Lemon Zest rolled onto her back and opened her eyes as a sound roused her from her sleep. She stared towards the ceiling through the darkness of her dorm room as she listened, but the room was silent aside from an oscillating fan. She glanced at a dimly glowing digital clock on the dresser next to her, which indicated that it was just past three in the morning. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then the sound caught her attention again. It was a brief sniffle coming from across the room.

"Sour?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

Silence answered her. She wiped her eyes and rolled onto her side, then heard the sound yet again. It was increasingly obvious to her that her roommate was sniffling.

"Alright, Sour. What's going on?" Lemon asked as she sat up and switched on a desk lamp next to her bed.

Sour Sweet remained silent.

Lemon stood up and walked across the dorm room, then placed her hand on Sour's shoulder, who faced the wall with her blanket covering her head. She could see her friend slightly trembling as she took in short quick breaths.

"Are you alright?" Lemon asked as she leaned over. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm fine," Sour finally answered, her voice high and cracked.

Lemon tugged at the blanket, but Sour held it tight. "Hey, man. It's cool if you need to talk about something."

"I'm sorry if I woke you up." Sour winced and curled up beneath her blanket. "Please... just leave me alone. I'll be quiet."

"Dude, I'm not gonna leave you alone until you let me know what's up." Lemon yawned and stretched her arms out, then repeatedly poked her back through the blanked. "I'm just gonna stay here and keep bugging you until you decide to chat."  

Sour groaned and pulled the blanket down from her face. "Please , I really don't want to do this right now. I just..."

"You what?" Lemon reached over and brushed the hair from Sour's face. "You can tell me."

Sour sat up and wiped her eyes. "I feel lonely."

Lemon chuckled and shrugged. "That's alright. I'll keep you company for as long as you want. All you gotta do is ask."

Sour cringed and tears welled up in her eyes again. She covered her mouth and choked on the lump in her throat as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Whoa!" Lemon reached forward and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't realize my company was that bad," she teased.

Sour sniffled and tightly wrapped her arms around her roommate. "Thank y-you," she stammered between quick breaths.

"Jeez Sour. Seriously, are you alright? Where is this coming from?" Lemon asked as she held her close, gently stroking the back of her head.

Sour leaned back and nodded, her cheeks red. "I have, uhm... it's nothing. I just get like this sometimes. It hasn't been this bad in a long time though. I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry. If something's on your mind, just talk it out. Don't bottle crap up because then stuff like this happens." Lemon gave a quick nod, then smiled as she wiped Sour's cheek with her thumb. "I know I'm not really good at, like, saying things the way I mean to, but talking will help. So let's talk."

Sour cracked half a smile and shook her head, then sighed deeply. She looked down and shrugged with a twisted frown. "Do you ever just start thinking about something, and it eats away at you until you lose control of your thoughts?"

Lemon scratched her head with a blank stare. "Uhm... not really. Why don't you be a little more specific?"

"Alright, fine." Sour leaned back, sitting on her knees. "I woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep. I was thinking about how much I wish I was with Sugarcoat, and I..."

Lemon reached down and held Sour's hand as she winced and teared up yet again. "It's okay, just keep talking."

Sour gritted her teeth and sniffled. "I know that she isn't thinking about me. I know that the way I feel about her is mostly one-sided. I mean, I know she likes me enough to call me her girlfriend, but I love her. I'm in love with her."

"Aww, I'm sure she feels the same. You know better than me that Sugarcoat doesn't express herself like most people. She's one tough cookie." Lemon chuckled. "She won't even look at me half the time and according to you she likes me. So..."

Sour shook her head, then squeezed Lemon's hand and slumped backwards against the wall.

Lemon looked her over and gulped, noticing that she was wearing only a pair of panties and a white tank top.

"It's not just that," Sour added. "I regret telling her how I feel. I know deep down inside she regrets this relationship and I don't think things will ever go back to the way they were before. I'm so stupid for thinking she'd fall for me. I should have known better. None of this is worth it."

Lemon lowered her eyebrows and thought, no solutions coming to mind.

