tOUCC (drafts)

>"Carlos."
>"Here."
>"Romane."
>"Here."
>"Pinkamena."
>"Here!"
>"Twilight."
>"Present."
>"Anon."
>"..."
>"Absent, then."
>Pinkie looks over to Anon's vacant seat at the beginning of the day, thinking about the day prior and their encounter.
>"Hey, Twilight, has Anon said anything to you about missing school today?"
>Twlight looks up from her book, clicking her pen once or twice.
>"Not that I recall, no. His attendance really is poor, though. I wonder how his grades are doing."
>Pinkie sighs.
>"The grades don't matter, Twilight. It's whether or not he's okay!"
>"Okay?"
>"Yeah, remember what Dashie told us? When she found Anon's phone when we were out?"
>"What, that he had been speaking with Sunset?"
>"Exactly! What if something's happened again!"
>Twilight looks around.
>"I guess you could be right, but I don't know. I just feel like that's got such a small chance of happening."
>"And why's that?"
>"Well, apparently Flash isn't even enrolled here any more, and he hasn't shown up in more than a month. I think that the whole issue between them is over."
>Pinkie furrows her brows, running a hand through her hair and accidentally getting it caught.
>"I guess, but you know, even if it something came up, Anon wouldn't tell us."
>"That's true. But if you're worried, Pinkie, we could go over to his house and see if he's there, maybe get an answer that way."
>Pinkie stops trying to pull her hand out of her hair, shaking her head.
>"No no no, I don't think we need to go /that/ far. Maybe if he's still not here tomorrow, all of us can go check up on him."
>The bell rings and the two head to their respective classes, seemingly putting the issue of Anon's absence to rest for now.
>
>Sunset Shimmer walks to her class as well, sitting down and putting her bag on the seat next to her.
>It's not like anyone would dare sit there anyway.
>Not like she minds.
>Disregarding what the teacher has to say for the most part, she pulls out her phone and scrolls through it under her desk.
>She speaks to Anon almost daily.
>Mainly it's random, with him messaging her when he's bored for the most part.
>And also about things he can't tell anyone else.
>While she doesn't admit it, it feels nice to be special to someone like that.
>That's probably part of the reason she puts up with all the whacky shit going on around him.
>She taps on his name, opening up their chat.
>After she left his house on the weekend, they didn't have another conversation.
>She's messaged him four times, just to ask what's up, but there's no read notification either.
>Probably misplaced his phone again.
>She purses her lips, locking her phone.
>Trying to rid her mind of Anon to focus on the lesson, she rationalises that she's most likely just over-exaggerating.
>He'll text back when he can, maybe he just doesn't wanna talk.
>
>Come lunch, all the 6 girls sit around at their lunch table.
>Fluttershy and Rainbow have a conversation about why Fluttershy was late to her first class.
>"So what gives?"
>Fluttershy looks to the floor, thinking back.
>"Everything seemed normal enough while waiting this morning, but as the bus tried to cross the bridge, it was blocked off so we had to take a detour."
>Rarity pipes in.
>"Oh, yes, you have to get across it to get to Canterlot right? I saw a story about it on my phone but I didn't read it. Apparently it's a crime scene of some sort."
>"A crime scene?" Twilight adds. "I read it was a really bad car accident. Probably a drunk driver that rode straight into the woods."
>"Woah,Rarity.Do you mean crime like, C.S.I and stuff? Oh oh Shy did you see detectives?"
>Fluttershy shakes her head slowly.
>"Detectives? I- I don't think so, I didn't really look for any. I just saw the tape and a few police cars. But I thought it was a car crash too, since there was a big hole in the trees."
>Applejack tips her hat up from falling over her face, crossing her arms.
>"I 'unno, Ah'm with Rarity on this one. They never send this many police cars or people to a car crash. They even closed off the whole road, now does that sound like a car crash ta you?"
>Twilight agrees and taps through her phone, obviously researching about the incident.
>"I see what you mean. Hey, doesn't Anon live really close to it too? I wonder if that's the reason he stayed in today."
>Rainbow chuckles.
