Getting into College was a delight for Neon Lights. With his skills and knowledge, he was sure it was the perfect path for him to take in order to have a bright future. He took the exams, passed it, and went ahead and applied for a Civil Engineering course at Appaloosa University.

It was almost spring break, he was at his usual hub; the University's library. The sun shined through the windows and as how a library normally behaves, it was peaceful. Neon was reading the history of electricity. He also had a pile of books on his table.

He grew fond of the place filled with books, and would rather be in there than being with girls who would occasionally hit on him and asks him to go on dates just like when he was in highschool. However, it became boring and bothersome for him. There was no thrill or actual love whatsoever. He hated the fact that girls liked him for his looks and for him, vise versa. Maybe because that trait of his was developed when he fell in love with Gaige?

His phone began to vibrate from his pocket. Neon quickly took it out and unlocked it, only to lock it instantly and put it back to his pocket.

It was another invitation from a girl from one of his class. He nodded in disagreement and continued reading. It was getting out of hand, and this was the fifth invitation today.

As things were starting to disrupt his quiet time, Neon heard snoring beside him. He let out a sigh and turned to where the sound was. Beside him was a sleeping Hazel, who had a book covering her head and a laptop infront of her.

Neon rolled his eyes as he stared at Hazel's laptop and saw her blog open. Much to his surprise, it wasn't what he was expecting from her usual thing.

"Oi, wake up. The Library is closing in an hour." Neon lifted the book on top of Hazel.

Lifting the book revealed Hazel's short hair. Shorter than before, it was more refined as well. At a glance, it looked like Hazel was a different kind of person.

Hazel rubbed her eyes and slowly got up. Still half awake, she grabbed her laptop and started pressing randomly.

"What are you trying to do?" Neon raised a brow.

"...Looking up... how to... sleep longer..." Hazel groaned while wiping her glasses, "...And... how to kill a... mockingbird."

"First of all, that's a book. Second of all, you asked me to come here and help you study and all you did was sleep throughout the day," Neon sat on his chair and crossed his arms and legs, "The final exams are in two days and you're busy blogging about how absurd the Instahoof picture of an Egg is."

"HEY! THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE INTERNET!" Hazel sat up and pointed at Neon.

"Is it more important than passing the exams? You do realize that after the exam, it's spring break right?"

"Yeah but... I mean... DAMN IT!" Hazel sat down and looked away.

"I win," Neon chuckled as he placed a book in front of Hazel, "Study this and I'll buy you a soda as a reward."

Hazel quickly snatched the book, let out a big "HMPH" and started studying. Neon simply nodded as he resumed studying as well.

Neon and Hazel took the same college course. Since they knew no one except one another, the two would often hang out at the library. Neon was popular among the girls in the campus but continued to hang out with Hazel instead, as he was annoyed over the crowd of girls he would make if he was entertaining them. He got used to Hazel's usual antics, slowly accepting her as a friend. However, the girl still acted hostile towards him, but still asks him to help her study.

Neon was excited to head into spring break since it was the perfect time to relax. He also received an invitation from Treble, who was hosting a party with his friends from Canterlot High and Crystal Prep during the break at his house. Neon hated crowded places, but he wanted to see a certain person during that party.

Forty minutes had passed and Neon started packing up to leave. However, something bothered him after seeing Hazel's blog.

"Say, did you continue your daily activity of shipping after entering college?" Neon asked.

"Daily activity of shipping? Did I ever talk to you about that?" Hazel placed her finger on her chin, "That's weird, I've never told you about my shipping addiction, or the fact that I don't do it in front of you."

"Wow, you try not to show that side of you?" Neon smiled, "You're being so considerate on your own way. Thanks."

Hazel's face instantly turned to bright red as she stood up and pointed her finger at Neon once more.

"WHAT?! NOBODY IS FREAKING CONSIDERATE TO YOU! I'M JUST NOT DOING IT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SHARE MY GLORIOUS SHIPS WITH ANYONE ELSE!" Hazel waved around her finger, "DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA, YOU GOT REJECTED BY GAIGE!"

"Fine, I'm sorry." Neon grinned.

"SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hazel picked up her things and stormed out of the library, still having a bright red face.

To see Hazel blush and get angry was fun for Neon. The more he spent time with her, Neon's chest would hurt. He pretended to not know what was going on, but it was clear something was sparking between them.