"Do you ever wish you would stop breathing in your sleep? Sometimes I lay here and stare at the ceiling, just imagining that I might somehow have the power to make my heart stop beating." Sour winced. "Do you ever do that? Am I crazy?"

Lemon shook her head and looked down.

Sour covered her face and squeezed her eyes shut as her emotions overwhelmed her yet again. "What's wrong with me?"

"I do know what it's like to feel depressed." Lemon pulled Sour's hand down and looked her in the eye. "It hurts and makes you think all kinds of wild things."

"You've been depressed?" Sour asked with glistening eyes.

"Sure." Lemon glanced away with a crooked smile. "It was real crappy when I first transferred to this school. You guys were all so mean. I had no friends and I was sure everyone hated me."

Sour took a deep breath and grabbed Lemon's hand. "I'm sorry."

Lemon grinned and shook her head. "It's all good. I figured you guys out pretty quickly, I think, and honestly you were the only person who was ever nice to me, even if you always followed it up with something incredibly rude. It doesn't matter though. I mean, I got to participate in the Friendship Games and got some really cool new friends by the end of my first year here, so it wasn't all that bad."

"Lucky. I wish Sugarcoat was a little more like Vinyl sometimes." Sour pouted. "You have a perfect life here..."

Lemon laughed. "Dude, my life here is far from perfect, but we're talking about you right now. What do you mean that you wish Sugarcoat was like Vinyl?"

"I feel like you and Vinyl try to spend every possible second together, meanwhile I spend every weekend alone because Sugarcoat insists that she has to go home. She says her parents don't want her dating, but she's almost seventeen! It's not like we're still in middle school," Sour explained, the fire returning to her voice.

"Okay, me and Vinyl go to different schools so we see each other way less than you guys do. Plus, some people like their space. Sugarcoat is totally the type of girl to need space, too." Lemon chuckled under her breath. "You're probably benefiting from that space more than you think."

"I don't want space... I want a physical relationship with her. I want to know what it feels like to have someone hold me tight because they love me and need me." Sour winced and bit down on her thumbnail.

Lemon brushed the bangs from Sour's face and caressed her cheek. "It's okay to want that, but if Sugarcoat isn't the person who's gonna give you it, then maybe you ought to start looking somewhere else."

Sour slowly nodded. "I don't know if I'll find someone."

"Of course you'll find someone! You're freakin' gorgeous and smart. A little mean, but that's okay." Lemon gently nudged Sour back down onto the bed. "And listen, it's totally possible to work things out with Sugarcoat and get you two on the same page, but you need to be honest with her. If she can't compromise with you somehow, then it might be time to move on. You shouldn't be feeling like this."

"Thank you." Sour softly smiled, then grabbed Lemon's arm as she attempted to get off of the bed. "Will you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Lemon widened her eyes and gulped. "You want me to lay with you?"

"You don't have to." Sour let go of her arm. "Sorry I'm being so weird... I feel really bad for waking you up."

Lemon felt her heart skip a beat as her empathy kicked into overdrive. "Dude, don't feel bad. Of course I'll lay with you until you fall asleep."

Sour lifted the blanket and tapped the space next to her, then Lemon climbed beneath it. Sour then promptly wrapped her arms around her roommate and pulled her close.

Lemon blushed and tentatively returned the hug. She felt her hesitation slipping away as Sour nuzzled her neck and her body tingled. She then felt Sour's knee brush over her thigh.

Sour closed her eyes as a trembling breath fell from her lips. She wiggled herself closer to Lemon, so that their bodies were firmly pressed together, then she planted a soft kiss on her neck.

"Sour..." Lemon muttered.

"Hmm?" Sour hummed, then leaned back and stared into Lemon's eyes.

Lemon took a deep breath. "What are you doing?"

Sour coyly smiled and lowered her head, looking up. "Nothing. What are you doing?"

Lemon gulped closed her eyes, then felt Sour's lips press against hers. Her heart sank as she returned the kiss, then she backed away. "Sour, we can't."

