing of fish in the pond outside the front of the house.

Regardless of how others might have felt about it though, to Fluttershy it was simply a place where she felt the most comfortable, and the most at ease. Here, she could be herself, although, today, she was not alone in this place. For within the cottage, as Fluttershy herself prepared a pair of nice and hot cups of tea, Sunny Flare, a former rival of the girl and her friends, was standing in the living room. She looked around the place, at the simplicity of it, paying particular attention to Fluttershy’s pet, Angel, who was quietly eating some lettuce in the corner. After a while, she turned as Fluttershy entered the room herself, carrying the cups, one in each hand. Taking her own cup, Sunny gave her a nod of appreciation, which Fluttershy returned with a smile, after which, the two girls took their place on a large sofa, with Fluttershy being the first to speak up.

“It’s nice you could come and visit, Sunny.”

After taking a few sips of her tea, the other girl turned to her host.

“No problem. I had a free afternoon, so I figured I might as well come over.”

The girl sipped some more of her drink, after which she looked around for a bit before turning once more to Fluttershy.

“Not to be rude or anything, but there doesn’t really seem to be anything here that I can do, aside from just…you know…talking.”

But Fluttershy was undeterred by this, putting on a small smile as she gave her visitor a response.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry. I have nothing planned for today either. If you like, we could just watch some TV together.”

Sunny considered that for a moment before giving a nod, accepting that offer. Looking away from her, Fluttershy placed her cup down before reaching for a nearby remote, after which she turned on the nearby television, which was admittedly a fairly old model compared to what was being made nowadays. Even so the picture was fine, and, as one would expect of a TV owned by Fluttershy, it was already tuned into a nature channel. There, there was already a documentary on, wherein an elderly-looking, yet still friendly man was standing in what appeared to be an African grassland of some sort. Looking to the audience, he spoke in a grandfatherly, almost-whispering voice.

“Here, in the vast heat of the Kalahari Desert, we are on the lookout for one of nature’s most formidable predators, the leopard. This majestic creature will no doubt be out on the prowl for one of the many grazing animals that call this place home.”

For the first time in this visit, Sunny looked to Fluttershy and saw a brief look of concern on her face, though didn’t understand why. As the documentary continued, they watched as, like the man promised, there was indeed footage of a fearsome-looking leopard stalking a gazelle of some kind. Sunny was intrigued, but Fluttershy was nervous about it all, which only got worse and worse as time went on. Eventually, as was so often the case in shows like this, the predator caught its prey, resulting in a loud squeak from Fluttershy as she attempted to cover her eyes, shielding herself from the sight. Sunny rolled her eyes at this, reaching forward and picking up the remote before switching off the TV.

“I thought you liked animals and nature and all that stuff?”

Lowering her hands, Fluttershy gave a very timid-looking nod.

“I do, but…that doesn’t mean I’m happy with all of it. Some of the things that happen, it’s just…just so mean.”

Looking away from her, Sunny shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, that’s how nature works. The stronger, the faster, the better…they come out on top. And those beneath, those that can’t get away…they don’t last.”

The casual way in which Sunny had said that caught Fluttershy by surprise, as she looked to her with a somewhat despondent look.

“But…the ones on top…the predators…they don’t live happy lives either, do they?”

For a moment, hesitation flickered across Sunny’s eyes, which was reflected in her voice.

“No…I guess not. Oh sure, they’ll enjoy being the top dogs for a while, but…sooner or later…someone else comes along and knocks them down a peg. Then…then they’re just…forgotten.”

After a long silence, Sunny narrowed her eyes again.

“But that’s just life. If you’re the best, you reap the rewards, and if you’re second…well…second is just the first of the losers. If bad stuff happens…nobody comes to help you or even give you the time of day. That’s just how the world is.”

As Fluttershy looked to her, to her eyes, she couldn’t help but notice something there. It wasn’t just determination about her views on this matter, but something else. Anger? Resentment perhaps? Regardless, the fact that she was so adamant about that particular life view was not something that comforted Fluttershy in the least. However, the more she thought on it, the more another thought about Sunny became more and more prominent in her mind. She hesitated, as she so often did at times like these, but in the end, she managed to get her words out, albeit in a hushed manner.

“Were…were you raised to think that?”

Slowly, Sunny turned to her, seeing the meek and borderline-fearful look she bore, and restrained herself from frowning or narrowing her eyes. One look at Fluttershy and Sunny knew exactly what the girl was thinking, leading to a somewhat steely response.

“…Maybe.”

It was not confirmation, and yet, the way in which she’d said it told Fluttershy everything she needed to know. Not only that, but Sunny’s was also a look that warned against delving too deeply into the matter. Fortunately, Fluttershy was not one to probe into things she knew others would be uncomfortable talking about. But, even so, there was still the matter of just how unhappy Sunny was professing her own beliefs and views, and that, at the very least, was something the shy girl wanted to help with. It took a long time, but in the end, she thought of something that she could use.

“So…you really believe all that? That stuff about the weak just being left by the wayside, not being worthy of help?”

Sunny kept her eyes away from her, but nevertheless nodded in response. After another silence between the two, Fluttershy finally managed to muster up the courage to say what she needed to.

“I’m…I’m sorry to say this, Sunny, but…I don’t think you really believe that.”

The Crystal Prep girl turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

Poking her index fingers together, Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before giving her answer.

“Well…I'm weak and helpless…and you helped me, didn’t you?”

Immediately, Sunny’s somewhat aggressive expression softened a little, though it very much looked like she was uncomfortable with those words. Seeing her on the back foot at last, Fluttershy continued.

“I mean…back at the Games…you and the other girls…you saved us, me and my friends. Back when we nearly fell into that magic hole. You didn’t have to. You could have walked away to save yourselves, but you didn’t.”

Sunny folded her arms and frowned slightly.

“Yeah, well… it wouldn’t have been right…just leaving you, you know?”

With a less-fearful look, Fluttershy spoke with a little more confidence in her voice.

“But…you wouldn’t have helped at all, I mean…not if you really believe in all that meanness and strong-against-weak stuff. We’d been competing against you the whole time, like animals in nature…but you still saved us.”

Another silence fell between them, with Sunny looking increasingly uncomfortable with everything that was being said to her. The look on her face was one of conflict, perhaps with her thinking many contrasting things, whether it be agreeing with what Fluttershy was saying, or perhaps embarrassed about those past events being brought up, or perhaps any number of other matters. Regardless, Fluttershy took one look at her and, without a single moment of hesitancy, spoke up softly.

“I…I never thanked you, by the way. For saving me I mean. So…”

Looking to her, Fluttershy’s expression was one of honesty and sincerity, with her voice bearing no sense of falseness to it.

“…thank you.”

Ever so slowly, Sunny turned to her, and when she did, she saw the thankful look that was there. It was a look that, when used by Fluttershy, could probably have melted the hearts of even the most stony of people. And so it was today that that’s what happened, as Sunny, despite her reservations, let out a long sigh, letting her shoulders slump slightly before looking to Fluttershy with a small smile of her own.

“You’re…you’re welcome.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Twilight

Though she may not have been an official student of Canterlot High just yet, Twilight Sparkle, the most accomplished student of Crystal Prep, was nevertheless a frequent visitor of the former. Despite her brief-yet-memorable turn as a force of darkness, she’d been more than welcomed in this place, especially thanks to the urging of those like Sunset Shimmer. Now, as before, she found herself visiting this place, being greeted with a friendly smile by everyone who passed her by in the hallway. Although still not the most social of people, Twilight still did her best to return the greeting, albeit in a nervous manner. Eventually however, she happened upon her destination, a small workshop that she had been told was the frequent stomping ground of Rarity, one of the girls who had competed against her school in the recent Friendship Games. Letting out a long sigh, she turned the knob and entered the room.

Immediately, she was taken aback by the vast array of dresses on display here. Even with just a few moments to take it in, the spectacled girl had a good feeling for this place, and that it was, quite frankly, the work of one who had great passion for what they did. Not only was there a huge variety of designs, but also colour combinations, each of which was a sight to behold for the girl. Smiling at it all, it wasn’t long before Twilight noticed that Rarity herself was here, sitting at a desk and staring intently at a design sheet upon it. So engrossed was she in her work that she hadn’t even noticed Twilight’s arrival here. And as for Twilight herself, while she may have been somewhat nervous about interrupting someone while they worked, she soon mustered up the courage to do so, clearing her throat in a deliberate manner. In an instant, Rarity turned to her, a wide smile creeping onto her face as she did so.

“Twilight, darling! It’s so good to see you again!”

Putting on a somewhat nervous smile, Twilight nodded in response.

“It’s good to see you too, Rarity. I’d have called ahead, but…”

But the young fashionista, after getting up from her chair, merely waved her hand a little.

“Oh pish-posh! You’re welcome here any time you like! Please, come in!”

Smiling wider at that, Twilight entered the room in earnest, closing the door behind her. Once inside, she looked around, getting closer to the dresses on display, all while Rarity looked to her with intrigue.

“You approve?” she asked.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically at that.

“I do! They’re…they’re so beautiful!”

Smiling at that, Rarity brushed aside some of her hair.

“Well, one doesn’t like to toot her own horn, but I do think of myself as having a certain sense of style when it comes to these things!”

Looking to her, Twilight was utterly enraptured.

“You’re not joking. These are probably the best-looking dresses I’ve ever seen!”

A half-prideful half-bashful look crept onto Rarity’s face, and shortly afterwards, she turned, heading instead to her desk once more.

“You flatter me, my dear. In truth, I haven’t been able to get as much work done as I normally would. My assistant has been off with her sisters on vacation recently.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

“You have an assistant? Wow, you really are a professional at this.”

To that, Rarity simply let out a brief giggle.

“Well, the reality is that I was merely helping the girl with a budding talent of hers. Had a little difficulty with her and the other two in the past, but that’s all behind us now. I’ll introduce you at some point perhaps.”

Twilight nodded at that, after which she turned her attention back to Rarity’s creations.

“They’re so lovely. Crystal Prep never had anything like this on our grounds.”

Rarity turned to her with a look of curiosity.

“No? There are no students with a love of fashion or fine clothes?”

Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head.

“Afraid not. Mostly we focus on more…um…academic things.”

Rarity considered that for a while, frowning a little in response before putting on the same smile as before.

“Well, far be it from me to question how a school should do things, but at the very least you’ll be coming to a place that appreciates this kind of thing a little bit more.”

However, immediately after saying that, Rarity gained a look that suggested that she’d just remembered something important.

“Speaking of which…when is your transfer going to happen?”

Twilight scratched the back of her head and re-adjusted her glasses slightly before giving an answer to that.

“A few weeks. Dean Cadence still has to sort out the last of the paperwork…and Principal Cinch isn’t really helping out with it.”

After a few moments of silence, Twilight looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

“I don’t think she really wants to be helping me with anything these days.”

Rarity frowned, showing clear disapproval over the absent Principal’s apparent attitude, but, for the sake of Twilight, put on a more cheery face.

“There there, dear. It’ll all work out. Still, let us focus on more pleasant topics, shall we?”

Twilight nodded, looking to her with a small smile of her own.

“Sure. I mean…what’s that new design you have there?”

Turning to her desk, Rarity picked up the design sheet and gave it a look over before letting out a sigh.

“Well, one of the girls here at CHS has a birthday coming up and she heard about my dress-making, so she asked if I could make her something. I’ve got a lot of other stuff I need doing, but I should be able to finish the order by then.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when Rarity let out a happy-sounding squeak, turning to her with eagerness in her eyes.

“Oooh! I nearly forgot! I actually have something for you!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

“For me? Really?”

Rarity nodded before, to Twilight’s surprise, rushing right past her. The bookworm watched as her new friend rummaged around many of the dresses on the racks, looking through them as if searching for something specific. After a long while, the fashionista let out a hearty “aha” before emerging from the racks again, holding another of her outfits for Twilight to see. It was a good-looking item, that much was certain, and what appeared to be a strapless pink-and-purple party dress of some kind, with a skirt that cut off at the knees. Looking at it, Twilight smiled.

“That’s…that’s for me?”

Rarity nodded, looking quite pleased with herself.

“Go head, dear. Try it on!”

But, looking to her, Twilight gained a small blush.

“Oh! You mean…right now? I’m not ungrateful, but I’m not sure if…”

But Rarity was having none of it, and walked behind Twilight before gently nudging her towards the nearby changing room.

“There’s no need for embarrassment, Twilight. It’s just us friends here.”

Twilight tried to protest, but it was clear that there was no debating Rarity on this point, and so, she instead put on a more appreciative look, taking the dress before walking under her own power into the changing room. Rarity stayed outside, and instead waited patiently. As the minutes rolled on, she listed to the distinct sound of someone changing outfits on the other side, until, at last, the door finally opened again. Turning, Rarity gained a massive smile, as Twilight did indeed look good in her new clothes. Taking a step out, the Crystal Prep girl looked at herself in a nearby mirror, still looking as nervous as ever.

“How…how do I look?”

Rarity, unable to contain herself, merely giggled before giving an answer to that.

“My dear…you look stunning! I swear, every head in the room would turn in your direction if you were to show up like this.”

Twilight’s blush grew more fierce at that.

“Oh, I’m not sure about that.”

But Rarity waved her off again.

“Believe me, darling. You’d be the talk of the town!”

Giving off a brief giggle of her own, Twilight looked down at her new outfit before putting on a look of curiosity.

“How did you think to design it like this?”

Rarity smiled before answering.

“Well, it’s actually an updated design of a previous dress from a couple of years ago. If you can believe it, the original was used by Twilight…I mean…our Twilight.”

At that, Twilight stopped smiling, though Rarity had not noticed as she kept on speaking.

“She loved it too! She wore it during our rather eventful Fall Formal. And to give you something similar, well…”

Looking straight at Twilight, Rarity was practically beaming at this point.

“…it’s almost as if she never left!”

Rarity turned, putting her attention back on her other design, leaving Twilight to look at herself in the mirror. Slowly, and after much hesitation, she raised her hand, untying the bun that her hair was normally kept in, and letting it fall down to her shoulders. Looking at her new appearance, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit down at everything she’d just taken in, leading to a slow and hushed utterance.

“Yeah…your Twilight.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Lemon

For those who truly knew a girl like Lemon Zest, there were many places where they would expect to find her on a day off. A music store, a rock concert, hanging out with her friends, or maybe just relaxing at home. Where they wouldn't expect to find her was standing in the middle of one of the most scientific-looking rooms on the entire Canterlot High campus. And yet, there she was, looking around all of the beakers and chalkboards and textbooks as if she was actually interested in them, rather than be bored out of her skull at the mere sight of them, which is how most would expect her to act. However, it was not long before she was no longer the only person in the lab, as the door to the place slowly creaked open, catching her attention. There, entering the lab, was none other than Sunset Shimmer, who nodded in greeting to the Crystal Prep girl as she closed the door behind her.

“Glad you made it, Lemon.”

The other girl nodded before folding her arms.

“Yeah, traffic was a pain, but there was no way I was gonna let something like that get in my way!”

Sunset chuckled at that, after which she moved over to a nearby wall, wherein there was a pristine white lab coat hanging from a hook. Taking off her famous black leather jacket, the fiery-haired girl slipped on the white garment, making sure it fit properly, before making her way to one of the many work stations of the lab.

“I have to say, Lemon, I was surprised to hear you wanted to be here for this.”

Lemon scoffed a little before answering.

“Are you kidding? A chance to see you work on some of that awesome magic stuff of yours? Of course I’d be here!”

A small smile crept onto Sunset’s face at that.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Lemon, but I doubt it’s going to be as impressive a feat as you’re probably imagining right now.”

Hearing that, Lemon rolled her eyes.

“Yeah right! It’s magic! It’s pretty much impossible to make that boring!”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders, accepting that the girl was not going to be dissuaded from this. After looking over some of her equipment, she instead began to move over to a large case on the side of the workstation, clicking it open and revealing its contents. Lemon peered over her shoulder to get a better look, and sure enough, the chest contained Sunset’s guitar. Lifting the instrument up, Sunset herself gave it a look over before turning to Lemon.

“While our magic may come involuntarily in most cases, we can exert some control over it by way of our music. Although…how music relates to our innermost traits…that I’ve never been able to understand.”

Lemon nodded.

“Yeah, I saw Rainbow change once. It was awesome!”

Sunset giggled a little before setting the guitar down for a bit. It wasn’t long afterwards that she moved over to some more complicated-looking equipment, complete with a few wires. Lifting up a few, she rolled up her sleeves and started sticking them to her bare skin.

“I tried this once with the others some time before the Games. Didn’t really work out, so I figured I’d try it on myself this time.”

Lemon raised an eyebrow at that.

“Why? What happened last time?”

Sunset put on a brief grimace as the memories of that day resurfaced.

“Oh, the usual. Swarms of butterflies. Apples appearing out of nowhere. Rainbows nearly making me explode. You know, just your everyday stuff.”

Despite the obvious sarcasm in her voice, Lemon actually seemed quite interested in that story.

“Sounds neat. You could totally, like, solve world hunger with that apple bit though.”

A brief laugh escaped Sunset as she adjusted some of the knobs on her machine.

“A nice thought, Lemon, but I’m afraid not. The stuff disappeared shortly after they stopped playing. The thing about our magic is that, well…it isn’t complete.”

At that, and as Sunset expected, Lemon looked more than a little confused.

“Complete? What are you talking about?”

Looking to her, Sunset put a hand to her chin, thinking over how best to describe the situation.

“Well…the magic we have was basically stuff that rubbed off on us from the original. The magical artefact it all came from was far more potent in its power, so what we're left with is basically a shadow of the real stuff.”

Lemon looked away, thinking over what had just been said.

“Dude…that’s deep. I mean…if you guys could do all that big and flashy stuff with such the diet stuff…imagine what the real deal could do!”

Hearing that, Sunset turned, keeping her face hidden from Lemon as her expression became one of melancholy, speaking in a low and hushed tone.

“Believe me…I do know what it can do.”

Looking to her, Lemon raised an eyebrow.

“What was that?”

But Sunset let out a sigh, putting on a small smile as she looked to her again.

“It’s nothing. Besides, I think you’re more interested in seeing some magic now, right?”

A smile soon spread over Lemon’s face after hearing that, and she nodded enthusiastically, much to Sunset’s amusement. So, after making sure all of the equipment was in order, she picked up her guitar again and started playing a few notes. At first, nothing happened, but as time went on and the song became more and more intense, a faint glow appeared around her. Eventually, just like with Rainbow, Sunset became bathed in the magic within her, and not long after that, she sprouted pony ears and a tail. Like her last experience with this sort of thing, Lemon watched, utterly enraptured, though seemed more than a little disappointed as Sunset’s music stopped, leading to an inevitable vanishing of her additional anatomy. Letting out a deep sigh, Sunset turned to Lemon.

“So…still impressed?”

Lemon gave a brief chortle at that.

“You know it! Does it feel weird?”

Sunset shook her head.

“Not as weird as it is for the others. Remember, I used to be a pony. So having all that stuff appear on me, it’s like…like I’m becoming myself again.”

Lemon nodded at that.

“Is it weird…you know…being human?”

Sunset looked to her with a smirk.

“Oh, you have no idea. But…I got used to it.”

The way she’d said that implied that there might have been more detail she could have gone into, but Lemon felt that she might be prying just a bit too deeply if she carried on. Instead, the Crystal Prep girl turned her attention to the nearby equipment, seeing it bleep and bloop in a rather frantic manner.

“Hey. Your doohicky thing is going nuts over there.”

Sunset turned to the machine and walked over, looking over all of the facts and figures it was producing, all while a look of intrigue was plastered over her face.

“Hmmm…not that different from when I tested the others. Guess the magic isn’t that much different between us, despite getting it in contrasting ways.”

Lemon looked to her with confusion, prompting Sunset to explain herself.

“They got it through friendship, I got it through a dark magic she-demon transformation. It happens.”

Lemon’s eyes widened at that, and yet, as before, decided against probing too much into the matter, leading to her looking away with a nervous cough.

“Well…I don’t really get a lot of this sciency stuff that machine is saying. Maybe Twilight could help?”

Sunset nodded before looking away from the machine and writing down the results on a nearby sheet of paper.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Me and her are already collaborating on this kind of thing. She comes over whenever she can to talk about it.”

At that, Lemon let out another laugh.

“I'll say! Before she met you girls, our Twilight was always going on about the weird stuff going on here. You should have seen her room back at the Prep! Full of all these weird charts and photos of this place. I tell you, she was obsessed!”

Sunset looked to Lemon with a raised eyebrow.

“Well…wouldn’t you be, if you knew the kind of stuff that happened here?”

Lemon shrugged her shoulders at that.

“Eh, maybe. But, like I said, I didn’t really understand all that stuff. Besides, even Twilight didn’t have a full idea what was going on. I mean, magic? Who would have guessed that?”

Sunset nodded.

“Good point. Magic was completely devoid in this world before I came along and dragged some here form Equestria. Who knows how it might affect this place in future?”

But Lemon slapped her hand down on the former unicorn’s shoulder in an attempt to alleviate her concerns.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, this world is way more awesome now that there’s magic and stuff in it!”

To that, Sunset put on a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Well…as long as we don’t get any more evil she-demons coming around, then sure, let’s go with aweome.”

Hearing those words, Lemon looked deep in thought for a moment before putting on a look that suggested she’d just had an idea.

“Ooh! That reminds me! I don’t suppose you can turn back into a demon, right? It’s just that I wanted to see if it was as badass as the kind of thing you get on rock album covers.”

Looking to her, Sunset narrowed her eyes a little.

“No…I can't change back.”

She turned away from her for a brief moment, after which she looked right back to her.

“And for the record…I looked more badass!”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Sugarcoat

The high street of the town of Canterlot was, as usual, a veritable hive of activity, which is what one would expect on a free Saturday. The various shop owners and vendors were all about on the street, calling to the passers-by to come and look at their wares, the cafes were full of friends, couples and families all having an enjoyable lunch together, and all around there was just this feeling of community amongst the people who were here. Not a single face could be seen without some kind of smile or look of happiness. That is, except for one; Sugarcoat. This student of Crystal Prep Academy was walking down this street, despite it being far from her usual stomping grounds, watching each person with interested as they warmly greeted her a good day. Although taken aback by how forward everyone was being with her, she nevertheless waved back, out of courtesy if nothing else, regardless of how unused to it she was.

However, she was not alone in town today, as there, walking beside her, was none other than Rainbow Dash of Canterlot High. Unlike Sugarcoat, the rainbow-haired girl walked around with utter confidence, with a sure-of-herself smirk plastered all over her face as she led the way, with her companion following close behind. They walked in silence together for some time, with the latter seeing shop after shop pass them by until, at long last, Rainbow stopped right in front of her. Turning, Sugarcoat noted that they had halted right outside what appeared to be a music store of some kind, with windows filled with many guitars and other such instruments. Looking to Rainbow, Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow, but Rainbow herself merely chuckled, opening the door of the place before striding in. Although she hesitated for a moment, Sugarcoat soon let out a sigh before then walking in after her.

“Well? What do ya think?” Rainbow asked.

Hearing that, Sugarcoat looked around, seeing the vast array of instruments, from every conceivable type there was, all hanging around, displayed in impressive ways. Looking back to Rainbow, the girl adjusted her glasses a little before making her response, albeit in a somewhat disinterested way.

“There’s a lot of instruments here. I daresay they’d provide you with anything you needed.”

Rainbow’s smirk faded a little at that.

“Wait…that’s it?”

Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t really know what you want from me here, Rainbow. I don’t really come into places like this all that much.”

Placing a hand on her hip, Rainbow considered that for a moment before speaking up again.

“What, you don’t like music?”

Sugarcoat shook her head.

“On the contrary. I’m quite adept at the flute, if you must know. I just don’t get as…enthusiastic as you do.”

Hearing that, Rainbow, rather than seeming down or disappointed, let out a brief chortle before turning to a nearby set of display drums.

“And that is exactly the problem, Sugarcoat! You need to add a little oomph to what you do!”

At that, Sugarcoat looked to her with some incredulity, opening her mouth in readiness for a response. However, she soon closed it again when she realised that the two of them were not alone in this place. Turning, she gazed upon a blue-haired girl behind the counter, who was presumably the shopkeeper. At this moment, however, she seemed preoccupied with her own music, as evidenced by the headphones she wore. Seeing this, Sugarcoat folded her arms a little.

“That seems…unprofessional.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at those words before walking over to the girl behind the counter and giving a friendly wave.

“Hey, Vinyl? You in there?”

At long last, the girl, Vinyl, noticed Rainbow, and gave her a smile and a thumbs up in response, which was eagerly returned by Rainbow herself. But, soon afterwards, Rainbow let her get back to her music, instead turning her attention to Sugarcoat once more.

“That’s Vinyl Scratch. She goes to CHS. And trust me on this, her being oblivious to stuff going on around her has come in pretty handy at times.”

Sugarcoat looked away, seeming unconvinced.

“I highly doubt that.”

To that, Rainbow regained her smirk from earlier.

“Oh, believe me, it helped.”

But, it wasn’t long after that when she walked past Sugarcoat and instead over to a display of various guitars, looking at them with great enthusiasm. Letting out a sigh, Sugarcoat walked over to join her, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the instruments.

“Not to put too fine a point on the matter…but don’t you already have a guitar?”

Rainbow let out a snort at that.

“Well duh! But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other guitars! I mean…they’re guitars! They’re made awesome!”

Sugarcoat stared at her for a moment before speaking up again.

“I can see why Lemon likes spending so much time with you.”

Rainbow nodded at that before looking to Sugarcoat with a degree of curiosity upon her face.

“Yeah. Gotta admit though. I’m kinda surprised a girl like her can even exist at Crystal Prep. I mean, she’s so…not boring. No offense.”

But Sugarcoat merely shrugged her shoulders.

“None taken. In truth, her behaviour probably wouldn’t be tolerated, were it not for her athletics. Those who have talent at the school are given a degree of…leniency.”

Rainbow, upon hearing that, afforded herself a brief moment of shuddering.

“Geez…I can’t imagine going to a place like that. So stuffy, so…uptight.”

Sugarcoat nodded, adjusting her glasses again as she did so.

“Perhaps…but you get used to it.”

Shaking her head at that, Rainbow instead put on a smile as she made herself look to the guitars again.

“Well, no matter. The important thing is that we get you hooked up with one of these bad boys.”

At long last, Sugarcoat turned to her with as very pronounced look of surprise.

“Me? I don’t recall saying I was interested in participating in this, Rainbow.”

Chuckling again, Rainbow picked a guitar from the bottom rung of the wall before handing it over to her companion.

“Like I said, you need a little oomph. And playing one of these is the best way to do that!”

Before Sugarcoat could protest further, she watched as the guitar was shoved into her hands. After looking at the thing for a while, she glanced up at Rainbow, who stood there waiting with a look on her face that made it clear that she wasn’t going to budge on this matter. Letting her shoulders slump a little with defeat, Sugarcoat let out a long sigh before putting the strap of the guitar around herself. After assuming the correct position to hold the instrument, she paused for a moment before looking up to Rainbow once more.

“For the record, if I start growing wings and a tail from this, I’m walking away.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at that.

“Just play already!”

Letting out another sigh, Sugarcoat regarded the strange instrument in her hands, studying it closely as if it were a visitor from another world. For a brief moment, she glanced up at Rainbow, who merely gave her an encouraging smile, before looking back to it. Slowly, she raised a hand, delicately placing her fingers upon the strings, before giving them a gentle stroke. Immediately, notes were let out. There were far from professional, as one might expect of someone who had never played before, but they still sounded good. A few moments more passed, and Sugarcoat tried string after string, listening carefully to each sound in turn. Sometimes, she would try different combinations, making some semblance of a tune, but again, it was amateur compared to something like Rainbow could do. In the end, she stopped, looking up to the CHS girl.

“It is…interesting.”

Rainbow smiled at that, looking at her eagerly.

“Well? Think you might wanna try it out more in future?”

Sugarcoat looked down to the guitar and then back up to Rainbow, before giving a single shake of her head.

“…No.”

At that, Rainbow looked a little deflated.

“Really?”

Sugarcoat placed the guitar back onto the wall before looking back to Rainbow.

“Sorry…but it’s just not for me. It sounded nice enough. But I’m happy doing what I’m already doing.”

Rainbow stared at her in silence for a while as she thought on that, before eventually cracking a smile and letting out a brief snort.

“Alright then. Whatever you say!”

At that, Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

“You are not…upset?”

Rainbow shook her head.

“Ha! You do what you're comfortable with! I just wanted to try you out on something like this to see if it clicked. Guess it didn’t, but hey, no big deal, right?”

Sugarcoat considered that before giving a single nod.

“Right…no big deal. I...appreciate that.”

Smiling, Rainbow slapped her hand down on Sugarcoat’s shoulder, much to the latter’s chagrin, before looking instead to the door of the shop.

“Alright then! Enough of the music store! Let’s go and get some milkshakes from Sugar Cube Corner!”

Looking to her, Sugarcoat frowned slightly.

“I believe I already told Applejack I’m not fond of them.”

Turning, Rainbow put on a nervous smile and laughed a little.

“Oh well…can’t blame a girl for trying, right?”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Sour

The sun was shining brightly down on the local park of Canterlot, and everywhere you looked, you could see people hanging out and just generally enjoying themselves. Two such people were a pair of girls from formerly-rival schools; Pinkie Pie and Sour Sweet. The former was skipping along happily, while the latter kept up in a more normal way of walking, her face plastered with a look of slight annoyance. However, the one thing of real note about these girls at this particular moment was that they were both bringing their respective pets along for this walk. Pinkie had her beloved toothless alligator, Gummy. And as for Sour, she’d brought with her a large Rottweiler dog, which growled in a menacing manner at every passer-by, resulting in them giving both him and his owner a wide berth. As for Pinkie, she was oblivious to all of this, instead just carrying on as if she were the happiest girl in the world.

“Isn’t this great, Sour? A lovely day, our pets with us, and I get to spend time with one of my new friends!”

Sour turned to her and gave a brief nod.

“Yeah…great.”

Hearing that lack of interest in her voice, Pinkie stopped, turning to her.

“Something wrong?”

Sour shook her head and shrugged her shoulders a little.

“Maybe. I just keep expecting old Killer here to go nuts and attack everything in sight.”

But Pinkie, rather than seeming concerned with that, merely let out a loud giggle before walking closer to her.

“Silly! We had Fluttershy look after him, remember? If anyone can get your growly old dog to behave, it’s her.”

Sour considered that for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah…still not sure.”

Stifling another giggle, Pinkie started to bounce off with her alligator off down the path, with Sour walking close behind her. After carrying on in silence for some time, Sour turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“So…what’s your angle?”

Hearing that, Pinkie stopped, before then turning to her walking companion with confusion.

“Angle?”

Sour nodded.

“Yeah. I mean…you’re pretty much the bubbliest and most unbearably-cheery person I’ve ever met. Aren’t you gonna...you know…ask me to cheer up?”

But Pinkie simply smiled at that.

“Of course not, silly! We’re friends, remember? Friends don’t make friends do stuff they’re not happy doing.”

Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

“Yeah…I don’t believe ya. A girl who spends as much time as you trying to get people to smile has got to have some kind of secret make-me-happy plan somewhere.”

Again, Pinkie simply smiled.

“Nope!”

Sour opened her mouth, ready to reply to that, only to stop when another voice entered the fray.

“She means what she says, you know.”

Although surprised by the sudden and unexpected voice, both girls turned to its direction, and there, they saw a third girl, about their age, walking towards them. Wearing a distinct and slightly torn green vest, the girl had very noticeable purple pigtails, and was striding towards them with a rather cocky look on her face. Although Sour narrowed her eyes at this newcomer, Pinkie broke out into a massive smile, rushing forward and embracing the new girl in a tight hug.

“ARIA!!!”

Although she was taken aback by thus cuddly assault, Aria soon composed herself, letting out a brief chuckle before returning the hug, albeit in a less enthusiastic way.

“Yeah…good to see you too, Pinks.”

Sour raised an eyebrow at all this, taking a few steps closer to meet up with this new arrival. As Pinkie finally released her, Aria turned to Sour, looking her over before speaking up.

“So…this a new friends of yours, Pinkie?”

Pinkie nodded frantically at that, clearing her throat a little before gesturing to Sour.

“Aria, this is Sour. Sour, this is Aria, an old friend of ours.”

Aria nodded to Sour.

“Sup?”

Sour regarded her carefully for a moment, before then giving a cautious nod in greeting. As for Pinkie, she turned to her old friend with that huge smile still plastered over her face.

“I didn’t know you girls were back yet! You shoulda called or something!”

Aria shrugged her shoulders with a somewhat irritated look on her face.

“Yeah, we decided to come back early. Kept on raining every time we went to the beach. Totally sucked.”

Although she probably wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt, Sour cleared her throat, gaining Aria’s attention.

“Sorry, but…you’re another student of CHS, right?”

Aria nodded.

“A pretty recent one…but yeah.”

Sour put on a smirk before assuming what, to her, was a very sure-of-herself pose.

“Well…I’m from Crystal Prep Academy, just so you know.”

Aria raised an eyebrow, looking her over a little before speaking up with a smirk of her own.

“Oh yeah? Well…I'm a centuries-old Siren from Equestria who once tried to take over the world.”

And immediately the smirk was washed off Sour’s face, replaced instead by a look that seemed to be half-disbelief and half shock, leading to Aria letting out a very loud chortle.

“I swear, I will never get tired of that look!”

Pinkie giggled at that, but it was short-lived, as all three of them began to hear a distinct set of bells coming from not too far away. A look of surprise and realisation crossed the pink-haired girl, as she then handed Gummy’s leash over to Aria for a moment before assuming an “I’m-about-to-run” pose.

“Ice cream truck! Gotta go!”

And with that, she was off, leaving a comical Pinkie-shaped cloud where she’d been standing, which promptly disappeared soon afterwards. Now alone together, both Aria and Sour looked at each other, with a mood of discomfort and awkwardness now having set in for them. After a long and incredibly uncomfortable silence between the two, Sour cleared her throat before speaking up.

“So…you don’t strike me as someone to be friends with someone like…well…her.”

Aria shrugged her shoulders and chuckled a little.

“Yeah…there was a time when I’D have thought that too. But, you know…things change.”

Sour nodded.

“Fair enough. A whole bunch of stuff happened while you were gone.”

Aria nodded.

“I can guess. Something always goes on at that school. Guess that’s what makes it fun.”

Sour raised an eyebrow.

“So…Pinkie…is she gonna be on my case? I mean, no offense, but you kinda look like a girl who’s been on the receiving end of a few pep talks from her. I know Applejack already gave me the live-and-let live talk, but…”

Aria turned in the direction Pinkie had run off to, before looking back to Sour. She stared at her for some time, as if to silently get a better feel for her, which was not something the latter seemed to appreciate, as evidenced by the frown that now crept upon her face. In the end though, Aria cracked a small smile before finally speaking up.

“Look…I bet you’re a pretty angry girl, right? Always ready to snap at someone, gets annoyed easily…and keeps it in, right?”

Sour’s eyes widened somewhat, and she looked to Aria with a degree of discomfort at having been figured out so easily. In the end, she simply nodded in confirmation, leading to Aria giving a nod of her own.

“Thought so. Look…I’ve had more than my fair share of anger issues over the years. And trust me…that’s a lot of years.”

Turning, Aria looked in Pinkie’s far-off direction once more, before, to Sour’s surprise, putting on another smile, and a much warmer one at that.

“But…being friends with her…with all of them…well, it helped. She never said I should be happy if I didn’t want to be, and she never made me do stuff I didn’t want to do.”

Slowly, she looked back to Sour.

“I know she may seem annoying, because believe me, I‘d had to put up with someone very similar for a lot longer. And yeah, she may be all over the place…but she knows how to be a friend. If you want to feel angry or bad about something…she’ll let you. Because Pinkie…she doesn’t make people smile.”

Letting out a sigh, Aria’s smile widened a little.

“…She…just makes you feel like you want to.”

Sour looked at her, seeing no hint of a lie behind those words, and her expression softened somewhat. In the end, she looked away, looking more than a little unsure about all this.

“I…I know that. She’s never told me to cheer up or anything. Her and her friends…they’re the only ones who’ve ever said that to me.”

Aria looked to her and chuckled a little.

“Yeah…it was weird for me too. But trust me. Being friends with them…it’ll help. Maybe not at first…but one day.”

Looking back to her, Sour opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when Pinkie came rushing back, holding a pair of ice creams in each hand. However, she said nothing, since her own mouth was stuffed with a third ice cream, which was presumably her own. After handing the ones in her hands to the other two girls, who graciously accepted them, Pinkie finally took out the one from her mouth, which inevitably led to her taking in a massive gasp of air. After that, she spoke up with her usual huge smile.

“Isn’t this great? Me and two friends just having fun in the park?”

Aria let out a brief laugh before nodded.

“Yeah. Who’d have thought a day would come when I’d actually agree with that?”

Pinkie giggled at that, turning to Sour, who, to her surprise, was actually starting to smile a little bit. After a while, the Crystal Prep girl finally spoke up.

“Thanks, Pinkie.”

To that, Pinkie gave a nod.

“No problem! I love giving my friends ice creams!”

Snorting a little, Sour spoke in a hushed manner, making sure Pinkie couldn’t hear her.

“…I wasn’t talking about the ice creams.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Sunny

While it was true that, on most days, the hard-working Apple family would be out in their orchards, picking the titular fruit of their lands, there were definitely days when they could just relax and let their hair down a bit. Today was just such a day, as all four of them, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, were all outside, just beyond the picket fence of their home, watching as the family dog, Winona, was playing about, catching the balls that they all threw to her. And every time she’d bring it back, it would be the same thing, a chorus of “good girl” by whoever threw it, aside from Big Mac, who simply gave his customary “eyup”. Indeed, if one were to look upon this scene at this very moment, they would feel nothing but warmth at being able to witness such a fun and loving family moment. However, the one who was visiting them seemed far from ecstatic about being here right now.

Sunny Flare, a student of Crystal Prep Academy, and who, even now, wore the distinct uniform of that school, stood at the window of the Apple family kitchen, looking out at the four of them with an unsure look upon her face. In her hands was a hot cup of tea, though she only took occasional sips of the thing, instead looking like she had a lot on her mind. She watched every movement of the family outside, until eventually, she observed Applejack breaking away from them, making her way into their home. Turning, Sunny looked upon the door of the kitchen as her host entered, walking over to the nearby fridge, no doubt to get drinks for her family. Sure enough, she pulled out a few soda cans, and only now did she turn to Sunny, putting on a warm smile and tipping her hat.

“How ya doin, Sunny? Enjoyin the farm?”

Sunny looked out of the window a little before answering.

“Not really my usual scene…but yeah, I kinda like it.”

Applejack chuckled a little before pulling a chair at the table in the middle of the room, gesturing to a chair on the opposite side. Sunny saw this and got the message, walking over and taking a seat. Now together, Applejack regarded the girl for a while before speaking up again.

“I gotta say, Sunny…ya don’t look all that happy.”

Sunny let out a sigh as she placed her cup upon the table.

“I’m fine, it’s just…I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Applejack nodded at that.

“Well…would ya wanna talk about it?”

Sunny looked up at her, somewhat taken aback by that offer, before turning her gaze away from her.

“Thanks for the offer, but…I’m not sure if I should.”

To that, Applejack frowned a little.

“Sunny…we’re supposed ta be friends now, remember? And friends help one another. So if there’s a problem…I’d like ta lend a hand.”

Slowly, Sunny looked to her host, and, as was so often the case with her, saw nothing but honesty in her expression. After a long and uncomfortable silence, she let out a sigh, looking down at the cup in her hands as she finally spoke up.

“You…you like your family, right? You get on well with them?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, looking as if she’d just been asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

“Well…yeah. I mean…they’re mah family. Ah love em!”

Sunny stared at her, taking in every word of that, though showing no emotion whatsoever as she spoke up herself.

“And…you’ve never had any problems with them?”

For the first time in all of this, Applejack looked a little uncomfortable, leading to her asking a question of her own.

“Just…just what are ya getting at, Sunny?”

Looking away from her, discomfort now ran all across Sunny’s face.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…it must be nice, having that kind of life.”

Looking at her, Applejack’s mind began to conjure up recent memories, specifically, discussions she’d had with her closest friends regarding this very girl. And in an instant, she began to understand what must have been going on in her mind. Although, this realisation led to a great deal of discomfort herself, as she knew what needed to be said, and what needed to be asked. However, though she prided herself on her honesty, there were times when that trait was more than a little irksome to her. This was most definitely one of those times, as she cleared her throat, gaining Sunny’s attention.

“Is…is this about…yer Ma?”

Sunny narrowed her eyes, but her expression soon softened afterwards.

“Yeah…I guess it is.”

Lifting her cup, Sunny took another sip, all while Applejack waited patiently. After a while, Sunny, after getting her thoughts in order, finally started to talk about what was bothering her.

“It’s just…me and her…we don't get along…at all. Whenever we talk, it’s always about the school or my grades.”

A frown formed on her face.

“You know…I can’t even remember the last time she called me by my first name. Nowadays…it’s always “Miss Flare”, or something like that.”

Applejack sat there looking quite uncomfortable about all this.

“Well…what about yer Pa? Doesn’t he treat ya better?”

Sunny looked away, her expression a somewhat pained one.

“He…he died. Shortly before I was born.”

Realising that she’d made a grave error, Applejack’s expression immediately became an apologetic one.

“Oh! Ah’m…ah’m sorry! Ah just thought…”

But Sunny raised a hand, stopping her.

“It’s fine. You weren’t to know.”

However, as Applejack was mentally kicking herself about what she’d brought up, Sunny regarded her carefully, looking somewhat hesitant herself.

“Dare I ask about your own?”

At that, Applejack’s expression became a more sober one, and she too tried to avoid Sunny’s gaze.

“Same. Ma too. When ah was little, just after Bloom was born.”

Sunny’s face softened considerably after that.

“I’m sorry.”

Applejack turned to her, giving an appreciative nod and smiling a little.

“Thanks. But…it was a long time ago. Guess it’s just the kinda stuff ya get used to.”

Sunny nodded at that before speaking up again.

“Yeah…I actually kind of envy you, Apples. You actually got to know your Dad. Me? All I ever knew was high-and-mighty Cinch.”

The resentment in her voice was clear, and she narrowed her eyes somewhat as her own memories began to come to the forefront of her mind. Applejack remained silent, knowing in her heart that an angry tirade was on the way. And sure enough, she watched as Sunny began to speak, her tone now more steely than before.

“For as long as I can remember…she always valued talent. Those who were better than others at something…those were the ones she paid attention to. She admired the best. And she was my Mother, so the best is what I tried to make myself into.”

Slowly, Sunny turned her gaze away as she continued.

“I studied harder, exercised harder…I did everything I needed to…all to become the best there was at everything at Crystal Prep.”

Although she knew she was travelling into dangerous territory, Applejack felt the need to speak up.

“Did…did it work?”

Turning to her, Sunny gave a nod, albeit while keeping that unhappy look of hers.

“Yeah…it worked. I got the top grades, did the best at sports, and put everyone at that school in my shadow. I was exactly what my Mother wanted me to be, what she needed me to be.”

For a moment, her expression softened again, almost to the point of looking nostalgic.

“For a while…it was good. I was doing so well…Mother was speaking to me…like she was proud of me. I felt…I felt happy. I was living up to her expectations. No. Exceeding them. And that…that felt like everything was as it should be.”

And, just as quickly as that comforting look came, it went, replaced instead by clear resentment. Sunny clenched her fists on the table, to the point where her knuckles were turning white, as she spoke, her voice barely containing her anger.

“And then…Twilight came to the school.”

Just like that, Applejack knew where this was going, though kept her mouth shut as Sunny spoke.

“Suddenly…I wasn’t the best anymore, at least not at everything. Twilight outdid me at Math, at Science…and a whole bunch of other stuff. She…she’d usurped me. And when that happened…dear Mother wasn’t all that interested in me anymore.”

Applejack opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when Sunny looked up at her, already prepared to counter.

“I know what you’re going to say, and no, I don’t hate Twilight for this. She was working as hard as she could to be as good as she could, like any of us would at that school. She never did this to hurt me or make things difficult for me or anyone else. I understand that.”

Looking away, Sunny expression became one of anger once more.

“No…it was Mother that earned my ire. When I was the best…she treated me like her flesh and blood. And when I wasn't…it was like she never even saw me. Instead, she focused on her own work, on the school. Those times she did decide to speak to me…”

For a moment, sadness flickered in Sunny’s eyes.

“…it was only to let me know how disappointed she was in me.”

Applejack sat there, in silence, as everything Sunny had said had finally run its course. One look at the girl and she knew that she had nothing more to say, nothing more to get off her chest. The lack of words was becoming more and more uncomfortable as time went on, and Applejack wondered if saying anything was a good idea at this point. Time and again, she went over in her mind something she could say to cheer her up, but it was clear that she’d bottled this up for so long that it had festered within her, maybe to the point where it was going to be impossible to change her mind on it. However, in the end, there was one thing she felt the need to ask, though she was hesitant to do so.

“Sunny. Do…do ya actually love yer Ma?”

Slowly, Sunny turned to look at her, with an expression that made it look as if she’d just been insulted.

“She’s my Mother. She raised me. She gave me everything. She made me who I am today.”

However, rather than be cowed by the aggression with which those words had been spoken, Applejack kept her eyes on her, bearing a soft expression, which was mirrored in her voice.

“Sunny…ah didn’t hear ya say yes.”

At that, Sunny opened her mouth, ready to respond again, only to find that she couldn’t. The fact of the matter was that Applejack had spoken truly. She hadn't said “yes” to the question. Instead, she looked down at the table, her expression one of confusion and uncertainty. And soon, when she spoke again, it was clear that her anger had been replaced by sadness.

“I…I want to love her.”

Turning away, Sunny did her best to avoid having Applejack look at her face, but it was not enough, as the farm girl saw that, there, falling down her cheek, was a single tear.

“And more than that… more than anything else…I just want…I…I just need…to know that she loves me.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Twilight

Now, on a bad day, or at least what would be thought of as a bad day, the local animal shelter of Canterlot would be abuzz with the near-deafening noise of animals. Dogs barking, birds squawking, and even the general chatter of some of the smaller creatures housed there. All-in-all it was not the type of place for one who enjoyed a little bit of peace and quiet. However, thankfully, today was a good day, and all of the animals were rested, sleeping soundly or just sitting quietly in their pens. In this time, the shelter was exactly the kind of relaxing atmosphere one needed after a long and stressful day. Such was the time that Twilight Sparkle, noted student of Crystal Prep Academy, now found herself, entering through the front doors of this place and looking around. However, rather than her usual appearance, the girl had actually taken to letting her hair down, rather than keeping it up in a bun as she usually did.

While not really a fanatical animal lover, a smile nevertheless crept onto her face at the sight of the creatures around her. And so it was that she felt comfortable enough to set down her school bag, unzipping it to reveal her beloved dog, Spike. Once out, the small canine made his way over to the various enclosures, sniffing them with curiosity, all while Twilight herself began to look around in earnest. After a few minutes of this however, the silence of the moment was disturbed by the arrival of another; Fluttershy. The pink-haired girl emerged from a door on the other side of the room, catching Twilight's attention, and it wasn’t long before she too was noticed, taking on a smile at seeing her friend. Twilight returned the smile, though kept silent as Fluttershy got on with her own work, carrying a box of animal feed over to the nearby counter. Only when it was set down did the girl finally speak.

"It's good to see you, Twilight. I didn't know if you were going to come."

Twilight nodded before turning, looking towards Spike, who was still investigating his fellow animals.

"Well...I had a bit more spare time than I thought, but I figured I could at least make it over for a little while."

Fluttershy smiled at that, starting to take out the various food items from the box. After a few more moments though, she stopped, instead looking to Twilight as if she'd just noticed something.

"Oh! Twilight! Your...your hair!"

Although confused at first, a look of realisation crossed Twilight's face, coupled with a slight blush, as she raised a hand and trailed her fingers through her now-loose hair.

"Oh, that. Yeah...um...I figured it might be nice to try a new style, and, well...here it is."

Fluttershy regarded it for a few moments before putting on a small smile.

"It's very pretty. But...don't you think it's a bit too much like...you know?"

Twilight didn't need to ask for clarification, for she already knew what her friend was talking about.

"Yeah. I know it's like her. I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing for you."

But Fluttershy shook her head at that.

“Don’t worry about me. You just do what you're comfortable with.”

Twilight looked to her, smiling in an appreciative way. However, as the spectacled girl turned, trying to put her gaze upon the surrounding animals, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of something in the girl’s eye. Hesitation perhaps? Maybe some kind of worry? Regardless, it was most definitely a clue to her that not all was right with the Crystal Prep girl. Now, most people who knew her would say that Fluttershy was not very outgoing, and certainly not the kind to involve herself where she felt she might not be wanted. And yet, here, in this time and place, she felt a need to speak to her friend.

“Um…Twilight? Is…is everything alright?”

Twilight turned to her, her face betraying the uncertainty she felt.

“Oh…yeah. I’m fine.”

But Fluttershy was unconvinced by that.

“Twilight…I know that look. It’s the same look I have when I’m trying to convince everyone else that something is fine.”

Twilight opened her mouth to give as retort to that, only to silence herself, turning from her friend with a look of shame. She had been figured out, and now there was no turning back from this. Fluttershy saw the clear discomfort she had, and was, admittedly, loathe to probe further. And yet, in her heart, she knew her friend was troubled by something, and so, being the kind of girl she was, she felt that this was something she had to enquire deeper about.

“Twilight…please…talk to me. You’re my friend. And…I want to help you if there’s something bothering you.”

Twilight turned to her, hesitation plastered all over her face, and opened her mouth several times, only to give out many false starts. In the end, she let out a deep sigh when she finally spoke, albeit in a hushed manner.