>"You think he stayed in because he was scared of what happened?"
>Twilight shrugs.
>
>At the end of the day all of the girls bid goodbye to one another, each making their own way home.
>Fluttershy gets on her bus and the driver tells them all that they'll be taking a different route today, so some people will be dropped off in a different order.
>She sits next to her friends on the bus, and the thoughts of that conspicuous bridge disappear from her, and her friends minds.
>
>"Sir, are you sure you want to go through with this? Canterlot Academy is a /large/ chain of educational establishments. The impact on our costs, they'd be..."
>"I know, I know. Money's not the issue here though, is it?"
>"I suppose not, sir."
>"Indeed. Now, ring them up and give them that number. I'm sure they won't refuse."
>"And you think this is where we'll find him? There are still the others we have to worry abo-"
>"No, they don't matter anymore. He's the only one we need."
>"He's already displayed the traits then?"
>"Mhmm."
>"I'll get right to it."
>
>"Man, you forreal?"
>"I dunno Shank, I just heard it through the grapevine. Apparently that accident over past the Everfree was our guys."
>"Fuckin' Ace went didn't he? 'Cuz his brother or cousin got beat before yeah?"
>"Mh, I heard that too. Ain't seen him around today either."
>"Holy shit man, without Ace around, who the hell are they gonna use to replace him?"
>"Don't write him off yet, we don't know anythin' for sure. The bosses sure been keepin' quiet about it though."
>"Hm. You think it's another gang? Comin' up from the town or wherever?"
>"I think so, yeah, but there was that one group o' kids here before that claim it's just one guy."
>"One?"
>"Apparently."
>"Bullshit."
>
>"Carlos."
>"Here."
>"Romane."
>"Here."
>"Pinkamena."
>"Here!"
>"Twilight."
>"Present."
>"Anon."
>"..."
>"Absent again."
>Pinkie looks over to Anon's empty seat, again.
>Absent today, yesterday, and the day before.
>The two were going to go to his apartment yesterday, but will all the work they got, they couldn't.
>Maybe today...
>"Hey Twi, heard anything from Anon?"
>"No, I was about to ask you the same thing."
>Pinkie sighs.
>"I don't know Twilight, I'm kind of worried."
>Twilight raises a brow.
>"That's not very like you, Pinkie."
>She giggles.
>"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just have a feeling, you know?"
>"Feeling? That 'Pinkie Sense' thing?"
>Pinkie smiles.
>"Something like that, I guess."
>Twilight flips through her phone.
>"It is odd that there was no official news report about it though. The police have just been staying quiet about the whole thing."
>The two look back to Anon's seat.
>"You know, Twilight, maybe Anon not being here... and the fact that it's a crime scene near his house..."
>Twilight visibly winces.
>"Let's not think about it like that."
>"... Yeah, I guess you're right."
>
>Again, lunch rolls around.
>On the first day of the crime, when everyone was talking about it, it was big news.
>But two days later, no one at CHS is really paying it any mind.
>Except those 6 girls.
>"I- I tried knocking on his door, but no one answered, so I just... left."
>Rainbow nods at Fluttershy's comment, shrugging.
>"So you didn't see any police there? If Anon had anything to do with this they would've already closed his apartment off, so there's no need to worry."
>Fluttershy scratches her arms, still seemingly unsure.
>"I- I guess."
>"Yeah well Ah wish they'd just open the road again." Applejack retorts. "We use it to deliver produce to the city, and the detour road is so small it's always backed up. Mac was drivin' to and from Canterlot all day yesterday, so tuckered out he couldn't even come ta school today."
>The girls' conversation dies slowly, the feeling of uneasiness still lingering, even as they try to convince themselves that Anon's got nothing to do with the issue.
>He still hasn't spoken to any of them since the day of the scene.
>All of them contacted him, but the calls just rang out.
>Pinkie was the last to see him, having met him while shopping, but she hasn't told the rest of the girls.
>And she seemed to be the most bothered about this, even though she didn't quite know why.
>As classes draw on, the 6 aren't the only ones worrying.
>Sunset Shimmer has her own concerns about what happened.
