Friendship was Unexpected: Part 1: Living in the Dark

>Your name is Twilight Sparkle
>Currently, you are enrolled in the prestigious Crystal Prep academy
>Additionally, you also have the highest marks in every single class you've attended
>You've even enrolled yourself in some that aren't even taught anymore, as extra curricular learning
>That took some doing, but luckily the curriculum were just filed away, waiting for someone to dig them up and enjoy all that sweet, sweet learning.
>But that's neither here nor there
>Wherever here is
>Which is starting to look like a very real question that needs to be answered
"E-er..." It is hard to bring to mind any kind of real words to react to what you are seeing at the moment.
>No amount of learning could have prepared you for this
>Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, and Sour Sweet are all watching you, without any glares, scowls, or even smirks
>Your five bullies from the past ten or so years
>And they are expecting a reply
>"Twi...? You okay, fam?" Lemon Zest repeats herself in a slow, calm tone, making sure her music was turned down a notch lower than the lowest you had ever heard it so she can hear you
>Your name is Twilight Sparkle, and you are very, very confused.

>Earlier that day
>7:35 AM
>You're late for school
>Technically, you're late for being early to school
>Being early keeps you from encountering anyone who...
>Well anyone who attends Crystal Prep, honestly
>Unless a new, amiable person transfers today, you don't really want to interact with anyone right now
>That said, you find yourself in the peculiar situation of dressing, eating, grooming, and running down the sidewalk at the same time
>For some reason, your alarm clock was turned off, and your cell phone was unplugged and dead, leaving you with no feasible means of waking up on time
>You didn't even bother making breakfast, opting for a manageable, on the go friendly apple
>It takes you until fifteen minutes of sweaty half-jogging, half-limping for your dazed mind to process that you could have asked your BBBFF (big brother best friend forever :) ) for a ride to school
>You noticed his car out on the curb but paid it no mind in your rush
>With a pant, you look at your watch
>7:52
>Looking up past your wrist, you see the outline of Crystal Prep Academy
>Five minutes away
>Still technically early, but most of the student body would already be entering the front doors by the time you arrived
>Darn
>With a sigh, you straighten up your hair one more time, making sure the stray hairs are all recollected and wound into your bun
>You slowly curl your fingers around the straps of your backpack and trudge forward, easing your breathing a bit, but feeling it rise again for a completely different reason
>Luckily you don't have class until second period. Free study and all...
>Then you don't have class with any of the particularly rowdy or... Ehm, careless students you know until fourth period
>You can do this
>Just get through another week, Twilight
>Start with another Monday at Crystal Prep Academy

>Keeping your head down, you avoid catching the other students' gazes or attention as best you can
>Not many are here just yet, but enough to give you a reason to make yourself as inconspicuous as possible
>As quickly as you can, you walk to your locker, ignoring everyone around you as you do so
>Hopefully they will do the same, and you can get through another day in peace
>Placing your hand on your locker, you take a steadying breath
>Twist
>Twist
>Twist
>Click, locker's open
>You deposit your books and notebooks and pens exactly the way you like, and begin filling your backpack with the correct books and tools needed until you will return after lun-
>"Good morning Twilight Sparkle, I can see and smell that you ran here. That's unfortunate. Did you sleep in or did your phone's alarm malfunction again?"
>You flinch so hard that you drop your text book to the ground along with three pens and a notebook
>You gulp, your breath catching in your throat
>That monotone voice...
>Without looking, you hear a huff and some shuffling
>You turn slightly and see your locker door opened further, Sugarcoat standing there with your school supplies in one hand and the door in the other
>She's giving you her usual blank stare
>And she's holding out your stuff to you
>You gulp and look from her face to the books then back again
>"Twilight Sparkle."
>You flinch at the abrupt name drop
>"Twilight Sparkle?"
>You gulp
"Y-yes, Sugarcoat?"
>Sugarcoat stares at you and your school supplies bob in her hand
>"You dropped these. You should be careful, next time you might end up dropping something more important into a place you can't retrieve it from which would be unfortunate to say the least."
>You blink and look down at your stuff, grasping it in both hands.
>You fight the urge to whimper as you look back into your locker, head tilted downward
"Th-thank y-you, Sugarcoat."
>There's only silence until you hear the locker next to you opening and its contents being rifled through
>You glance over and find Sugarcoat still there
>Which is weird since her locker is nowhere near yours
>The air is caught in your throat as it dawns on you that Sugarcoat isn't here to terrorize you
>Instead it seems like she was doing something to that poor student's locker
>That's unfortunate for whoever it belongs to but...
>Fortunate for you that you get one peaceful day
>...
>No, that's not right.
>Sighing, you rub your forehead. You shouldn't take joy in other's misfortune, no matter how good it is for you
>"Twilight."
>You flinch again, gripping your stuff tighter this time
>A gulp, followed by a glance and you're face to face with Sugarcoat again
>She's staring, unblinking
"Y-yes?"
>She turns to face you fully, slinging her backpack onto her shoulder.
>"Can I borrow your lab notes? I forgot to bring my chemistry notebook to class on Friday because I was preoccupied Thursday night studying for a calculus test."
"O-oh, um... Sure."
>You turn to your locker and grab your chemistry notebook, handing it to her.
>She nods and slides it into her backpack. "Thank you, Twilight. Professor Bond told me since we are friends that he would allow me to copy your notes as is without suspecting any cheating, which is good because we both know how suspicious he is about cheating students."
>You slowly nod.
>Professor Ionic Bond. Right, you're in his chemistry class this year
>But Sugarcoat isn't
>As your mind drifts off, Sugarcoat tilts her head
>"Twilight."
>Another twitch, and you're back to reality
"Y-yes?"
>Sugarcoat leans in a little. "Are you okay? You seem nervous, which isn't unlike you, but it is unlike you to be nervous around me, at least as far as I've been able to surmise from past experiences."
>To further punctuate or just make you nervous, she takes a hard step toward you, causing you to slink further away, almost cramming yourself into your locker
>You shake your head and look down, turning back to your locker.
"N-no. I'm f-fine."
>Sugarcoat was out of your sight, but you could hear her distinct heavy footsteps as she backed away.
>All you could hear was a thoughtful humming and then the sound of the locker next to you being shut.
>"Okay. If you want to talk about it you know full well you can always talk to me or the others anytime. That was the purpose of my giving you my number."
>With that, she just walked away.
>You shiver and hold your head.
>Was she being nice to you?
>Can Sugarcoat be nice?
>You sigh and set your head against the back wall of your locker.
>Maybe Cadence can help you figure it out. She's always been so supportive.
>Even though she can be busy sometimes.
>A smile forms as you think of her. Being dean of Crystal Prep could be hard, but she and your brother always made time for you.
>Still smiling, you stand upright and make sure no one's looking.
>The hall is clear except for...
>Lemon Zest, who is sitting on a window sill, blowing bubbles. You just now realize you can hear her music.
>You stiffly turn back to your locker and look up, smiling again.
>There's a picture you drew when you were in first grade. Its of you, Shining Armor, and Cadence, all in crayon and poorly done up.
>You allow yourself a moment to enjoy the warm feeling in your chest before closing your locker.
>Your smile drops however, as soon as you turn around.
>There is Lemon Zest, standing over you. She has her fists on her hips, which are swaying so very slightly
>Her music almost totally silent, only the bass-heavier notes escaping her tangled green mane and invading your personal space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vTHd0BgdA

>You avert your gaze.
"H-h-hi..." Your voice comes out as a whimper, and you hate yourself for it. You gulp and close your eyes. "Lemon."
>She probably wants some money for lunch, or an album, or just to hit you for fun.
>"Sup, fam!"
>You reach into your pocket, rummaging for your wallet
>Your breath catches when you realize you left it on your dresser.
"I-i-i d-don't have any m-money, Lemon." You peek up at her.
>Her brow furrows, and she tilts her head.
>With a sigh, she reaches behind her
>You flinch.
>Monday
>Starting off with a Lemon Tart for breakfast
>"How much ya need, fam?"
>You pant, and feel a cold sweat roll over you
>Looking up, you see Lemon is digging through her wallet, tongue peeled over her upper lip.
>"I got like a hundred on me, but its only in big bills. That cool, Twi-fam?"
>She meets your gaze and gives you a huge, toothy grin.
"U-um." You look away.
>What is happening?
>"You kay, fam?"
>The way she talks, and how she's carrying herself, that... Sisterly way she inflects on everything she's doing
>What happened to the bruiser from Friday?
>You take a deep breath and then shudder.
"Y-yeah."
>You flinch when you feel a warm hand on your shoulder. You look up and see those lively yellow eyes and that big grin
>"Good. I know you get like anxiety and shit sometimes. Whatevs bugging you, you know you got me, aight fam?"
>She slips a twenty into your breast pocket and waves as she walks off.
>You almost go to say something, but as soon as she gets five feet from you, she reaches up to her headphones and cranks up the dial to deafening levels
>What is happening?

>First period
>8:30
>Checking your watch, you confirm the time once more
>It isn't even noon yet and your world has kind of flipped upside down on you
>Two of the five girls who loved making you miserable are acting strange
>Friendly almost, but still like themselves?
>Sort of?
>Sugarcoat was rudely talking over you, but she sounded concerned for you and didn't ignore what you said like usual
>Lemon Zest didn't punch you in the gut so that's nice
>Didn't eat a lemon tart for breakfast
>Regardless of weirdness, not eating a tart is always a plus
>...
>Sliding into your seat at your open study period, you notice something's off about the class room
>More people than usual
>"Hello, ma chérie~"
>You pause
>That singing voice
>Turning, you see Sunny Flare, who is giving you the smallest smile, sliding into the seat next to you
>After depositing some books onto her desk, she turns back to you again
>"So? How has your morning been?"
>She speaks slow, and with a sweet undercurrent to every word
"U-um..." You rub the back of your neck. "I w-woke up l-late."
>Looking her in the eye, you notice her jut out her lower lip and put her hand to her heart.
>"Poor baby!" She reaches out and faintly holds your shoulder. Her hands are cold, but not icy cold. "You should have called me, I would have had dear Turnover come to fetch you on my way to school~"
>She almost looks like she's going to tear up any second
>Everyone's so weird
>What is happening to your life, why does Sunny Flare even care about you at all?
>You put on a fake smile, resisting the urge to bite your lip
"O-oh I d-don't know." You give her a chuckle and pat her hand which recedes. "I-I really sh-should ask f-for more help th-these days." You gulp. "A-after all, w-we have b-been f-friends for h-how long?"
>She starts at the question, her mouth rounding out into an O.
>Putting a manicured finger to her chin, she hums a soft tune. "Hm~!"
>She closes one eye and then splays out her hand when she's visibly struck with the answer. "It must be ten years now~! My how time flies~"
>You have to admit, you appreciate how she can sing everything she says without being annoying yet
>You nod, taking in the information.
"Y-yeah. Y-y-you're a g-good friend, F-F-F-Flare." You turn your head so she can't see you blush.
>That is the last thing you thought you'd ever say to Sunny Flare
>Lying hurts, but Sunny has lied about you before in the form of gossip
>Well, not this Sunny, but
>The other one
>From Friday
>And before Friday
>You feel a chilly finger under your chin and almost flinch as Sunny pulls your head to face her
>She's smiling, her eyes starting to mist up
>"Do you really, really mean that, ma petite?" She bites her lip, and you notice that a soft purple blush has formed in her cheeks.
>The air gets caught in your throat at the sight.
"U-uhm. U-uh. Y-y-y-y-y..." You close your eyes and tremble.
>This is too much.
>"Sunny!"
>You fall out of your chair with a strangled shriek.
>Sunny catches you
>Someone else grabs you under your arms and hoists you up onto your feet. With a shaky hand, you grab your desk for support
>Whoever it is, is still holding you by the hips
>You look over your shoulder and see a big arrogant grin
>Gaudy goggles with some blue hair coming out from under them
>Piercing yellow eyes- Its Indigo
>Indigo Zap is probably your friend too, so you give her a shaky smile
>"Hey bae, Sunny fucking with your head again?"
>You give her a quick nod. "S-s-sorry." You look back down at Sunny, who's dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I-I didn't m-mean to-"
>You feel a knuckle against your head as Indigo chuckles. "Don't be sorry, it's Sunny's fault."
>Indigo slides a hand around your shoulder, leaning closer to Sunny. "Ain't that right? You know Twi gets nervous easy, don'tcha, Sunny?"
>Sunny frowns and crosses her arms. She turns away and turns her nose up. "That would be Flare~, or Sunny Flare to you~, Indigo Zap~!."
>Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Indigo's smirk twitch into a sneer.
>"Not even halfway through first period and you're already giving me shit, huh."
>Sunny just rolls her head to look Indigo in the eye with one of the cold glares you are so so used to seeing
>You gulp as it dawns on you that you're so much used to seeing that look in Sunny's eye that it doesn't even faze you
>You've seen worse from her.
>Indigo however, tenses up visibly at the gaze
>The balls of her fingers are squeezing gently into your shoulder, and there is a tremble going through her hand
>Your breath hastens as you make another realization
>This isn't a simple argument
>Sunny Flare and Indigo Zap genuinely don't like each other
>Why?
>WhatIsHappening.png
>You hope this works
>You clear your throat, and both girls turn their attention to you
>Sunny looks sunnier, smiling at you and all
>Indigo's got a defeated look to her grin
"D-do y-you mind?" You clasp your hands together in front of yourself, taking a breath. "N-not... F-fighting I mean..."
>You clear your throat, finding the acrid taste of this morning's breakfast apple rising
>Looking down, you only hear a sigh
>It's from Indigo. She pats your back once and rubs it without shaking you around at all
>"Sure, bae. Just relax, aight?"
>You peek up and catch Sunny's eye. She nods as well, her sunny smile replaced with a soft frown.
>She bridges her fingers and props her chin over her hands. "I'm sorry I rose my voice to Indigo, ma petite~"
>Gulping once more, you nod.
"Th-thank you." And with that, you sit down.
>Indigo and Sunny give each other a quick glare once more before Indigo goes back to sitting at her desk
>On your other side
>Fifteen minutes pass, and studying is actually going pretty well
>While you and Sunny study for your own classes, Indigo goofs around
>Fortunately, she's quiet about it
>Unfortunately, she seems to want to incorporate you into her shenanigans
>Between the low volume of the class and her subtlety, you don't think the advising teacher will notice
>So that's no excuse
>And unless Indigo has drastically shifted away from your Indigo, she won't take your appreciation for learning as a good reason to study either
>You flinch when a paper football lands in between the pages of your text book
>Blinking, you look to Indigo
>She's got her fingers propped up like a goal post
>Frowning, you shake your head
>Ex-bully or no, you don't goof around when it comes to studying
>And now is no exception
>You deftly place the paper toy on Indigo's desk and return to your work before she can react
>Five minutes pass
>Indigo has tossed you thirty paper footballs
>And grew bored
>With a sigh, you drag the little paper bits to the edge of your desk, and with no better place to put them, into your bag.
>You try to catch her eye, but she seems totally oblivious to you
>Shaking your head, you turn back to your book
>Sigh
>You pick up the first one she tossed and look back at her. Still ignoring you.
>She is smiling a little as you hold it up
>Before you can do anything, you notice something written on it
>Did she use her homework for this?
>What is wrong with her?
>With no little agitation, you tear the toy open, looking for what subject it is supposed to be
>Your breath comes short
>You take a slow, steady effort, and stop scanning the page to really make sure it says what you think it says
>"Dear bae"
>"LOVE YA"
>"<3<3<3" There's just hearts everywhere and a pen drawing of Indigo with kissy lips and a peace sign
>You shudder, your entire body tensing up
>You slowly look over to Indigo
>She's got a smug look on her face, that's overlaid a hard blush
>"Something the matter, bae?" She whispers. You couldn't have imagined a more snarky tone if you tried.
>You ball up the love letter and throw it at her
>She just lays her head into her textbook and giggles into the pages
>Leaving you to scream internally
>[Internal Screaming In Progress]
>...
>Checking your watch, you find that the entire Indigo ordeal took twenty minutes
>[Shorter Internal Screaming Session]

>Indigo has calmed down
>You think she's sleeping, until you notice her turn a page
>She seems kind of... Nice
>In an... Assholeish way
>You've heard of people having friends like that
>Like
>'Dude, he's an asshole, but he's our asshole!'
>Well, it happens in movies and tv
>Sometimes comics
>A group of friends, who are all fairly unique of one another
>One of the friends is typically an ass
>You glance between Indigo and Sunny
>They are your friends...
>Now that you think about it, this whole situation is very strange
>Without anyone talking to you to distract you, you let your mind wander...
>Something strange is happening or has already happened to Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat, and Lemon Zest
>You can only assume Sour Sweet has also changed in some way
>Hopefully?
>You still don't understand how to feel about all this
>They are treating you like a friend, which is so new
>You haven't had a friend since Sunset, and that was well over...
>Ten years ago
>Your eyes narrow, and you look to Sunny
>She's reading, but catches your gaze and passes you a sweet smile
>You smile back and return to your studies
>Ten years ago, she said
>What is happening?
>Is the better question, what happened?
>So many possibilities...
>Your brow furrows and you turn to a new page in your notebook
>Theory crafting....
>Begin.
>POSSIBILITIES
>1: Insanity
>Every member of the old group has lost their freaking minds
>It doesn't make any sense, but...
>These girls being nice to you doesn't make any sense either
>2: Prank
>This makes sense
>This makes SO much sense
>(You underline SO a few times)
>It falls perfectly in line with the kind of things they have done to you in the past
>More than likely, Sugarcoat was the one who organized the whole affair as well
>3: ...Universe collapse
>Hm. Maybe the entirety of reality is collapsing in on itself, and the cosmic miasma has seeped into-
>You sigh. That's a really stupid idea.
>4: Multiversal mix up
>These girls got crossed from an alternate reality where you six have always been friends!
>Makes no sense!
>Also, there is so little substance to it, you don't even know where to start filling in the holes
>...That Twilight must have been very happy.
>You squeeze your eyes and rub away some undue moisture
>Theories
>5: Hypnotism
>Were they all hypnotized at the same time?
>Perhaps they all decided to try seeing a hypnotist for some reason
>Or went to the carnival, which you think might still be in town
>And they were hypnotized into liking you for some reason
>Sensible.
>6: ...Forced?
>Did someone convince them to like you?
>Are they perhaps being forced into being your friends?
>It sounds vaguely plausible...
>There isn't any wild speculation needed to determine that someone doesn't like those girls
>There are some very powerful people attending this school
>Not even Sugarcoat's father, or Sunny's mother can protect them from everything
>Was this some kind of elaborate ploy to get at those girls?
>Make them be your friend in order to mess with them in some way?
>...Your throat dries up and you almost go into a coughing fit
>Are you... Is it really possible that you could be punishment for someone?
>Shaking your head, you get back into distracting yourself
>7: Twins x5
>This one makes less sense, but it is not impossible
>Maybe they all have twins?
>And all the twins know you?
>And all the twins like you?
>Yeah
>8: Vampires
>Well your life has been pretty miserable up until this point
>Five bullies chasing you around middle school and high school
>But you're pretty sure reality's GM knows how to balance CR
>And you're nowhere near ready to take on something like that
>Besides, vampires (hopefully) don't exist
>9: Magic
>Magic doesn't exist
>But you are very familiar with it!
>If /tg/ and roleplaying games have taught you anything, it's that magic can do whatever it wants
>No explanation needed
>Don't gotta explain shit :^)
>You giggle to yourself
>And notice Indigo and Sunny smiling at you
>You smile back and return to your work
>It's good to have a laugh when you're working...
>So if magic suddenly sparked into reality, the wild side affects could just be written off as "Magic did it"
>10: A deep one approaches
>Same argument for magic, but 'madness' instead of 'magic'
>Also more water, tentacles, and you are going to die a horrible death
>11: Random atonement?
>Are they just trying to make it up to you?
>It is not impossible, by any standard
>It also makes the most sense, you suppose
>However, there is significant mounting information to prove that this isn't the case
>You've evidently been friends for too long for them to be... The same
>As you knew them
>Hm...
>You scribble a new item before number 12 and renumber the following points
>12: Multiversal Mix Up (Me?)
>Did you trade places with some other Twilight?
>Makes sense
>13: DIO?
>Did that bastard steal your grandfather's body!?
>You quickly glance around, to make sure no one would notice
>And you take a sort of selfie of the back of your neck
>No star
>You are not a Joestar, so DIO probably isn't trying to ruin your life by recruiting these five girls and having them be nice to you to lower your guard and allow him or them to off you
>Hopefully
>14:
>Just as you were having fun with your insanity, the period bell rings
>You look down at your notes
>Its all just mad scribbles and ravings
>You barely got any studying done
>[Short Internal Screaming Session]
>Everyone around you packs, and you join them
>Walking toward the door, you notice Sunny and Indigo fall in line next to you
>You grin at them both nervously
>Sunny gives you a gentle grin
>Indigo looks up from her cell phone. She smirks and gives you a V
"U-uhm." You clutch at your backpack's straps
>Indigo glances at you. "Sup?"
"W-w-w-wha..." You scrunch up your face and frown.
>You take a short breath. "Wh-where a-are you h-heading n-next..." You tense up, and squeak out a quiet "Indy..."
>Indigo shrugs. "Jus' math."
>She shrugs and stuffs her phone into her pocket. "What about you, bae? Where you goin?"
>Indigo leans in too close, smirking. "What're you playin at?"
>You shake your head. "N-no, no, I-I was... J-just asking. Is all."
>Indigo's smile falters slightly, and she gives you a peace sign. "Whatever. This is my stop, see you at club after school."
>As you wave, Indigo runs off into the class room next to you
>Leaving you alone with Sunny
>Is she going her own way too?
>As if sensing your thought's mention of her, Sunny gives you a quick shug.
>The embrace is soft and cushioned by her... Body.
>You gulp as she pulls away. She sings to you as she smiles and turns, "Until we meet again, ma chérie~"
>She walks away with a contented hum, leaving you to yourself
>...Your face feels hot.
>You grab your forehead and then your cheeks.
>Ah, that's just blush.
>...Sigh
>As you sigh, you find yourself loosening your tie and collar
>Now that she's not stepping on you or having people spread vitriolic rumors about you, you have a great opportunity to notice that she's gorgeous.
>And soft...
>Your breath starts coming shorter and you shake your head, expelling the thoughts
>Peering around the corridor, you notice some of the rooms are in different places
>Of course.