Neon quickly packed up and followed Hazel out. Much to his surprise, the girl was waiting for him outside.

Hazel was trying her best to hide her bright red face from Neon. She constantly looked away from him as Neon walked towards her.

"Buy me a soda." She said while twirling her hair.

"A deal's a deal." Neon replied.

The two headed to the vending machines near the library. Neon bought Sprite and gave it to Hazel, which the latter snatched from his hands. Hazel sat at a nearby bench and started drinking, with Neon following her.

"So, what are your plans during the break?" Neon asked.

"You sound like you're asking me out, eww," the annoyed Hazel retorted, "I'll be at home throughout the break relaxing and staying away from the likes of you."

"That's if you pass the exam," Neon grinned and crossed his arms, "Did you not get an invitation from Treble? He's having a party this spring break with everyone he knew from CHS and Crystal Prep."

Hazel froze for a second and slowly placed her drink beside her. She let out a sigh and let out a big smile.

"I did, but I declined." Hazel smiled.

Neon quickly saw through her fake smile. It was obvious from the start on how she froze and how disappointed she looked after Neon asked the question.

"I see..." Neon rubbed the back of his head, "Well then, goodluck on the exams."

The two bid their farewells and Neon went back to his dorm. His chest started to hurt, but not how it was before. He felt hurt at what he just witnessed.

Neon knew the truth to why Hazel declined. He knew why she stopped the shipping she did back in high school. He knew why she was disappointed when he mentioned the party.

Although his memory was a bit blurry because of how less he cared of it back then. He knew what happened a year ago, at Hoofbucks the incident happened...

Neon took a sip of his drink as he scrolled his news feed with this phone. As usual, he was at Hoofbucks relaxing without the presence of his Crystal Prep friends. It was winter; the perfect time to drink hot tea.

However, his relaxation was just a dream. At a table in front of him was Hazel, Sunset and a girl named Ink, who were extremely noisy on what they should get Gaige for her birthday, which was just around the corner. All he could do was eavesdrop and drink his tea, which was kind of amusing for him even if he was REJECTED recently. He still harbored feelings, still bitter and anxious about it, and hoped that it would disappear soon.

Aside from secretly listening to the girls, Neon could see Hazel's laptop, which he could clearly see what was on it. He decided to look what was on it since he was bored as hell.

It was a web page, specifically Hazel's shipping blog. It had "ZERO X FLUTTERSHY: ARE THEY DATING" written on the headline, along with a picture of what he presumed to be Zero and Fluttershy in front of the Animal Care Center.

What an idiot.

As far as he knew, Hazel's blog was nothing more than a self destruct button waiting for it to be pressed. He knew that the Twilight Sparkle who was formerly from Crystal Prep was dating Zero, but that didn't seem to stop Hazel from putting up a blog about the boy dating Fluttershy.

All of a sudden, Zero and another boy barged inside and headed towards Hazel's group full force. Both of them had furious looks as the two arrived at the table and glared at Hazel.

The boy snapped; he started to ask what Hazel's blog was about. He was furious of how misleading it was. Both Zero and the boy were frustrated.

"People think Fluttershy is cheating because of this blog!" The furious boy exclaimed to Hazel.

All Neon could do was watch as Hazel get bad mouthed. He could see her eyes getting teary and her whole expression of embarrassment. Her two friends began to police the whole situation, but there was only anger tearing Hazel apart.

He could see her silently apologizing, but the girl who only knew shipping was already badly damaged.

During the break, Neon would visit Hazel's condo every now and then. He'd have long chats with her, which she seemed to enjoy. Often he would chat with her mother, and often he would ask her mom to convince Hazel to come to the party. Sometimes, he would even ask Hazel himself, but to no avail, she would decline.

Three days before Treble's party, Neon decided to invite Hazel once more. The reason being that one memory that kept on bothering him as the party grew nearer and nearer. However, when he visited Hazel at her condo, she immediately rejected the offer and remained silent until Neon left.

At the very end, Neon's efforts bore no fruit. The day of the party came and Neon along with his younger sister Mijo was heading to Treble's house.

"Brother, it is very chilly outside. Why didn't you tell me?" Mijo complained as she rubbed her shoulders.

"It's because you're wearing that stupid mini skirt. You took so long picking out clothes and because of that, we're going to be late," Neon groaned, "Isn't that skirt too short?"

"Mijo is not wearing this for you! That's sexual harassment!" Mijo retorted as she soon came into a realization, "Wait a second, is big brother worried for Mijo?"

