Luna finished her last report before taking her lunch break. Filing the paperwork and drinking the last of her cofee, she got up with a slight huff and walked over to her mini-refrigerator that sat to the left of her desk. She took out her lunch and carried it to the teachers' lounge.
Entering the lounge, she saw Pearl already sitting at one of the many tables. Luna placed her lunch into the microwave, set the timer, then sat down across from Pearl, saying, “How is your day going so far, Pearl?”

Pearl looked up from a newspaper she was reading and smiled warmly to Luna. “I'm doing well. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. More than usual, that is,” she replied with a chuckle.

“Oh? Why is that?” Luna replied, setting her lunch down. “I mean, other than maybe watching the Wondercolts play for the state finals and cheer our team on.”

“It’s about our anniversary.” Pearl grinned back at Luna sheepishly. “Which reminds me. I need to ask you something.”

“Our anniversary?” Luna replied with a confused look on her face. Her face lit up in recognition soon afterward. "Oh, you mean your anniversary with Brushed Jade. Sure, what do you need?"

“Well...” Pearl sighed as she began to bite down on her fingernails, something Luna always hated. “W-which do you think would be b-better: red or black?”

“What do you mean?” Luna began as she took her lunch out of the microwave and to the table. “Are you talking about a new car. I hope so. I must say that car of yours really needs to go. I mean, come on. Puke green with lemon-colored hubcaps on a bug? Those bouncy antennae things on the roof? Really, Pearl, that is not you at all.”

Pearl cleared her throat, biting back her retort. “I was actually talking about a dress. Seeing as how you know me best, I want to know what do you think I should wear when I take Brushed Jade out this weekend?”

Before Luna could offer any reply, the break room phone rang, and she got up to answer it. Picking it up, she saw that Pearl was biting nervously on her nails again. Luna forgetting that she was still holding onto the phone, said, “Stop that.”

“Stop what, honey?” came a kindly voice over the phone.

“What? Oh, no, I wasn’t talking to you, Snow Charm. I was talking to Pearl. Anyway, what's up?”

“I just wanted to make sure we're still on for dinner tonight at seven.”

“Yes, we are. I’ll see you then. Oh, don’t forget to bring the champagne this time.”

“Alright. I'll pick some up on the way over. See you then.”

Luna hung up the phone, then smiled kindly to Pearl, who quirked an eyebrow to her in return. Pearl looked down at her hand, which she had stopped chewing on, saying, “I know it's a bad habit, but I'm really nervous about this anniversary.”

Luna sat back down scrunching her eyebrows together while rubbing two fingers on the bridge of her nose. Looking back up and smiling reassuringly, she said, “What do you have to worry about, Pearl? You're a beautiful and intelligent person. Always have been and always will be.”

“Well it's been almost ten whole years since you and I dated and almost as long since I have been on an actual, fancy-dinner date.” Pearl looked down at her meal, saying as she stirred her food, “What if Brush Jade doesn’t like my dress? Or she doesn’t like where we'll be going out to eat?” Pearl looked back up, letting out a slight but noticeable gasp, “What if she wants to use this time to-to break up with me? What am I going to do!?”

“OK, number one,” Luna said, holding up a finger and shaking her head, “you're going to calm down.” Luna held up a second finger. “Number two, you don't have to worry about her. I'm very sure she will like what you have planned and--”

Luna was cut off when the phone in the break room rang out again. Picking it up, she saw that Pearl was about to say something else. Luna cut her off, saying, “Hold that thought.”

“Hold what thought, Luna?” Celestia’s sweet voice came through the phone.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Pearl," Luna said, fighting back her feeling of deja vu. "What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you got your report on Anon-a-Miss done yet. I need to file that report soon.”

“Uh, no, not yet. There have been twenty-five more postings to the website since last Thursday. I am still tracking down all the students that made those postings.”

“I see. Alright, please have what you've compiled so far typed up and ready for me to review by the end of the week. I’ll be leaving for a bit. I have someone I need to check on.”