>Same day
>1:00 PM
>Lunch time
>Your entire life might be falling apart at the seams, but lunch is a stable constant
>Just like all high schools, Crystal Prep's lunch session is packed with students
>Unlike other schools, your lunch period is mostly silent
>Everyone keeps to themselves unless they are okay with being unpopular exceptions
>As you go to pay you remember Lemon Zest, and smile
>It was nice of her to give you lunch money for once
>Maybe the nicest thing anyone at Crystal prep has ever done for you
>As you carry your salad away, you pull out your cell phone
"Hm."
>Yes, you seem to have many more contacts than you used to
>L
>Lemon
>The messenger presents you with an empty screen and an input box
>With a smile, you text her as you sit down
'Thank you so much for the money, I really appreciate it. :)'
>Setting down your phone, you notice that you actually have a few messages from other people
>Indigo, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat
>Indigo sent you some... 'Memes'
>Mostly supposedly funny images with words superposed onto them
>You resist the urge to scowl
>You're not petty
>Your... Company... From the internet just... Rubs off on you, you guess
>Taking a look, you just
[Internal Cringe]
"N-normie..." You clutch your phone to your chest, and look around, hoping no one heard you
>You sigh. Don't turn into one of those kinds of girls, Twilight.
>Scrolling through, you notice that she's been texting you all year, at least that's as far as your history tells you
>You almost choke on your lunch
>You have been giving her encouraging and amused replies to the pictures
"F-f-f-f..." You gulp down.
>You're friends with a normie?
>N-new topic!
>What does Sour Sweet want!?
>Oh, its a bunch of selfies of you and her she sent you
>High quality
>You two went bowling, to a carnival, hung around after school
>She seems to leave messages with the pictures
>'Love goofing around and hanging out with you, twilight :D'
>'Sucks that your extra schoolwork takes up your time. >:('
>So Sour's your friend too
>That's good to know
>You toss her a noncommittal reply and a smiley face
>Sugarcoat thanked you for your chemistry notes
>'Would you like to come over to my home after school tomorrow to watch a film with me?'
'Sure :)'
>You munch on your food in silence, and look down at the almost empty bowl.
>With a shrug, you work on your milk.
>All this... Friendliness actually gives you an idea
>Does this whole weird situation you are in mean Moondancer doesn't hate you still?
>Opening your messenger again, you text Moondancer
-"Hi, moonie."
>-YOUR MESSAGE HAS BEEN AUTOMATICALLY BLOCKED.
>Well that's the same
>It was just a birthday party...
>There's two rapid buzzings
>You got two messages at the same time!
>Whatever happened, it's made you so social!
>With a grin, you check your texts
>Sugarcoat replied
>'Cola will pick you up at home tomorrow, after I've finished all of my homework and have studied an amount that father finds desirable. There will be the usual snacks, your favorites as well as mine. The film in question' 1/2
>You never noticed, but Sugarcoat talks a lot
>Lemon replied
>'who is this'
>Furrowing your brow, you pick up your phone in both hands
'Twilight Sparkle. This is Lemon Zest's number, right?'
>'...'
>Did you say something wrong?
>'this is her father. i thought you two werent friends.'
>You cock your head
>Maybe its just the blunt way he said it, but you get an odd uneasiness in your stomach at the words
>Could also be because you're just very recently becoming social
'Um, yes. At least, I think so.'
>'...'
>You stare for a moment, flicking at the screen to keep it alive
>Lunch is almost over, and your food is gone
>The wait is killing you
>'okay. after what happened, i wont ask. ill give you her new number. she got a new phone.'
>You blink and smile a little, grabbing your phone
'Thank you very much, sir. :)'
>That went well
>You grab Lemon Zest's number and after some reformatting of your contacts list, resend your message
'Thank you so much for the money, I really appreciate it! c:'
>You get a reply an instant later
>'is this twi fam? no probs! totes not even a prob! :D:D:D:D:D \o/'
>You giggle to yourself, not caring if anyone notices
>Her energy is infectious!
>Lunch ends, and you just glide through the rest of the day
>Your mind does wander to the situation at hand a few times, of course
>At your last period, you dig through all the paper footballs and notebooks to find the piece of folded paper with your theories
>Ignoring the teacher's explanation on the changes to the syllabus (which you already knew), you look over your notes
>You discredit most of them immediately
>So you're only left with...
>Prank, Force, and Atonement
>These are the only likely causes of change, but there is some concerning holes in each theory
>If this were a prank, then it is a very well thought out one
>But it doesn't leave much room for an impressive finish today
>Hm
>Unless they want to get at you tomorrow...
>You scribble that in
>If this whole thing was the girls being forced to be nice to you, then....
>It would not make much sense
>At all
>For a few reasons....
>They've mentioned having history with you already, history which conflicts quite critically with what you remember
>Additionally, they are all going right over the top, and maintaining the act
>Sugarcoat may be able to do that
>Sunny Flare could try to do that, for a while
>But Lemon Zest? Indigo Zap?
>Sour Sweet, the one who hates you the most openly?
>You have a picture of yourself and her making ironic poses with a dozen kittens at a shelter
>Your phone.
>You have no reason to believe any of them have the technological skills required to supplant that much history into your phone overnight.
>You rub your head.
>You sigh and cross out atonement.
>That one doesn't even make any sense, so there's no use arguing it...
>This is giving you a headache.
>Tossing your theory nonsense into your bag, you start paying attention.
>The professor is talking about an essay that's due Friday.
>Of course you already did it last month.
>It's on your desk somewhere at home..
>Your gaze drifts down to your backpack.
>You're holding the sheet again.
>...What is happening, though?
>What does it all mean? How can it be explained?
>A small, angry voice in the back of your head startles you, snarling 'Why do you care?'
>Setting down your notes, you're startled by the end of class bell.
>You check the clock.
>3:30 PM
>End of school
>Wow, today just flew by.
>You wonder wh-
>You don't need to wonder why.
>So busy.
>With a sigh, you pack up your things and wander out of the class room.

>Your science lab didn't move!
>So that's nice
>Considering no one but Cadence knows you use this room, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise
>You trace your fingers along the plaque you made yourself
>Unknown Properties and Logics Study Lab. Its sitting right next to the door.
>You smile, knowing you have some kind of rock in your life right now
>Any kind of anchor in this sea of weirdness is appreciated
>"Damnit!"
>You jump back at the violent outburst
>It came from inside your lab
>Worse whoever it was sounded angry
>Even worse... She sounded familiar
>Oh no...
>Why is Sour Sweet in there?
>What is happening in your lab?
>You go to open the door, but raise your hand instead
>Carefully, you press a knuckle to the door
>Sour Sweet is better, right?
>You don't want to deal with Sour Sweet right now
>The back of your hand floats centimeters from the door
>Your breath comes a little too fast
>Your head starts to become light
>Sour Sweet has to be different, right?
>Something gets caught in your throat
>It's your tongue, so you swallow
>Sour Sweet is...
>In there
>You can still feel her hot breath in your face
>That dark look in her eye
>The milk on her blouse, everyone snickering around you both
>Friday was a long time ago
>You lower your hand
>Instead of just letting it fall, you grasp the strap of your back pack and squeeze
>It makes you feel more in control, like you aren't going to collapse
>You slowly turn around and begin walking away
>Your stomach hurts. Must be from the anxiety.
>...You wonder
>You glance at the door
>Does this Sour Sweet also carry around knives in school?
>Does she remember practicing archery, and making you come cheer for her, even though everyone wanted you to go away?
>Does she remember shooting you in the thigh with practice arrows?
>Your face feels warm again
>You reach up and sniff
>Examining your fingers, you find that you've started to cry a little.
>Just misting up, really
>The doorknob turns, and you're stuck there
>You gulp, but you can't even move as you stare with wide eyes at the opening portal
>There's Sour Sweet
>She's got her eyes glued to some game system, and she seems to be chewing on some snacks that are sticking out of her pocket
>You don't move
>She doesn't notice you until she's half a meter away
>"Huh?"
>She stops and looks away from her game
>When her eyes meet yours, they light up
>You internally cringe
>But as soon as she can take full stock of you, her eyes soften and she stows her toy
>She reaches a hand out, placing it against one of your hands, which are both still gripping your backpack tight
>"Twilight?"
>Her hand is so warm
>You just now realize you're shaking
>You look away from her hand and look her in the eye
>What you see makes your stomach turn upside down
>Sour Sweet is looking at you with what is unmistakable concern
>She tries prying your hand free, and you let her
>She holds your hand in both hands, warming it up.
>"You're trembling... Did you have another episode, Twilight?" Her sweet voice is kind of calming-
>She looks down at your hand and scowls, and she quickly grumbles to herself. "You really should have texted me if it got this bad."
>You gasp and pull your hand back
>She puts both hands out. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it just slipped out!"
>No, this is...
"T-t-t-too m-much."
>You turn and sprint
>Only to get a face full of body
>You stop and look up, past her chest,  and look Lemon Zest in the eye
>She's smiling real wide down at you. "Sup, fam?"
>You hear Sour Sweet growl behind you. "So that's what's bothering you, is it?"
>You turn back and see Sour Sweet. She's snarling, and her brow is furrowed, giving her that classic deadly dark glare
>You almost wet yourself
>"Get over here!" Sour shouts, giving you cause to yelp
>Lemon sighs above you
>There's a warmth as her hands squeeze your shoulders once before she steps away from you
>You stand there, facing away from Sour as Lemon joins her
>Your back is turned, so you can't see them
>You're too scared to even turn around, honestly. But you do turn your head
>There's a loud smacking sound
>You grab your cheek
>But you aren't the one who got hit
>"Who said you could get anywhere near her!?"
>If Lemon had been wearing her headphones, they would have been sent flying from Sour Sweet's smack, which you think you can still hear echoing through the hall. But it may just be your imagination.
>Lemon is uncharacteristically stoic as she turns to look down at Sour Sweet. "Don't start something you can't finish, Sour Patch."
>She clenches her fists so hard, you can hear the knuckles cracking.
>"Hey bae, what's happening?" Someone whispers into your ear.
"Guah!" You jump and look straight at Indigo, who's smirking. "D-don't do that!" You whisper back, holding your pounding heart.
>She nods and thumbs to the two at the door. "What's with Sugar Tits and Lemon Lime?"
>Before you can reply, Sour Sweet interjects, shouting at Indigo. "Lemon fucked with Twilight so now I'm going to fuck her up, that's what's with us!"
>Indigo scowls and shakes her head, reaching into her duffle bag.
>To your surprise, she pulls out an aluminum bat
"W-wh-wha-" You point at the bat
>Indigo winks at you. "Don' worry bae, I got this." She taps the end of the bat against her heel and saunters over to the two.
>Before you can say anything, Indigo is tapping her bat on the ground.
>"Hey, Lemon, what's up?"
>Lemon glares down at Indigo, looking her and her bat over. She takes a deep breath. "Wassap?"
>"Deez nuts, kid!" Indigo swings up with her bat, swinging right at the taller girl's chin
>But Lemon punches, yes punches, the bat, almost knocking it out of Indigo's hand
>Just as Indigo hisses in pain as no doubt welts form on her palm, you notice two more people join you
>Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare are standing on either side of you
>Sugarcoat has her arms crossed, scowling at the scene
>Sunny just has a withered expression
>You turn to Sugarcoat then to Sunny Flare
"P-p-p-p-l-lease... S-stop th-them!"
>Sugarcoat looks at you out of the corner of her eye then turns to you fully. "Why?"
>You flinch back.
"Wh-wha?"
>Sugarcoat shrugs. "Sorry if I intimidated you, I didn't mean to do that at all, this scene is just really ugly to watch. Why should I stop them though? I don't care if they get in trouble or not."
"H-huh? What?"
>There is a loud pounding sound
>You turn just in time to see Indigo land in a heap. She groans, but holds fast to her bat as she cradles her stomach
>Lemon Zest has a fist held next to her side and one outstretched. She turns and glares at Sour Sweet as she pulls her hands to her sides again.
>"Such a brute..." Sunny mutters from next to you. Her voice is flat.
>You look between both of them. "Y-you..."
>You glance at Lemon Zest. She's got both hands raised as she nears Sour Sweet.
>Sour Sweet is reaching into her pocket, and you can see her gripping something
>Your breath starts coming faster and faster
"I-I-I th-th-thought..."
>Sunny leans in to catch your gaze
"B-b-b-ut y-y-y..."
>Indigo picks herself up. "I'm not done." She coughs and uses her bat as support.
>This doesn't make any sense!
>They're friends!
>Lemon turns her head toward Indigo, frowning
>You and Sunny gasp as Sour Sweet whips out a switchblade, glaring dark death at Lemon
>Sugarcoat doesn't seem phased
"F-f-friends...?"
>Sugarcoat turns to face you.
>WHY ARE THEY FIGHTING
>"We aren't friends, if that's what you've been trying to stutter out, Twilight Sparkle. I hate everyone here but you, and while she wouldn't necessarily use such a strong word, I assume Sunny Flare feels exactly the same."
>You stare at Sugarcoat, eyes wide
>That- What is happening?
>You look to Sunny
>She just nods
"N-n-n-n-n..."
>Looking back at the fight, Lemon has Indigo in a full nelson, and Indigo's bat is on the ground, behind them
>Sour Sweet is edging toward Lemon, from the back, her knife shining in the fluorescent school light
"No."
>Louder
"Nnnnn!" Your stomach turns inside out and you fall to your knees with a yelp
>Ma petite~!" Sunny gasps, loud enough that you can hear over your own thoughts
>You feel her wrapping her hands around your arm. "Are you okay~? Please, stand up~"
"S-stop!"
>As soon as you said that, all three fighters stopped
>Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap are still grappled together, with Indigo having almost no chance to get free. Her hair is all messed up and her goggles were nowhere to be seen
>Lemon has some bruises on her forearm, from the bat, and a hand print is actually forming from when Sour slapped her. You can't tell if her hair looks any worse than usual
>She places Indigo down without hurting her
>Suddenly realizing what was happening, Sour Sweet quietly put away her blade. She then flattened out her skirt, looking at you with sad, guilt-ridden eyes.
>Everyone's quiet for a solid minute
>Looking at them, you take a deep breath
>Collecting yourself, you walk past Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare
>Without looking at them, you walk past Indigo, and then Lemon, and Sour Sweet
>Sour reaches out to you. She tries to say something, but whatever it was, it dies on her lips with a squeak.
>You take a quick look at her, then to the others
>The door closes without a sound
>You pull a seat up and sit down
>Why?
>Why aren't they friends?
>This doesn't make any sense
>They go from hating you to... To loving you
>And they go from being best friends to hating each other
>Well they weren't really friends, but
>Still, it doesn't help it make more sense
>Your eyes close and you slump back, tossing your backpack onto the desk, next to your computer
>Spike peeks up from his spot in the corner, but yawns and goes back to sleep
"W-what is happening...?"
>You hear music
>Peeking, you spot the door
>Someone's playing music outside
>Lemon Zest?
>They're whispering to each other
>You can make out Indigo mostly
>She seems agitated
>You pull your glasses off and rub your face
>Please don't fight again.
"P-please don't f-fight again."
>The whispering stops
>You shake your head.
>What happened?
>Why is your life so backwards?
>How do you figure out what happened, when you have nothing to go by?
>How much else has changed that just isn't apparent?
>Is this just your life now?
>Your breath gets caught in your throat, and you cough a little
>These girls are nice and all, but
>This isn't your life
>You very apparently don't have the right grades anymore
>You're missing credits you worked hard to earn, and it's too late to earn them now that you are very obviously an average junior and not a masterful senior
>You can't get into Everton with the current grades of whoever you replaced
>Everton
>You let yourself sob at that
>Goodbye, future
>Hello, life of mediocrity
>There's nothing you can do
>So you just half laugh half sob at how powerless you are
>Whatever wanted to ruin your life did it
>Someone or something replaced you with a more popular you
>Leaving you intellectually and socially stranded
>No grand future in academics
>A group of friends who hate each other enough to fight at the drop of a hat
>Something taps your shoulder and you fall right out of your seat, landing with a thud on the floor
>You groan to yourself as your rear smarts under you
>Darn bony behind...
>"You okay, fam?"
>Your head whips up and you have to blink
>This is...
"E-er..." It's hard to bring to mind any kind of real words to react to what you're seeing at the moment.
>No amount of preparation or full-experience immersion could have prepared you for this
>Taking a step back, you think nothing could have
>Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, and Sour Sweet are all watching you, without any glares, scowls, or even smirks
>Your five bullies from the past five or so years
>They're... Well they think they're your friends
>And they are expecting a reply
>"Twi...? You okay, fam?" Lemon Zest repeats herself in a slow, calm tone, making sure her music was turned down a notch lower than the lowest you had ever heard it so she can hear you
>No.
>You giggle into your hand
>The giggle turns into a cackle and you put your hands back onto the floor to support yourself
"N-no! N-no I-I'm not o-okay!"
>You shake your head as the bitter laughter comes out
>It feels good to laugh, but you still feel so lost
>Looking up, the five give each other uneasy and uncomfortable looks
>Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare each help you back to your seat while you laugh into your hands
>Your eyes hurt from squeezing together after all the fake giggles
>"Stop laughing, fam..."
>You do
>Your sore face relaxes into serious lines
>Looking around again, you see your five friends, all giving you worried and concerned looks
>You sigh, and take off your glasses to rub at your eyes.
"L-look... Girls..."
>Reflexively sniffling, you replace your glasses and blink up at them.
"I-I may b-be losing m-my mind." You shake your head and pull yourself closer to the desk, scanning some documents you had there on the new energy readings you were gathering from that other school. They seemed off.
>Whatever.
>"What are you talking about, you seem very put together, Twilight. Even though you had one of your episodes, that's fine, it happens sometimes with you. It isn't the end of the world, it just means you're stressed out."
>Everyone but Lemon nods and mutters some form of agreement.
>You look up at Lemon Zest, and she just awkwardly looks down at her feet, or the floor, or anything but you as she leans against a table
>Her music is at one percent volume
>It sounds pleasant, almost appropriate mind-losing background music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpWM6rpl2UE

>You shake your head
>Of course they wouldn't get it, no matter how you explained
>You're just their... Twilight
>...Their Twilight
>You drop your head into your hands and sigh.
"C-can I..." You clear your throat. "Can I h-have some time t-to m-myself?"
>The sounds of shoes scuffing smooth tile fills your ears as the girls approach you
>Indigo presses a hand to your shoulder and kneels down next to you.
>She puts a thumbs up in your face and rubs your shoulder. "You got it, bae. Relax a bit... Text me later."
>You hear her make some kind of kissing sound and realize she's blowing you a kiss as she walks away
>"See you nerds later. You too, Sunny~"
>Sunny huffs at Indigo.
>"Get better soon, ma chérie~" Sunny leans down and presses your head into her chest as a hug.
>It feels... Nice.
>Really nice.
>It ends with her walking away
>"Twilight, I hope you are better by tomorrow evening. If you aren't, we can reschedule our movie night."
>There's some more shuffling of feet, and when you peek up, you don't see anyone.
>Sighing, you swing around and set your head on your desk
>What is happening?
>You sit up and pull a piece of paper toward yourself and start scribbling down notes
>You consolidate your theories notes down, marking them by type, rank of validity, and etcetera
>You were just about to boot up your computer when you heard a soft melody at the door

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvuhEDvJk2M

>Music?
>You ignore it for now, returning to your computer
>The hell is this?
>Your wallpaper isn't you and Spike! It's a collage of selfies of you and Sugarcoat, Sour, Indigo, and Sunny, just tiled together
>Ugh
>Should you maybe wipe it and reinstall the OS?
>There's a gentle rapping at the door
>...Maybe later
"Y-yes?" You turn in your seat, and see the door open to reveal...
>Lemon Zest. Her fingers are curled around the door as she peeks in at you
>She's got her headphones on, and the music turned up loud
>But as soon as you make eye contact, she turns it all the way down.
>No no, you have had enough of people today
"I-I want to be alone!"
>Between dealing with ghosts of your past and relationships of the present, the last thing you want is a one on one session
>She gulps and goes to close the door. "Just for a minute, fam?"
"No!" You jump out of your chair, your fists balling up by your sides
>Lemon flinches back at that
>She looks down and you see that she's trying to get some words to come out
>"Okay. I'm sorry for bothering you so much."
>She looks up at you, trying to grin
>"We still... Are we friends again?"
>You grab your forehead and sit down.
"Y-yeah, sure."
>Lemon sighs, and when you look at her, she has a wide smile.
>"Thank you, Twilight."
>Lemon stops crouching and stands upright, placing a hand to her chest
>You stare
"I mean it, thank you."
>You push up your glasses and shoo her
>She winks and closes the door
>Her music grows louder, and then quieter
>When Lemon finally closes the door, you sigh. Maybe now you can get to work-
>There's a ringing from your phone
"Augh!" You whip it out and see a few messages
>From your... SSSFF
>The hell?
>We DBZ now?
>Lame joke
>Whoever this SSSFF is they're asking if you need a ride home or if you want to walk
>Mom? Dad? Shining? Super Shining Something Friend Forever?
>Shiney!
>You grin, giggling to your phone
>Shiney can help you get all these confusing elements to make sense!
>Or at least he can comfort you
'Yes, I would like to be picked up :)'
>'Is that a smiley face? Wow sis, you must be in a good mood! lol'
'It's just been a long, long day. :( Happy to hear from you. :)'
>'K. See you in five.'
>You collect your stuff and pick up spike
>He yawns and blinks at you
>After sniffing a little, he grins and licks your nose. His tail wags listlessly below him.
"W-wow... Spike, you're so old..."
>He pants and licks you
>You let out a soft giggle and set him down.
>He follows you around as you pack up and leave.
>4:30
>Way after school
>You and Spike exit the school and you notice a familiar head and pair of headphones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAyTPZfsWk

>You narrowly sidestep Lemon Zest, who is for whatever reason sitting on the steps outside
>When she catches sight of you, she grins wide and waves
>You give a nervous smile and wave back
>This calms her down, and she tilts her head at you, turning down her music
>"Sup?"
>You slowly shrug. "J-just waiting for m-my brother..."
>She bobs her head, smiling. "Didn' know you had a bro, fam."
>You stop in front of her, clutching the straps of your backpack.
"Y-yeah, he's k-kinda the coolest p-person ever."
>Your fingers are cold. Damn winter.
>Your thighs are cold. Damn uniform.
>You sigh, and look to the front, where your BBBFF should be pulling in soon.
>With all the grace of an extra large serving of Italian cuisine, you stand leaning against the railing, trying not to interact with Lemon
>Despite her efforts to interact with you
>"So you kay, fam?"
"Hm?" You look down at her.
>Just now you notice, she's holding a sketch pad or something similar to it
>Before you have a chance to comment, a white car pulls up in front of the school
>Smiling, you walk forward, Spike following at your heel
>As you grasp the doorhandle however, you get a weird feeling
>You blink once, and turn back, looking at Lemon
>She smiles and reaches up to wave at you nice and big
>Awkwardly, you wave back
>That seems to please Lemon, because she grins even wider from where she's sitting
>Weird
>People are weird
>You slide in next to Shining
>He's bundled up in a lot of clothes
>You almost cant see his face
>Silly Shiney
>The sight makes you giggle
>You hear a muffled "What?"
>Shaking your head, you poke at him
"You, you're wearing so much it's funny."
>He chuckles along with you, sounding a little nasally
>And without much else, he takes off
>You fiddle with the heat, but it doesn't do anything
>The outfit makes more sense now you guess
>"So Twiley?"
>You look away from the knob to Shining. You catch his eyes between the slit made by his hat and scarf
"Y-yeah?"
>Shining looks back at the road
>"Cadance was wondering why you didn't wait for her to drive you to school this morning. Did something come up?"
>What
"Huh?"
>Your brother glances at you, for just a second. "Cadance? Driving you to school?"
>What is he talking about?
"I-I didn't kn-know she was driving m-me..."
>Shining gives a bemused grunt of acknowledgement and doesn't say much else
>That was weird
>4:40 PM
>Home
>You smile as you and Spike almost prance through the front door
>Spike rushes to the kitchen and you hear him chowing down
>It's so good to be home
>Before you can say anything, someone lets out an exagerated sigh from behind you
>"Good to be home, ey Twiley?"
>You start, feeling your brow furrow
>Literally who is that
>You turn and see Shining unwrapping and hanging his winter clothes onto the coat rack
>His back is turned to you, and there's no one else there
"Uh... Who was that?"
>"Who was what?"
>Shining looks over her shoulder-
>With a sigh you fall back, hitting the ground with a thud
>Your head hurts
>Pushing down, you find yourself on a soft surface
"W-wha?"
>You push yourself up into a sitting position and scan around
>It takes an active effort, because your glasses are missing, but whatever
>You can tell easily enough that you're in your living room
>Cadence is next to you
>She has a hand on yours
>"Oh, Twilight, you're okay."
>Cadence?
"C-Cadence?"
>She smiles at you
>That bright smile that you're so used to.
>You squint a little, and to little surprise, it dawns on you that you're lacking your glasses
"What... Is happening...? M-my glasses..."
>Cadance starts and picks up something
>Your sight starts to adjust and you find Cadence taking her hands away from your face
>"You had a fainting spell near the front door, dear. Are you feeling well?"
>You clear your throat and sit up
"S-Sure."
>All things considered, sure, you're pretty okay.
>Shining's a girl, so there's that...
>That's good to know. Not useful at all, but good to know, nonetheless
>With a hup, you stand up off of the couch
>Cadence flinches and stands up with you
>"I really think you should sit back down, Twilight, you just fainted-"
>You raise a hand and take a deep breath. Then you interrupt her
"I-I'm better."
>"...You sure?"
>"You sure, Twiley?" You can hear your genderbent brother from the kitchen. It feels weird hearing her say that.
>Calling you Twiley
>You nod. "Yeah, I just need to relax in my room for a bit..."
>Cadence puts a hand to your shoulder and pulls you in for a hug
>Before you even know what's going on, Cadence has you in her grip
>She rests your head against her soft chest, and you instinctively nuzzle her
>Given that she does the same to the top of your head, you doubt she thinks doing so is as weird as you think it is
>"Okay." Cadence lets go of you, smiling down at you with her bright white grin. "Dinner should be done soon, so don't relax too too much."
>With a soft chuckle, you see yourself out.
>5:30 PM
>Home
>Your bedroom
>Nothing is different!
>Not one damn thing is different, and you've just been running around your room for the past ten minutes thanking whatever forced you into this for giving you ONE sanctuary from the madness outside
>In a whirl of energy, you slip off your uniform and shoes and toss on some older clothes
>You go to put something else on, but you notice something
>Holding your only mirror to leg level, you study yourself
>You uh, you hadn't anticipated something like this, but it seems your body is slightly different
>Your thighs are thicker than you recall, but not obscenely so. Just... Enough that you noticed
>As are your hips. Actually, looking closely, you are positive your hips are much wider than before. To an almost illicit degree
>You also remember having a much smaller rump yesterday
>Blinking, you reach down and...
>Easily fill your hands with soft purple flesh (and underwear). You have a pair of one and a half handful buns.
>Neat.
>...What is happening, why are you grabbing yourself like this
>You continue dressing yourself
>Placing the mirror down, you grab a niche graphic tee and some comfy shorts.
>Got to be comfy c:
>Grabbing your laptop, you slide into bed
>The familiar softness of your comforter does a great job of comforting you
>Everything is just awesome right here and right now
>All your weeb shit is where it's supposed to be.
>Your hand built Power Pony model kits, lovingly painted and posed right next to your toku models
>Masked Matter-Horn... Vs Kamen Rider W
>Yes. That would be a crossover for the ages
>Your little girl heart would just explode from the pure awesome
>Also
>All your tabletop books and minis are still set up on their shelves
>Carefully painted (you like painting, Shining introduced you to it) wargame minitures, character statues, and customized official product protect your roleplaying books from any intruders
>And your bad taste in music is all lined up and neat on your desk
>You don't care about that noise too much.
>But just enough not to get rid of it
>Ah, your hamper is still stuffed full like you left it...
>Which you should fix...
>...Later
>This is literally more important in every possible way
>You yawn and slump down onto your bed.
>You rub at your sore, tired eyes
>You have important business to attend to, but you are tuckered out from today
>If everyday is like this, you may die from mental exhaustion
>How do people do this social thing all the time?
>With a groan, you sit up right and pop open your laptop
>Wow look at that
>Sunny Flare's bright smile beaming at you from some cropped picture of you and her
>Sugarcoat relaxing on a couch. Her arms are folded and she has a faint smile. You can see your hand on her shoulder, but the rest of you is cropped out
>A sweat slicked Indigo is grinning up at a camera and giving you a v for victory
>Lastly Sour Sweet is caught in midair, her midriff exposed. She's out of her uniform, and is instead wearing some frilly thing that looks out of place on her.
>Everyone but Lemon Zest, made into a wallpaper
>Neat, your computer's been infected by meta shenaniganery
>Sigh
>You quickly search up a random correctly sized picture from your folders and set that as a background
>[spoiler]Pic Related[/spoiler]
>You gaze at his expression of disbelief
"S-same..."
>With that done, you unminimize your browser and set to searching up something to relax with
>6:00 PM
>Your room
>So all of the quest threads you lurk don't exist
>The generals you post in don't exist
>The draw thread you are OP of doesn't exist
>The website is called 4hoof now
>What is happening
>What did Mook do?
>Probably nothing, but
>Eh
>This is all getting really weird in a way you'd want to call meta, but
>No wait
>World changing is meta
"Egh."
>It feels gross calling this meta, like it's just some joke that can be turned back with a new post
>You slide your hand under your glasses and rub your face a bit
>Sigh
>Looking back down at your laptop, you shake your head
>Going to have to find new generals and quests
>Hm...
>You guess you could...
>Work on this insanity?
>Your belly rumbles
>You now notice the scent of warm good food wafting in through your cracked door
>There's something meaty and filling and greasy being cooked
>Your belly rumbles again, angrier. Hangrier.
"S-same..."
>The smell distracts you from your laptop, which you just close and slide away
>"Twiley, dinner!"
"Oh, n-nice."
>You crawl off of bed and join Shining and Cadence in the dining room
>When you take your seat, you can't help but notice Shining smiling at you
>It's just like his usual smile, just...
>He's a girl
>She's got the same smile, that makes you feel special and safe, and her eyes still have that same masculine sparkle
>But her face has softer curves, as does her body
>She's not shorter, but her shoulders aren't as broad and are draped in that handsome blue you like
>Although she is still toned and muscular as you recall your brother being
>It's weird, she's your brother but also not, but now that you get a closer look...
>This isn't the worst thing to happen today
>Spike nudges your ankle and you're knocked out of your reverie
>You lean down to pet Spike as Shining pipes up between eating her dinner
>"So you seem better. What happened at school?"
>You bite your lip
>Uh
>You sit back up and stare at your... Sister for a moment
"U-uhm..."
>How do you even respond to that?
>Things are great, Shiney
>I just, you know
>Swapped places with your Twilight
>No big deal, right?
>Also I have a lot of new friends
>Also my grades are slipping
>But its cool, because that's only from my perspective
>"Twiley?"
>You flinch and look Shining in the eye
>She's just staring at you
>Frowning
>Not angry, or nervous or even confused. Of course not.
>That's the face of br-sisterly concern.
>You sigh and look down at your food
>Suddenly you aren't hungry
"...Things are changing really fast, that's all."
>"Oh Twilight, honey..." Cadence places a hand over yours
>You look up and see her smiling, but it isn't one of those huge smiles she always has
>It's... Newish
>Like when she used to baby sit you and you'd accidentally make a mess and start crying
>But then she'd put on that smile, and calmly clean everything up while telling you it isn't your fault and that everything would be okay
>You suppose motherly would be the best word for that smile
>"It's perfectly natural for a girl your age to be feeling this way. Part of growing up is dealing with all sorts of things changing."
>Oh wow, this talk
>Roll with it
>You do and smile back for her sake
"I-I know..." You chuckle a little and look back at your food.
"I... I j-just guess that... I just got o-overwhelmed today."
>Cadence takes her hand away, grasping her fork again
>But she's still smiling as she does so
>"That's totally understandable, hun." Cadence finally beings eating.
>"You know if you ever need to talk, your sister and I are always here for you."
>"Yeah, of course... Always here."
>You up look to Shining, and you see she's got a small smile.
>"I'm always here for you, Twiley, no matter how hard things may seem."
>You actually smile at that.
>Shining...
>He always know what to say and what to do to make you feel warm and safe.
>You sigh and rub at the corners of your eyes, where some water was forming
"Th-thanks... SSSFF."
>"SSSFF?" Cadence repeats, holding some forgotten dinner in front of her
>You look back to Shining, just in time to see her chuckle
>"Wow, you haven't called me that in a while..."
>You nervously smile back at her. "Y-yeah... I realized you're on my phone as that, and I actually forgot what it means at this point..."
>You nervously chuckle and pick at your food.
>Cadence and Shining are quiet for a moment as you eat.
"S-sorry. For uh... Forgetting something like that."
>"Heh."
>Looking up, you see Shining, lips curled upwards as she giggles
>"Hehehe!"
"Wh-what?"
>Cadence also gives Shining a quizzical glance, but Shining just raises a hand and shakes her head.
>Shining calms down and raises a finger while holding a fork. "After all these years, I'm not surprised. It's been quite some time since you called me your Super Special Sister Friend Forever..." Shining looks down at her food, still smiling.
>Though the smile is just a little sad now
>She plucks some meat up and bites down, cleaving it. "You and those four girls... I figured you didn't need boring ol' Gleaming Shield anymore..."
>Who?
>Eh, it fits. Sounds pretty too, actually
>When she looks up at you, there's hints of mist in her eye. "Ah, it might sound kinda dorky, but, you've really grown, Twiley."
>Cadence coos and places a hand over your sister's. They share a very familiar look, and you can't help but smile
>She's... Different, but some things are a constant, after all.
>You take a deep breath and sigh.
"Th-thank you... For always b-being there for m-me, ...Gleamy."
>Your sister frowns, but then smiles. "Always, Twiley."
>Cadence giggles a little as she looks between both of you
>"It's so good to see you two reconnecting."
>7:30 PM
>Your bedroom
>Dinner was very nice. You got some insight into the daily life of your brother and uh...
>Well... Your sister and other sister
>You got some insight on their lives here
>They have fairly normal lives, but ones that are completely removed from your own
>So
>Not helpful in your chase to figure out what is happening or has happened
>Although the stories were pleasant
>You look down at your bed and crawl into it, pressing your face into the cool fabric
>You sigh and remove your glasses, placing them on your laptop as you rub your cheek against your nerd blanket
>Oh Masked Matter-Horn, what would you do if everyone around you and the world itself was turned upside down?
>Probably psi-blast someone, to be honest.
"Heh..."
>Your eyes start to drift closed on their own
>You're exhausted. You did so much today...
>Or it feels like that
>You sigh and wrap yourself up in a sheet with a murmur.
>Today you 'made friends'
>You were socializing with 'new' people
>And finally you relaxed with your long lost sister
>There's a buzzing in your pocket, and it catches you off guard
>Heart racing from the shock, you grope around the outside of your thigh until you find your phone
>You bring your phone and glasses to your face and stare at the screen
>You have twenty or so messages
>From all of the girls at school
>The whole gang
>Sigh
>You kind of want to lay down, and not deal with weirdness
>Your phone buzzes again, to your chagrin
>Just
>The oldest message is from Indigo
>She's meming at you
>She sent you one message, but divided into fifteen ebin mey meys
>You give her a :^) and carry on
>But then you notice one of them has something to do with you
>It's a baby elephant tromping around. 'I don't forget anything. Not even my bae, Twilight <3'
>Oh gods they're all like that, they're all about you and her
>Oh no, she's talking with memes
>She apologized for how she acted today using memes
>Oh no, she's talking to you using memes!
>[Internal Screaming Session]
>What is wrong with her? That's not even a normie thing to do, that's straight sperg!
>Fifteen captioned reaction faces and still pictures of nature, and they're all a freaking conversation!
>You spring to an upright position, flailing to get your blanket off of you
>You almost throw your phone
>You come so close
>Just
>You're hyperventilating now
>Why? This can't be real, can it?
>How does she think this is okay?
>You delete your ironic emoticon and...
>You don't know what to say.
>With a sigh, you set your phone down so you can stare at your bed
>In the corner of your bed, the blinking sleep light your laptop catches your eye.
>Maybe that quest thread updated
>Wait
>...If she's gonna shitpost, maybe you can talk to her like a fellow shitposter
>Raising your phone to your face, you reflexively type away
'You need some chill. All that meming is dangerous, senpai. :^)'
>You feel a smile forming. That felt kind of nice.
>Oh wait, she might not know what senpai means
"Bah, w-whatever."
>You check your other messages.
>Sugarcoat sent you five messages. Hopefully it's all just one paragraph
>Sour Sweet, Sunny, and of course Lemon want to talk too.
>Sugarcoat then...
>'Hello Twilight Sparkle. I was wondering how you were doing over the past couple of hours so I decided to send you a text message asking about it. So how are you since your outburst in the hallway outside of your Unknown Properties and Logics Study Lab this afternoon? Are you still feeling up to spending time with me tomorrow evening? The movie is still yours to decide, otherwise I have a few ideas on what we could watch. I could choose a movie if you aren't feeling up to looking for something interesting to watch, that is perfectly fine with me. Please text me or call me as soon as you get this message so I know you're feeling better. It may not seem like it but I am actually very anxious and I hope that you're okay.
>Wow she's wrote even more
>Why does she do this. It was intimidating when she was bullying you, but...
>'Twilight, I understand that you may have not seen my message yet, and I don't want to bother you too much especially after one of the only episodes you've had in a few years, but I would appreciate you getting back to me as soon as possible.'
>...If you had any right to say so, you'd call her a big nerd.
>You sigh and type away
'Hi, I'm okay now. Thanks for checking up on me.'
>After a moment, you also send a smiley along. Maybe that will make her feel better
>Make her feel better? Since when were you the expert?
>You roll onto your back and close your eyes again.
>Social interaction is hard, and a little exhausting. Going from 0 to 50 friendly interactions in one day is hard
>Someone in a dark part in the back of your head asks you "Why bother then?"
>You don't know. You're just going along with the ride until you can figure out what happened to you.
>You're startled when your phone vibrates along your chest
>Sitting upright, you look.
>A few messages still
>Indigo sent you a quick one
>'>2016'
>'>Not loving my memes.'
>'Shiggy diggy doo doo :^)'
>What the heck, this is actually starting to bother you. But at least you know how to talk to her
>So you can at least not spaghetti with Indigo if you need to chat for whatever reason
>So
>Sunny, Lemon, Sour, and Sugar
>Sunny is sending you lovely vibes
>As in she's well...
>'Ma chérie~ My lovely Twilight! I miss you so~ Won't you tell me? How are you! My dear, sweet, lovely Twilight~'
>'~<3'
>Texting you like that
>You have to ignore the soft fluttering in your belly.
'I'm okay, thanks.'
>You grunt and rub your face.
>Your burning, blushing face
>Why does this hottie have to try to flirt with you
>You flinch
>Wait
>No
>Why does this girl have to try to flirt with you
>Right
>She's hot though
>But from an objective stand point
>[Flustered Internal Screaming Session]
>Lemon, fortunately, is just casually trying to strike up a conversation
>'Sup fam, whatru up to??? :D:D:D'
>Thank the gods, this one is just acting normal
'I am currently trying to relax. What about you?'
>'lol you still txt all srs like. Thas cool :D:D:D Im just finishing my workout! Then Im going home! :D:D:D'
>A thoughtful hum escapes you.
>Lemon works out?
'Work out?'
>You suppose you never thought about it at all, but that huge strength she has, had... Still has?
>It couldn't all be natural talent, could it?
>'Workin these guns! lol :D:D:D I've been wrkin out a lot since ya know what. Punching and lifting! It feels gud , so I still do lol'
>You know what? What do you know?
>What happened?
>Is that what happened?
'"Ya know what."? What happened...?'
>You pause, your thumb hovering over the SEND button
>Do you want to keep your cover?
>This will give away that you aren't you immediately
>What will
>FUCK
>YOUR THUMB SLIPPED
>[Internal Screaming Session x10!]
>How do you cancel a text message from being delivered?
>Before you can figure it out, the little bubble with your words in it confirms that it has been sent
>'...fam, that hurts :'C'
>You gasp.
>Crap
>What do you do?
>What do you do!?
>Do something, you freaking sperg!
>Don't lose your friend, you need her to trust that you're who you say you are!
'Oh!'
>Good start! Make sure to sound friendly!
'haha, I thought I was talking to someone else!'
>Keep going, don't take the advantage! Keep lying!
'I'm so sorry, I got your message mixed up with someone else's!
>Finish the fight! Apologize again!
'Sorry, fam!'
>Oof, good use of terrain. Taking her word to your advantage like that
>'...'
>Crap. You've always sucked at tactical gaming
>'Oh lol I getcha. You talkin to the others? lol'
>You sigh as you sit upright
>Squeezing your eyes shut, you stretch, hearing your back pop a little.
>That was hard
>You look back down at your phone
>Still a message from Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet
>Sunny sent you a ';o ~<3'
>Whatever that means
>You had no idea 3d girls were so difficult to deal with
>Usually, 2d grills just say what they say and you read a few choice responses, but this whole open response kind of thing is kind of intimidating
>And you aren't even trying to date them like in your neighponese imports
>The fingers of your free hand curl and bunch up your sheets
>...M-maybe you can try?
>Your heart flutters and you immediately shake your head with a shudder
>Focus
>Figure out what happened
>You have a mission!
>You pick up your phone again and open up your messager
>Which is already open to Lemon
>Perfect
'Yeah, sorry for the mix up. I'm gonna try to make sure I don't upset you like that. Wanna hang out some time?'
>Now to check Sour
>Uh
>It's just her
>She took a selfie of her frowning, and holding up a piece sign
>'I love you, twiley. :) Sorry I'm an ass. :('
>It looks like she's been crying, and her hair is down and frayed
>And this picture was taken inside your lab?
>'Sour? Are you okay...?'
>Everything is silent for a few minutes
>Eventually, Lemon replies
>'Totes :D:D:D Seeya... Sat????'
'Yeah, that sounds good.'
>After that, everything is quiet.
>No one replies back to you after that torrent of replies and social productivity
>And all is quiet, phone-wise
>...Do you want to instigate a conversation?
"N-nah."
>You're done with your phone for now, and it looks like it's at 30% anyway
>You set it to charge and head back to the internet
>You set forth and establish a list of possible sources you can investigate to figure out what happened
>First things first, you click over to /x/
>To lurk, of course
>Autoupdate is king
>Next, actual research
>You'll have to hit the library later this week, and while you aren't there, you'll need to be on the internet, finding clues
>You pull out  a notepad and jot down some notes
>It definitely has to be something paranormal
>If it isn't that, then you're insane
>...If it starts looking like that, you're giving up.
>Sigh
>What is happening?
>Your phone blares some music, waking you up
>Oh heck yeah, Power Pony theme song
>Go go Power Ponies!
>You hum along with the music as you slide out of bed and stretch
>The music winds down and you grab your phone and glasses, checking for anything new
>7:00 AM
>(Your room)
>Sour Sweet sent you a few messages at 4 AM and onward
>'I'm glad you're my friend. :) Even if we have our problems. :('
>'Together we kind of even out. :) I don't want to lose you to anyone. :('
>You blink and sigh, rubbing at your face
>Looking around, you spot your clothes, and then your notepad
>So today you need to do a couple of things
>Try to get information out of the girls
>Find out what happened between you and Lemon Zest
>Learn about anything else different between this reality and the one you remember
>And watch a movie with Sugarcoat
>Which you're supposed to choose. You totally forgot about that
>What do you choose, even?
>Obviously, you're going to choose trash
>That isn't even a point of argument, if she's giving you the choice, you're watching a bad fun movie
>Sci fi, that's your only restraint
>But yeah, the choice will be trashy
>You yawn as you disrobe down to your undies
>Trash movies, trash movies...
>You peek into your undie drawer and grab a clean pair, tossing these into the hamper
>The Toxic Avenger? Been a few years since you saw that and Toxie is just a big lovable goof.
>You slip into your shirt, buttoning up in front of your figures.
>Plus the weird romance between him and that girl was kind of sweet
>You stop and stare at Masked Mater-Horn as you think, as per your daily ritual
>Toxie started as a nerd no one liked, didn't he?
>Then he got super powers, killed a bunch of people, and then everyone saw him as a hero
>Hrm
>Toxic Avenger was a fantastic movie, no one can convince you otherwise
>You get down and slide up your fancy Crystal Prep skirt and buckle it up over your shirt
>Socks
>You kind of don't want to watch anything else, actually, at least not now that you have the idea in your head.
>The surreal parallel between yourself and Toxie that's there is... Oddly alluring
>Then again
>This is your chance to ironically watch trash with someone
>You can't just not choose the best possible trash, regardless of who this person was last week.
>Like Wicker Man is totally deserving of your choice, as is The Stuff, Star Wars I...
>Heh
>You stow your phone and notepad into your pockets and grab your bag
>Your door squeaks softly, stopping your plotting
>Oh
"H-hi Cadence."
>Cadence smiles at you, holding her hands together. She has her hair up in a ponytail,
>"Good morning, Twilight."
>You grin and give her a small wave. "H-hi."
>You slowly slide your right foot into your shoe, wiggling your foot around until it fits right
>"Do you want a ride to school today?"
>Uh
"Y-yeah, sure. Thanks."
>You smile, stuffing your other foot into your other shoe, and awkwardly stuff your heel in until the leather wraps around your heel
>Cadence giggles and steps away. "I'll get some breakfast ready, see you in a bit."
>You watch her go
>Good ol' Cadence, always helping you out
>Shining's lucky to have a girl like that
>Couldn't really ask for a better girl
>Anyway, on the topic of good bad fun movies
>Wicker Man, Toxic Avenger, The Stuff, and maybe one other
>Taking a quick glance around your room, you decide you're all set
>Out into the house then, to join Cadence in the kitchen
>The Stuff might not be good enough to stand on its own, at least not from the last time you watched it
>You don't know why
>The story was decently bad
>The acting was hilarious
>You sit down at the breakfast table, watching Cadence shift around the stove
>She is humming to herself while she fries up something pleasant smelling
>You fiddle with the salt shaker while trying to puzzle this movie thing
>The Stuff
>It didn't really have any good zingers, you guess, nothing to really take away from it
>You click your tongue and set the shaker down
>No, when you watched it, you were dealing with shitty dial-up because mom and dad were both between jobs and Shining hadn't moved out yet
>Ugh
>It took you five hours to watch that travesty
>You groan and lean back, rubbing your face under your glasses. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience
>Cadence places a plate in front of you, drawing your mind away from your thoughts
>Ooh, bacon, eggs, and toast
>Yum.
>Cadence sits down next to you and sets to eating her own plate, while reading on her phone
>She seems to catch you watching her and puts her phone away. "Something the matter?"
"Uh... Just thinking..." You chuckle softly and begin stuffing your face. "Thanks for breakfast, Cadence." You smile to her
>She smiles back and wraps an arm around your shoulder. "Don't mention it, Twiley."
>You pause, and slowly resume chewing
>Weird, you've never heard her call you that before
>That's usually Shiney's thing
>Weird, but not the weirdest thing to happen this week
>Wow it's only Tuesday
>God dang