"No. Shut up or I'll kill you." Neon looked away.

The younger sister playfully skipped in front of her older brother with a smug look on her face.

"Does big brother have a new found love that Mijo doesn't know?" Mijo placed her palm below her chin and began to laugh as a sign of dominance, "You can't deceive Mijo's eyes! Neon Lights... THE older brother of Mijo Lights... has his heart pounding for a certain someone!"

Before Neon could reply back, he realized she was right. Neon shrugged in defeat as he nodded in agreement to Mijo, even if he was still annoyed of the stupidity caused by his sister. The victorious Mijo smiled as she turned her back and started heading towards Treble's home once more.

"You've changed, big brother. I don't know the reason behind it, but Mijo likes it." Mijo said calmly, "I like this side of you alot. You make it feel like Mijo has a caring brother."

For Neon, his heart somehow felt warm what Mijo had stated.

"You wank, don't think I won't stop bullying you." Neon chuckled as he followed on.

The two soon arrived at the Mix's residence. Dozens of cars were parked at the drive way and a few familiar faces were entering the house. At the front door was none other than Treble, who was greeting everyone as they entered.

Treble noticed the Lights siblings and waved at them, then soon looked at the sky.

"HEY MISTER AUTHOR! IT'S ME!" He shouted, "Also, HOWDY HO, ROOMMATE! Haven't seen you since we went to that Greenday concert!"

"Brother's roommate?!" Mijo exclaimed in surprise, "And you went to see Greenday without Mijo?!"

"Hello Treble," Neon sighed, "Also he bought me a ticket, you wank."

"You guys were almost LATE! And this is your special chapter, Neon!" Treble pointed out, "Now come on in, WE HAVE LASAGNA."

Neon and Mijo entered the house. Considering how big the house was, it looked like there were a hundred people inside partying. Mijo immediately rushed away from Neon, hoping to find some of her friends. On the other hand, Neon headed to the living room, where some boys were playing Smash and the other half of the room had a dance floor where dozens danced.

Neon headed to where the beverages was, grabbed a bottle of apple cider and sat on an empty couch near the dancing area. He surveyed the area around him and found familiar faces which included his ex girlfriend Vinyl Scratch and a few of his former Crystal Prep classmates.

All of a sudden, a familiar girl jumped on the couch and sat beside him. She had a red hoodie, red shorts and black and white leggings that complimented her signature orange pigtails and green eyes. She let out a big smile and punched Neon on the shoulder.

"AYYYY!! NYLON! YOU MADE IT!" She exclaimed, "I mean of course you did, it's your special chapter!"

"It's... good to see you too, Gaige." Neon smiled.

"Come on now, you look like you just saw a ghost," Gaige tapped her head, "It's only been a year since... well... THAT."

"Oh you mean when I confessed to you then you rejected me?" Neon crossed his arms with a grin on his face, "Not to mention, we hugged."

"W-Well technically, you initiated the hug... I-I just let you have your moment!"

"Whatever floats your boat, mate," Neon chuckled, "Anyway, shouldn't you be flirting with Flash or something instead of wasting your time on a poor bloke like me?"

"Brad is currently out of the country doing God knows with his family, Sunset couldn't come because she to go back to Equestria, Ink is somewhere in the house with Mac, and Hazel... well..."

Before Gaige could finish, Neon knew what she was gonna say next. He noticed how genuinely sad Gaige was since no one close to her was there with her.

"Mate, I'm sure they all want you to have fun... even if they're not here to be with you."

"I guess you're right..." Gaige said with a saddened look, "But I sure wish she was here. Even if she's an annoying piece of crap who grinds my gears with her shipping, I miss her... I really do miss her."

Neon began to think of Hazel even more. The words and feelings coming from Gaige started to turn his gears.

"Those rumors and news about her really did a ton to her... I f*cking hate social media so much," Gaige sighed, "I was even planning on going on a trip with you guys, but it won't be the same without that bumbling shipping idiot of a friend of mine."

All of a sudden, Neon quickly stood up and dashed towards the front door, leaving a confused Gaige on the couch. He reached his exit and found Treble still by the door greeting everyone arriving. Surprised, Treble stopped Neon on his tracks to question him.

"Now now, as far as I know, you haven't stuck the tip in and yet here you are running off to God knows where." Treble chuckled.