“Fluttershy…you and the other girls…you think of me as your friend, right?”

Fluttershy looked more than a little taken aback by those words, but nevertheless smiled and nodded in confirmation.

“Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?”

Twilight looked down at the ground, poking her index fingers together as she replied.

“It’s just…are you sure you really want to be friends with…with me?”

At that, Fluttershy tilted her head, her face bearing clear confusion.

“I…I don’t know what you mean.”

Again, Twilight was hesitant, and as always, Fluttershy gave her the time she needed to say what she needed to.

“It’s just…I need to know…are you all trying to be friends with me…or…or are you just trying to hold onto your friendship with…her?”

It took several moments for Fluttershy to truly understand what Twilight was talking about, and when she finally did, her eyes widened.

“You…you mean…Princess Twilight?”

Twilight nodded, a look of sadness crossing her eyes.

“There hasn’t been a single moment I’ve spent with you girls that I haven’t been thankful for. But…you’re the only real friends I’ve ever had, aside from Spike, my brother and Dean Cadence. So…”

The girl turned, unable to look Fluttershy in the eye any longer.

“I…I need to know…if you truly want to be friends with me…or if this is just a way for you to keep someone else in your life.”

Fluttershy stood there in utter silence, shocked at the words her friend had spoken. In truth, the look on her face made it clear that it was not something she had considered, and yet, her response was not to simply deny the accusation. Instead, she turned, looking away from Twilight, and thinking deeply about the matter. Twilight watched her, half-terrified at whatever answer she was going to hear. She clenched her fists, fighting against the urge to simply run out rather than stay and hear what Fluttershy had to say in response. But, stay she did, and after a long and incredibly uncomfortable silence, Fluttershy sighed, turning to her with a somewhat saddened look.

“I…I want to say that your fears are wrong. I want to tell you that we’re friends with you for selfless reasons, and that we wanted to help you. But…Applejack is not the only one of us who feels the need to be honest.”

Twilight stayed silent, watching as Fluttershy continued.

“Maybe we weren’t aware of it…and maybe we never even considered it…but now that you’ve said it…now that I’ve actually had to think about it…I think the truth is that, yes, some small part of me wanted to hold onto…onto her.”

So, from the mouth of Twilight’s friend herself, the truth had come out, and it was exactly as she’d feared. However, before Twilight had the chance to turn away, Fluttershy stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gaining her attention once more.

“But…that’s not the only part of all this. While I may have wanted, on some level, to be friends with you so I can keep a Twilight in my life…I also wanted to be friends with you…as in this Twilight, not just the other.”

Twilight looked to her with confusion, though still kept her mouth shut. Letting out a sigh, Fluttershy continued.

“I know it’s a terrible thing to admit to…and I’m sorry if it makes you feel sad to learn this. And I’m definitely sorry if we made you feel all that during our time together. I wish…I wish we’d have talked about this before…but I mean what I say, Twilight.”

Slowly, a smile crept onto her face.

“You’re not just a link to me. Not just a way to remind myself of her. You are your own person, your own Twilight. You’re a whole other friend to me, a friend who isn't her, even if you do share the same face.”

Stepping closer, Fluttershy’s face was one of reassurance.

“And I can promise you this…all of the girls, Sunset, Rainbow and the rest…I’m sure they feel the same about you as I do.”

Another silence fell between them, through this was far from being as uncomfortable as the last. Twilight stood there, taking in everything that had been said to her, and before long, Fluttershy saw, to her slight worry, that tears were beginning to form in her friend’s eyes. However, after removing her glasses and wiping those tears away, Twilight began to smile, and in a genuine manner.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. I…I really needed to hear that.”

Fluttershy smiled right back, and before long, the two girls moved closer, embracing one another in a hug. It was a warm feeling between them, and certainly a pleasant one, and of course, this was the moment when Spike finally turned to see what was going on. One look at the hug however, and he turned right back around, deciding that it would probably be for the best not to ask what was happening. As for the two girls, they parted from each other soon afterwards, and Twilight, still smiling, took both hands and began to tie her hair back into its distinct bun, all while Fluttershy watched with approval in her expression.

“There we go. You look like you again.”

Twilight chuckled a little as she finished her tying up.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. All that stuff…well…it was bothering me.”

The pink-haired girl nodded before looking as if an idea came to mind.

“You know…I hear Princess Twilight had a similar problem when she first came to our world.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

“She did?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Oh yes. Apparently she was already friends with pony versions of me, Rarity and all the rest of us. So coming here and meeting all of us…it must have been difficult.”

Twilight nodded, looking genuinely interested at that.

“Hmmm…sounds like it was quite an ordeal.”

Considering that point, Fluttershy put on another smile.

“Oooh! Maybe you could ask Sunset for that magic book of hers? Maybe…maybe correspond with the other Twilight yourself?”

Twilight paused for a moment, thinking that over, before a small smile began to creep onto her face once more.

“Yeah…I think I’d like that.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Indigo

While there were a relative handful of people who could honesty say that they knew Rarity as a person, anyone who spent more than a few moments with her could probably get a pretty good feel for what she was like. Elegant, refined, the kind of girl who strived for the fancier things in life. The kind of high class and “fabulousness” that only a few could really achieve without having any actual royalty in their blood. As such, finding her in a place like the local spa of Canterlot would not have surprised anyone in the slightest, especially her friends. A place dedicated to rest, relaxation and pampering would have outright called to a girl like Rarity like a flame to a moth. So it was that she now stood there, in the changing room of that place, having already changed out of her normal attire and into nothing more than a towel the same shade as her hair, which was currently wrapped snuggly around her body.

“Indigo, darling, you really must come out now. You’ve been in there for an age.”

Looking at the doors of one of the nearby booths, Rarity’s expression was one of disapproval as nothing but silence came in response from the other side. Frowning, she folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, staying perfectly still as she waited for an answer. After a long while, she got it, albeit one with a nervous tint to it.

“It’s just…ugh! This is all so…so…so girly!”

Hearing that, Rarity rolled her eyes.

“Indigo, you’ve already agreed to this. Now come on out! You know you can’t stay in there forever.”

Yet again, a silence fell between the two, leading to yet another disapproving glare from the young fashionista. However, this time, the silence did not last as long, as the door of the booth finally creaked open, leading to Rarity putting on a small smile. She stayed there, watching as her companion finally emerged from the place. Indigo Zap, one of the best athletes of Crystal Prep Academy, and, for today, her spa companion. Like Rarity, the girl was dressed in nothing more than a towel, except that this one was the same dark-blue colour as Indigo’s hair. However, unlike Rarity, she did not have a very happy look on her face.

“Argh! Why did I agree to do this again?”

Rarity stifled a small giggle before giving an answer.

“I believe you lost a bet with Rainbow over who could drink five ice-cold milkshakes the fastest. And…well…I believe she won.”

Indigo narrowed her eyes at that.

“Yeah…nearly spit her head apart with brain freeze. Although…I honestly don’t know which of us came out worse with that.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and grabbed onto Indigo’s arm, gently pulling her along as they made their way towards the main area of the spa.

“Now Indigo, you really mustn’t be like that. I assure you, I come here all the time and not once have I ever had anything to complain about.”

As the two of them finally entered the main area of the building, where several other customers were being treated by attendants like Aloe and Lotus, Indigo looked to her with an incredulous expression.

“Yeah, sure, you don’t have anything to complain about! Me? I can’t stand places like this! Just sitting around while people…ugh…touch you?”

Rarity looked to her with slight bemusement at that.

“Oh hush! It’s not that bad. Who knows? You may even come to love coming to places like this.”

At that, Indigo let out a dry laugh.

“Ha! Yeah, good luck with that.”

Brushing some of her hair aside, Rarity turned from her less-than-enthusiastic companion, and instead to Lotus, who had finished working on another client and was now free. Seeing one of her regulars, Lotus put on a smile and silently invited both Rarity and Indigo to walk over, though the latter wasn’t exactly comfortable doing so. Once there, the two girls sat on their respective deck-chairs, watching as Lotus walked off to prepare herself for a new session. In the absence of the attendant, Indigo looked around, seeming both bored and nervous about it all.

“You love all this stuff, don’t you, Rares?”

Rarity turned to her with a massive smile.

“Of course I do! A place like this makes you feel like you’re the only thing that matters! Everyone who works here does their best to make you so relaxed you’ll practically fall asleep!”

Indigo rolled her eyes at that.

“Sounds dull.”

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped when another voice entered the fray.

“You sound like my sister when she first came here.”

Although both had been taken aback by this new voice, they both turned in unison to see who had spoken. There, walking towards them, was a girl who looked about their age with the biggest quantity of orange hair that Indigo had ever seen in her life. Although her first instinct would have been to give some kind of comeback, Indigo was prevented from doing so when Rarity jumped up from her chair with a look of delight upon her face.

“Adagio?! My goodness, darling! I had no idea that you were a client here!”

Having reached the two girls, Adagio placed a hand upon her hip and chuckled slightly.

“Good to see you too, Rarity dear. Although…I’m not exactly a client.”

Rarity, at first, seemed confused by that, but slowly, she began to notice that Adagio was clad not in her usual attire, but rather a white uniform, not unlike the one Lotus had been wearing mere moments ago. Seeing this, it only took a few seconds for the young fashionista to put the pieces together in her mind, leading to her looking up at Adagio with shock.

“Oh my! You’re working here now?”

Adagio nodded at that.

“Indeed I am. Turns out I have some talent in…shall we say…making people comfortable.”

Rarity considered that, nodding as she began to understand that her friend had a point. However, she was soon prevented from enquiring further when the sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention. Turning, she saw Indigo, having folded her arms and crossed her legs with a look of slight annoyance upon her face.

“So…am I gonna be left in the dark here, or…?”

Realising that she’d forgotten her, Rarity adopted a somewhat apologetic look.

“Oh! Yes! How rude of me! Indigo, this is Adagio, an old friend of mine and the others. Adagio, this is Indigo.”

Stepping forward, the elder Siren stretched out a hand, smirking slightly.

“Charmed, I’m sure.”

Indigo looked from her face, to the hand and then back again, before finally grasping it, giving a brief shake while maintaining a somewhat sceptical look.

“Are you sure you’re good at making people comfortable? Because, no offense, but I’m getting some bad vibes from you right now.”

However, rather than be offended, Adagio merely let out a brief laugh, which, for some reason, sent a shiver down Indigo’s spine.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I have that effect on a lot of people.”

Naturally, this did not make Indigo feel at ease in the slightest, and she looked to Rarity, her expression one of almost pleading for help. Rarity, however, merely giggled at this and gave her a silent reassuring look, as if to say that everything would be fine. Although still uncomfortable, Indigo elected to just go along with it, watching as Adagio turned to Rarity.

“So, I assume it’s your famous usual this time, Rarity?”

Rarity nodded at that, leaning back into her chair a little.

“Naturally, darling. Although…”

She turned to Indigo, wearing a slightly sly smile as she did so.

“…perhaps it might be better if my friend here were to receive your services today?”

Immediately, Indigo’s head snapped in her direction, her eyes widened with shock.

“What?!”

Adagio chuckled slightly, taking a step forward and placing a reassuring hand upon Indigo’s bare shoulder.

“Now now, girl. There’s no need to worry. I assure you I am very good at this sort of thing.”

Indigo turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah…you being good isn’t exactly what I’m worried about. This just feels…kinda wrong to me.”

Adagio’s smile faded a little as she heard that, looking away to Rarity, who merely shrugged her shoulders in response. After a while, Adagio turned back to the Crystal Prep girl, letting out a sigh as she stepped back from her.

“Very well. If that’s the way you want it, then I won’t force you.”

As one might expect, Indigo was quite taken aback by that.

“R…really?”

Adagio nodded.

“I mean what I say, Indigo dear. If you’re so adamant that I not be your attendant today, I’m sure I can find one of my co-workers to fill the role.”

She looked away briefly, looking as if she was thinking hard on the matter, only to gain, to Indigo’s chagrin, a smile not dissimilar to what Rarity had worn not so long ago.

“In fact…I do believe Bulk is coming off his lunch break by now.”

Indigo looked to Rarity with confusion in her expression, but saw that the latter was hiding her obviously-smirking face away from her. Instead, Indigo tried to wrack her brain after having heard that name, only to have her eyes snap open as she looked up to Adagio once more.

“Wait…Bulk?! You mean that beefy guy from CHS?!”

Adagio watched as Indigo seemed quite distressed by this, which, as anyone who knew her would guess, merely led to her seeming all the more sure of herself.

“Oh indeed. I can promise you he is most professional about this sort of thing. In fact, the reports I get from the other clients is superb. The way he massages you from your neck all the way down your your…well…posterior. It really is quite something.”

Immediately, Indigo clutched onto her towel, holding it tight to her body as though the boy in question was right there already. After wrestling with this in her mind for some time, she let her shoulders slump a little as she sighed in defeat.

“Alright! You win! You can do all that…all that stupid spa stuff on me.”

Adagio and Rarity both smiled at that, with the latter, clapping her hands together with delight as she squealed happily.

“Oooh! What a wonderful decision, darling! After you’re through here, you’ll be begging to come back every week at least!”

Indigo scoffed at that.

“Don’t hold your breath.”

But, as Rarity looked away and instead began to look at some nearby magazines, Adagio moved closer, looking Indigo over a little before leaning close.

“Oh…I promise you, Miss Indigo. You will enjoy this.”

Indigo turned to her with slight worry, but remained silent as Adagio continued.

“Why…by the time I’m finished working my magic on you…you’ll be screaming my name for hours.”

Naturally, Indigo’s eyes shrank to pinpoints upon hearing this, and her face went as white as a sheet as she spoke, albeit in a hushed and almost whisper-like voice.

“I…I need an adult.”

But, rather than say anything in response, Adagio remained silent, leading to Indigo looking to her with confusion.

“Um…aren’t you…aren’t you going to say…?”

“No. I’m not. That joke’s been done to death.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Sugarcoat

Canterlot High had, over the last few years, gained something of a reputation. To those “in the know” it was a place of hectic and wild activities, and that was if you didn't count the occasional magical goings on. However, there was at least one place on the entire campus that was far from the usual hustle and bustle of school life here, and that was the CHS library. This place, which was the embodiment of calm and peaceful at the school, was where the really serious studiers came to for their work. If you needed to get on with your academics, this was the place to come to. And so it was that Sunset Shimmer now found herself here, working through a particularly difficult-looking algebra equation. Page after page of math textbooks she poured over, and yet, given the kind of student she was, rarely did she ever seem to struggle with it. But then, that was Sunset, always the best there was at this school when it came to that kind of thing.

However, she did not stay there for long, because, as anyone who knew her could have guessed, it took her very little time to actually finish her work on such a thing, and so, with a satisfied smile upon her face, she closed her book, making sure to do so quietly, lest the library’s keeper, Cheerilee, be disturbed by the sound of books slamming shut. Although, as Sunset got up from her desk, she stopped when she heard the distinct sound of the library’s door opening up. Turning, a look of surprise crossed her face when she saw that there, entering the library in earnest, was none other than Sugarcoat, one of Crystal Prep’s most noted students. Still clad in the uniform of that school, the girl earned herself more than a few glances from the CHS students. However, they paid her no mind, given that their schools had come to something of a truce recently. And yet, it was Sunset who finally spoke to her when she began to pass her general area.

“Sugarcoat?”

At that, the girl stopped, turning to see Sunset at last. After looking her over for a moment, the Crystal Prep girl adjusted her glasses a little before finally speaking up.

“Good to see you Sunset. Busy with homework, I assume?”

Sunset nodded before gesturing to the now-closed book on her desk.

“Just finished it actually. What about you?”

Sugarcoat regarded her for a moment before raising a hand and pointing to the rest of the library.

“Since our schools are getting closer nowadays, I thought it might do to really look around the place. See what it has to offer.”

Sunset considered that, before putting on a small smile and nodding.

“Well…I know I certainly like the school…though I doubt it really compares to a place like Crystal Prep if you wanted serious education.”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“Indeed. Our school has been around since the founding of the city. This one, by contrast is much younger…so I’m not surprised if it lacks some of the…refinement that Crystal Prep has to offer.”

Although Sunset would have wanted to instinctively defend her school, she realised that Sugarcoat had a point, and so sighed and nodded in response. Turning to her, Sugarcoat considered their conversation so far, before, rather hesitantly, speaking up again.

“Although…I will say that this place has it’s…charms. For one thing, you all seem far friendlier with one another than our school is.”

Sunset looked to her and let out a brief chuckle, gesturing to her desk, specifically to an empty seat that was on the opposite side from where she’d been sitting. Sugarcoat looked at it for a while before nodding to her, understanding her silent message. After watching Sugarcoat get seated, Sunset took her own seat again and leaned closer to her before finally starting to talk again.

“Believe me, everyone being all chummy with each other is a fairly recent thing.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at that.

“Am I to understand that you had something to do with that state of affairs?”

Sunset exhaled deeply, looking away with some slight shame upon her face.

“Guilty as charged. I was a mess back then. Kept wanting to keep people apart. I never understood or saw the value in the relationships people had with one another. So to keep control…I just ruined a whole lot of stuff.”

Sugarcoat listened to every word of that, looking intently at Sunset for a long while.

“Curious. To see you as you are now…one would never think you were anything else.”

Sunset nodded, a warm smile creeping onto her face.

“Believe me…it was a hard road. But…it was worth it.”

Nodding, Sugarcoat turned to the rest of the place.

“I must confess…despite the apparent damage you did to the various friendships here…you’d never assume that was the case. Everyone here is so much closer than the students at my school.”

Sunset looked to her, sensing a slight degree of envy in her voice, which naturally prompted her to speak up about it.

“Aren’t…aren’t there friendships over at your school?”

Sugarcoat turned to her and nodded.

“Of course. But, given the expectations placed on us, we often find that we have…other priorities.”

Sunset nodded at that, though her expression wasn’t a happy one.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

However, Sugarcoat raised a hand, stopping her.

“I appreciate your words, Sunset, but they’re unnecessary. It’s just something we’ve all grown used to. Most of us would not trade our lives there for anything, despite the obvious difficulties.”

Looking away, Sugarcoat looked deep in thought for a moment, gazing at all of the various girls and boys in the library, and the way they spoke and interacted with each other. Her eyes flickered for a moment as her thoughts set in for her, and before long, she turned back to Sunset.

“However…I am pleased to report that…well…things are becoming a bit more…social, back at the school.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? How so?”

Sugarcoat considered that for a moment before giving an answer.

“It seems that our most recent competition against you has had quite an impact. Seeing the way you’re all friends with each other…I think it’s safe to say that it’s rubbed off on us.”

A smile crept onto Sunset’s face after hearing that.

“That’s…that’s good! You and the other Shadowbolts are making friends more?”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“Indeed. Aside from our recent interactions with you and the others, we’ve also taken to spending more time with one another. Before the Games, we very rarely spoke. We were just…classmates. Now…I think it’s safe to say that things are growing beyond that.”

Hearing that, Sunset gave a nod.

“Well…I’m happy to hear that. I know there was once a time when I would have been the last person to be any real authority on the matter, but…”

A silence feel for a few moments as Sunset considered her words, leading to her putting on a wider smile than before.

“…but I promise you…having friends in your life is something you will learn to cherish. And a day will come when you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.”

Sugarcoat considered that, before giving a short nod.

“You are a most intelligent girl, Sunset. It’s a shame you elected to go here instead of Crystal Prep. You’d have done well there.”

A chuckle escaped Sunset after hearing that.

“I appreciate the offer, Sugarcoat. But I…well…the old me…all I cared about back then was being better than everyone else. Being a big fish in a small pond suited me pretty well, as terrible as that might be to say.”

Sugarcoat nodded at that.

“Not terrible in the slightest. If what you were looking for was a sense of superiority, then your choice was a wise one. May I ask if that’s how you still feel?”

Hearing that, Sunset shook her head.

“No. At least…not the way it was before. Before…it was all about me. Now…now I stay because, well…this place is home to me. The school, the friends I’ve made here…it’s just home.”

Sugarcoat sat there in silence, looking deep in thought.

“Good. It’s…it’s good that you feel that way about your school.”

There was something in her voice, hesitation perhaps, that Sunset picked up on immediately. And while a voice in her head warned against probing too deeply, she nevertheless felt the need to.

“Haven’t you ever felt that way about your school?”

To that, Sugarcoat merely shook her head.

“No. Not really.”

Sunset thought long and hard about that, thinking how best to respond, until, at last, she said the only thing she knew she could.

“Well…if things really are getting better there, like you said…maybe you will feel that way about it…one day.”

Sugarcoat looked to her, and for a brief moment, Sunset could have sworn she was about to smile. However, this was not the case, and yet, when she spoke, her voice now had what could only be described as a happier tint to it.

“…One can only hope.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Sour

“You want me to what?!”

Sour Sweet’s expression was, at this moment, a mixture of many things. Confusion. Shock, Incredulity. And above all else, a sense of suspicion, as if the person speaking to her might have been joking. Unfortunately, there was no such luck with the latter, as the one talking to her was none other than Rainbow Dash, infamous for being, if anything, even more brutally honest than Applejack, albeit with far less tact. The two girls stood together, out in Rainbow’s back yard, which, as one would expect of a girl like her, was filled with a great number of sports equipment, from footballs to hockey sticks. Right now though, they weren’t involved in any of it, and simply stood on the grass, staring at each other. Sour was looking quite taken aback, while Rainbow just stood there, hands on hips, looking more than a little pleased with herself.

“You heard me. I want you to let it all out.”

Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

“Okay, you may want to just, you know, add context to that, Dash.”

Rainbow let out a brief chuckle.

“Look, I know you and I haven’t exactly spent a lot of time together, but I think it’s safe to say that it was kinda obvious that you’re holding a whole bunch of bad stuff in you, and that’s not cool.”

To that, Sour narrowed her eyes somewhat.

“Not cool? Not exactly the best way to describe it.”

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe. But I call it like I see it, and what I see in you is someone who has a lot on her chest. So go ahead, just let it out. Whatever bad stuff you wanna say, just say it.”

Sour, for the first time in this conversation, actually looked quite hesitant, as her eyes darted from left to right, as if the eyes of the world were on her. Seeing this, Rainbow let out a hearty chuckle.

“Don’t worry about it! There’s nobody here to judge you! It’s just you and me!”

Even in spite of that little pep talk, Sour was remaining hesitant on the whole matter.

“Look…I…I appreciate what you’re trying to do. It’s just…it’s not the kinda thing you can just…you know…let out. I mean…you know what people are like, right?”

To that, Rainbow nodded.

“Sure. Everyone out there in school or society, or whatever you wanna call it, they just go on and on about saying how we’re all supposed to be nice and sweet with each other and not say bad things and blah blah blah.”

Looking right at Sour yet again, Rainbow started to frown a little.

“But you know what? That’s not right! Yeah, I know it’s nice to be…well…nice. But that doesn’t mean we just ignore it if we wanna feel bad stuff. I mean, if someone were to come up top me and tell me I had to just never say what was on my mind, no matter how bad it was, I’d tell em to get lost!”

Sour looked away from her, hesitancy still plastered all over her face.

“It’s just…our school…”

But, she was stopped, as Rainbow took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We’re not at your school! And we’re not at mine either. We’re here, and here, you can say what you want. So…go ahead.”

Sour looked at her, and saw nothing but honesty in Rainbow’s expression. However, it was as clear as day to Rainbow that Sour was still going to find it difficult. It was like telling a person with a fear of water to just jump in the deep end. A few words weren’t going to cut it, and Rainbow knew that. So, sighing, she put a hand behind her head and started scratching there, thinking over what to do. Moments later, a look appeared on her face that probably should have come along with a flashing lightbulb above her head, and soon, she was darting behind the nearby shed of the back yard, all while Sour looked on with confusion. Moments later, Rainbow re-emerged, with what was undoubtedly a punching bag in her hands.

“I got this idea from my friend, Aria. I think you met her, right?”

Sour nodded in confirmation, prompting Rainbow to continue.

“Well, she had a lot of anger issues to, and she took to dishing it out on things like these to help her. I figured, maybe it’ll work for you too.”

Sour took on a sceptical look at that, but remained silent as Rainbow tied the punching bag so that it was now hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. After checking to make sure it was tied up properly and sturdy, the rainbow-haired girl gave it a quick pat before turning to Sour with a smirk.

“Go ahead. Give it a few whacks.”

Sour was, admittedly, still unsure about all this, but it was clear to her that Rainbow wasn’t going to let go of this, and so let out a sigh. Walking over, she gave the bag a quick look over, turning briefly to Rainbow, who was still smirking, before looking back to the bag in earnest. After pausing for a few moments, she raised a hand, balling it into a fist, before delivering a quick blow to the thing. It was hardly a massive punch, and yet, there was something about it that caused Sour to feel just the tiniest bit relieved. Seeing that look on her face, Rainbow slapped a hand down on her shoulder as she spoke.

“There we go! Now then…Why don’t we start this again? Something small this time. Like…like the food they serve over at Crystal Prep. Took a look at it once. Wasn’t a fan. How do you feel about it?”

Sour looked to her, and then back to the bag. Raising a hand, she delivered another blow, albeit slightly stronger than the last.

“I…I don’t like it. I mean, I understand that the chefs are supposed to be these big and fancy names, but…”

Gradually, a deeper frown appeared on the girl’s face.

“…but come on! There’s all that space on the plate and the portion is only a mouthful! I’m no chef, but I’m fairly certain that a meal isn’t supposed to leave you more hungry than what you started!”

Another, more powerful blow was dealt to the bag.

“And it’s not just Crystal Prep! There’s this guy at a café in town, I can’t stand him! Always going on about his coffee and stuff! Apparently he’s never actually tasted it, because it’s the most bitter and disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted! And he has the nerve to charge ten bucks for it!”

Another punch was dealt, and this once caused the bag to move backwards quite a bit. Rainbow watched, satisfied in her particular brand of therapy, but stayed silent as Sour continued.

“And you know what I really can’t stand? Some of my classmates! I can’t tell you how many of the guys at Crystal Prep go about with this sneer and smirk on their faces, like they’re the best thing to ever happen to that place! It makes me sick! I mean sure, we’re supposed to act like we’re better than other schools, but you don’t have to dial it up to eleven, guys!”

The next punch was particularly powerful, prompting Rainbow to take a step back.

“And Cinch! Oh, that high-and-mighty Principal can just take her precious legacy and just cram it! No offense to Sunny or anything, but her Mom is so friggin obsessed with making this school so prim and proper than you wonder if she wasn’t just born with a stick jammed right up her…!”

“Aaaaand I think we’re done!”

Sour turned, looking to Rainbow for the first time since this punching session began. For a moment, she wondered why she’d been stopped, however, that soon changed when she began to look up, and saw, to her slight horror, that she’d been punching the bag so much that the branch had nearly snapped off the tree. Immediately, she took on an apologetic look, clearing her throat in a nervous manner. Almost instinctively, she began to speak in the typical “sweet” way that she had so often used as a mask in the past.

“I’m…I’m sorry! I just kinda got carried away there, and…”

But, she was stopped form saying anything further, as Rainbow raised a hand, looking to her with a smile.

“Hey, it’s no biggie, Sour. I asked you to do this remember?”

But Sour looked away, still looking more than a little guilty.

“I know, it’s just…those things I said…I’m not supposed to…”

However, she didn’t get the chance to finish, as Rainbow placed her hand upon her shoulder, gaining her attention.

“Sour…people get angry. It’s only natural. Bottling it up because you’re worried about what others will think of you…that isn’t right. It’s not good for you, and you know it.”

Slowly, a smile crept onto Rainbow‘s face.

“Being angry at stuff isn’t a crime. Telling people they should feel bad about feeling angry…that is. Well...it isn't, but it should be!”

A silence fell between them, and Sour looked more than a little conflicted. She turned, looking at the punching bag she’d used to take out her frustrations. If there was one thing she could not deny, it was that having a moment, however brief, to just cut loose and say what she wanted, it felt good. In this moment, relief like she hadn’t known for a long time began to wash over her, and in this place, in the knowledge that she wasn’t being judged for being angry, she let out a contented sigh, turning to Rainbow with a small smile.

“Thanks, Dash.”

Chuckling, Rainbow merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, no problem. That’s what friends do.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Sunny

“Well? What do you think?”

The look that was now plastered all over Pinkie Pie’s face was one of sheer joy. As Sunny watched her, it would not have been unreasonable for the girl to be worried that her bubbly companion’s smile was so wide that it may well pop off her face entirely. And yet, knowing Pinkie as she did at this point, she knew she wasn’t going to get away without giving some kind of response. So, letting out a sigh, the Crystal Prep girl turned and looked upon the central workspace of Pinkie’s kitchen, which had been covered in all manner of items used for baking. Flour, yeast, jugs of water, it was all here, ready to be put into whatever Pinkie had in mind. Placing a hand upon her hip, Sunny had been wracking her brain for something to say, but in the end, she said perhaps the only thing she could have said under the circumstances.

“It’s very…comprehensive.”

Pinkie, thankfully, allowed her smile to shrink a little, though she looked no less happy for doing so. Turning from her guest, she instead walked over to the baking materials on display, picking up a particularly large bag of flour and just smiling sweetly at it.

“It sure is! I can’t tell you how much I enjoy this kinda stuff! I mean, I can tell you, because that’s what I was planning, but you get my drift.”

Sunny nodded.

“Oh, sure, I get your drift alright.”

Pinkie, apparently not having picked up on the girl’s sarcasm, simply squealed at it all.

“It’s just so nice to come home and do some backing! And what we make? It can be some of the tastiest stuff you can ever know!”

Sunny folded her arms and raised her eyebrow a little.

“Yeah…but you could always go to a professional baker or something if all you want is a cake or the like.”

To that, Pinkie merely rolled her eyes.

“Well duh! But that’s no fun! I mean, sure, I could go to Mr and Mrs Cakes and buy a cake from them, but it just wouldn’t be the same!”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Pinkie’s expression became one of worry.

“Oh! I mean, I love their cakes, and they’re great bakers, and I really really don’t want to upset them or anything, but…”

But, she was stopped from saying anything further, as Sunny raised a hand, looking slightly annoyed at Pinkie’s sudden divergence.

“No problem. I get it.”

Pinkie nodded at that, apparently having got out of her funk in record time, at least by Sunny’s standards. And so, as before, a massive smile crept onto the girl’s face.

“But oh! What sweetness our own cakes can have! The feeling of having made it yourself is just…oooh! I can’t even say!”

In spite of her earlier sense of annoyance, Sunny now found herself chuckling a little.

“I can tell you like this kinda thing, Pinkie. And I know you’re good at it too.”

To that, Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

“Really? How?”

Looking to her, Sunny took on a slightly confused look before starting to explain herself.

“Um…the Games, remember? Your cake beat ours by miles.”

Hearing that, a look of realisation crossed Pinkie’s face, resulting in yet another smile erupting from her.

“Oh yeah! I remember that! That was such a good cake!"

For a moment, a look of pride crossed the pink girl's face.

"But then, when you spend as much time practising at Sugar Cube Corner as I do, I guess you pick up a few things."

And as soon as that look had come, it left, replaced instead by one of concern.

"Oh, but I hope you guys weren’t too unhappy about it.”

To that, Sunny simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Meh, it happens. You can’t win em all, right?”

However, those words, rather than putting Pinkie at ease, actually led to a degree of confusion on her part.

“Really? Wow, Sunny. I didn’t expect you to be all live-and-let-live about it.”

Raising an eyebrow of her own, Sunny’s smile faded a little.

“Oh? You think me…the uptight sort?”

As soon as she heard that, Pinkie regained her guilt-ridden look from earlier, waving her hand about in a frantic manner, almost like she was trying to put out a fire.

“Oh! I’m sorry! It’s just, well, I was kinda expecting you to be more bitter about it what with it being your team who lost and all, and the fact that you Crystal Prep kids are always so gung-ho about winning and being perfect and…”

But, yet again, it was Sunny who stopped her from going on, looking to her with a softer expression as she let out a sigh.

“Don’t worry about it. If anything…you kinda have a point. We’ve spent so long being taught to do better than others that…well…it can be hard to take a loss sometimes. Besides…it was a bakery segment in an inter-school sports contest. Not the kind of thing to get enraged over.”

Pinkie smiled at the prospect of not being in trouble again.

“Well, that's good. For a moment, I was afraid I’d…”

However, almost as if the universe itself wanted her to stop talking, what should happen at that exact moment but Sunny’s cell-phone starting to buzz in her skirt pocket. Although annoyed by this, the girl soon took it out, and her expression became a somewhat sour one as she saw that there, flashing on the screen of the thing, was the word “Mother” in bold letters. Frowning slightly, Sunny raised a finger at Pinkie, and the latter got the silent message, making a “zipping” motion on her mouth to let her know she’d be quiet. Chuckling slightly at this, Sunny moved away from her, putting her phone to her ear, which soon led to hearing her side of the oncoming conversation. A conversation which, rather swiftly, led to the girl’s smile disappearing.

“Mother? Yes, it’s me. No…no I’m not at the library. I finished my work there about half an hour ago. I’m…over with a friend.”

A few moments passed, during which, Sunny’s expression became less comfortable than it had been before.

“Yes…yes I am with one of them. Pinkie. Yes…the one with the cake.”

Pinkie glanced over in her direction for a few moments, but the way in which Sunny was tapping on the side of the table made it clear that she shouldn’t try to speak up right now, and so she remained quiet for the time being, listening instead to the conversation that carried on.

“Yes, Mother, I understand. I will. Five at the latest. Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

There were a few more moments of silence, and after it was done, Sunny pressed a button on the phone, ending the call. Pinkie stayed where she was, waiting patiently for her visitor to be the one to speak up first. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait very long, as Sunny took a sharp intake of breath before looking to her.

“So…I’ve got a few hours to kill before I leave, so…what do we do first? In the baking I mean?”

Although her baser instincts would have wanted her to enquire as to just how bad a conversation that was, Pinkie simply buried that urge for the time being, forcing a small smile as she turned to the ingredients on the table.

“Well…first we take a cup of flour and add it to the mix.”

Sunny nodded, turning around and getting a reasonably-sized cup from the nearby closet, after which she brought it back and began measuring out the proper amount of flour. Seeing that, Pinkie gave a short nod before making her way to some of the other ingredients and starting to prepare them. As she did this, Sunny regarded her carefully, and after a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke.

“Pinkie…your parents are…well…they’re pretty strict, right?”

Turning to her, Pinkie put on a small smile.

“Sure! But I love them all the same!”

Sunny nodded.

“Yeah…I know you do, but…how can you be so…you?”

Pinkie took on a look of confusion at that, prompting Sunny to explain herself.

“It’s just…you’re always so happy and carefree and…and nothing gets you down. Given that you’re parents seem, and I mean no offense by this, stick-in-the-muds…how have you ended up this way?”

Thankfully for Sunny, Pinkie was far from offended by those words, and regained her earlier smile before shrugging her shoulders.

“Easy! I know they love me, so I just let them know the kind of person I am!”

Sunny raised an eyebrow at that.

“You just…told them? Just like that?”

Pinkie nodded.

“Just like that! I mean…we’re family! There’s nothing we can’t get past if we just talk to each other!”

Hearing that, Sunny watched as Pinkie got back to her work, leaving her to think hard on what had been said to her. And all the while, her expression shifted from hesitation, to fear, to uncertainty, and back again.

“Just…talk.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Twilight

The sun was shining brightly down on the vast green orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. There was a mild breeze flowing through the place, and all-in-all, it was seeming like a very relaxed and comfortable place to be. However, anyone who knew anything about the Acres would have rightly guessed that, in spite of that, there was still work to be done. And so it was that Applejack, perhaps the most notable member of the land’s owners, the Apple family, was hard at work on one of the many apple trees there, climbing up a carefully-secured ladder and picking fruit after fruit from its branches. With every apple she plucked, a smile crept onto her face, and she soon dropped them down gently into the basket that waited down below. However, after doing this a few more times, she turned, looking upon the guest who had arrived on the farm today; Twilight Sparkle.

“Are ya okay there, Twi?”

The spectacled girl turned to her, forcing a slight smile.

“Oh…sure! I’m fine! Nothing to worry about over here!”

However, even without Applejack’s infamous lie-detector sense, she could see that “fine” was not a good way to describe Twilight’s current situation. Trying to get out of her comfort zone, the Crystal Prep student had very graciously offered to help out on the farm, and as such was busy trying to lift and carry a fully-laden basket of apples. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite as adept with this task as Applejack had become over the years, and so what had happened was that Twilight would lift the basket a few inches along, and simply let it fall to the ground again over how heavy it was. Lather, rinse, repeat. Seeing this, Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Twi…ya haven’t moved more than six feet in the last five minutes.”

But Twilight, looking somewhat nervous, looked to her host with yet another forced smile.

“Oh! Don’t worry about me! I can do this!”

But, it was clear to anyone who saw her that this was simply an attempt to reassure Applejack. So, letting out a chuckle and a sigh, the farm girl gracefully slid down her ladder, walking over to where Twilight was, before reaching down and grabbing hold of one of the basket’s handles, leaving the latter to keep hold of the second.

“We’ll do it together. How bout that?”

Twilight looked to her with uncertainty for a few moments before, finally, starting to wear a more genuine smile. She gave a small nod, and together, they lifted the basket up. With Applejack’s additional strength added to the mix, the job was far easier than it had been for Twilight before, and it wasn’t long before the two girls managed to get the thing to it’s destination at the Apple family’s red barn. After dropping it off, Applejack removed her famous Stetson hat and wiped her brow, as indeed did Twilight, before the former looked to her with a hearty smile.

“Ah appreciate yer offerin ta help, Twi, but there ain’t no shame in askin fer some help yerself. Ah don’t expect ya to do all this if ya can't do it.”

Twilight looked away from her, looking slightly ashamed for a moment.

“Okay…perhaps I overstretched a bit. But…you and the other girls have done so much for me recently, I just…”

But, she was prevented from saying anything further, as Applejack let out a brief-but-loud chuckle before slapping down a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Aw shucks, Twi! Ya don’t need ta feel like yer in debt or something! We’re friends!”

Twilight smiled at that and gave a brief nod.

“I know…I just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t give something in return.”

For a moment, the girl took on a somewhat saddened expression as she turned to the nearby basket.

“Even if I wasn’t all that good with it.”

But Applejack was unconcerned with this, placing her hands on her hips before speaking up in that upbeat manner she was so known for.

“Well, if ya ever need help with yer…er…help…don’t hesitate ta ask.”

Twilight looked to her, and for reasons Applejack couldn’t quite understand, her expression was not one of comfort or happiness over being told that. Instead, she actually seemed deep in thought, turning her attention back to the basket and standing in silence for a few moments. Applejack, perhaps sensing that she was going to say something important, remained silent herself, and so watched as the other girl let out a sigh before looking to face her again.

“Why are you always doing that? Offering a helping hand instead of leaving people to it?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at that.

“Well…it ain’t right ta just leave folks hangin if they’re struggling.”

Twilight raised a hand, adjusting her glasses a little before continuing.

“I know. It’s just…it’s so strange to me to see someone so willing to help. Like back at the Games. I’d have been humiliated if you hadn’t stepped in with your help at archery.”

Another chuckle escaped Applejack at that.

“Shucks, Sugarcube! That weren’t no bother! Ya needed help, so ah gave it! And I sure don’t regret that.”

Twilight took on a somewhat guilty look after hearing that.

“Even after…what I did?”

To that, Applejack put on a disapproving frown.

“Now, Twi…we already talked about that. It weren’t yer fault that happened! Ya couldn’t control what her magic-suckin doohicky was doin, right? So don’t go feelin down on yerself now, ya hear?”

Twilight looked to her, opening her mouth to give some kind of counter response, but one look at Applejack’s reassuring, and yet somewhat disapproving expression, made her think twice about doing so. Instead, she gave a sigh, putting on a small smile and nodding to her, acknowledging her point, to which Applejack smiled back in earnest. However, that smile did not last long, as she titled her head with a display of slight confusion.

“Now then…what was all that about me helpin ya? Was that really so strange?”

Twilight nodded, and yet again she readied herself to give an answer to the question. However, she couldn’t, as Applejack raised a hand before her, with a look on her face that made it clear that she’d figured out what was going on.

“Oh…wait…let me guess. Yer classmates back at Crystal Prep weren’t ones fer helpin each other out all that much, were they?”

Twilight looked away, shaking her head slightly.

“No. From the moment we go into that school, it’s something we all learn. I mean, the teachers never said it outright or anything, but…there’s always been this feeling that needing help from others, for anything, it’s…it’s a sign than maybe…you’re not…not good enough. And giving help? That was just seen as encouraging…sub-par students.”

Applejack frowned at lack, looking outright incensed at the notion that helping others could in any way be seen as a bad thing. However, this time, it was her turn to be prevented from saying anything, as Twilight raised both her hands, shaking them frantically as she saw the look on Applejack’s face.

“Oh! But it’s okay now! I mean…ever since the Games, a lot of my classmates have been acting a lot better than they were before. And the teachers, they…well…I’m guessing that Dean Cadence has been encouraging them to be less…difficult about the matter.”

Applejack looked to her and listened to every work of that, nodding her head slightly while still bearing no smile.

“Well…alright then. If things are gettin better, then ah guess ah can live with that.”

However, she still regained her frown from earlier as she continued.

“Still…ah didn’t like it that none of those girl helped ya out at the Games. Ah mean…ah was on the other team, and ah helped ya!”

Twilight nodded at that.

“I know…but when you spend years in that kind of place, learning to stand in your own two feet without help from others…it’s hard to really change form that.”

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Applejack would have wanted to say more on the matter. However, to Twilight’s comfort, she didn’t press the issue, instead letting out a deep sigh before placing her hands on her hips once more.

“Well…truth be told…ah’m hardly in a position ta criticise when it comes ta changing yer ways. If ah’m bein honest…ah can be pretty stubborn too. Not as stubborn as them, but…still…”

Twilight nodded at that, but nevertheless stayed quiet as Applejack looked to her with a more serious expression.

“Twi…ya say things are getting better over there?”

The spectacled girl thought long and hard over that, before finally giving a nod. Seeing that, Applejack let out another deep sigh.

“Well…ah guess ah can live with that.”

A silence fell between the two girls for a time, which ended when the farm girl put on a more genuine smile before placing a hand upon Twilight’s shoulder again.

“Well…ah guess that’s all settled then. How bout we get back ta the orchards?”

Twilight smiled and nodded at that, but for a moment, seemed hesitant about something. After Applejack waited for a moment, letting her get her thoughts together, she watched as the girl spoke up in a somewhat nervous manner.

“Would it…would it be alright if I had some…help?”

To that, Applejack merely smiled.

“Twi…all ya had ta do was ask.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Indigo

As was often expected on a Saturday, the town was abuzz with activity, and nowhere was this more evident than with the students of all the various schools found there. From Canterlot High all the way to Crystal Prep, the students were out and about, enjoying the day as best they could, be it simply hanging out with their friends or even going out for more active endeavours. For Indigo Zap, she was most definitely placing herself in the latter category. At this present moment, she was in one of the town’s local sport’s enclosures. Specifically, the tennis pitches. There, she was clad in a pristine white tennis outfit, complete with shorts. In her hand was a fine-looking racket for the occasion, which she swirled in her hand with expert skill, which, naturally, led to a somewhat prideful smirk on her face. However, it wasn’t long before she soon turned her attention to her sparring partner for the day.

“You okay over there, Flutters?”

There, standing on the opposite side of the tennis net from her, was Fluttershy, who was similarly dressed for the sport, albeit with a skirt instead of shorts. Holding onto her racket as if it were a lifeline, the girl nodded, though kept silent, all while wearing a look of concern. Indigo nodded, apparently not noticing this, and produced from her pocket a single tennis ball. After narrowing her eyes at the thing, she bounced it down on the ground, and as soon as it bounced up again, she swung her racket as hard as she could. Of course, being the athlete that she was, the ball was sent off like a rocket, hurtling towards Fluttershy, who looked at it with utter terror. Immediately, the Canterlot High girl ducked for cover, allowing the ball to fly right over her head. Indigo watched this with a somewhat incredulous expression.

“Oh come on, Fluttershy! It’s just a ball!”

Getting back to her feet, Fluttershy brushed herself down a little before replying to that.

“I know, but…it…it was going so fast!”

Slapping her forehead with frustration, Indigo took a few calming breaths before putting on a smile, speaking in a softer tone as she called out to her companion.

“Okay. Maybe I went at it too hard that time. I’m sorry. I’ll try and hit it a bit easier this time, okay?”

Considering that, Fluttershy gave a nod, though looked no less nervous about it all. Nodding in response, Indigo made her way over to where the ball had landed before, picking it up and then walking back to where she’d stood last time. Taking a deep breath, she bounced it a second time, hitting it with her racket with somewhat less force. Thankfully, this time, Fluttershy actually tried to swing her racket, much to Indigo’s delight. Unfortunately, she did so with her eyes closed, and simply swirled in one spot with the racket outstretched. And as the ball flew by, she’d barely touched it. When she finally came to a stop, she opened her eyes at last, looking around for the ball.

“Did…did I hit it?”

Indigo stood there, a blank look on her face, as she looked from Fluttershy, to the ball on the ground behind her, and then back again.

“You…er…well, you tried to hit it, and that's what matters!”

However, rather than seeming happy at those words, Fluttershy actually started to look somewhat down on herself.

“Oh…I’m not doing well, am I?”

Indigo took on a more guilty expression at having caused that reaction in her, taking a few steps forward and speaking in a more reassuring tone.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly.”

Fluttershy looked away from her, holding her racket closer to her as she responded.

“It’s just...you’re kind of talking like Rainbow does when she takes me out on days like this.”

That caused Indigo to pause for a moment.

“Ah. I…I take it you’ve tried other sports before?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Rainbow took me jogging once. But I wasn’t comfortable going as fast as her. There was the time she took me to a football game, but I couldn’t really kick the ball that hard. And then there was the time…”

But, Indigo raised a hand, stopping her.

“I get it. It’s not your thing.”

Fluttershy nodded at that, and soon afterwards, Indigo took on a more ponderous look, turning to the girl with a raised eyebrow.

“Wait…if you’re not big on sports, then…why did you agree to come to this one?”

Fluttershy looked somewhat embarrassed at being asked that, looking away from Indigo as she fumbled her words.

“Well…um…you asked so nicely, and…well…I didn’t want to sound rude by saying no.”

Hearing that, Indigo rolled her eyes.

“Flutters…I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not gonna to do anyone any good if you just tag along without liking what you’re going to.”

Fluttershy seemed down again after hearing that, leading to yet another bout of guilt on Indigo’s part.

“Look…I’m sorry. But maybe…maybe we can help you with this somehow. Get you to find something about it that can help you get more motivated.”

Fluttershy turned to her yet again, seeming sceptical at that.

“Sunset told me you like sports a lot, right?”

A smirk emerged upon Indigo’s face.

“Sure do! From the time I could crawl I’ve loved it! Never had any trouble getting into it, be it tennis, track or anything in-between.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“You’re lucky. I mean…I supposed I’ve always wanted to be more enthusiastic about it. It’s just…I’ve never been able to.”

Looking to her, Indigo nodded.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. It’s not for everyone. In fact, I remember my old coaches telling me that different people take to things in different ways.”

Looking away from her, a nostalgic look crossed Indigo’s face.

“What was it he said? Oh yeah! Anyone can like anything…you just have to figure out how to get them to like it.”

Hearing that, a small smile crept onto Fluttershy’s face.

“That sounds nice. I remember my friends saying something similar to me once, back when I was having trouble getting people interested in helping at the animal shelter.”

Turning back to her, a wide smile grew on Indigo as she moved closer.

“There you go! In that case, all we have to do with you is find some way of getting you interested in this.”

Indigo put a hand to her chin, looking deep in thought over the matter, all while Fluttershy looked at her from the side-lines.

“Un…is there any way we can include…um…animals in this sport?”

Looking to her, Indigo chuckled a little before shaking her head.

“It’s a nice thought, Flutters, but I doubt…”

However, she didn’t finish that sentence, as Fluttershy’s words began to sink in for her. She looked away, an expression upon her face that gave the distinct impression that she’d just had a “eureka” moment, which, naturally, was followed by a mischievous smirk on her. Turning, she began to run towards Fluttershy, leaping over the net that separated them, which took the latter aback somewhat. After arriving within a few steps of her, Indigo placed her hands on her hips and looked at her with that same smile plastered all over her face.

“Actually, Fluttershy, that’s not a bad idea.”

To that, Fluttershy’s eyes widened.

“Oooh! Maybe we can bring Angel and have him carry his own little racket?”

Indigo shook her head.

“Nope! I’ve got something even better!”

Fluttershy took on a look of confusion, watching as Indigo walked past her and towards the spot where the ball had landed. Picking it up, Indigo regarded it carefully for a moment, before turning to Fluttershy again.

“Hey, Flutters…imagine this ball could talk.”

Naturally, Fluttershy looked more than a little confused at that.

“Um…pardon?”

Chuckling a little, Indigo just kept talking.

“You heard me. Imagine this ball could talk. You know, hold a conversation or something.”

Although she was, understandably, unsure about all that, Fluttershy nevertheless went along with it, giving a brief nod.

“Oh…okay. Um…what does he say?”

Indigo placed the ball to her ear for a moment, before starting to wear a look of faux shock.

“Oh dear! He says that he thinks animals are bad!”

To that, Fluttershy’s eyes widened with shock.

“W…what?!”

Indigo nodded.

“Yeah! In fact…he thinks animals are just a whole bunch of pests!”

Fluttershy stood there, looking utterly aghast at what had just been said. And that was exactly what Indigo had been waiting for. Before Fluttershy could do or say anything, the Crystal Prep girl brought her hand back, ready to throw.