>After a few minutes, you and Cadence finish breakfast and pack into her big pink car
>Old Cadence didn't have a car, so you don't know what you should have expected
>Definitely not an old beater full of boxes of paperwork
>Seeing no Crystal sigil and that she's out of uniform, you know this isn't for Crystal Prep
>What does she do for work then? Why does she have these?
>As you buckle up, you take a peek back
>Hm. Time to work on your investigative skills
>Bethesda trained you for this.
"M-more boxes?"
>Cadence giggles as she backs out of the driveway
>"Nah, but it seems like it everyday!"
>You smile. Better, but you need more...
>When she's out on the road, you poke again with another question
"W-when do you get t-to put them somewhere else a-again?"
>Cadence purses her lips and skews them to the side as she hums.
>After a moment of driving, she stops at a red light. "...I dunno." She smiles over at you.
>"I suppose whenever the boss lady lets me order that filing cabinet we need for the office."
>You chuckle softly at that. Who? "Is she still that bad?"
>She chuckles back, shaking her head. "Are you kidding? Chrysalis? She's the worst!"
"W-worst of the district."
>Cadence gives a merry laugh as she pulls up to Crystal Prep and parks.
>You peek at your phone.
>7:15 AM
>Cadence startles you with a hug when you aren't looking, squeezing a yelp out of you
>When she lets go, you both give each other a look
>She seems confused
>You know your face is burning with embarrassment
>Crap, did you go to far?
>You think so, but then she smiles, which you return with a giggle
>"Have fun at school, Twiley."
>You nod a little and pull out of the car. "I'll be sure too. See you later, Cadence!"
>You turn from the car as Cadence pulls away, and look on at Crystal Prep's looming face
>Big building, full of overachievers and smart bullies
>Something strange happened to one of it's students recently
>And that student still doesn't know what movie she wants to watch with her ex-bully friend
>You start walking, tucking your fingers behind your backpack's straps
>You duck in. So far, so good.
>Not many kids are here yet
>Just like you like it
>Or used to like it?
>No, it's still the same, nice and quiet without the trodding of designer shoes on marble and lockers being swung open and closed
>Gives you some peace of mind to think
>You pull out your notepad and quickly go over your notes
>Sugarcoat's Movie
>Investigate relationship with Sugarcoat while watching (something)
>'Pretend to befriend her' is crossed out
>Maintain relationship with her is scribbled underneath it
>Be friends?
>Possibly have her help you figure out WHAT IS HAPPENING
>That's your new favorite phrase
>Continuing on to your locker, you hear a soft beat
>Peering around, you spot Lemon Zest one two stepping down the hall as she bobs her head
>Away from you
>Trying your best not to engage, you creep closer to your locker and watch her
>You want to talk to as few people as possible today-
>Ah crap, she turned around
>As soon as she saw you, she smiled wide, set her headphones on her shoulder and tromped up to you and your locker
>"Hi Twi-fam!"
>She's grinning from ear to ear as she looks down at you
>She's also really close, so you take a half step back, minding the lockers behind you
"H-hey... Lem-fam..."
>She gasps and you look up
>She's got her hands to her cheeks, and an astonished sparkle in her eye
>"Dude, Twi-fam, that's so totes perf!"
>You chuckle softly
>"Y-yeah..."
>You just stand there for a few moments with Lemon
>After only a few seconds, she lowered her hands to her hips
>You look up and see she's still got a faint smile
>Your arm feels kind of warm, so you reach up and adjust your sleeve
"S-so-"
>"Anyway-"
>You look up at her
>She has an expectant stare for you
>You roll your wrist toward her.
"Y-you go first..."
>She smiles. "Anyway, I can see you're a bit busy. I won't bother you too much, fam. Just wanted to ask something real quick."
>She throws her arms out wide. "Are we back to hugs yet?"
>You reflexively gulp
"Y-yeah, hugs are c-c-cool."
>She grins wide and leans down, picking you up in a hug.
>It's... A hug. You were totally prepared to die just now, but Lemon just holds you aloft for a second or two
>She lets out a content grunt and sets you down. "Yeah, hugs are cool."
>Letting out a soft breath, she lazily crosses her arms across her upper belly.
>She looks kind of off
>But you don't know how
>There's a distant look in her eye, and a small smile across her lips
>You guess pleased is the best word
>But from a hug?
>Before you can inquire, she raises a hand and waves
>"Seeya, Twi-fam."
"B-bye." After a split second's hesitation, you add "Lem-fam."
>Lemon Zest giggles to herself and replaces her headphones as she walks
>W I H?
>Maybe Lemon Zest is just the weird one
>She's your freebie
>Lemon's all figured out, she's just weird
>You whip out your notepad and scribble that down next to a poorly drawn headshot of Lemon Zest
>Possibly knows nothing about what happened as well
>She seems clueless enough
>Unless what you're supposed to know is what happened
>Ugh
>You stow your notepad and turn to your locker
>Twist
>Twist
>Twist
>Click, locker's open
>You set to work moving your stuff around and back and forth and such
>Mostly you're just going through the motions
>With the classes you're in, you could take a ream of loose wide ruled paper to class and a dozen blue pens and you'd still pass with flying colors
>Whoever you replaced was so casual about her curriculum...
>"L-lemme just s-sign up for the m-most basic suite of c-classes real quick. T-then off to... P-post on... Facebook..." Or whatever it is normal girls your age do.
>What do normal girls your age do?
>Wow, never thought you'd ask that
>You rub your chin and stare at the pile of papers you grabbed and the fistful of pens in the other hand
>What do girls do?
>Just hang out, right?
>Go to the park?
>Watch movies?
>Crap, Sugarcoat
>You toss your things into your backpack and whip out your notepad
>You have a few ideas...
>Sugarcoat's father owns a big business, right?
>And she's sort of a big shot kind of girl, walking around like she owns the place?
>Maybe she'd enjoy the brutal ramblings of The Drake?
>Hobo With a Shotgun was fun times, the first time you watched it
>Freaking quality production, right there
>That freaking movie has everything, it has thrills, chills, and that special stuff in everybody
>The Spills
>The first time you saw that movie, you couldn't help but draw parallels between your big brother as the hobo and either Sour Sweet or a very crazed Sugarcoat as The Drake
>It's The Drake
>Gods, hamfisted acting is the best acting
>You smile, giggling to yourself
>Box office directors don't know what they're doing anymore
>There's no one delivering justice one shell at a time in these big budget productions anymore.
>Delivering justice
>One
>Shell
>At a
>Time
>You chuckle to yourself
>"What's so funny, Twilight? Did you perhaps watch something funny on the internet again, or did you hear a good joke as of late?"
>Pause
>Look
>There's Sugarcoat
>You grin softly
"O-oh, I was just thinking a-about what movie we can w-watch..."
>"Do tell. I always look forward to your film choices. You have such an excellent taste in cinematic pieces."
>You're gods damn right
>Don't you fucking forget it.
>You smile and peer at your notepad one last time before stowing it
"Uh... Heh, w-well, w-would you r-rather watch a s-super hero m-movie, or would you r-rather watch a s-story about a w-wayward vagabond?"
>"Twilight, I love hanging out with you, but I really don't want to watch any more Power Ponies films, animated or otherwise, nor do I want to watch any neighponese subtitled dramas. I understand that you love them... Hm?"
>She thankfully stops when you wave your hands around and shake your head
"It's n-neither of those, I-I swear."
>Wow you forced your shit tastes on her?
>That's sad
>Regardless, Sugarcoat crosses her arms, watching you
>"I'm listening to whatever it is you're trying to propose."
>You grin and hold your hands behind your back.
"I-it's an a-awesome m-movie."
>"And does this supposedly awesome movie have a title so I can have Cola download it for us?"
>You nod, and fix your glasses
"It's called Th-The Toxic Avenger!"
>Sugarcoat stares at you for a moment. She then furrows her brow and slowly looks away
>Her eyes narrow as she glares away from you
>You follow her gaze and find nothing there, just wall
>You look back to her, and she's looking down with her arms crossed over her chest tighter than usual
>"...I've never heard of that film."
>Oh good
>Perfect, as a matter of fact
"It's a little out there, I'll admit, but I think it'll be fun to watch it with you."
>Sugarcoat just stares at you for a moment
>She blinks and looks down into her locker. "Okay."
"Okay?"
>"Okay."
"Okay."
>"Okay."
>You giggle a bit, and she joins you.
>She stops
>"I'll have Cola download it for us while we're at school as well as fetch us the proper snacks and other accommodations necessary..." Sugar pulls out her cell phone and starts typing away, leaving you standing there next to her
>You lean toward your locker and rework your bag again.
>You're seriously going to just take almost nothing to class and you're actually cool with it
>If yesterday was any indicator, you don't have to put in much of any effort into any of these classes
>"Okay, Cola has the instructions and we can trust him to carry these instructions to the letter." She sets her phone into her her jacket pocket and smiles at you. "I'm looking forward to this. I adore our monthly movie nights, Twilight. I don't think I told you how much I adore spending time with you, but I really do."
>She reaches out and places a hand on your shoulder
>With a blink, you look down at her hand, and she slowly takes it away, crossing her arms again
>You look back at her
>Her brow furrows and she slowly looks to her locker
"U-uh-"
>"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that I really appreciate you as a friend and companion, especially these days when I find myself getting lonely."
>She says all this without looking away from her locker.
"S-sugarcoat, I..."
>She takes a deep breath and sets her locker closed.
>She looks at you out of the corner of her eye
>You lock up, sort of frozen between reaching out to her and flinching away
>The grimace stuck on your face may not be helpful
>What is she upset about?
>Your fingers curl up and you slowly transition into a cringe
>"I'm sorry, again, I'm sorry. I did not intend at all to make you feel uncomfortable and I know that certain things can make you uncomfortable or even upset."
>She looks back to her locker and furrows her brow.
"S-sugarcoat, please-"
>"Please forget I said anything, okay? It sort of slipped out and I wasn't thinking about what I was saying before I said it, which is my fault. I'm always good at that, just these past couple of days have been a little troublesome for me, emotionally speaking."
>You sigh, wrapping your fingers around the straps on your backpack.
>What do you even say to her?
>You should know how to react to this situation, at least the other you should know
>Quick, what do you do?
>Something something
>You smile
"R-relax, I'm not u-upset with y-you. O-or anything."
>Sugarcoat seems to relax at that. Good.
>Thank the gods you can learn with sink or swim type situations, or you would have crashed and burned a long time ago with this social interaction stuff.
>She adjusts her glasses and gives you a small smile. She crosses her arms again, but this time much looser, just so she's holding her elbows and not any more than that.
>"I am so happy to hear that, Twilight. I was positive I might have upset you, but apparently my assessment was wrong, much to my delight. If that's the case, can I still count on our plans to be carried out this evening?"
>You nod, inwardly sighing. "O-of course. I-I wouldn't m-miss it for the w-world."
>She nods at that and picks up her backpack, slinging it on.
>After a quick adjustment, she looks back at you once more, and gives you a short wave
>You reply in turn, and she sets off on her own way
>...Well that was pleasant
>But weird in a way
>You glance around. The halls are empty at the moment
>Sugarcoat seems off.
>It's like she thought you were reacting wrong to something?
>Was it the hand to shoulder thing?
>Was that a thing? Like a thing thing, that people consider important?
>Or was it you?
>Do you seem off to her?
>Was it about yesterday or...?
>Is your cover being blown?
"B-bluh."
>You pull out your phone
>7:30 AM
>You have a message from Sour Sweet
>'Would you like to hang out tomorrow? :) To sort of say sorry for yesterday... :('
>Bluh
>'Sure, that sounds fine. You can choose where we hang out, as long as we don't have to spend too much.'
>7:32 AM
>School... Starts at 7:45 AM
>First period starts at 8:30 AM
>You don't actually have any reason to be this early
>You used to have a lot of homework to do
>But you don't anymore
>Maybe you could go to the library and read a bit
>But...
>Nah?
>More students are starting to stream in now
>The library is probably crowded
>You could go to your lab, and crunch some numbers on energy X
>You turn around and dig through your locker
>Nice, your notes
>...Look weird
>You thumb through the pages of the binder you set up
>And all the numbers look wrong
>There are no lengthy algorithms
>There is none of the extended data you collected
>There's no mention of your X detection device beta!
>You groan to the ceiling
>At least you have a year to redo it
>But that was a year's worth of work
>You'll have to remake the X detection device beta from scratch
>And you'll have to correct these numbers, or make sure that the readings were recorded so you can ensure that they are incorrect or not
>Ugh
>You set the binder into your backpack.
>This is going to be one of those take home weeks.
>7:55 AM
>Your lab
>You stare at the door
>Please don't be in there
>Please don't anyone be in there
>With a sigh, you grab the doorknob and pull
>The door opens to reveal...
>An almost entirely empty room!
"Y-yeah..."
>"Hey, Twi."
>You flinch, jumping into your lab
>You twist your head around and spy Sour Sweet standing behind you in the doorway, holding her small bag in both hands
>She smiles and steps inside, shutting the door behind her
>"Fancy meeting you here!" She frowns and takes a seat. "Usually I spend mornings alone..."
>You watch her and after a moment, you take a seat, pushing your lab computer on
>Behind you, you hear her do the same. You mostly ignore her as you wait for this old computer to boot up
>Several times, you hear her humming to herself behind you
>You also hear her grumbling to herself behind you
>You try your best to ignore her
>Emotional trauma heals slow, man
>Real slow
>Which is sad, because thanks to your recent experience in social interaction, you can tell she's really expecting you to start the conversation
>She does keep turning to face you, and her chair squeaks loudly enough whenever she fully swivels to face you
>But, nah
>Research
>You hastily search up some terms to begin your investigation on "their Twilight"
>Alternate Realities
>Cross Dimensions
>Missing Persons
>You hear footsteps, and your hands freeze over the yellowed keyboard
>Looking up, you see Sour Sweet
>She has a faint smile and a concerned look in her eye
>She waves down at you
>You give her a thin smile and wave up
>You glance at your backpack, which she moved to the table without you noticing
>Your brow furrows
>...You search up CHS as well, in a new tab
>"What are you researching...?"
>She mumbles something into her fist
"U-um... Just... S-some r-random things..."
>It's not entirely a lie
>Still, you don't like faking it like this
>Regardless of how you feel, Sour Sweet seems to take your words to heart, nodding with earnest as she watches you
>She takes a seat, setting herself down with care, before scooting closer to you
>Hopefully just to look over your shoulder
>Hopefully she doesn't want to talk anymore
>"So..."
>Crap
>"About yesterday...?"
>Double Crap
>"Are you... You know... Friends with Lemon Zest now?"
>Now? What does that mean?
>Sour angrily grumbles something to the air next to her, away from you
>Three piece Crap combo
>Uh
"U-uh..."
>You look away from her and back to the computer
>8:12 AM
>Uh
>"It's totally fine if you are!" Sour raises her hands slightly. "I-I just wish you'd have told me!"
>You risk glancing up at her
>And you regret it in an instant when you see the torn up grimace-grin she's wearing
>Holy crap, you don't need this, not from her
>Not from anyone
"I-I'll try to explain... L-later, okay?"
>You lock eyes with her, and she slowly lowers her hands, letting them hang slightly by her sides. She rests into a neutral expression, too
>"Oh... Okay." She slowly looks down as her hands connect, her fingers weaving together just under her belly
>She murmers "It's not like I'm worried." as she gets up and collects her things
>Crap, this looks really bad
>As much as you don't want to deal with her, you can't let your reputation turn to total garbage because you're in over your head
"S-sour... S-s-s-sweetie...?"
>Sour Sweet visibly flinches, midway slinging her bag over her shoulder
>Nicknames are good, right?
>Her bag hangs loosely in her hand
>You're about to say something, when you hear a sniffling come from her
>"Y-yeah?"
>Come on, careful
>Damage control
>Don't lose any friends, Twilight
>Real or fake
"I uh... I s-still care a-about you... Y-you know, as... A-a... F-friend?"
>At first she doesn't react
>But then she slowly turns and faces you, smiling wide as tears run down her face
>Again, she acts quicker than you can react, slamming herself onto you, squeezing you tight as she cries into your shoulder
>It isn't a violent cry, just some wet sobbing
>You reach up to adjust your glasses, and set your hand on her back
>You don't know what to do with your other hand, so you sort of hold her shoulder
>After a few minutes, she eases down, resting her head against your shoulder while she kneels before you
"B-better?"
>She nods
"...W-what was th-that?"
>Sour chuckles. You can hear some bitterness in her laughter though, which is somewhat concerning
>"I was being dumb... As usual, I got ahead of myself."
>You don't respond.
>It might be a good idea to see where she takes this
>She picks herself up and wipes her face with the back of her hands
>"I thought that after yesterday, and how you didn't support getting Lemon to go away, that you had changed..." She wraps her hands together and looks down, furrowing her brow
>"I got ahead of myself last night, thinking too hard about you, and Lemon and..." She motions between you and her, "Us."
>She slowly looks into your eyes
>Is she going to start crying again?
>You want to check the time, to make sure she isn't going to make you late, but you also don't want to hurt her feelings by being rude
>Why do you care all of a sudden?
>Why should you care if you're rude to her or not, after all she's done?
>Even if this is some weird new Sour Sweet, what does this person owe you?
>You look straight at her, your brow knitting together. You barely know her.
>Sour Sweet starts to tremble under your gaze
>She might start crying again
>You're not her Twilight
>She's not your friend...
>Right?
>"S-stop looking at me like that..."
>You stand up, but you instantly regret doing so
>You stumble back into your chair, as you become light headed and feel a headache coming on at the same time
>You groan and grab your head, feeling the pounding slowly grow
>"Shh..."
>There's a cool sensation on your forehead
>You open your eyes and see Sour Sweet
>She's sitting in your lap with her legs draped across yours
>You flinch and she shakes her head
>"Relax..." She runs her hand over the back of your head and neck
>You try to say something
>But
>Your throat is dry
>Is that her heartbeat or yours?
>You look down, and see her chest barely even pressed against yours
>Wow, definitely not hers, from how far away her heart is
>Wow, you might die from this
>Are you really so desperate for affection that just any physical contact can make you panic like this?
>Apparently, so Twilight. Apparently so
>Sour Sweet continues cooing, her free hand sliding along your cheek, her thumb rubbing just under the frame of your glasses
>Wow
>This is... Relaxing
>Whatever that headache was, it's dead and gone now
>You lean your head forward and use her chest as a pillow
>Sour Sweet giggles, hugging you
>"Poor Twilight, always having meltdowns. You should let me help more often!"
>She squeezes you tighter and grumbles to herself
>"That way I can fucking help you instead of feeling like a useless side bitch."
>Okay?
>Seriously? What does that even mean?
>You pat her on the back. "Th-thanks, S-sweetie."
>She giggles again and stands up
>You look up at her and find her smiling extra wide down at you
>You glance at your phone
>8:20 AM
>You glance back at Sour Sweet
>She seems calmer
>"Are you better?"
"Y-yeah, my head w-was light a-all of a sudden."
>You rub your forehead a little
>Everything up there seems fine enough
>You clear your throat and stand back up, putting your hand on your hip as you grab your backpack
>Wow your hip is really easy to grab
"I-I don't know w-what it was, r-really."
>Ugh, maybe stress from dealing with this... Girl
>Reaching over, you grab your bag
>"So..."
>As you hook your backpack to yourself, you look back at Sour
>She smiles. "Y-you're friends with Lemon then?"
>You cock a brow and slowly nod. "Y-yeah, I guess."
>"Interesting."
>You close the door behind you as you exit. "W-why, w-why is it i-interesting?"
>Sour gives you a sly look as you walk together.
>She looks forward again as she walks. "Well, after that big deal you made over cutting her off... I didn't think you had it in you to forgive her."
>CRAP
>Fucking SHIT
>You chuckle under your breath, and try to hide your swallowing
"I-I g-guess I'm j-just t-trying to t-turn over a n-new leaf..."
>At that, Sour Sweet slowly looks to you. At first it was just out of the corner of her eye, but then she's looking straight at you as she walks
>For a moment, she holds her gaze, and the only thing you can hear is the tapping of each of your shoes against the pale crystal floor
>Glancing back, you see she's still staring at you
>She has a coy smile as she does so
>"...Interesting."
>You stop in front of your first period class and nod.
"Y-yeah, i-interesting..."
>"Do you have plans for this weekend?"
>She blurted it it out so quick you don't have time to process it
"Wha?"
>"Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?"
"W-what about them?"
>"Are you doing anything?"
"N-no... Maybe... N-no?"
>Are you?
>She smiles wide. "Do you want to go to the carnival Saturday?"
"S-sure..."
>Sweetie clasps her hands together, and gives a small bounce. Your eyes widen slightly. "Great! I'm already so excited."
>Her smile fades slightly. "It's been so long since we've hung out..."
"Y-yeah... T-that's nice..." You shake your head and adjust your glasses "S-s-see you l-later, okay?"
>Sour Sweet nodded and waved to you, leaving you to enter your first period class...
>You peek at your phone
>8:28 AM
>Early.
>Nice.

>You aren't the first one into class, but you're not the last in either
>Which is nice
>Letting other people seem worse than you are is practically one of Crystal Prep's codes of conduct
>Actually it might literally be, it wouldn't surprise you
>You set yourself down next to Sunny and Indy
>They both instantly perk up at your appearance
>Sunny waves. "Good morning, ma petite~ How has your morning been~?"
>That steady rhythm she speaks with... It sets you at ease
>You sigh, easing back into your seat
"I-it's been one of th-those m-mornings..."
>A concerned frown appears on her lips, but she turns it around, placing her chin onto her weaved fingers
>"I'm so sorry to hear that~"
>You glance at her
>She hums softly. "Is there anything I can do for you, ma chérie~?"
>You let out a long breath and close your eyes
>It's really easy to listen to Sunny talk, especially now that she's being friendly toward you
>Having Sunny as your friend is probably your favorite part about all this
"I... W-would j-just like to r-relax..."
>You slouch a bit in your seat, letting your mental exhaustion translate into the physical realm as you stare at the blackboard half-lidded
>Indigo takes this as a chance to pipe up
>"What's gotcha down, bae? Like, ya know, specifically."
>Your eyes roll away from Sunny, who's now frowning, to the edge of your field of vision
>Then you turn your head to look at Indigo
>She's grinning wide, but when you roll your head toward her, her grin falters just a little
>"Well?"
>You take a deep breath
>And let it out
"W-well... Y-yesterday, m-mostly..."
>Indy furrows her brow and you can see the cogs work in her head as her bright eyes dart around inside that thick skull of hers
>"...Yesterday?"
>"The fight, dearie, she's complaining about the fight."
>Indigo jumps a little, suddenly realizing now that Sunny told her
>"Oh you mean that thing with Sour Patch and Lemon Lime?"
>Ignoring Sunny Flare's soft grunt of a sigh behind you, you slowly nod, squeezing your hands under your... Surprisingly soft thighs
>How did you survive without all this flesh?
>Uncomfortably, to be honest
>Even now, all of the weight of your slouch is being absorbed by your butt.
>Fat ass tech is the way of the future; what a time to be alive
>Focus. Indy is just wrapping up gloating about her exploits in that stupid fight
>Blowing it out of proportion, too
>"...Like not even a chance, you know? Besides, that's what Lemon Lime gets for starting shit with you."
>You narrow your eyes
>Is she finished?
>Indigo points a thumb at herself, smirking. "Me, she gets me."
>Sunny groans next to you. "Really, dearie, you shouldn't be such a braggart."
>Shifting your gaze, you see a downright cocky Sunny Flare raise her nose at Indigo
>"If you continue to go on and on like that, your head may pop from all the hot air~" At that, she flips her hair back, smiling
>Looking back at Indigo, you raise a hand slightly, hoping to nip this argument in the bud
>But she ignores you, glaring right over you at Sunny
>"Excuse me?"
>You feel your headache coming back, so you lean forward and press a finger to your temple
>You hear a scoff roll out of Sunny's tongue
>"Now that I think on it, perhaps it's you're fault that happened~?"
>It's Indigo's turn to scoff, though indignantly
>"Yeah, w-well-"
>"It wouldn't have been the first, either~"
>Sigh
>You lower your hand and look between who's talking
>Indigo looks like she's about to say something, but Sunny interrupts her
>"Oh, remember the summer of 09~? Ohohoho~ The ninety day brawl~?"
>There's a slight jab in the back of your head, from this headache coming back
>You grab your head and rub as you watch these two
>Sunny just starts chuckling into the back of her hand, while glowering at Indigo
>You hear Indigo growling next to you
>Her face is burning red, and she's clenching her fists so hard, her knuckles are white
>Gods, how could two people hate each other so much?
>Indigo slams her fist into her desk, jerking your attention away from your thoughts
>"Listen, ya dumb slut, that summer was my freakin legacy! You can't just mention it like it was some stupid shit like that, you hear me?"
>Indigo's fingers curled around the back of her seat as she looked across you at Sunny
>
>Whatever, let them hate ea-
>You double over, grabbing your head with a yelp
>What is this!?
>It's ten times more painful!
>Explode! Your head is going to explode!
>Sunny and Indigo both latch onto you
>"Twi!"
>"Twi!"
>Their voices barely penetrate the haze of red hot pain drilling its way through your skull
>Why?
>What is happening?
>What is this pain?
>Your friends...
>You sigh as you feel cold spread across your neck
>The pain eases quite a bit as it crawls up the back of your neck and prods into your head
>It's numbing, in a way
>It reduces the pain
>You groan and slouch in your seat, rubbing at your forehead
>Ow
>Your throat hurts now too
>Looking around, it seems like a small crowd formed
>You nervously smile
"I-I'm... O-okay."
>This seems to dissipate their interest, but Indy and Sunny are still staring
>You glance between them both as the students sit back down, murmuring about your antics
>Indigo has a straight face. She's not showing you what she's thinking, or any reaction to what just happened
>Whatever that was
>She blinks and slowly looks away
>Indigo sets her hands on either side of her desk and slouches a bit
>All while wearing that same stoic expression
>Turning, you see Sunny isn't much better
>Well, actually, she's worse
>She's just then dabbing at her eyes, and her lip is quivering
>When she catches you looking at her, she takes a deep breath, clutching her hankie to her chest
>After a moment, she tears her gaze away, looking far away from you
>What the heck is going on?
>What is happening?
>...
>Your throat is sore
>Glancing once more, Indigo is still despondent, but when she notices you, she puts on an uncomfortable sneer and turns her head away
>And Sunny still won't look at you.
>Well, isn't this neat
>You glance at the clock
>8:45 AM
>With a sigh, you set your head down onto your desk
>To your mild annoyance, your glasses make a clattering sound as they slip off and land between your face and the wood
>It's only Tuesday
"F-f-frick..."