Sour lunged forward and reconnected their kiss, parting her lips and grabbing both of Lemon's cheeks.

"Mmm... Sour..." Lemon resisted for several seconds, then gave in, her heart racing. She wrapped her arms around Sour's back as she lifted her leg over her hips.

Sour slid her tongue into Lemon's mouth, then reached down and tugged on the waistband of her shorts.

Lemon opened her eyes and reached down to grab her wrist, then took a deep breath. "Sour, this is not okay. We need to stop."

Sour arched her back and rubbed herself against Lemon's thigh. "I want it so bad right now. I promise no one has to know, and it'll be a one time thing."

"No, Sour. I'm with Vinyl, and you're with Sugarcoat." Lemon lowered her eyes. "We've already gone too far. I get that you're feeling lonely right now, but we really need to stop this."

Sour gazed into Lemon's eyes and bit her lip, then shrugged with one shoulder. "You're right... I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."

"Me too," Lemon whispered. "It's fine, though. Let's get some sleep and figure this out tomorrow."

Sour nodded, then buried her face in Lemon's chest. "Goodnight."

Lemon gulped and tightly squeezed her thighs together. "'Night, Sour."

★★★

Lemon opened her eyes and shot upright, sweat dripping down her head. She looked down and noticed she was topless, then looked around for her shirt. A beam of sunlight shining in between closed curtains blinded her for a moment, and she wiped her eyes. She then glanced over to see Vinyl lying next to her, and she released a deep sigh of relief.

"Hey babe." She nudged her girlfriend's shoulder.

Vinyl rolled onto her back and snored with her mouth wide open.

Lemon giggled and shook her head, then stood up to find her clothing. She slowly walked around the large master bedroom, noticing the many photographs of a very young Moondancer lining the walls and bookshelves. She then spotted an image that included Sour Sweet. Lemon quietly laughed as she looked at the picture of Sour, who was no more than twelve years old with a bandage across her nose and scraped up knees.

"That's my little tomboy." Lemon chuckled.

She then found a pile of clothing on the floor and sorted hers from Vinyl's, then got dressed. Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, she spotted Vinyl's leg sticking out from the blanket, and she rubbed her calf, her mind wandering as she recalled her dream. A familiar pang of guilt crept into her chest as she considered what she had done with Sour nearly a year ago. Though Vinyl claimed to have forgiven her, she knew that all the pieces of her broken trust would never be recovered.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Meanwhile, Sour Sweet and Moondancer shared a bed, facing each other as they talked.

"The main reason I told Sugarcoat how I felt is because I thought you and I were already done. You avoided me and acted like you didn't wanna see me anymore, so I didn't care if I made you mad," Sour explained.

Moondancer softened her eyes and held Sour's hand under the blanked. "I didn't want to see you anymore. I hated being around you."

"Why?" Sour asked.

"It was too painful."

Sour shook her head. "I don't understand. I thought the whole idea of not dating Sugarcoat was so we could stay friends."

Moondancer rolled onto her back and stared upward. "It was."

Sour grumbled and poked her cheek. "Just talk to me. I know you have more to say than that."

Moondancer sat up and put on her glasses. "Fine. You want to put all our cards on the table? Full honesty?"

Sour shrugged and nodded. "Sure. If we're really going to try and make this work, it'd be better if there were no more surprises."

"I agree," Moondancer replied. "Worst case scenario we just go back to the way we were. Not talking."

"We have nothing to lose."

"But we have a lot to gain..." Moondancer added.

"Do you really think so?" Sour asked.

"I do."

"So tell me then: What happened between us? From your perspective." Sour sat up and rested her chin on her knees.

Moondancer frowned and steeled her nerves. "Well, when you first told me that you had a crush on Sugarcoat, I lied. I never had a crush on Sugarcoat. You were the one I liked."

Sour widened her eyes, then blushed. "Oh... I see."

"Right." Moondancer brushed her bangs to the side, then looked for her scrunchy on the nightstand. "So I lost my chance with you because I knew you had feelings for someone else. It really hurt me and I didn't know how to handle it at the time."