“Here he comes!”

And with that, she threw it, with Fluttershy remaining perfectly still as it shot straight at her. But, mere nanoseconds before it collided with her, the usually-shy girl’s eyes narrowed as she tightened the grip on her racket.

“That small…dumb…MEANIE!!!”

Raising her hand, she gave an almighty swing, impacting the ball and sending it off with near-rocket level force back towards Indigo. So great was the hit that Indigo barely had enough time to duck out of the way as it came soaring past her. It took only a moment, but after she got back to her feet, she turned to see where the ball had landed. And when she did, her eyes widened with shock. For there it was, embedded in the brick wall at the end of the pitch, almost akin to that of a cannon ball having been fired at it. Slowly, she turned to Fluttershy, who was still seething. However, this didn’t last long, as she soon regained her usual demure appearance, looking more than a little unsure about this.

“Oh! Um…did I do alright?”

Staying silent, Indigo looked from her, to the wall and then back again, before gaining a look of hesitancy herself.

“Um…on second thoughts…let’s just stick to checkers.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Lemon

While the afternoon had been pleasantly silent for a long time, it was suddenly interrupted by the loud noise of the school bell of Canterlot High. And, as is so often the case, that sound was followed by a few moments of further silence, which yielded to an instant of students pouring out of the front door of the place as their day had finally come to an end. All over, there were pairs and groups of friends all talking with one another or going about in their own direction, ready to pursue whatever activity they had planned for the rest of the evening. Of all of them, however, there was a solitary figure; Rarity. This young fashionista was not going about in a frantic manner, like many of her other classmates, but was instead looking more ponderous, gazing at a sheet of paper in her hands, which was covered in a number of different designs for outfits, which she no doubt planned to make in the near future. However, it wasn’t long before her attention turned elsewhere.

“Yo, Rares! You comin or what?”

Looking up from her paper, Rarity turned to see that there, standing beside the still-ruined horse statue of the school, was Lemon Zest. With a small smile creeping onto her face, Rarity gave the Crystal Prep girl a brief wave before putting her designs into her backpack. With that done, she made her way over, all while Lemon leaned against the statue with a smirk on her face.

“I say, darling, I do apologise. I was just caught up in some work.”

But Lemon shook her head, looking far from offended at that.

“Hey, it’s no problem, Rarity. As long as we get going.”

Rarity nodded at that, gesturing with her hand to the street beside them. Nodding in response, Lemon began to walk, with her Canterlot high companion close behind. The two walked in silence for a few blocks, though were not looking at all uncomfortable when doing so. In the end though, it was Rarity who broke the silence, looking to Lemon with some curiosity.

“I must confess, Lemon, and I hope you’re not at all offended by this, but you don’t seem the type to come along to something like this.”

Lemon nodded at that, though still maintained her smile as she kept walking.

“Well, I’ve never really done the whole “shopping” thing, even for clothes. So I figured…why not? Might be fun.”

Rarity turned away from her, looking more than a little pleased at hearing that.

“Well…if you’ll pardon my saying so, but I truly wish some of my other friends had that kind of enthusiasm for it.”

Nodding in response, Lemon opened her mouth to say something additional, only to stop when she noticed something up ahead. Nudging Rarity a little, the girl pointed forward and showed her that, there, right across the street from them, was their destination; a small clothes store, still open. Squealing with delight, Rarity, to Lemon’s surprise, grabbed hold of her companion’s wrist and started sprinting towards the place. Lemon, thankfully, was unbothered by this, and in fact seemed to find it quite amusing. Before long, they were there, and Rarity burst through the front door, looking at all of the outfits on display and practically salivating at the sight of them. Seeing her like this, Lemon placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

“Geez, Rarity, you don’t have to go overboard with it. Besides, I thought you preferred your own clothes?”

Composing herself a bit more, Rarity brushed aside some of her purple hair before looking to Lemon with a more dignified look.

“That may certainly be true, Lemon, but that doesn’t mean I stick to such attire exclusively. After all, there’s always a chance I’ll find something interesting in the town’s stores every once in a while.”

Before Lemon had the chance to reply to that, Rarity rushed past her, moving over to another display outfit. This one was clearly formal attire, a dress that looked like it should be used for fancy parties. Also, and to Rarity’s delight, it was the same colour as her hair, which she seemed very happy about. Clearing her throat, Rarity turned to the store clerk, an older woman, and spoke in that more refined manner of hers.

“I say, Miss? Would it be alright if I were to try this outfit on for size?”

The woman gave a smile and a nod in response, leading to yet another happy squeal from Rarity. Looking rather amused by all this, Lemon watched as Rarity took the outfit and darted for the nearest changing booth, closing it behind her and getting down to the business of changing outfits. Being the kind of girl she was, and given how much she adored this type of activity, the change took mere moments, and when it was done, she emerged, clad in that purple dress and striking a pose not unlike some heroine from an old black-and-white crime thriller.

“I say, darling, surely this is a dress to die for?”

But, no words came in response, prompting Rarity to look where Lemon had been standing before. However, to her confusion, the Crystal Prep girl was nowhere to be seen, leading to a slightly worried look on Rarity’s part.

“Um…Lemon?”

Fortunately for her, Lemon’s voice could soon be heard after she called out.

“In here, Rares.”

Turning, Rarity saw that, adjacent to her changing booth, was another, and this one had also been closed. Putting the pieces together in her mind, Rarity broke out into a massive smile.

“Ooh! Lemon! I’m guessing you found an outfit that suited your tastes?”

“You know it! Found it over in the corner and I just knew I had to try it out. Just give me a moment, okay?”

Rarity nodded at that, walking around for a moment and looking at some of the other clothes, as well as simply enjoying the feel of the dress she was currently wearing, which she was particularly happy about. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have much longer to wait, as the distinct sound of a creaking door opening could now be heard. Putting on a wide smile, Rarity spun around to see her companion, only to have that smile vanish in an instant as she finally saw exactly what it was Lemon was wearing. In her head, she’d imagined some kind of evening gown, similar to hers. What she hadn't been expecting was for Lemon to emerge wearing a bikini swimsuit, the same colour as her green hair. As for Lemon, she was looking quite happy with herself.

“What do ya think? Pretty hot, right?”

At that, Lemon struck a pose, with one hand on her head and the other on her hip. Rarity, as one would expect in a situation like this, was rendered speechless. However, her personal sense of courtesy soon snapped her out of it, and she finally got her words together.

“Well, dear, it’s…um…very striking.”

Lemon chuckled at that as she assumed a normal standing pose.

“I know, right? It’s gonna be turning heads everywhere!”

Rarity let out a brief but nervous laugh.

“Yes…I’m sure it will. But, if you don’t mind my saying…isn’t it a little…er…out-of-season?”

Hearing that, Lemon rolled her eyes a little.

“Oh please! You’re telling me you’ve never run across a beach during an autumn rain wearing something like this?”

Rarity darted her eyes left and right as she considered that.

“Well…no. I can honestly say I haven’t.”

Lemon placed her hands on her hips and chuckled somewhat.

“Seriously, Rares, you gotta learn to live a little! Life is short, so go nuts!”

Letting those words sink in, Rarity afforded herself a moment to brush aside some more of her hair as she regarded the other girl.

“Lemon…far be it from me to question the kind of girl that you are, but…how is it that you can be so cut-loose about these things?”

Lemon nodded at that before starting to speak up again.

“Yeah…I get where you’re coming from. Because of Crystal Prep, right? Sure, most of it is all work and study and stick-in-the-muds, but me? I’ve always just loved being out there, doing new things. Guess it’s always been in the family.”

Rarity nodded in response.

“I see. Your family is…vibrant, I assume?”

At that, Lemon let out a loud chortle as she folded her arms.

“If by that you mean they can’t stand peace and quiet, and are always getting noticed for so-called weird stuff…then yeah, that’s them alright.”

Turning, a somewhat nostalgic look crossed Lemon’s face.

“Like my Grandpa always said…where’s the fun in making sense?”

To that, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Ugh…no offense, but...it's small wonder you and Pinkie get on so well.”

Lemon smiled and shrugged her shoulders at that, turning around and heading back into the changing booth. Rarity followed, getting into her own, and a few minutes later, both girls re-emerged, clad in their old attire. Both of them, however, were holding onto the alternate outfits they’d been wearing mere moments ago, and together, they walked over to the counter, ready to pay. The woman at the till smiled at both of them as the girls paid for their respective clothes, but, as Lemon began to make her way out, she stopped, noticing that Rarity had paused for a moment at the counter.

“Aren’t you coming, Rarity?”

The young fashionista shook her head a little.

“Oh…you go on without me, dear. I just need to sort out a few things.”

Lemon considered that before putting on a smile and heading off. Rarity stayed behind, watching as her companion walked further and further away. Only when she was sure Lemon was out of earshot did she finally turn and speak to the clerk once more.

“Miss, forgive my bluntness, but you simply must to tell me the designer for that stunning swimsuit!”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Sour

“Um...would you mind repeating that?”

Sour Sweet, as she so often did these days, was wearing an expression that made it very clear that she was displaying a degree of discomfort with what was going on. Currently, she was in one of the favourite hang-out spots of her one-time rivals, the Wondercolts; the music room of Canterlot High. Here, all of the instruments those girls employed, which famously allowed them to “pony up” were carefully placed to the side. But, music was not the order of the day for the time being, as the room’s only other occupant, Sunset Shimmer, regarded the Crystal Prep girl with a slight sense of nervousness.

“I know it’s kinda out of the blue, but it would really help me if you were willing to take part.”

Folding her arms, Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

“Okay, so you’ve got this paper to write about…?”

Smiling, Sunset turned to her nearby schoolbag, rummaging around it for a while before pulling out a book, the cover of which was emblazoned with the words “Psychology 101”. Looking at the thing, Sour’s expression was one of incredulity, looking up to Sunset soon afterwards and remaining silent as the girl spoke up.

“It’s for my psychology class. I have to write an essay on various behaviours and explain why they are the way they are.”

Hearing that, Sour scoffed a bit.

“Seriously? This school does psychology classes?”

Ignoring the thinly-veiled jab at her school, Sunset shrugged her shoulders before letting out a brief sigh.

“Well…if I’m being honest, it isn’t really all that popular. It’s basically just me and about…well…three others who wanted to take it.”

Shaking her head a little, Sunset put on another smile before speaking to her guest again.

“Even so, the paper is important, and…well…it would mean a lot to me if you could participate.”

At that, Sour looked a little uncomfortable.

“I…look…I appreciate that you girls have been helping me, but…being a guinea pig for a science class? That isn’t what I signed up for.”

Giggling a little, Sunset shook her head.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just being doing a sort of amateur interview with you. In truth, I won’t even be asking that many questions. It’ll pretty much just be you talking about, well…whatever’s on your mind.”

Sour raised an eyebrow at that.

“That’s…that’s it? Just me talking about whatever and you jotting it down?”

Sunset nodded.

“Yep. And…if you still don’t want to take part, then…then I’ll respect your wishes.”

Sour looked away, appearing deep in thought over those words. Sunset watched eagerly, awaiting her answer. After about a minute of nothing but silence from the Crystal Prep girl, Sunset looked on as she let out a sigh, allowing her shoulders to slump slightly before turning to look at her once more.

“Well…if there’s one thing I’ve learned from hanging out with you girls…it’s that getting stuff off my chest is good for me. So sure, I’ll play along.”

Smiling, Sunset nodded back to her, gesturing with one hand to a pair of chairs nearby. Looking at them, Sour got the message immediately, and began to walk over, with Sunset not far behind her. As Sour got herself comfortable, Sunset looked in her bag again before pulling out a pen and paper. Seeing that, Sour chuckled somewhat.

“Going all shrink on me, eh?”

Giggling in response, Sunset took a seat before looking right into her guest’s eyes.

“Okay, so Sour…what’s been bothering you?”

To that, Sour looked a little unsure.

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to ask me?”

Sunset gave a brief nod.

“For the moment. But regardless…has anything been on your mind lately?”

Sour, as before, looked uncertain about all this, but let out a sigh as she slumped back into her chair. She folded her arms and looked away from Sunset, thinking on what had been said to her.

“Well…things are getting better for me, I guess. I mean…with people like Dash and all the others, I guess I feel like…like I have less to worry about than I used to.”

A more thoughtful look crossed the girl’s face, and all the while, Sunset was writing notes on the paper. The latter remained silent as Sour continued to speak.

“It’s like…it’s like you girls are the first to ever be…be okay with me being angry. I mean…not okay exactly, but…you don’t tell me that I should feel bad about getting angry. And that…that’s just so weird to me.”

A frown formed on the girl’s face as she considered that.

“For so long…I kept hearing the same things over and over again. That people don’t want to hear it. When I was little…I used to get ticked off by everything, and I mean everything.”

Looking up, Sunset spoke out at last.

“Can you explain?”

Sour reached behind her head and scratched there a little.

“Well…it was always little things. Sometimes it was something as small as just people bumping into me by accident. I used to explode over that kinda thing. And everyone else…they kept telling me to be quiet about it.”

A somewhat saddened look crossed her face at that.

“And even when I had a good reason to be upset…they kept saying I shouldn’t be. Got a bad grade? Put up with it and move on. Think someone is being annoying? Stay silent and tolerate it. Get offended? Don’t let it show.”

Turning, Sour did her best to hide her expression from Sunset.

“I know I wasn’t the only one going through all that…especially since coming to Crystal Prep, but…it was like…like the world didn’t care.”

Looking back to Sunset, a look of anger now crossed Sour’s face.

“Every day, it seemed like all the world cared about was making sure things were A-Okay on the surface. It didn’t matter how bad we felt or how unhappy, all everyone ever wanted was that we kept quiet about it, like being angry or sad was the worst thing we could do, even when it was justified!”

Looking up from her notes again, Sunset took on a look that seemed to be a mixture of both concern and curiosity.

“And now? When you look back on the way you were made to behave…do you regret it?”

Sour, upon hearing that, raised an eyebrow.

“Regret what? That I allowed people to talk to me like that? Or regret that I never got the chance to feel how I wanted to?”

To that, Sunset shrugged her shoulders.

“Both, I suppose.”

With her expression softening a bit, Sour let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah…I guess I do. It’s just…the world expected us all to be perfect. It expected us all to go about our lives like nothing was wrong. Some days…it felt like people really felt like reacting to something bad was worse than the bad thing itself.”

Another frown formed on Sour’s brow, and she tightened her fists considerably.

“I…I do regret it. I regret letting myself ever listen to those people who just didn’t care. I regret…never going to someone to talk about it. I regret…being almost afraid of ever seeming to be angry over stuff.”

At that, Sunset stopped writing, and looked to Sour with a look of sympathy.

“Believe me…I understand that.”

Seeing Sour’s expression of incredulity, Sunset chuckled a bit.

“I do. For a long time, I was angry. Angry at things and people and…well…I never opened up about it. And when I did…I felt like I was being judged for it. I was in a bad place for a long time.”

Hearing that, Sour gave a brief nod.

“Yeah…I heard.”

A smile crept onto Sunset’s face, and for the time being, she set her notes aside, looking at Sour with a look of sheer honesty.

“I think we both know that, when we have those problems, it helps us more than we can ever say to have someone, anyone, who’s willing to listen. It may be small things that bother us, but even so…it’s not something we should have to shoulder alone.”

As soon as those words had been spoken, a silence fell between the two girls. Sour, despite feeling more than a little reassured by what Sunset had said to her, couldn’t help but feel like something was off somehow. Her eyes darted to the notes Sunset had set aside, and then back to the girl herself. After a long pause, the Crystal Prep student leaned back into her chair, a slight smirk creeping across her face.

“There was never any psychology essay, was there?”

Looking a touch guilty, Sunset shook her head a little.

“Sorry for the deception. But…I figured…you just needed to have someone listen to you. And since I wasn't sure if you’d be open about it…”

Sunset didn’t finish that sentence, instead looking down for the moment, avoiding her gaze. Sour looked at her, her expression a mixture of emotions, leading to Sunset speaking up again.

“Do you want to be angry at me?”

Considering that, Sour let out a sigh.

“I’d be lying if I said no.”

So, Sunset sat there, waiting for whatever bad thing Sour had to say to her about all this. But, in the end, the words never came, and instead, Sour broke out into a small smile.

“You lied. But…thanks for it anyway.”

A smile formed on Sunset’s face, and as for Sour, she folded her arms briefly and let out a hearty laugh, looking almost impressed with what Sunset had done.

“I appreciate what you did, but…damn, that was some sneaky stuff you pulled there!”

To that, Sunset giggled slightly.

“Well…I never said I was completely different from how I used to be.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Sunny

Though the school day had long since ended, there was nevertheless a great deal of activity for the students of Canterlot High. All over town. Boys and girls were spending time with one another, hanging out in cafes and shops, playing against one another in friendly games of sports out on the town’s fields, or even simply going home and having a more relaxing evening with each other. For Rainbow Dash, she was very much in the second category, and was, at this present moment, out on a wide open space on the borders of the town. However, rather than the traditional sports field the town usually boasted, this one was more of a dirt track, littered with tyre marks and looking more like a construction yard than a place for serious sports. And this was appropriate, given that the place was intended for motor-cross. Dash smiled as she gazed upon the place, decked out in the usual leather outfit one usually wore for this activity.

"You ready for this?”

Turning, Dash looked upon her companion for the evening, Sunny Flare, of Crystal Prep Academy. Like her, she too was clad in the appropriate leather clothes needed for this sport, and as she approached, Rainbow gave her a nod. Together, the two girls made their way over to a pair of motorbikes that had been reserved for them, and once there, Sunny gave hers a look over, carefully inspecting the thing before hopping on. Dash, likewise, got herself ready for the upcoming race between them, although, before even turning the key, she turned to her companion, raising an eyebrow before speaking up.

“Not that I don’t appreciate a good race every now and again…but why this?”

Turning to her, Sunny’s face broke out into a small smirk.

“Well…we never did find out who would have won this race at the Friendship Games. And…I suppose I’d like to find out.”

At that, Rainbow gained a smirk of her own, giving a nod to her racing partner before reaching over for her helmet. Sunny responded in kind, and as soon as both girls had their helmets secured, they turned the keys of their motors, the sounds of engines roaring to life ringing across the field. As was customary at a time like this, both of them revved those engines several times, glancing at one another as they did so. After a few more moments of inactivity, they were off, a score of mud trailing behind them as their bikes charged forward. The race was, as one would expect, very energized, with both girls shooting forward as fast as their motors could carry them. Straight after straight, corner after corner, they raced one another, and for a good chunk of it, they seemed neck and neck. However, being the kinds of girls they were, naturally, this would not do, and so they upped their game, going even faster as time went on.

However, such recklessness can only yield danger, and soon enough, it happened. Sunny, during one particularly tight corner, looked, only for a moment, as if she was thinking about something other than the race, and in that moment, she lost control. Her bike turned in a way just slightly different from how she wanted, but that was all it took, as the front wheel wobbled uncontrollably. Moments later, she lost control immediately, and her bike, along with herself, began to topple and skid along the muddy track. Because that mud was so prevalent, she was, thankfully, not subject to any serious injury. Even so, the shock of it was intense, and Rainbow, seeing this, immediately brought her own bike to a screeching halt. Leaping off, the rainbow-haired girl ran over to her companion, who was still lying on her side on the ground.

“Sunny! Are you okay?”

Getting herself up, the Crystal Prep girl gave a brief nod, holding one arm with the other.

“Yeah. I just…just lost my grip, that’s all.”

Slowly, she tried lowering her arm, only to hold it up again as a sharp pain was then felt, causing her to wince at it. Seeing that, Rainbow frowned.

“Okay, that’s it. The race is over. Come on, we’ve got to get you looked over.”

Although Sunny would have probably wanted to ignore the pain, she nevertheless sighed and nodded, giving silent permission to go along with her. Leading the way, Rainbow took Sunny to the side of the track, wherein there was a bench laden with a number of supply boxes for whatever the motor-cross racers needed. Immediately, Rainbow went for the one marked “First Aid”, opening it to reveal all of the medical tools and equipment within. Before long, she turned her attention once more to Sunny’s arm.

“Okay…let’s take a look.”

Sunny showed hesitancy at this, but in the end, she knew Rainbow had her best interests at heart, and so let go of her arm. Immediately, Rainbow saw that the previously-covered section of Sunny’s outfit had been torn by her fall, and within, she could already see traces of red. Although she moved slowly, Sunny pulled back the arm section of her outfit, and here, both girls finally saw the large scrape that had been made there, leading to a somewhat concerned look for both of them.

“Okay…I’m gonna need…er…antiseptic stuff,” Rainbow commented.

Going back to the box, she rummaged around it for a while before producing a bottle of exactly that, antiseptic ointment. Grabbing a clean cloth, she poured a little of the medicine onto it, ready to be applied to the injury.

“Okay, Sunny, this’ll probably sting.”

The other girl nodded, showing that she was already prepared for it. And with that, Rainbow applied the cloth. Immediately, Sunny let out another wince, but thankfully, this one died down as she got more and more used to the sensation. As she let out a deep sigh, she walked over to the bench, taking a seat, with Rainbow sitting beside her. Looking from Sunny’s face, to her arm and then back again, the Canterlot High girl looked deep in thought over all this, before finally speaking up.

“So, Sunny…what happened back there?”

Sunny shook her head a little before responding.

“It’s…it’s nothing. I just…lost control.”

Silence fell between them again, and after a long wait, Sunny let out a sigh, taking off the cloth and looking at the somewhat calmed inflammation on her arm.

“It was my own stupid fault. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that.

“Something on your mind?”

Sunny looked away from her.

“Truth is…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. It’s actually why I wanted to do this race…take my mind off it. Guess that wasn’t gonna happen.”

Rainbow nodded, showing a degree of hesitation before speaking up again.

“Do…do you wanna talk about it?”

Sunny turned, looking to her companion, and the honesty in her eyes, before looking away again.

“It’s just…I have this…friend. And she’s in a bit of a difficult spot right now.”

Even a novice to reading people, like Rainbow, could see where this was going, but even so, she played along.

“Oh yeah? So…what problem does this friend of yours have exactly?”

Sunny thought long and hard about how best to answer that, before finally just shrugging her shoulders.

“Well…she…she’s having a bit of…family trouble. There’s someone close to her that she really needs to talk to right now…about something important.”

Rainbow folded her arms, leaning back a little as she regarded the other girl.

“Important, eh? And she’s having a hard time getting it out to this…family of hers?”

Sunny nodded.

“Yeah…she’s worried about how it’s going to go down. How she should approach this person. If she gets it wrong…it could just make things worse. But if she stays quiet…”

A look of discomfort crossed her face before she continued.

“…then she knows nothing is going to get better.”

Looking down at the ground, Sunny nursed the sore spot on her arm for a few moments, before exhaling deeply and turning to Rainbow.

“In truth…I think she’s terrified about it all.”

Rainbow looked to her, at the troubled feeling as clear as day in her eyes, and she found her own expression softening considerably because of it. Leaning forward a little, Rainbow clasped her hands together, thinking over what to say and how to say it. In the end, she simply did what she did best; be brutally honest about it.

“Look, Sunny…this friend of yours…I think she’s doing herself no favours by staying quiet. Whatever’s eating at her…it needs to come out. Yeah, it might cause problems. But, like you said…”

The girl looked Sunny right in the eye.

“...things will never get better if she doesn’t try. So no matter the risk…I think it’s worth it to at least try, even if it doesn’t work.”

Sunny looked away, now looking somewhat saddened.

“I know. Like they say, honesty is the best policy, right? But…”

Slowly, Sunny’s eyes moved from left to right, almost as if she was trying to avoid looking at Rainbow directly.

“…it’s just that I…I mean…she's spent her whole life staying quiet. How does she just…come out about it?”

To that, Rainbow shrugged her shoulders.

“It won’t be easy. Truth never is. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”

Looking to Sunny, and the uncomfortable look on her face, Rainbow let out a long sigh.

“Tell you what…I think what your friend needs…is a little help along the way. Someone to be with her when she goes to say what she needs to say. And I think…I know just the person.”

Turning to her, Sunny gained a look that was both concerned and incredulous.

“You…you do?”

Rainbow smiled at that, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell-phone. With curiosity all over her face, Sunny stayed silent as Rainbow pressed a few buttons, held the phone to her ear, then waited for a few moments before cracking a smile.

“Hey there, Sunset. It’s me. Listen…I’ve got someone here who needs some help.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Twilight

Sugar cube Corner was, on most days, a fairly hectic place. Being as popular as it was, barely a day went by when there wasn’t some big group of people coming in to try out some of the store’s famous cakes or milkshakes. And its owners, Mr and Mrs Cakes, had always made it so that each and every one of their customers left with smiles on their faces and a feeling of contentment. Today, however, things seemed relatively calm, with only one or two local students partaking of the place, sitting quietly together in their booths and chatting to one another. As such, things behind the scenes in the store were less active than they usually were. Mr and Mrs Cakes were busy taking stock of a lot of the food they had on display by the counter, and given the more relaxed feel of the day, they went at it at a more leisurely pace than they’d normally do.

However, it was in the back rooms where the real activity was taking place. There, Pinkie Pie, who often worked part-time in this place, was hard at work, standing by a mixing bowl and doing exactly that, mixing. With her usual massive smile plastered on her face, it would have been clear to anyone who saw her that she was loving this, adding milk and sugar wherever it was needed, and never seeming like she was bored with it. Before long, she looked at the nearby clock on the wall, seeing the time and giving a brief nod. Turning, she poured her mixture into a nearby container, ready to get it in the already-heated oven nearby. As soon as it was in, she wiped the sweat from her brow before turning around once more.

“I’m glad you could be here, Twilight. It’s always fun having friends here for this.”

As she said, Twilight Sparkle, noted student of Crystal Prep, was indeed there, smiling sweetly at Pinkie, clasping her hands together as she walked around the kitchen.

“Thank you, Pinkie. In truth, I’m happy you invited me. I suppose I’ve always wanted to see what goes on back in places like this.”

Still smiling, Pinkie walked up to her and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

“It’s great! Mr and Mrs Cakes have always been super-duper nice to me whenever I’ve worked here! And seeing the looks on everyone’s faces when they like what I bake? It’s one of the best feelings out there!”

Twilight nodded, turning to the cake ingredients that had been left on the side.

“You have so much energy for this sort of thing. If I'd have been doing this, I’d probably still only be halfway done.”

Hearing that, Pinkie giggled slightly.

“Silly! All you’d need to do is ask for help! I’m sure Mr and Mrs Cakes would be more than willing to lend a hand if you were having trouble.”

Looking to her, Twilight smiled again.

“Well…it’s nice to know.”

Giggling again, Pinkie turned to the cake in the oven, letting out a sigh.

“The only bad thing is that it takes so loooooooong! It’ll be, like, a whole hour before it's ready!”

Looking to the oven herself, Twilight folded her arms and knelt down slightly to get a better look at the still-flat cake within.

“I never asked…is that for a customer?”

Turning to her companion, Pinkie regained her smile before shaking her head.

“Nope! It’s for a special birthday party I’m setting up! My next door neighbour, Cheese, it’s his fifteenth tomorrow, and I just knew I had to celebrate!”

Smiling herself, Twilight chuckled slightly as she adjusted her glasses.

“You really like parties, don’t you? Like back at that gathering of our schools before the Games? We were from a rival school and you just wanted a party for all of us.”

Pinkie nodded at that.

“Yep! Sure did! All that our-school-versus-your-school stuff doesn’t mean we can’t have a good romp in the meantime, right?”

Considering that, Twilight let out a sigh as she nodded.

“Yeah…guess so.”

Before the spectacled girl could react, however, Pinkie then embraced her in a tight hug.

“That's the spirit! A good party always makes people feel better!”

Although she’d been taken aback by this, Twilight soon composed herself, smiling again before returning the hug herself. In time though, the two girls parted, and Pinkie looked at Twilight with a degree of curiosity.

“I never asked…what kinds of parties do you like?”

Twilight looked a little unsure of that, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

“Well…um…I don’t really know. I’ve never really had all that many parties before.”

To that, Pinkie let out a loud gasp, looking as if she’d been told the most horrific news in the world.

“No parties?! But that’s just terrible!”

But, Twilight shook her head to that, looking to Pinkie with a reassuring expression.

“Oh, don’t worry! I’ve been fine with it. I mean…my family, well, my brother mostly, always offered to throw some kind of party on my birthday, but…well…I kinda always said no.”

That piqued Pinkie’s interest, though she looked no less mortified from it all.

“You said no?! Why?”

Twilight considered that for a moment before giving her answer.

“Well…it’s not that I didn’t appreciate the gesture. It’s just…I never really felt like it. I always had other things to do.”

To that, Pinkie put on a frown for the first time in this entire visit, placing her hands on her hips and looking to Twilight in an almost accusatory manner.

“And what, exactly, could be more important than a party?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Well, for one thing, I had a lot of work from school to be getting on with. I had a few theoretical studies to perform, I had to get in contact with schools that I might have wanted to go to after Crystal Prep. There was just loads of stuff for me to do!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes slightly.

“Twilight, you need to learn to have a little excitement every once in a while! Stop putting yourself away in a stuff old lab and learn to just be…be…unexpected! You know…something fun?”

Twilight looked left, then right, then right back at Pinkie again.

“But…those other things…I do think they’re fun.”

At that, Pinkie took on a brief look of triumph.

“There you go! Nothing’s more fun than…wait…what?”

Twilight nodded, adjusting her glasses a little before continuing.

“I meant it, Pinkie. I do consider those things fun. Science. Mathematics. Theories written by the best minds in the country. I just…that's the kind of stuff that thrills me.”

Pinkie looked to her as if she’d just said that someone had just turned into a frog or something.

“S…seriously?”

Twilight nodded.

“It’s true. I mean…I know most people wouldn’t consider that kind of thing to be exciting…or even very interesting. But to me…it just is. And I’ve always been happy doing it, even if it means I skipped out on a party here or there.”

Pinkie looked away from her, looking far more silent and thoughtful than Twilight could remember ever seeing her be. For a moment, the spectacled girl actually felt worried that she might have come across as perhaps the most boring person in the world. But, after a long an awkward few moments where nobody said or did anything, Pinkie turned back to face her, breaking out into yet another smile.

“Okay then.”

Yet another silence followed, during which Twilight looked very confused.

“Um…what?”

Smiling widely, Pinkie began to explain.

“Geez, Twilight, you should have told me from the start that that’s what you liked! If you say you find that stuff fun, then you just stick to it!”

In that moment, Twilight looked more than a little taken aback.

“R…really?”

Placing a hand over where her heart was, Pinkie’s smile became more sincere than before.

“I Pinkie promise, Twilight! Nobody should tell you what you can and can’t like. That’s just mean!”

After a long pause, Twilight broke out into a smile of her own, looking quite touched by what Pinkie had just said to her.

“Thank…thank you, Pinkie. That…that means a lot to me.”

Still smiling, Pinkie gave a nod.

“No problem. We’re friends, remember? Although…”

For a moment, Pinkie looked away, looking quite ponderous.

“I still feel kinda bad that you don’t have enough parties in your life.”

Twilight said nothing as Pinkie got her thoughts together. Then, before she could say anything, the other girl let out another gasp, turning to her with an even wider smile than before.

“I’ve got it! Your transfer from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High! Once that’s official, we can celebrate it! We can invite everyone! Sunset, Indigo, Rainbow, everyone!”

As before, Twilight had been taken aback by the sheer energy of her companion, but quickly regained her composure, thinking over what she’d just heard.

“Well…sure, I guess we can do that. But I don’t want you to go to all that trouble just so…”

But, she was stopped form saying anything further, as Pinkie placed a single finger upon her lips.

“Ah! None of that! We’re throwing you a party, Twilight! And I promise it’ll be the most super, fun, spectacular, festival of fun you’ve ever seen!”

To that, Twilight looked somewhat terrified.

“Oh! Well…thanks for the offer, but…can’t we just keep it smaller than that? You know, just you me and the other girls?”

Pinkie, almost immediately, nodded at that, looking no less enthusiastic.

“Sure!”

Twilight raised another eyebrow.

“Really?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Pinkie nodded.

“Of course! Like I said, to each their own, right?”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Indigo

Today was a hot day. It was important to note exactly how hot it was. We're talking about the kind of heat where people sweated just thinking about it. The kind of heat where labour of any kind was deemed foolish at best, and impossible at worst. That's how hot it was. As such, this weather prompted most in the town of Canterlot to simply stay inside, because there was little chance that they'd be able to do anything if all they were concerned with was how utterly sweltering it was. Nowhere was this more evident than in the green stretches of Sweet Apple Acres. Now, on most days, its residents, the Apple family, would usually be hard at work plucking apples, making cider or simply prepping up boxes of their titular fruits to sell off to local grocers. However, so bad was the heat on this particular day that even they simply decided that it was too much, and that was definitely saying something.

However, even in spite of that, even in the face of how hugely unwise it would have been to be doing anything stress-inducing or active today, there was someone out there, right under the blistering sun, that who actually putting their backs into something strenuous. These people were none other than Applejack herself, along with one-time rival, Indigo Zap. The two girls were, at this very moment sitting on opposite sides of a small tree stump in the middle of the orchards, engaged in what anyone with eyes could recognise as an arm-wrestling contest. Hand clasped in hand, the two girls stared intently at one another, never letting their eyes stray from one another as they put their all into it. However, so great was their respective strength that, to the casual observer, it looked as if their fists were staying completely still, moving neither one way nor the other. In the middle of all this, Indigo cracked a smirk.

"So...getting tired?"

To that, Applejack simply smirked right back.

"Ha! It'll take more than some city girl to push this Apple!"

The mutual competitiveness had reached a standstill at this point, with neither girl giving ground, even though it was clear that what they'd want more than anything was to simply get out of this heat. Beads of sweat were rolling down their brows as they grunted and strained under the effort they were putting into this. And so focused were they on this task that they didn't even notice Apple Bloom, currently clutching an ice cream in one hand, as she walked up beside them. After looking from her sister, to Indigo, and then back again, she raised an eyebrow before speaking up.

"Um...what are y'all doin?"

"Arm wrestling!" they replied in unison, never turning to look at her.

Apple Bloom stood there in silence for a few moments before simply shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh...okay then."

Turning, the youth was ready to bite into her ice cream, only to find, to her dismay, that it had completely melted during the few seconds when she was talking to the other girls. As she stomped off with disappointment, the latter girls kept on panting heavily as the heat around them actually seemed to increase. And with that, Indigo, after looking like she was deep in thought for a while, finally just came out and said what had clearly been on both of their minds.

"You know...a draw isn't technically losing."

Applejack looked to her opponent, then to their still-clasped fists, and then back up, before finally cracking a smile and nodding. With the silent agreement made, both of them immediately let go, allowing themselves to fall back and land on the grass below. Breathing heavily, they only laid there for a few moments, as this reprieve from their discomfort was, sadly, only a temporary one. For there was still the issue of the sun, and after getting up, Applejack looked around for a while before gesturing with her thumb to the shade of a nearby apple tree. Seeing that, Indigo nodded, and the two girls soon rushed over, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as that shade washed over them. In this moment of contentment, they each found a spot on the grass to sit on, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. As they say there, Indigo looked up at the branches above and broke into a smile.

"I swear...I will love trees forever after this."

Applejack chuckled after hearing that.

"Eyup...welcome to the club, Zap."

A laugh was shared between the two girls for a few pleasant moments, after which, Indigo turned and looked over to Applejack, looking more than a little impressed.

"Gotta hand it to you, Apples, you're pretty tough when you need to be."

At that, Applejack turned to her companion with a smile of her own.

"Shoot, Zap, ya ain't too shabby yerself! Dash told me ya were good at athletics, so ah guess ah wanted ta see if she were right."

Looking to her, Indigo raised an eyebrow.

"And you chose today to do it?"

Applejack nodded, adjusting her famous Stetson hat to better keep stray beams of light from getting in her eye.

"Eyup. Ya can't judge an athlete until ya really put em in a tight spot."

Indigo looked away from her, letting those words, sink in.

"Geez, you don't take prisoners, do you?"

Applejack shook her head.

"Nope! But, ah gotta admit, ya passed the test. Yer a tough one, that's fer sure."

Looking back to her, Indigo regained her smirk from earlier.

"Dash told me the same thing about you. Although...I think she said she was better at racing and stuff, but..."

Before the Crystal Prep girl had a chance to finish that, Applejack's head snapped in her direction.

"She said what?! Why ah oughta..."

But, an instant later, she took a few calming breaths, taking her hat off and flapping it in front of her.

"Darn it! It's the heat! Ah can't think straight like this!"

After letting out a brief chortle, Indigo nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I hear you. Still...I wouldn't mind seeing you two race one another one day. Might be pretty interesting."

To that, Applejack turned to her with slight amusement.

"Trust me on this, sugarcube, we've been there and done that. Back when me and Dash were younger, we used ta race all the time. But she kept goin on about how she was always the better racer. Kinda got on mah nerves."

Indigo nodded before adding her own voice to the mix.

"Tell me about it. I had a similar friend once. Her name was Lightning, Never shut up about wanting to be a professional race car driver and stuff. Always challenged me and others to run against her whenever she had the chance. She was even more competitive than I was, and that was saying something!"

Another laugh was shared between the two girls after that, during which, Applejack took on a more thoughtful look.

"Well...here's ta friends who drive us nuts sometimes."

Turning, Indigo now saw that Applejack had clenched her hand into a fist, holding it before her. Looking from it, to her face and then back again, Indigo cracked a smile before making a fist of her own hand and gently bumping it against Applejack's .With that moment over, they both leaned back into their tree, and after a few more moments of silence, Applejack looked up at the sky, still obscured behind the branches of the tree, and let out a brief laugh.

"Ya know...it's times like that that ah envy those Equestrians. Back when Princess Twilight came over, she told us about how their sun actually gets moved about by magic or somethin."

Indigo turned to her with a degree of curiosity upon her face.

"Seriously? Then damn, get them over here so they can work their stuff on ours, because this is torture!"

Applejack nodded in agreement over that, looking around for a moment before looking as if she'd just had an idea.

"Ya know...we do have a pond on the farm."

A silence fell between the two girls as Indigo slowly turned towards her.

"...Pardon?"

Looking to her companion, Applejack nodded.

"Eyup. A small one, but it ain’t far and..."

But, before she had the chance to finish, Indigo had leapt to her feet, looking to Applejack as if she'd just brought her the happiest news in her whole life.

"Well why didn't you say so?! Let's get going! Race ya!"

Before Applejack could stop her, Indigo was off like a shot, and as she ran further and further away, Applejack watched as she not only kicked off her shoes, but also began to throw off her shirt and a number of her other clothes as she made her way to the cooling waters of the pond. Seeing this, the farm girl chuckled before responding in kind, starting by taking off her hat and placing it on one of the nearby tree branches.

"Well...the girl's pretty enthusiastic, ah'll give her that much."

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Lemon

Although the recent heatwave had been a difficult thing for everyone in Canterlot to cope with, things had, thankfully, cooled down quite a bit in the following days. Although, this day was beginning to end, with the sun setting rapidly, allowing the blanket of night to sweep over the skies above the town. Everywhere you looked you could see people heading on home, ready to rest and recuperate after a long and difficulty day. However, in spite of this, there was a fair amount of activity from some of its residents, especially amongst the youth. Although the streets were darkening, there were more than a few teens out and about, ready to enjoy themselves in whatever manner they saw fit. Among those kids was Lemon Zest of Crystal Prep Academy, who was marching down the main street of Canterlot with a wide smile on her face. But she was not alone here tonight, as a rather meek-looking Fluttershy was meandering her way behind her.

“Um…are you sure this is a good idea, Lemon?”

Stopping, the green-haired girl looked to her companion, still smiling as she did so.

“Yeah! Trust me on this, Flutters! A nice night out doing stuff is always gonna be better than staying in!”

Fluttershy looked away, rubbing one arm in a nervous-looking way.

“It’s just…I don’t normally stay out so late.”

Walking up to her, Lemon slapped down a hand upon her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it! Tonight’s gonna be a fun night, I promise you that!”

Although clearly hesitant about it all, there was something about Lemon’s massive energy that was almost hypnotic, making it difficult at best for Fluttershy to really protest. In the end, she simply gave a brief nod, much to Lemon’s delight, as she began to lead the way once more. Following, Fluttershy watched as they passed place after place, eventually stopping at a little-known spot on a street corner. There, Lemon placed her hands upon her hips as she gazed up at the building in triumph.

“Ah! Here we go! Just the kinda place I was looking for!”

Looking up, Fluttershy saw the building, with the words “Canterlot Karaoke” written in neon above the door. Before she could say anything about it, however, Lemon grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her inside. Once in, the two girls saw that there was barely anyone in here, save for the woman at the front desk, who regarded the two girls with surprise.

“Two rounds of customers tonight? Wow, how will I deal with such a busy workload?”

The sarcasm in her voice would have been clear to even a novice of social interaction, and yet, Lemon seemed to be completely indifferent to it, walking up to the desk and placing her hand upon it, smiling in a cocky way as she addressed the woman.

“Evening! My friend and I would like to rent one of your karaoke rooms please!”

The woman took a brief look at a small book that lay on the side of the desk, before looking back up to Lemon again.

“Sorry, girl. We’ve only got one room, and it’s taken. You’ll have to wait.”

Immediately, the smile faded form Lemon’s face, and she now looked quite disappointed, looking to Fluttershy with a huff.

“Ugh! That sucks! I hate waiting for stuff!”

As Lemon walked over to a nearby set of chairs beside the door to the only karaoke room, Fluttershy regarded her for a few moments, before starting to smile sweetly, taking her place right beside her.

“You know, patience isn’t a bad thing, Lemon. I’m sure that, if we just wait a little, we’ll still have a great night together.”

Lemon looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Appreciate you getting into this more, Flutters, but life is short, so why waste time waiting when you can be doing stuff instead?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when, all of a sudden, both she and Lemon began to hear the voice coming from inside the nearby karaoke room. It was clearly a girl from the sound of it, and while both would acknowledge that it was a pleasant-sounding voice she had, there were nevertheless moments when, just for a little bit, she sounded as if she was having difficulty holding certain notes. While Lemon regarded those moments with slight amusement, Fluttershy had a different reaction, as she turned to the door with a look of curiosity upon her face.

“Wait…I know that voice. Is that…?”

Before Lemon could ask what was going on, she watched as Fluttershy got up from her chair, taking a few steps towards the door. The shy girl reached up and turned the knob, opening it and finally seeing who was within. The voice became all the louder as the door opened and, at last, both Fluttershy and Lemon caught sight of that room’s sole occupant. It was a girl who appeared to be their age, with a long blue ponytail, who was currently holding a microphone in one hand as she continued to sing to the karaoke notes appearing on the TV screen before her. She had not noticed the two newcomers, but Fluttershy broke out into a smile when she saw her.

“Sonata?”

The girl, Sonata, stopped signing immediately, turning to the now-open door. Upon seeing Fluttershy she dropped the microphone, breaking out into a massive smile before lunging forward and, to Fluttershy’s shock, embracing her in a tight hug.

“Fluttershy! It’s so good to see you again!”

Although she’d clearly been taken aback by that, Fluttershy soon composed herself, putting on a small smile of her own as she hugged her right back. As for Lemon, she continued to be amused by this, though soon cleared her throat, gaining Fluttershy’s attention.

“Oh! I do apologise, Lemon.”

Breaking away from Sonata, Fluttershy brushed herself off a little before gesturing to the blue-haired girl.

“Lemon, this is Sonata Dusk.”

And then she gestured to Lemon.

“Sonata. This is Lemon Zest, from Crystal Prep.”

Turning to the latter, Sonata took on a look of curiosity.

“Crystal Prep? Isn’t that the place where everyone’s super-serious all the time and don’t look like they know how to have fun?”

Fluttershy, as one would expect, predicted that such a remark might cause some friction. But, to her relief, it didn’t, instead yielding a hearty chuckle form Lemon.

“Yep, that’s the place alright.”

Hearing that, Sonata broke into a smile of her own.

“Neat. Nice to meet you.”

The Siren reached out a hand, which Lemon promptly took, and together, the two shook them in greeting. When they finally let go, Sonata looked as if she’d just had a sudden idea, leading to her looking past the two girls and instead towards the woman at the desk, who had not really been paying that much attention to what was going on.

“Oooh! Miss! Can my friends come in on my session?”

At long last, the woman looked up, looking from one girl to the other, before giving a brief shrug of her shoulders.

“Sure, knock yourselves out.”

Ignoring that half-hearted way she spoke, Sonata squealed with joy before grabbing onto the arms of both girls, dragging them into the room before closing the door behind her. Now in the same karaoke room together, Sonata continued to look as happy as can be.

“Oh my gosh! This’ll be so great!”

Lemon folded her arms and chuckled a little at this.

“Easy there, girl. First things first. What’s your story?”

Sonata looked at her and spoke in a completely casual way.

“Oh, well, me and my sisters were this trio of power-hungry Sirens who tried to take over the world through super-magic-enhanced voices. Then Fluttershy and her friends came along and stopped us by blasting us with friendship magic. One thing led to another and now we’re all friends!”

Lemon stood there in utter silence, as did Fluttershy, who had once more been taken aback by just how bluntly her Siren friend had just blurted out their entire backstory. She looked nervously over to Lemon, who continued to stare at Sonata after having heard all that. In the end though, the Crystal Prep girl broke out into yet another massive smile.

“That…sounds…so…COOL!!!”

Turning, Lemon looked right at Fluttershy.

“Seriously, how awesome must it be at your school to get this kinda stuff happening all the time?”

Smiling a little, Fluttershy shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“Well…it’s usually a lot calmer than that, but…yes, it does get pretty hectic at times.”

Chuckling, Lemon looked right back at Sonata, glancing briefly at the nearby TV before speaking up to her.

“So…ya like singing, eh?”

Sonata nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep! Me and my sisters used to sing all the time! It was, like, how we used to take over stuff. But then we fought Fluttershy and her friends and, well, we couldn’t really sing as well anymore.”

Lemon’s smile faded a little after hearing that.

“Aw man! That totally sucks! I’d have loved to hear you guys!”

But Sonata seemed untroubled by that.

“Don’t worry. Fluttershy’s been helping me to sing better.”

Before the girl in question could do anything, she found yet again that she had become a victim of one of Sonata’s impromptu hugs, and was now being affectionately squeezed by her even more than before.

“And I really really appreciate it, Fluttershy!”

Giggling nervously, Fluttershy used her one free hand to pat Sonata on the back.

“Um…you’re welcome?”

Letting her go, Sonata placed her hands upon her hips, looking from Fluttershy, to Lemon and then back again.

“So…ready to have a whole night of nonstop karaoke singing?”

To that, Lemon reached over to the nearby TV, picked up a pair of spare microphones, handed one to Fluttershy, and then gained a rather mischievous-looking smirk.

“You’re playing my song, Siren-friend. Let’s rock this joint!”

Sonata squealed yet again, and the two girls turned to Fluttershy, both expecting her to be just as enthusiastic about it as they were. Instead, while she was indeed happy to be here and doing this, she simply responded in that usual Fluttershy manner of hers.

“Yay!”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Sugarcoat

The school day had come to a close, and all over town, there could be seen students of every place from Canterlot High all the way to Crystal Prep, hanging out with one another and simply relaxing after a long day. On the far edges of the town of Canterlot, far from a lot of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the place, was a small café. This place, in stark contrast to a lot of other venues in the town, was far more refined and elegant in its look, boasting a lot of fancy-looking teas and food items for its customers. Into this environment was found Rarity, noted fashionista of Canterlot High, who was currently sharing a pot of tea with a girl from Crystal Prep, Sugarcoat. The two girls sat in silence together for a while, simply sipping from their cups and enjoying the relative peace of the café. However, after some time had passed, it was Sugarcoat who broke that silence.

“Most enjoyable.”

Putting down her cup, Rarity broke into a small smile.

“Indeed. I must say it’s nice to get out to a place like this every once in a while.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t come here with your friends?”

Rarity considered that before letting out a sigh.

“I tried introducing them to it a few times before, but it wasn’t exactly their cup of tea, if you’ll pardon the pun. Fluttershy, bless her heart, she does try to like it. But she much prefers her own company when doing things like this.”

Sugarcoat nodded as she considered those words.

“And, if I may ask, why ask me to come here?”

Rarity shrugged her shoulders a little.

“Well…are you not enjoying yourself?”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“I am indeed. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Rarity paused for a moment, looking at the inquisitive way Sugarcoat was looking right at her, before letting out a long sigh.

“The truth is…I always want to come to places with a friend, and since most of my friends aren’t all that interested, I figured I’d look to your group. And out of all of you, you seem the most inclined to enjoy it.”

Hearing that, Sugarcoat gave a brief nod before taking another sip of her tea.

“You thought correctly.”

A silence fell between the two girls, during which they occupied themselves mostly with their respective drinks, as well as a few small cakes that had been served alongside them. After a few minutes, Rarity looked to her companion and spoke up.

“I must confess, Sugarcoat, you hold yourself to a far more dignified manner than your cohorts.”

The Crystal Prep girl nodded.

“True. Though I still count them as friends, in spite of their…shall we say, more unrefined qualities.”

To that, Rarity stifled a brief giggle.

“Preaching to the choir on that one.”

Had Sugarcoat been one to do a lot of smiling, that response might have elicited one. And yet, she remained as stoic as ever, taking a moment to instead regard the café around them, as well as the other customers it was hosting. The way they spoke to one another, the décor, the general feel of the place, it just oozed aristocracy and elegance, and as such, a thought began to grow in the girl as she turned to Rarity once more.

“You enjoy this kind of thing, don’t you?”

Looking up from her tea, Rarity’s expression was one of slight confusion, prompting Sugarcoat to elaborate.

“All this class and high society. The trappings of those at the top.”