>Lunch
>You don't care what time it is
>This headache is coming and going, but thank the gods, it's not nearly as bad as when you were with Indigo and Sunny
>Thank the gods lunch is a relatively quiet period, away from questions and chatting students
>You press your hand to your forehead and stare at your food
>You used your change from yesterday to buy it
>So there's not much
>But you don't really need that much, anyway
>Hm
>You grab your cell phone
>1:08 PM
>You have a few messages
>Everyone
>Sugarcoat and Lemon are so far the least annoying
>Lemon is closer to the top of the list of messages
>':D:D:D dude, twifam, how r u????'
>The innocence
>You sip on your milk
'I'm fighting a bad headache today. How about you?'
>Pause
>'Lemfam'
>You smile, and wince at the pinching pain in your head
>Sugarcoat...
>Blah blah blah... Everything is set for movie night
>Should you be ashamed of skimming what she's saying?
>Nah, she probably doesn't mind
>Movie night...
>You smile again.
>Watching a bad movie with a cute girl...
>That sounds really nice, actually.
>Definitely better than anything else right now
>You sigh and glance at the other messages
>Indigo, a reply from Lemon, Sunny, and Sour
>Sour sent you a selfie
>Okay, it's just her smiling
>With a...
>A few buttons undone
>Oh wow
>Saved
>...Gosh. You didn't notice, but she's so...
>Deep, squishy, creamy-
>You flinch and shake your head
>Indigo and Sunny are saying the same thing
>'Hey, no meme, I'm sorry for what happened today, bae. Like, you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, it's just that Sunny really irritates me...'
>'Ma chérie... I wish to tell you that I am sorry, for how I acted today. It was not my intent to upset you at all, I just wanted Ms. Zap to end her indulgent fairy tale.'
>You give them both a simple 'Thanks' as reply and check up on Lemon
>'Yo dude, twifam, that sucks :C:C:C'
>You glance at your milk
>Sigh, it's empty
>You get up and throw away your trash while texting
>'Yeah, I just have to get through the day on force of will, I suppose.'
>You sigh and look up from your phone.
>Hopefully that's all today will take.

>3:00 PM
>After school
>Your headache is... There
>It's not worse
>But it's not better either
>You sigh as you stare at your lab's door
>Sweetie is going to be in there
>Will your headache get worse dealing with her?
>Probably
>There's a throb, and you reflexively grab your head
>Why is she here so often?
>You grab the knob with your free hand
>Sigh
>Maybe you can...
>The throbbing continues, pervading your thoughts and concentration
>Just
>Ignore her?
>There's a softer throb, interrupting the
>This damn headache!
>If you had any real classes, you would have been struggling the entire day
>Eh...
>You pull the door open, leering the entire time
>Sour is sitting at a table, jotting notes or drawing
>She looks over at you and smiles, waving
>And that's it
>She just goes back to her schoolwork
>You stand upright
>You debate starting a conversation with her
>Should you?
"U-uh..."
>She looks over at you
>Giving you a curious stare
>Your headache throbs and you grab your head
>"H-hey...?"
>She smiles wider. "Hello, Twilight! Welcome back, I'm just doing homework."
>She turns away and mumbles something before turning back
>You stare at her for a second, before walking to your computer
>You grab the back of your chair, feeling her gaze on you
>Looking toward her, you catch her gaze.
>You have a staring contest
>Wow
>Why is she so focused on you?
>Wait, crap
>Your Sour was obsessed with bullying you
>But this one is really nice...
>Gasp
>"What's wrong?"
>You look back at her, blinking a few times
"S-sweetie...?"
>"Hm?"
>Uh...
>"W-what's m-my fa-favorite book?"
>Without missing a beat, she replies, "Of this month, this week, or all time?"
>You inwardly flinch
>Gods damn, you have yourself a Sweet fangirl
>"All time."
>"Your sister's favorite book, The Once and Future King."
>You take a step back and set into your chair
"Mhm..."
>"What's your favorite of the week?"
>Reflexively, the words spill out, "D-daring Doo And T-the Immortals..."
>Looking up, she nods, seemingly approving of your choice.
>She smiles and sets her pencil down, before walking toward you
>"On a more serious note..."
>Your eyes widen as she slides her arm around your shoulder and eases into your lap
>What is this?
>What is happening?
>"I have a bit of a serious question to ask you..."
>Your headache is evaporating, but your heart rate is accelerating!
>Get off, you Mega Milk monster!
>She places her other hand under your chin, looking you in the eye
>Or don't, really, it's cool, it's cool
>Sour Sweet presses herself closer to you, her chest squeezing against yours
>You're cool with this
>She looks you in the eye, smiling a small, sweet smile. "Are you feeling better than this morning?"
>You're on cloud nine, honestly
>Friendship ain't half bad, if this is what it gets you
>Realizing she wants an answer, you dumbly nod
>She giggles and hugs you
>"Good..." She nuzzles the top of your head
>"I wouldn't want the world's best girlfriend being stressed out."
>Oh.
>Well, that's... Neat
>Sour cocks her head, her smiling curling farther upward
>You smile back, albeit with a sort of crook
>Sour Sweet pulls her hand away, one finger at a time, and taps your nose
>With slow, deliberate movements, she places both hands on your chest, so she's just barely touching your shoulders, while her palms rest just... Over...
>Her smile shifts into the coy grin from this morning as she pulls her hands away
>"Interesting."
>You stare at her, your face flushing
>W-what?
>"Dude, seriously? It's not even Friday yet, chill."
>Your head whips around to look at the now open door
>There's Indigo, standing with her duffle bag hanging on her hip
>Sour slides off of your lap, leaving your thighs to cool, and pats out her skirt
"W-what?"
>You rapidly blink, looking between Sour and Indy
>Sour is smirking, tenting her fingers against her belly
>Indigo has a less than impressed scowl as she stares at Sour Sweet, holding a hand on her hip.
>"Seriously?"
>Sour giggles. "I don't see what the problem here is~" She scowls. "Unless you're jealous of me and MY bestie..."
>Don't fight, seriously
>You look to Indigo
>Please, please don't fight
>Please read my mind, Indigo
>You catch her eye just as she was going to retort
>Whatever flare of anger she was about to spit at Sour dies on her lips with a strangled grunt
>She sighs and looks away from you
>"Dude... Whatever."
>Indy marches in with her bag of athletic stuff and immediately goes for the chair right next to you, behind Sour
>Within a moment, she's fully composed again
>She winks and drops her heavy bag onto the table. "Ey bae."
>You smile and nod at her
>With a confused frown, Sour watches Indigo for only a moment before looking away and taking her own chair
>They quietly sit, facing each other
>The sounds of footsteps break the short silence, and you see Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare at the doorway
>Sugarcoat wanders in, almost seeming to not notice anyone as she picks up the chair next to Sour Sweet
>She drags it away, sitting a little bit between both Sour and Indy
>Almost as an after thought, she takes off her backpack, setting it down next to her as she sits with her arms crossed loose across her belly
>Sunny slowly steps in, carefully treading the completely safe crystal flooring with dainty little steps
>She ends up taking the last seat for herself, between you and Sour with a silent sigh.
>She offers you a withered grin as she places her book bag on her lap
>You look among the four gathered
>Gang's all here
>...Except for Lemon
>Is that because of yesterday?
>You hope she's alright-
>Why is everyone staring at you?
>Everyone's turned around in their seats and is watching you expectantly
>You can feel your face flushing again
>What is this?
>What is happening?
>You reach up and wipe some sweat off your brow
"H-hi... G-girls..."
>You give them a grin that you hope isn't too nervous looking
"H-how is e-everyone...?"
>Everyone gathered mutters a positive response over each other
>Okay...
>So, what is this?
"S-so... W-what w-would you girls l-like to d-do?"
>They glance at each other
>Indigo in particular looks confused
>"Uh... Bae, you don't have anything planned?"
>You grin, looking between each of them
>What should you have?
>Is this like a club meeting or something, or just a casual gathering?
>What are we doing?
>What are you doing?
"U-uh... I-I th-thought that, u-uh..."
>"Twilight..."
>Sour attracts everyone's attention as she leans forward in her chair, looking to you
>"Did the recent stress keep you from planning any activities for this week's lit club meeting?"
>Lit club?
>Literature club?
>A BOOK CLUB?
>THESE GIRLS MUST LOVE YOU
>You audibly gulp
>Rolling with it, you nod
>While on the inside
>You have the best friends ever
>Even if they're just casually hanging out...
>[Joyous Internal Screaming Session]
>This is so exciting...!
>Sour clears her throat, and pulls her bag up in front of everyone
>"If that's the case, how about we discuss my fanfiction?"
>Everyone but you groans
>Except for Sunny, who sighs
>And Sugarcoat, who is silently watching Sour with a straight face
>Really, it's just Indigo who's making any kind of fuss
>She's currently groaning into the air, leaning as far back in her chair as she can with her head thrown back and her hands holding onto the backrest
>Looks like you are the leader of this club
>Nice
"S-sorry... I k-kind of... F-forgot to p-plan something..."
>"Yeah, it's fine, bae."
<Indigo flips forward, her chair clacking loudly as it almost topples over.
>She gives you a small smile and glances to Sunny, then back to you
>"You had a hard week."
>Oh gods you have no idea
>Still, you smile to Indigo
"Th-thanks."
>You motion to Sour Sweet
>"So as you all must know, the lore of Hyperspace Hyperwars is inconsistent at best..."
>Indigo throws her head back and screams into a closed mouth

>Thirty minutes of riveting discussion later, and everyone is packing up to leave
>It may not have been a traditional discussion of literature, but hey, HH fanfiction can be good too
>Shoot, talking about lore can be fun regardless of what fandom
>Everyone threw in their two cents on the discussion, after learning enough to do so
>For all her aggravation, Indigo sure was knowledgeable about the various chapters of the Space Elites...
>You smile as you wave to the girls
>Today is turning better
>Not even a hint of that headache, either
>"See you later, Twilight." Sugarcoat starts. "I'll be sure to send you a text message as soon as father has told me that you can come over. I'll tell you when Cola is coming to pick you up. I've been told that all of the accommodations are already prepared, along with the movie, which Cola has faithfully acquired for us in the form of a dvd."
>Sugarcoat stands in front of you, looking up into your eyes.
>Her glasses are crooked
>Before you can comment, she fixes them and smiles.
>"See you later, Twilight."
>Before you can even respond, she turns on her heel and walks out of your lab
>You half wave
>Sour and Sunny both shrug and begin walking as well
>Sunny shows some haste as she's already gone by the time you're standing
>But Sour walks extra slow and blows you a kiss
>You just stare at her, which makes her giggle
>For some reason
>"Fuckin Sour Patch..."
>You look at Indigo
>She's staring ahead toward the door
>"...Hey, Twi."
>You give her a small wave
"H-hey."
>Indy looks over to you, her usual smirk gone
>In its place is a small frown
>She doesn't even seem to be looking at you. It's more like she's looking past you
>She hoists up her bag, laying it neater on her hip
>"I'm sorry I..." She takes a breath. "I'm sorry we bugged you this morning..."
>Your hand still hangs in the air, so you kind of pull it down
>Indigo looks to you, with her lip curled into a sneer and brow furrowed
>She remains silent for a few seconds
"I-Its okay..."
>She nods and looks to the ground
>"Yeah..." Her features relax a little
>Within a moment, she whips toward you with a finger almost stabbing your chest. "But hey!"
>You blink, barely stuttering out a reply
"W-what?"
>She slams her hands onto her hips and smirks again. She gulps. "Without you around to tell me how shit I am at things, I'd still be a chubby little geek, ya know?"
>What
>You slowly smile at that, for her
"R-right..."
>She crosses her arms and nods. "Yeah..." She looks away again, and again, frowns
>While she's not talking, you pick up your backpack, slinging it onto your back
>"The 90 day brawl..." Her frown softens
>Her eyes flit about, trying to look at not you, so she turns away
>This conversation seems really important, but you lack the context as to why
>Never mind the fact that Indigo Zap is just being borderline emotional on you, a far cry from how you remember her
>That lithe, tough as nails athletic star
>Breaker of every record on her freshman year, leader of every sports team club,  assistant coach of the baseball team, national track legend
>She blinks a few times and rubs at her face
>And she looks like she's about to break down on you
>And you don't get why exactly
>"...Bae?"
>You half-flinch and smile to her. "Y-yeah?"
>Indigo drops a hand to her duffle bag, and the other to her hip. "I'll try, okay?"
"T-try?"
>She slowly nods, closing her eyes. "If it's for you bae, I can try."
>She pumps a fist, smirking once more. "I can move mountains if you think I can!"
>You blink and honestly giggle. "Y-you're so s-silly..."
>She joins you, laughing along with her stupid metaphor
>Indy puts her hand on your shoulder as she starts to double over
>You both laugh together for a few seconds, but eventually you calm down
>Still softly giggling, you glance at Indigo's hand
>She glances up and grins, pulling you in for a hug
>You breath catches in your throat
>She isn't warm, kind of cold actually
>But all the tone in her belly and arms make the hug enjoyable nonetheless
>As you lay your head on her shoulder, you swear you can smell blueberries
>Indigoberries
>You snort and hug her back for just a second
>When you part, she's all smiles and gives you a two finger salute
>"Seeya, bae."
>You wave as she runs off

>Today is pretty okay
>You glance at your phone as you shut the door
>4:18 PM
>Twelve minutes until Shiney can come
>You stow your phone away as the front doors come into view
>Parting them, you're immediately alerted to Lemon Zest's presence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zKhsT5naI