>She met with Flash and her friends yesterday, trying to gather what information she could.
>He was conspicuously happy.
>In a way that sent chills up and down her spine.
>She cringes, thinking back to what she found out yesterday.
>Flash sent one of the three district bosses straight to Anon, with the intention of getting his ultimate payback.
>Finally teaching Anon his 'lesson', as he put it.
>Sunset already knew from the atmosphere of the hideout that no one had seen their boss since he went out to get Anon, but...
>She hadn't heard from Anon either.
>Tapping through her phone again, she tells herself that if Anon did confront anyone and something happened, he would tell her.
>He always has.
>So why isn't he this time?
>Sunset sighs.
>Maybe she should check up on him, go to his house.
>See if he's in.
>
>"Did you get the e-mail?"
>Principle Celestia scoffs.
>"Did I get it? I had to read it twice over to believe it."
>Luna rests her shoulder on the wall.
>"Looks like he genuinely bought out the whole board."
>Celestia nods.
>"And with it, us."
>The vice principle walks in, looking around at the walls of the office.
>"What do you think he wants? To buy out the whole school in such a short period of time, it seems more than odd."
>Luna turns to face her sister.
>"Though, that doesn't seem to be the only thing on your mind. What else has you up so late at night?"
>Celestia smiles.
>"How would you know that I'm not sleeping well?"
>The vice principle smirks.
>"Please."
>Celestia swirls the drink in her hand, looking down into it.
>"I think I've made a grave mistake, Luna. And I may have unwittingly gotten a student of ours into a world of trouble."
>Luna raises a brow.
>"How so?"
>The principle puts her drink down and swivels in her chair, facing the outside.
>"Remember Flash?"
>Luna laughs.
>"How could I ever forget. He was the untouchable one."
>"He really was. I thought that he would graduate after this year and we'd be done with him, but it seems as if it's not going to work out that well."
>The vice principle makes her way to her sister's desk, resting on it and inquiring more about this story.
>"What do you mean?"
>Celestia runs a hand through her hair, sighing low.
>"That new student we got, Anon."
>"Who came here after his parents died?"
>"Him, yes. He was Flash's punching bag when he first arrived, though regarding the state he was in when I saw him, it couldn't have been all that bad."
>Luna looks confused.
>"What does he have to do with this?"
>"Apparently, Anon didn't quite enjoy all the free reign that Flash had around campus and took matters into his own hands. He went back and exacted revenge, breaking Flashes hand in the skirmish."
>"Oh my."
>"And then Flash just... vanished, and Discord came and took both their files, I just... I called in Anon, knowing that if anyone had information pertaining to Flash it would be him."
>Celestia slows her speech and chooses her words carefully.
>"Anon claimed that he'd seen Flash brandishing the colours of an Ordinance member."
>Luna's face contorts into one of confusion, anger, and surprise all at once.
>"Surely you don't mean 'Ordinance' as in..."
>"I mean exactly that, sister."
>The vice principle runs a hand through her hair.
>"Celestia, that couldn't have been your fault, Flash joining such a gang. If anything, it's his parents who-"
>"It's not Flash I'm worried about."
>"... Anon, then?"
>Celestia furrows her brows.
>"I just don't know, Luna. I really don't."
>The two sisters talk longer, each trying to make sense of all the recent developments.
>And Celestia can't help but feel that soon, things are going to change.
>
>"So, any o' y'all actually gonna go visit Anon? He lives right by me so I could give ya a lift."
>The girls all look at one another and then Applejack, thanking her for the offer but declining.
>Twilight elaborates.
>"I would, but the amount of work we're getting this week is astronomical. There's no way I have any time."
>All the others agree.
>"We'll just go on the weekend, guys. It's not like there's anything wrong with him. I'm telling ya' to just stop worrying."
>Twilight purses her lips at Rainbow, still nonchalant about this whole ordeal.
>"Dash, just because you don't really care for Anon doesn't mean those that do can't be worried."
>"Not ca-!?" Rainbow sneers back before stopping herself.
>"Whatever."
>The girls go their separate ways and agree to meet on the weekend to check on Anon's well-being, once they had a little free time from their work.