Leaning back into her chair, a small smile crept onto Rarity’s face as she thought on that.

“I do. From the time I was just a little girl I’ve always dreamed of being among those types of people one day. The kinds of people that everyone else looks up to, respects, admires, and always carry themselves so…so nobly.”

Sugarcoat remained silent as the Canterlot High girl had spoken, listening to it all and taking great interest in it.

“I think you may be disappointed if you ever did achieve that, Rarity.”

The young fashionista looked to her companion with a degree of surprise in her tone.

“Disappointed? Pray tell, Sugarcoat, what on Earth makes you say that?”

Turning, the girl gestured to some of the other customers of the café.

“Look around you. What do you see?”

Although still unsure about all of this, Rarity did as requested, turning her attention to the other people nearby. She regarded each one in turn, looking at each in a way that might give her some clue as to what Sugarcoat was talking about.

“Well…they certainly carry themselves in a more professional manner than what you’d find in the rest of Canterlot. They all look like they should be here.”

Looking back to her, Sugarcoat nodded.

“Exactly…they look the part.”

Turning to her, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“I do hope you’ll explain.”

Sugarcoat nodded.

“What you want from this…what you’ve always dreamed of…it’s all surface. These people make an image of themselves to show to the world, to make them seem more impressive than they really are.”

To that, Rarity rolled her eyes a little.

“Oh come now, Sugarcoat! I’m sure they aren’t all that bad!”

But Sugarcoat frowned slightly.

“Believe me…I’ve spent years studying alongside such people. Those of the so-called elite…when they come to Crystal Prep, they view themselves as better than everyone around them. The kinds of people you admire, they’re actually among the most insufferable types you can ever meet.”

Folding her arms, Rarity frowned right back.

“Well…you're not like that, are you?”

Sugarcoat, took a sip of her tea before responding.

“Maybe not…but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my fair share of moments when I felt superior. It’s the kind of thing that kind of environment breeds. And I don’t just mean going to Crystal Prep, I mean spending any amount of time with people like…them.”

Turning, she looked upon the fancy-looking customers of the café.

“Thankfully for me, I always found that constant need to feel better to be rather…dull. It bored me. So I often avoided a lot of the more active attempts by my colleagues in…shall we say…reinforcing their sense of superiority.”

Rarity took on a look of uncertainty at that.

“What do you mean?”

Looking back to her, Sugarcoat maintained her frown.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of many of the things my school has done over the years. The pranks the students pulled on your school for example?”

To that, Rarity looked far less sure of herself now.

“Well…yes…but… I always assumed that was merely a few bad apples.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow.

“You admired Crystal Prep for being a place of refinement and high class…did you never stop to consider how such a place produced so many with poor behaviours?”

Rarity, for the first time in all of this, actually looked lost for words. She composed herself as best she could by taking another sip of tea, during which, Sugarcoat looked at her intently. After a good long while of nothing but an uncomfortable silence between the two, Rarity let out a long sigh.

“So…perhaps my hopes for what high society are like were…perhaps more naïve than what I’d hoped?”

Sugarcoat looked at her, at the way she looked upset over what she’d come to consider, and so, after taking a sip of tea herself, began to let out a sigh of her own before looking up at her again.

“What you wanted…was an ideal. You believed in something that was better than it really was. You hoped for the best. And that…that is no vice.”

Rarity turned to her, actually looking surprised to hear what sounded like outright praise from the girl. But, she remained silent as Sugarcoat continued.

“It is a good thing for you to feel that way. I assure you, very few of the people who actually have what you wanted actually seek to be as good as you’ve always hoped they are. You…you are a better person than they are, Rarity.”

Another silence fell, and as it lingered, Sugarcoat looked unsure of how best to say what she needed to, but in the end, simply came out and said it.

“If those at the top actually had someone like you among them…they might actually be worth respecting.”

To that, Rarity broke out into a small smile, reaching forward and placing her hand upon Sugarcoat’s, which had been resting upon the table. The girl, naturally, was surprised by this, looking up to the fashionista as she finally responded to all of this.

“Thank you, Sugarcoat. And if I may say…if they have people like you already among them…then perhaps they’re not as bad as you think they are.”

The Crystal Prep girl, having heard that, looked about as surprised as she was capable of looking. Her face, though still lacking a lot of the overt emotion most of Rarity’s friends would display, nevertheless looked far softer than it had been before, and before long, she gave a brief nod, giving a sense of having appreciated what had been said to her. Nodding back, Rarity leaned back into her chair, picking up her tea cup and realising that it was now empty, after which she looked to her companion with a smile.

“So…another pot?”

Looking down at her own empty cup, Sugarcoat held it up, gently clinking it against’ Rarity’s before nodding.

“Always.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Sunset and Sunny

When one thought of Crystal prep, one of the most noted schools in the district, one thought of many words to describe it. Prestigious. Refined. Dedicated. Respectable. Intelligent. And yet, to a lot of the people who actually studied, or even worked there, there were actually a number of other words that they usually thought of whenever the school came to mind. Of all of these, the most notable word on anyone’s mind would undoubtedly be oppressive. It was something every student and teacher felt when roaming the halls, a sense of foreboding, like you were being judged for your every action. And while it was safe to say that such an atmosphere had lifted considerably since the recent Friendship Games, there was no escaping the fact that, at the end of the day, Crystal Prep remained a place that, while certainly respected, wasn’t really going to be a place that was outright liked.

For one particular student, this sentiment held true in more ways than one. Sunny Flare, one of the girls who had participated in the school’s team in the aforementioned Games, was walking down the hall, oblivious to any of her fellow students as they passed her by. However, she was not alone here today, as there, walking alongside her, was none other than Sunset Shimmer, from Canterlot High. While it was not technically against the rules for students of other schools to be here, it was nevertheless an odd sight, and as such, many a student gave her odd looks as they walked past. But Sunset was unconcerned, instead keeping her attention upon Sunny, whose expression was of nothing but concern. And it wasn’t hard to see why, as before long, the two girls approached an ornate door, engraved with the words “Principal’s Office”. Looking at it, Sunny began to breathe heavier than before.

“I…I don’t know if I can do this!”

But, a mere moment later, she felt the reassuring touch of Sunset’s hand upon her shoulder, causing her to turn and look upon her warm expression.

“Yes you can. This is something you need to do, Sunny. I know it’ll be difficult, but…you know you need to talk to her.”

Sunny knew she was right, but than certainty made her feel no less nervous about it all. Slowly, she turned to face the ominous door once more, gradually raising her hand and turning it into a fist. For a moment, she hesitated, but after taking in a deep breath, she finally crossed the threshold and gave a single knock. Silence fell afterwards as Sunny and Sunset stood there, staring at that wooden surface. After an unbearably long wait, they finally heard a voice on the other side.

“Enter.”

The tone was direct and to-the-point, and one that Sunny was more than familiar with. She glanced at Sunset for a moment, who gave an encouraging nod, before finally reaching for the knob and opening the door. It creaked open, and the office within was darker than most. Row upon row of bookshelves were there to see, but in the middle of it all, right at the far end, was the Principal herself. Cinch, Sunny’s Mother, who was currently busy writing down notes, not even looking up to see who had knocked. Sunny, seeing this, entered the room, leaving Sunset behind. She had a bad feeling about bringing her here to begin with, and showing her off was not something she wanted right now. Instead, she silently took step after step closer to the older woman, eventually speaking up at long last.

“Um…Principal Cinch?”

At that, Cinch finally stopped writing, looking up to her daughter with some surprise upon her face.

“Miss Flare? I don’t recall you setting up an appointment for today.”

The girl tensed up for a moment, though eventually shook her head.

“N…no. There’s no appointment. I just…there’s something I needed to talk to you about.”

Cinch raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Very well. Take a seat.”

Sunny nodded, approaching the desk. After taking a seat as requested, there was a silence between the two, with Cinch looking intently at her. As one would expect in a situation like this, Sunny found it very hard to get any words out, leading to a look of slight frustration from her Mother.

“…Well?”

Taking a gulp, Sunny finally got her words out.

“M…Mother, I…”

But she was stopped by a raised hand from Cinch.

“As I have said before…when we are on school grounds, you are to refer to me as Principal.”

Yet again, Sunny found herself feeling the weight of her situation.

“Actually…that’s…that’s what I wanted to talk about.”

Cinch took on a somewhat curious look, prompting Sunny to start explaining herself.

“I wanted to talk about…us.”

To that, Cinch gave a slight frown.

“Us? Miss Flare, I trust you realise that school hours are hardly the time for personal talks?”

Looking away, Sunny felt her heart beat more with every passing moment.

“It’s just…I need…I want…to know just…just how you feel…about me.”

For the first time in all of this, Cinch actually looked surprised.

“About you? Wha…what are you talking about? You’re my daughter. How do you think I feel about you?”

Sunny took a gulp, once more finding herself at a loss for words.

“I…I just…I need to know…from you.”

Cinch opened her mouth, ready to give some kind of response, only to stop. For a while, the older woman looked deep in thought over something, though what, Sunny couldn’t say. Then, all of a sudden, Cinch’s eyes started to drift over to the still-open door of her office. In an instant, Sunny froze, as she knew in her heart where this was going. Before long, her Mother spoke, confirming her fears.

“Tell me…are you alone here today, Miss Flare?”

Sunny tried to give and answer, but the piercing gaze of her Mother, was too much for her to stand right now, and so, she simply elected to look away. This, apparently, was all the answer Cinch needed.

“Hmmm, I thought not.”

At long last, Cinch stood up from her desk, now towering over Sunny. Clasping her hands behind her back, the Principal’s eyes were now set squarely on her door, and she spoke up with authority in her voice.

“Whoever is out there…I would ask that you make yourself known.”

Slowly, Sunny turned in her chair, now looking upon the open door. For a while, there was no activity, no sound, and for a brief moment, the girl wondered if her companion would actually do as requested. But, in the end, she did, as Sunset began to make her way into the office, revealing herself to Cinch for the first time in all of this. The moment the Principal caught sight of the Canterlot High girl, she tried maintaining a professional stance, and yet, Sunny noted, just for a flicker of a moment, that there was a degree of suppressed rage from her. But, she stayed silent, watching instead as Sunset drew closer to the desk, stopping just a few feet of it. In the silence that followed, Cinch looked Sunset over for a while before finally addressing her.

“Miss Shimmer, I presume?”

Sunset nodded, but stayed quiet as Cinch continued.

“While I appreciate that you feel the need to aid one of my students, I should remind you that, if Miss Flare has brought you here for what I suspect she has, then this is hardly any of your concern.”

To that, Sunset narrowed her eyes, trying her best not to speak in an overly aggressive manner.

“With all due respect, Principal Cinch…Sunny is a friend, and I wanted to help her.”

Sunny, upon hearing that, looked to Sunset with a degree of appreciation in her expression. As for Cinch, she was less than impressed, adjusting her glasses a little before speaking up again.

“A fine sentiment, but it does not change the fact that you have no place here.”

In response to that, Sunset’s frown deepened, and she watched as Cinch turned her attention instead to Sunny.

“And as for you, Miss Flare, I trust you understand how inappropriate it is to discuss…private matters with others? Especially ones that have actively worked against this school?”

Sunny looked down, still unable to look the older woman in the eye, and Sunset looked from one to the other, practically silenced by just how uncomfortable this whole situation felt. Cinch, still looking down at the young girl before her, let out a sigh, sitting down in her own chair and looking instead to her notes.

“Thank you both for coming. But, if you’ll pardon my bluntness…I have work that needs doing.”

Sunny looked up at her Mother, opening her mouth to speak, and yet, no words came out. She sat there, staring at the woman, at the way she wasn’t even looking at her, and in this moment, she stopped. Letting out a deep sigh, she slowly got out of her chair, turning around and starting to make her way towards the office door. But Sunset, still looking from one to the other, bore an expression of apprehension in all of this. A feeling tugged at her, urging her to step forward, and after wrestling with herself for some time, she finally spoke out.

“Wait!”

Sunny stopped dead in her tracks, but did not turn to look at Sunset, instead keeping her eyes squarely on the door. As for Cinch, she looked up from her work with a raised eyebrow, watching as Sunset took a few calming breaths before looking her right in the eye.

“Principal Cinch…would it…would it be alright if I were to say a few things?”

The older woman regarded her with some curiosity, gesturing to her with a single hand.

“If you must. But make it quick.”

Sunset nodded, which was the only sign of appreciation she was willing to give this woman at this point. Looking briefly to Sunny again, who just kept looking at the door, Sunset gave out a long sigh, brushing herself down for a moment before finally saying what she needed to.

“A long, long time ago…I was a student to someone very special to me. For as long as I could remember, she was the most important thing in my life…she was my life.”

Cinch kept looking at her, a degree of interest now flickering in her eyes as she stayed silent, allowing Sunset to continue.

“I had no family to speak of. And my teacher, she…well…she basically took me in. She raised me, she…she was a Mother to me.”

For a moment, those words caused a brief flicker in Cinch’s eyes, though again, she said nothing.

“Things were good between us. I learned so much and my teacher…she…she seemed so proud of me and what I could do.”

In this moment, Sunset allowed herself a feeling of nostalgia, a smile creeping upon her face as those more pleasant memories washed over her. But, she knew there was a more serious point to all of this, and gradually, that smile faded, replaced instead by a look of melancholy, even regret.

“But…as time went on…things between us began to change. I became…unsatisfied. I allowed many terrible feelings to grow in me. Resentment. Bitterness. Anger. But I never let those feelings get out. In the times I did…well…it didn’t do my relationship to my teacher any favours.”

To that, Sunny, for a brief moment, turned her head, though not so much that she actually looked directly at Sunset. The latter noticed this, but nevertheless kept on speaking.

“One thing led to another and…and the trouble between us reached a tipping point. Things were said and…we parted ways.”

A pained look crossed Sunset’s face as she held herself, not looking at either one of the others in the room.

“I…I haven’t spoken…or seen her since…a very long time now. And for a while…it was my belief that…I never would.”

Hearing that, Cinch, despite her earlier hostility, couldn’t help but display just the tiniest pang of concern over hearing that story. But, as before, she kept her mouth shut as Sunset turned, looking her right in the eye with a look of melancholy.

“When there are people in our lives who truly matter to us…life only gives us a few, precious moments to let them know how we really feel about them. We have to take those moments, to make them matter. Because if we don’t…”

Again, a touch of pain crossed Sunset’s eyes.

“…we spend the rest of our lives regretting it.”

Cinch was lost for words, sitting at her desk in silence at what she’d just learned. Turning, Sunset looked upon Sunny, who had kept her back to all of this during the entire story. But, after a long and very uncomfortable silence, she finally began to move. But, it was not to turn around or return to Cinch, but rather to keep on moving towards the door leading out of the office. Sunset looked disheartened by this, but that was nothing compared to the now-desperate look Cinch herself bore. Seeing her daughter walk away, she found herself getting up from her desk immediately, calling out with a want, a need in her voice.

“Miss Fla…!”

She didn’t finish her words, but Sunny nevertheless stopped, just short of the door itself. In the silence that followed, Cinch looked more than a little hesitant, the flicker in her eyes betraying the conflict that was going on in her mind. A minute passed, then two, then three, before something finally happened. The older woman raised her hand, taking off her glasses and laying them down upon her desk. When she looked up again, her expression was far softer than Sunset could ever remember seeing on her. But, this time, it was Cinch’s turn to speak, and when she did, it was in a hushed, almost pleading tone.

“…Sunny…please…come back.”

At long last, the girl turned, looking to her Mother with clear surprise in her expression. At first, it looked as if she was reluctant to approach Cinch again, but, one look at her face, at the honesty there, and Sunny finally began to move back in her direction. But her walk was slow, tinted with the clear signs of hesitancy on her part, thought Sunset could hardly blame her. In time, she reached the desk, but did not sit down this time. Instead, she kept on standing, looking her Mother right in the eye. As for Cinch, she maintained that uncomfortable expression, looking as if she was having a hard time putting her words together. In the end though, she finally spoke.

“Years ago, when your Fath…when your Father passed on. I was all alone, knowing that you were about to come into my life. I said to myself then…don’t be weak. Stay strong. Stay strong for her.”

Sunny listened to every word, never once showing any kind of reaction. Seeing this, Cinch continued.

“And so…strong is exactly what I aimed to be. When I was raising you, I did everything I could to let you know that I was not a weak person. That I was not a weak Mother. I avoided hesitation, doubt, anything that might have made me less than the role model you deserved.”

Slowly, the older woman turned, looking away from her daughter for the time being.

“But…that was not all I sought to do. I wanted…I wanted to create something lasting. Something I could pass onto you. Something to make you…proud of me.”

To that, Sunny frowned slightly.

“Your legacy?”

Cinch looked back to her, nodding slightly.

“Yes. I have spoken often of it, yes? A legacy that would last long after I was gone. But…I did not seek to make it for myself. I wanted it…for you.”

Placing a hand upon her chair, Cinch let out a sigh.

“So I worked, day in and day out, to make this school what it was. I drilled its students into the elite of academia. I forged a place of learning that, years from now, would still be regarded as something to look up to. To admire. And you…”

Gradually, Cinch looked at Sunny once more, her face softening yet again.

“You would have looked to it and said…she made that…she accomplished all that.”

But Sunny seemed less than enthusiastic, narrowing her eyes at her Mother.

“You…you made me feel like a disappointment. You made me feel like I failed you.”

Hearing that, Cinch looked, of all things, shocked.

“Is…is that what you thought I felt about you?”

Sunny looked away, still looking hurt over all this.

“You never said that you didn't.”

To that, a pained look crossed Cinch’s face, and she closed her eyes, though whether it was to avoid her daughter’s gaze, none could say.

“Sunny…when I brought you up…I always told myself that I would do what was best for you. And that, in my mind…was to make you as great as I knew you could be. So I worked you, oftentimes harder than others, because I knew you could do it. I knew you could be the best that Crystal Prep, that any school, could ever hope to have.”

After a while, she finally opened her eyes again.

“When the days started to come when you were no longer the best…I will fully admit that my attitude towards you was…not what it should have been.”

Sunny looked away, a look of anger now crossing her. But Cinch was not angry in return, and instead let out another sigh.

“But my disappointment, and it was disappointment…was not with you…it was with myself.”

Turning, Sunny looked to her Mother with confusion, prompting Cinch to elaborate.

“When others came who surpassed you at something…or times came when you weren’t the best…it was myself that I felt disappointment in. I felt…like it was I who had done something wrong, that perhaps…I hadn’t taught you or raised you well enough.”

Cinch looked away, a look of shame now plastered all over her face.

“But…instead…I made it so that it was you who felt that sting. I made you think that…that my ill feelings were towards you…when they never were.”

Looking back to her daughter, Cinch’s face continued to soften.

“All I ever wanted…was for you to be the best…and have the best. I wanted you to have a life where all would look to you and know…this is someone to be respected.”

Slowly, she closed her eyes.

“So I pushed you…hoping that would turn you into that person. And in time…I hoped…you would come to see me in the same light. That you’d see me as…one to admire.”

A silence fell between them, during which, Sunny regarded her Mother, looking as if she was seeing her for the first time in her entire life. For a brief moment, she glanced in Sunset’s direction, but the latter had long ago decided that, for the time being, this was between Sunny and Cinch, and so stayed quiet as the grave. Swallowing, Sunny looked back to her Mother, looking as if she was right on the verge of tears. And this was reflected in her voice, which now started to wobble.

“I…I never wanted an idol. I wanted…a Mother.”

At this, Cinch opened her eyes, looking at the distraught look on her daughter’s face, and thus, she too began to look on the edge of breaking down.

“I…I know. I spent so many years asking myself what I wanted you to have in your life. But I never…I never asked what you might have wanted.”

Yet again, her expression became one of near-pain.

“Above all else…I never considered what you might have wanted…of me.”

Sunny looked at her closely, slowly raising a hand and placing it on her Mother’s arm, gaining her attention. A silence followed, but it ended soon afterwards when Sunny spoke up again.

“What I wanted of you…was to just know…that you loved me.”

To that, Cinch’s tears continued to build up, and she looked down to her daughter, raising a hand and gently placing it upon the side of her face.

“Oh, Sunny…you’re my daughter. And there will never be a time…when I stop loving you.”

And with those words, the threshold had been crossed. A tear fell down Sunny’s cheek, and this sight, at long last, caused Cinch herself to break down. Tear after tear came from the two, and without a word, they rushed forward, embracing each other in a tight hug for the first time in probably a long number of years. Eventually, they were so overwhelmed by what they were feeling that they fell to their knees, still holding onto one another, as if they were a veritable lifeline. Through it all, Sunset heard Cinch mutter the same thing over and over again; “I’m sorry I’m so sorry!” It was enough to move her a great deal, and a single sob escaped her. But, as she wiped away the single tear that threatened to fall from her, she looked to the two. These two who had, for so long, stayed silent about how they felt about each other, and what they needed from one another, it was a sight very few would be privileged to see, and she had been the one granted to see it.

But, after watching for a long time, she noticed that Sunny, while still embracing her Mother, turned to look right at her. She stayed utterly silent, save for her gasps of breath during her crying, but nevertheless mouthed the words “thank you” to the girl. Smiling, Sunset gave a single nod, turning from her and making her way out of the room. This was a private moment, that much was obvious, and she was not going to intrude any further. So, she left the room, closing the door behind her so other eyes could stray in their direction. Now outside, she leaned against the wall, thinking over everything that had just happened in there. Thought after thought crossed her mind, and, in the end, a small smile crept onto her face. Taking off her school bag, she rummaged around in it for a while before pulling out as brown book, covered with a familiar sun emblem.

Smiling to it, she opened its pages, taking out a pen and putting it to the paper. After stopping to think her words over for a while, she smiled again, finally writing what she needed to say.

“Twilight…if it’s alright, would you mind…giving your end of the book to Princess Celestia? It’s just…I feel the need to talk to her right now.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rainbow and Twilight

The moment the calm of the afternoon gave way to the loud ring of the school bell, all manner of activity begun for the students of Canterlot High. The doors flew open and boys and girls from every class began pouring out of the place, hooking up with one another and just generally starting to relax after a long day’s studying. Nowhere was this more evident than in one of the school’s most noted athletes, Rainbow Dash. The girl, after stepping out of the front doors of the school, raised her arms and gave herself a good stretch, sighing in a contented manner afterwards. Placing her hands upon her hips, she smiled as she surveyed her classmates, all of whom were making their way away from the school and towards their homes or to other places to hang out. But that was not her plan for the afternoon, for rather than leaving the school, she instead began to walk around it, heading instead to the large soccer pitch adjacent to the main building.

Once there, she looked around until she finally caught sight of a soccer ball, already left there by some previous team. Smirking at this, the teen cracked her knuckles slightly before loosening herself up a bit, after which she began to run as fast as she could towards the thing. Within mere moments, she was there, and brought her leg up behind her before delivering an almighty kick to the unassuming ball. It flew off like a shot, heading straight for the net at the other side of the pitch, striking it with such force that any audience would have feared it might tear through entirely. But, it held all the same, and Rainbow, looking pleased at her fine aiming, allowed herself a moment to hoot in victory. But, this moment was short-lived, as she then began to hear the sound of someone clapping. Turning, she soon caught sight of a newcomer to the field, smiling widely when she realised who it was.

“Hey there, Twi! Didn’t see ya there!”

Twilight Sparkle, of Crystal Prep, smiled back to her rainbow-haired friend as she sat on the side-lines, on the large stand meant for the audiences of sports matches. When she finally stopped clapping, she got up from her seat, walking over to Rainbow, who herself had begun to meet her halfway. Once there, the latter slapped a hand down upon the spectacled girl’s shoulder, still grinning widely.

“Didn’t take you for much of a sports fan.”

Twilight shook her head at that.

“I’m not, usually. But I figured, since I’ll be coming over here soon, it might do me good to get familiar with the fields.”

Rainbow nodded, turning and gesturing to the still-empty pitch beside her.

“Well, you’ve come to the right girl. I pretty much own the sports around here. Soccer, tennis, you name it.”

Twilight giggled slightly.

“Indigo always said the same thing back at Crystal Prep.”

Hearing that, Rainbow scoffed a bit.

“Yeah, I don’t doubt it. But here, I'm the athlete to look out for.”

Looking back to Twilight, Rainbow then raised an eyebrow.

“What about you? You into sports at all?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Not really. I mean…it’s mandatory for all students, but…I was never really that good at it.”

Rainbow placed her hands on her hips after hearing that.

“Seriously? There’s nothing you do over there?”

Twilight shook her head again.

“No. In fact, as pitiful as it may sound, I usually just sit on the sides while everybody else plays. The gym teachers and coaches usually don’t mind though. They already know how bad I am at this stuff.”

To that, Rainbow frowned slightly.

“That sucks! I mean, not that they don’t bother you about it, that’s totally fine, but don’t they even try to get you to like any of it?”

Adjusting her glasses slightly, Twilight gave a brief shrug of her shoulders.

“To be honest, I never really had much interest in it. My fascinations were always more with the more academic areas of study there.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“I swear, the way you talk, you and Sunset must have been separated at birth or something.”

A small blush crept onto Twilight’s face with that, prompting Rainbow to let out a sigh, after which she placed her hand upon her shoulder again, albeit in a far gentler way than before.

“Look…I don’t wanna sound like I’m being pushy or anything, but I don’t think it’ll really be all that good for you to just sit on the sides when you come to transfer here.”

Before long, a small smile grew on Rainbow’s face as she continued.

“Tell you what? How about I help you through some sports, maybe help you get a better feel for it?”

Twilight looked to her, somewhat taken aback at that suggestion, before looking away, reaching outright Fluttershy levels of shyness.

“Um…I don’t know…”

Letting out another sigh, Rainbow began to speak in a softer tone than before.

“Okay, how about this…if I help you with some sport, then I’ll also spend time with you doing all that brainy stuff you like?”

Looking back to her, Twilight’s face began to light up, with her even smiling a little.

“You mean it? You’ll even sit with me in the library as I study some of Plato’s philosophies?”

Hearing that, Rainbow took on a look of utter dread at that prospect, but turned her face away so Twilight couldn’t see it. After standing in silence and pondering that point for a few moments, the girl let out a groan, looking back to Twilight with an obviously-forced smile.

“Sure…why not?”

Twilight’s joyous smile widened at that, and before long, she offered up her open hand. Rainbow looked to it, affording herself a brief smirk, before taking the hand and shaking it. With their agreement made, Rainbow turned, Twilight walking close behind her, as they made their way over to where Rainbow had kicked the ball earlier. After picking it up, she walked back to a fair distance away from the net, setting the ball down before looking back up to Twilight.

“I tried this once with a certain fishy friend of mine a while back. Here’s hoping you do a little better.”

Twilight gave a brief nod at that before looking down to the ball with a degree of uncertainty. A silence fell between them, during which Twilight took a few calming breaths. Rainbow kept watching her, but stood aside for the time being. After a long while, Twilight looked to the ball with resolve in her expression, and she brought her leg up, ready to kick it as hard as she could. And while she did indeed do that, it turns out that “as hard as she could” was only strong enough to get the ball about six feet further away. Now, had this been anyone else doing this, Rainbow would have most likely laughed at them. But, since this was Twilight, she stifled such urges, instead turning to her in silence. But, as she did so, she saw the disappointed look she bore, which was soon reflected in her tone.

“That…wasn’t very good, was it?”

Rainbow looked over to the still-nearby ball, thinking silently on how best to respond to that. After a while, she turned to her with a small smile.

“Hey, it’s no biggie, I mean, I may love sports now, but even I didn’t start off awesome at it. It takes time.”

Placing a hand upon her shoulder yet again, Rainbow’s expression was soft and reassuring.

“And when you come over…you’ll have all the time in the world, Twi.”

To that, Twilight gained a smile of appreciation.

“Thank you, Rainbow. I…I look forward to it.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Pinkie and Indigo

Being a Saturday, there was one thing and one thing only on the minds of most of the youth of the town of Canterlot; relaxation. All anyone wanted to do was just unwind a little after a week at school, and so, that was exactly what most of them did. There were no big events for them to partake in and no serious sports for them to exert more energy on today. No, the most anyone did today was just sit in quiet places with each other and just have a few pleasant chats with their closest friends. So, all over Canterlot, the general atmosphere was one of calm and tranquillity. That is, except for one place; Sugar Cube Corner. Now, in all fairness, this place did have as much of a laid-back feel as everywhere else in the town, if not more so, and yet, there was undoubtedly a feeling of tension there, and all of it stemmed from one particular booth, and the two girls who sat there.

Pinkie Pie, from Canterlot high, and Indigo Zap, from Crystal Prep, both sat close by to one another. Although to one simply passing by, things seemed far from friendly, as the two sat in utter silence, glaring intently at one another. The quiet between them was most uncomfortable, and even Mr and Mrs Cake, in the few moments when they cast a glance in their direction, knew from looking not to get involved. But, after a good long while, the silence was broken by Indigo.

“So…you ready?”

Narrowing her eyes, Pinkie nodded.

“Always.”

And with that, they finally made their move. Both girls turned simultaneously to what appeared to be a veritable horde of milkshakes, almost a dozen each, all laid out before them on their table. And without saying a word, they were at them, grabbing the glass nearest to them and starting to slurp like they’d never slurped before. The sound of milkshake being drunk at high-speeds was now the loudest sound that could be heard in the Corner, and all the while, the two girls looked as intense as ever. As soon as one glass was emptied, the girls would move to another, and then another. Time went on and they kept up this pace, neither one proving to be faster at this than the other. But, unfortunately for Indigo, it was when she’d reached her eight milkshake when she suddenly found that she could go no further, reaching up to the side of her head with a pained expression.

“ARGH!!! Brain freeze!”

But Pinkie looked unconcerned, finishing off her own milkshake before slamming the empty glass down upon the table, after which she looked to Indigo with a look of utter triumph.

“Ha! I win! All hail Pinkie Pie, the world’s grand milkshake champion!”

Turning to her, Indigo frowned somewhat.

“Urgh! You got lucky!”

But Pinkie turned to her with a smile, raising a finger and swaying it from side to side.

“Nu-uh! There’ll be none of that, Indigo! You just bit off way more than you could chew, baby!”

Rolling her eyes at that, Indigo, while still nursing the side of her head, nevertheless afforded herself a brief chuckle, reaching out with her other hand towards Pinkie.

“Alright, alright. All hail Pinkie then.”

Looking to the offered hand, Pinkie giggled with delight before taking it, and the two shook in agreement. In this moment, they allowed themselves a few moments of laughter together, after which, they both leaned back into their respective spots on the booth, letting out contented sighs. After a few moments more though, Indigo turned to Pinkie once more, looking genuinely impressed with her companion.

“Gotta hand it to ya, Pinkie…you are crazy…but in the good way!”

Giggling at that, Pinkie looked over to Indigo.

“Thanks! I try my best.”

Chuckling at that, Indigo raised both arms, allowing herself a moment or two to stretch a little before looking back to the Canterlot High girl.

“I don’t even know where you put it all! That was the most milkshakes I've ever had, but you just took it like it was nothing!”

A brief look of pride crossed Pinkie’s face at that.

“Well, I have been dealing with sweet stuff for a pretty long time now. My whole life, actually.”

Indigo nodded at that.

“Oh yeah, I heard you were a baker or something. How’s that working for ya?”

Pinkie looked to her with a wide smile plastered over her face.

“Oh…I love it! Especially when…”

The girl didn’t finish, at least not at first, but instead began to do something that totally caught Indigo off-guard. She got up on her feet and, with an almighty jump, leapt up onto the table in front of them. While Indigo was understandably shocked by this behaviour, Mr and Mrs Cake, who were standing nearby, merely gave a good-natured laugh at the whole thing, knowing already where this was going. As for Indigo, she kept watch as Pinkie finally spoke up again, taking a deep breath first before belting it out.

“…all you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix! Then just take a little something sweet, not sour! A bit of salt, just a pinch!”

The girl took another deep breath, ready to deliver yet more upbeat and catchy tunes, only to stop when Indigo raised a hand, looking to her with utter confusion.

“Er…what are you doing?”

Pinkie paused for a moment, looking around for a bit before looking down at Indigo and shrugging her shoulders.

“Um…singing?”

Indigo raised a hand to the bridge of her nose, running it slightly before looking up to Pinkie again.

“I can see that! But…why?”

To that, Pinkie looked at Indigo as if she’d just asked the most ridiculous question in the world, which, as one might expect, caused her to giggle further.

“Because it’s fun! Because it’s what I do!”

Indigo considered that for a moment, turning away from Pinkie as she did so.

“Yeah…I think I heard that from somewhere. You like singing and stuff. I just didn’t expect it to be so…so…”

Tilting her head slightly, Pinkie began to finish Indigo’s sentence for her.

“Fun? Exciting? Bubbly?”

But Indigo shook her head.

“I was gonna go with random personally.”

Yet again, her words elicited a giggle form Pinkie, and this time, the bouncy-haired girl jumped down from the table, after which she sat down in the booth once more before addressing Indigo.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Indigo! It’s adds a little fun to life when we just do stuff out of nowhere like that! Keeps people expecting the unexpected and stuff!”

To that, Indigo let out a brief laugh.

“You know, you kinda sound like Lemon when you talk like that.”

Pinkie nodded.

“Sounds good to me! I mean, no offense, but Lemon’s probably the most fun out of all of you!”

Considering that, Indigo nodded a little before shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah…I can see that.”

However, mere moments later, she turned back to Pinkie, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

“I dunno, just having you sing out-of-nowhere like that feels kinda…weird. I mean, nobody else does it.”

Looking to her companion, Pinkie gained a confused look of her own.

“Er…yes they do.”

Indigo turned to her with an incredulous look.

“Seriously? When?”

Smiling again, Pinkie raised a hand and pointed it straight at Indigo.

“Well…you did, silly!”

Needless to say, Indigo seemed quite taken aback by that.

“Wha…what?!”

Pinkie nodded.

“Sure! You and all those other Crystal Prep girls! You all sang a whole bunch of times back at the Friendship Games!”

Hearing that, Indigo frowned slightly.

“No…no we didn't!”

But Pinkie, folding her arms, took on a look of defiance, all while maintaining her smile.

“Yep! Totally random musical numbers. At least two of them, I think. Like when you were all urging Twilight to do that magic stuff? You were all “unleash it” and being all creepy about it.”

Indigo sat there in silence for a few moments, looking form Pinkie, to further away, and then back again, all while looking like she was deep in thought over something.

“No! We…we weren’t singing! We were…we were…”

But, the longer she thought on that, the less and less sure of herself she seemed to be, and she began to look away from Pinkie.

“Wait…were we singing? Is that what we were doing?”

Pinkie, still folding her arms, nodding with a look of victory on her face.

“Yep! You were! I mean, it was kind of a bad guy song, but good all the same!”

But Indigo shook her head, after which she looked back to Pinkie, still looking as confused as ever.

“But…it doesn’t make sense! How would we all know the same lyrics? How would we know how to sing together without having any group practise and stuff? How would we all know that particular moment to sing in the first place?”

To that, Pinkie shrugged her shoulders.

“Dunno. Just kinda happens. Pretty cool though, right?”

But Indigo seemed far from calmed by those words, instead just shaking her heads over and over again.

“This…this is nuts! This is crazy! I just…how could we not have noticed this before?”

Giggling again, Pinkie scooted over, wrapping a single arm around Indigo and holding her close.

“Welcome to our world, friend!”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Applejack and Lemon

A cool breeze blew through the streets of the town of Canterlot, and the sun shone brightly overhead, creating an overall pleasant afternoon. Now, his was a town where, on most days, people would expect it to be abuzz with activity. But that was not today. Today, there was barely anyone around. Very few shops were open and the few people about on the street were quiet and reserved. Gone was the usual energy of this town, replaced instead by a feeling of sobriety, of calmness. Silence was the noise of the day, and nowhere was this more evident than on the outskirts of town. There, in that place, lay no vast field for busy activity, nor was it a place of social gatherings. No, this place was solemn, melancholic. This place, was a graveyard. Now, most towns would have one, but Canterlot, being as bright and cheerful a place as it was, was usually considered too jovial for there to be such a place. And yet, there it was.

As one would expect in a location like this one, there were very few people about. There was the groundskeeper of course, making his way from spot to spot, making sure everything was in order. There were a few visitors to family tombstones, all looking as sombre as they should be, given the locale. And finally, near the far end of the place there was a lone girl. Applejack, of Canterlot High. The girl stood alone here, holding her famous Stetson in one hand, looking down at a very old headstone, which was engraved with the name “Apple”. Her expression was both one of familiarity and melancholy, as she gently placed her hand upon the thing. She said no words, merely letting out a deep sigh. Patting the stone somewhat, a smile crept onto her face as she gave a nod to it, after which she placed her hat upon her head before turning, ready to leave. However, as she made her way, she began to hear someone speaking some distance away.

“…and then, they grew wings! Can you believe it?! I swear, it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen!”

Those words piqued the farm girl’s interest immediately, and she began to scour the area for whoever had spoken. Her search did not take long, however, as she caught sight of a very familiar head of green hair not so far away. Lemon Zest, from Crystal Prep, was also here, standing beside a similar headstone. She was talking to it, as though its occupant was right there alongside her, bearing a look not of sadness, but of the kind of relaxed expression one hand when around friends or family. Curiosity starting to grip her, Applejack began to make her way over. She knew this was most likely a private moment, and yet, she felt the need to at least say “hello” while the girl was here. After walking for a few moments, she was close enough to Lemon, and so cleared her throat. Immediately, the sound caught her attention, and she turned, catching sight of Applejack instantly, leading to a wide smile on her face.

“Hey there, AJ! Wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Tipping her hat slightly, Applejack smiled, albeit in a smaller manner than Lemon, before speaking up again.

“Likewise, friend.”

Nodding, Lemon turned to the stone beside her.

“Where are my manners? AJ, this is my Great-Grandfather.”

Applejack looked from the stone, back to Lemon’s smiling face, and then back to the stone again, before letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Um…nice ta meet ya, Sir.”

Lemon giggled a little at that.

“I was just visiting him. How bout you? Got someone here?”

To that, Applejack’s smile faded a little, but she nevertheless nodded in response.

“Yeah.”

Turning, Applejack pointed off in the direction her own stone had been in.

“That there is mah Great-Grandpa. Usually its mah whole family comin, but they all got called away on other stuff, so it’s just me here this year.”

Lemon nodded at that before looking back to the nearby stone.

“Same here. Me and Gramps here talk every year. Well…technically only I talk, but you get the drift.”

A small chuckle escaped Applejack at that, and her expression softened somewhat.

“Yeah.”

However, in the silence that followed, Applejack watched as Lemon stared at the stone, looking upon it with a sweet smile upon her face. Minute after minute of this silence carried on, and all the while, a question formed in the mind of the farm girl. She knew what she wanted to ask, but was hesitant to do so. Thankfully for her, Lemon almost seemed to be able to read her mind on this, and turned to face her, her expression a touch more serious than it usually was.

“If you wanna know…it was the war.”

Applejack, though somewhat stunned by her forwardness, nevertheless shook herself out of it in time to give back a nod of acknowledgement, leading to Lemon continuing to speak.

“Yours?”

Looking back to her own stone, Applejack let out a sigh before looking back to Lemon.

“Same.”

Lemon nodded, but still kept her smile as she did so.

“Well…we got that in common at least.”

Looking right at her, Applejack pondered on that point for a moment, studying Lemon’s smiling face carefully for a few moments before, finally, speaking up on something that had been bothering her for some time now.

“Lemon…ah just don’t get ya.”

Naturally, the Crystal Prep girl gained a look of confusion at that, prompting Applejack to explain herself.

“Ah mean…ya go to a place as stuffy as Crystal Prep, surrounded by a whole bunch of stuck up stick-in-the-muds, ya even visit places like this every year, and yet…yer still just as chipper as ever.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Ah mean no offense, but…how can ya be?”

Lemon stared at her in silence for a while, thinking over what had just been said to her. But, after a few moments of waiting, Applejack found, to her surprise, that Lemon actually started laughing, leading to a slight frown on Applejack’s part. Seeing this, Lemon shook her head a little.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make fun of you or anything. It’s just…if I had to give a reason, it’s actually because of places like this that I am this way.”

Needless to say, Applejack didn’t look like she understood, and so, after another brief giggle from Lemon, she began to explain.

“It’s just…my Grandpa…well…this is his Dad laying here. Did I ever tell you about Grandpa?”

Seeing Applejack shake her head, Lemon continued.

“Well…trust me when I say that he’s probably the least serious guy you could ever meet. Always telling a joke, always pulling some kind of prank. And when I was a little girl, I asked him…Grandpa, why are you always like this?”

A nostalgic look crossed Lemon’s face as she carried on speaking.

“When I asked that…he stopped smiling for the first time in all the time I’d known him. He thought about it for a moment and got into his chair, asking me to sit on his knee.”

Turning, Lemon started to circle around the headstone as she continued.

“And he told me…Lemon…we only have one life. And because we only have one…we have to enjoy it. We have to live it. No matter what little things come along to try and make us sad or down…we can’t let that get to us.”

Looking back up to Applejack, Lemon’s smile faded a little.

“Then…he started talking about his Dad here. He went on about how brave he was, how selfless. And all of it…just to make sure other people, his family…could go on. He…and everyone else here…”

With one hand, she gestured to the rest of the graveyard around them, all the headstones standing in row upon row, like the soldiers they once were.

“…they fell because they fought to make sure we had this one life to live. They wanted us to have free lives…good lives…happy lives. They wouldn’t have wanted us to feel bad…even when standing in places like this.”

Lowering her arm, she looked right back at Applejack, still smiling.

“Grandpa Dissy told me then…always remember those brave people, Lemon. And always live your life to its fullest…because there are so many…who never came back to do the same.”

To say Applejack was stunned by those words would have been a great understatement, as she stood there now with her mouth gaping open, staring at Lemon as she finally stopped speaking. The green-haired girl looked down at her stone, placing a gentle hand upon it affectionately, as if she’d actually known and met the man buried below. But, after some time, Applejack shook herself out of this state, putting on a small smile of her own.

“Yer Grandpa sounds like a pretty wise fella.”

At that, Lemon let out a brief giggle.

“He’s a total doofus! But…he knows what he’s talking about. And that’s what really matters.”

Letting out a sigh, Lemon looked right up into Applejack’s eyes.

“I am the way I am because of people like my Great-Grandpa. Everything he did, and gave up…everything they all gave up…was so we could live our lives with smiles on our faces. And I will be damned if I don’t embrace that gift.”

A silence fell between them once more, but this time, it was one caused not by discomfort, but of simple surprise. The girl so often looked on by Applejack and others and being the most carefree, coming out and speaking like she had. It was a shock to say the least. But, in the end, she put on a smile once more, nodding in acknowledgement of what her companion had said. Lemon nodded back, and soon she was looking upon her Great-Grandfather’s stone yet again. After thinking over what had been said, Applejack, placing a single hand upon her hip, finally spoke up.

“What do ya think…a minute’s silence?”

Lemon looked to her, thinking that over for a moment, before breaking out into a smirk.

“What the Heck! Let’s give em five!”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Fluttershy and Sugarcoat

To say that Sugarcoat looked uninterested would have been a great understatement. As she walked down one of the many streets of Canterlot, her expression was so blank and unflinching that it would have been easy for a passer-by to assume that she was simply a statue that had decided to come to life and walk about. And yet, there was nevertheless a purpose in her walk, a look to her movements that made it clear that she was intent on getting to where she needed to be, and quickly. With her hands clasped behind her back as she walked, the air she gave off was one of formality and professionalism, stopping only every once in a while to adjust her glasses. After a good few minutes of walking, she finally came upon her destination; the local animal shelter of Canterlot. Looking the place over, she let out a brief sigh before marching forward once more. Coming to the door, she opened it, and was immediately met by a barrage of noises from the animals kept inside.

But this did not deter her, and she made her way inside despite the racket going on. While some of the animals, most notably a few dogs, stopped barking when they saw this newcomer, most just kept on going. Sugarcoat looked around, regarding each of the animals in turn before finally starting to look around the place properly. There seemed to be nobody here to speak to, which, if she had been one to look annoyed, would have indeed elicited a look of annoyance upon her. But, before she got the chance to simply turn around and leave, the door on the other side of the room creaked open, catching her attention. She stayed in one place as she saw that there, finally coming into view, was Fluttershy. But, for the time being, Sugarcoat said nothing, for it was clear she was not alone here today. As the pink-haired girl entered the room, she was followed by what looked like a younger boy, though one Sugarcoat didn’t recognise.

“I keep telling you, Snips, you can’t just bring in any kind of animal you find here!”

Fluttershy’s words were tinted with feelings of disapproval, though still in that meek Fluttershy-way of hers. The boy, Snips, placed his hands on his hips and frowned slightly at the girl’s words.

“What?! Just what exactly is wrong with the critter I brought?”

Fluttershy twiddled her thumbs a little as she considered that, finally speaking out in a voice that was just barely above a squeak.

“Well…um…it was a snail. And…well…it wasn’t even a hurt snail, it just…it’s just one you found in your garden this morning.”

Hearing that, Snips shrugged his shoulders.

“So? The sign on the shelter says that we can bring any homeless animal here to be looked after, right?”

Fluttershy hesitated over that for a moment, before finally nodding in response. Smirking at this, Snails took on a look of triumph before starting to march off in a cocky manner towards the exit. Sugarcoat stepped aside, more than happy to let the kid get out of this place, but stopped as he himself paused for a moment. He spun around, calling out to Fluttershy once more.

“Oh! And you’ll tell my teacher that this counts towards that whole “rescue-an-animal” project the class is doing, right?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, only to stop when Snails simply broke out into a smile and called out again.

“Great! Thanks, Flutters! You’re the best!”

And with that, the boy was gone, heading out of the shelter and slamming the door behind him. Sugarcoat turned to look through the window section of the door, seeing Snips run off like he was fairly happy to be out of here. Turning back to Fluttershy, she saw that the appropriately-shy girl simply shrugged her shoulders, all while maintaining a sweet smile.

“Well…I suppose he did a good thing…right?”

Sugarcoat raised her eyebrow at that, never giving an outright response. Seeing this, Fluttershy cleared her throat a little, keeping up her smile as she began to approach the Crystal Prep girl, clasping her hands together as she did so.

“It’s wonderful that you agreed to come, Sugarcoat!”

The other girl nodded, adjusting her glasses slightly before speaking up again.

“It is no bother. I’ve always found animals to be interesting to work with. Although…”

She turned, looking upon many of the creatures in the nearby pens.

“…I will fully admit that I don’t think I adore them as much as you do.”

To that, Fluttershy merely giggled.

“Well, let’s see if we can fix that, shall we?”

Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders in response, watching as Fluttershy made her way over to the nearby front desk of the shelter. Upon it was an already-open box of food, ready to give out to the animals, which Fluttershy then busied herself preparing. As she did this though, Sugarcoat leaned against the desk, looking at the girl with some curiosity.

“What happened back there, exactly? With that Snips boy?”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up again.

“Oh…well…he just needed some help with a little class project of his. No need to worry about it.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at that.

“Really? Because it looked to me like he was taking advantage of you.”

But Fluttershy shook her head.

“Oh no! He wouldn’t do that! He was just…really, really adamant about me accepting his…animal.”

The hesitation with which she’d spoken that last word gave Sugarcoat all the information she needed, she then placed one hand upon her hip as she spoke up to Fluttershy yet again.

“Fluttershy…he was taking the laziest, easiest option he could to get out of his project, and went to you because he knew you were going to be an utter doormat about it.”

Needless to say, Fluttershy was taken aback by those words.

“I…I just wanted to help him and…”

But, she didn’t get the chance to speak, as Sugarcoat raised a hand and stopped her.

“Helping people is all well and good…but you do nobody any favours by doing it in the way you just did. You’re not helping him, and you’re certainly not helping yourself.”

Looking down at the ground, Fluttershy poked her index fingers against one another as she thought on that.

“I…I suppose not. It’s just…it’s always better to be nice to people, right?”

Hearing that, Sugarcoat folded her arm for a moment, staring intently at the meek girl before her.

“Is this why animals are better for you? Because they don’t go around taking you for granted or making you a pushover?”

Fluttershy’s head snapped in her direction, and she spoke in a manner that made it clear that she was at a loss for words over that.

“I…well…erm…animals are so much…so much nicer and less…”

But, yet again, Fluttershy was halted, as was Sugarcoat, when a new sound could be heard. Turning, they both found that it was a knocking on the door. Walking up to it, Sugarcoat saw that it was another younger boy, but this one somewhat taller than Snips had been. Seeing the boy herself, Fluttershy walked to the door and opened it.

“Oh! Good morning, Snails!”

Smiling at her, Snails entered, after which he turned around and looked at Fluttershy in an excited manner.

“Hey there, Fluttershy! I’ve got some great news!”

Hearing that, Fluttershy’s face lit up.

“Oooh! Really? What?”

Still smiling, Snails began to explain himself.

“Well, Snips came over and talked to me a while back saying that you could help us with this project. And since, well, you weren’t gonna to say no or anything, he said that we could just show up with anything! So here!”

With that, the boy held out his hand, and in its palm, there was a single, tiny ant scurrying about. As Fluttershy looked at the miniscule creature, her expression became one of being disheartened, which then morphed into uncertainty as she looked back up to Snails again.

“Oh…well…I, er…that’s very nice, Snails, but…”

Getting a good feeling on where this was going, Sugarcoat let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose before taking a step forward, coming in-between Fluttershy and Snails.

“You’ll have to go somewhere else.”

The authoritative way she’d spoken caught both Snails and Fluttershy by surprise, and the former tried speaking up again afterwards.

“But…but Snips said…!”

But Sugarcoat was already ahead of him.

“What Snips said doesn’t matter. It wasn’t right for him to be so lazy about it, and it’s not right for you to be either. Now…”

Stepping aside, Sugarcoat kept her eyes on the boy while gesturing to Fluttershy at the same time.