>You feel good
>It's good to see her
>You step closer to your big pink friend and stand next to her
>She glances at your legs, then up at you, and smiles wide
>Turning down her music, she waves up
>"Sup, Twifam!"
>You wave down and kneel down, making sure to swoop up your skirt, to sit next to her
"H-hey, L-lemfam."
>She gives you a toothy grin, and closes up her sketchpad
>"Just waitin on pops..." She looks back at the street, and quickly starts drumming on her book. "You?"
>You shrug
"S-same..."
>You lean forward and set your chin into a palm
>It's really nice out...
>The wind isn't very strong, and the snow is either flat and untouched, or neatly shoveled out of the way
>It's nice
>"Hey, Twifam..."
>You turn yourself away from the street
>Lemon's got her arms wrapped around her knees
>She's got a tiny smile on. "I'm excited for saturday, Twifam."
>You cock a brow
"W-what's happening S-saturday?"
>Lemon chuckles, throwing her hands behind her head. She splays herself out a bit, resting her feet on the lower steps.
>"Duh! We're hanging out for the first time in like forever!"
>We are?
>You are?
>You furrow your brow
>...You are! You made plans with Lemon yesterday!
>Crap... And you just made plans today with Sour
>Gulp
>You raise a finger. "A-ah..."
>"Now you remember?"
>You nod, turning back the street and stare at the asphalt.
"Yup."
>"Something wrong, Twifam?"
>Crap
>How do you resolve this?
"U-uh... Y-yeah, j-just..."
>You chuckle, pulling your knees closer to your chest
>Lemon slowly sits up, and just as slowly, speaks. "Hey, you don't want to cancel, do you?"
>You flinch and look straight at Lemon. "No!"
>She flinches back as well
>Gulp
>You can feel your cheeks and the back of your neck heating up
"I-it's just..."
>You reach back and rub your neck with your cold fingers
>"...Yeah?"
>You cringe just a little when you notice the hurt look in her eyes
>Despite being such a big girl, she still has quite a cute face
>...Like a little girl
>Y-yeah
>How do you explain this without sounding like an ass?
>Both you and Lemon's attention are grabbed by the honking
>It's Shiney here to save the day!
>No awkward social interaction for you!
>You jump to your feet and brush off the bottom of your skirt
"I-I'll t-tex-"
>Lem grabs your sleeve and stands up
>She looks you in the eye
>She's breathing really slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth
>"Twi... Twilight, please don't jerk me around."
>This close, you can't look away from her bright yellow eyes. For a girl her age, she has such tired, sad eyes.
>You don't know what to say, so you just stare until Shiney honks again
>You look to the car, then back to Lemon, who's hanging her head
"Lem-"
>She cuts you off with a half angry half depressed "I get it."
>She sits back down, and opens her sketch book up to a tree
>You want to say something, but
>You have no idea what to say
>...You start down the stares and head toward Shiney
>With your hand on the door, you look back
>Lemon's drawing
>But she seems to notice you
>You smile and wave
>She just looks back down at her drawing pad
>You climb into the car
>Sigh
>"What was that about?"
>You look over and see Gleaming all wrapped up in her winter wear
>You give a soft sigh and shake your head
"J-just t-trying to m-make friends, I-I guess."
>Gleamy gives you a thoughtful hum as she pulls away from the curb
>5:00 PM
>Home
>Scenic The couch
>...Living room
>Sigh
>You slump back into the cushions
>You've been sitting here with Cadence for all of twenty minutes
>This is all you've done since you came home
>You don't want to do anything else, really
>Just relax
>Vent out the toxins you picked up today
>First it was Sugarcoat, who is currently your favorite person
>She's great
>This one's great
>The Sugarcoat you've seen today and yesterday have been pretty great to be honest
>But Sunny and Indigo were just plain, bleh
>Individually, they seem really nice, but together, they're really annoying
>They argue over everything it seems, and they may have bad blood?
>They gave you that headache, which is back
>You groan and rub a temple
>"Everything alright, Twilight?"
>You roll your head and look at Cadence.
>She's relaxing with you, while filling out some forms
>You shrug and look forward again
>Oh the tv's on
"Eh."
>You're not really feeling that great right now
>"Would you like to talk at all about it?"
>Then Sour Sweet dropped that bomb on you
"Eh." You close your eyes.
>And now you upset Lemon
>You don't know how... Or why
>Would she be okay with hanging out with both you and Sour?
>Groan
>You want dialogue options
>You want a script
>How do normal people do this everyday?
>"Twilight."
>You open an eye and glance toward Cadence
>She's smiling down at you
>She raises her brow and waves, wiggling her fingers
>"Wakey wakey."
>You blink, furrowing your brow and sit up
>Whipping out your phone...
>5:56 PM
>You've missed an hour?
>Cadence pats your head and stands up, sliding her feet into her slippers.
>"What's for dinner, honey?"
>You stand up and wander along
>"Steak and potatoes, what else?" Gleaming chuckles as she sets down a pot onto the table
>You smile, taking your seat
>Your belly rumbles, begging for Gleamy's cooking
>It's a good thing she's not confused by this crazy world
>Spike bumps your leg, whining
>You smile and offer him a bit of potato which he gobbles up before licking your fingers
>Silly Spike
>"So, Twiley..."
>You look back at Gleamy
>She's currently sawing away at a bit of steak. She smiles to you
>"How was school? Was that Lemon Zest I saw out there?"
>Cadence looks to you as well as she chews
>You shrug
>Wait, Shining has always helped you!
>You grin and look Gleamy straight in the eye
"A-actually, th-th..." How to word it though?
>Gleaming cocks her head, smiling a bit
>At least she understands you're trying to word it out
>Where do you start?
>What's important for Gleaming to know?
>You think you upset her
>Sigh
"W-well... I-I think I u-upset her..."
>Cadence furrows her brow and looks to Gleaming
>Gleamy, for her part, just nods
>"Go on, Twiley..."
>You pick some bits of meat and chew on them while you look away
>How much of your personal life does she know about?
>"D-do you know a-anything a-about the g-girls I hang a-around?"
>Gleamy grabs her chin and gives a thoughtful hum.
>"I know of them, but not personally. There's Sugarcoat, and Indigo Zap, and I believe a few others..."
>Hm. So she knows two of the five Shadowbolts...
"W-well, th-there's S-sour Sweet... And S-sunny Flare, and L-lemon Z-z-zest." You smile. You have quite a few friends.
>Cadence stops midway carrying her food to her mouth
>Gleaming seems to notice too, because she's also staring
>Cadence just quietly resumes eating a moment later
>...Weird
>"...Hon, you okay?" Gleamy puts both hands on the table and leans closer to Cadence.
>She got an immediate "I'm fine." So she leaned back
>"...Kay."
>She sighs and looks back at you
>"What about your friends, Twiley? Did you have another fight?"
>Eh
"S-sorta, b-but..."
>Gleamy sighs, stuffing half a potato in her mouth and chewing.
>Gulp
>You look between Cadence and Gleaming and...
>Even you can tell you've said something wrong
"W-well... T-there w-was a m-misunders-standing... B-but it's n-not relevant."
>You clear your throat and look between Cadence and Shining. Neither has changed. Cadence is eating, and Shining is just intently watching you
>You undo the clearing by trying to swallow a bit of potato that doesn't want to go down
"A-anyway... I-I got i-invited to h-hang out by L-lem, but th-then I g-got invited to h-hang out w-with S-sour at... A-at th-the c-carnival, b-but I..." You look down and sigh
"I-I accidentally a-agreed t-to both..."
>"How did you manage that?"
>You look up to Cadence. She's frowning
"W-well, I-I... I've..."
>You completely forgot because you were busy having an existential crisis in the most LITERAL SENSE
>...MOM
>Sigh
>(It's not a phase)
>...Internal meming is great
>You look down at your lap. "I-I... F-f-for... G-got..."
>You try your best not to curl up, which is easy because you're sitting at a table.
>Cadence sighs.
>Gleaming chuckles a little. "It happens to everyone, Twiley."
>You look back up at her
>She's smiling while chewing. "Is that what was bothering you?"
>You smile back and nod. "I-I guess... It s-sounds s-silly, h-huh?"
>You chuckle a little as does Gleaming
>"A little, but is it actually bothering you?"
>You nod
>Gleaming nods as well. "I see... Well, have you considered hanging out with both of them at the same time? That's what I would do."
>Cadence pipes in. "Perhaps you can just hang out with Lemon Zest?"
>You both look to her and she nods.
>"Maybe you can hang out with her for a little bit, one on one, since it's been a while since you've hung out?"
>You pause
>Well, not true
>Zero percent true, but to the others, that may seem accurate?
>To maintain your cover, you may have to
>But your girlfriend...
>Hm.
>How do you ask about her?
>Because she could just be like...
>Not your girlfriend?
>Now that you have her pinned as a fangirl, the creepy too-close part might also apply
>"So what do you think, Twiley?"
>You look back to Cadence
"U-uh... I-I'll h-have t-to th-think a-about it, b-but both a-are good ideas." You smile
>There's a buzzing in your pocket
>You grin at Gleaming and Cadence and check
>Sugarcoat... And everyone else!
>Sugarcoat says...
>Eh...
>Cola's coming
>'Okay! See you soon then! c:'
>You slide your phone back into your pocket
>"Who was that?"
>You shrug. "J-just S-sugarcoat."
>Cadence nods, and checks her watch. "It is about time for your movie night, isn't it?"
>You nod, grinning
>Gleaming chuckles and swallows even as she's working on a new piece of meat. "What are you watchin?"
>You cross your arms and grin. "A-a true classic..."
>You adjust your glasses dramatically. "The Toxic... Avenger!"
>You gasp. Careful breathing is great to overcome your stutter, but you need more practice
>Gleaming gives a thoughtful hum. "Cool."
>Cadence giggles at your show though. "I hope you two have fun tonight!"
>Thanks mom.
>"Th-thanks, Cadence."
>The doorbell rings, and all three of you look to the door
"O-oh, he g-got here f-faster than I thought."
>Gleaming wipes her mouth. "Ol Cherry Cola... Go do whatcha gotta do, Twiley, I'll keep 'im busy."
>You hurry to your room
>What do you even wear?
>You're down to your undies, holding your hips cause that's fun to do, and looking for something to wear
>You squat down and grab up a pair of jeans
>...They smell clean enough
>And... This... Shirt
>Bluh, no, it smells rancid
>You pluck another one, one of the dozen or so with your cutie mark and slide it on
>Comfy
>You smile as you squeeze into your jeans
>Nice and snug!
>You have your phone, you have your keys, you have your wallet, you have a set of polyhedral dice (just in case)
>You're good to go!
>You slide out of your bedroom and shut the door. You can already hear Gleaming
>Walking up behind her, you see she's chatting up an older gentleman in a simple suit.
>"Yeah, so how's Vanny? He seems quiet."
>The older man sighs. "Young Vanilla has been grieving as of late. You see, a dear aunt of ours recently passed."
"Aw."
>They both look at you, and who you assume is Cola nods.
>"A tragedy, yes. I was never close to her, but for Vanilla, she was like a second mother."
>Gleaming clicks her tongue and rubs her chin. "Shame. Hey but he's picking up, at least. Throwing himself at his work."
>"That's most good to hear. I trust you're taking good care of my younger brother? Not letting him get into too much danger?"
>Gleaming throws her hands up, smirking. "Ah you know me, always looking out for my boys. Heh. Even though it's just mall security, I like to think I take it seriously."
>Cola gives a tired smile. "I thank you." He turns to you. "Miss Sparkle, if you are ready, the good lady is waiting for you at Sweet manor."
>You nod and hug Gleaming
"S-see you later, G-gleamy!"
>She at first doesn't react, but then she squeezes you right back, picking you up. "Have fun, Twiley!"
>With a giggle, you follow Cola to the a looking black car, where he's holding the door open for you.
>6:30 PM
>By Odin's magnanimous golden beard
>Sweet manor is huge
>Set on the highest hill of a sugar cane plantation on the outskirts of Canterlot, the manor itself is a grand overdeveloped farmhouse
>Really the only thing keeping it from being a stereotypical high roller mansion (aside from being made of wood) is the lack of a water fountain
>And you've just been staring for five minutes or so
>"Are you quite ready, Miss Sparkle?"
>You jump a little and look at Cola
>He's just watching you
>You clear your throat and smile. "Y-yeah, sure..."
>Cola steps away, and opens the front door for you
>The insides are just like a cabin, but shaped like a foyer and you imagine the rest is like an actual mansion
>As you walk in, you notice a small man in a fine white suit standing next to Sugarcoat, who is still in uniform
>They both have their arms crossed across their bellies, but he's holding a glass of amber liquid
>That's her dad
>Duh
>You walk closer to them, and as you do so, they both notice you at the same time
>Both Sugarcoat and her father offer you small smiles
>Her dad looks almost exactly like her, sans the hair
>Actually if it weren't for the subtle creases in his forehead and along his eyes, they could even be brother and sister. Twins even.
>"Twilight Sparkle, how good it is to have you in my home once again, to spend time with my favorite daughter."
>...Its really awkward looking down to look into an adult's eyes
>You smile nonetheless, wrapping your hands together. "And once again, it's an honor to be in your home, sir."
>Sugarcoat's father flinches, almost dropping his glass. He blinks a few times, then grins that crafty crooked grin you didn't think people actually did.
>"The manners... I always liked you, but I didn't expect such formality after all these years! It's refreshing, really, but come on, you're practically my daughter at this point."
>"Dad..."
>Mr. Coat raises a hand. "Now, now, Sugar, I'm just trying to impress on your friend how much I appreciate good formality in the younger generations, but..." He looks to you, giving you a shark-like grin. "It ain't quite necessary, now is it?"
"I-I suppose not..."
>He chuckles and takes a sip. "Twilight, you go on ahead and call me whatever you like. Mr. Tea, Sweet Tea, Sweet Daddy!" He chuckles aloud at that. He has a big booming voice for someone of his stature.
>Good for him
>Sugarcoat is scowling, staring her father down now.
>You smile to her
>Her frown dissipates and she smiles back.
>Sweet Tea chuckles softly to himself. "Speaking of me liking you enough to give ya allowances and permissions, I was just telling little Sugarcoat here to make sure to invite you to go ahead and sleep over if you like. We can have Cherry boy drive ya to your house right and early to change into your school clothes and get situated if you like."
>Oh wow, no
>Wow wow wow, no
>No sleepovers, please
>Although...
>You glance at Sugarcoat
>She has a small smile as she holds her hands behind her back
>It would be a good experience, to say the least
>Especially if that book about sleepovers is to be trusted
>Which, given the extreme sexual undertones it threw around, it probably shouldn't be
>Still...
>Just swinging by and getting a clean-
>You shake your head
"I-I can't... I-I have s-some stuff to d-do at home."
>Tea shrugs, sipping from his glass. "That's fine too. You both have a good night."
>He gets in to hug his daughter, but she pushes him away
>He chuckles, holding his arms together again like you see Sugarcoat doing and walks off
>You turn to Sugarcoat
>She huffs, staring at her dad as he walks out of the foyer
>It's kind of strange seeing Sugarcoat like this
>You suppose anyone can be embarrassed by their parents
>But before now, you've never seen a flustered Sugarcoat
>You slowly start smiling at the image before you
>Her arms are crossed a little tighter than normal, and there's a blue tinge to her lighter colored cheeks
>She looks back at you and smiles in turn
>"I see you're already changed. I haven't had the chance yet, so how about we stop by my room so I can put something more casual on?"
>Uh
>You nod, putting up a small smile
>Please don't strip in front of me
>You follow alongside Sugarcoat and marvel at all of the details of the mansion
>More than once, you see a painting or photo with a plaque under it
>Each plaque says the same thing, but in a language you don't know
>When you see a photo of yourself, Sugarcoat, Gleaming, and Tea, you stop
>It's summer
>All four of you are at a farm, probably this farm, having lunch together
>You and Sugarcoat have to be only five in this photo...
>You're both clinging together, laughing as Gleaming arm wrestles a profusely sweating Tea
>"Twilight are you okay? You've been staring at that old picture for ten minutes now."
>You stir and look down at Sugarcoat
>You've been friends for over a decade
>Probably your whole lives
>You look back at the photo and smile
>That's...
>You feel a warmth flooding your chest and your eyes watering a little
"I-I'm okay." You sniff and rub away the waterworks. You smile over at Sugarcoat. "I just realized its been over ten years since this was taken."
>Sugarcoat blinks, looks at the photo, and her eyes immediately widen. "You're right, it has been that long. I can't believe how fast time can go by when you aren't paying attention."
>Sugarcoat sighs, smiling. She looks back at you and motions for you to follow
>As you do
>A few more doors, and you're in Sugarcoat's room
>You... Don't know what you expected
>Certainly not a brightly lit room filled with board games and posters upon posters of A-list movies
>You think you could marry this girl
>Uh
>W-well...
>You clear your throat and pull a comfy looking leather chair out from a desk and sit yourself down
>Sugarcoat peeks up from her dresser. "Something the matter, Twilight? Do you need anything?"
>You shake your head and recline a bit. "I-I'm f-fine..."
>Sugarcoat hums softly but doesn't say anything else. She looks back and continues to pick articles of clothing.
>Glancing around, you notice that her tastes are varied
>She seems to have a poster of something from every genre, and there are colorful game boxes piled as high as you can imagine she can reach
>You recognize most of the titles, but only because of your time on /tg/...
>You've never actually met someone who collected games like this
>Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sugarcoat stand up
>Looking, you watch her walk behind a small divider
>Hm
>At least there's no chance of you spilling pasta on your first date by seeing her strip
>Wait. Movie date
>Movie night
>This isn't a date
>Sugarcoat is cute, but this isn't a date
>She's cute from a subjective standpoint
>She's tiny and has an adorable face-
>You lower your head into your hands, almost burning your palms
>[Internal Screaming Session]
>"Twilight, are you feeling well? You've been holding your head for at least five minutes now and I'm starting to get worried."
>You take a deep breath and sit upright
>Gasp
>There's a soft flutter in your chest when you see Sugarcoat
>The little girl is standing in front of you, wearing shorts over her pantyhose and a too large for her sweater that matches her hair
>She's currently holding the sleeves from the insides as she crosses her arms across her belly
>She's so... Cute
>She raises an arm and points(?) at you through the sleeve
>"Twilight, your face is bright red, are you okay? I really don't want you to stay if you have to force yourself to do so."
>You stand up, wiping your forehead
"I-I'm fine..."
>Sugarcoat frowns and moves closer to you, extending a hand up to your forehead. "Twilight, you're very warm, are you sure you're okay?"
>Oh gods she has to stand on her toes to reach
>Help
>You're going to die
>You put your hand over her hand and take it down. "I-I'm f-fine..." You smile wide for her
>For her
>This is a weird situation you're in
>Just last week, this girl sucker punched you in the gut on her way to class for no good reason
>Now she's doting over you like a good friend
>You're confused
>So is your heart
>Maybe your libido
>Stop
>Don't think about that
>You take a deep breath and clear your throat. And your mind.
>Mostly.
>"Maybe you'll be pleased to hear that I have had Cola acquire your... Preferred snacks." As she says this, Sugarcoat puts on some kind of cheeky grin and crosses her arms
>The grin looks weird on her. You haven't seen her using that kind of cocky expression before
"U-uh..."
>Her grin falters ever so slightly, but she covers it with a dry chuckle. "I had Cola fetch you an entire bucket of fried chicken." She coolly adjusts her glasses for emphasis
>...
>W-what
"W-what? W-why?" Why would she do that?
>Sugarcoat's grin morphs into a frown for a second before she clears her throat.
>"Well you remember how we had talked last movie night and then you made that joke?"
>Uh...
>You resist the powerful urge to cringe and slowly shake your head, hoping this isn't going where you think it's going
>Sugarcoat pauses, and her eyes dart around a bit.
>"Uh well..." She lowers her arms slightly, seeming like she was going to rub her own hands a few times before crossing her arms again
>What is this?
>Are you actually making her nervous?
"C-can you r-remind me?"
>Sugarcoat licks her lips and looks to the side. "Uh... I honestly would rather not, Twilight."
>She forces out a small chuckle as she avoids eye contact. "It seemed funny at the time, so i thought I would maybe try to play with the joke again..."
>Sugarcoat bites her lip and tightens her grip on her elbows.
>Wow, Sugarcoat is...
>Being awkward
>In a really cute way
>You smile and put your hands to your soft hips
"W-wanna try t-telling the j-joke again?"
>Sugarcoat scrunches up her face
>"It should be obvious, with the chicken... You just mentioned that you were the living stereotype sometimes, and we both thought it was really funny... At least..." She mumbles the last words, "I did."
>She furrows her brow behind her glasses, still not looking you in the eye
>Oh wow, it went exactly there.
>Awkward
>But teasing Sugarcoat like this is really fun, especially after all the years you've had to deal with her
>Aside from that, you can't think of any other reason why you would think this was so cute
>Time to use your years of suffering into practical use. Bully this little girl
>You cock your head. "I-I can't h-hear you..."
>Sugarcoat winces and takes a deep breath, before looking up at you
>"I said I thought it was funny at the time. I can see now that I was being insensitive, and for that, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to offend you, Twilight, I just wanted to have... Fun."
>You give her a small smile. "A-at my e-expense."
>Sugarcoat whips her hands up in front of herself and waves them back and forth. "No, no, Twilight, never at your expense! You're my best friend, I would never deliberately do anything to hurt you..."
>This is... Not as fun as you thought it would be
>Before you can say anything though, Sugarcoat adds
>"Twilight, please... You're the only purple friend I've ever had, I was just joking..."
"P-purple?" You motion to yourself, chuckling. "I-I'm Violet, silly!"
>Jokes are good, right?
>Sugarcoat gasps and puts her hands to her mouth. "That's not what... I didn't mean... You and I..."
>She looks like she's struggling to get out a complete sentence, and the starting beads of tears are forming at the corners of her eyes
>She finally manages to quickly mutter out "I meant you're my only friend, period."
>You let out a soft half grunt. You can feel your mouth hanging slack
>Your entire body actually goes slack, and as your hands fall off of your hips, you almost fall back into the chair
>Looking back at Sugarcoat, she's just watching you. She's breathing very slowly and deliberately, with calm well paced breaths
>That's what you do to keep yourself from crying
>In the back of your head, you wonder who between you two thought of that technique first
>...She's watching you
"S-sugarcoat..." You take a moment and sigh, unable to think of anything better to say. "I-I'm sorry."
>Her lip trembles slightly as she breathes
"I-I was j-just teasing you, b-but I didn't r-realize you would t-take it this bad."
>"Oh." She bites her lip and looks away. "I see, just teasing. After these past couple of weeks, I guess I didn't expect you of all people to tease me. But life is full of surprises, after all."
>Crap. Fix it!
>Maintain this relationship, even if you have to fake it!
>You stand up and Sugarcoat looks back to you
"S-sugarcoat... I-I'm s-sorry."
>You can't believe you're going to say this, but...
>Gulp
"I-I'm glad I-I have m-myself a g-good friend l-like you."
>Sugarcoat, despite still fighting tears, slowly places a hand over her chest and you notice her eyes widen slightly around the edges of her glasses frames, as well as her mouth gape
>While she still tries to keep her breathing steady.
>After taking a moment, she finally gets some words out. "Thank you, Twilight. Thank you so very much. I... I don't know what to say other than thank you. Thank you..." She tenses up a little, and it looks like she's going to finally cry.
>But she doesn't, she just continues. "I needed that, especially after how terrible I've felt these past few weeks without telling you..."
>You frown. Sugarcoat? Feeling terrible?
>You suppose anything is possible in this topsy-turvy world, especially when you compare it to your past experiences
>Looking at her, with that deep frown, and how tightly her arms are clinging to her own chest...
>You believe its possible
>You believe Sugarcoat could actually feel bad, despite your past life with her
>But more importantly than that?
>You sort of want to hug her, on impulse
>She's a tiny, sad grill
>You open out your arms and give your new friend the warmest smile you can make
>After only staring for a second, Sugarcoat falls into your arms without a word or sound
>Your arms automatically swing around to hold her small frame
>You hear some sniffling, and you can feel your upper arm growing damp
>"Thank you, Twilight..."
>You take a page from the book of your new friend Sour and stroke the back of Sugarcoat's head as you hold her
>She sniffles into your shirt. "You're such a good friend... I... I love you."
>Gasp
>Sugarcoat immediately freezes
>Wait, no
>No... You got this
>You squeeze her tighter. "I love you too, Sugar. You're my very best friend."
>She releases her breath and drags her arms around you, giving you a languid hug
>Is this friendship?
>If so, it's great
>Just feeling together with someone else, you can't think of anything much better
>Wait, something else could make this better!
>You pry sugarcoat away from you and look down at her
>She's cute in that oversized sweater
"W-wanna w-watch a m-movie?"
>She wipes her eyes on her sleeves. "Yes. I do."
>She pulls you by your wrist out of her room. "Cola?"
>Cola appears at the end of the hall, wearing slippers. "Yes, Miss Sugarcoat?"
>You watch as she transforms from a sniffling mess to her usual commanding self
>All she had to do was cross her arms
>"Prepare the movie room."
>"Already done, Miss Sugarcoat."
>"The snacks then?"
>"Done, miss."
>"Drinks?"
>"Done."
>Sugarcoat nods. "Very good, Cola." She looks over her shoulder up at you. "Come along Twilight, we have a movie to watch. And if Cola is to be believed, there are special features as well."
>Oooh~
>"S-sure, Sugar."
>With a much more confident smile, Sugar grabs you by the wrist, holding onto you through her big sweater
>Heh, it's cute
>Sugarcoat leads you away from her room, holding you by the wrist as you both walk
>You don't bother to ask why she's leading you around, you just roll with it
>Without breaking stride, she pulls you down the stairs and leads you through a hall on the first floor
>And straight into a room decorated similarly to her room
>There is a fifty inch plasma, a fine white couch with a table full of snacks and drinks (fried chicken and a 2 liter of grape soda stand out...)
>(...You're still eating it first, though)
>There's the same white walls as her room, lots of posters of... Oh you helped decorate it
>There's a bunch of A-list posters stacked onto the walls, and intermingled with them are a bunch of tokusatsu and anime and Power Ponies posters...
>You furrow your brow
>Not a single poster of any bad movies
>Shame
>Sugar walks ahead of you, and to your delight, her sweater bounces on her small body with every step until she bounces onto the couch
>Her bounce sends a remote flying up, which she catches
>You wander over and sit next to her
>The soft couch hugs you nice and snug, especially when you lean back
>Oh gods, this is actually the comfiest couch you've ever sat in
>Sugarcoat pulls up a bag of chips and her leg
>You stare at each other for a second before her eyes dart to the bucket
>With a jump, you snatch it up and start eating before she can even make a move on your chicken
>Which just makes her giggle into the back of her hand
>She holds out the remote and starts the movie up
>You take a few deep breaths and utter out in your most profound voice
"The Toxic Avenger..."
>Sugar looks up at you and gives you a weird look
>But then she smiles and leans against you. The movie starts up with the introduction of the main character, a nerdy guy, being ridiculed and bullied by the noticeably attractive group of antagonists
>The perfect start to a great night

>The movie is going great, obviously
>It's Toxie, you can always trust him to deliver
>But in real life, you notice something
>Every time Toxie delivers justice to an evil doer, she seems to look away or down at her food for a few seconds
>You grab up the remote and pause the movie
>Sugarcoat looks up at you, still leaning her head against your shoulder
"A-are you okay?"
>She nods and looks back to the screen
>It's just Toxie holding a man's arm and striking him with it
>Freaking amazing
>"I don't think the violence is all that amazing. The movie goes out of the way to be violent and even with the poor special effects, it still makes me uncomfortable..."
>Oh...
>You frown and look to the screen. "O-Oh."
>"I can still watch it if you want to. I know you think this movie is great, and I don't want to force any movie night to be canceled."
>You look back down at her and smile
"Th-thanks... I-I swear, it g-gets better..."
>You wrap an arm around her and with your free hand, take a bite of this delicious chicken.
>It's really good, actually
>"Press play, Twilight."
>You flinch and jab the button

>The movie, like all good things in this world, ends
>Toxie slayed many a villain, and saved the city of Tromaville from the menace of its corrupt politicians
>But more importantly?
>Sugarcoat seemed to grow on it a bit
>There were a few parts where she couldn't contain herself, so she reacted adorably
>Your favorite bit was when she jumped forward, pumping her fists at the screen
>It was when the mayor called in the national guard to capture Toxie
>But what got you amused was, in her words, "Twilight, are they really going to let him kill Toxie?"
>But it did end
>And both of you are sitting together on that couch, looking at a recycling animation scene on the dvd's main menu
>"Twilight, that was amazing."
>You grin and hug her from the side. "I-I'm so glad."
>She sets her head against your chest. "I was hesitant at first, but when he fought that group and announced himself, I was sold."
>You raise your head. "W-which group?"
>She pauses for a moment, looking up
>"They were indistinct. But I liked it because he announced to them," She switches to a boyish voice, "Tell your scum friends there's a new guy in town. And I'm not just a pretty face" She smiles. "That's when it started getting good. I think I get these kinds of movies now."
>You chuckle softly, leaning back in the sofa.
>Having someone to actually watch your garbage movies with is an amazing feeling
"I-I'm glad you l-liked it, Sugar."
>Sugarcoat nods and leans back, laying her head against you. "Twilight, why have you been calling me Sugar?"
>You shrug, bumping her cheek. "I-I just th-think it's a c-cute nickn-name."
>She nods. "Would you like a nickname, then, Twilight? It is only fair that you get one if I get one."
>You relax a bit, resting your head. "S-sure."
>Sugarcoat is silent for a moment, until Cola arrives.
>"It is almost time for Miss Sparkle to return home."
>"Thank you, Cola."
>As Cola leaves, she looks at you. "Ready to go, Twiley?"
>You smirk and stand, following her

>9:30 PM
>Home
>The laundry room
>Your back hurts
>It doesn't really hurt, it's just sore from lifting and carrying all of your laundry over several trips...
>You hoist yourself up onto the dryer and ease yourself back a bit
>You reach back and push the start butto-
>Oh gods...
>You slide back and lean against the wall with a dumb smile on your face
>Now these are some good vibes...
>The buzzing of your phone in your shorts pocket startles you upright again
>Digging it out, you see that you have a few messages
>From all the girls, and one from Gleaming
>Phew
>Uh, let's see
>Lemon's... You don't want to read yet
>You upset her, you think, and you still don't know why
>Sugarcoat sent you a selfie
>It's just her in a tank top, giving you a peace sign
>Well you're dressed the same, so you send her your own selfie, copying her
>Indigo is just meming some more
>She only sent one picture, of a rainstorm
>Oh, instead of actually putting text, she just typed it out
>Hm
>'Hey bae... I'm serious about what I said today. I had no idea it was so important to you, so I didn't know how to react at first. But if it's for you, I can try anything. As always, just remember what I always say."
>Wow that's...
>You have no idea what she's talking about
>w.i.h.
>Sugarcoat...
>You smile as you skim her message
>You made her positively ecstatic tonight
>There's a soft flutter in your chest as your smile deepens
>You hold your phone close
>You've got a friend~
'I don't know what to say except c: I'm all c: right now, Sugar.'
>Lem... Sunny
>Sunny only has '...' to say
>Hm
'Hi Sunny.'
>A second later you get a response
'I'm so, so sorry, ma chérie... I had no idea how hurt you have been for so long! I feel like such a terrible friend, for causing you such extended, cruel distress! I do not know if I can do what you r (1/6)
>By Sleipnir's icy mane
>One should not be able to type... Twelve hundred characters in under five seconds
>...Lemfam.
>Slowly, your thumb slides up to the notification area
>Sliding downward, a preview of Lem's message covers Sunny's essay
>This is making you a little nervous
>Just a little
>'Hey, I wanted to ask you a que...'
>You bite your lip and click the message
>'Hey, I wanted to ask you a question. Call me when you get this, ok'
>Her writing is better
>You can't tell if that's a bad thing or not
>Probably is...
>Still
>Gulp
>Call her
>Call her, you got her message
>...Just call her
>...
>You're too nervous, after all
>You'd do it, but your throat is kind of
>Tight
>What if she's still upset?
>You have no idea what the big deal is
>The idea of talking to her this late at night kind of makes your heart race, too
>What if she's asleep, and you wake her up?
>What if she's relaxing with her parents, and you interrupt them?
>She could be at a movie, for all you know
>Just text her
>...Yeah
'Hey, I just got your message.'
>Okay
>'Cool, call me ok'
>Augh
>Taking a deep breath should help
>Just call her
>You jam the call button and press your phone to your ear
>"Hey."
>She says it flat and quiet, not unlike when she spoke to you this afternoon
>You try to not sound aggressive or insulting or anything when you respond
"H-hey..."
>You rub your thighs together
>The dryer still feels pleasant under your rump, but now it's kind of distracting more than anything
>So you hop off
>Lemon hasn't said anything for a solid minute now
"H-hey..."
>You try to say something else, but she cuts you off
>"Hey, so yeah,  uh... What are you doing Saturday?"
>Darn it
"U-uh..."
>What do you say?
"W-well..."
>"I can stay home, if you want. I know that hanging out outside of school this soon is probably like too much."
>Wha
>You're confused, but you don't really know what to say
"I-I-"
>She cuts you off again
>"I know, it's probs too much too fast, I get how this whole deal is."
"N-no-"
>What is this whole deal?
>What is happening?
>She sniffs and chuckles
>"I'm good, really."
"L-lemfam."
>Sounds like she just jumped into bed
>"Twi... I don't know what's up with you recently, but I just want to go slow, okay? I'm in a pretty good place and... Well, you know I'd love to hang out more, but... I dunno."
>You don't know either
>Everyday, it feels like you know less and less
"L-lem?"
>As much as you want to figure out what is happening, dealing with your relationships is really hard
>But you have to maintain your status, to avoid suspicion
>You guess.
>"Yeah, Twilight?"
>You take a deep breath, and close your eyes
"I-I really w-want to h-hang out w-with you... J-just..."
>She sighs and rolls the words right out without any emphasis
>"Gotta keep up appearances."
"N-no!"
>What does that even mean?
>There's only silence on Lem's end of the line
>Gulp
"I-I just w-wanna... Y-you know... H-hang out b-because it's b-been so l-long..."
>You don't even know why you're trying so hard
>It's just... Losing someone, whether the relationship is real or not...
>The idea hurts
>Lemon isn't responding
>But you can hear her breathing
>You sigh and rub the bridge of your nose
>Luckily, the headache isn't coming back
>Something about relationships brings it, but not this time
>"Dude, Twi, you seem really worked up."
>You grunt as she chuckles
>"Like, I am too, but you are way more than me. Chill."
>You roll your head back and groan.
>"Hey. Hey Twi."
"Y-yeah?"
>She gives you a soft chuckle. "Why you so stressed? Twifam."
>You can almost hear her smile
>You chuckle to yourself. "I-it's dumb..."
>"Tell me, silly."
"I-I t-told S-sweetie th-that I-I was free t-to hang o-out at the c-carnival. I-I completely f-forgot."
>"Oh."
"Y-yeah..."
>Lem sighs and quickly rumbles, "Is she gonna be there?"
"H-huh?"
>She talks very slowly, putting stress on every syllable
>"Is Sour Sweet going to be at the carnival with us!"
>She goes quiet after that
>Careful
"W-why?"
>"Answer the question."
"Y-yeah..."
>There's just silence
>You look at your phone
>She hung up
>You put your phone away and look to the dryer
>Laundry's done
>You've just been staring at your phone for a while
>With a sigh, you pack your clothes into your little basket and carry them back to your room
>Once in your room, you dump it all onto your bed and start folding
>Sigh
>What's with Lem?
>What's her deal with Sweetie?
>What happened?
>What happened between you both?
>What happened to y-
>WHAT IS HAPPENING?
>You clench your underwear tight
>Having friends is amazing and all, but you have to figure out what happened to your life!
>You quickly hustle, folding your underwear up into neat piles
>You have to get back to your parents...
>Who uh...
>And your uh
>Friendless... School life
>Um
>Oh, Everton, you have Everton to look forward to!
>That gives you something to grin about!
>Gosh, when you discovered Everton, you were so excited!
>You still are! A program where you can study whatever you want, whenever you want?
>It's all you've ever wanted!
>Yeah, you've worked your entire life to... Kind of like...
>Have a reason to be by yourself
>Your face falls as you reach for your shirts
>Wow
>You're kind of...
>Really fucking sad, aren't you?
>You grab your shirts up and walk over to your dresser
>Instead of folding them, you just dump them in, and squeeze it shut
>Your hands drift up to the top of your dresser and you lean on it, looking down at the various pencils and trinkets
>It took you long enough, but
>You're really fucking lonely
>No one your age should be this lonely
>No one should be this lonely
>You squeeze your eyes shut and breathe as calmly as you can
>You can feel some tears coming
"N-no one."
>You take a deep breath and look up, looking into a Power Ponies poster.
>It's from the Hearth's Warming special
>Everyone's gathered together in Masked Matter-Horn's mansion, enjoying cookies and cocoa
>No masks, no fighting, just six magical little equines being friends on a cold winter night...
>You smile and wipe at the sides of your eyes
>You reach into your pocket and pull out your phone
>Giving the poster one more glance, you toss Lem a text
'I'm sorry. I really want to be friends still, and I'd love if you could still come to the carnival with us. I promise it will be fun. Let me know what you think, Lemfam c:'
>With a smile, you slide it back in and walk back to your laundry
>You should relax a bit
>Going forward, you're going to...
>...You don't know
>Make friends you guess?
>Make friends of these weirdos, anyway
>And still figure out what... What is happening
>Ugh
>You crawl into bed, pushing your uniforms away
>Gotta figure this out eventually...