“You’re going to check on her. Tia, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Luna, I am. She needs someone to look out for her. She won’t be living with me very long, only until the paperwork is done. Then, she will be placed into an actual home, and she’ll finally be away from her mother.”

“I had--dealings with her mother in the past, Celestia. Please, just...just be careful when dealing with her.”

“I will. I have to go now. I’ll read your report when you get done typing it up.”

Luna hung up, then sat back down. She was about to take a bite of her lunch when she heard her cell phone chime out, “Incoming post.”

Taking out her phone, she looked at it, then grumbled out, “Not another one. I swear, Sunset is really just getting herself into more and more trouble.”

“Luna.” Pearl said, causing Luna to look up from her phone. “Do you really think that Sunset is the one doing this?”

“Yes, Pearl, I do. Everything thus far--”

“--is circumstantial. Please don't jump to conclusions like this, Luna. Remember when I jumped to conclusions when we dated back in college? We didn't see each other for ten years, Luna. Didn't that teach you anything?”

“What else am I supposed to think? All the postings so far are what she would have gathered when she was bullying students before Twilight came.”

“That was several months ago, and she's made so much progress since then. Why would she throw it all away just to make life a living hell for everyone? She has friends now and people that really care about her. What could she gain by doing this?”

“I--” Her pager chirped, relaying that someone was in her office to see her. Growling and annoyed at being interrupted for the fourth time in ten minutes, she said as she got up from the table, “Can we finish this some other time, Pearl?”

“Sure, Luna. Just be sure not to jump to conclusions. I really don’t believe she's doing this.”

Luna headed out of the break room towards her office. She entered her office a few moments later to see a man in a well-made, black suit sitting in front of her desk. Whatever pleasant thoughts she had left were quickly dispersed when she saw who it was. Taking her seat in front of him, she glared at him as she almost snarled out, “What are you doing here?”

“Now, Luna, I have not come for a fight. I came here because I wanted you to know that Rover Diggsby, Fido Miner, and Spot Sniffer have been released into my custody. I paid for their bail, and I--”

“YOU WHAT?” Luna exclaimed, her eyes widening, “HOW THE HELL COULD YOU PAY FOR THEIR BAIL!?”

"Why, I'm the only one those boys look up to. Their parents want nothing to do with them when they get in trouble with the law. Who am I to refuse that honor?"

Celestia rushed into the room. “What’s all the yell--” her voice froze like ice when she saw who Luna was yelling at. “Sombra.” She took a step back.

Luna got up from behind her desk and stepped between Sombra and Celestia, placing her sister behind her as she said, “Get out, and don't come back here again!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m going. I just wanted you to know that Rover Diggsby, Fido Miner, and Spot Sniffer--the 'Diamond Dogs', as they like to be called--are out of jail now. I’ll see you around, Celie.” Sombra chuckled wickedly as he walked by Celestia, brushing up against her right shoulder.

Celestia closed her eyes, shaking as Sombra walked by her. Luna took notice of this as she brought her sister into her office. Sitting Celestia down at her desk, Luna said gently to her, “It's going to be alright, Tia. He won’t be able to hurt you again. You two aren't married anymore. That was a lifetime ago.”

“I--I know. It's just, it still hurts, though. Just seeing him makes my blood boil and freeze at the same time.”

“You should take a few minutes to compose yourself. You don’t want your houseguest to see you like this, do you?”

Celestia cleared her throat, taking a few moments to calm down. Luna made some tea, which Celestia took gratefully. A few minutes went by with the two sitting sipping tea together before Celestia looked at the time, nodded gratefully to her sister, and left.

Luna, meanwhile, closed her eyes, thinking to herself as she recalled why Celestia was taking care of the girl she was legally entrusted with, “Damn you for putting this on my sister.”

Next Chapter: A Broken Mind (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 19 Hours, 2 Minutes