>
>A dishevelled Pinkie looks at the bus timetable in Canterlot's city centre for her bus, one that would spare her legs the walking.
>Missed it by a minute.
>"Looks like I'm walking."
>She sighs and begins her journey.
>Fishing some earphones from her bag, she plugs them in and listens to music as she walks to the base of her mountainous hill.
>And begins to walk up.
>Keeping her mind on her phone as opposed to how much longer she has to walk, she scrolls through her social media newsfeeds to make time go faster.
>This walk was so much shorter when she was doing it with Anon.
>She didn't even notice until they were at the top.
>Hm.
>As much as she tries to push the thought of him from her mind, she can't.
>Aaaugh.
>This couldn't mean that she's...
>With Anon?
>No, no.
>Pinkie skips over her songs, trying to find a fast paced bubbly one to drown out the noise in her head.
>"Fluttershy likes Anon, Pinkie. You can't..."
>Nearing her home, she stumbles upon a link on her phone that intrigues her.
>Featherweight shared an article.
>[Can't believe something like that happened. How scary!!! X0]
>Disregarding the comment, Pinkie notes that the article is about the accident near Anon's house.
>New photos of the scene taken from a news helicopter.
>[Police have confirmed that it was not a car accident or malfunction, as many already had deduced,]
>Pinkie scrolls over the article, skipping over all the information she already knows.
>Wasn't a car accident sue to the car trajectory, alleged blood splatters being seen on the roads, weapons seen, etc.
>She stops scrolling when the information becomes relevant, citing an interview with a detective on the case.
>[Now that the police have admitted this was a crime scene, many thought that we would get more answers. But it doesn't seem to be that way.]
>Scroll.
>[Police have linked the brutal crime scene as being akin to the infamous masked murderers of two decades ago, setting a sickening precedent to what may be in store.]
>Two decades ago?
>So this was a gang thing?
>Pinkie continues down and skips the text, clicking on the pictures at the bottom of the page.
>A bloody road, what appears to be metal on it...
>The car, smashed into the surrounding woods.
>Tar marks on the road.
>And...
>"I've..."
>Tapping furiously against the phone's screen, she zooms in.
>And realises that she's seen that jacket before.
>A winter jacket, heavily padded and slightly torn lying on the side of the road.
>Exactly the one Anon had bought that day when...
>Pinkie's heart explodes into fast and erratic beats as the waves of emotion hit her.
>She bursts into a run, making her way to her home and into her room, without greeting her sisters as she usually would.
>Once inside she looks at the picture again, mind racing.
>"Anon.."
>
>Fluttershy dangles her legs from her bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling.
>The girls agreed that they would all go to Anon's on the weekend.
>But she /does/ live just a walk away.
>No, she agreed.
>...
>But he's right there.
>She's been to his house before, it's not like it would be awkward.
>Fluttershy looks to her door and twiddles her toes.
>"What to do.."
>
>Blowing warm air into her hands, Sunset feels the chill of the outside air as she walks out from her house.
>It's getting cold now.
>Winter is on it's way.
>She locks the door, knowing that her dad has another key to get in if he needs to.
>Sunset's been spending more time at home recently, and less out with the gangs she used to hang out with.
>There were some weeks where she wouldn't come home at all, deciding instead to just crash on people's couches as she met them.
>Thinking back, it's a wonder that none of them tried to assault her somehow.
>Maybe she was too intimidating.
>That was a good feeling, having everyone scared of her.
>Now the school doesn't even pay the previous queen Canterlot High any mind.
>But it isn't so bad.
>Surprisingly she's actually made a few friends.
>Mostly just the punks, but hey it's better than being alone.
>Doing various things on her phone, Sunset lands upon Anon's name in her contacts.
>Clicking it, she scrolls to see when last he replied.
>Almost a week.
>The last message was about him needing to go shopping.
>Sunset sighs, thinking back to what she was doing that day.
>She was free.
>She saw the message and ignored it.
>Maybe if she had said something she'd know more.
>About all of this.
>Even though there was no reason to believe that Anon was in any serious danger...