>Go go Power Ponies!
>You grab your phone and roll out of bed, humming along with the theme song as you lay on the floor
>Wednesday
>7:00 AM
>With a hup, you jump to your feet a few times before getting it
>...It's early
>You pull off your shorts and stuff and put on clean undies and a new uniform
>Fresh
>You also grab a coat and scarf
>This morning is quick
>You grab your shoes and step out into the house
>Just as Cadence rounds the corner
>She stops, hand raised, with a surprised look
>But then she smiles. "Ready for school already?"
>You nod and quickly pick up your backpack from just inside your room
"N-now I a-am."
>With a giggle, Cadence motions you to follow
>You both sit down to the kitchen table, where Cadence has already set out two plates of eggs sausage and toast
>You lick your lips and smile up at your mom-sister
"Th-thanks, Cadence."
>She just grins back at you and takes out her phone. "It was no trouble, Twiley."
>You gobble up all the greasy goodness

>7:30 AM
>Crystal Prep Academy
>You look up at the tall crystalline spires and thick shining gems embedded into the walls
>So gaudy
>You shake your head and look around
>You're the only one here right at this moment
>Oh
>Just your luck, Lem is coming
>You smile and wave at her
>She doesn't say or do anything to indicate that she notices you
>So you lower your hand and watch her
>She walks past you, and you frown
"L-lemfam?"
>She stops in her tracks, one foot resting on her toes behind the other
>But she's faced away from you
"U-uhm... D-did you g-get my t-text?"
>"Yup."
>She continues on, faster than before
>Oh
>You continue on, too
>Passing the threshold, Lem's nowhere to be seen
>Sigh
>You walk to your locker and lean against it for a minute or so, debating your agenda
>Sugarcoat
>Sunny/Indy
>Sour Sweet
>Home
>Let's go
>"You seem quite determined today, Twiley. Did you have a good night's rest or maybe a very satisfying breakfast?"
>You look away from you clenched fist and to Sugar
>She has a small smile
>You match it
"I-I'm just f-figuring out w-what I have p-planned."
>Sugar nods, still smiling as she turns to her locker. "And what do you have planned for today, Twiley? Anything special planned or are you just trying to sort out the day's events ahead of time?"
>You shrug. "B-bit of b-both."
>You look down at Sugar
>She's working her textbooks into her bag for the day
"H-hey, S-s-sugar..."
>She glances up from her bag and smiles a little. "Yes, Twiley? Is something the matter?"
>You sigh and rub your arm
"W-why do y-you dislike a-all of the o-others?"
>Sugar's smile falls and she looks back at her bag, filling it.
>"I suppose because those four girls have insulted me in a major way at some point over the years that I've known them, and have not or cannot apologize."
>You furrow your brow
>Well there's the long term memory you recall
>Sugarcoat was great at bringing old stuff back and making it relevant...
>Sugar stands upright, sliding her backpack on
>She shrugs, looking up at you. "I suppose it's a matter of respect. I would be able to stand them much more if I felt like they respected me enough to apologize for how they've wronged me."
>She motions behind you
>You turn and see Lem walking
>You wave and smile
>"Take Lemon Zest as an example. I imagine I could stand her, but given how she's been acting after what happened between you and her, I don't think I could stand to be around her too long."
>Lem approaches and passes, ignoring both of you
>Sugar frowns, just as you do
>You watch her go
"I-I wish things c-could be d-different between u-us."
>Sugar looks up at you and rolls her head to the side. "In what way exactly would you wish things were different? Things have been this way for so long between you two, I thought you would have gotten used to it by now."
>You give her a soft hum as reply
>There's a few moment of content silence that you both share, leaning against the lockers and staring at nothing
>But then you and Sugar share a soft embrace and part ways
>You have no idea where she's going, but you're headed straight for your lab
>Without pause, you just slide right in, glancing at Sweetie where she's sitting before turning back to your computer
>She doesn't seem to notice you. She's busy, you guess
>You take a seat at your computer and release a soft sigh
>Reaching over, you shake the mouse to wake up your computer
>Old junk
>You need new equipment, but the SRM won't give it to you
>What do do?
>Firstly, you send an email to the school resource manager and request some supplies for your lab
>That corkboard you had was a good idea
>You should rebuild all the notes you compiled on Energy X
>Good idea, actually, you have an hour or so
>Searching around, you find your notes on Canterlot High School and Energy X
>Research is fun
>You stand up and swing all the drawers open, pulling out paper and pens and markers
>With little effort, you type a few commands in, and have your old junk process the data you collected again
>You're going to have to redo all of this.
>Not because you want to, which you do, but because you have to
>There's no telling what kind of miscalculations or oddities that the other you might have made
>And if you do ever figure out how to get out of here, she will be happy to know that you've...
>Just about...
>Finished...
>All the work she's done and left her with more than she had
>Ah, all in under fifteen minutes
>You switch to a new page, glaring at the screen
>"Whatcha doin, Twilight?"
>You glance over at boobs
>Looking up from your bent over position, you see Sour Sweet smiling at you
"S-science."
>She grins. "I can see that." She mumbles something into her fist and smiles again.
>You gulp and look between her smile and her chest and back at your papers
>Maybe there's a reason the other Twilight didn't get much work done
"S-specifically... I-I am m-measuring a n-new form of e-energy."
>This seems to placate Sour Sweet as she just nods and stands upright again, watching you work
>Leaning over, you rewind the data stream as best you can until it matches up with what you have
>And then you get back to work
>Scribbling away
>Sweetie takes the chair next to you and relaxes into it, placing her hands on her lap
>Well, this is easier now that you've already done it
"Ah!" You flinch at something cold touching your thigh.
>Looking down, it's Sour Sweet's hand
>She's giving you that coy, half smile and those hungry looking eyes
>Gulp
>She gets up and moves closer to you
>Just... Focus
>She bends over you, squishing her breasts against your back
>Focus
>And she wraps her arms around your belly. "How is your morning, Twilight?"
>You inhale sharply and stand upright
>Sour just shifts, holding you as you stand so she stands with you
"I-It was g-good. I-I should be h-heading to class n-now."
>For emphasis, you cap the pen you're holding
>Sour sighs and lets go of you, stepping away enough to give you space to breathe
>"Fine, you go ahead to class. Just wanted to spend time with you..."
>You frown and pick up your backpack, slinging it onto your back and wrapping your fingers around the straps
"S-sorry, I j-just need some t-time..."
>You hustle out before she can reply, leaving the door open for her
>You need to chill today, seriously
>You're going to decompress the past few days with more work on Energy X
>Just today though. Tomorrow... You don't know
>Making a beeline for your first class, you notice Sunny and Indy are already there
>Oh boy
>With a sigh, you take your seat between them.
>Both wave to you, but otherwise are silent
>Sunny has a small, stilted smile
>Indy is frowning and has her arms crossed
>Weird, but okay
>So
>You take out your notes on Energy X and work on that some more
>You guess
>Well these two aren't going to start a conversation any time soon, it seems
>Every couple of minutes, you'll look up to them
>But every time you do, Sunny is reading her book, and Indy is just doing some math homework
>They both look kind of weird too
>Nervous or anxious or something
>It's weirding you out a bit, because you've never known these girls to act like this
>But having them clam up a bit is not that bad
>It's just awkward is all
>Sitting next to these two
>Quietly
>You want to help them fix whatever's going on, but
>Research...
>Sigh
"A-are you b-both okay? Y-you've been q-quiet."
>Sunny shrugs to you, and looks at Indy
>You look at Indy. She peeks at you from one eye and likewise shrugs.
>"Sorry bae... Just trying to work out some issues..."
>You nod, understanding nothing of what she just said.
"I-I see..."
>Sunny places a hand over your own and you glance back to her
>She has the smallest smile
>And big worried eyes
>"We're trying our best, ma petite~"
>Whatever that means, it sounds important
>You smile back at her and nod. "O-okay, th-thank you b-both."
>You give Sunny's hand a squeeze
>Then you turn to Indy and reach across the divide to grab her hand
>She smiles, and snickers just a little bit, squeezing your hand back.
>"Told you I could do it. I just need more time."
>You chuckle with her and return to your research.
>This is pretty pleasant
>This day is pretty amiable in general
>It kind of just slides by without a lot of hoopla
>Well if you were paying closer attention, you may have noticed some ruckus among your friends
>But well
>Sugar seems totally fine
>Indy and Sunny seem like they're balancing each other or something
>Sour Sweet is kind of confusing you, but you're gonna live with it
>And Lem...
>What about Lem?
>You pull your scarf tighter
>It isn't snowing out again, but it is windy
>So windy that your knees are shaking under your skirt
>Dumb uniform
>There's Lem though
>Sitting on the steps after school
>You take a few steps forward and ease yourself in next to her
>You smile up at her
>But she's just got a very angry scowl on as she draws the pair of trees in front of the school.
>You look down at her sketchpad
>The lines are all angrily scrawled on and interlaced with errant scratchy lines
>She's got the trees' shape correct, but there's tiny imperfections in the drawing, like missing shading, or not drawing the knot in the trunk
>There's a honking
>You look up and see the car
>You turn back to Lem and smile.
"S-see you t-tomorrow?"
>She ignores you, so you join Gleaming in the car
>She makes a funny muffled noise.
"S-same."

>7:12 PM
>Home
>You rub the back of your neck as you inhale the intoxicating aroma of meatloaf
>Your neck is a bit stiff from reworking all the data on Energy X
>You've already finished all the work the other you has neglected
>Luckily for both of you, Energy X is totally the same as you recall it being
>Which means you have almost no work to do
>After you finish up rewriting everything, you'll have to eventually get started on that field work...
>You toss a chunk of meat in your mouth
>Greasy
>You smile
>Delicious
>Gleamy chuckles across from you. "You like it?"
>You realize your eyes were closed and look to Gleaming
>You nod and swallow, already picking up another piece. "I-I love y-your cooking, G-gleamy."
>Cadence giggles at that, but Gleaming pauses
>She blushes a bit and smiles. "Geeze, Twiley, thanks!"
>You chuckle, taking another couple of bites
>"Oh, I was wondering."
>You look up from your food, and see Gleaming looking across to you, with a small smile as she eats
>"How did things go between you and that girl?"
>You notice Cadence pauses and looks to you as well
"L-lem?"
>"Yeah. That was her on the steps today, right?"
>You look down at your food and nod.
>You'd almost forgot about Lemon
>This doesn't look so appetizing, anymore
>"You're still going to hang out with her, right?"
>You look back to Cadence
>She has an unusually neutral expression
>Are you?
>Probably not
>You shrug and pick at your meat, eating a few bits
>Everyone sits in silence for a few minutes as you all eat
>You want to go do something with Lemon Zest
>It doesn't have to be going to the carnival
>But you already told her that you'd go hang out with her Saturday
"A-as much as I-I'd like to, p-probably not."
>There's a shorter pause
>"Oh, well, maybe next time."
>You nod, looking down at your food
>But you do want to...

>You pick up your glasses and wipe them off a bit
>You woke up before your alarm
>Which is now going off
>Bobbing your head a little, you press the cancel button on your phone and unplug it
>Carrying your phone with you, you sit down at your desk and scan over your notes
>With a quick scribble, you mark off where you need to continue tomorrow
>You grab your backpack and stuff the folders and binders in with your usual care
>Not much
>Clothes...
>Scarf and jacket...
>Shoes and keys...
>And you're good to start the day
>You have no idea what you're going to do today, aside from work on Energy X!
>But you hope you get a chance to clear up what's going on with Lemon at some point
>Or figuring out what is happening
>Going home would solve all of this
>Uh... Eh...
>You clear your throat and swing open your door
>Startling Cadence
>You both stare at each other for a moment
>She smiles. "Want some breakfast, Twiley? Gleaming left us some today."
>Oh gods.
>You excitedly nod, licking your lips

>7:30 AM
>School
>Nice and early just like you like it
>There are any students here yet, just as you expect
>But given that the winds last night have persisted all the way up until now that may just be because all the students who have arrived already have already gone inside
>Looking around, you don't see anybody approaching when walking down the sidewalk or anything
>Sigh
>You walk up the steps and quietly cross the threshold
>You hope today goes a little bit better than yesterday
>Yesterday wasn't that bad, per se, to be honest
>But you do want to make some progress on your friendships
>...And figuring out what is happening
>...Which you haven't been researching at all
>As you walk, you pull out your phone
>Hey maybe you should research on that a little
>Yeah
>You punch in a few search terms on your phone
>Missing Persons
>Twilight Sparkle
>Shining Armor
>Strange occurrences in Canterlot City
>And you start reading on your way to your locker

>8:07 AM
>"Good morning, Twiley. Did you have a good night's rest last night? Did anything happen? You didn't return my text, so I assumed you had gotten yourself wrapped up in something at least somewhat important."
>You blink and look away from your phone
>Oh it's Sugar
>She sure is a sight for literally sore eyes
"I-I was r-researching something th-that I've been w-working on for a f-few weeks."
>Sugar nods and works to collect her materials for the day
>You look back to your phone, skimming the twenty pages you've got open
>/x/ is blowing up trying to investigate what is happening
>Which is nice
>Help is welcome, even if it's just from anons
>But you do have some... Other sites open
>Mostly pages about missing persons reports from the CPD and a few blogs about weird things in Canterlot
>Apparently you're not the first to notice weird things happening at CHS
>But with what these weirdos are reporting, you're the only sane one
>Demons and magic...
>As if
>Sugar looks up to you as she tightens the straps on her backpack
>You look down at her
>She smiles
>You smile
>You both go in for the hug at the same time
>"Good luck with your research, Twiley. Let me know if I can help at all, I'm very good at researching of all kinds, and I would love to help you."
>You nod. "I-I will, S-sugar."
>She and you wave your farewells, and you remain at your locker
>Reading
>...
>>26728XXX
so what you're telling us, OP, is that you unironically think that the entire world, from your perspective, is different?
there's a common variable from what you've told us here: you
Have you considered that your psyche has been warped-
>You close that thread
>You rub your forehead
>That post gave you cancer.
>Sighing, you look back at the other sites you've opened
>The CPD doesn't have any record of you
>There aren't any notable sites mentioning you
>There aren't any men named Shining Armor in this country, or your brother's age
>You glance away
>8:28 AM
>Welp.
>You turn heel and start jogging before you're late to class

>Without a word, you squeeze into your chair between Sunny and Indy
>Who are currently talking to each other?
>"Now, mon chèr, I don't know why you insist~"
>Sunny's smirking, brow raised
>Indigo scoffs. "You kidding, the dude made a bad call, that's all."
>She leans forward, putting her hands down and gesticulating a person flipping around
>"See that? You don't just trip and flip like that. Doesn't happen. He should have been DQ'd. He put a shoe to a head on purpose."
>You look between them
>They seem to be enjoying themselves
>Sunny giggles. "If you insist~!"
>Indy nods, crossing her arms. "And I do, Sun." She glances at you
>She gives you a grin, and slides her hands behind her head. "Told ya, bae."
>Sunny giggles again, and fetches a book from her bag. "Good morning, ma petite~"
>You look between them and smile, pulling out your phone
"Y-you two s-seem happy t-today..."
>"Course. Ya know, just relaxing."
>"Indeed, ma chèrie~" Sunny looks up from her book, gracing you with a dazzling smile. "Zap and I were discussing hm~" She puts a finger to her chin and looks up. "International sports~"
>Hunh
>Good
>You nod. "G-good. I-it's good th-that y-you're both getting a-along."
>Behind you, Indy chuckles, and you can hear her reclining.
>In front of you, Sunny nods, winking at you before going back to her book
>Well now
>This is better
>You look between both of them again
>This is nice. You can live with this
>Whatever happened...
>You furrow your brow
>One mystery at a time
>Without saying much else, you start work on your research
>On what is happening
>The teacher shouldn't have a problem. Most of the students you notice used their phones while they didn't do anything else
>Actually, this is a really lax period
>...One mystery at a time, seriously
>You glance back down at your phone
>And go straight to /x/, asking for advice on what to do about your psuedo-solipsistic world warping

>3:00 PM
>Final bell
>You rub the back of your neck
>You've been shitposting on /x/ for eight hours straight
>So far, they've thrown every single meme at you
>Some are claiming that you're a new form of skinwalker
>Others, that maybe you imagined the world
>Some want you to go in for psychiatric help
>Still, most of them insist that solipsism anon is right
>All of your life didn't happen, and you've only imagined everything up to this point to cope with some traumatic event
>Now they're fouling up the thread with green text about you and the possible things that could have happened to you
>But some of them suggested seeking psychic/divining aide
>You don't know where to find these people, but you will before long...
>So that's where you are
>You stop in front of your lab
>Sour Sweet...
>...You don't need to visit your lab today
>You turn and walk away, but as you do so, you catch sight of a big pink girl
>Lem looks down at you, face blank
>You smile and wave
>Is this your chance to make up?
>She looks down for a moment, glancing between you and the floor for a few moments
>Maybe you can explain what happened to her?
>Sighing, she walks over to you, taking careful steps and maintaining eye contact
>Prove that you're not a terrible friend
>She stops a foot away from you, looking down at you
>Gulp
>Do something to show that you want to make up
>You spread your arms out and smile
>She furrows her brow, staring at you
>You give her a grin, knowing how nervous it must look
"H-hug?"
>She rumbles softly and looks at the door. She nods toward it.
>"Is Sour Sweet in there?"
>You glance back at the door and up at her
"I-I think s-so..."
>She immediately walks past you, grabbing you by the hand, and using the other to firmly grip the knob
"L-lemfam?"
>She halts and looks over her shoulder at you
>Her voice goes quiet
>"I just want to talk to her, Twilight."
>What does that mean...?
"S-sure..."
>She turns slightly, pulling you closer
>She has a nervous look in her eye
>She bites her lip and looks down
>"O-or not..."
>She lets go of the door, and your hand, and starts to walk away
>Before you have a chance to say anything, she picks up her school bag and continues
>You reach out with the hand she held
>Which is still warm
"L-lemfam..."
>She looks back at you
>Gulp
"I-I really do w-want to h-hang out with y-you."
>She's silent
>If she wasn't ten feet away, you'd think she couldn't or didn't hear you
>Maybe she chose not to hear you
>She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath
>Without opening her eyes, she smiles back at you, extra wide
>"Then I guess we're gonna hang out, huh, Twifam!?"
>You chuckle as she puts on her headhones and runs off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vTHd0BgdA

>Watching her hair bounce like that is kind of mesmerizing
>"Are you okay, Twilight?" First you hear a sweet voice. "What was that all about?"
>Then it's Sour. Sour Sweet
>Turning, you find a confused looking Sour standing in the doorway, knob in one hand,  phone in the other
>You shrug
"J-just L-lemfam."
>Sour frowns and shakes her head
>"Just Lemfam. Whatever."
>She places her hand to her ample chest and pouts
>"Don't you want to spend time with me right now?" She glares at the hallway. "Rather than that huge bumbling doofus?"
>Sigh
>Why don't they like each other?
>You stare at her
>They both seem friendly enough toward you
>Who hates who here?
>"What?"
>You step closer to Sweetie and...
"W-why don't y-you like h-her?"
>Sour Sweet blinks
>She opens her mouth, but only a grunt rolls out
>She leans back a bit, taking a step for support
>"Whah?"
>You stare at her
>"Twilight, what do you mean?"
>You shake your head and sigh
>You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths
>Rolling your head with the breathing, you calmly speak, knowing you'll have a lot to say.
"I thought maybe my girlfriend would be friends with my friends."
>Deep breaths. "It just made sense."
>Sour seems quiet for a moment. As far as you can tell, she's still in that shocked pose.
>But then she chuckles. "You know that was only a joke, right? I love you, you are my very best friend forever, but I was only pretending to be your gf."
>You take a few deep breaths and hold up your finger. "Yeah."
>It was sort of obvious. Now that you're in this zen like state you have to be in to not stutter.
>Sour seems to just enjoy flirting with you to get you flustered.
>But you continue, reasserting your finger
"I was wondering, could you maybe try though?"
>You lower your finger, but continue to breathe as calm as you can.
>Almost as soon as you lower your finger, she snaps. "Are you serious?"
>Breathe.
>"After what she's done, are you serious?" Her voice is starting to raise, cracking a little near the end
>After what she's done?
>Breathing, you can almost feel the sparks of Hamon glittering through your hands. That or you're starting to get light headed. "After she did what?"
>Sour growls and you can hear her clenching her knuckles and grinding her teeth. "What!?"
>You raise your finger. "That's what i thought... Each of you hates her, but that's not fair."
>You keep your digit raised, happy to know that Sweetie will not interrupt you. "I'm trying to forgive her. I'm trying to change, okay?"
>Once more, you reassert your finger, and finally open your eyes.
>You see a Sour Sweet, with her arms wrapped around her head, hands curled up and tugging at her face, which is beat red with fury.
>And you are undeterred
>And possibly high as fuck from breathing too deeply
>If that's possible
>You look her straight in the eye and realize just who you're talking to
>You're telling the one person you've feared the most to stop it and behave
>Hm.
"And on top of that, i would appreciate it if you tried to change a bit too, starting with accepting Lemfam as a friend, or at least, the very least, dealing with her."
>You lower your head and cough a bit into your fist.
>Ow your throat
>You clear your throat and dig through your pockets
>Out of cough drops
>You look up at Sour, who looks caught
>She looks hilariously angry
>But she she also looks sad?
>For some reason?
"I-if thats o-okay with you, S-sweetie."
>Sour Sweet huffs and throws up her arms
>"Fine! If we're just passing out redemptions like they're candy, I guess I'm all on board!"
>She stomps into the lab, grabs her bags and stomps back to you
>"Why though?"
>You give her a confused look.
>She shakes her head and hugs you
>She sniffles and presses your head against her chest, where comfort lay
>"I can try, Twi. I can definitely try..."
>Before you can wrap your arms around her, she departs, wiping at her eyes as she walks away from you
>You shake your head and walk into your lab
>There's a bit of time before Shiney should be coming
>So you plop down into your seat and boot up the ol' 98
>Truly a masterpiece of design, the '98
>You spend the million hours needed to open chrome reading more of that thread
>You have no idea why you're still reading
>Most of it's just bumps
>But some of it
>Some of it is totally scary
>Like someone posted what city you live in
>Somehow
>And after someone else confirmed, everyone jumped at the chance to help, by posting ads for the various mediums, pyschics, and occultists in Canterlot
>Which, as it turns out, is a stupid amount
>You lean forward again, and drag your mouse across the desktop
>Why do you have this
>You upload all the data you have on Energy X to your private cloud and shut everything down
>That was a chore
>You stand and depart, heading straight for the exit
>Sort of want to get home as soon as possible

>Stepping outside, you notice two things
>First, Lem
>Just sitting on the steps, listening to music while she draws
>Secondly, the winds have died down
>You get to loosen this scarf...
>As you're undoing your scarf, you take a few steps toward the stairs and sit down
>Right next to your bigger buddy
>She glanced down at you
>You grin, but she turns her head back to the trees
>The drawing looks better
>Does she just sit here and draw the same trees over and over?
>The background is all wrong
>Is that a... Cactus?
>The picture is pulled away, and you follow it, locking eyes with Lemfam
>She seems neutral
>Until she closes up her pad, and stuffs it in her backpack
>Then she looks sort of let down
>She leans back next to you, laying herself out over five steps
>You hold your knees close to you for warmth
"S-so..."
>She glances over to you
"W-would you m-mind coming to the c-carnival with S-sweetie and I-I?"
>She closes her eyes and sighs
>"...I dunno, Twifam."
>After all that, you expected a little more
"W-well, I t-talked to Sweetie, a-and she seems fine w-with you coming a-after all."
>She lets out a soft hum and reaches up to drum her fingers across one speaker of her headphones
>"Maybe..."
>You smile and look out toward the street going past Crystal Prep
>Sunny and Indy are getting along better than they were the other day
>Sugar is like your best friend right now
>You may get Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest to befriend each other
>Making friends with your bullies is surprisingly rewarding
>"Hey, Twifam?"
>You glance down at Lem, who's got her eyes closed
"Hm?"
>Lem takes a breath and sighs. "Happy birthday, yo."
>You flinch and whip out your phone
>It is your birthday!
>You lean down and hug Lem
>She giggles, hugging you back
"Th-thank you!"
>She smiles at you and reaches into her coat pocket
>She pulls out a cookie and hands it to you, chuckling a little
>You take the huge cookie in both hands
"Aw!"
>It's got your cutie mark on it, in icing!