"Not now Treble... wait actually, is it okay if I run out for thirty minutes and come back? I'll return as soon as possible." Neon explained.

"Now where do you think you're going? It's your chapter, you have- WAIT, IT CAN'T BE..."

Treble quickly dashed to the living room and saw Gaige on the couch, then immediately came back to Neon and placed his hands on his shoulder.

"ARE YOU SAYING YOU WANT TO GO HOME AND JERK OFF TO MY SISTER RIGHT?!" Treble fell to his knees, "CAN'T YOU EVEN CONTROL THE URGE TO BEAT YOUR OWN DICK EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HER FOR SO LONG! B-B-BAKA!"

"No, that's not what I meant, you wank," Neon pinched the bridge of his nose, "There's somebody I want to bring here. She declined at first, but I want to try asking her once more."

"If it's principal Cinch then I approve!"

Ignoring what Treble just said, Neon dashed out of the house and ran as quickly as possible. It was strange for Neon to leave at a time like this, but there was no way he could leave that Hazel all alone. It isn't that she has moved or has some other business to attend to; she just isn't able to come out of her room.

After minutes of running, Neon arrived at Hazel's apartment. Exhausted and not wanting to waste any time, he immediately opened the door, which was surprisingly unlocked, and hurried towards Hazel's room. There was no sign of Hazel's mom, which made it easier for him to talk to Hazel. He tried opening the door to her room, but it was locked.

"You wank, get out here!" Neon exclaimed as he knocked on the door, "The party has started and someone is waiting for you!"

There was no response, which irritated Neon even more.

"HAZEL!" He shouted.

"Leave me alone! There's no reason for me to go!" Hazel shouted from inside.

Neon could tell Hazel was getting teary.

"Look mate, I have no idea when that idiot Treble is gonna hold another party that has everyone you know," Neon explained as he planted his fist on the door, "You might never be able to see your friends under one roof ever again! You might never even see them again! If you don't come, you'll definitely regret it later!"

During the break, Neon had done everything. He didn't have any more tricks up his sleeve, nor have anything else to say to her other than the word "come!".

"Look, Gaige is waiting for you!" Neon continued, "There are still some 'shipping fuel' waiting inside you, right? There's alot of single people there that are waiting for you to ship them! We could even laugh and talk about it!"

Embarrassing as it is, Neon swallowed his pride and tried to convince Hazel with what he knows.

"...No... I don't want to go. I don't want to see anyone at all," Hazel replied with a depressing tone, "Besides, I don't think anyone really wants to see me, right? Everyone's already forgotten Hazel Summer. Until the end, I'll always be that stupid girl who does stupid shipping."

Neon couldn't see her face as much as he wanted to. It was his first time hearing those words from Hazel and at this rate, Neon thought if he couldn't get her to come out, she will be stuck lamenting over her past and never get to find closure over her actions.

"Oi, what are you saying mate," Neon clenched his fist, "That's not true... that's not true at all! That's why I came here! Remember when you stopped me from taking Gaige away from Flash? Well, your shipping saved her."

Neon clenched his chest and sighed as he heard sobbing from the other side of the door.

"If it wasn't for you, Gaige wouldn't be happy she's with Flash. It's all thanks to your shipping, you stopped me from destroying a precious relationship... as much as it hurt me so freaking much," Neon continued, "And speaking of Gaige, she's planning on taking her friends on a trip. Do you get what I mean by 'friends'? That means you... and even me."

Hazel remained dead silent. There was no response whatsoever towards Neon.

"Remember those days in the library with me? I always thought you were just an introvert, enduring all that pressure that was in your thoughts and could never befriend anyone ever again," Neon smiled, "You were powerless and always alone, you made me feel insignificant but you see, even if you thought of me as an asshole, you opened up to me and became my friend. That alone made me feel significant."

Neon placed his fist on the door and sighed once more.

"It's not as if you're powerless, you might not be strong right now but there is definitely something you can do," Neon smiled, "Something like opening this bloody door will be easy for you."

No matter what happens, Neon decided to be with Hazel and would lend her a hand. Whether it is love, or if she's hurt, or even times when she's jealous of someone, Neon would be there to listen.

However there was no response after that. A long silence was followed after Neon spoke. He knocked on the door once more, but not a single word was uttered. He took out his phone to check the time, realizing he only has a few minutes because he promised to Treble he'd be back in thirty minutes. Saddened that he couldn't get Hazel out, he placed his phone back and started to leave.