"Okay well then why did you single me out?" Sour asked. "It really messed me up when you started treating me like dirt."

"I don't know, Sour. I was a stupid fifteen year old who didn't understand her emotions and I regretted what I did, but I couldn't bring myself to admit it." Moondancer stood up and walked to her bedroom window. "After that, you ended up dating her anyway, and I truly hated you for it."

"Ah jeez. This is so dumb," Sour said. "I intentionally kissed Sugarcoat in front of you all the time just to spite you. I'm such a horrible person..."

"Yeah, which is why I blew up on you that night." Moondancer turned around and glared at Sour. "That's one thing I won't apologize for."

"That's fair. I deserved worse than being called a few bad names," Sour admitted. "For what it's worth, I'm really sorry about everything. Two years of friendship is lost over pretty much nothing. That's time we'll never get back. I feel so stupid."

"At least you've had Sugarcoat this whole time. It's been really rough for me." Moondancer rubbed her forehead and paced to the other end of the room. "Twilight Sparkle was my only other friend, and she left to CHS at the end of that same year."

"Ouch, right." Sour cringed. "That really is rough. If it's any consolation, it hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine between me and Sugarcoat. In a way, I lost both of my best friends, too, and in her place I got a relationship that I barely know how to deal with."

"You two look pretty happy to me," Moondancer said with skepticism in her voice.

Sour nodded. "We are for the most part, but... Okay this isn't part of our full honesty deal, is it?"

"I don't know. Should it be?" Moondancer asked. "How will it affect our friendship?"

Sour closed her eyes and huffed. "Alright, but promise me that this will stay between us. I don't want Sugarcoat to know that I'm talking about our problems to other people."

"Especially not me," Moondancer added, then winked. "Don't worry. We'll chalk this up with the other things we're not going to tell Sugarcoat."

"Damn it, Lemon." Sour scoffed. "So I'll just come right out and say it. I'm miserable with Sugarcoat right now. She has me beyond depressed. I cry myself to sleep at least twice a week and I can't see things ever getting better between us."

Moondancer widened her eyes and sat down on the foot of the bed. "I had no idea."

"When we're in school together, everything feels good. But after hours, she never wants to spend time with me. She's always too busy studying or just wants to be alone. It hurts that the way I feel is so one sided," Sour explained. "I don't feel like it's too much to ask for my girlfriend to spend some intimate time with me. You know?"

"Yeah? I guess." Moondancer shrugged. "I really don't know. If you're so unhappy with her then why don't you just break up?"

Sour shook her head. "I can't. I don't want to lose her."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" Moondancer asked. "She deserves to know the truth if you're unhappy with her."

"I've tried to, but she doesn't understand and she just gets mad at me." Sour stood up and straightened her shirt. "I see other couples like Lemon and Vinyl spending all their free time together... I know that would be impossible for Sugarcoat, and it really hurts to think about."

"Sugarcoat isn't like other girls!" Moondancer shouted. "You should be happy that she cares about you at all. Did you ever think about how she must feel? I can't help but think you're being pretty selfish."

"You think I don't know that?" Sour asked, wincing. "Well now you know everything. My life is a shit show and everything is on the brink of falling apart. If not for Lemon Zest, I'd lose my fucking mind."

Moondancer lowered her voice and walked up to Sour, taking her hand. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Don't be."

"I'm unaware of all the circumstances leading up to your situation, so I don't have the right to judge you." Moondancer hugged Sour and tapped her back. "Sugarcoat has always been this way ever since we were kids. You know how she is with people, so just give her the space she needs and appreciate it when she's feeling affectionate."

Sour returned her hug and closed her eyes. "You sound just like Lemon..."

"Lemon's a sharp girl even though she hides it pretty well sometimes," Moondancer added, then blushed as her stomach rumbled. "Let's go get some breakfast."

"Sounds good," Sour said as she followed her friend into the hallway.

Moondancer stepped over the garbage strewn throughout her home and groaned. She then spotted Lemon Zest and Vinyl Scratch sitting at her kitchen table eating bowls of cereal. "Oh, that's fine. Just help yourselves to whatever."

