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?"

Rainbow and Indigo Zap

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?"

Pinkie and Lemon Zest

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!"

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."

Fluttershy and Sour Sweet

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.”

Rarity and Sunny Flare

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.”

Author's Notes:

Before anybody asks, I am not the first person to think of this kind of backstory for Sunny Flare. It's an idea I've seen a few people kicking about here and there, and I thought it'd be an interesting road to take her character down.

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.”

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."

Pinkie and Sugarcoat...and also Maud

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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!”

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?”

Pinkie and Sour...and also Aria

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.”

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.”

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.”

Rarity and Indigo...and also Adagio

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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!”

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.”

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.”

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?”

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."

Fluttershy and Lemon...and also Sonata

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!”

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.”

Sunset and Sunny...and also Principal Cinch

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.”

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.”

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!”

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!”

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.”

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.”

Wondercolts and Shadowbolts...and also others

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!”