"Well then, I'll see you back in the universi-"

"W-Wait."

Neon stopped and looked back in surprise as he was interrupted by Hazel.

"I'm changing clothes... so wait." Hazel continued.

A few minutes later outside, Hazel's mother had just arrived at their home holding a bag of groceries when all of a sudden, she saw Neon coming out of their home.

"Oh? You came to visit again?" She thought, "Come on in, I'm making lasagna."

Neon smiled to Hazel's mother as he brought out her daughter, who was dressed for the occasion. She had her denim jacket, white shirt, blue jeans and red sneakers on. Hazel's mother had her jaw dropped as she dropped her groceries as well.

"Pardon the intrusions." Neon said.

"I'm g-going out for a bit, Mom." Hazel added as she and Neon started to leave.

"H-Hold on! I can't believe you got her out! The shipping gods have blessed us!" Hazel's mother said in surprise, "What on earth is your relationship with each other?!"

Before Neon could answer, his heart skipped a beat. He looked over to Hazel, who was now covering her face in embarrassment. He scratched his cheek as he smiled at Hazel's mother.

"Relationship? Well, to put it bluntly... we're cut from the same cloth." Neon replied.

Together, the two silently walked back to Treble's home for the party. There were times Hazel would suddenly stop, but Neon would wait for her to walk again. Neon couldn't help but smile as he got Hazel out of her room and have her join the party, but for the girl she looked a little down.

The two arrived at Treble's place and before the two could enter, Hazel froze once more and began to shiver.

"W-Wait..." Hazel stuttered while grabbing her pants, "I'm a b-bit scared... can we wait a bit longer?"

Neon couldn't imagine what kind of faces the people inside would make as they welcome her inside. No matter what, Neon needed to make progress for Hazel to finally get some closure.

Neon approached Hazel and all of a sudden, gave her a big hug that surprised the girl.

"N-N-N-N-Neon?!" Hazel blushed.

"On the day we met, you glared at me with daggers... thinking I was some kind of villain," Neon chuckled, "It was kinda mysterious, it was so different from the faces you make today. After meeting you, you showed me a different side that made me change my perspective of you."

Neon broke the hug and placed his hand on Hazel's head.

"You're brave, right? Try opening the door. You'll be able to meet me, along with everyone else," Neon said as he headed towards the door, "I'll be waiting."

Neon opened the door and entered the house. As he was closing the door, a box of apple juice came flying towards him that he quickly dodged. He looked to where it came from and saw Treble, who was already drunk and holding a bucket for no absolute reason.

"Y-You! Where the hell did you run off to?! Was thirty minutes of fapping worth it?" Treble pointed as he let out a burp, "COME HERE SO I CAN SLAP YOU SILLY!"

Gaige approached Neon and handed him a bottle of apple cider.

"Ignore my stupid brother and enjoy the party, will ya?" Gaige groaned, "I mean, where DID you go?"

"Well, you're about to find out." Neon smiled as he stepped over and pointed at the door.

Hazel, I hope this will make you see that the outside world is so much fun. This time, I'm the catcher. Not everything goes the way I plan it, however, if this side of the world is something that you wish for, I will steadily deliver those sounds to you. The sound of a door opening and you coming to meet all of us? Here.

The doorknob turned. The door slowly opened as a person entered. Gaige's eyes opened wide, stunned to see the person coming in. She started to become emotional, and soon rushed to the person and gave her a hug. Everyone was surprised, including Treble. Neon could not stop smiling, and his chest started to beat faster.

"So I was like, 'Brad, I'm not getting pregnant just from you kissing me'," Gaige said, "Seriously, he still thinks like a retarded child."

After a few moments, Gaige and Neon were at the couch once more as the two were drinking apple cider. Neon was multitasking, listening to Gaige's story while watching Hazel from a distance. He watched as she was talking to none other than Zero, who had a neutral expression talking to Hazel which was then followed by a laugh.

"Oi? You listening to me mate?" Gaige imitated Neon.

All of a sudden, Hazel froze and collapsed on the floor with a big grin on her face. Surprised, Neon stood up as he couldn't help but smile as he watched her get helped up by Zero.

"Whoa there! You scared me!" Gaige exclaimed.

"My bad..." Neon chuckled, "I'm just... I think I'm in love."

Author's Notes:

LAST PART NEXT WEEK. PROBABLY.