The two gave a simultaneous thumbs-up.

Sour sat at the table and rubbed her temples, her long messy hair falling over her shoulders.

"Good morning sunshine," Lemon greeted her, punching her shoulder.

Sour answered with a halfhearted groan.

Moondancer leaned on Sour's shoulder and rested her chin on top of her head. "Aw, someone's cranky."

Lemon glanced at Vinyl and grinned, then pointed between Sour and Moondancer. "You two didn't... you know."

"No!" they shouted in unison.

Moondancer stepped away and sat next to Sour, placing two empty bowls on the table. "We made up, like you said we would, Lemon."

"And that's all we did." Sour glared at her.

Lemon scratched her head. "But you guys did sleep in the same bed."

"Yeah," Sour muttered. "That fact hadn't escaped me. But it doesn't matter."

Vinyl sank down in her seat and quietly sipped milk from her spoon.

"I figured you'd be happy," Lemon said with a nervous chuckle. "You got your old friend back."

Sour rested her cheek on her hand and stared at her bowl as cereal was poured into it. "Oh, I'm overjoyed. Believe me," she said unconvincingly.

Lemon shrugged and leaned back in her seat. "Alright, guess I'll have to take your word for it. How about you, Moonie?"

"What about me?" Moondancer asked. "Oh, right. Yeah I suppose I feel glad to be working things out with Sour after all this time, but I can't shake the feeling that things aren't going to go so smoothly when Sugarcoat gets involved."

Lemon nodded. "True, but if she cares about Sour then she'll understand that it's better this way."

"Is it?" Sour asked. "Maybe this was all a bad idea."

Moondancer lowered her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Wow, that didn't take long."

"Really, Sour? Come on." Lemon shook her head. "Let's keep moving forward, not backwards."

Vinyl stood up and tucked her phone into her pocket. "Hey guys, it was fun and all, but I gotta go. Looks like Octavia made some regrettable choices last night and needs me."

Moondancer grinned and shrugged. "It happens. Good luck."

Vinyl squeezed her shoulder as she walked by. "You're awesome Moon. We should hang out again soon, just the two of us next time."

"I'd like that." Moondancer tapped her hand before she walked away.

"Be cool, Sour," Vinyl added before she stepped outside.

Sour rolled her eyes and huffed. "I'm sorry, Moondancer. I'm just..."

"Don't worry about it," Moondancer muttered as she made her way to the pantry and grabbed several large black garbage bags. "Lemon, looks like you're on cleanup duty since your friend bailed on you."

Lemon slumped down in her seat and groaned. "Aw, cleanup duty? Anything but that!"

Sour giggled, a smile returning to her face. "I'll help you."

"Sweet! You rock, Sour. Let's hurry up so we can go surprise Sugarcoat at her parent's house," Lemon said with a naughty grin.

"Yeah right." Sour tapped her pockets and glanced around. "Have you seen my phone? She was going to call me last night but I forgot. She's probably furious."

Moondancer shrugged while holding her trash bag. "Haven't seen it."

Lemon pulled out her phone and dialed Sour's number. "I'm calling you. See if you can hear it?"

Sour wandered around, carefully listening. She opened the sliding glass door to the backyard, then headed back into Moondancer's bedroom, carefully scouring the area.

"Did you leave it back at school?" Lemon asked.

"No way, I had it in your car." Sour perked up. "I probably left it in there."

Lemon watched Sour step outside, then flinched as a rolled up bag landed in her lap.

"Looks like it'll just be the two of us for now." Moondancer didn't blink as she stared into Lemon's eyes with a straight face, dropping a single crumpled plastic cup into her bag. "This mess is your fault, you know. I should make you clean my house on your own."

"How is it my fault?" Lemon asked with a groan, then flared her bag open.

"If not for you, I'd have spent all night peacefully reading by myself. No mess." Moondancer straightened her glasses.

Lemon nodded in agreement. "That's fair. Can't say you didn't have fun, though."