>7:00 PM
>You slide into your seat, as eager as can be
>Gleaming chuckles at your energy
>"Maybe you shouldn't get any cake with the way you're hopping around!"
>You grin and roll your eyes
>"What's got you so energetic, Twiley?"
>You turn to Cadence and smile
>"T-today was j-just a really g-good day, I s-suppose!"
>"I'll say..." Cadence gives you a small smile before going back to her phone to read
>You giggle
>Seriously, having someone who isn't family wish you a happy birthday is the happiest thing that's happened to you in a while!
>Okay, that sounds sadder than it is
>You're just really glad that you have actual friends
>All of them actually did the same
>Checking your phone, everyone sent you a happy birthday message of their own!
>Ignoring the fact that Sour sent you a bunch of pictures of herself topless but covering up (fucking saved), it was all very sweet and heartwarming!
>Speaking of heartwarming...
>"There you go. Happy birthday, Twiley." Gleamy sets down a platter of chicken and fries for everyone to grab from
>You giggle and reach out for one.
"Th-thank you, s-so much, G-gleamy."
>For the next ten or so minutes, you are in stunned silence as you consume the delicious fruits of Sister's labors
>But then Cadence breaks it
>"So, Gleaming mentions that you were with Lemon Zest this afternoon?"
>You glance at Gleamy
>She's got a mouth full of food and shrugs.
>So are you. So you nod
>"Did you make up with her yet?"
>You nod again
>"How did that go."
>You pause and quickly chew and swallow, washing it down with milk
"U-uh..." You glance back over to Cadence. "I-It went w-well."
>Cadence smiles, placing her hands together. "So you're going to be hanging out with her alone on Saturday?"
>Wha?
"N-no..."
>Cadence's smile falters. "Oh..."
"I-I'm going w-with her and a-another friend."
>Cadence gives you a thoughtful hum. "Are you sure?"
>What is up with her?
"Y-yes, w-why?"
Cadence shakes her head. "Just wondering which choice you would make, I guess."

>3:00 PM
>Final Bell
>Friday
>School
>This is ridiculous
>You've been searching for days now, and all to no avail
>There is not a single shred of evidence that anything happened to Twilight Sparkle
>Facebook posts, going back to a year after the website's inception, support her existing up until you woke up Monday morning
>Her internet footprint is wide berthed, too
>She was on every social media site, and not in a 'maybe that was her' sort of way
>She linked every account together through blogposts and comments and view histories
>She updated her Myspace last month!
>You're ready to tear your hair out
>How does someone vanish?
>And there's no proof that you exist!
>Seriously, you looked everywhere
>Your shitty oekakis, ask blogs, and contributions to the Ogres and Oubliettes communities are just gone
>(RIP Magic of Incarnum overhaul)
>Sure, you both liked toku
>Sure, you both liked rpgs and tabletop games
>...But the similarities between the both of you are so superficial, it hurts your head
>You groan and lean back
>"You kay, Twifam?"
>You gaze, bleary eyed, at Lem
>Shaking your head, you groan again
>"Wassap?" She gives you a worried look
>Bah, don't let your existential crisis bother her
>You groan again and take your glasses off to wipe them off
>Squinting, Lem looks like a big blob of pink and lime
"W-well..." You sigh, replacing your glasses
>You blink a few times and smile when you see her worried frown
>Try not to let it show
"I-I sorta d-don't know what to e-expect today..."
>Don't let her see how panicked you are
>Which easy, because you've already come down from your panic attack
>You barely remember yesterday aside from the epiphany that you don't exist around lunch time...
>Lem frowns and closes up her drawing pad
>"Yeah, you need to learn how to chill."
>You glare at her
>She grins and gets to her feet
>"Twifam, come on, I'm just kidding."
>Her grin gets a little smaller as she slings her back onto her shoulder
>"I'll do my best to make tonight special..."
>Before you could say anything, she walks away, leaving you waiting for Gleaming

>You gently shut the front door behind you
>You had to walk home because Gleaming is working later than expected
>As soon as you get a few steps in, you hear Cadence call out
>"Twilight? Is that you?"
>She sounds like she's in the living room, so you wander on over to her
>A bright smile welcomes you, infecting you with your own grin
>"Welcome home, Twilight."
>You give her a soft chuckle and sit down next to her
>Cadence is always in such a good mood
>Even if you can't directly talk to her about your problems, you are positive just having a chance to relax with her will set you at ease, even if just a little bit
>So you recline into the plush fabric of the couch with a sigh
>"Long day?"
>You nod to her, letting out another sigh
>There's a moment's pause
>The nagging thoughts are at the back of your mind still
>Where Twilight went
>Where you came from
>How no one has noticed yet
>What would happen if anyone noticed
>Things like that...
>But next to your... Sister... In-law?
>...That's a ring on her finger
>Next to your sister/mom/babysitter, those problems seem far off
>"Just like every Friday, I'll be cooking." She smiles to you. "In case you forgot."
>Nice, she's making it easy for you
"H-heh... Y-yeah, I m-might have."
>You sit upright, taking off your backpack. "W-what are we h-having?"
>She puts a finger to her chin. "Mm..." After a moment, the words slowly roll out, like she's still thinking. "What would you like?"
>Shrugging, you shake your head a bit. "A-anything's f-fine."
>She smirks, cocking her brow. "Not something low fat and low cal as usual?"
>You chuckle. "N-no...?"
>Why would you want some boring gross food when you can have some delicious meats?
>Cadence hums thoughtfully, her smirk replaced by a contemplative frown
>...crap?
>You smile and with a quick "E-excuse me" depart for your room

>6:12 PM
>You stare down at the steaming plate and bowl in front of you
>"This is your favorite, right?" Cadence asks as she stands next to you
>You look back down
>You have a plate stacked high with thirty or so half inch cubes of tofu covered in some kind of... Sauce? Glaze? It smells like dirt.
>And next to that is a piping hot bowl of what you've been told is steamed cabbage
>You don't have the willpower to not scrunch up your face in disgust, so you just stare down at the food so she can't see
"U-um..." You poke at a tofu cube with a fork and it sticks to the tines without any force needed
>Where is the satisfying release of tension from stabbing into a hot side of flesh?
>This isn't meat.
>Cadence, out of the corner of your eye, raises a hand to her mouth. "It is, isn't it?"
>She gets lower, to look you in the eye, but you masterfully avoid eye contact using your latent hikikomori strats.
>She's quiet for a moment before sighing, grasping at the plate and bowl. "You've always mentioned that you love it..."
>Before you can do anything, she steps away
>You nibble on the gross white block and set down your fork
>Disgustingly bland, with a hint of grass
>Behind you, you hear her setting the dishes on the counter. "I just assumed after all the times you said you loved it that it must be your favorite."
>Y-you what?
>You gulp, hoping that the empty void below will devour that cube
>After a moment of rummaging through the fridge, she sets down a wrapped dish in front of you
>The cold scent of gravy and beef makes your mouth water
>You smile up at her
>She smiles down
>She doesn't look nearly as hurt as she sounded
>Before you can ponder any longer, your belly rumbles in dissatisfaction of the fake food you just tossed in there
>You snap back to the plate before you, unwrapping it
>Cadence sits down next to you, eating what she was serving you
>You eat in silence
>Cadence is reading something on her phone
>You're gobbling cold, greasy meat
>Life's pretty okay
>"So you're going to the carnival tonight, yes?"
>You swallow.
"N-no, Saturday."
>Cadence nods, looking back to her phone
>You resume eating
>"With lemon zest?"
>You stop and look at her, fixing your glasses.
>Spike paws at your shin, so you reach down and feat him some meat. "Y-yeah..."
>"Alone?"
>You shake your head as you cut up some more meat. "N-no."
>Cadence's mouth forms a surprised o and she sits upright before leaning forward, turning her head to the side a bit as she asks, "Who else?"
"...S-sour sweet."
>She nods again before looking down at her phone. "I see."
>Things are quiet again between both of you
>This silence actually lasts for a bit
>You finish the plate, and happily groan as you lean back, content and bloated
>You're a happy little nerd
>Cadence takes your plate and hers and steps to the sink to clean them.
>"How is school?"
>You gurgle in response. "Fffiiine..."
>She giggles as she runs the water. "How are your friends?"
>You groan and turn to look at her. "S-same."
>She chuckles, grabbing a sponge. "I see."
>Cadence chuckles again as she slowly squeezes the sponge. "You know, it seems just like yesterday that you..."
>She giggles
>You stare in silence
>She runs the sponge under the hot water and clenches it again. "That you and i would well..." Satisfied that the sponge is wrung out, she pours some soap onto it.  "...Not get along i suppose."
>She slowly looks at you over her shoulder and smiles
>"What was it you said Friday?"
>She smiles wider. "I thought it was funny."
>You just give her a blank stare, watching her
>Her shoulders sag slightly. "Come now, you must remember..."
"U-um..."
>You slowly shake your head. Why is she acting like this?
>She looks back at the dishes, still smiling
>"Oh well. It was a funny joke, and I wanted to share it with Gleaming."
>...Okay

>GUITAR RIFFS
>Ugh
>You slam your hand on your phone, turning off the Power Pony theme
>Your stomach is killing you
>Rolling out of bed, you welcome the floor slamming into your ample butt
>It wakes you up
>But your belly still hurts from all that beef
>You pick yourself up and stretch a little, ignoring the haze of sleep that still envelops your mind
>Weekend ritual, begin
>You stare at the fresh undies in your hand
>...Boy, these are stretchy
>Uh... You should probably shower, actually
>You grab up some clean clothes and wander out to the bathroom
>Shower: Go!
>As you enter auto-mode, you let your mind wander
>Tonight should be fun, right?
>You're going to hang out with Lem and Sour
>They're not going to fight, hopefully
>Well, Lem isn't going to start a fight
>...What are all these bottles!?
>You glare at the articles cluttering up the wall of the shower
>Easily twenty bottles
>Eh
>You sniff one
>Lavender, probably yours
>Says shampoo, so you get to it
>Anyway, tonight should be fine
>Probably

>5:17 PM
>Street clothes
>Cell phone
>Keys
>Modern D&T deck, just in case
>Check, check, check, check
>You still have everything, just like you did when you left the house
>You let out a breath
>The carnival is in sight
>You really hope Lem and Sweetie aren't going to be at each other all night
>You really want to make this work
>For some reason
>...Because letting them hate each other gives you that headache?
>Groan
>Looking forward again, you can see Lem and Sweetie
>Sweetie is glaring up at Lem, grumbling something
>Lem is just staring at her, arms crossed
>Neither notices you until you're a few feet away
>As usual, Lem has her headphones wrapped around her head, and muffled music escapes her ocean of green

https://youtu.be/BpWM6rpl2UE

>You think maybe she has a playlist or something, since you've heard this song a dozen times this week
>Regardless, she's the first to notice you, reaching up to turn down the jams as she smiles at you
>"Yo, Twifam! Good to see ya!"
>Lem glances at Sweetie before grabbing you up in a big warm hug
>You giggle and hug her back
>Until you hear Sour growl below
>You look down at her from where Lem's holding you
>Lem sets you down and before you can do anything else, Sour reaches over and pulls you into a tight hug
>She almost knocks the wind out of you
>Sweetie squeezes you really close, pressing a hand against the back of your head and firmly placing your cheek against her shoulder
>Nice.
>Hugs are nice.
>At first
>But after being held for about a minute, you start to feel uncomfortable
>You reach over and tap Sweetie
>"What."
"U-uh... Sh-shouldn't we g-go do s-stuff?"
>She releases you, and grabs your hand. "Of course we can! Let's have as much fun as possible!"
>Sour glares at Lem. "If someone can keep up, or even get lost..."
>You feel a soft throb in your head and sigh
>But Lem just shakes her head, crossing her arms again as she walks next to you, opposite Sour
>Sigh
>Your head already hurts
>The three of you walk along, going along with the noisy crowd
>The carnival is actually pretty nice
>There's bad food everywhere, and super cheap
>There's a stall game around every corner
>And the rides look sweet in that classic death trap kind of way only a carnival can deliver
>The horizon is aglow with bright lights and stall lamps
>You're so ready for fun
>You smile between Sweetie and Lem, and they both smile back
>Sweetie pulls you close and takes a selfie, giggling
>She flips her phone around and frowns
>It's you, her, and Lem, all smiling
>She glares back at Lem, who's got an impassive look
>Sour grumbles but saves the picture anyway
>Stowing her phone, she whips her head around, and smirks
>She smiles to you and pulls you along as she points. "Let's go play a game, Twilight, it'll be fun!"
>You grin at her enthusiasm
>"Especially if that photobombing bimbo stays here!"
>You squint and look back at Lem, who's following easily enough
>Before Lem finishes catching up, Sweetie's already throwing balls
>Glancing, you notice-
>By the All Father
>They have Mane-I-Ac plushes
>No one has Mane-I-Ac anything
>You point, blubbering as Sweetie growls and throws balls
>"I'd have it already if this game wasn't rigged!"
>The hipster girl behind the counter chuckles. "Ain't rigged, you jus' can' throw."
>Sour glares at her, growling as she picks up her last of five balls
>She lines up, and just like the last two, hits the milk bottles
>One topples over
>The girl reaches under and pulls out a keychain, winking at you as she tosses it to Sour
>Sour growls, squeezing the toy
>She leans onto the counter top, leaving the girl to passively raise her hands and back up
>"This game is rigged! You can't knock over the milk bottles!"
>The girl shrugs and flicks the bottle stack, knocking them over
>She smirks
>Lem steps forward, setting down a few bucks
>The girl looks down at the money and up at Lem. "That's not enough."
>Lem grins and holds up two fingers. "I only need two."
>The girl chuckles, setting down a pair. "This I gotta se-"
>CRASH
>The girl blinks and looks over at the bottles
>Which have been shattered
>You grin, and Sour gapes
>Lem has her free hand on her hip, while she playfully tosses her ball in the air
>"They down, yo."
>The girl snarls and gives Lem a middle finger. "Fuck off! Now I have to clean your mess cause you can' just play along!"
>Lem opens her mouth to reply
>But instead hooks the ball at the girl
>You and Sour flinch
>The girl flinches
>Lem chuckles, tossing again. "Ye. Gimme my prize before I fuckin deck ya."
>She points up at...
>Not Mane-I-Ac
>You gingerly pull her arm until she's pointing at it
>And grin when she winks down at you
>The girl grumbles and tosses the plush down on the counter along with a fistful of junk from under the counter
>With a jump, she pulls some shutters down, closing up
>You snatch and hug your villain plush
>Lem grabs up the junk toys and hands a few to Sour
>Sour eyes them, before taking a few rings and glow sticks
>Sour grumbles to herself as she affixes a ring to her middle finger
>She makes it glow and gives the stand the bird
>Lem taps her side with the back of her hand. She glares up at the pink girl
>"C'mon, less get some junk food."
>You nod, stuffing your chilling hands into your hoodie pockets
>Sour groans, her shoulders sagging. "I guess... I could go for a pretzel."
>Glancing around, the nearest food stand is only a few stalls down, and there's only a few of people between you and snacks
"C-come on." You motion to both of them, and they fall in line
>You stare at the options
>Deep fried dough, pretzels, deep fried cookies, popcorn, fried... french fries
>There's a lot of fried things here
>Is what you're noticing
>Grinning, you dig out your wallet
>Lem reaches over you and sets down a few bills. "Peanuts!"
>You do the same. "D-dough!"
>Sour steps around you as you collect your snacks
>"You two are weird..."
>She shouts at the guy dishing out food. "Hot dog!"
>All three of you step away, enjoying your snacks
>"Twilight Sparkle! Well, isn't it interesting to meet you here!"
>You stop and look around
>Lem taps your shoulder and points
>You look and see a girl wearing a blue hoodie, flanked by two younger boys
>She saunters closer to you, sneering along the way
>"Stunned? Trixie would imagine so."
>Is she speaking the third person? Do people do that?
>Who is this person
>You quietly take a bite of your fried dough
>Trixie's sneer falters, but she reshapes it into a smirk
>"And look what we have... Two of Crystal Prep's elite." She steps around, circling the three of you
>She stops in front of you, crossing her arms. "Trixie supposes you think that you're one of them, then?"
>Trixie chuckles as she turns away
>With a snap of her fingers, the boys join her by her side
>She looks over her shoulder at you, glaring as she grins
>sfx:Menacing
>"Enjoy this night while you can. It may be the last bit of fun you have."
>With a scoff, she faces forward and walks away
>All three of you stand there
>Lem munches on her peanuts
>Eventually, eat your dough
>"The hell was that?"
>You and Lem look at Sour, who seems to be the only one bothered by what just happened
>You don't know how Lem feels, but
>Girl can be crazy all she wants, you have enough to deal with without adding vauge threatening girl to the list
"I-I dunno... P-probably no one i-important."
>Lem lets out a short chuckle
>But Sweetie sighs
>"If you don't care, I don't care..."
>You smile and look around for something new to do
>Looking up, you see Lem digging away at her bag of peanuts, shells and all
>She looks away from Trixie and smiles at you
"W-what do you w-want to do L-lemfam?"
>She slows down her chewing and looks around as she swallows
>She nods and points. "Wanna try that, Twifam?"
>You and Sour look
>It's a tent with a hanging sign showing a crystal ball
"F-fortune telling?"
>"If ya wanna..."
>You nod
>That sounds cool, actually
>You grab Lem and Sour and pull them with you to the tent
>Peeking inside, you see a much more tribal set up than you expected
>Masks hang from the walls, vials hang from the rafters, and the scent of dust and incense wafts about
>The table in the center isn't even a showy clothed affair
>Lastly, there's a woman, the fortune teller, sitting in front of the crystal ball, lounging with a book and pen
>She glances up as you enter, a lazy smile- Oh hey
>"S-stripes."
>She gapes slightly
>Sour leans in, staring at you
>Lem looks away, rubbing the back of her neck
"W-what?"
>"Twilight, you don't just go and call someone a... That!"
>You can't?
"W-why?"
>"If you are called Twilight, Maybe your father is Night Light?"
>You both pause and look back at the fortune teller.
>You nod
>She has her relaxed grin again
>"Daughter of Night Light... You are quite a sight."
>Huh?
"Y-you knew my d-dad?"
>She chuckles. "Indeed, but put that aside, do you require a guide?"
>You glance back at Lem and Sweetie
>They shrug
>You do as well
"S-sure..."
>You sit down at the crate, and she slides to face you
>She sets her hands on the wooden surface, gazing into the crystal
>"For you I see many strange events, but the darkness impairs sight and circumvents..."
>She looks up at you and frowns, holding out her hand
>"Can you, if you are willing, disperse the darkness of unwilling?"
>You have no idea what she's saying at this point
>So you hold out your hand
>She doesn't take it
>"Do not rely on me; whatever you desire, to instruct would make me a liar."
>Uh
>You look between the crystal and her
>Slowly you reach for it
>Glancing at her
>She just watches
>You brush your fingers across the surface of the ball and pull away
>She leans in, staring intently
>Crick
>She sits upright with a start when a crack forms in her crystal
>"No this cannot be, not as I see..."
>She raises her hands and steps away, behind the curtain
>You glance at Lem and Sour, who look as confused as you are
>The fuck is happening?
>She comes back with a small vial, which she pours into her palm
>Dabbing at it, she traces some symbols across the back of your hand and lower arm
>She's panting as she steps back
>She glances at the crystal
>Rhythmically mumbling something
>Your hand feels strange
>You look away from her and down at your hand as she groans
>The paint or whatever is glowing
>It's a shifting, rolling purple and black
>It's really cool looking, so you chuckle
>"This is no laughing matter, not at all from what I gather!"
>She pockets the vial and sits down, grasping at her forehead
>She rhythmically grumbles in a different language
>"What is it?" Lem mumbles out
>The shimmering has ended, and the paint faded with it
>She grumbles again
>And then sighs
>"For your telling, there is no charge. For I see a grim future for life at large."
>...What

>8:52 PM
>Unfortunately, that was all she would tell you.
>Both Lem and Sour tried yelling at her for more info, but she wasn't having it
>It was sort of a cross between pins and needles and something crawling under your skin
>Claimed she needed more time to research
>Consult the spirits
>Investigate the auras of Canterlot
>You stare at your hand
>The paint is long gone, but you can still sort of feel the tingling on your skin
>It was sort of a cross between pins and needles and something crawling under your skin
>You look between Lem and Sweetie
>Sweetie leans in and hugs you again
>"Don't let that lady get you down, Twilight."
>Sour continues. "She was probably trying to scare you into buying stuff."
>Lem shrugs and pats your shoulder
>"Yeah, Twifam, she probably saw somethin wrong, or somethin."
>You smile.
>"Th-thanks girls."
>You finish your second fried dough, wiping the cinnamon from your lips
>Aside from that, this night was nice
"Th-thanks for g-getting along."
>Sweetie nuzzles your cheek
>"It was no effort, was it Lemon Zest?"
>Lem nods, smiling wide. "Yeah, I think we did a good job a not pissin each other off."
>Sour gives a contented sigh as she holds you close
>She's warm
>You glance at your hand again
>For real though, that was weird
>There's a beeping and you all look to see a car
>Sour unwinds herself from you and bounds off
>"See you Monday!"
>You wave as Sour piles into the little car
>Leaving just you and Lem
>Lemon Zest
>You look up at her
>She's got her hands in her hoodie pockets, and she's bobbing her head back and forth
>She grins back at you
>"Have fun?"
>You grin and nod
>"Good."
>You both stand around, waiting for your rides
>"Ya know..."
>You glance at her
>She rubs her chin
>"Ah think... Maybe her fortune is correct, but she was just too... Ya know... Scared to make sense of it."
>You cock your head
>She frowns and rubs at her neck. "Like uh... She said grim future for life, right? Well maybe something's gonna go down, like a big extinction event, but then you'll be there to fix it?"
>You giggle and hug your friend
>She seems startled but hugs you back anyway, chuckling
>Tonight was okay


http://imgur.com/3u5G0VK