“Apologise to Fluttershy for using her like you did.”

Snails opened his mouth, perhaps to protest. However, there was something about the unmoving and stoic look on Sugarcoat’s face that, just for a moment, caused him to look more than a little concerned with his current course of action. A silence fell between the three of them, but, in time, Snails began to develop a look of guilt and apology, putting the hand with the ant behind his back before looking to Fluttershy.

“I’m…I’m sorry. It…it won’t happen again.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, only to stop when Sugarcoat did so in her stead.

“Apology accepted…now leave.”

Without another word, Snails left in a dash, not even closing the door behind him as he left. As Fluttershy watched him go, running as fast as his legs could carry him, she then turned, looking to Sugarcoat with amazement.

“How…how did you do that?”

To that, Sugarcoat shrugged her shoulders.

“Simple. You know how to handle animals…and I know how to handle people.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Sour

Despite the day being slap-bang in the middle of autumn, it was, strangely, rather warm, at least in the Canterlot area. Nothing major was going on today, so most people simply resorted to spending their spare time trying to unwind after whatever work or studies they’d occupied themselves with in the preceding days. Nowhere was this more clear than in the large park region of the town. There, boys and girls from all over the place gathered to spend the day, be it playing games of sports against one another, or simply sitting together on one of the many park benches that littered the place, talking to each other. For Rarity, noted fashionista of Canterlot High, she found herself taking to simply enjoying a nice long walk through the park. But, she was not alone here today, as there, walking beside her, was her beloved cat, Opalescence. The animal wore a leash around her neck, so Rarity could keep her close, and as they walked, Rarity looked down to her.

“Oh, Opal! Isn’t this such a glorious day today?”

The grumbling the cat let out after hearing that seemed to suggest that she disagreed, but, for the time being, Rarity did not really notice, instead maintaining a wide smile upon her face. As she walked, she and her cat strayed from the usual walking path that so many other people in the park used, and instead began to stray off into a secluded woodland on the side of the place. Here, the high branches of the trees did much to shade her from the heat of the sun, leading to an even more contented look upon her face. However, she had a reason for being here today, and soon enough, she found it. A small section of woodland where the trees gave way to a small pond, tranquil and serene, and most of all, completely cut off from the rest of the park. Smiling at this, Rarity let out a sigh as she approached the still waters.

“Ah! Much better! So much calmer than the rest of this place.”

But, before she could do anything else, she was distracted by the sudden appearance of a second voice.

“Maybe not as calm as you think.”

Although taken aback by this, Rarity composed herself enough to start looking around for the source of that voice. She didn’t have long to look, as she caught sight of a familiar girl beside the edge of the pond. Sour Sweet, of Crystal Prep. This one-time rival of Rarity’s was currently sitting beside the pool, hanging her legs over the edge so her feet were now soaking in the waters. Her shoes were carefully placed beside where she sat, and as she looked to Rarity, a smile crossed her face, leading to her giving a brief wave.

“Care to join me?”

Although there was a brief moment when Rarity was a little disappointed, perhaps from knowing she would not have this place to herself, but, in time, she moved on, breaking out into a smile of her own before nodding in response. So, taking her cat with her, the young fashionista walked over to where Sour was sitting, wherein she noticed that there was a small tree stump nearby. Smirking a little at this, Rarity took her cat’s leash and wrapped it around the old wood, making sure she couldn’t get away, much to Opal’s chagrin. Now with no pet to worry about, Rarity took a place besides Sour, taking off her own boots before dipping her own feet into the cool water. Naturally, this led to a long sigh from the girl.

“Ah! Now this is the kind of relaxation I needed today!”

Chuckling at this, Sour nodded.

“Yeah. I come here whenever I can. Always helps to relax me when I can go to a place like this.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rarity turned to her companion.

“Not to sound rude, my dear, but, am I to take it from that remark that you are still struggling with your…um…?”

But she didn’t get the chance to finish, as Sour turned to her with a small smirk.

“My anger issues, you mean?”

Immediately, Rarity looked away, seeming more than a little guilty at having brought the issue up. But, thankfully, this did not seem to bother Sour in the slightest, and she soon let out a hearty laugh, leading to Rarity turning back towards her. When Sour’s laughter died down, she looked right at Rarity before starting to explain herself.

“Don’t worry about it. Things have been pretty good for me lately. And I have you girls to thank for that.”

Rarity, brushing aside some of her purple hair, blushed a little after hearing that.

“Oh pish-posh, darling! We were happy to help.”

But Sour shook her head.

“No, I mean it. Before I met you guys…well…I was kind of a mess. Do you remember all that so-called sweetness I used to force out every other sentence?”

Rarity considered that for a while before giving a begrudging nod, acknowledging her point.

“Fair enough. I will admit that it did get somewhat…grating.”

Sour chuckled again for a moment.

“Yeah…back then, I used to be so worried about people looking down on me for being angry or upset at stuff.”

A soft expression crossed Sour’s face as she thought back to those days, culminating in her kicking the water before her, sending many droplets out across the surface.

“And now? Now…I feel like I’m finally able to breathe, like, for the first time in my life!”

Smiling to this, Rarity reached over and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

“Well, we’re happy we could help.”

Sour smiled back at this, and she opened her mouth to give some kind of reply. However, sadly, the tranquillity of the moment was rather rudely interrupted as, all of a sudden, the quiet of this scene was replaced by some kind of loud and very irritating-sounding music. Placing their hands to their ears, both girls looked around for a moment before finally managing to see the source. A boy, maybe a year or two older than them, entering the pond area, and apparently having not noticed them. He was carrying, right on his shoulder, a large radio, which was currently belting out note after note of that grating noise he called music. Needless to say, both girls were somewhat annoyed by his presence, especially given how much they’d preferred the earlier quiet. Frowning slightly, Rarity leaned over to Sour, speaking loudly enough so she could hear her over the still-blaring music.

“Well…it was a nice moment while it lasted.”

Turning, Sour looked upon the now-disappointed expression on her friend’s face, and in time, she too developed a frown of her own, looking over to the boy with intent. Pulling her legs out of the water, she got to her feet and began marching over, not even bothering to pick up her shoes beforehand. Rarity watched, now somewhat concerned, as Sour moved with utter purpose towards the boy, who had taken to sitting on a fallen tree some distance away. Sour walked onwards, her eyes narrowing as she approached the guy, and only when she came within a few feet of him did he finally notice her. He watched as she stopped walking, placing her hands upon her hips as she glared in a disapproving manner towards him.

“Hey there, girly. Pretty sweet tunes, right?”

Frowning again at that, Sour maintained her pose as she finally spoke up, her voice tinted with slight anger.

“If you don’t mind, buddy, my friend and I were enjoying a nice moment here. Would you mind taking your…music, and going elsewhere?”

Raising an eyebrow at that, the guy looked over to Rarity, who was trying to avoid his gaze, before looking back to Sour with incredulity.

“Look, Missy, I don’t really care if ya don’t like my music. If you like all that quiet and stuff, maybe you should leave.”

He then turned away, leaving Sour to silently fume at this rude behaviour on display here. As she stood there, watching as the boy continued to ignore her, something strange happened. A sly smile crept onto her face, and she brushed herself down a little, after which she began to move towards him in what could only be described as a slightly sultry manner. Sitting down on the fallen tree, right beside him, she caught his attention once again, especially when she placed a hand upon the front of his shirt.

“Hey…you know what I think?”

Although somewhat taken aback by this change in behaviour, the boy’s expression soon morphed into a slightly amorous one.

“No. So…what do you think?”

Leaning in closer, Sour maintained a smile, right until the final moment, after which she grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, and broke out into an expression of pure rage. Now eye-to-eye with her, the boy looked at the fury blazing in her, staying as silent as the grave as she spoke in a voice that seethed with venom.

“I think you should go and stop bothering us!”

Now completely dumbfounded, the boy found himself feeling nothing short of terror at this angry girl before him, and so, an instant after she’d finished speaking, he nodded frantically, using one free hand to switch off his radio. When Sour finally let him go, he was off, grabbing hold of the device and running far away. Sour kept her eyes on the guy until he was too far to see anymore, after which she let out a few calming breaths. Getting up off the log, she walked back to Rarity, who sat there with a look of shock upon her face. But, Sour said nothing for the moment, instead taking a seat beside her once more. After sitting in silence for some time, she finally spoke up.

“So…where were we?”

After blinking a few times, Rarity shook herself out of her trance-like state, after which she gained a smirk of her own.

“Well…I do believe we were talking about how nice it is to have a place as calm and quiet as this one.”

Nodding, Sour let out a brief laugh.

“Yeah…and I‘m fairly certain it’s gonna stay that way. At least…as long as I have something to say about it.”

Looking away, a thoughtful look crossed her face.

“And these days…at least I know I can have something to say about it.”

Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Wondercolts and Shadowbolts

Now, it was well known that, while there were indeed many rules to be followed at Canterlot High, like there were at any school, it was generally accepted that, every once in a while, those rules could be bent, provided there was good cause of course. Among those rules was that, on Saturdays, when there were no classes to be had, no student was to enter the school at all. And for a certain group of girls, getting together so they could throw a big party to celebrate one of their friends was indeed just such a just cause to bend that particular rule. It was probably in the rulebook somewhere. Probably. Possibly. If you really stretched your interpretation of the rules. And so it was that the Wondercolts, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack, had gathered in perhaps their favourite room of the school, the music room, ready to celebrate their newest friend; Twilight Sparkle.

And speaking whom, the girl in question was right there alongside them, smiling with joy over the celebration laid out before her. With Pinkie at the helm, this party was, naturally, one to behold, with balloons, streamers, snacks and all other manner of party staples, ready to let them all enjoy this day as much as humanly possible. But, Twilight was not the only one visiting them today, as there, entering the room behind her, were her cohorts from Crystal Prep. Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare. All of those Crystal Prep girls followed their spectacled companion into the room, looking just as impressed as she was at the sight of all of this.

“Wow! You guys have really gone all out for this!” Lemon commented.

Smiling as widely as normal, Pinkie giggled.

“Thanks! But then, nothing is too good for our newest, bestest friend, right?”

Twilight blushed at that, adjusting her glasses as she saw Sunset begin to approach her. As many of the other girls began to wander around the room, mingling with the girls of Canterlot High, Sunset and Twilight now stood together, smiling sweetly at the display before them.

“Well…guess our little get-together plan worked out pretty well, eh?” Sunset remarked.

A brief giggle escaped Twilight, after which she nodded before turning to Sunset.

“You know…there was a time when I seriously doubted this could work. The two groups together I mean. But you? You never doubted, did you?”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders a little.

“Not in the slightest. After all…”

A small smirk crept onto her face as she turned to face Twilight.

“…this isn’t the only time we’ve had to do something like this.”

Twilight looked to her, opening her mouth to speak, only to stop when another, distinctly sultry voice could be heard behind them.

“And in case you’re wondering, Twilight dearest, she’s talking about us.”

Turning, both Twilight and Sunset looked on with slight surprise as there, standing in the doorway, was another group of old rivals of theirs; the Dazzlings. Adagio, Sonata and Aria stood there in various poses, with Adagio in particular smirking at the two girls in front of them.

“I do hope you weren’t planning on starting this party without us, Sunset?”

Chuckling slightly, Sunset stepped aside, gesturing to the others in the room.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Please, come in.”

Nodding, Adagio and her sisters began to walk past the two girls, making their way over to the other girls assembled in the room. Watching, Twilight and Sunset saw them start to speak with all the others, with Pinkie, as usual, being particularly glad to see Sonata. Although, Indigo seemed more than a little wary of Adagio’s presence, though why this was, Twilight couldn’t say. Letting out a long sigh, Twilight adjusted her glasses slightly before looking back to Sunset.

“I…I wanted to thank you.”

Looking to her, Sunset smiled.

“It’s no problem. I’d do something like this for any of my friends.”

But Twilight shook her head at that.

“It’s not just the party. I mean…everything.”

Hearing that, Sunset raised an eyebrow, prompting Twilight to look away from her.

“Before this all started…I…I was so unsure about how to make friends with all of you. But…over the last few months…things have been…”

Letting out another sigh, Twilight looked back to Sunset, with a look of pure joy across her face.

“…they’ve been the happiest of my life. All the things I’ve done with you and the other girls, they’ve…I can’t even remember doing as much, or loving it as much.”

Raising had hand, Twilight gently brushed aside a stray strand of hair from her face, looking to her friend with a genuinely happy look.

“So…thank you…for everything.”

Needless to say, Sunset was rather taken aback by this sheer emotion on display here. However, she managed to get herself out of that shocked state, just in time to wear a smile of her own. Then, to Twilight’s surprise, she moved closer, raising both arms and embracing her spectacled friend in a hug. Now it was Twilight's turn to be taken aback, and, much like Sunset, she too got herself out of it soon afterwards, feeling almost relieved from this as she returned the embrace. The two girls stayed together for some time, but, like all good things, it came to an end, as the two of them began to hear the distinct sound of somebody clearing their throat. Turning, they saw that it was Sunny, who stood there with a hand upon her hip.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

Moving back form one another, they turned to her, with Twilight brushing herself down a little while Sunset spoke up.

“Don’t worry, its fine. What’s up?”

Sunny looked like she was about to speak, only to stop when she looked to Twilight. Though the latter was by no means an expert on reading people, she knew a look of “I want to talk in private” as much as anybody else. Giving a quick smile and nod to Sunset, she began to make her way over to the rest of the group, leaving Sunset alone with Sunny. After a while, Sunny let out a deep sigh, after which she spoke to Sunset in a soft tone.

“I felt the need to tell you…you probably won’t be seeing much of me after today. At least not for a while.”

Raising an eyebrow at that, Sunset folded her arms.

“Is something wrong?”

Sunny smiled as she shook her head.

“Quite the opposite in fact. My Mother, she…well…she’s taking an overdue leave of absence. After working for so many years straight, she figured the time has come to relax a bit. And, well, she’s taking me with her.”

Sunset seemed genuinely surprised by this, which soon turned to a warmer look.

“I see. Where are you two going?”

To that, Sunny shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know. But…I’ll be able to spend more time with my Mother than I can remember doing for a long time. And that…that's what matters to me.”

Smiling, Sunset placed a hand upon the girl’s shoulder.

“Well…good luck, Sunny. You both deserve this.”

Sunny nodded in appreciation at that, but did not say anything further, as the two of them turned to the sound of somebody tapping a spoon against a glass. Naturally, it was Pinkie, and after she was sure she’d got everybody’s attention, she cleared her throat, after which she addressed the room.

“Almighty then! As we all know, we are gathered here today to celebrate the super-awesome fact that Twilight…”

With a single hand, she gestured to the girl in question, who naturally looked rather meek at being the focus of attention now. Giggling nervously, she waved to everyone as Pinkie continued.

“…is now officially transferred from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High! And I think I speak for all of us here when I say…”

Raising her glass of soda, Pinkie looked right at Twilight, smiling as she did so.

“…welcome to the school, Twilight!”

To that, everyone else in the room similarly raised their glasses, cheering her on. As one might expect, this caused a fierce blush to emerge on the girl’s face, though she nevertheless continued to wave and nod to each of the girls who were cheering to her. As soon as the cheering was over, however, each of the girls made their way over to the guest of honour, speaking to her in friendly terms about all manner of things, like how excited she was or what she was planning to do now that she was here. As for Sunset, she stayed on the side, looking at it all unfold before her, only making her way over once everyone else had said what they needed to. Now free of the admiring crowd, Twilight practically gasped for breath, eliciting a brief chuckle form Sunset.

“Well, you're certainly popular.”

Making sure her glasses were on straight, Twilight smiled as she looked to her friend.

“First time in my life.”

Reaching forward, Sunset gently held onto the girl’s hand.

“Trust me, you’ll do fine.”

Although Twilight looked like she wanted to respond to that, she was once more interrupted as a very familiar voice could then be heard.

“Believe me, Twilight, Sunset knows what she’s talking about.”

Turning, both Sunset and Twilight looked on with shock to discover that, now entering the room, was another Twilight, though this one with loose hair and a starkly different outfit. Smiling widely at this newcomer, Sunset took a few steps closer.

“Twilight! You got my message!”

Nodding, Princess Twilight smiled in response.

“Oh, there was no chance I was going to miss this.”

Turning, the Equestrian Princess looked upon her human counterpart, approaching her carefully.

“So…Twilight. Everything going okay?”

Although the sight of an exact duplicate would be enough to unnerve anybody, the human Twilight shook herself out of it, nodding in response to the Princess’ question before finally speaking up.

“Um…yes. I mean…this is all so overwhelming. Having all these friends, going to a new school. I mean…I’m excited, don’t get me wrong. But…I wonder if I’ll be able to cope.”

Princess Twilight turned to Sunset, and for a moment, a knowing look was shared between them. After that was done though, the Princess looked back to Twilight, stepping closer and placing a hand upon her shoulder.

“Twilight…listen to me. I know things may seem a bit much right now. But remember, you’re not alone in this. You may have spent a lot of your life finding it difficult to let people in, but trust me when I say that, once you do have friends…your life will be all the better for it.”

The human Twilight hesitated upon hearing that, looking to Sunset for a moment before glancing back in the Princess’ direction.

“You…you really think it’ll be that easy?”

Smiling, Princess Twilight gave a nod.

“Believe me. I’ve been where you are right now…in more ways than one.”

Silence fell between the two girls, but thankfully for all concerned, it was not in any way an uncomfortable silence, but rather one of deep thought, as the human Twilight considered everything that had been said to her. After a long while, however, she broke out into a small smile, nodding in acknowledgement over what the Princess had said to her. As for the Princess herself, her smile widened at this, as did Sunset’s, and before long, the three girls came together, forming yet another hug. This time though, the human Twilight was ready for it, and as such found the experience to be all the more pleasant for it.

A scene such as this, three close friends embracing each other in a feeling of mutual joy and comfort, it would have been the perfect moment to end any tale of new friendships.

At least, it would have been the perfect end, if it hadn’t been for it being suddenly ended by the clear sound of Lemon Zest calling out from the other side of the room.

“Er, Pinkie? Did you put something weird in the fruit punch? Because I think I’m seeing two Twilights over there!”

To Study a Sentry - It's too early for this

The morning sun rose quickly over the small town of Ponyville, signalling the start of the brand new day. While many a stallion, mare, filly and colt began to emerge from their homes to greet the dawn, there was one place where things were less quick to embrace it. The imposing, crystalline form of the Friendship Palace. This impressive stronghold, home to the Princess of Friendship herself, glistened in the morning rays, but within, one person alone grumbled and grunted with the rising of the glorious sun. Spike the dragon, within the confines of his room within the palace, slowly cracked one eye open, immediately groaning at the sight of rays of light entering his window. Try as he might to cover himself in his bedsheets, he couldn’t hide from it forever. And so, rather reluctantly, he threw off his sheets, frowned at the sunny horizon outside of his window, and got out of bed, grumbling all the way.

Letting out many a loud yawn, the young drake began to make his way out of his room and downstairs, heading straight for the kitchen. There, he searched cupboard after cupboard, eventually happening upon a box of his favourite gemstones, which, at the very least, elevated his mood a little. However, as he took a seat at the kitchen table, happily munching on rubies and emeralds alike, he was struck with the sudden realisation that he was alone here. Looking all around the room, he found that the castle’s other occupant was nowhere to be seen. Feeling just the tiniest bit unnerved by this, he carefully picked up his bowl of gems, hopped off his chair, and instead began to make his way over to the adjacent room. Again, no sign of his lifelong friend. Eventually though, and after much searching, he found her, sitting at the now-famous cutie map in the central chamber.

“Twilight?” he called out.

Twilight Sparkle, the newest and youngest of the alicorn princesses of Equestria, looked up from the table as she heard her assistant’s voice. Smiling at the sight of him, she waved a hoof, silently inviting him to come over to her. Spike nodded, feeling more than a little relief at having found her at least. But, upon drawing closer to the map, he found, to his confusion, that it was covered in a number of open books, as well as numerous sheets of notes, which had been hastily scrawled from the looks of it.

“Um…you okay, Twilight?”

Smiling, the young princess nodded.

“Oh, I’m fine, Spike. How are you?”

The dragon raised an eyebrow, somewhat taken aback at the perky way in which is friend had replied. But, as he stood there, watching her, he found, to his dismay, that there were a few noticeable differences to Twilight’s appearance this morning. Somewhat dark circles under her eyes, and, more importantly, a few strands of hair from her mane, which now stuck up in multiple directions. Clearing his throat, he worked up the nerve to speak up again.

“Er…how did you sleep?”

But Twilight waved him off, letting out a brief scoffing sound before replying.

“Oh, I didn't sleep last night, Spike. I had way too much work to do!”

Raising an eyebrow, Spike knew that what he was planning to say was a dangerous path, yet proceeded regardless.

“Okay. I know I’ll probably regret this, but…what work is that exactly?”

Then, to Spike’s surprise, Twilight’s expression changed, almost immediately. Gone was her chipper smile and overall happy gaze, replaced instead by a look of utter seriousness, complete with narrowed eyes. As if to emphasise the point, she slammed a hoof against the table, causing Spike to jump slightly, before giving him the answer he wanted.

“Spike! We have a problem! A big problem! A problem that defies all reason and logic in the way it persists!”

Now, Spike was well aware at this point in his life that Twilight often spoke this way about many things that, quite frankly, he didn’t think were major issues. However, he had also come to learn that there was little chance of swaying her once she was convinced something was a problem, so, after letting out a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders before reluctantly saying the obvious question.

“Alright…what problem?”

Looking down to the table, Twilight used her magic to move aside several sheets of paper, which revealed that, underneath, there seemed to be a photo of some kind. Spike couldn’t get a good look at it from this angle, but that soon changed when Twilight reached out with her hoof, picked it up, and held it out in an almost accusatory manner.

“The problem…is him!”

Looking to the photo, Spike saw now that it was a picture of no pony, but rather, a human, the native race of the world beyond the magic mirror. But this was no ordinary human. Bearing distinct spikey-blue hair and a somewhat goofy grin, this was one Spike actually knew personally.

“Um…Flash?”

Maintaining her frown, Twilight nodded, after which she held the photo up to her own face, narrowing her eyes further still as she began to speak in an almost seething manner.

“Yeah…Flash. He’s the problem, Spike. And it’s a problem that must be solved!”

As one might expect, the young drake was completely dumbfounded by this behaviour, looking around for a while, almost as if he were looking for somepony to explain what was going on. In the end though, after letting out another sigh, he raised a clawed hand and rubbed the side of his temples.

“And how, exactly, is your not-so-secret crush a problem?”

Putting the photo down, Twilight turned to her assistant once more.

“That’s exactly it, Spike! I have a crush on him! I mean…don’t you see?”

Folding his arms, Spike shook his head.

“No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”

Looking down to the table again, Twilight used her magic to levitate several open books and sheets of notes in front of her.

“It’s a problem because it makes no sense! I had a grand total of five minutes with the guy during my time in that other world, and I’m including both visits by the way. I know barely anything about him, what he’s like, and yet…”

Looking back to the photo, Twilight began to develop quite a fierce-looking blush upon her cheeks.

“…yet every time I saw him…it was like I’d lost all sense of reason and logic! I became this nervous, stuttering wreck!”

Dropping all of the books and notes, Twilight regained her earlier look of annoyance.

“I’m an alicorn princess for Faust’s sake! But this…this boy…when I was around him, I became a literal lovesick schoolgirl! And that…”

Again, she slammed her hoof into the table, which actually served to wake Spike up after he’d almost fallen asleep during her rant.

“…simply will not do!”

The young dragon rolled his eyes a little before speaking up again.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that you probably already have a plan for this…problem, I assume?”

Almost like lightning, Twilight’s expression changed to her earlier, more upbeat one, as she flapped her wings and leapt right to the other side of the table, right in front of Spike, causing him to take a step backwards.

“Indeed I do, my dearest assistant! I’ve been up all night, trying to figure out how it makes sense that I like this guy I only just met. I mean, if nothing else, how does it calculate that I, having never had an interest in males before, would suddenly develop such an interest now? And towards a member of a species I didn’t even know existed until then?!”

To that, Spike frowned slightly.

“Hey! Don’t go knocking cross-species love! I’m still trying to get Rarity to notice me, remember?”

This time, it was Twilight’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Sure thing, loverboy. But, back to the task at hand. This has been bothering me for too long now! And I came to realise that, if I’m going to solve this problem, I can’t just stick my nose in books all day!”

Hearing that, Spike stifled a brief chuckle.

“Really? Because it’s worked so well for you in the past.”

Ignoring his obvious sarcasm, Twilight stamped her hoof down, a look of sheer determination upon her face.

“Spike, I am the Princess of Friendship! I will not let this…this nonsense get me down! I’m going to solve this Flash problem, even if it kills me!”

Before Spike could react, he watched as his friend lit up her horn once more, causing a near-blinding flash of light, which led to him shielding his eyes just in time. When the light died down, and Spike lowered his claw, he found that Twilight was now carrying a pair of heavily-filled saddle-bags. And, as before, she looked more than a little pleased with herself.

“Any real scientist knows that, to truly understand a problem, you have to observe it! And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, Spike!”

Those words caught the young dragon by surprise, and he turned his head, looking to the other side of the chamber. There, still glowing as always, was the magic mirror itself, which had been moved here per Twilight’s instructions some time ago. Putting two and two together, he turned to his friend, an incredulous look upon his face.

“Seriously?! You’re going to the other world?! Over this?!”

Giggling slightly, Twilight placed a hoof gently upon Spike’s head, carefully patting him there.

“Don’t worry, Spike. I already sent word ahead to Sunset. So it’s not like it’s going to be a sudden surprise or anything.”

Spike opened his mouth to speak, only to find himself fumbling his words.

“That’s not what I…ugh!”

Slapping his forehead in frustration, the dragon took a few calming breaths, after which he looked to Twilight with a more serious look.

“Okay, fine. But if you’re gonna go over there, at least take me with you.”

Although initially surprised by this request, the young princess soon gained a more prideful look as she gazed down at her young assistant.

“Ah! Hoping to see a full-on scientific experiment in action, eh?”

Letting out a dry chuckle, Spike shook his head as he began to make his way towards the mirror.

“Nope. I just want to make sure you don’t end up doing crazy tests on the guy in some basement or something!”

Following close behind him, Twilight rolled her eyes at that.

“Ugh! I swear, I do one test to find out about Pinkie Sense, and suddenly I never hear the end of it!”

To Study a Sentry - Getting Some Help

Thankfully for all concerned, the weather was gloriously beautiful today in the town of Canterlot. And within its titular high school, things were settling down after a long school day, with boys and girls from every class leaving the main building, ready to head off for whatever activity they wanted to do with their friends. And speaking of friends, an entire group of them now gathered near the once-magnificent horse statue out at the front of the school, which, sadly, remained a blasted wreck thanks to the recent events at the Friendship Games. Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all stood or sat near the thing, looking a combination of nervous and excited. After a silence of many minutes, it was eventually Pinkie who, naturally, was the first to break the silence.

“Argh! This is so exciting! I can’t believe Twilight’s coming back!”

Turning to her ecstatic friend, a smile crept upon Sunset’s face.

“I know. It’ll be good to see her again.”

Although she looked like she agreed with that, Applejack turned to the former unicorn and raised an eyebrow as she spoke.

“So…any idea what she wanted us here for?”

To that, Sunset merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Dunno. Her message was kinda brief. All I know is that it was urgent.”

Looking to the rest of them, Rainbow, while placing her hands firmly on her hips, smirked a little as she added her own voice to the mix.

“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be something pretty interesting. I mean, this is Twilight we’re talking about, remember?”

There was a general murmur of agreement over that, and before long, Sunset looked like she was about to say something else. Unfortunately, she was interrupted when, all of a sudden, the surface of the nearby portal began to ripple and glow. This, as one might expect, caught the interest of the girls immediately, and those who were sitting got to their feet as soon as possible. They waited for a moment, then two, then three, but eventually, there was an emergence. There, passing through the once-stone surface, was Twilight herself, followed shortly by her now-canine companion, Spike. As was common at these gatherings, the girls allowed the young princess a moment to get herself used to walking on two legs once more, but this time, that took only a few seconds, after which she looked to them with a smile upon her face.

“Um…hi.”

Her words were like permission granted, and every girl there instantly rushed forward, embracing their friend in a tight hug. Although taken aback by this, Twilight soon regained her composure, smiling to them and returning the embrace. The hug only lasted a moment or two, and soon afterwards, they parted form her, allowing her to get her words out.

“It’s good to see you all again. How have you all been?”

Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Sunset was the first to speak.

“Nothing of note really. Things here have been pretty much exactly how you left it.”

Nodding at that, a look of realisation crossed Twilight’s face, and before long, she was scouring not only the group before her, but also the surrounding area.

“And…is she here?”

Understanding her meaning immediately, Sunset chuckled a little before shaking her head.

“Afraid not. Twilight had some work she needed to get on with in the library. But she said she’d meet up with us later.”

Twilight nodded at that, after which she gave Sunset her full attention before speaking up again.

“I see you got my message?”

Sunset nodded before replying.

“Yeah, but…you didn’t really say what was going on.”

Stepping forward, Fluttershy took on a look of worry as she spoke.

“Is…is it something…scary? Like a monster from Equestria?”

Before Twilight could answer, Spike let out a brief scoffing sound.

“Ha! You’ll wish it was something like that.”

Taking a moment to frown at her assistant, Twilight regained her smile when she looked up at her friends again, clearing her throat before giving them their answer.

“Actually, it’s nothing as dangerous as that, although…it is something I feel needs sorting out.”

Walking closer to her, Rainbow slapped a hand down on her shoulder with a confident look on her face.

“Well, whatever it is, we’re here for you, Twi!”

Twilight looked around, seeing the smiles and nods of agreement after Rainbow had said that, and in this moment, she afforded herself a second or two to just enjoy the feeling of camaraderie. But, this moment didn’t last any longer, as she soon spoke up again, looking more than a little sure of herself as she did so.

“Great! So, what I need from you is to help me with some research on why I have a crush on Flash Sentry!”

And, just as soon as she’d spoken, it was as if all of her friends looked as if they’d immediately become as still and unmoving as statues. Twilight, for her part, couldn’t really understand this reaction, and as for Spike, he simply did his best to cover his eyes, practically dreading what was going to happen next. Eventually, her friends began to move again, blinking a few times as they all looked to her, almost as if they were waiting for her to just say “gotcha” or something.

“Um…Twilight? Are you okay?” Rainbow asked.

Raising an eyebrow at that, Twilight nodded.

“Er…yeah? Why? Is there something wrong?”

The other girls all looked to each other, as if daring one another to be the first to tell her. But, in the end, it was Rarity who elected to speak out, clearing her throat before she did so.

“Darling. If I may say so, this…this doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that should be the subject of…of research.”

Shaking her head, Twilight placed her saddle-bags, which had been slung over her shoulders during her transformation, upon the ground, after which she looked to her fashionista friend.

“Believe me, Rarity, this needs to happen. It makes no sense to me whatsoever that I like the guy as much as I do! I need to study him as much as I can to get a better grip on things!”

Despite her earlier shock, Sunset, to Twilight’s irritation, actually laughed at that, though one look at Twilight’s disapproving face caused her to raise a hand as she spoke.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…doesn’t that seem a little bit silly to you?”

Frowning, Twilight shook her head.

“Not at all. In fact, I was hoping you’d all help me do it.”

Yet again, a silence fell between them, and again, they looked to each other with nervous expressions. After almost a full minute of nobody saying anything, Rainbow let out a sigh before looking to her royal companion.

“Well…we did kinda say we’d help you no matter what.”

Before anyone could say anything else however, Pinkie jumped in-between them and spoke in that bubbly manner of hers.

“Technically, Rainbow, only you said that!”

Needless to say, this earned her a scornful look from the athlete, but, thankfully, Rainbow calmed herself enough to address Twilight once more.

“We’re your friends, Twilight. If you say you’d want us to help you with this, then…I guess we’ll help.”

The reluctance in her voice was clear, and all around the other girls it was obvious that, while willing to help, they were by no means as sure of themselves as they were before Twilight made her purpose known. As for Twilight herself, who was oblivious to the less-than-happy feelings of the girls, broke out into a massive smile, clasping her hands together before picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

“Thank you, girls! I really do appreciate this. No let’s go! We’ve got science to do!”

As the young princess began to make her way past the group, Applejack, scratching her head, spoke what was perhaps on all of their minds.

“Um…Twi? We’re not gonna be doin any…ya know…weird stuff in all of this, are we?”

Giggling at that, Twilight waved a hand at her farmer friend.

“Of course not, Applejack. We’re just going to be following a boy around, observing him in secret and possibly conducting a few experiments. There’s nothing weird about that.”

Naturally, all the other girls looked just the tiniest bit disturbed by their friend’s declaration, but stayed quiet as she made her way to the school. As they stood there, however, Spike, who had been watching silently this whole time, walked past them with a small smirk on his face.

“Yeah, welcome to my world.”

To Study a Sentry - The Study Begins

Boredom. That was the main feeling being experienced by most of Twilight’s friends right now. At first, their agreement to her rather unusual request had been well enough. They’d followed her to the library where they’d basically done their own thing while they let her gather some additional books. But now, by her own words, the work had “begun in earnest”, and so they’d spent the better part of an hour asking around town to find out where their target was at this exact moment. They’d followed lead after lead until, eventually, they came upon none other than Sugar Cube Corner. But, rather than simply enter the place to look for him, Twilight had another plan in mind.

“Ugh! Twilight! Do we have to stay behind these stupid bushes all day?” Rainbow asked.

With a pair of binoculars firmly placed upon her face, Twilight made a noise that seemed to sound like agreement before actually responding outright.

“I’m afraid we do, Rainbow. If we go in there and Flash sees us, the entire study could be compromised.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow leaned back into her section of the bush, looking to the other girls, none of whom seemed anywhere near as invested in this as Twilight was. The only one who seemed to be bearing any kind of interest was Sunset, but even she was more than a little unsure about it all.

“Um…Twilight? If you don’t mind my asking…when Flash comes out of there, what exactly are you going to do?”

Putting her binoculars down, Twilight turned to her fellow Equestrian with an obliviously happy smile.

“Take notes of course! I need to get a better understanding of what, exactly, Flash has about him that could have drawn me to him, made me crush on him like that.”

Raising a hand, Sunset scratched the side of her head, clearly showing uncertainty about how her friend could be viewing such an ordinary thing in such an unordinary matter. However, she hadn’t the chance to speak, as Rarity, now clasping her hands together, looked to her royal friend with an almost dreamy look in her eyes.

“Oh, but Twilight! Mayhaps it is merely love at first sight! Like in those wonderful romantic stories of yore!”

Looking to the young fashionista, Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Rarity… appreciate that you probably believe in that kind of thing. But the fact is…I don't. I need to understand this, not just assume it’s some fairy tale love story.”

Bearing a disapproving expression, Rarity folded her arms, looking away from Twilight with a brief “hmph” sound.

“Well, to each their own, I suppose. Though you really shouldn’t be so analytical about such things, Twilight.”

Chuckling at that, Spike, who had been sitting silently during most of this, looking to the girl with a smile.

“Hate to break it to ya, Rarity, but that’s kinda like asking the sun to be a little less hot.”

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, only to be kept from doing so as Twilight began to inch forward, letting out a brief gasp. This caught the attention of all the other girls, and they turned in unison, peering over the top of the bush to see what had caused it. Sure enough, there he was, Flash Sentry, the boy Twilight had come to study. Naturally, he was oblivious to their stares, coming out of Sugar Cube Corner with what looked like a small cake in his hand. Walking away a little, he sat down on one of the numerous chairs and tables the Cakes had set up for their customers to sit and eat on sunny days. Getting himself comfortable, Flash looked down at his confectionary before taking a large bite. As one would expect, this caused Pinkie’s stomach to grumble slightly, with a despondent look on her face soon after.

“Aww! Can’t we go over there and get something too?”

But Twilight shook her head.

“We can’t! For the time being, Flash needs to be completely in the dark about us watching him!”

Leaning closer to her, Applejack kept her eyes on the boy as she whispered to Twilight.

“Um…what exactly are we lookin for, Twi?”

To that, Twilight shrugged her shoulders.

“Anything! Some clue as to why he would get my attention the way he did.”

Hearing that, Applejack let out a brief chuckle.

“Well, not to be too blunt, Twi, but the boy is pretty easy on the eyes.”

Looking to her, Twilight frowned slightly before speaking up again.

“I know that! But think about it! There are loads of good-looking guys at Canterlot High, so why did I latch onto him?”

At that question, Applejack was at a loss for words, leading to her shrugging her shoulders. Turning, Twilight instead looked over to Sunset, and for the first time, a particular thought about her companion came to mind.

“Sunset…why did you choose him?”

Turning to her, Sunset seemed a little surprised by that question, prompting Twilight to explain herself.

“I mean…you two dated, right? It can’t just be simple coincidence that both of us, both ponies, found an interest in the guy, so…why did you choose Flash of all people to date?”

The look on Sunset’s face made it clear that talking about that particular relationship was not something she normally did. However, after a few moments of silence, she let out a long sigh, after which she began speaking.

“I… don’t know. I was still at that time in my life when all I wanted was to get influence over the school and the students. Dating Flash…I dunno, it just seemed to help with that.”

Tilting her head, Twilight took on a look of slight confusion.

“But…did Flash really have that much sway over the school himself?”

Chuckling slightly, Sunset shook her head.

“Not in the way I would have wanted. Flash isn’t the kind of guy to want power like that. He was just…just a nice guy. He had a lot of friends, and people generally liked him a lot. That made him popular, and dating him sort of let that popularity rub off on me.”

Thinking on that, Sunset looked down at the ground, almost looking sad to talk about all this.

“I was…I was just using him. Trying to get people to like me by being close to one who was already liked.”

Sensing she’d touched a bad nerve, Twilight immediately gained an apologetic look.

“Oh! I’m…I’m sorry, I…”

But Sunset, putting on a small smile, raised a hand, stopping her.

“It’s fine. I got over it a long time ago. That was…another life.”

In time, Twilight looked relieved that she’d avoided making her friend feel any worse than she needed to be. If she’d had the time, she might have asked further questions. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time, as Pinkie began hopping in one place behind her section of the bush, catching Twilight’s attention.

“Ooh! Ooh! He’s on the move!”

Putting up her binoculars again, Twilight saw that Flash was indeed making his way away from where had been, dumping the wrapper of his cake into a nearby trashcan before putting his hands in his pockets and starting to walk down the street. Lowering the binoculars again, Twilight narrowed her eyes, a look of determination upon her face.

“Let’s go, girls! The chase is on!”

To that, Spike slapped his forehead.

“Could you please stop talking like that?”

To Study a Sentry - Flutterspy

As the day had passed on, the girls had taken every precaution when following Flash around town. They'd ducked and weaved behind whatever cover they could find, be it simple bushes, walls, park benches, or even, in the case of Pinkie Pie, street lamps. Fortunately for all concerned, the boy had not noticed them once during their entire journey, not even Pinkie. Eventually, they stopped walking around, coming to a street corner where, oddly, Flash made a sudden turn, heading into the building which lay there. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she regarded the place, old and not as good a condition as the surrounding homes. But, what made it notable was the words etched just above the doorframe, which read "Canterlot Orphanage" in bold letters. Scratching her head, Twilight turned to her friends, all of whom seemed equally perplexed as to this turn of events.

"An orphanage? Any idea why he went in there?"

While many of the girls shrugged their shoulders at that question, Sunset, while placing a hand to her chin, thought harder on the matter.

"You know...now that I think about it, I do remember Flash going off at around this time of week like clockwork. He never said what he was doing though."

Looking to her, Twilight tilted her head.

"He kept it secret?"

To that, Sunset shook her head again, gaining a slight look of discomfort as she did so.

"Actually...in truth...I just don't think I was all that interested in what he did when I wasn't there."

Twilight nodded, acknowledging her point, after which she turned back to the building. After standing there and just staring at it for a few minutes, it became clear to the young princess that her quarry wasn't coming out anytime soon, leading to a grunt of frustration on her part.

"Ugh! I'm not going to be able to get any idea what's going on with him if I can't even see him!"

Placing her hand upon her hips, Twilight tapped her foot impatiently upon the sidewalk, thinking the matter over for another minute or so, after which, she suddenly looked like she had an idea of some sort.

"Say...do any of you know the layout of that place?"

The other girls, somewhat taken aback by that statement, looking to each other with confusion, after which they turned in unison towards Twilight, giving her a shrug of their shoulders. Getting a pretty clear answer from that, Twilight sighed, looking more than a little disappointed, until, all of a sudden, a solitary hand began to hesitantly rise, catching her attention.

"Um...I know."

All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who, as one would expect, was looking quite nervous about having spoken up like that. The other girls, after thinking about it, suddenly realised without saying anything that of course the girl would know something about it. Fluttershy and places of care went together like bread and butter after all. Lowering her hand again, she suddenly found that her hair began to fall in such a way that at least half of her face was now obscured by it, which was of great help to her at this point. As for Twilight, she soon broke out into a joyous smile, clapping her hands together as she drew closer to her friend.

"Excellent! Then you can go in and see what's happening!"

Needless to say, Fluttershy looked completely mortified by that prospect, and the other girls looked to Twilight with incredulous expressions, culminating in Rainbow speaking up.

"Hold on! I thought you said we weren't going to be talking to him?"

Looking to her friend, Twilight nodded a little.

"I did indeed. But, the important thing is that he be unaware of the study. If he happens upon one of you girls during his day, especially if it's something like Fluttershy visiting an orphanage, is he really going to suspect anything out-of-place?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, only to be struck with the realisation that her friend had a very good point here. Turning, the girl looked upon her other companions, but they too were found to be unable to come up with a counter-argument to that. So, sighing, Rainbow slumped her shoulders a little, instead going on to look at Fluttershy.

"Well, Flutters? Think you're up to it?"

Fluttershy looked to each of them before eventually settling on Twilight, who was looking as eager as ever to get on with this.

"But...but...but...what do I do?"

Moving closer to her, Twilight gently placed a hand upon her shoulder, giving her a reassuring look.

"Just do what you would normally do when visiting a place like this. If Flash sees and talks to you, don't panic. Just say you're there for a visit or something."

Thinking on that for a moment or two, Fluttershy took a deep breath before nodding to her friend. Smiling even wider than before, Twilight gave her a quick pat on the shoulder before gesturing to the orphanage behind them.

"Okay. Remember, we'll be here if you need us."

Nervously, Fluttershy nodded, after which she began to slowly make her way over to the old building, stopping every few moments to look over her shoulder to her friends. After a while of doing this, she reached the place, peering her head through the door and seeing nobody but the building's receptionist, a woman, who looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Um...can I help you?"

Thinking, Fluttershy eventually cleared her throat before speaking back.

"Y...yes. My name is Fluttershy and, well...I was wondering if I could help out here today?"

Hearing that, the older woman's face lit up somewhat.

"I'm glad to hear it! You're the second person who’s come here for that! By all means, go on through, I'm sure the kids would love some more people to spend time with them!"

Smiling back, Fluttershy went into the room the woman was gesturing to. As expected, it was filled to the brim with younger children, many of whom were busying themselves with playing with the toys set out for them, or doing games like hide-and-seek with their fellow orphans. Unfortunately, Fluttershy's assigned plan of staying out of Flash's sight was not going to be an option for her, as she saw that there he was, right on the other side of that open room. She saw that he was sitting down on a comfortable-looking chair, with what appeared to be a large book in his hands. What's more, he was surrounded by about a dozen or so boys and girls, all of whom were sitting on the floor, watching him with smiles upon their faces. Gulping, Fluttershy did her best to make her way close enough to see what was going on, but not so close as to be noticed. Unfortunately, given the lack of cover, the inevitable happened.

"Hey there, Fluttershy!"

"Eeep!"

Turning, the shy girl saw that, of course, she had been spotted, as Flash was now looking up from his book and had begun waving to her. The children too had turned to see her, and with so many eyes on her, she coughed nervously, before then giving a small wave back in greeting. Flash then gave a gesture that made it clear that he wanted her to come over, and seeing as she had no real reason to say "no", she soon ended up doing just that. Once there, Flash looked to her with a smile, finally speaking up.

"Good to see you again. Gotta say though, I wasn't really expecting to see you here today."

Letton out a brief-but-nervous chuckle, Fluttershy nodded before answering back.

"Um...I wasn’t expecting to see you either, Flash."

Letting out a hearty laugh, the boy nodded at that.

"Yeah. Guess I wanted this to be...well...my little secret, you know?"

For the first time in all of this, Fluttershy actually seemed to calm down, looking to Flash with a look of understanding.

"I...I think I know. I don't really like bragging about my work down at the animal shelter either."

Flash nodded at that, still smiling though.

"Well...working with animals and orphans, that's pretty awesome, Fluttershy."

To that, a small blush crept onto Fluttershy's cheeks.

"Oh! Well...I don't know about that."

Before Flash could respond, however, one of the kids, a small boy, spoke up to him.

"Um...Mr Flash? Could you keep telling us that story?"

Looking down to him, Flash gained a look of realisation.

"Ah! Right! Sorry about that, kids. Kinda got caught up with my friend here."

The kids giggled slightly at that, prompting yet another blush from Fluttershy. However, before Flash got back to his duty of story-telling, he got himself a look that suggested that he'd just had an idea.

"Hey...how about we both read it to them?"

Fluttershy, naturally, seemed taken aback by that.

"Um...both? Oh no! I wouldn't want to intrude!”

But the kids themselves looked very enthusiastic all of a sudden, looking to Fluttershy with massive smiles.

“Aww! Come on, Miss!” one girl cried.

“New storyteller!” another yelled.

As Fluttershy looked form one child to another, Flash gave another brief laugh.

“Better do it, Fluttershy. These kids can be vicious.”

The jokey way he’d spoken that did put her at ease somewhat, and that, coupled with all of the huge eyes staring at her, eventually led to her giving a small nod of consent, which was met with many loud cries of “yay” from the children. Giggling at this, Fluttershy looked over to Flash, who scooted over and gestured to the side of his chair, inviting her over. Although hesitant, she made her way over, taking a seat beside him. Smiling to his new companion, Flash looked again to the book in his hands, reading the words aloud.

“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess, who lived in a faraway land.”

He didn’t continue, instead looking to Fluttershy. It took her a few moments, but eventually, she understood, looking to the book herself.

“Oh! Um…and because she’d spent her whole life in a tower, her hair had grown very, very long…”

“And? What happened then?”

Twilight, looking upon Fluttershy, watched as she twiddled her thumbs for a few moments, thinking over what to say next.

“Well…after we told them some stories, we stayed to make sure the kids weren’t getting too rough when playing their games. Oh! And Flash also brought along his guitar to sing to them a few times.”

With every word she said, Twilight was taking meticulous notes, all while her friends were looking to their shy friend. Sunset in particular actually looked impressed by what she’d heard.

“Volunteering at an orphanage? Wow…never would have guessed.”

To that, Fluttershy gained a sweet little smile.

“It was really nice of him. The kids all loved him, always talking about how he goes there every week.”

Looking up from her notes, Twilight looked to Fluttershy again, looking more than a little enamoured right now.

“It really does sound like a good thing for him to be doing. A guy like that, well…it sounds like it suits him.”

But, her expression changed almost instantly afterwards, looking instead like one of a scholar and problem-solver.

“Doing things like that would certainly contribute to people liking him. Still…I never knew about that until now. Guess that means it can’t explain the crush. Nevertheless, good work, Fluttershy.”

The other girl nodded at that, but wasn’t able to say anything, as they all began to hear the distinct sound of someone opening a door. Ducking behind the corner of a nearby house, they all watched as Flash finally made his way out of the orphanage. Once out on the street, the boy looked down the road, seeing the setting sun, wherein he placed his hands inside his pockets before starting to make his way off. Emerging from behind the house, the girls all looked to one another before Applejack eventually broke the silence.

“Well…guess he’s headin off home.”

Looking to the sun herself, Twilight gave a nod.

“Yeah…it is getting pretty late.”

Turning, she instead looked to Pinkie.

“Um…I don’t suppose I could trouble you by staying over, could I?”

To that, Pinkie rushed forward, embracing her in a hug.

“Of course you can stay, Twilight! It’ll be the best slumber party ever! Well…since the last one anyway.”

Laughing at that, Twilight parted form her friend, after which she looked to the others.

“Thank you all for helping today. But this is only the first day of this. There’s plenty more to do, but I think we can all do with a rest for the moment.”

All of the girls nodded with agreement over that, and together, they began to make their way back the way they’d come, all in readiness to head off to their own respective homes. However, as they did this, Rainbow stopped, looking over her shoulder to see that Fluttershy was still standing there, looking out to where Flash had been.

“Um…Fluttershy? You coming?”

Realising she was being spoken to, Fluttershy immediately spun around, putting on a smile as she looked to her childhood friend.

“Oh! Sure! I’m just coming!”

Nodding, Rainbow turned and continued on, following the rest of the girls. As for Fluttershy, she gave one final look to the orphanage, with a slight blush upon her cheeks, speaking up in an almost hushed voice.

“…Oh dear.”

To Study a Sentry - The Reason Why

With the sun only just rising over the town of Canterlot, a cool morning breeze blew through its streets. Into this, Sunset Shimmer was found walking down towards her usual stomping grounds, Canterlot High. Upon reaching the front doors of the place, a small smile crept onto her face, leading to her taking in a deep breath before exhaling.

“Another day, another long study session.”