"Yeah, and I think I might have a new awesome friend because of it. So... thanks, I guess." Moondancer offered a subtle smile. "And I think I might have Sour back, too."

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving me out of the list of friends you made?" Lemon asked with a raised eyebrow.

Moondancer flung her bag over her shoulder and headed into the front room. "I'm not."

"So I'm the new awesome friend? Yes!" she shouted. "But what about Vinyl?"

"Vinyl is not my friend." Moondancer dropped her bag. "Not yet, anyway."

"Why not?" Lemon asked.

"I saw the text you sent her." Moondancer crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Lemon closed her eyes and nervously scratched the back of her head. "I... wait how?"

"You left your phone open on my kitchen table last night. Hey can you help me make this nerdy girl feel better. She's sad and I feel too guilty to leave her alone. Mission accomplished, huh?" Moondancer placed her hands on her hips.

"Aw man, I'm sorry for calling you nerdy. I didn't mean anything by it." Lemon lowered her head and groaned. "I just said that 'cause that's how we talk."

"Which is why I'm not mad at you. I get it, I'm clearly nerdy. Understood. The problem is that now I don't know if Vinyl is actually interested in being my friend or if she's just doing you a favor," Moondancer explained.

Lemon nodded. "Yeah I get why you'd feel that way. I'm really sorry."

"It's alright. You were just trying to do what you thought was right." Moondancer calmly exhaled. "I haven't had someone treat me this way in a pretty long time."

"Look, if it helps, I know Vinyl doesn't go out of her way to spend time with a lot of people outside of her parties, so the fact that she wants to spend time with just you means she actually thinks you're interesting," Lemon said as she patted her shoulder, then she laughed. "Just don't try and steal her from me."

"I doubt I could even if I wanted to." Moondancer placed her hand over Lemon's and smiled. "You seem like the perfect girlfriend. I'm sure she feels lucky to have you."

Lemon blinked several times, her smile dropping. "Yeah..."

Moondancer frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Lemon smiled and shook her head. "Nah, you're right. Let's get this place cleaned up."

Sour paced back and forth with her phone to her ear. "Yeah, my phone's about to die now, too. I need to find a charger pretty soon."

"That's fine. My mother will be calling me down for lunch in a moment or two anyway. I was just worried about you last night. It's not like you to miss my call."

Sour sighed and covered her face as she spoke. "I know. I was hanging out with Lemon last night and lost my phone. I just now found it in her car after looking everywhere else first."

"These things happen. I... I have something I need to discuss with you later."

Sour stared at the ground and aimlessly wandered across the gravel driveway. "Uhm, what is it about?"

After a short pause, Sugarcoat answered. "I got accepted into Griffin's Cloud University. I'll be traveling overseas a week after graduation next year. We can talk more about this after class on Monday."

Sour covered her mouth and stumbled backwards, speechless.

"Sour? Are you alright?"

"M-hm." She barely managed to muster the sound.

"I'm flying to Queenshire next month with my dad to take a tour of the campus and familiarize myself with the area. I want you to come with me."

Sour's eyes shot open and she recoiled. "Wait, really? You do?"

"Yes. I know this is important to you, so I plan to tell my parents about you and our relationship before we purchase our tickets. We'll buy your ticket and pay for your hotel room."

"I... I don't know what to say. Thank you!" Sour cleared her throat, caught between tears and laughter.

"My mom is calling me. I have to go. I'll call you again tonight."

Sour nodded. "Okay. I miss you, Sugarcoat."

"I miss you t--"

"Ahh!" Sour interrupted as she frantically kicked the air, flinging a small lizard off of her foot. "Stupid lizard!"

"Lizard? Where are you?"

Sour froze and shook her head. "I'm just standing outside. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Of course. Goodbye."

"Bye, love." Sour forcefully exhaled and tucked her phone into her pocket.

She leaned against Lemon's car as she watched the small reptile scurry away. The urge to cry sank deep into her chest, and she sniffled, her thoughts scrambling.

"This is it," she whispered. "We're finally done."