The words were spoken with comfort, and before long, she started making her way up the front steps. It didn’t take long to get into the school proper, but at this early hour only a few students had arrived thus far. But, unlike most of them, Sunset made her way straight for one of her favourite spots in the school; the library. Once there, she was met with the absolute quite of the place, bringing yet another smile to her. After looking around for a bit, she found the books she wanted, after which she chose a table and sat herself down. However, no sooner had she done so when she finally noticed that she was not alone here. Aside from the library’s keeper, Cheerilee, there was also another figure. At first, Sunset didn’t recognise them, with their brown trenchcoat and fedora hat obscuring their identity. But, it soon dawned on Sunset that the figure had very familiar lavender skin.

“…Twilight?”

Turning her eyes downwards, Sunset then noted the presence of a clearly-tired dog beside the figure, and sure enough, a chuckle escaped her. Getting up from her chair, the girl made her way over, and it wasn’t long before Twilight noticed her approach.

“Ah! Good morning, Sunset.”

Twilight’s fellow Equestrian nodded at that before taking a seat beside her.

“You too, Twilight. What’s with the getup?”

Looking down at her clothes, the young princess blushed slightly as she looked once more to her friend.

“I didn’t’ want to run the risk of Flash walking in here and spotting me.”

To that, Sunset nodded.

“Makes sense. So, how was Pinkie’s?”

Looking back to her own books, a sigh escaped Twilight’s lips.

“Same as always.”

Despite herself, Sunset let out a brief laugh.

“Ah. That energized was it?”

Twilight nodded.

“I'll say! She was so excited I was there that she just couldn’t go to sleep. Still, I guess it did give me some extra time to get some more notes down.”

Turning her attention to the table, Sunset saw that Twilight had indeed written many more sheets of notes during their separation.

“This whole thing may be strange to me, but…I gotta say, I do admire how much effort you’re putting into this.”

Twilight looked to her with a smile.

“Thank you.”

But, all of a sudden, Twilight began to look just the tiniest bit awkward, though about what, Sunset couldn’t say. However, with Twilight’s next words, all became clear to her.

“Um…Sunset? If it’s alright, could I ask how…or rather, why…you and Flash…erm…”

Realisation crossing her face, Sunset gave a brief nod.

“You want to know why we broke up, right?”

Turning to her, Twilight bore a look of slight guilt before nodding. After a while, Sunset turned from her, letting out a brief sigh.

“The truth is…it was my fault. During our entire time together…I was…difficult.”

Tilting her head, Twilight responded.

“Difficult how exactly?”

To that, Sunset let out a dry laugh.

“You name it! I was unsatisfied with pretty much everything we did together. I was rude, aggressive, I started arguments over everything that didn’t meet my standards. The whole thing was a mess from start to finish.”

Looking from Sunset, to her notes and then back again, Twilight’s expression was one of curiosity.

“Um…how long were you two together?”

Looking to her, Sunset took on a momentary thoughtful look.

“Let’s see…er…about eleven months, going on a year I think.”

For a brief moment, Twilight looked surprised at that answer, prompting yet further questions.

“Sunset…if you were really as bad as you say…why did Flash stay together with you for that long?”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders.

“Best guess…he can just put up with it. Always seeing the bright side, always giving people the benefit of the doubt. You know, that kind of guy. He tolerated more from me than pretty much anyone I knew at this place. I guess…”

Sunset looked down at the table before continuing.

“…I guess he thought I could get better while we were together.”

A silence fell between the two girls, during which, Twilight took in everything that had just been told to her. However, after a while, a new look of curiosity crossed her.

“What…what ended it? In the end?”

Taking another deep breath, Sunset exhaled again before giving Twilight her answer.

“It was shortly before your first arrival to the school. I knew the portal to Equestria would be opening soon and I was making plans to return to steal your crown. During that time…I was…worse than normal.”

A frown formed on Sunset’s brow before she continued.

“Then one morning…Flash met up with me, like he always did, with that smile of his, talking as though nothing was wrong with us, even though everything was wrong with us. And I guess…with everything I was planning, I…I just snapped.”

Her hands formed into a tight fist as she carried on.

“I lashed out at him, saying how stupid I thought his choice of conversation was. How I had more important things to think about than what he was talking about, or…or even him.”

For a brief moment, a look of regret flashed in her eyes.

“When I said that…he stopped for a while. After a moment or two of just staring at each other, he asked me outright…do you want to stay together?”

Slowly, Sunset turned to look Twilight right in the eye.

“And…I said no.”

Needless to say, Twilight was taken aback by that, but remained silent as Sunset continued.

“The moment he heard that…he stopped. He thought about it and…he just gave that smile of his and said…alright, Sunset…if that’s what you want.”

Twilight’s mouth hung open for a moment, but shortly afterwards, she shook herself out of it, now speaking up herself.

“And…he just left afterwards?”

To that, Sunset shook her head.

“Not quite. Before he left, he…he told me he didn’t regret a moment of us being together. That he had a fun time with me. I…I don’t know if he really meant that, or if he just said it to make me feel better, but…but yeah, that was the end of it.”

Sunset looked to Twilight, and in the moments that followed, a look of hesitancy and uncertainty dominated her face. She was wrestling with herself over something, that much, Twilight knew, and so she kept quiet as Sunset got her words together. When she finally did, she let out a sigh before, at last, speaking up.

“Twilight…I’m going to be absolutely honest here.”

The young princess, perhaps expecting something terrible, braced herself as Sunset continued.

“In the time following my defeat at your hands…I did a lot of thinking of all the bad things I did, and all the mistakes. And that moment, my breakup with Flash…it’s lingered in my mind. He put up with every bad thing I threw at him. And he…he was good to me. Better than I probably deserved.”

A look of regret crossed her once more.

“I know how you feel about him, so I’m sorry to have to say this, but…there are times, however rare, when I wish he and I…were still together.”

Silence fell between them once more, and this one far more uncomfortable. After a while, Sunset looked away from her.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

But, she was stopped from saying anything further, seeing a single hand placed upon her, prompting her to look up at Twilight, who looked back at her with a reassuring expression.

“Sunset…thank you for trusting me with this. And know that I do not think any less of you.”

The former unicorn looked to her, seeing no trace of a lie in her eyes, and in this moment, the emotion of her confession swept over her, leading to her lunging forward, holding Twilight close. Though startled by this, a smile crept onto Twilight’s face, and she too began to return the hug. Minute after minute passed, and after a while, they parted, Sunset sweeping aside a tear that threatened to emerge from her eyes.

“Sorry to lay that all on you. I know you have a lot of work to do.”

But Twilight shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. In truth, I’m kind of glad to learn you had at least some kind of positive feelings for him…even if it did come after you broke up.”

To that, Sunset let out a brief chortle.

“Just…just go easy on the guy with your study, okay?”

For a moment, her expression softened considerably.

“And if the two of you do start something serious…make it last. He deserved better than what I gave him.”

Giggling slightly, Twilight placed a hand upon her friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Sunset. I don’t have anything too bad planned for him.”

In this moment, the two girls shared a laugh together, which had the effect of waking Spike up at last. Seeing this, Sunset smiled as she reached down, scratching his ear, much to his delight. However, as she did this, Twilight, making sure Sunset wasn’t watching, pulled out a pad of paper form her trenchcoat, before making another note upon it.

“Additional Flash character trait…high tolerance for aggressive behaviour. Potentially useful.”

To Study a Sentry - Don't Sweat It

Now, while Twilight could safely be said to be a mare, or rather girl at this point, who loved school, there was at least one circumstance in which the weekends were seen as a welcome thing for her. And that was when she had some big project of her own to try and work on in lieu of anything else. And so it was that, on the dawn of a new Saturday, she rose from her slumber and got right back on with what she’d been doing ever since she arrived back in this world; following Flash Sentry. For one reason or another, most of the other girls, including Sunset, had not been available to join her this time, owing to other commitments. But, while this was something of a downer for the young princess, she at least took solace that, aside from Spike, there was one friend who remained by her side in all of this; Rainbow Dash. Although, even then, the athlete was still just as unsure about all this as she’d been throughout.

“So…aside from you taking notes, is there anything for me to do in all of this?”

Turning to her friend, an oblivious smile crept onto Twilight’s face.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Rainbow. I’m sure something will come up. But first thing’s first, we’ve got to find Flash.”

Looking ahead, a determined expression now crossed her.

“Speaking of which, where did that lead say he was going to be?”

Scratching her head, Rainbow looked further down the street as the three of them walked together.

“I think it was the sports centre. It’s a little further down here.”

Nodding to that, Twilight upped the pace, leading to a brief chuckle from Rainbow, all while Spike shook his head incredulously. The three continued their walk together, eventually happening upon their destination; the local sports centre of Canterlot. It was a fairly large building, almost the size of Canterlot High in fact, and on a day like this it was clearly busy, with many of the town’s residents pouring in and out of the place. Smiling, Twilight made her way into the building, with Rainbow and Spike in-tow. Now, being new to this place, Twilight naturally had a hard time finding her way around, but, after consulting Rainbow a few times, she found herself heading towards several indoor courts, meant to host various sports. There, she checked each and every one of them, most yielding unsatisfactory results, as evidenced by the disappointed look on her face. But, at the end of it all, she found success.

“There he is!”

Turning to where she was looking, Rainbow and Spike saw that, like she said, Flash was indeed there. In one of the many enclosed sport spaces, Flash was there, decked out in a combination of white shirts, shorts and sneakers. At this present moment, he seemed to be playing a game of badminton with himself, striking the shuttlecock and sending it to the other side of the court, wherein it bounced back towards him, ready to be struck again. Seeing him do this several times over, Twilight was suddenly struck with the realisation that she hadn’t found cover yet, and so ducked just behind the wall separating one court from another. Rainbow and Spike followed, and together they watched the boy, who, as always, was oblivious to their presence or stares.

“So…what do we do now?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight thought long and hard about that before giving an answer.

“Well…I did have this one theory about why I might like him. The fact that both Sunset and me chose him above anyone else is far too much of a coincidence for me to ignore.”

To that, Spike looked to her and raised an eyebrow.

“What? You think he’s got some kind of magical pony-attracting powers?”

Twilight frowned at him before shaking her head.

“No, Spike, nothing like that. But I think there might be something about him that means that just being near him could draw ponies, or rather former ponies, into being interested in him.”

Hearing that, Rainbow let out a grunt of irritation.

“Ugh! I may not be one for romance or anything, but even I don’t think that that’s how it works, Twilight!”

Looking to her, Twilight narrowed her eyes somewhat.

“Maybe so, but I can’t rule anything out. In fact…”

A smile crept onto her face as she kept her eyes on her rainbow-haired friend.

“I think I’ve found something for you to do in this, Rainbow.”

That caught the girl’s interest, as she looked to Twilight with curiosity.

“Yeah? What?”

Still smiling, Twilight reached behind herself, putting her hand into the school bag she’d brought with her. After searching through it for a few moments, she pulled out what appeared to be a small plastic cup of some kind. After pulling it out, she offered it to Rainbow.

“I need you to take this cup and get a sample from him.”

Hearing that, Rainbow’s eyes shot open as wide as they could, and she immediately backed away from her, speaking in an almost frantic manner.

“Wha…a sample of what?”

Seeing this reaction, Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Um…of sweat?”

With that, Rainbow held a hand to her chest, letting out a massive sigh of relief.

“Oh! Thank God! I thought you were talking about…”

Realising what she was about to say, she started pretending that she was more interested in looking at something else to the side. Twilight, naturally, was both curious and a little annoyed by this behaviour, culminating in her letting out a sigh before offering the cup once more.

“Look…I just need as few drops of it if you can.”

Turning, Twilight looked to Flash’s court, and her face lit up for a moment.

“There!”

Turning herself, Rainbow saw that Twilight was looking to the small bench placed in the enclosed court. There, lying to one side of it, was a single white towel. After looking to it, Twilight turned to Rainbow once more.

“He probably uses that to wipe off sweat after his match. If you get in there, you can get the sample.”

Looking to her, Rainbow’s expression was one if discomfort.

“Twilight…you do know this is the kinda stuff that stalkers do, right?”

Maintaining her frown, Twilight placed the cup into her friend’s hand, using her now-free hand to point to the court. After pausing for a few moments, Rainbow let out a sigh of defeat before doing as requested, heading straight for the door leading into the place. Twilight and Spike kept hidden as best they could, and watched as Rainbow carefully opened that door. Flash, thankfully, hadn’t noticed her for the time being, instead keeping up with his game. So, Rainbow inched closer to the bench, reaching out with one hand to grab onto the towel. However, no sooner had her fingers come within an inch of the thing when a familiar voice could now be heard.

“Rainbow?”

Instantly, Rainbow shot up, standing straight and holding the cup behind her back. Flash had seen her, and was now looking to her with curiosity plastered all over his face.

“What are you doing here?”

With her eyes darting left and right, Rainbow began thinking as fast as she could with her presence now exposed.

“Oh! Um…I was…er…”

Thankfully for her, Flash already had an answer in mind.

“Let me guess, here for a workout or something?”

Seeing an exit, the athlete took it.

“Yes! That's what I’m here for! Just wanted to try out some sports today and…you know…all that stuff!”

But while Flash was willing to accept that, he still seemed confused by something.

“So…what are you doing in my court?”

Again, Rainbow struggled for an answer, but this time, she actually managed to think of one.

“Well…I was passing by and I caught sight of you in here, so I figured…why not stick around and watch? See how good you are?”

Smirking a little, Flash flipped the badminton racket in his hand before speaking up again.

“Oh yeah? And, if I may ask, how did I do?”

Now feeling more and more comfortable in this conversation, Rainbow folded her arms before giving a smirk of her own.

“Well…you were okay.”

Flash raised an eyebrow at that.

“Only okay? You think you could do better?”

To that Rainbow chuckled.

“Oh, trust me! I know I can do better!”

Laughing again, Flash thought on that for a moment, before turning and gesturing to the side of the room. There, Rainbow saw that there was a spare racket leaning against the wall, prompting her to look at Flash again.

“What…match against each other?”

Still smiling, the boy nodded.

“Sure. Why? Afraid you’ll lose?”

Now Rainbow, being the kind of girl she was, was not one to back away from a challenge like that. So, after carefully slipping the still-hidden cup into a pocket in the back of her skirt, walked over to where she racket was, picked it up, and then twirled it expertly in her own hand before taking up position next to Flash.

“Well…don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

And so it was that, to Twilight’s slight irritation, Flash and Rainbow began their game. Things started off well enough, with both of them striking the shuttlecock every time they’d bounce it off the wall towards their rival, but, as the minutes rolled on, both of them swung harder and harder. Eventually, things became so heated that only professional sportsmen could be said to play a game with that much intensity, as both students were clearly in this to win. Rainbow and Flash were so active that, by the time it was all done, their muscles were aching like nobody's business. However, as one would expect, the real athlete came out on top, and Rainbow delivered a swing so hard that the shuttlecock bounced just fast enough for Flash to finally miss it. With her foe defeated, Rainbow responded with her usual amount of humility.

“Ha! I win! I am the grand badminton champion! All praise be to me!”

Rolling his eyes at this obviously-jokey reaction, Flash, while still panting heavily, nevertheless offered a smile to the girl.

“Good…game…Rainbow. Hope…I wasn’t…too slow for ya.”

To that, Rainbow looked to him with a smirk.

“Hey! Don’t see yourself short, Flash. You really had me on the ropes for a bit.”

Reaching out Rainbow offered her hand, and after looking to it for a few moments, Flash took it, and together, the two shook on a game well played. After staying still for a while to catch their breath, Flash was the first to move, heading over to the bench, after which he picked up his towel, wiping his brow a little before looking to Rainbow.

“You need this too?”

Looking to the towel, a look of realisation struck Rainbow.

“Oh! Right! The towel!”

To that, Flash took on a look of curiosity, leading to a nervous laugh from Rainbow.

“Er…I mean…sure, I’ll take it!”

And with that, she took what was offered, but refrained from wiping herself with it for the time being. Instead, she turned to the boy one last time, smiling to him before speaking up.

“Say…maybe we could…you know…play again some time?”

Thinking on that, Flash gave a smile and a nod of his own.

“I look forward to it.”

Nodding back, Rainbow headed out, towel in hand. As for Flash, he looked back to the vacant wall before starting another solo game, giving Rainbow time to slip out of the court, making her way down a few steps before at last finding Twilight. The girl had been standing in the exact same place the whole time, and looked to Rainbow with eagerness.

“You got it!”

Rainbow smirked at that.

“Yep. One towel, as requested.”

Taking the thing, Twilight looked at it before stuffing it in her bag.

“I need to take this to one of the science labs in the school to do some tests. Come on Spike!”

And with that, she was off, Spike grumbling all the way as he followed. As for Rainbow, she stayed in that place for a while, looking over her shoulder to where Flash was still playing. Although she thought fondly of her game with the boy, and even felt like she had fun with him, those thoughts eventually led to certain other thoughts, which, inevitably, led to a worried look on her face.

“…Awww Hell!”

To Study a Sentry - Exes

Being right in the middle of the day, there was, naturally, one time above all that the students of Canterlot High looked forward to, and that was their lunch break. Now, while most could safely say that they enjoyed their schooling more than most, it was during this middle time when they truly felt like they could unwind. Relaxing with their friends, the cafeteria was abuzz with activity, mostly in the form of all the various groups of friends chatting to each other about how their days had gone so far. But, amidst this happy scene, there was one person who seemed less than thrilled. Sunset Shimer, sitting alone on a table, was not focusing on her lunch, but rather looking ahead to another table on the other side of the cafeteria. There, surrounded by several of his friends, was Flash Sentry. Sunset watched her ex for some time, looking as if she was debating with herself over something important. After a while though, she let out a sigh, getting out from her chair before taking a step forward.

“Sunset?”

She stopped immediately, spinning in place to see that there, standing and watching her with a somewhat worried look, was Rarity.

“Oh! Rarity! How…how are you?”

Tilting her head, Rarity maintained a look of concern.

“Darling, I hope you don’t mind my saying, but you look like you have something important on your mind.”

This was the absolute last thing Sunset needed right now, but even so, her own face betrayed her as, just for a moment, her eyes darted to the right, in Flash’s direction. Any hope of Rarity not noticing were soon dashed, as the young fashionista turned, looking to see where Sunset had been gazing. As soon as she saw Flash over there, she turned back to Sunset. The wheels worked in her mind until, eventually, a look of realisation crossed her face.

“Sunset…?”

The former unicorn looked away, almost ashamed to look her friend in the eye.

“Look…Rarity…I just…I need to talk to him.”

Folding her arms, Rarity kept her eyebrow up.

“My dear…this wouldn’t have anything to do with Twilight’s little study, would it?”

To that, Sunset shook her head.

“No. But…a few days ago, I was talking with her, and well…I got to think about…about when me and Flash were together. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since and…I just need to talk to him.”

Hearing those words, Rarity frowned a little. However, after a while, her expression softened considerably, leading to her letting out a deep sigh before speaking up again.

“Sunset…I realise how feelings like that can…make us want to do things, grow closer to people. But…please remember. Twilight likes him. And he likes her.”

Sunset nodded, though still looked a little uncomfortable.

“Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard about this. I’m fairly certain I can keep things in check.”

Turning, Sunset began to make her way over to Flash. However, she only managed a single step before stopping, turning back to Rarity with an appreciative smile.

“But…thank you…for being worried about me.”

Rarity still looked worried, but nevertheless offered her friend a small smile. With that matter done, Sunset began to walk in earnest to where Flash was sitting. Fortunately for her, his friends had long since parted, and now, he was eating alone. Her nerves grew and grew as she drew closer, and when she was only a few feet away from his table, she finally spoke.

“Um…hey.”

To that, Flash stopped eating, looking up to see Sunset staring at him. An awkward silence fell between the two youths for a moment, after which Flash, though clearly unsure about this, still managed to get his words out.

“Oh! Er…hi?”

Nodding, Sunset gestured to a nearby chair on the opposite side from where the boy was sitting.

“Can…is it alright if I sit here?”

Flash looked to it for a while, thinking that point over, before eventually giving her a brief nod. With consent granted, Sunset nodded back, pulling the chair out before getting herself comfortable. The two stared at each other during yet another uncomfortable bout of silence, but after a few minutes of this, Flash was the one to break it.

“So…how have you been?”

Putting on a small smile, Sunset replied.

“I’ve been…good.”

“That’s…good,” Flash answered.

A brief chuckle escaped Sunset at that, and she took to shaking her head a moment.

“Same old Flash.”

After giving a small laugh of his own, Flash’s expression became more serious as he looked to her.

“Sunset…is there…is there something you need to talk to me about?”

At that, Sunset’s own expression changed, becoming one of melancholy. In her head, she’d figured it all out, what she would say and how she would say it. But now that she was here, actually talking to the guy, her mind just went blank. But Flash, seeing this difficulty just from looking at her, stayed quiet, giving her all the time she needed to get her thoughts in order. When she finally did start speaking, her words bore a distinct tint of discomfort to them.

“Flash…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I think back to some of the mistakes I’ve made and…and how much I wish I could undo them.”

Looking to her, Flash’s expression softened considerably.

“Sunset…you don’t need to apologise for that anymore. All of us here, we forgave you for that a long time ago.”

But Sunset shook her head at that.

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about…us.”

For a moment, Flash seemed confused as to what she was talking about. However, Sunset looked to him, right into his eyes, and in that moment, realisation struck the boy, and his eyes widened. Now knowing what she wanted to talk about, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words himself.

“Ah…that.”

Sunset looked away for a few seconds, before looking back to him, her face bearing a genuinely apologetic look.

“Flash…when we were together…”

After a while, she let out another sigh.

“…let’s be honest, it was a disaster.”

Looking back to her, Flash stayed silent as she carried on.

“I was about as bad a girlfriend as you could get. Not once in all the time we were together did I ever make things easy for you. I was never all that good to be around and…”

Again, she fell silent, looking down at the table, as if unable to look him in the eye.

“…you deserved better than me. So I wanted…to say sorry.”

Flash looked to her, at the despondent expression upon her face, and looked away from her afterwards. He sat there, thinking over everything that had just been said to him, and in all fairness, actually seemed shocked by it all. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting Sunset to come to him like this. And yet, here she was, and he knew she deserved an answer for all of this. So, taking a deep breath, he began to give her one.

“Sunset…our relationship might not have been the best…but like I said back then…I don’t regret it. Don't think for a moment that you need to apologise for it.”

The girl looked to him, and like Flash before her, stayed quiet and listened.

“We might have had more downs than ups during our time together, but that wasn’t enough to make me regret having it with you. And as for your…your occasional outbursts…I guess I figured at the time that you just had a lot on your mind. So…I just never let it bother me.”

To that, Sunset frowned slightly.

“…How? How can you always be so…so accepting of this? Of me?”

Flash took on a brief look of regret himself before giving her an answer.

“Well…I guess…you’re not the only one who feels they’ve made mistakes with the other.”

Sunset tilted her head, showing clear confusion, which, of course, prompted Flash to start explaining himself.

“It was during the Battle of the Bands. The Rainbooms were in the middle of one of their songs, and you came out of nowhere to tackled Rainbow to the ground.”

Sunset’s expression became one of understanding, for she knew where this was going. Even so, she stayed quiet as Flash continued.

“And I…I just said…I called you the girl everyone loves to hate.”

To that, Sunset had to stifle the urge to wince at being reminded of that moment.

“Yeah…it was pretty bad for everyone.”

Looking to her, Flash expression was one of sheer apology, as was his tone.

“I’ve been meaning to say sorry to you about that for a long time now. So…I’m sorry.”

But, to Flash’s surprise, Sunset shook her head, looking like she wasn’t concerned about that in the slightest.

“Flash…you were under a magic spell. Everyone was. The things you said to me, to Twilight…they weren’t your fault.”

Flash frowned at that.

“Maybe not. But, even so…I’m still sorry.”

Sunset looked to him for a while, seeing the earnestness in his expression, and found herself unable to do anything other than smile at him. She gave a single nod, acknowledging and accepting his apology, which led to him letting out a deep sigh, showing obvious relief at this. Sunset, still watching him, found herself becoming ever more curious as she regarded the boy.

“Flash…how can you always be like this? So calm? So…so happy? Even when you were with me, you always had a smile on your face, always telling a joke, even when you were by the worst girlfriend in the history of girlfriends. Just…why?”

Thinking hard on that, the boy looked to his ex and simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess…I just figured that, whatever problems you were going through…you’d find your way out of them, that you’d…get better.”

Sunset looked away from him, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

“In that case…I’m sorry I made you wait for nothing.”

But Flash, in spite of how upset Sunset might have felt, shook his head.

“Don’t be. I mean…you’re better now, aren’t you?”

Sunset looked to him, looking quite taken aback by those words. After a while of watching Flash stare at her, maintaining that same smile as always, Sunset, despite herself, actually found herself starting to laugh a little. After a while, Flash joined in, and together, they both felt a great deal more relaxed than they had been throughout most of this interaction. When the laughter finally died down, Sunset let out a sigh as she looked to the boy.

“Oh, Flash…I wish we could have had more moments like this…back then.”

To that, the boy gave a nod.

“Me too.”

Keeping her hands firmly on the table, Sunset looked away briefly, before looking back to him, looking a little uncertain as to her next words.

“I know things were never great between us, but…do you think that, maybe…we could at least be friends?”

Flash paused, thinking that over for a minute or two, and when he was done, he smiled, reaching forward and placing his hand upon Sunset’s.

“I’d like that. I really would.”

Sunset smiled, enjoying how pleasant this had become between them. But, after a while, she remembered that there was someone in particular nearby who was probably still watching them both, and so she cleared her throat before speaking up again.

“Well…this was good, but…”

But, she was kept from continuing when Flash spoke up himself.

“It’s okay. If you have somewhere you need to be, don’t let me stop you.”

Getting up from her chair, Sunset chuckled a little.

“Honestly, Flash. That goody-two-shoes attitude of yours will get you into trouble one day.”

Nodding, Flash smirked a little as he took hold of a nearby cup of soda and raised it to her.

“Maybe…but that day is not today.”

Laughing again, Sunset waved the boy a goodbye, before making her way away from him. Flash watched her go for a few moments before finding himself having to turn his attention to a few returning friends of his. As for Sunset, she finally looked away from him, walking over to find that Rarity was still where she’d been before, now bearing a slight frown as she looked to her. But Sunset, already seeing what was going on in her mind, raised a hand in an almost defensive posture.

“Rarity, its fine. We just reconciled, that’s all.”

To that, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“And the hand-holding?”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders.

“It was nothing. Just a moment between friends.”

Rarity watched her for a few moments before letting out a sigh, silently showing that she accepted that, however reluctantly. As Sunset saw her friend walk away, perhaps to join up with the others, she looked over her shoulder to Flash, who was once more in the middle of talking with his friends. And as she looked to him, her own smile faltered.

“We’re…we’re just friends. Just…just friends…”

She kept on saying that, over and over, and after a while, it soon dawned on her that it wasn’t others she was trying to convince of that.

To Study a Sentry - The Adagio Factor

Travelling through the park, enjoying a bright and sunny day, listening to the birds tweeting and fluttering about. That was pretty much the textbook definition of a calm and relaxing day, and at present, that was exactly what Flash was doing. Right in the middle of Canterlot’s local park, the teen made his way through the place, hands in the pockets of his famous leather jacket, smiling to himself all the way. What he didn't realise, however, was that he was not alone here today. For there, always trailing along behind him, was Twilight and her friends. The girls, as always, had been following the boy ever since they caught sight of him, and had, at this point, become pretty much experts at managing to stay out of sight. However, a time came when they were finally able to stop, as Flash himself came upon a nearby park bench. Taking this moment to sit upon it and rest, he seemed to simply enjoy the tranquillity of his surroundings, allowing the girls to take a more permanent spot behind some nearby bushes.

“So…anythin good this time Twi?” Applejack remarked.

Looking over a pad of notes she’d brought with her, Twilight let out a sigh.

“Not yet. The chemical analysis I performed on his sweat didn’t yield any interesting results. And I was so sure that was the answer!”

Scooting closer to her, Rarity placed a hand upon her shoulder before speaking sweetly to her.

“Darling, you really shouldn’t reduce romance to a science like this. I know you’ve already made up your mind, but perhaps you need to open that mind the possibility that, you and Flash…just sort of happened.”

But Twilight shook her head at that.

“I’m sorry, Rarity, but I just…I need to understand this.”

Before Rarity had a chance to speak further on the matter, she was interrupted when Rainbow spoke up next.

“Well, look at it this way, Twi. You’re not the only girl who’s shown an interest in the guy.”

That caught her attention, and she raised an eyebrow to Rainbow. Seeing this, the athlete raised a hand and pointed outwards, towards where Flash was. Looking over the bush, Twilight saw that a trio of girls, whom she recognised as Derpy, Lyra and Bonbon, were walking together through the park. As they passed where Flash was sitting, he gave them a friendly smile and a wave. And the girls, while certainly returning the gesture, gained more amorous look as soon as they’d passed him, making sure to not let him know they were looking that way. Narrowing her eyes at this, Twilight clenched her notebook harder than before. Seeing this behaviour, Sunset, clearing her throat a little, moved closer to the young princess, speaking up to her.

“Twilight…you didn’t think you were the only girl that Flash was going to attract, did you?”

Shaking her head, Twilight let out a sigh.

“Maybe not, but…I don’t know, it just…I’m not sure how I feel knowing so many other girls like him like that.”

Unbeknownst to Twilight, Sunset, Fluttershy and Rainbow all started to look just the tiniest bit uncomfortable. Fortunately for all of them, Twilight didn’t have the chance to notice, as a sudden and familiar voice could soon be heard behind them.

“Well well well. Having a little party, are we?”

Turning, the group all looked upon a trio of girls, roughly their age in appearance, all standing there and looking down on them. The Dazzlings; Adagio, Aria and Sonata. The third waved happily to Pinkie, who naturally lunged forward and embraced her in a hug of greeting. Aria walked up to Applejack and Rainbow, giving them a brief fist-bump as her way of saying “hello”. As for Adagio, she too got on her knees beside the other girls, raising an eyebrow as she kept her gaze upon Twilight.

“So…care to explain this unorthodox little get-together?”

To say that she was somewhat embarrassed would have been a great understatement, as Twilight looked to Sunset, then to Rarity, hoping one of them would give her a means out of this. When it became clear that they had none, she sighed, starting to speak up.

“Look, it’s just…I’m trying to study Flash to get a better understanding of why…why I developed this crush on him.”

Looking a little surprised at that, Adagio looked over the nearby bush, to the still-relaxing Flash some distance away, before smirking a little as she looked to Twilight again.

“Aww! How precious! Our little princess getting herself a knight in shining armour to love?”

Twilight frowned at that.

“Be serious!”

Chuckling, Adagio folded her arms before continuing.

“I do apologise, my dear. In truth, I’m glad you have someone. Although, if you ask me, trying to turn the matter of romance into…well…a matter of science, doesn’t really seem all that productive.”

For once, Rarity looked to Adagio with a look of agreement.

“Perhaps not, but Twilight is set on doing it regardless. Unfortunately, her study thus far hasn’t been all that promising.”

Turning to the rest of the group, Aria then let out a scoffing sound before adding her own voice to the mix.

“Want some advice, princess? Move on. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. Sure they’ll act all nice and noble and stuff, but the moment he thinks he can get away with it, he’ll turn his attention to the next girl in line.”

To that, Twilight turned to the Siren with a deeper frown than before.

“That’s not true! Flash is better than that!”

Scooting forward a little, Adagio placed her hand upon Twilight’s shoulder, gaining her attention.

“Though I am usually loathe to agree with my sister, I fear she has a point this time around. Boys of his age are fickle. You two may have had something going for you for a few moments, but that will hardly last, my dear.”

Twilight shook her head at that.

“You’re wrong! Flash still cares about me, I know it! He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t…”

Seeing the look of uncertainty now dominating Twilight’s face, Adagio shrugged her shoulders for a moment, letting out a sigh before getting to her feet. Now looking down at the rest of the group, a smirk crept onto her face as she spoke up.

“Very well. You want proof? Then I’ll give it to you.”

And with that, before any of the girls could stop her, Adagio was off, walking around the bush and heading straight towards Flash. Twilight, naturally, looked incredibly worried at all of this, as did the other girls. However, to keep their cover, they stayed silent, merely watching over the bush as the elder Siren made her way closer and closer to the unsuspecting boy. When she was finally close enough, she struck a pose, with her hip thrust out to one side while resting a single hand upon it. Looking down to Flash, her face bore an unmistakeably sultry look, as did her tone of voice when she finally spoke up.

“Hey there, Flash. Room for one more?”

Flash turned, looking quite surprised to see the girl there.

“Oh! Adagio? Um…sure, if you want somewhere to sit, go ahead.”

He gestured to the spot on the bench next to him, prompting Adagio to take him up on his offer. After sitting down beside him, she crossed her legs, looking to him with that same amorous look in her eyes.

“Such fine company to have on a day as splendid as this, don’t you think?”

Looking to her, Flash raised an eyebrow.

“Er…sure. I guess.”

Adagio chuckled a little.

“You know…you’re so cute. Has anyone ever told you that?”

Needless to say, a look of slight confusion crossed Flash’s face.

“Well…if you say so.”

For a brief moment, Adagio frowned a little, clearly not expecting that response. But, she quickly regained her composure, smiling as sweetly as before.

“You know what? A fine lad like you deserves a little…comfort in his life.”

Flash turned to her.

“Um…comfort?”

Adagio nodded.

“Indeed. Why…what you need is someone you know you can enjoy a few moments with. Someone who can treat you right. Someone…close at hand perhaps?”

As she spoke, she inched closer to him, to the point where she was now leaning against him. As for Flash, he almost looked oblivious as to what was going on.

“Adagio…was are you suggesting here exactly?”

Giggling slightly, the Siren gave him an answer.

“Why…I’m suggesting that, perhaps, it might be best if you were to just cut loose and enjoy yourself once in a while. Maybe…spend some time with someone who knows how to give a boy a pleasant time?”

Flash, for the first time in all of this, narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Adagio…are you suggesting that you and I…?”

He didn’t finish his words. But then, he didn’t need to, as Adagio herself confirmed his suspicions with that same sultry smile, leaning in closer to his face and leaving no mistake as to what she wanted from him. But, no sooner had her lips reached within an inch of his when, all of a sudden, she found herself kissing the palm of his hand, which he’d slipped in just before she made her move. After pulling away from him slightly, Adagio took on a look of confusion.

“Um…is something wrong?”

To that, Flash nodded.

“I’d say there was. Look, you’re friends with Sunset and the others now, so I’m willing to let a lot of things slide, but I want to be clear on this. You and me, at least, what you were thinking of? It’s not gonna happen.”

Needless to say, Adagio was quite taken aback by that.

“But…but you know I can probably give you the best night of your life, right?”

Flash nodded.

“Perhaps. But my answer is the same.”

Looking to him, Adagio frowned somewhat.

“Okay, pretty boy, give me one reason why. One reason why you wouldn’t want what entire armies of men have fought and died to experience from me?”

To that, Flash knew exactly the answer he was to give.

“Simple…I’m taken.”

Hearing that, Adagio rolled her eyes.

“Oh please! Your little princess is an entire world away! Chances are she’ll never come back for you! Hell, from what I’ve heard, the two of you haven’t even kissed yet!”

Flash nodded.

“Even so…my answer is the same.”

Adagio sat there, mouth hanging open, looking utterly dumbfounded by what had just been said to her. Slowly, Flash got up from his chair, looking to her with that same frown as before.

“Now…if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll move on. The park seems to have lost its charm all of a sudden.”

And with that, he was off, walking away from Adagio with purpose in his steps, leaving the Siren sitting there, still shocked over what had just happened. She waited, watching him move further and further away, until finally, she shook herself out of it. For a while, she paused until Flash was finally out of sight, before getting up off the bench and walking over to where Twilight and the others had been waiting. Once there, the Siren saw that, as she’d expected, the young princess was looking to her with a somewhat smug expression.

“There! I told you he’d stay true!”

Frowning, Adagio got to her knees, looking more than a little irritated.

“This…this has never happened before!”

Aria, never letting up on a chance to tease her sister, looked to her with a smirk.

“Aww! Is our big sister losing her touch?”

Adagio’s head snapped in her direction.

“You know what? I bet it’s because of that whole mind control thing! It’s the only explanation! He said no to me because I used to be the bad guy!”

To that, Applejack folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, ah’m sure that’s the reason!”

However, Adagios remark had caused her to suddenly become deep in thought. After it was done, she broke out into her infamous smirk, looking to the princess with renewed vigour.

“If you want real proof that your boy over there is as faithful as you think, then test him out on one of your friends.”

To that, all heads turned in her direction, with Twilight looking quite shocked at that remark.

“W…what?”

Adagio nodded.

“You heard me. He may not like me, but your friends here are girls he does like. If you were to have one of them try their luck with him, I guarantee he’ll falter.”

Looking away, the Siren looked quite thoughtful again for a moment.

“In fact, I think I have just the venue.”

She then looked back to Twilight.

“You know I work at the local spa, right? Well, we’ve got a little promotion going that I think will be perfect to test the boy. That is…if you’re confident he’ll stay true to you that is.”

For a while, Twilight stayed silent, looking to each of her friends. Uncertainty crossed her face for a while, but, when it was done, her expression became one of confidence, giving Adagio a firm nod.

“Alright…but I promise you it’ll be the same result!”

To that, Adagio chuckled.

“We’ll see, my dear.”

Looking to both girls, Rarity, who had been silent during all of this, flipped some of her hair out of her face before speaking up.

“Well…if we’re testing the boy’s fidelity in a spa of all places, I think we all know who we’ll need to test him.”

Pinkie, looking to her, bore a look of utter seriousness as she nodded in agreement.

“Indeed we do.”

And then, as usual, she broke out into her trademark smile.

“Me!”

To Study a Sentry - A Spa Day With Pinkie Pie

With the day nearly over, the streets of Canterlot were becoming more and more vacant, as everyone, student or otherwise, was beginning to make their way back to their homes, ready to rest and relax after whatever they’d been doing. In one place, however, there was one person who seemed more than a little excited. Pinkie Pie, who was currently standing outside the entrance to the town’s local spa. Standing in one spot, she was practically bouncing up and down over how eager she was for this. But, she was not alone here, as both Twilight and Adagio were close by. In an almost uniform manner, both of the other girls were wearing standard disguises, fedora hats and trenchcoats, always looking around to make sure nobody but Pinkie spotted them. In this moment, Twilight spoke quietly to her friend.

“Okay, Pinkie. You know what to do, right?”

The other girl nodded.

“Sure do, Twilight!”

Stepping forward, Adagio bore a look of utter seriousness.

“Remember everything we said about this, okay?”

Pinkie nodded again, giving a little salute as she did so. Had things been easier for them, Twilight and Adagio might have continued on, just to make sure Pinkie knew exactly what was expected of her. But, they hadn’t the chance, as they both immediately took on looks of shock. For there, walking down the street, was none other than Flash. Moving as fast as they could, both girls darted behind the building, hoping that the boy had not noticed them. Their worries proved unfounded however, as Flash’s attention seemed to be entirely on Pinkie, whom he waved to with a smile. Pinkie waved back with an even bigger smile, and as Flash finally reached her, he was the first to speak between them.

“I got your message, Pinkie. What’s up?”

Giggling, Pinkie clasped her hands together before giving an answer.

“I have some super amazing wonderful news, Flash!”

Chuckling slightly at the girl’s behaviour, Flash spoke up again.

“Okay, what is it?”

Turning, Pinkie gestured to the spa beside her.

“I know how we can get your Mom an awesome full treatment spa day for her Birthday!”

At first, Flash seemed taken aback by this news, but after a while, that turned to curiosity.

“How did you know it’s my Mom’s Birthday coming up? And…how do you know she likes spa trips?”

To that, Pinkie rolled her eyes and snorted a little.

“Please! I’m Pinkie! Knowing Birthdays and what makes people happy is kinda my thing!”

Thinking on that, Flash shrugged his shoulders, after which he broke out into a smile.

“Okay, guess that makes sense. And you’re right of course, Mom does love that kinda stuff. So, what do we need to do to get it for her?”

Looking to the boy, Pinkie smiled even wider.

“Already taken care of, Flashy! They’ve got this special deal going on so that, if someone buys a spa activity for two people, rather than just themselves, they get this ticket for another full treatment day for someone else absolutely free!”

Hearing that, Flash scratched his head.

“That…doesn’t sound like it’d be good for their profits.”

Again, Pinkie giggled.

“Silly! I never said the deal was special for them!”

Flash paused for a moment.

“That makes sense…I guess.”

Shaking his head, he sighed a little before speaking up again

“Okay, so who are you going to the spa with?”

Looking to him, Pinkie clasped her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly at him with her eyes half-lidded. It took a while, a few minutes at least, but eventually, Flash began to understand, as evidenced by the widening of his eyes.

“Oh no! I’m sure there are plenty of other friends you’ve got who could go with you instead!”

Another giggle emerged from Pinkie before she responded to that.

“Well duh! But they’re all busy today, and besides, if the gift is for your Mom, it makes sense that you be a part of this too, right?”

Thinking on that, Flash’s expression was one of both concern and confusion, as he took a moment to scratch his head a little.

“Well…erm…I guess…”

But, before he finished, he found himself being grabbed on his arm by Pinkie.

“Great! Let’s go!”

And with that, Flash was now at Pinkie’s mercy, being dragged with full force into the spa. Although he was very much taken aback by this, the boy was thankfully given a chance to compose himself when Pinkie finally let him go when they entered the place in earnest. As expected of a place like this, it was filled with pristine whiteness, with a single attendant, Aloe, at the front desk. As Flash looked the place over, Pinkie rushed over to the desk.

“I’m here for the four O’clock, please!”

Looking at a list on her desk, Aloe broke out into a small smile.

“Ah, yes. Welcome! Feel free to proceed with your handsome gentleman friend over to the changing rooms.”

Pinkie nodded frantically at that, turning to Flash with a smile as she started walking to that very place.

“Come on, Flash! We’ve got spa stuff to do!”

Flash, seeing this exuberance, sighed slightly, but nevertheless found himself chuckling at it all. Following her, he entered a long corridor, littered on either side with what appeared to be personal cubicles, the aforementioned changing rooms. Pinkie, as one would expect of her, had already darted into one, slamming the door behind her. As for Flash, he chose a nearby one, making sure the door was securely locked before turning to see his spa outfit. Unfortunately for him, all he saw there was a simple white towel, hanging off the wall. He looked around, perhaps expecting to see something else just out of sight, but there was no such luck. Looking at the towel, a slight grimace crossed his face before, eventually, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound.”

And with that, he started to undress, making especially sure to make it so that his trademark leather jacket was particularly well kept as he placed it to one side. With everything else off him, he took the towel and, having no other option, wrapped it around his waist, making sure his personal area was properly covered.

“I could have sworn spas are meant to provide more than this.”

But, with little else to do, he sighed again before heading out of the cubicle, and it was here that he caught sight of Pinkie, who was standing and waiting for him.

“Hey there, Flashy! Ready to do spa stuff?”

Like him, the girl only had a towel to wear, again white in appearance, which she’d wrapped snugly around her middle. Now, being the kind of guy Flash was, he turned, if only to avoid looking like he was staring at her.

“Oh, er…sure? I mean, what do we even do here?”

Giggling again, Pinkie reached down into the top of her towel before pulling out a sheet of paper.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of stuff to choose! But, we can only pick one, okay?”

Turning to her, Flash took the paper, seeing the list of the spas available treatments written all over it. After reading it for a moment, he looked up to Pinkie again.

“May I ask what you're doing?”

Pinkie clapped her hands together as she responded.

“Oooh! I’ve picked the massage! It’ll be soooooo good!”

Raising an eyebrow at that, Flash looked down to the paper again.

“Alright, in that case, I’ll…I’ll go for the hot tub.”

Unbeknownst to him, Pinkie looked away with a smirk on her face.

“Heh, I knew you’d pick that.”

Looking up to her, Flash’s expression was one of confusion.

“Pardon?”

Pinkie turned to him again.

“Nothing! You just go and have a nice time, okay, Flashy? We’ll meet back here after we’re both done, alright?”

Flash opened his mouth to speak, only to be prevented from saying anything when Pinkie, as usual, darted off in a cloud of smoke. Now alone in this place, Flash stood there with some uncertainty before letting out a sigh, after which he raised a hand and rubbed his temples a little.

“How do I get myself in these situations?”

When that was done, he exhaled deeply before making his way down the hall. Room after room he looked in, and in each, he kept finding the wrong stuff. But, luckily for him, he eventually happened upon the right room, and within he found the expected hot tubs. There were about three in total, and while all were bubbling away, none of them were in use, which frankly suited Flash just fine. Breaking out into a small smile, the youth closed the door behind him, making his way over to the nearest tub. Once by the side, he looked around to make sure he was alone, after which he took a deep breath before removing his towel, placing it on the side before carefully slipping into the tub. The feel of the water was odd at first, but after a while, he found himself feeling more and more relaxed, as evidenced by the look on his face. After a while, he let out contented sigh, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the side of the tub.

“Ah…now this is relaxing!”

“I'll say it is!”

Flash’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately saw that, as he’d already figured out, Pinkie was sitting opposite him on the other side of the tub, water right up to the top of her chest, with her smiling sweetly at him. Needless to say, the boy was more than a little shocked by this.

“Gah! I…I…Pinkie?! What are you doing here?!”

To that, Pinkie shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, I got halfway down the hall when I figured, you know what, I can have a massage any day of the week. But I haven’t been in a hot tub in years! So I thought I’d come down here and join you!”

As one would expect, Flash had crossed his legs during this, hoping very much that his friend’s eyes wouldn’t be wandering downwards anytime soon, even if the bubbling water did make it nigh-impossible to see such thigns. However, as he dwelt on this, a new and concerning thought came to him, especially after he noticed Pinkie’s own towel discarded on the side.

“Erm…Pinkie? I don’t suppose you’re…you know…wearing a swimsuit or something under there, are you?”

To that, Pinkie shook her head, maintaining her smile the whole time.

“Nope! Au naturel is the only way to enjoy a hot tub, silly!”

With every moment that passed, Flash found more and more colour draining from his face. But, as time went on, he stayed silent, watching as Pinkie just sat there, smiling at him from the other side. He hoped in his heart that things would stay this way, and so he looked away from her, desperately trying to avoid letting himself stare at her when she was like this. Unfortunately for him, taking his eyes off her was the absolute last thing he should have done, as moments later, he felt a warmth beside him. Turning, he found, to his dismay, that Pinkie had scooted all the way around the tub, so she was now sitting right beside him, to the point where her thigh was pressing against his own. Staring at her with shock, he opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut to the chase when Pinkie spoke up herself.

“The water wasn’t really that warm for me over there, so I figured, how about I come over here to you?”

Flash darted his head away, now feeling quite a bit warmer himself.

“Um…Pinkie? You don’t perhaps see anything wrong with what’s going on here, do you?”

To that, Pinkie shook her head once more.

“Don’t be silly, silly! We’re just friends here! Just a boy friend and a girl friend, sitting together naked in a hot tub while barely an inch from each other. There’s nothing inappropriate about that!”

Turning, Flash raised an eyebrow.

“I…I’m not sure if I agree with you.”

Looking to him, Pinkie gained a look that Flash, to his utter shock, recognised immediately as sultriness.

“Oh? You want us to be closer?”

Flash’s eyes widened as big as dinner plates as he shook his head frantically.

“Nope! I…I think we’ll just stay here as we are, if…if that’s okay with you.”

Pinkie smiled as normal, nodding to the boy before looking away from him. Flash, as before, stayed utterly quiet, now finding that the event which was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon had somehow turned into one of the most stress-inducing moments of his life thus far. As for Pinkie, she didn’t make it easy for him, always doing little things that would have turned his blood red hot. A few seconds of accidentally brushing her foot against his. Stretching out to a point where her uncovered chest might rise above the water. Occasionally letting out contented moans that sounded like something else entirely. As for Flash, his restraint was truly bordering on sainthood at this point, as he simply resigned himself to counting the seconds as they passed on the nearby clock. But, eventually, his salvation came, as there was a loud “ding” soon heard at the end of it all.

“It’s over!” he exclaimed.

But, he soon tempered himself as he cleared his throat.

“Oh! I mean…oh no! It’s over!”

Turning to him, Pinkie retained that sweet smile of hers, apparently ignoring the false excitement he’d just given out.

“Thanks for joining me with this, Flash. I had a really fun time.”

Flash turned to say the same, only to be struck with the realisation that Pinkie was hoisting herself out of the water. Immediately, he turned, covering his eyes as she left the tub and reached for her towel.

“Er, yeah! Me too.”

After a few moments, Pinkie, now covered, looked to the boy.

“You coming?”

Flash shook his head, still nervously smiling as he did so.

“I’ll…I’ll catch up, okay?”

Pinkie nodded at that before turning around and making her way out of the room. Only when she was gone did Flash finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Mom…I hope you appreciate this.”

As for Pinkie, she made her way along the hall, but, after a while, stopped completely. After checking around herself, she walked over to a nearby window, opening it up to find Twilight and Adagio on the other side.

“Well?” Twilight asked.

To that, Pinkie shrugged her shoulders.

“Yeah…he ain’t budging.”

Looking to Adagio, Twilight’s expression was one of triumph.

“Ha!”

Rolling her eyes, Adagio sighed.

“Okay, fine! So he’s a regular Sir Galahad! There’s no need to feel smug about it.”

Still smirking, Twilight turned to Pinkie.

“So…where is Flash.”

Thinking on that, Pinkie gained a smirk of her own.

“Oh, I think he’s just making sure he’s not “standing-at-attention” before leaving.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that, showing clear confusion. Seeing this, Adagio afforded herself a brief chuckle.

“Ask your parents, princess.”