"Did you find your phone?" Lemon called out as she carried a full garbage bag down the front steps, then flung it into the bin sitting by the road.

Sour nodded. "Yup..."

"Something wrong?" Moondancer asked, following Lemon's actions.

Sour shook her head. "Sugarcoat wants me to go with her to Queenshire this summer. She's finally going to tell her parents about us."

"That's awesome!" Lemon shouted with a wide smile.

"She got accepted into Griffin's Cloud University, that's why she's visiting Queenshire. To tour the campus," Sour explained. "I don't see us lasting after she leaves."

Moondancer quietly listened, crossing her arms.

"Why don't you just go that school, too?" Lemon asked.

"I can't. I'm not Sugarcoat, okay?" Sour sneered. "She's been preparing for that entrance exam for years."

"Bummer, dude. I don't know what to tell you." Lemon frowned. "Are you gonna go with her to visit?"

"I guess. Why not?" Sour halfheartedly shrugged. "I should be happier about that."

Lemon walked up to Sour and lifted her arms, then tightly hugged her. "It's alright."

Sour closed her eyes and squeezed Lemon's back.

Moondancer fixed her glasses and cleared her throat. "Do you mind if I say something about this?"

"Hmm?" Sour opened her eyes.

"I believe that long distance relationships can work," Moondancer stated. "As long as both parties remain faithful, distance can be beneficial, I think."

"What would you know?" Sour asked. "Have you ever even been in a relationship?"

Moondancer lowered her eyebrows and nodded. "Yes, actually. I have."

Lemon let go of Sour and stood in between the two girls. "Don't get fired up, okay? Sour, you need to relax and stop lashing out at people when something's on your mind. Moonie, let's give Sour some time to work this out on her own."

Sour crossed her arms and turned her back.

Moondancer leered at her. "How am I supposed to be her friend if this is how she treats me?"

Lemon deflated and stumbled backwards, then took a seat on the porch. "Man, I dunno. This is started to be a bit too much for me to deal with. You guys are pretty much adults, so you figure it out. I did my best."

"I told you this was a bad idea," Sour spat. "She's too difficult to get along with."

"I was just trying to be positive!" Moondancer shouted. "If you want your relationship with her to be done, then end it!"

Lemon sprawled out on the steps with her earbuds in, taking a deep sigh of relief as the shouting girls were drowned out be the sweet sound of heavy metal.

Sour winced and turned around. "That's not what I want!"

"What do you want then?" Moondancer asked, her voice sharp. "Don't string her along and make her confess to her parents if you're just going to end it anyway."

Sour stomped her foot. "I don't want to end it!"

"Then you better start thinking positively because you can't stop her from going to GCU," Moondancer said.

"I don't know what to do," Sour admitted. "I'm so confused."

"Which college to you plan to attend?" Moondancer asked.

"I don't know..." Sour lowered her head. "I haven't even applied to any universities. I'll probably just go to Canterlot Community College."

"Seriously?" Moondancer slapped her forehead. "Tri-C is a waste of time. What have you been doing all year? Don't you realize that your parents are paying a lot of money for you to attend CPA? That's your ticket into whichever university you want."

"So what are you planning to do?" Sour asked.

Moondancer smiled and touched her chest. "Oh me? Maybe you didn't notice, but I finished all of the credits I need to graduate last year. This year and next year I'll be doing nothing but Art History and Gym class. The rest of my day is filled by Study Hall, which I spend working on my internship assignments for the Physics and Astronomy team at the Everton Observatory."

"Wow, okay then. What about you, Lemon?" Sour asked loudly enough to catch her attention.

"What?" Lemon asked, removing an earbud.

"Where do you plan to go to college after we graduate next year?" Sour reiterated the topic.

Lemon beamed and pointed towards the city skyline in the distance. "Jubilee School of Arts, duh. I told you I got accepted already, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah, you did." Sour smiled while she watched her friend playing air-guitar. "Maybe I need to start planning, too. I should have studied with Sugarcoat for GCU..."