To Study a Sentry - Flash's Brief Respite

It was a calm and peaceful day down at the vast green orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was shining brightly, though not so much that it bathed the place in unbearable heat. On top of that, a cooling breeze gently flowed through the rows of the titular apple trees. All in all, it was a pleasant day, the kind of time where one merely wished to sit back, relax and do nothing except forget whatever troubles they were going through. Now, normally, on a day like today, Applejack, one of the more noted members of the Apple family, would have been hard at work in the orchards, collecting apples and such. However, given how much work she normally did out here, she decided that, on a day like this, she would instead just kick back and enjoy herself. So, rather than straining herself in the field, she was in her home, sitting at the family kitchen, downing a small glass of her family’s famous non-alcoholic cider.

The smile on her face made it clear that she was enjoying this, but, as soon as she raised the glass for a second gulp, she was interrupted by the sound of knocking at her door. Although irritated at first, she nevertheless remembered her manners, and got up from the table to make her way to the door. Making sure she was presentable, the farm girl put on a smile as she finally turned the knob and opened it. But, her smile soon turned to a look of shock when she saw that there, standing in her doorway, was none other than Flash Sentry. A silence feel between the two youths as they stared at one another, and after a while, it was Flash who finally broke the silence.

“Um…hey, AJ. Can…can I come in?”

Although she’d been shocked by this, Applejack soon shook herself out of it, returning to her former smiling expression before stepping aside.

“Sure thing, Flash. Come on in.”

Smiling in appreciation, Flash made his way inside. Closing the door, Applejack followed him, maintaining a curious look as they made their way back into the kitchen. After pacing up and down for a bit, Flash turned to her and spoke.

“Look…I know this is a bit last-minute, but…is it okay if, you know…I stick around here for a bit?”

Now, needless to say, Applejack was somewhat confused by that request. However, seeing no real reason to deny him, she shrugged her shoulders as she gave him his answer.

“Erm…ah guess so.”

Flash nodded at that, finding a nearby chair to sit in. Likewise, Applejack made her way over to the chair she’d been sitting in before Flash had arrived. Silence was the order of the day yet again, and through it all, Applejack looked to Flash, studying his face as he just stared at the wall. One thing above all else seemed to strike her as she observed him.

“No offense, Flash, but…ya look mighty tired ta me.”

Chuckling slightly, Flash nodded before speaking up.

“Yeah…guess I am.”

Turning to her, the boy’s expression was one of utter sincerity as he spoke.

“Can I be honest with you, Applejack?”

To that, the farm girl let out a laugh of her own.

“Shoot! Ya know me, Flash. Ah’d be pretty upset if ya weren't honest, remember?”

Laughing again, Flash nodded before starting to explain himself.

“Well…it’s just…things have been kinda weird for me lately. I can’t really put my finger on it, but…for the last week or so, I’ve been getting this…feeling. Like something’s off somehow.”

To that, Applejack started to look a little nervous.

“Er…off how, exactly?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Flash leaned back into his chair as he continued.

“I don’t know. People acting in surprising ways around me. The way I always find those I know in places I don’t expect them to be. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being around them. Far from it. It’s just…something about it has been eating away at the back of my mind about it all. The feeling…”

He hesitated for a few moments before finally getting his words out.

“…the feeling like I’m being watched.”

Applejack’s eyes widened upon hearing that, and for once, Flash noticed.

“I know, I know. It sounds crazy.”

But Applejack shook her head.

“It ain’t crazy, Flash. Everyone gets those feelins sometimes. Even ah do from time to time. But it ain’t somethin ta worry about.”

Flash nodded.

“Maybe not. But…I don’t know, the way everything just keeps adding up, it…it’s pretty exhausting for me. This feeling…it’s like it’s following me around. I’ve barely been able to sleep this last week. It’s almost…almost like I know something strange is gonna happen, but I don’t know what or when.”

Turning, Flash saw the farm girl looking at him with mixed emotions in her expression. Concern chief of all. Looking away from her, the boy let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you.”

But, to his surprise, she looked to him with a smile.

“There ain’t nothing ta apologise for, Flash. In truth, ah’m pretty honoured ya feel safe around me ta share this kinda stuff. But…”

For a moment, confusion crossed her face.

“…if ya don’t mind mah askin…why me?”

Thinking on that, Flash shrugged his shoulders a little.

“Well…I guess…of all the people I know, you’ve always been the most level-headed. The most stable. Someone can come to you and they’ll know that you’ll be straight with them. I guess…I guess I just felt I could trust you about this sort of thing more than I could with some of my other friends.”

Hearing that, a slight blush crossed Applejack’s cheeks.

“Aw, shucks, sugarcube! Ah appreciate that.”

Smiling, Flash gave a nod.

“I suppose, at the end of the day, if I wanted to get away from some of the craziness that’s been following me…you seemed like the right person to come to.”

Thinking on those words, a smirk grew on Applejack’s face.

“Well, let it never be said that ah don’t help folks when they need it. If ya say ya need a place ta rest fer a bit, then yer more than welcome ta join me here!”

Flash smiled and nodded at that.

“Thank you, Applejack, I…thank you.”

Applejack tipped her Stetson hat to him for a moment, reaching forward and patting his hand slightly.

“Ya know what ya need right now, Flash? Some good old fashioned apple cider!”

Chuckling slightly, the boy gave her a nod.

“You know…that sounds like just the trick.”

Smiling back, Applejack made her way over to the side of the kitchen, ready to pour not only herself a glass of cider, but also for her guest. However, as she did this, she stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder, seeing Flash looking just as tired as he was when he first arrived. Concern now dominated her face, and she let out a deep sigh. In the end, she spoke in a hushed voice, keeping it low enough so Flash could not hear her.

“Darn it, Twi! At this rate, yer study’ll probably destroy this boy!”

To Study a Sentry - The Penny Drops

For whatever reason, Sunset found her usual walk through the school to have an air of weight about it, like an unspoken feeling one has when they know that something uncomfortable is about to happen. The same feeling when you’re asked to wait outside the principal’s office, or when you receive a letter with bad news. Her steps were heavy because of this, as she made her way to what was usually a favourite hang-out spot for her and her friends; the music room. As the name suggested, this is where they all practised their music, which while once serving as the source of their pony transformations, now served largely to give them all something fun to do. But even these fond memories could not shift the foreboding feeling the former unicorn felt at this time. So, as she finally reached the door of the place, she let out a deep sigh as she raised her hand, grabbed a hold of the knob, and turned, giving her entry into the room.

“Sunset! You’re here!”

The voice was loud and excited, and before Sunset herself could react, she found a swift lavender hand gabbing hold of her arm, dragging her in without her even being able to get a word out. Now inside the music room, Sunset took a moment to compose herself, looking up to who she knew would be there. Twilight, who, as her voice would suggest, was looking more than a little excited with something. But she was not the only one here, as Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were all nearby, sitting or standing in their own way as they looked to this new arrival. Sunset, letting out another sigh, looked straight to Twilight when she spoke, her voice clearly that of one who was quite tired with everything that had been going on.

“Twilight…I assume you have another plan?”

The young princess nodded, still bearing a look of joy as she looked to her friend.

“Indeed I do! But, I know I’m going to need a little help with this, so I decided the time has finally come for me to include her in this study.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that, not quite understanding who Twilight was referring to by her. However, as she stared at Twilight, Sunset noted that she was actually looking to something behind her. Slowly, the Equestrian exile began to turn around, and when she finally finished doing so, her eyes widened with shock. For there, standing beside the very door she herself had just entered, was none other than another Twilight. Specifically, the Twilight who once went to their one-time rival school, Crystal Prep. Adjusting her spectacles slightly, the shy girl looked nervously to Sunset, raising her hand and giving a small wave while forcing as much of a smile as she could, which wasn’t much.

“Um…hi?”

Bearing clear confusion upon her face, Sunset spun around, looking Twilight right in the eye.

“Twilight? What’s going on here?”

Clasping her hands together, Princess Twilight made her way over to her human counterpart, placing a hand upon her shoulder before looking over to Sunset with a confident look in her face.

“Well, I got to thinking. If I’m going to get to the bottom of this crush business, I can’t just watch Flash from the shadows or take notes. I need to be more direct. I need to get out there and see him interact with…well…me.”

Hearing that, Sunset’s expression became one of concern, and she placed a hand up to her temples, rubbing them slightly.

“Oh no…”

She had already suspected where this was going, but Twilight, oblivious to that concern, simply kept on smiling as she spoke up.

“That’s right! I’m going to use my counterpart here to pose as me, so that I can observe Flash talking to her. That way, I’ll be able to get far more accurate readings on our potential relationship.”

Turning, Twilight looked to the still-nervous girls beside her.

“Sure, she’s not exactly like me, but she’s close enough that Flash probably won’t be able to tell the difference!”

Placing her hands on her hips, Twilight widened her smile at the girl.

“Okay, other me…let’s swap clothes!”

To that, the human Twilight snapped her head in the princess’ direction, looking utterly mortified.

“W…what?!”

Gesturing to her, Twilight began to explain herself.

“Look, it’s perfectly fine. You just need to be dressed like me so that Flash won’t suspect anything. So come on, let’s…”

“Stop!”

Twilight halted in her tracks, turning her head towards the one who’d shouted, Sunset. Her fellow Equestrian looked to her, almost angry at what was going on, which didn’t really make sense to Twilight in the slightest.

“Sunset? What…what’s wrong?”

Sunset, looking to her, bore a look of incredulity after hearing that.

“What’s wrong?! Can’t you see just how far this has gone, Twilight?”

Twilight paused for a moment, looking to each of her friends, all of whom seemed to bear similarly concerned looks, before settling her eyes on Sunset again.

“But…it’s for the study! It’s important that I understand this as much as I can!”

To that, Sunset slapped her forehead with frustration.

“Ugh! Twilight! Don’t you see? We were willing to go along with this at the start, but what was just because it was you observing Flash. But now…”

Gradually, her expression became one of concern.

“Now…it’s gone too far. You’ve got all these plans that, quite frankly…are overstepping boundaries a bit.”

Needless to say, Twilight looked rather taken aback by that.

“What are you saying?”

Sunset’s expression softened, for she knew this wasn’t going to be an easy thing to say, especially to a friend. But, steeling herself, she got her words out.

“Twilight…I think…it might be time for you to end this study.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, almost to the point of being horrified by what had just been said to her.

“End it?! But…but there’s still so much I don’t understand! I can’t just quit!”

Sunset took a step closer to her, trying to speak as calmly and softly as possible.

“I know you’re dedicated to this, and I admire you for it, really I do. But…I think you might need to stop and take a look at things from our perspective. And, if I’m being honest with you…I think we all agree that…well…this crush is just something you’re going to have to accept, without understanding it.”

Twilight stopped, looking to each of her friends. They couldn’t look her in the eye, and that alone told her everything she needed to, for the one consistent look on all of their faces was guilt. None of them wanted to speak, save for Applejack, who now took a few steps closer.

“Look, sugarcube…ah know this means a lot ta ya…but Flash ain’t been too good lately. Ah think all the stuff with Pinkie and…and this feelin that somethin's been happening…well…it ain’t good fer him.”

To that, Twilight looked down at the ground.

“I…I know it’s unorthodox to do all the things I’ve been doing, but…this crush…it just never made sense to me…and I can’t have that!”

Looking up, Twilight’s expression was now one of determination.

“I have to keep going!”

Staring at her, Sunset frowned a little.

“Twilight, we’re saying this because we’re your friends. You’ve become obsessed with this project of yours! You need to stop, for your sake, as well as Flash’s!”

But Twilight shook her head.

“I can't stop! That’s just not who I am! I need to understand these things, even if I have to keep on going for months to get to the bottom of why I like Flash!”

“So…that's what’s been happening.”

In an instant, everything stopped, as if time itself had frozen. The looks on Twilight and Sunset’s faces had morphed within moments from anger and defiance to full on fear. Nobody wanted to turn, but they knew that, eventually, they’d have no choice. And so it was that, slowly, their heads started to swivel around, and before long their fears were confirmed. For there, standing in the doorway, was Flash Sentry himself. The room became as silent as a graveyard, with all of the girls looking to the angry-looking boy as if they’d lost the ability to speak entirely. After what seemed like an eternity though, Twilight finally broke that silence, taking a step closer to Flash as she did so.

“F…Flash. Please, I…I can explain.”

But the boy, still frowning, looked to the girl with intensity.

“Twilight…I don’t know how long this has been going on, but…from what I understand… in an effort to get your head around what’s been going on between us, you’ve been following me around, in secret, to the point of outright spying on me…”

He turned, looking at the other girls, Applejack in particular.

“…you had your friends keep me in the dark about it all, even lying to me about what was happening…”

As Applejack looked away in shame, Flash turned his gaze to Pinkie.

“…even had one of them try and seduce me…”

Likewise, Pinkie too avoided his gaze, looking quite embarrassed, and Flash himself now centred his attention on Twilight entirely.

“…and all of it…because you couldn’t just talk to me?”

Twilight looked at the ground, shame covering her face. Seeing her like this, the boy let out a sigh, grasping the bridge of his nose and rubbing it slightly as he spoke, his voice kept in a low tone.

“Twilight…I care about you, I truly do. But…why? Why couldn’t you feel like you could come to me with this?”

The young princess looked to him, opening her mouth several times in an effort to get her words out. But nothing came, and instead, her situation had made it so that all she could do was, once again, look away from him. Flash, seeing this, frowned again, giving a brief glance over to Sunset before looking back to Twilight.

“I…I need a moment.”

And with that, he turned, ready to leave. But, before he stepped out of the door, Twilight looked to him, finally managing to get a word out.

“Flash?”

The boy stopped, but only for a moment.

“I just…I’ll see you later.”

Twilight paused, watching him leave, gently closing the door behind him. With Flash gone, the room fell silent once more, and Twilight, ever so slowly, turned around to look upon her friends, many of whom looked as uncomfortable with how this had gone as she was. Raising a hand, Twilight slapped her forehead.

“Ugh! What…what have I done?”

Applejack, after giving Sunset a quick look, stepped up to the girl, placing a hand upon her shoulder and getting her attention.

“Twi? Can ah be honest with ya?”

Twilight looked to her, giving a nod, which was all the farm girl needed.

“Twi…ya dun goofed.”

To Study a Sentry - An End to the Study

It was always odd how, every once in a while, the day and the environment around us sometimes acts as the complete opposite to how we’re feeling. Sometimes, we can be down and gloomy on a bright and sunny day, and on others, we can be utterly joyous on a day that’s suffering from dark clouds and heavy rain. Such was the day today, as it was marked by not only bright sunshine, but also an unseasonal warmth, which put smiles on the faces of many in the town of Canterlot. However, for one group of people, this was, as expected, the exact antithesis of how they were all feeling. Twilight, standing outside the front door of Canterlot High, was looking about as sad and glum as one could expect to. Likewise, her friends, all of whom surrounded her, all looked just as down or uncomfortable with every step they took. It was a silent journey between them, and they all made their way towards the still-ruined horse statue at the front of the school.

“Well…at least we got to see Twilight again, right?”

Pinkie’s words were about as bubbly and upbeat as she usually was, but her efforts to cheer up her companions proved to be less than successful, as all of them bore looks of sheer melancholy during the walk, causing her to become silent herself as they finally reached their destination. Twilight, placing her hand upon the portal entrance, let out a sigh before turning to Sunset.

“I really messed up, didn’t I?”

Sunset looked to her, bearing a soft expression, and gently placed her hand upon Twilight’s shoulder.

“Twilight…you didn’t do what you did out of malice. And Flash…well…I’m sure he still cares about you.”

Twilight looked to her, still looking concerned.

“How? I know he said as much, but…how can you know that?”

Smiling, Sunset gave a brief chuckle before giving the young princess her answer.

“Trust me…I know when he cares.”

Twilight thought on those words, though how she truly felt about them was anybody’s guess. Still, in the end, she put on a smile, though again, nobody could tell if it was a genuine one or not.

“I just…thank you, for putting up with me as much as you did. I…I appreciate it.”

All of the other girls smiled, moving closer to embrace their royal friend. Though Twilight had hardly had the most pleasant of days, this moment at the very least was worth experiencing. None of them wanted to part from her, if only because of how down they knew she felt. But, they knew that all good things must come to an end sometime, and so began to move, one by one, away from her. Twilight, smiling to each in turn, let out a brief sigh, before looking down to Spike. Like the rest of them, he too had been worried about her, but, after reaching down and patting him on the head, Twilight silently let him know that she was fine. Getting back up, both her and Spike looked to the portal, and, as before, she raised a hand, ready to touch it and head back to Equestria. But, that was before she heard a certain voice call out to her.

“Twilight!”

Just like the last time she heard that voice, the young princess stopped, as indeed did everybody else. In unison, the turned, and saw, as they’d suspected, that Flash himself was running down the steps of the school. Twilight looked to him, utterly shocked at seeing him there, and all of her friends stood aside as they let the boy pass. When he finally reached her, he stopped for a moment, taking a few seconds to simply catch his breath.

“Wait…I…I…I need to talk to you.”

Needless to say, Twilight was taken aback by that, and looked to her friends, all of whom seemed just as surprised by this as she was. So, she gave Flash a nod, and the boy, in turn, took as long as he needed to get his breath back, before standing up tall and looking to the girl. An uncomfortable silence passed between them, during which, all of the other girls looked to one another, sharing looks that made it clear they were feeling awkward during this. But, thankfully, Flash finally broke the silence.

“I’m…I’m sorry for how I acted back then.”

To that, Twilight’s eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically at him.

“No! I'm the one who should be sorry! I should have come to you from the start!”

But, like her, Flash too shook his head.

“Twilight, I know this whole thing is new and strange to you. I shouldn’t have been so angry to learn of you trying to…to test it as you did.”

This back-and-forth of apology went on for several minutes, with the other girls and Spike turning their heads from one to the other as it happened. After a while, many of them started to look amused with how it was going on, Spike especially. But, to the relief of all of them, things eventually stopped when Twilight and Flash simply halted their apologies, looking to each other as if embarrassed. Moments later, and to the confusion of all of them, they actually started laughing of all things. When that died down, the two youths smiled warmly to one another.

“Flash…you were right, what you said before. I should have just talked to you.”

To that, Flash shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey, it’s no problem. I mean, yeah I was kinda angry at first, but…when I walked off, I got to thinking. What you did may have sucked…a lot…”

Twilight looked away in shame for a moment, only to look back to him when he continued speaking.

“But…you did it because you cared. About me. About us. I guess…I can’t really be angry with you, knowing that.”

Twilight tilted her head, showing clear confusion at this.

“Wow. How…how can you be so…so understanding about this?”

Hearing that, Flash stopped to think of an answer, and during which, he turned to Sunset, bearing a knowing smile.

“Let’s just say I’ve had to put up with far worse than that before.”

Like him, Sunset gained a slight smirk, giving him a nod. Twilight looked from her friend to Flash and back again, not quite sure what was going on. But, when it was all done, and Flash was once more looking to her, she took a step forward, speaking in a somewhat meek manner.

“So…is…is everything okay? Between us?”

Flash paused for a moment, considering that, before breaking out into a soft smile.

“Always.”

Twilight smiled at him, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. But, before she got the chance to say anything, Flash beat her to it.

“You know, how about…the next time you come over…we maybe catch a milkshake or something?”

Twilight was somewhat surprised at that, but looked to her friends, seeing all of them silently urging her to accept the offer. Seeing that, she giggled slightly before looking back to Flash.

“I…I would love to.”

Hearing that Flash smiled.

“Awesome! So…see you next time?”

Twilight nodded, moving forward and, in a move that took Flash by surprise, embraced him in a hug. All of her friends giggled slightly at this, but kept it quiet when the two parted. Chuckling nervously, Flash composed himself after this, giving his crush a small wave before starting to head on off elsewhere. After watching him go, Twilight let out a contended sigh.

“He really is special, isn’t he?”

To that, Fluttershy, Rainbow and all the others all let out sighs of their own, nodding in response, which caught Twilight’s attention immediately. However, all of them realised what they’d done, immediately bearing looks of agreement instead, as they looked to Twilight with a smile. As for the princess, she shook herself out of her semi-suspicious mode of thought, giving them all a final smile before turning to the portal once more.

“Well, Spike, ready to head on home?”

Looking to her, his expression was a completely deadpan one.

“Twilight…I’ve been ready to leave since day one!”

Giggling again at that, Twilight looked over her shoulder, once more giving a happy glance to her human friends, before looking forward, right at the portal. She took a deep breath, as did Spike, and together, they jumped through the portal, leaving a bright flash in their wake. With their royal friend gone, the girls remaining all looked to one another, their expressions making it clear that something was on their minds. Sunset, however, was just forward enough to be the one to actually voice them.

“Okay, show of hands. Who here thinks Twilight’s study would have ended with her figuring out that Flash is too charming, nice and forgiving for his own good?”

Without even a word, all of the girls raised their hands, some going to far as to nod in agreement with what Sunset had just said. And speaking of whom, the former unicorn also had her hand up, but, as she looked to them all, a new thought emerged in her mind, one which she was less direct about speaking out.

“Also…keep your hands up if you might have, say…started to develop some warm feelings about the boy yourself during all this?”

Shock crossed their faces, but, as they looked to one another, they knew they couldn’t lie, and so, with slight embarrassment as their expressions, all hands stayed up, including Sunset’s. But, as this awkward silence sank in, Pinkie looked to Rarity, who was one of those with her hands up, and narrowed her eyes.

“Hey, wait a minute! You never had a close moment with him!”

To that, Rarity flipped some hair out of her face a little before replying.

“Well, perhaps not…but he’s nevertheless a charming gentleman amidst a school of boorish and occasionally childish boys. A girl can’t help but like a fellow like that.”

Looking to Pinkie, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“And besides, didn’t you miss out on a close moment with him also?”

To that, Pinkie shrugged her shoulders, looking to Rarity with a surprisingly sultry look.

“Maybe…but at least I got to see him naked!”

As one would expect, all heads snapped in her direction, with blushes aplenty to go around. As for Pinkie, she maintained her expression, placing her hands on her hips as she gave herself a quick nod.

“Oh yeah! Better hold him tight, Twilight…or else I’m gonna have that boy one day!”

After yet another uncomfortable silence, Applejack turned to Sunset, her face one of utter mortification.

“Um…can we just, ya know…forget we all just heard that?”

I'm Sexy Too - Ignored

If there was one time that could safely be called the busiest of the entire school day, it would undoubtedly be the lunch hour. Here, when the school bell had rung and the classroom doors burst open, students from all over Canterlot High would pour out in droves, eager to get to the cafeteria to meet up with their various friends and cliques, as they did every day. Today was no exception, and before long, that very cafeteria was abuzz with the sounds of near two hundred students chatting away with one another. But, amidst all the different groups that could be found here today, one table bore three particular students for whom the school had a rather noteworthy history. The Dazzlings, aka, the Sirens of Equestria. Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. All three of the Siren sisters were busying themselves with their respective lunches at this moment, with Sonata especially wolfing hers down with great enthusiasm.

“Unf! Tus ish wrilly gud!”

To that, Adagio turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sonata, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?”

Swallowing, Sonata frowned at that.

“Hmph! Pinkie doesn’t mind it!”

Adagio rolled her eyes.

“Maybe not, but she’s not here, is she?”

Sonata turned to her lunch, grumbling about the restrictions placed upon her by her sister. As for Aria, she just sat in-between the other two, as usual, casually poking her lunch with a fork and not really seeming all that excited about it. Had her sisters looked to her, they’d have noticed this more-than-average level of apathy in her, but, they soon found themselves paying attention instead to someone who only now arrived at their table. Looking to all three of them with a smile, it was none other than Sunset Shimmer, who, like them, was a native Equestrian. Clearing her throat, she caught their attention immediately.

“Mind if I join you?”

To that, Adagio shrugged her shoulders.

“Knock yourself out, dear.”

But, before she accepted that invitation, the former student of Celestia took a step to one side, revealing that, there, standing behind her, was another girl. With her hair kept up in a bun and adjusting her spectacles in a nervous manner, this youth was Twilight Sparkle, formerly of Crystal Prep. Noticing this second arrival, Sonata began to smile widely.

“Hiya, Twilight!”

Chuckling slightly, Twilight afforded the Siren a small wave.

“Um…hello.”

Sunset, smiling warmly to the girl, gestured to a nearby chair, and Twilight nodded in response. Without a word, the two took their respective seats, sitting opposite from where Adagio and her sisters were. Once there, Adagio leaned forward slightly, looking to Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

“So, enjoying your time here thus far?”

Twilight looked to the elder Siren, smiling and giving a brief nod.

“Oh! Yes, it’s wonderful here. So much less…regimental than Crystal Prep.”

Nodding, Adagio swept aside some of her copious orange hair before replying to that.

“Well, I hope you enjoy it here. It may have taken a while for my sisters and I, but I confess the place has rather grown on us somewhat.”

Hearing that, Sunset looked to her former rival with a smile. No words passed between them, but the Siren and ex-unicorn gave each other a knowing glance, eventually leading to a nod between them. Twilight looked from one to the other, not quite sure what was going on, but nevertheless decided to keep quiet. Instead, she turned to Aria, who had remained silent during all this. Although her expression clearly gave the impression of wanting to be left in peace, Twilight, apparently not having picked up on that, spoke to her all the same.

“So…Aria, right? How…how are things with you?”

The middle Siren sister looked up, raising an eyebrow, before giving a brief grunt.

“Fine, I guess.”

Twilight seemed a little taken aback by that, only to look to Adagio once more as she spoke.

“You’ll have to forgive my sister, Twilight. She’s never been the friendliest of Sirens.”

To that, Sonata turned to her older sister with a big smile.

“That’d be me, right, Dagi?”

Adagio rolled her eyes somewhat before replying.

“Yes, yes, Sonata.”

Twilight let out a brief giggle at this interaction, only to stop when something else caught her eye afterwards. Her gaze became fixed upon something behind where the three Sirens were sitting, which caught not only their attention, but also Sunset’s. After a while, the former Crystal Prep student finally broke the silence.

“Huh…I think there’s some boys over there who seem a bit…erm…interested in you.”

Sunset turned to see where Twilight was looking, and sure enough, as she’d said, there was indeed a collection of boys on a table some ways away from them who were giving the Dazzlings looks. And those expressions made it clear that “interested” was an understatement, as some in their number would not have been amiss with flashing hearts in their eyes. However, when they noticed that Twilight and Sunset were staring at them, they soon turned their attention over to their own lunches, hoping beyond hope to go unnoticed. But, rather than go over there, the two girls sat where they were, watching as Adagio let out a brief chuckle.

“Oh, I assure you, it’s nothing to write home about, Twilight. After all, when you’ve spent as long as we have getting others’ attention…it sort of becomes second nature.”

To that, Twilight gained a look of slight confusion, prompting Sunset to lean over and attempt an explanation.

“Trust me on this, Twilight. You should have seen them before they turned good. This school did not know sex appeal came that intense until these three turned up.”

Looking to her, Adagio frowned slightly.

“I promise you, Sunset dear, our appeal has not diminished in the slightest, good or otherwise.”

Again, a knowing smirk passed between the two older girls, and all the while, Twilight looked from one to the other before starting to develop a slight blush upon her cheeks.

“Oh…um…that’s…nice?”

Shaking her head in a desperate attempt to get those kinds of thoughts out of her, Twilight turned once more to Aria.

“It must be nice, getting that kind of attention all the time.”

To that, Aria scoffed a little.

“Sure. Whatever.”

Hearing that, Twilight looked a little unsure, turning to Sunset.

“Um…was it something I said?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Sunset looked to Aria with a frown.

“Something bugging you?”

Looking to Sunset, Aria narrowed her eyes a little before replying.

“You tell me. Notice anything about those guys back there?”

Needless to say, Sunset was a little confused by this, but nevertheless began to look over to where the earlier boys were. Like before, they were once more staring at the Dazzlings. However, while she, at first, didn’t really notice anything that might upset Aria, Sunset, over time, began to take note of something odd. From where she was sitting, it appeared as if the guys over there were giving a great deal of attention over to Adagio, and even to Sonata. But as for Aria, while she’d occasionally get a glance or two, she was comparatively less of a focus.

“Huh,” Sunset remarked.

To that, Aria nodded.

“Exactly.”

Sunset gave her a look, seeing that same annoyed expression on her face, and decided that it might be best not to press the issue. However, to her irritation, Adagio had not felt that way, and turned to her sister with a slight smirk.

“Awww! Is our sister feeling left out?”

Aria gave a scowl to her older sibling.

“Well it’s not like you've ever had anything to worry about, Adagio! Everywhere we went in this world, it’s always been you and Sonata getting all the lusty looks. But me? It’s like I’m not even there most of the time! Only when we had magic and could enchant people with our songs did anyone ever look at me that way!”

Aria then turned to Sonata, looking equally as annoyed.

“Those times I did get some fans of my own, it was only when you two already had more than you knew what to do with!”

Sonata, not worried by the clear anger her sister was displaying, instead looked past her and to Adagio.

“Huh. I never noticed that. Is that true, Dagi?”

Considering that, Adagio shrugged her shoulders.

“Perhaps. You’ve got that whole sweet and innocent thing going, and I, naturally, get attention because of…well…all this.”

In that typical Adagio way of hers, she struck a pose while sitting, earning her more than a few eye-rolls from those around her. Aria, by contrast, kept her gaze firmly on the elder Siren.

“Oh sure! It’s all well and good for Adagio, right? Always the centre of attention! Whoop-de-doo!”

And with that, she let out a snort of anger, looking down at her lunch with fury. As for everyone else, they all passed nervous glances to each other, now fully feeling the awkwardness that had set into their little gathering. That is, except for Adagio, who regarded her angry sister carefully. After a while, she let out a sigh before reaching over and giving her a playful pat on the head.

“Oh, Aria. If you really wanted that kind of attention, you should have just said so. I know just the thing to get you out of this funk.”

Looking to her, Aria swatted her sister’s hand away before raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”

Smirking, Adagio gave her answer.

“Why, a boyfriend of course!”

Silence fell after those words, during which, the girls all reacted in several ways. Sunset seemed incredulous, Twilight bearing another full-grown blush, Sonata clasping her hands and squealing with joy, and Aria herself keeping her eyebrow fully raised before letting out a dry chuckle.

“Oh, of course! Get a boyfriend! Why didn’t I think of that?”

With Aria’s sarcasm as clear as day, Adagio frowned somewhat.

“There’s no need for that, sister.”

But Aria rolled her eyes again.

“Adagio, if getting a guy to be with me was that easy, I wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place, now would I?”

Adagio chuckled a little before answering that.

“My dear sister. I’m not suggesting you do this yourself. After all, you’ve always had difficulty with that attitude of yours. Plus, our…well…failed take-over probably hasn’t earned us many admirers…aside from hormonal teenagers of course.”

Slumping back into her chair, Aria folded her arms.

“So…my sisters are gonna get me a boyfriend? Sure, that's not depressing in the slightest.”

But, before Adagio could respond to that second bout of sarcasm, Sunset beat her to it.

“You know…you might be onto something, Adagio.”

As one would expect, this caused all heads to turn in Sunset’s direction, with Aria especially looking incredulous.

“Seriously? You’re going along with this? I’m not some petty girl who needs a guy in her life to feel better.”

Sunset looked to her in a serious manner.

“I know you’re not. But you’re clearly bothered by the fact that your sisters get all that kind of attention more than you. If you had someone special, at least who’d want to go on a few dates or something, it’ll at least show that you’re not being ignored.”

Aria scoffed at that.

“Oh yeah? Good luck with that.”

Sunset opened her mouth, only to be stopped when Twilight began to speak up herself.

“Um…if you’re going to do this, finding her someone special, would it…er…be okay for me to write up about it?”

Looking to her, Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“What? Why?”

Poking her index fingers against one another, Twilight began to meekly answer.

“Well…I’m still new to a lot of this, and if I know ahead of time that someone is going to get herself a boyfriend, it might help me if I were to take a few notes.”

For a moment, Sunset looked a bit concerned.

“…Twilight? This isn’t going to be another study, is it?”

To that, Twilight frantically shook her hands in a defensive posture.

“Oh no! I think we all know how well that went last time. This is just…curiosity.”

Watching this back-and-forth, Aria slapped her forehead in frustration.

“Ugh! This is so humiliating!”

But to her chagrin, she soon found Sonata moving forward to hug her tightly.

“Don’t worry, Ari! By the time we’re done, you’ll have yourself the sweetest, most loving guy we can find you! Won’t that be fun?”

Looking to her bubbly sister, Aria let out a sigh, speaking in her usual dismissive tone.

“Oh sure, letting others get me a guy because I can’t get one on my own. I can just feel the joy already.”

“Yay! That's the spirit!” Sonata answered.

I'm Sexy Too - A Few Questions

“Er…anyone care to explain what we’re doing here?”

Aria’s confusion was, at the very least, shared by her sisters, as both Adagio and Sonata shrugged their shoulders in response to the question. Presently, all three of them were sitting together in a part of the school that had become a favourite haunt of their human friends; the music room. While the lunch hour, along with the rest of the day, had long ended, there was nevertheless a great deal of activity going on outside, as students lingered on the school grounds to spend time with one another. As for the Dazzlings, they sat patiently, alongside the only other occupant of the room; Sunset Shimmer. However, they didn’t have to wait much longer, as the creaking of the door alerted them all to a newcomer. There, closing the door behind her, was Twilight. All four of them watched as the spectacled girl fumbled about with some notes in her hands, before making her way over to a chair opposite the Dazzlings.

“Sorry I’m late. I just needed to get a few things in order.”

Rolling her eyes slightly, Adagio spoke up.

“Twilight, dear, I was under the impression we were going to get our sister here a little action. Pray tell, what exactly do you intend to do?”

Adjusting her glasses, Twilight smiled brightly before responding to that.

“Well, this whole thing has got my mind racing with all sorts of questions! I figured, if we’re going to find someone special for Aria, we can’t just go around asking every guy who crosses her path. We need to be smarter than that. Find out what kinds of guys she likes and so on.”

To that, Adagio glanced over to Sunset, and together, they shared a ponderous look. When it was done, the elder Siren looked back to the former Crystal Prep girl.

“You may have a point, dear.”

Turning to her sister, Adagio developed a small smirk.

“So, sister, care to fill the good scientist in on your little fancies?”

The words had been tinted with slight mockery, to which Aria gave her sister a well-earned frown, but even so, she let out a sigh before leaning into her chair and shrugging her shoulders.

“Sure. Whatever.”

Squealing with delight over the prospect of a new test subject, Twilight turned to her notes, whipping out pen before starting to write down, occasionally glancing up at Aria.

“Okay, first thing’s first. There’s the obvious question of whether you’re actually bothered by dating humans.”

Looking to her, Aria raised an eyebrow.

“If it bothered me, I wouldn’t be looking for one in the first place.”

Twilight nodded at that.

“I understand that. But, it’s my understanding that, while the three of you certainly look human, you are, in fact, Sirens, yes? And you still feel like Sirens despite outwards appearances? Like a sort of phantom limb scenario?”

Aria turned to her sisters, and between them, they shared a look, before turning in unison to the young scientist, giving a brief nod, confirming that this was indeed the case. Nodding back, Twilight continued writing before speaking up again.

“Given that…was it strange for you to start becoming…erm…intimate with humans after your exile here?”

Aria shrugged her shoulders.

“We got used to it.”

However, her words were met with a brief giggle from Adagio, causing Aria to scowl in her direction. Yet, despite that, she kept quiet as the elder Siren spoke.

“Oh, Aria. Let us not forget that, of the three of us, you were the last to take an interest in humans.”

Aria frowned, pointing an accusing finger at Twilight while keeping her eyes focused on Adagio.

“Could you blame me? All that two legs and hands and…and…they were just weird!”

Turning, Aria’s expression softened slightly as she spoke to Twilight.

“No offense.”

To that, Twilight’s eyes shifted from left to right before gaining a degree of uncertainty in her expression.

“Um…none taken?”

When that was done, Aria looked back to her two sisters.

“It was easy for you two though! You took to humans like fish to water.”

Again, she turned to Twilight.

“No pun intended.”

And again, she turned back to her sisters, though this time, she was kept from speaking when Sonata spoke next.

“Oh, come on, Ari! We were stuck like this! You couldn’t blame us for wanting to pick out a guy or two. They were the only kind here!”

Nodding, Adagio turned from Sonata to Aria.

“For once, our sister has a point. While it would have been preferable not to have such strange creatures as our only option, the fact is, they were, so that was all there was to it.”

Aria looked away, grumbling slightly at that.

“Yeah…well…I got used to them eventually, didn’t I?”

Chuckling slightly, Adagio nodded.

“Indeed. Even you couldn’t hold out on your urges forever, eh, sister?”

As before, Aria grumbled in response, and as she did so, Twilight turned to Sunset, who seemed equally as intrigued by all of this as she was. However, as she continued writing, the spectacled girl gained a look that made it clear that she’d just had an idea of some kind.

“Say…have there ever been any male Sirens?”

To that, all three of the Dazzlings looked in her direction, eyebrows raised, prompting her to explain.

“I mean, before, when you lived in Equestria, weren’t there any males of your species you could get together with?”

Thinking on that, Adagio flipped some of her hair aside before looking to Twilight with seriousness.

“I’m afraid not, my dear. As far as my sisters and I are concerned, we are the only Sirens there have ever been.”

Frowning at that, Twilight looked to each of them in turn before focusing on Adagio alone.

“But…that makes no sense! How could a species just turn up one day, all siblings, with no others?”

Hearing that, Adagio let out a brief chuckle.

“It’s Equestria, my dear. Trust me when I say that strange things are pretty much the norm over there.”

Twilight stared at them for a while before, slowly, turning to Sunset. The Equestrian exile thought about it for a moment before, reluctantly, giving a sigh and a nod, confirming Adagio’s assessment of her home-world. Letting out a sigh of her own, Twilight turned back to her notes again.

“Okay then, no male Sirens. So I’m guessing you resorted to ponies back in the day?”

Aria, turning back to face her, gave a nod to that.

“Yeah...those were the days. Back then, all we had to do was look at a stallion and they’d love us!”

For a moment, she cast her older sister a glance.

“Well…stallions or mares, depending on who you ask.”

To that, Adagio gave her sibling a brief smirk.

“Well…why limit yourself to merely one of the options on a buffet table?”

Together, all three Sirens shared a moment to giggle, all while Twilight continued watching them all, with Sunset having moved over closer to join her. When the laughter died down, Aria eventually resumed her earlier scowling look.

“Still…I suppose humans weren’t too bad, once I got used to them.”

Her face lighting up, Twilight held her pen tightly as she kept her eyes on Aria.

“So…when you look back over your time getting together with humans…would you say there were any particular types you liked?”

Folding her arms, Aria gave a brief shrug of her shoulders.

“I dunno. There were plenty, assuming Adagio didn’t get to them first.”

The words were tinted with slight annoyance, which was caught by her older sister immediately.

“Well, you can’t blame the poor dears if they have better taste, now can you, sister?”

Naturally, this earned Adagio another frown, but, perhaps because she wasn’t in the mood for further conflict, Aria instead turned to Twilight once more.

“There were plenty of guys I’ve known over the years. None were ever really that special to me. A fisher’s son back in Athens. A recruit to the legions of Rome. Maybe a painter or two during the renaissance.”

Hearing that, Sonata developed an almost nostalgic look on her face.

“Yeah, I loved those days! Remember when that one guy wanted to do a picture of Dagi?”

Adagio nodded to that, smirking slightly as she gained a look of fondness herself.

“Indeed…”

However, her expression soon turned sour afterwards.

“…but he could never get my hair right! Some artist!”

Ignoring her sisters, Aria kept her eyes on Twilight.

“But…no, I’d say there’s no particular guy I’m more into.”

For a moment, Twilight looked a little disappointed, but perked up again soon afterwards.

“Well…I suppose I’ve got enough to be going on. Thanks for answering my questions.”

Aria nodded in response, before then looking to Sunset, who stood up from her chair, placing her hand upon Twilight’s shoulder before then looking to Aria.

“So…are we actually going to be looking for someone for her now?”

To that, Adagio gave a smirk and a nod.

“Indeed we are! And in fact…I think I know just the place!”

Seeing the look on her sister’s face, Aria developed a slight grimace.

“Why do I always feel nervous when you talk like that, Adagio?”

I'm Sexy Too - The Direct Approach

“You know…I probably should have figured this would be your first plan.”

There was a sense of slight annoyance to Aria’s words as she spoke them, but, as for her expression, none could say. Because, at this moment, both of Aria’s sisters, as well as Sunset and Twilight, were currently standing on the opposite side of a door from her, in the changing rooms of one of Canterlot’s more popular locations; the public pool. While this may have been a strange thing to consider, given the time of year it was, there had nevertheless been some unseasonal warmth to the place, so many had taken to coming here far more than usual. There were children, families and friends all enjoying themselves here, or just lounging around the side trying to get a tan. Regardless, this was the place where Adagio had come to enact her brilliant plan, and so stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the door to her sister’s booth.

“Come now, Aria! You know as well as I do that if you want some kind of loving attention, the best way to get it is just to flaunt what you’ve got!”

Folding her arms, Sunset looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Adagio, I know you three have a history of…well…flaunting, but do you really think this is the best thing to do? Just show off her body and hope it gets her a guy?”

Looking to her fellow Equestrian, Adagio chuckled somewhat.

“But of course, my dear! What my sister wants is to have the same kind of attention that Sonata and I enjoy. And you know guys, right? Once they catch sight of her, they’ll be falling over each other to speak to her.”

Sunset considered that for a moment, letting out a sigh as a clear sign that she’d acknowledged that there’d be little argument here. She gave a quick glance over to Twilight, who seemed to at least be in the same frame of mind as her, but was soon distracted by the distinct sound of a door opening. All turned in unison to see, as expected, that Aria was indeed coming out of her booth, and, as befitted her environment, had donned a swimsuit to wear for the occasion. It was nothing spectacular, just a simple bikini top and shorts, both of which were coloured her usual green, the same tone as her vest. With a towel wrapped under one arm, she regarded the four girls looking at her before raising an eyebrow.

“Take a picture why don’t you? It’ll last longer.”

With a blush creeping onto their faces, Twilight and Sunset both looked away. As for Adagio, she clasped her hands together as she looked her sister over.

“Oh, Aria! You look positively radiant today! Now go and blow those boys away!”

Aria rolled her eyes at that, starting to make her way past Adagio. But, as she neared Sunset, the latter stopped her, leaning in and speaking in a hushed voice.

“Um…doesn’t it bother you that your own sister talks to you like that?”

Looking to her, Aria shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s Adagio. She talks to everyone like that.”

Sunset considered that for a moment before eventually giving a nod, acknowledging that rather obvious point. Aria moved past her in earnest at this stage, and without saying a word, Sunset, Twilight and Sonata all turned to Adagio. The elder Siren gestured away from the pool, and after giving a nod, the other three girls began to follow her away. They walked together until they were in their chosen spot, that of a small area surrounded by bushes, just a little bit away from the pool itself. Once there, they knelt down, with Adagio looking more than a little confident.

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. We stay here, keeping an eye on things. But I doubt we’ll wait long. Aria will be sure to find someone soon.”

Looking to her, Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“I know it’s good you have confidence in your sister, but…do you really think it’ll be that easy for her to catch some boy’s attention?”

Turning to her, Adagio gained that infamous smirk of hers.

“Sunset, darling, we’re Sirens. Any one of us will be the centre of attention in any given place we happen to be. Remember when we first arrived at your school?”

Sunset sighed at that.

“Yeah…good point.”

For a while, they turned their attention to the pool. Even with all the hustle and bustle of the usual visitors to this place, it was not difficult for them to spot Aria. True to her Siren roots, she strode through the place with the usual swagger of her kind, as if she owned the place, eventually happening upon a deck-chair by the side of the public waters. Setting her towel upon it, she got herself comfortable, reclining on it in such a way so that nobody was going to be able to not notice her. Before long, she’d even whipped out a pair of sunglasses, placing them over her eyes before getting back to the business of doing nothing. Sunset watched for a minute or two, occasionally glancing to her comrades, wherein she noted that Twilight, as usual, had taken to bringing along a small notepad, and was furiously writing on it as she observed the middle Siren sister. Shaking her head at this, Sunset afforded herself a brief chuckle at her friend’s behaviour, before turning back to Aria.

“So…how long do you think we’ll have to…?”

But, she was prevented from saying anything further, as Adagio raised as hand, stopping her mid-sentence. At first, Sunset didn’t understand, but she then noticed that Adagio had regained her smirk from earlier, still watching the pool as she did so. Turning, Sunset now understood why, as there, walking past where Aria was lying, were a few boys. They were about their age, and while they had been chatting amongst themselves for a while, many of them turned their heads towards Aria as she laid there, looking utterly dumbfounded at the sight of her. Seeing this, Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“Okay…maybe it was easier than I thought.”

Adagio cast her an I-told-you-so look, which, needless to say, got on Sunset’s nerves a bit. However, she remained silent, instead watching Aria. The boys from earlier had come and gone, but there was no question that she’d started to catch people’s attention. A few more boys of similar age came and went, and even, to Sunset’s surprise, a few girls, all of which looked to Aria with varying degrees of interest, from simple blushes all the way up to full-on lust. At the end of it, after about twenty minutes of waiting, something of note finally happened, as the four hidden girls saw that another boy was starting to approach her. However, unlike all the others, he did not simply stare at her and walk by, but rather sat nearby on a similar-looking deck-chair. Aria too seemed to have noticed him, taking off her sunglasses.

“And there we have it,” Adagio remarked.

Smiling, Sunset gave her a quick nod.

“You know, I was doubtful of this at first but…it looks like you were right.”

Flipping aside some more of her hair, Adagio’s expression was a cocky one.

“Naturally.”

Rolling her eyes slightly, Sunset turned once more to Aria.

“Hopefully, when this is all done, Aria will be feeling better about herself. At the very least she’ll know now that she’s not ignored, like she used to.”

There was a round of nods all around at that, with all four of them keeping their eyes firmly on Aria and her new gentleman-caller. Things seemed to be going well between them for the moment, with lots of talking and smiles, though none could hear from this distance what was being said. After a while, Adagio clasped her hands together before letting out a sigh.

“Well, it appears our work here is done. My sisters feels good again and we can all go…”

“Wait!”

The elder Siren had not been expecting to be interrupted, and so looked down with a frown at the one who’d done so; Twilight. The spectacled girl, for a moment, looked a little embarrassed about having done this, and so cleared her throat in a nervous manner before speaking up again.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…I think something’s happening.”

Hearing that, they all turned, and sure enough, Twilight seemed to be right. Aria, for some reason, was moving position, getting off her chair and gathering up her towel. The boy, for his part, actually seemed both concerned and confused as to what was going on, a look soon shared by the girls themselves. They watched, in utter silence, as Aria began to storm off from the boy and the pool itself, and upon seeing this, all of the others, without saying a word, began to move off, leaving their hiding place. Making haste, they walked in earnest back to where this had all began, the changing booths outside of the pool itself. There, they saw that the one Aria had used was once more closed and locked, leading to shared glances of concern amongst the four of them. Knocking on it slightly, Sunset spoke in a soft tone.

“Aria? Is…is everything okay?”

Before any other words could be said, the door flew open, causing the girls to take a step backwards. Aria was there, dressed in her usual attire, with her swim clothes stuffed in a bag in her hand. But, it was her expression that caused the most concern, as it appeared, for a brief moment, almost like she was afraid of something. Seeing this, Adagio spoke.

“Aria? What going…?”

But, she didn’t get the chance to finish, as her sister simply walked right past her, with her expression now her usual annoyed look.

“I don’t wanna talk about it! Let’s just go!”

And with that, she was off, walking swiftly away from the pool, leaving all of the girls behind her. Naturally, all of them looked to one another for clarification as to what had just occurred, ultimately summed up with Sunset’s next words.

“Okay…what was that all about?”

I'm Sexy Too - Explanations

To say that Sunset was nervous right now would have been a great understatement. It had been a full day since the incident at the pool, and nobody had spoken to Aria since it happened. As for Sunset, she had been thinking about it for every single moment that had passed, and now, she stood outside the door to the music room, where she knew the Siren would be found. Hesitantly, she raised a hand, grasping the knob, before letting out a long sigh and finally opening it. Sure enough, Aria was there, staring out of the window on the other side, arms folded and not even bothering to turn and see Sunset enter. Her expression now a concerned one, Sunset closed the door behind her, making her way to stand beside her friend. There was silence between the two girls for a time, but, in the end, it was Sunset who broke it, though her words were tinted with clear nervousness.

“Are…are you okay?”

Aria said noting, merely frowning as she continued to stare out of the window. Sunset knew in her heart that the girl was bothered by something, and even more so that probing might lead to further conflict. Even so, she was her friend, and she was uncomfortable about something. That alone was more than enough motivation for the former unicorn to keep talking to her.

“You know…it looked as if you were doing pretty well back there…with that guy, I mean.”

And yet, nothing but silence came from Aria. Folding her own arms, Sunset looked out of the window herself, while still speaking to the nearby Siren.

“If…if it was something he maybe said to you, you know you can talk to us about it, right?”

At long last, Aria spoke up, though her voice was clearly angered.

“It wasn’t him. And I thought I told you that I didn’t wanna talk about it?”

Turning to her, Sunset’s expression softened somewhat before continuing.

“I know, but…you’re my friend, Aria. And…well…I’d like to think you can come to me if you need help.”

Aria, still staring out of the window, narrowed her eyes to that.

“There’s nothing to help! It’s my problem!”

To that, Sunset took on a slightly confused look.

“Your problem? What problem?”

A brief flash of hesitancy crossed Aria’s eyes, as she cast a glance over to Sunset before looking back to the window.

“It’s…it’s nothing! It’s something stupid. Not something I wanna talk about.”

Hearing those words, Sunset continued to stare at her, gently placing a hand upon her shoulder.

“Aria…if something is bothering you, you know getting it off your chest is going to be the first step to feeling better about it.”