"Definitely." Moondancer walked up to Sour and leaned on the car next to her. "I can help you get into Griffin's Cloud if you want."

Sour shook her head. "I don't think so. You can only take the test once, and the deadline for me would be the end of this school year."

"It can't be that hard." Moondancer leaned over in front of her and looked into her eyes. "I always hated how closely you climbed to the top of the class even though it appears that you're hardly even trying. If you apply yourself, I'm certain you'll achieve your goal."

Lemon held up her thumb. "Listen to her, dude! She's an awesome tutor!"

Moondancer smirked. "That I am, but I don't tutor just anyone. You have to earn it from me, first."

Sour crossed her arms. "What if I don't get accepted?"

"Then you'll be able to say you tried. I'm sure you'll regret it later if you don't even try." Moondancer walked back towards her house. "If I remember correctly, you're taking classes right now that you don't need to graduate. Why not drop a couple of them and meet me for Study Hall in the library. We'll go over the basics and see where you're at."

"Really?" Sour asked, her voice low and her eyes wide. "Why would you take time out of your day to help me like this?"

Moondancer shrugged, facing away. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

Sour smiled. "So what do I have to do to earn it from you?"

Moondancer quickly turned around and pointed at Sour. "Tell Sugarcoat you made up with me and we're friends again, and if she's okay with it and trusts your judgement, then you'll know that she's worth the effort."

Sour winced. "Wait, what?"

"That's my condition." Moondancer grinned. "Tell her on Monday, then we'll start studying."

Lemon stood up and walked over to Sour, then leaned in her ear. "Wait. Dude, don't," she whispered.

Sour lowered her eyes. "I think I should."

Lemon rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Okay fine, I think you should, too. It's just that I was hoping we could ease her into it with some trickery, but I guess not. Are you gonna be okay?"

Sour laughed. "It'll be alright."

Moondancer closely watched the two with narrowed eyes, unable to hear their conversation. "Wanna fill me in?" she asked.

Lemon nonchalantly waved her hands and shook her head. "Nah, just trying to prepare for the living hell Sour's going to go through next week."

Moondancer slowly nodded. "She can handle it; she's a big girl."

"I'm aware!" Sour shouted. "You better make this as easy as possible for me. I don't need you making her even more mad when you guys decide to chat."

"Sure." Moondancer leaned against the front door. "I'm going to go take a shower. You guys are welcome to stick around for as long as you want. I don't care."

Sour looked at Lemon. "What do you want to do? You're my ride."

Lemon looked at her phone and shrugged. "I have band practice later tonight, so I'll need to load my equipment up in a few hours. I also kinda wanna go pop in on Vinyl and see what's going on with Octy. I can leave you here and pick you up after practice if you want."

"You know, I think I'll stay. If you feel like swinging by to pick me up later, text me." Sour checked the time on her phone, noting it was just past noon. "Thanks, by the way."

Lemon tilted her head. "For what?"

"Are you kidding me?" Sour rolled her eyes and giggled. "For bringing me and Moondancer back together. I never would have given her a chance if you didn't push me into it."

"Ah, yeah no problem, even though it seems like you two are still pretty hostile towards each other. That's girl stuff I guess. Holding grudges and all that." Lemon flicked her wrist. "Not into it. I think everyone should just get along."

"You're a girl, too, Lemon." Sour winked. "You were right, though. About everything. Deep down I did want to make up with Moondancer this whole time. I just didn't want to accept it."

"Hey, man. I'm more surprised than you that this all ended up working out so well. I'm really happy for you too." Lemon rubbed Sour's cheek. "Don't dwell on all this stuff with Sugarcoat too much, okay? Just try to enjoy yourself. I'm gonna roll, if you need anything, call me and I'll come get you as quick as I can."

"Thanks, Lemon." Sour stepped back as her friend climbed into her car and turned the engine.

"Have fun. I'll see ya later." Lemon backed out of the driveway and rolled her window down. "Don't have too much fun!" she shouted as she drove away.

Sour stuck her thumbs into her pockets as she watched Lemon drive out of sight.

"I'll try not to..."