Aria rolled her eyes.

“Ugh! You sound like Fluttershy!”

Sunset chuckled a little.

“Maybe…but that doesn’t mean it’s not true, right?”

At long last, Aria turned, looking Sunset right in her eyes. There was no hint of deception or mockery there, merely honesty. Sunset had meant every word when she said she wanted to help, and when Aria saw this, her own expression softened considerably. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, only to shut it tight again as she regained her earlier serious look. Then, to Sunset’s surprise, she walked off, briskly making her way to the door of the music room. Opening it up, the Siren poked her head out, checking to make sure the hallways were clear, after which she closed the door shut, and even, to Sunset’s confusion, locking it. Turning to face her once more, Aria marched towards Sunset, stopping just a few feet of her, before looking to her with utter seriousness.

“Okay, I’m gonna talk about this, but you gotta swear that you’re not gonna tell anybody what I say, okay?”

Although a little taken aback by that, Sunset soon shook herself out of it, raising one hand as if she were about to swear a national allegiance or the like.

“I swear, I won’t tell anyone what you tell me here.”

Aria stared for a moment, until she was satisfied that the girl had meant that. When the promise was done, and Aria cast another nervous glance in the door’s direction, she let out a sigh, before speaking to Sunset in earnest.

“I…I just freaked, okay?”

Sunset’s expression was one of confusion after hearing that, prompting Aria to explain herself.

“Look…I was doing all my regular stuff. I struck a pose, I flirted, I talked in that tone I know the guys like. But…as we were talking I just…I felt like I needed to be out of there, away from him.”

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped when Aria beat her to it.

“I know what you’re gonna say, and no, the guy wasn’t the problem. The problem is that…I knew where things were going there. It’s like it’s always been whenever I was with a guy, I’d do all the right things, say all the right things and then…well…you can probably figure out how that ends.”

The look on Sunsets’ face made it clear that she did indeed understand, however, her curious look returned soon afterwards.

“Aria…I don’t understand. I mean…I thought that was what you wanted? Some admiring looks, some…some intimacy. All that stuff?”

Aria nodded, folding her arms as she did so.

“I did, but…when I started thinking about it and how I might actually get it, I…I don’t think I actually wanted to go through with it.”

For a moment, she hesitated, looking away from Sunset.

“At least…not that way.”

Needless to say, that earned Sunset’s attention, as she raised an eyebrow before speaking again.

"That way? Um…what way?”

Aria looked to her, and as before, she showed clear nervousness about it all. However, also like before, Sunset’s expression was a reassuring one, and that did a lot to put the middle Siren sister at ease.

“Sunset…for all the centuries, the thousands of years my sisters and I have been here…we’ve been able to get pretty much whatever kind of guy or girl we wanted.”

Looking away, Aria frowned slightly.

“And when this whole things with you and the others started, I was all set and ready to get right back into the game, if only to know I hadn’t lost my touch.”

Soon afterwards, her expression became one of discomfort.

“But…there’s something different now. Something about the idea of me getting together with a guy that I’m not too sure about now.”

Sunset, upon hearing that, tilted her heads slightly.

“Aria…what is different?”

Turning back to her, Aria regained her frown from earlier.

“Can’t you figure it out? It’s our magic!”

As one would expect, Sunset looked rather taken aback by that. However, after Aria let out another sigh, she began to speak in a somewhat softer tone.

“Look…I’m not saying I used magic to get them in the first place. Like I said, my sisters and I had more than enough going for us to guarantee that magic wasn’t really needed to get people’s attention.”

For a brief moment, a slight smirk had appeared on her face as she’d said that. However, it vanished almost as quickly as it had come, returning instead to her earlier look of uncertainty.

“But…our magic…my magic…what it did guarantee was something far more important to me.”

Sunset stayed silent, waiting patiently as Aria got her thoughts together, before the latter spoke up with utter seriousness.

“That I…I was in control.”

Sunset, briefly, didn’t understand that, and seeing that expression caused Aria to let out a sigh as she started explaining herself, moving over to the nearby window as she did so.

“Look…when I was with a guy…I was only ever comfortable doing what I did with them because I knew that, when push came to shove, I was the one on top, the one in charge. I never needed to worry about them or what they might say or do to me, because I knew that all it’d take was a few notes from me to keep them liking me, wanting me.”

Turning away, the middle Siren sister’s face became one of concern.

“But without it…I don’t have that certainty. I don’t have that control. Now, if I get with a guy, I have no idea what’s gonna happen! I don’t know if he’ll stay as long as I want him to, or if things between us are gonna go well. And when I realised that, I…I was…”

But, Sunset had already heard enough to understand, and so finished her sentence for her.

“You were scared, weren’t you?”

Aria looked to her, somewhat surprised to hear that. And in these few seconds, the two girls shared a look of understanding, ending when Sunset finally broke the silence, adding her piece.

“Believe me…you’re not the only one who knows how difficult it is to be with people when you no longer have any power over them.”

Needless to say, Aria felt, at the very least, marginally more comfortable around Sunset after hearing that, a knowing nod passing between them. Even so, she still looked, of all things, almost ashamed with what she’d just admitted to. Sunset, seeing this, gave her all the time she needed to get things together. After a minute or two of uncomfortable silence between them, Aria exhaled deeply, speaking up in a lower tone than normal.

“Maybe…maybe we should just call this whole thing off. If I’ve got this kinda baggage going on, it’s probably not a good idea to keep trying to find someone.”

But Sunset, hearing that, shook her head.

“I disagree. You may not be comfortable going all out with physical intimacy, like you used to, but that’s no reason to stop trying to find someone to be with. I mean…”

A thoughtful look crossed her face for a moment or two before she carried on.

“…there must have been someone. Someone you and your sisters didn’t have to use magic on for them to stay close to you. Someone…someone you didn’t feel the need to enchant.”

Hearing that, Aria looked away, a brief look of nostalgia crossing her eyes.

“There…there was one.”

Smiling at that, Sunset walked over to a nearby chair, sitting upon it and gesturing to another one close by. Aria, seeing this, got the message soon afterwards, shrugging her shoulders before taking a seat herself. After thinking things over for a bit, the Siren finally started explaining things.

“It was shortly after my sisters and I got dumped in this world to begin with. In the place people today called ancient Greece. We’d travel from place to place, scraping by on whatever negative energy we could scrounge up. And by this point, we’d already gotten used to humans, and Adagio especially had been with more than her fair share of them.”

Aria reclined further into her chair before continuing.

“Then, one day, we got on this boat, travelling from Athens to Thessaly, when this storm hit. We were swept way off course, running aground on this tiny island, right in the middle of the Aegean. The ship was wrecked, and we knew we weren’t getting off the island until a trading ship or something came our way.”

Looking away, that same nostalgic look returned to her.

“That island…it was a small farming community. And we found this guy, an old-timer, who offered to let us stay with him until a ship arrived. Since he and those around him weren’t enough to give us our usual energy, we had to play nice, offer to work on his land and stuff.”

A chuckle escaped her at that thought.

“That month was probably the most honest labour my sisters and I have ever done.”

But, her smile faded a little afterwards.

“The guy…he had a son. Scrawniest kid you could ever meet. He and me, we were set up together, working one side of the nearby farmland while Sonata and Adagio worked the other. And as we worked, we…we got to talking.”

Sunset watched her, enthralled by this story, always staying silent as Aria continued.

“As the weeks rolled on, we…well…I kinda started to like him. He was the first guy I’d met in this world that I didn’t need to cast a spell on to make him interested.”

Gradually, a smile formed on her face.

“And he was interested. Oh sure, he blushed every time he looked my way, which was kinda cute, I guess. But…even then, I knew. As for me…it was weird, being able to get a guy without magic. It felt…nice. Different from what I was used to.”

Looking straight at Sunset, Aria’s expression was, to the latter’s surprise, a contended one.

“When he and I were together, I…I didn’t even mind that we were stuck on that island. And when a ship finally came for us, and we got off…I found myself actually missing him.”

She turned, a slightly sad look in her eyes.

“And even now…I still miss him. I know he’s probably dust by now, just like everyone from back then…but I can’t think of anyone I’ve met in this world, anyone I’ve been with…that I actually enjoyed being with as much as I was with him.”

At long last, it seemed as if her story had come to an end, and Sunset, sitting there staring at her, had listened to every word of it. She thought long and hard about what she’d just learned, thinking over her words carefully, before looking to Aria with a soft expression.

“Aria…I think…what you’ve been wanting isn’t what Adagio might want. All these years, you’ve been getting together with guys, when you can, but…have you ever felt…you know…happy with it?”

Aria looked to her with a raised eyebrow, prompting Sunset to explain herself.

“I mean, I know you might have been physically satisfied. Like Adagio said, you’ve got urges just like any Siren. But…did you ever feel at those times that you were…well…happy on the inside about it?”

The Siren stared at her, opening her mouth to speak, only to shut it again when being asked that question. She looked away, appearing deep in thought for a moment, before looking right back to her, letting out a sigh.

“No…I don’t think I have been.”

To that, Sunset actually smiled.

“Okay…now we’re getting somewhere. What you’ve wanted all these years is something emotional. Someone to make you feel good without having to charm or seduce them. You wanted someone to make you feel safe around them, right?”

Again, Aria thought on that, and again, she gave a nod, confirming what Sunset said.

“Yeah…I guess I have. Kinda weird to think of it that way though.”

However, her expression became that of a frown soon afterwards.

“Wait…does that mean I’m gonna have to look for one of those sappy types of romances like in those bad love books and stuff?”

To that, Sunset let out a brief chuckle.

“No, I don’t think that would suit you in the slightest.”

But, moments later, she looked to her more seriously.

“But I think that, from this point on, you shouldn’t just be looking for someone to share your bed or shower you with flirty compliments. You need to find yourself someone you can talk to, someone you can feel comfortable with.”

Leaning back into her chair, Aria gave out a huff.

“Ugh! I don’t even know how to start doing that!”

Smiling, Sunset leaned forward placing a hand upon Aria’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Now that we now what you really need, I think it’ll be better for us to help you find someone.”

Aria thought on that, and after a long silence, looked to Sunset with an appreciative smile. But, before either of them had a chance to say anything else, they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. They turned, somewhat surprised by this, but both got up to walk over to it. Unlocking the thing, Sunset opened it to find, on the other side, that Adagio herself was standing there, hands on hips, looking at her sister.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you all day!”

Aria rolled her eyes at that, after which she gave her sister a softer look.

“Yeah…well…thanks for being worried about me, I guess.”

Adagio, hearing those words, looked a little taken aback by them, for which Sunset could not blame her, given Aria’s usual personality. Looking from Sunset to her sister and back again, Adagio took note of the fact that Aria seemed to be lacking the uncomfortable look she’d had since the pool incident, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“Is…is everything alright here?”

Sunset opened her mouth, only to close it again before looking over her shoulder to Aria. There was a silent glance between them, during which Aria seemed a little worried. But, Sunset, offering her a small smile, looking back to her sister.

“Everything’s fine, Adagio. I think we can move ahead with helping Aria now.”

Needless to say, Adagio was a little surprised by that.

“Okay…anything I need to know about?”

Again, Sunset looked to Aria, and when she turned to face Adagio once more, she simply offered her a smile.

“Let’s just say we need to take things in a different direction now.”

I'm Sexy Too - Dates

With the weekend in full swing, the town of Canterlot was seeing a great deal of activity in every single venue it had to offer. The local movie theatre, the park, the pool and pretty much everything in-between had a huge number of people, young and old alike, trying to enjoy themselves. One of these places, a small café on a street corner, was of note because, today, it was where Aria now found herself. She was sitting by a small corner table, by herself, looking around at the other customers of the place. Every once in a while, she’d look at her watch, counting the minutes as they went by, letting out a sigh as she did so. It would have been fair to say that she looked nervous at this point, as well as concerned, but even so, she remained where she was. However, in time, she turned, looking over to another table, before speaking in a hushed voice.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

There, sitting around that other table, were her friends. There were her sisters, Adagio and Sonata, as well as Twilight and Sunset. Each of the four girls were dressing in different ways to try and disguise their identity, with most electing to wear sunglasses as part of it. Looking over to Aria as she spoke, Twilight lowered her own sunglasses before speaking to her with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Aria. I made a list of all the possible people at Canterlot High that you might be able to have a nice time with. After matching up all of their known attributes and personality traits, I came to the conclusion that our choice here today would be ideal for you to have this little get-together with.”

Needless to say, Aria looked to her with slight confusion, leading to her looking instead to Sunset, who let out a sigh before summing things up for her.

“She looked over the guys at the school and found one she thought would be good for you.”

To that, Aria nodded, a look of understanding now plastered over her face. However, as she looked around the rest of the cafe, nervousness continued to grip her.

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

Looking to her sister, Sonata smiled widely, speaking in that bubbly way she was known for.

“Don’t worry, Ari! We’ll be here if anything goes wrong! All you have to do is talk to the guy, put on a smile, act cheery and things will go on from there.”

Aria considered that for a moment before putting on a slight frown.

“Yeah…I’m not sure if I can do that whole…you know…nice stuff.”

At long last, Sunset added her own voice to the mix.

“Look…let’s just see how this plays out. Nothing is forcing you to stay with this guy longer than you’re comfortable with. If you want it to end, it’ll end, and we’ll be here to help, okay?”

Hearing that, Aria thought for a moment, before giving a small smile to her friend. However, she hadn’t the chance to say anything else, as the sound of the café door opening caught her attention soon afterwards. Turning, she and the others caught sight of the newest customer to the place. A boy, their age, taller than most, who wore distinct green dreadlocks and a beanie hat. Aria, naturally, got back into position, sitting and trying to keep herself as calm as possible. The others too began to keep to themselves, lest the guy spot them. As for the boy himself, he looked around the place for a while before catching sight of Aria, after which he broke out into a smile and gave a brief wave. Nervously, Aria waved back, and watched as the boy began to approach her. After getting into his own chair, the guy finally spoke up.

“Hi.”

Aria, forcing a smile, spoke back.

“Yeah…hi.”

Looking around the place, the boy continued, his voice far calmer than Aria’s right now.

“I gotta, say, I was pretty surprised to hear you wanted to go out like this.”

Aria nodded.

“Yeah, it was…well, I guess I just…you know?”

Despite her fumbling her words, the guy continued to smile.

“You know, we never were introduced. I’m Sandalwood.”

To that, Aria gave a nod.

“Er…yeah. And I’m Aria.”

Hearing that, Sandalwood chuckled.

“Yeah, I…I already knew that, Kinda hard to forget you, to be honest.”

Aria, in spite of her situation, chuckled in response.

“Sure…I guess it would.”

Curiosity gripped her at this point as she kept her eyes on the boy.

“So…what exactly did Twilight say to you when she told you about this?”

Sandalwood shrugged his shoulders.

“Only that you were interested in dating and that you were hoping for a fun time out at a café.”

For a brief moment, he looked away, slight confusion crossing his face.

“Although…she did mention a whole bunch of scientific stuff, but…I didn’t really get it.”

Aria nodded to that.

“Yeah…she does that.”

Despite the boy continuing to look happy at being here, a silence fell between them. It lasted quite a long while, a few minutes at least. Both of them looked unsure about the other, neither seeming to know what to say or even how to say it. As this transpired, the other girls watched from the nearby table, never interfering, and yet looking more than a little pained to see this whole thing unfold. After a long and near-agonizing wait, the silence was broken when Sandalwood spoke up again.

“So…I’m guessing you like music and stuff, right?”

Aria nodded to that.

“Um…sure. I mean, I don’t do a whole lot of singing these days because…well…you know.”

Immediately, a look of guilt crossed Sandalwood’s face.

“Oh…right…sorry.”

But Aria shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s fine. What about you? Big music fan?”

Sandalwood considered that for a moment.

“Um…I guess? I mean, I listen to Flash’s band every now and again, but…I wouldn’t say it’s a big interest.”

Aria nodded, thinking hard on their conversation for a while before speaking up again.

“So…what do you like?”

To that, the boy’s face lit up again.

“Well…there’s this movement in the school right now to petition city hall to stop building that new mini-mall down the street. Did you know there’s this really important bush that’s been there for years now? They wanted to tear it down to build that place! Can you believe it?”

Aria stared at him, at the enthusiasm upon his face, and it would have been clear to anyone watching, of which there were four in fact, that she had little to no interest in that whatsoever. However, for the sake of her date, she forced yet another smile, giving a nod.

“Oh, sure, that sounds…great?”

But Sandalwood, apparently nod having picked up on that, continued to smile in earnest, now speaking at a mile a minute, almost as if Aria had given him permission to do so.

“I know, right? I mean, it’s almost like what they tried to do with that duck pond a few years back, but, people got angry and…”

And that, pretty much, set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Sandalwood would sit there, continuing to go on and on about all the environmental issues he had to talk about, and all the while, Aria would sit there, taking it all in, pretending to be interested, her only respite coming when the nearby waitress would come and serve them some soda or a cake. However, while she was no longer uncomfortable around the guy, it was now as clear as day that she was growing increasingly bored with him. She had no investment in either him or what he was saying. Needless to say, by the time it was all done, about an hour later, she looked more than dissatisfied with how the date had progressed, looking like a student who’d just been put into a particularly dull class of some sort. But Sandalwood, for his part, had not picked up on this in the slightest, even when he finally finished talking.

“You know…I gotta say, Aria, it was awesome that you wanted to hang out today.”

Again, Aria forced a smile.

“Hmmm…yep. It was…kinda…you know…it was a date alright.”

As before, Sandalwood smiled, before turning and looking at a clock on the nearby wall.

“I hope you don’t mind, but, I kinda made some plans with some friends and…”

But, before he got the chance to finish, Aria’s face lit up, speaking with more enthusiasm than she had for this entire encounter.

“Sure, go!”

Sandalwood paused for a moment, looking to her with uncertainty, to which Aria then realised what she’d done.

“Oh! I mean…awww, really, do you have to go?”

But, as before, the boy did not pick up on any sarcasm, instead letting out a sigh.

“I know, it’s a bummer. Still, it was nice meeting you, Aria.”

Another forced smile came on Aria’s part, and she waved him goodbye, watching as he made his way further and further away from her, and then, when he was finally out of sight, she banged her head down on her table. Seeing this, the other girls got up from their own table, making their way over.

“Ari? Is everything okay?” Sonata asked.

Hearing that, Aria dragged herself up to look at her, her expression that of one who was utterly drained.

“I did not know what boredom truly was…until I met him.”

Twilight considered that, whipping out a notepad before looking over them for a while.

“Hmmm…I’m surprised. All of my calculations led me to think that he was a sure thing. I wonder what happened?”

To that, Aria shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t know. Don’t care. I’m just happy this was a one-time thing.”

However, a look of concern crossed her face as she slowly turned to face the young scientist.

“Unless…you’ve got more guys in mind?”

Ignoring the concern in her voice, Twilight broke out into a massive smile.

“Yep! Sure do! About a dozen of them in fact!”

Again, Aria banged her head against the table, leading to Sunset turning to Twilight and speaking in a hushed voice.

“Um, Twilight? Are you sure you want to keep doing this? I mean, I know you want to help, but…don’t you think this should be something Aria decides for herself? After all, having someone else pick out a guy for you doesn’t really sound like a guarantee for a fun date.”

But Twilight, adjusting her glasses slightly, looked to her friend with a smile.

“I assure you, Sunset, there’s nothing to worry about! All of my research assures me that, on this list, there’s bound to be at least one person Aria can connect to.”

Looking down at the Siren in question, who still had her head buried in her table, Twilight reached over and gently patted her on the head, still smiling.

“Don’t worry, Aria. I promise you, this is the best idea ever!”

I'm Sexy Too - Noticed

“This was the worst idea ever!”

The anger and irritation in Aria’s voice would have been plain even to a complete novice at reading people. Her expression was a deep frown right now and, as she stood in one of the many hallways of Canterlot High, all she seemed to want to occupy her time with was standing in front of one locker and repeatedly banging her head against it. Nearby were all of the people who had been trying to help her over the last few weeks. Adagio, Sonata, Sunset, and finally, Twilight Sparkle, who was looking particularly disappointed right now, going over a lot of the notes in her hands.

“I…I just don’t get it! Everything pointed to those guys being perfect for you! How could everyone on my list have been a failure?”

Aria, still banging her head, spoke up in response, her tone one of annoyance.

“Out of curiosity, did you actually talk that much to them yourself before pushing them on me?”

Twilight considered that for a few moments, only to find herself shutting her mouth with a look of slight embarrassment. Even though Aria wasn’t looking at her right now, she could tell just from the silence what the response was going to be, and so just kept on doing what she was doing. Sunset, giving Twilight a reassuring pat on the shoulder, looked to Aria with concern.

“Aria…you know you can’t keep doing that forever, right? What do you hope to accomplish by banging your head so much?”

Frowning hard, Aria responded as she continued banging her head.

“Maybe I’m hoping I’ll give myself amnesia or something if I do it long enough. Or maybe it’ll just give me a bruise that’ll ache for weeks. I don’t know, but either option would be better than what the last week has put me through!”

Sonata, stepping forward, looked as cheery as ever as she spoke to her sister.

“Awww, come on, Ari, don’t be like that! What about that Micro Chips guy? He was pretty nice, right?”

Aria scoffed before answering.

“Yeah, sure…until I found out he already had a girlfriend.”

Realisation crossed Sonata’s face after hearing that.

“Oh…right.”

The words also had the effect of making Twilight look more embarrassed than before.

“Yeah…I guess I sort of forgot to task about that before putting my list together.”

Adagio, who had been standing quietly this whole time, shook her head at this display before taking a step forward and addressing her sister directly.

"Aria, I know I usually ask for the best myself in most cases, but you really shouldn’t be so picky with your lovers! Granted, most of them were dull…and even a little irritating, but you could have at least gotten some fun out of them.”

At long last, Aria stopped her head-based assault on the locker, turning to her sister with a disapproving scowl.

“Adagio, I told you already, I’m not looking for that. I’m looking for…for…”

After thinking about it, Aria let out another grunt of annoyance before, as she’d been doing this whole time, giving a particularly loud headbutt against the locker.

“Argh! I don’t know what I’m looking for! But…I’ll know it when it happens, alright?”

Adagio folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at that response.

“Well…it’s hardly how I'd look for some companionship…but, do as you will. Though I will say your current strategy hasn’t really been getting you anywhere, now has it?”

Needless to say, Aria was growing increasingly irritated with such comments. However, before she got the chance to say anything, Sunset walked beside Adagio, speaking to her in a softer tone.

“Adagio…maybe it’ll be better if we give her some space. It’s been a long week and she’s clearly not in the mood for this right now.”

The eldest Siren looked to the former unicorn with a degree of scepticism, staring at her and seeing the concern on her face. Looking back to her sister, Adagio noted the way she just looked tired after all of this, even without the continual head-banging. Gradually, she let out a sigh, her expression softening from what it had been this whole time. Slowly, she reached forward, giving Aria a quick pat on the shoulder, before gesturing to Sonata. The blue Siren gave Aria a concerned look before following her older sister. As for Twilight and Sunset, they stayed a few moments longer, after which they too left her to be with her thoughts. Aria herself just stayed the course, until the sounds of her banging her head were the only thing that could he beard in the hallways, like some kind of strange ticking clock. During it all, the middle Siren sister kept on grumbling under her breath.

“Stupid…annoying…never gonna find anyone…stupid…waste of time…”

However, it was here that she heard it; somebody clearing their throat. For a moment, confusion gripped her, as she knew that the other four had already left, and so, slowly, she began to turn. There standing just as few feet away from her, was a boy. Slightly shorter than her, he was clad in a bright white button shirt, his brown hair cut into a pudding-bowl style. And right now, he was poking his index fingers together, looking somewhat nervous as he looked to her. Aria, for her part, frowned slightly at seeing him.

“Um…can I help you?”

Eventually, and after a few false starts, the boy spoke.

“Well…um…it’s just that…well…I kinda need to get to my locker and…you’re banging your head against it.”

As one would expect, Aria hadn’t really given much thought to the locker she’d chosen for this, and when she turned to look at it, she found, to her slight embarrassment, that there was now a noticeable dent in it where her head had met it. After looking from the boy, to the locker and then back again, she paused for a moment, before finally stepping to one side.

“…Sorry.”

The boy, in contrast to how she might have expected, actually smiled in response.

“No biggie.”

Aria, raising her eyebrow at this, regarded the lad as he made his way over to his locker, opening it up before slipping off his school bag and starting to offload some of his book. Aria, for her part, looked away from him, leaning against another nearby set of lockers while folding her arms. There was silence from her for a while, and during which, the boy looked to her, seeing the uncomfortable expression she wore. He looked, in all honesty, hesitant over something, mentally wrestling with a decision, before finally just speaking up.

“You, er…you okay?”

Aria looked to him, narrowing her eyes somewhat.

“Personal problem. Nothing to worry about.”

Her tone was straight and to the point, but while the boy could, like most, tell that she didn’t want to talk right now, he nevertheless did so.

“Look, I…I know it’s not really my place, but…you know, people always say it’s best to talk about stuff if it’s bothering you.”

To that, Aria let out a dry chuckle.

“Trust me, kid, I’ve been hearing that for a while now. And after all that, I’m still alone, aren’t I?”

Hearing those words, the boy gained a look of curiosity.

“Oh. You’re…you’re looking for someone?”

Aria, realising what she’d let slip out, widened her eyes, before turning away so she was no longer looking at him.

“It’s nothing! It’s just…just harder than you might think.”

Again, the boy seemed hesitant about all of this, and for a minute or two, he glanced back in the direction of his locker, taking out a particularly large book before trying to stuff it into his bag. When that was all done however, he looked back to Aria.

“Um…don’t take this the wrong way, but…I’m actually kinda surprised that you’d find it hard to find someone.”

The middle Siren sister looked down at him, an incredulous look upon her face, which prompted the boy, who was more than a little nervous at this point, to start explaining himself.

“Well…it’s just that…you know…you look…I mean…you’d be at least noticed, right?”

Raising an eyebrow, Aria, rather than getting annoyed at such remarks, started to speak to him in a somewhat playful tone.

“You’re saying you think I look good?”

Naturally, the boy started to blush at that, turning to look at his locker again.

“Well, I…I don’t want you to think I’m too forward in saying so but…yes?”

For a brief moment, Aria looked taken aback by this, but, soon afterwards, regained her slightly mocking expression.

"You do know that flattery will probably get you nowhere with me, right, kid?”

The boy, keeping his eyes away from her, continued to blush fiercely as he nodded.

“Sure, but...I mean…you look good, but, it's not just looks, you know, It’s…er…other stuff. Like the way you stand, looking all tough and stuff. And, if I'm being honest…your voice is kinda nice?”

To that, Aria seemed a little confused.

“My voice?”

Looking to her, the boy nodded again.

“Yeah. It’s like…you’ve got this sort of huskiness to it that…well…sounds kinda…attractive. To me anyway.”

At this point, Aria was looking far less uncomfortable than she had been when her day began, and started to regard the boy more intently. After a while, she placed her hands upon her hips, looking to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't talk to a lotta girls, do ya, kid?"

He looked away at that, embarrassment all over his face, prompting Aria to smirk once more as she continued asking questions.

“What’s your name, kid?”

At that, the boy looked somewhat nervous, darting his eyes left and right to avoid looking her in the eye.”

“Oh, it’s…erm…it’s Wiz. Wiz Kid.”

Immediately, Aria slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a snicker on her part.

“Did…did you just say Wiz Kid?”

Lowering his head, Wiz buried his face in his hands as he responded.

“Don’t. Every joke. Every pun. Done to death. Seriously.”

Shaking her head a little after recovering from her halted laugh, Aria wiped away a tear from the moment before looking to the boy with a smile.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…did your parents hate you or something?”

Looking to her again, Wiz didn’t seem bothered by the remark in the slightest, instead shrugging his shoulder before speaking up with a somewhat deadpan tone of voice.

“Oh, no, they loved me. In fact, I often choose to believe that their choice of name for me was them being so blinded by love that they failed to take into account how silly the name might sound when other people say it.”

Hearing that, Aria laughed again. However, unlike the first laugh, this one sounded very different. A slightly higher pitch and, if anything, more feminine than how she usually sounded. The moment she realised this, and how it might have sounded to others, she slapped a hand over her mouth, looking utterly mortified, and hoping deep down that Wiz hadn’t caught it. But, sadly, he had, and now looked to her with slight shock in his expression.

“Did…did you just...giggle?”

Lowering her hand, Aria’s eyes darted about nervously.

“Um…no?”

Slowly, a smirk appeared on Wiz’s face.

“You did! You giggled!”

Frowning, Aria balled her hand into a fist, raising it in a menacing manner towards him.

“Kid, if you tell anyone about this, I swear...!”

Wiz raised his hands in a defensive posture.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. I mean...well...it actually sounded...kinda nice, hearing you laugh like that."

Despite fighting against herself in this, Aria, still taken aback by this, found a tiny blush creeping onto her cheeks. But, by way of centuries worth of self-control, she forced it back, regaining her earlier frown and shaking her fist a second time.

"Kid...one...more...word!"

But he was far from intimidated, instead leaning into the nearby locker, laughing heartily at what he’d just experienced. Now, to those who knew Aria, they might have, justifiably, expected her to just lose it right there, perhaps even hitting the guy. But, as she stood there, hearing him laugh, she stopped, her face morphing from one of anger, to one of confusion, before eventually turning to one that was a mix of shock and recognition. Wiz, when his laugh had died down, saw this look on her face, becoming just slightly concerned about it.

“Are…are you okay?”

Aria, lowering her fist, looked away from him, a slight look of nostalgia now crossing her face.

“Yeah. It’s just…when you laughed, you sounded like…”

But, she shook her head after that.

“It’s nothing. Just…just thinking about someone else.”

Wiz looked to her for a moment, curiosity upon his face, before shrugging his shoulders. He turned to his locker before closing it, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. When this was all done, he looked to Aria once more, his expression a soft one.

“You know…it was kinda nice talking to you, Aria.”

Aria looked to him, and though she seemed hesitant at first, she soon gave a nod, fondling her arms as she did so and bearing a neutral expression throughout.

“Yeah…sure.”

Wiz nodded to her before starting to walk off, moving past her and no doubt heading to some other class of some sort. Aria watched him go, her expression one of uncertainty. But, before she could say or do anything, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from behind her. Turning, she saw, to her surprise, that the four who had left her, Adagio, Sunset, Sonata and Twilight, were all walking back to her. The looks on their faces made it clear that they wanted to speak to her, and when they finally reached her, it was Adagio who did just that.

“We stopped hearing the sounds of you banging your head at last. Everything okay?”

Aria, looking to all of them, gave a nod.

“Yeah, I…I think I’m okay now.”

Sonata, hearing that, gave out a loud sigh.

“That's a relief! We were super worried about you, Ari!”

Sunset nodded to that.

“Yeah, we were actually wondering if you were gonna do that all day or something.”

Aria chuckled slightly.

“Well, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m fine.”

The girls all smiled, clearly happy to hear that. As for Twilight, she moved closer, her face an expectant one.

“So…you ready to get back into it? I’ve actually made a whole new list if you're interested!”

Needless to say, Aria did not seem interested by that, looking to Twilight almost with a sense of fear at having to go through more failed dates. However, as she considered that, a new thought grew in her mind, leading to her putting on a small smile.

“Actually…I think I have a different plan.”

The girls all looked to each other with confusion for a moment before looking back to Aria, who, to their surprise, turned away from them. She looked down the hall, to where Wiz was still walking, and, taking a deep breath, called out to him.

“Hey! Wiz!”

The boy stopped immediately, turning to see her before calling out himself.

“Yeah?!”

Knowing she’d got his attention, Aria called out again.

“What are you doing after school?”

The boy seemed taken aback by that question, but, after thinking about it, shouted back the answer.

“Well, I’ve got some homework and a little basketball practise, but…after that…nothing really.”

Smiling, Aria shouted once more.

“Wanna go and grab a milkshake at Sugar Cube Corner?”

Wiz, hearing that, gained a slight blush, and was momentarily lost for words. But, after regaining his composure, he gave the Siren his response.

“Um…Sure?”

Aria smiled and nodded.

“Great! I’ll see you there then!”

Wiz gave a thumbs up, but soon looked away, bearing a look that made it quite obvious that he had no idea how he’d gotten himself into this situation. As for Aria, she turned back to the others, seeing the dumbfounded looks on their faces. Folding her arms, she took a moment to enjoy them like this, bearing a smirk as she spoke to them.

“Thanks for your help, all of you. But…I think I need to go and get ready for a date.”

And with that, she was off, walking past them and heading off elsewhere, leaving many of them speechless. After a good five minutes of them staring blankly at both her and each other, it was Adagio who spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Alright…would somebody care to explain what just happened?”

Sunset, hearing that, turned to see Aria walking off, noticing the somewhat confident way in which she did so. It took a while, but eventually, the former unicorn’s expression softened, and she broke into a smile as she turned to Adagio once more.

“I think…you’re sister’s gonna be okay.”

I'm Sexy Too - First Date

While the sun was shining brightly in the sky, it wasn’t exactly a hugely warm day. The season was truly setting in for many, and most were out and about on the streets of Canterlot, dressed for winter, be it thick coats or even just simple scarves. However, out on the edges of the town, there was a place that kept its own warmth. A small café, busy at this time of day, with patrons both old and young coming and going. It was a pleasant enough place, small and cosy. The kind of place where one might spend the afternoon with friends. However, that was not the agenda today for one customer in particular. A teenage boy, with a distinct pudding-bowl haircut. Wiz Kid, of Canterlot High, who was currently sitting quietly in a corner table, big enough for two. Every once in a while, he’d glance to his watch, seeing the seconds pass by, and when he did, he’d let out a sigh.

“It’s fine. No problem. I am early after all.”

Then, almost as if the world itself had heard him, he turned to the sound of a bell, signalling that the front door of the café had been opened. Once he saw who had arrived, he broke out into a small smile. For there, standing in her own winter coat, was Aria Blaze. This girl, a Siren of Equestria, scoured the place, until finally setting her eyes upon Wiz, who helpfully waved to her to give her a better chance of spotting him. She too smiled, though in her case it was halfway to being a smirk, and as she began to walk towards him, she unbuttoned her coat, slipping it off to reveal her regular outfit underneath. Once at the table, she hung the coat off the back of the vacant chair there, before sitting down. Wiz watched her, a degree of nervousness in his expression, before finally breaking the silence between them.

“So…any trouble getting here?”

To that, Aria simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Meh. Not much. You?”

Wiz shook his head.

“No problems here either.”

Aria opened her mouth again, only to be stopped when both she and Wiz realised that they were no longer alone. One of the café’s waitresses, a girl their age, had walked up to their table, and was holding a paper pad and pen in her hands. After giving a customary smile to the both of them, to which Aria rolled her eyes, she spoke up.

“Can I take your orders?”

Wiz smiled back, reaching over for a nearby menu, which was understandably small, given the venue, and looked over it briefly before giving his response.

“Yes…I’ll just have a tea for the moment thanks.”

Nodding, the waitress wrote that down on her pad before looking over to Aria. The latter spoke up before the girl had the chance to do so herself, and her voice bore its usual dismissive tone.

“Coffee. Black. No sugar.”

Though somewhat taken aback by this abrasive response, the waitress nevertheless continued to smile, jotting down the order before making her way off to prepare it. Now alone again, Wiz kept his eyes on his date, staying silent for a few moments before he finally thought of something to say.

“So…have you been keeping well?”

Looking to him, Aria’s expression softened a touch from what it had been when the waitress had been here.

“It’s been fine. My job at that clothes store has been working out fine. Better than I thought it would actually.”

Nodding to her, Wiz chuckled a bit.

“Kinda hard to imagine, you behind a counter.”

Aria returned the laugh somewhat.

“Yeah…it’s a long story.”

Looking up to her date, curiosity struck her for a moment, causing her to raise an eyebrow before speaking up to him again.

“So what about you? I gotta admit, I don’t really know that much about you, Wiz.”

To that, the boy shrugged his shoulders.

“Not much to say really. I’m part of the math club…and I can already see you losing interest.”

Surprised by those words, Aria found herself letting out a dry laugh once more.

“Good one.”

But Wiz slumped his shoulders a little.

“Awww. I was hoping to hear you giggle again.”

Looking to him in earnest, Aria narrowed her eyes.

“I thought we agreed that you’d never bring that up again?”

Smiling, Wiz nodded.

“Maybe…but I’d still like to hear it again one day. It was…nice.”

Despite herself, Aria found herself blushing slightly, which she did her best to hide by looking away from him.

“Yeah…well…whatever.”

Leaning forward slightly, Wiz opened his mouth to speak, only to be stopped when the waitress from earlier returned. As asked, she was carrying a small tray, with one tea cup and one coffee. After setting them down gently, she smiled to both youths, to which only Wiz returned it, before making her way back to the counter. Now alone again, Wiz took his tea and blew on it a little before taking a single sip, after which he looked up to his date.

“So…you getting on okay with Sunset and the other girls?”

Taking her own drink, Aria likewise took a single gulp of it before answering.

“They get on my nerves sometimes…but yeah, I gotta say I enjoy having them around.”

Raising her eyes to him, curiosity gripped her for a second time.

“What about you? Any friends I should know about?”

Wiz shrugged his shoulders before answering.

“Not that many. There’s Flash. I sometimes help him out with the equipment for his band. There’s also Bulk, Micro Chips and Sandalwood.”

At the mention of that final name, Aria grimaced slightly, turning away from the boy. Wiz noted this immediately before addressing her.

“Ah…that’s right. You two dated once, right?”

Aria turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

“You heard about that?”

Wiz nodded.

“Yep. He said he enjoyed it. But…I’m guessing you weren’t really that into him?”

Putting her coffee down, Aria shook her head.

“Not really. He was nice, I guess, but…he just wasn’t for me.”

For a moment, there was silence between them, after which, Aria looked to Wiz again.

“You bothered by that?”

The boy considered that for a moment before shaking his head.

“Nah. He got over it pretty quickly. And as for me, I don’t mind that you’ve dated other guys.”

The Siren looked to him, letting out another hearty laugh briefly.

“Trust me, you have no idea.”

This time, it was Wiz’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

Aria nodded before explaining herself.

“Kid…I’m a lot older than you. And I mean centuries older. In that time…well…my sisters and I have had our share of guys….and then some.”

Needless to say, Wiz looked rather surprised at that.

“Wow…centuries?”

Aria nodded.

“Yep. Millennia, in fact.”

Wiz looked away for a moment, considering that before looking back to the seemingly-young-looking girl before him. After a while, he chuckled nervously before speaking up again.

“Well…you look pretty good for it.”

Chuckling herself, Aria brushed aside one of her long pigtails.

“Yeah, I know.”

However, after a few seconds of silence between them, Wiz looked to her with an intensely curious expression.

“What’s it like? Living so much longer than all the rest of us?”

Aria looked back to him and shrugged her shoulders.

“Just something you get used to, I guess. We were always long-loved, outliving the ponies of Equestria. That just carried on with you humans once we got sent here.”

Wiz kept on nodding at that, clearly fascinated with those words. But, after a while, he seemed ponderous for a moment, before finally speaking up again.

“And you been with a whole bunch of guys in that time?”

Again, Aria nodded.

“Not as many as my sisters, but yeah.”

Briefly, Wiz looked away, and when he finally looked back to her, he seemed, for lack of a better word, hesitant as he spoke.

“So…what made you want to date me exactly? I mean…you must have had some pretty amazing guys in all that time. Why go for me?”

Aria paused for a moment, clearly having not expected that question. She sat and thought about it for a while, occasionally sipping her coffee as she did so. When she finally spoke up again, her expression was one of uncertainty, perhaps even nervousness.

“I dunno. I guess…for the first time in my life…I just wanted a guy I could talk to. Go on a date with without wondering about…you know…needing stress relief afterwards.”

It took a while, but Wiz finally got the meaning behind those latter words, and a fierce blush crept onto his face as a result. Seeing this, Aria folded her arms and laughed a little.

“Don’t get too embarrassed, kid. Hanging out with Sires, you’re gonna hear that kinda thing a lot.”

Wiz laughed nervously in response to that, but afterwards, he fell into silence, poking his index fingers against one another as he looked to his date.

“So…am I…okay? As a date?”

Raising an eyebrow, Aria looked him over for a little bit, before developing a small smirk.

“I can tell you this much. I’ve talked more with you in the last five minutes than almost any guy I’ve been with before.”

However, for a moment, her expression became somewhat more serious, and even a little sad, causing her to look away briefly.

“Well…except for one.”

Wiz, naturally, was curious about that, but elected to stay silent, especially when Aria looked back to him.

“So, bottom line, you’re doing fine. Besides, aside from that milkshake at Sugar Cube Corner, this is only our first real date. It’s hardly fair to judge your potential as a boyfriend after just one bout in a café together.”

Wiz laughed a little at that.

“Yeah…guess it is.”

Still smirking, Aria reached forward, pacing her hand upon his in a display of gentleness most wouldn’t usually associated her with. This caught his attention, and as he watched her, he saw her look to him with interest in her eyes.

“Although…I’d say you’re off to a good start.”

It took a while, but eventually, he broke out into a small smile.

“Well then…here’s hoping I keep it up.”

Leaning back into her own chair, Aria let out another brief chuckle before replying.

“Oh, trust me on this. If you don't…you’ll know.”

As one would expect, this led to yet another bout of nervousness from Wiz, as he sat there in silence while Aria took another sip of her coffee, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.

“No pressure, right?”

Run in the Rain

Far from the town of Canterlot, or the neighbouring city, there was a stretch of coastland, looking out at the vast ocean beyond. The skies above were greatly overcast today, creating a blanket of grey that stretched from horizon to horizon. The air was cool, and blew fiercely through every nearby street and path that could be walked. So strong were the winds today that wave upon wave was lashing against the sandy shore, the salt water spraying against anything close by. Needless to say, this whole combination created both an environment and a day where few wanted to be outdoors for anything. However, travelling along the one coastal road beside the beach, there was a bus, gradually slowing down as it reached the designated stop. When it halted, and its door opened, a single figure emerged; Lemon Zest, a student of the famed Crystal Prep Academy.

But, rather than being dressed in the standard uniform of her school, the girl was instead clad in a simple red jogging suit, complete with sneakers. Slung over her shoulder was a duffel bag, and upon her head were her headphones, something she was almost never seen without. Adjusting the strap of her bag slightly, Lemon stood there, watching as her bus drove off, leaving her all alone in this place. But, in stark contrast to how most would be in a location such as this, Lemon looked as happy as ever, smiling widely as she took in a deep breath of cool coastal air, before letting it all out soon afterwards.

“Ah! Now this is more like it!”

And so, she was off, walking intently forward, towards the sand of the nearby beach, all by herself, never looking anything other than a combination of happy and excited as she did so. It did not take her long to get to the sands themselves, and once there, she dropped her bag to the ground, placing her hands upon her hips and looking out at the ferocious waves of the sea before her. Smirking a little, she turned, looking at the road she’d just come from, before giving a simple shrug of her shoulders.

“Hmmm…guess it’s just me today then.”

But, that knowledge of her solitude did not seem to bother her at all, as she turned once more to the ocean before clapping her hands together.

“Alright then! Down to business!”

With that, she reached for her headphones, slipping them off her head and setting them gently down next to her duffel bag. With that done, she kicked off her sneakers, which was followed by her stripping off her entire jogging suit. When all was said and done, she stood there, clad in a standard bikini, the same shade of green as her hair. As she looked herself over, she smiled.

“Yep…still hot.”

A thoughtful look crossed her face for a moment, followed by a quick chuckle.

“I know you’re not here, but thanks for showing me that store, Rarity.”

But, when her words were done, she knelt down and stuffed all of her discarded clothes, as well as her headphones, into her bag, before securely zipping it up. Afterwards, she stood tall once more, looking up to the sky above her, which was still entirely covered with grey and foreboding clouds. For a brief moment, she frowned.

“Come on…I know it’s gonna happen, so happen already!”

Almost as if the world itself had heard her, it began; Rain. The moment that first drop hit her face, she smiled, and before long, it was followed by more and more of them. Stretching out her arms, she closed her eyes, feeling the cold water pour down on her from above. The cold didn’t bother her, nor did the harsh winds that continued to blow. No, she just stood there, looking like she was enjoying every single moment of this. As the cool drops of water trickled down her exposed skin, she opened her eyes once more, taking another deep breath of cold air into her lungs before exhaling. She turned her head, looking at the long stretch of beach beside her, and smirked.

“Alright then…here we go.”

Getting into a starting position, Lemon made an almighty leap forward, jumping ahead before starting to sprint. On and on she went, through the rain, the cold and the wind, moving ever onwards. All alone, on a miserable-looking beach on a wet day, she looked no less happy than she’d ever been. The water mixing with the sand below had caused it to become cloggy, more solid. And thus, every impact she made during her run left deep footprints behind her. And still, she went onwards. She didn’t know how long she’d been running, or how many miles, but, quite frankly, she didn’t care. She just loved it. At times, she’d veer to the left, running along the very edge of where the sands met the lashing waves, feeling the salty spray upon her, which, if anything, brought an even wider smile to her face than before. It really did seem like nothing about this day could get her down.

Eventually, and after running for who know how long, Lemon’s thighs were practically burning with the effort she’d thrown into this. So, in a rather impressive-feat of acrobatics, she halted her sprint with a cartwheel manoeuvre, which ultimately resulted in her landing flat on her back, sending a veritable shower of water-logged sand in all directions. But, she seemed no worse for wear, and even, after a few moments of silence, started to laugh quite heartily. Carrying on this way for several minutes, she got herself up, looking around before eventually catching sight of a nearby large rock. Smiling to herself, she walked over, found a somewhat flat part of it, before letting out a long sigh after she sat upon it. Looking down at the sand around her feet, she briefly dug her right toes into it before kicking it away from her. And through it all, as the rain kept beating down on her, she smiled and laughed.

“Yeah…this is a good day.”

When the World is Yours

The usual hustle and bustle of the lunch hour of Canterlot High was in full swing, and every student was there in the cafeteria, hanging out with their friends or simply enjoying whatever dish Granny Smith had prepared for them today. In the midst of it all were the school’s local heroines; the Rainbooms. Or, alternatively, the Wondercolts, as most weren’t quite sure which to call them these days. Regardless, this group, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy Pinkie Pie, and their newest member, Twilight Sparkle of Crystal Prep, were all sitting together and enjoying each other’s company. However, as they got on with their talks and their lunches, Sunset looked up from hers as the sound of footsteps approached their table. When she saw who was causing it, she smiled.

“Hey there, Adagio.”

Adagio Dazzle, eldest of the Siren sisters, and one-time enemy of Sunset and the others, regarded the former unicorn with a small smile, before sitting herself down opposite her. However, as she did this, Sunset noted that, just for a moment, the elder Siren looked, of all things, quite tired, though why, she didn’t know. Now, it was well known that Adagio did not usually enjoy people prying into her business, but even so, Sunset, being a friend, felt there she should at least ask what was bothering her.

“So…everything okay?”

Adagio looked up from her own meal, raising an eyebrow at Sunset before letting out a sigh.

“It could be better, my dear.”

Her tone of voice told everything, and Sunset, after looking to her friends, gave Adagio a concerned expression.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Adagio seemed hesitant for a few moments, but, after being continually stared at by Sunset, she reclined into her chair a bit before starting to explain things.

“Well, I was coming here from home this morning when I bumped into probably the rudest guy I’d ever met. It was a simple mistake, but he acted like I was practically the Devil for doing it. It was a simple bump, so there’s little cause for acting the way he did!”

Sunset nodded to that.

“Well, those kinds of guys are just out there, Adagio. I’m sorry you had to put up with it, but there’s nothing we can really do.”

Adagio sighed before resting her chin on her hand.

“Indeed. I’ve been in this world long enough to know that is very true.”

Briefly, a look of anger crossed her eyes as she glanced away.

“Although…there was a time when I could have done something about it.”

Hearing that, Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“I assume you’re talking about your magic?”

Looking back to her, Adagio nodded.

“I am. Back then, nobody would have dared said a bad word to us. Our influence made it nigh impossible for them to do so. And even if they had…well…a few notes here and there. And they’d be on their knees apologizing.”

Seeing the almost-nostalgic look on Adagio’s face as she said that, Sunset frowned slightly.

“Adagio…” she started.

The elder Siren noted the concerned look she had, leading to a slight chuckle on her part before she gave a brief wave of her hand.

“Oh, don’t mind me, Sunset. I’m not planning any lapses into world domination or anything. Just…reminiscing.”

Sunset looked to her for a while before eventually giving a nod, accepting her answer. As for Adagio, however, her look of thoughtfulness continued long afterwards, leading to a sly smile on her part.

“Although…I do often wonder how things would be if my sisters and I had won our little skirmish.”

Stopping her own meal, Rarity looked to the Siren with curiosity.

“I suppose you had some big plan in mind? Perhaps temples erected in your honour?”

To that, Adagio let out a hearty chuckle.

“Nothing as grand as that, Rarity. At least, not right away. No, my plans didn’t really go beyond having every man, woman and child in this world view the three of us with adoration.”

Looking at the students in the rest of the cafeteria, Adagio developed a little bit of a smirk before continuing.

“I can see it now. People fighting over who loved us more, crowds of people flocking to call out our names. Oh, it would have been glorious.”

Sweeping aside some of her hair, Rarity let out a brief huff.

“Well, I can certainly understand the desire for attention, but I’d hardly call such goals all that special. Not when there’s so much more that could have been done.”

Turning to her, Adagio developed a curious look herself.

“Oh? You’ve had thoughts of world domination yourself, have you?”

Realising she’d been caught, Rarity, to her embarrassment, looked around to find that the eyes of all of her friends were suddenly on her. After fumbling with her words a little bit, she finally got something out.