>From past experience, she was pretty sure Anon could handle just about anything that hit him.
>But if that was true, then what was this horrible feeling in her gut?
>Whenever she thought of Anon it just got worse.
>To the point where it hurt.
>Quickening her pace, Sunset gets to Anon's place as fast as she can.
>And he was going to pay for making her this worried.
>Getting to the bottom of the road up to Anon's house, she slows down.
>"You better have a damn good reason for this, Anon."
>She gets to the door and turns the knob, finding it locked.
>Crap.
>Grabbing around in her jacket pockets, she grips a familiar piece of metal.
>Looking around, Sunset checks that no one is around before entering the bump key into the keyhole.
>After a few tries and a bit of noise later, the door swings open and she takes the key out.
>Making her way up the stairs and past the doors of different tenants, Sunset stops at Anon's door.
>Breathing in and out one last time, she resolves that if Anon doesn't have an excuse, she's gonna beat the crap out of him.
>Turning the knob reveals that it's locked.
>Typical.
>The bump key would be too loud and probably rouse suspicion in the other tenants, so it looks like a bobby pin will have to do.
>She readies the small metal pin and inserts it in the keyhole.
>Fidgeting around, Sunset stops before she can get any further, hearing the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
>Of all times, someone had to come home now?
>She takes the pin out from the lock and slides it into her jacket, taking out her phone and resting her back against the door.
>Just wait here and wait for them to pass by before trying again, she tells herself.
>Lord this person is a slow walker.
>The light steps reach the top of the staircase and take a few strides towards Sunset before abruptly stopping.
>"O- oh my."
>Sunset's eyes shoot upwards at the source of the noise, coming face to face with Fluttershy.
>Without a second to lose Sunset hops off of the door and tries to distance herself from it, wracking her brain for an excuse.
>Two women that just /had/ to check up on Anon at the same time.
>After fumbling over her words a couple times, Sunset manages to quickly stammer out "I-I was just leaving.", before brushing right past Fluttershy and down the stairs before she could retort.
>"I- I didn't mean to..." Fluttershy trails off as she hears the door below her open and shut, indicating that Sunset Shimmer had left the premises.
>"Intrude."
>Fluttershy stands in the middle of the hallway, gripping both sides of her face and forcing her eyes shut.
>"Stupid stupid stupid Fluttershy, why did you bother coming anyways, you were already going with the girls later."
>Hastily, Fluttershy makes her own exit, walking her way down the hill and through the trail to her own abode.
>
>The week passed and conversation at the lunch table stopped revolving around the scene and Anon's whereabouts.
>Yet just because they weren't talking about it didn't mean that the 6 friends weren't thinking about it.
>Pinkie never asked another question about the incident, and whenever it was brought up she hastily changed the subject.
>No matter how much Twilight would push to get Pinkie to say something, her lips remained sealed.
>Fluttershy started going quiet.
>Well, more quiet than usual, especially when seated in a class where Anon's assigned seat was empty.
>Twilight, through some suspension of disbelief, insisted that Anon was okay.
>The others knew that this was how Twilight copes with stress.
>Ever since she transferred from Crystal Prep, a 'loner' in every sense of the word, she would simply disregard the fact that something was happening if she didn't like it.
>That's what led to the Flash fiasco lasting so many years.
>Usually it would fall to Applejack, the harsh one of the girls, to snap Twilight back into reality and force her to accept what's happened and use her smarts to perhaps fix the situation.
>But this time there was no help to be had from the country girl.
>She too has shut herself off.
>All conversation of Anon instantly soured her expression, a brief sign of anguish and perhaps worry flashing for less than a second before a scowl overtook them.
>None but those close to Applejack could tell how bad she is at lying.
>Out of the entire group, the one that remained the most aloof was Rainbow Dash, and whenever the subject arose she would make banter at Anon's expense to rouse a chuckle from her friends.
>With Twilight vehemently denying the fact that anything happened, or the fact that Anon ever existed, it fell to Rarity to organise the group and keep them in a mood where not everything seemed bleak.
>She could tell how hard this... loss, as it were, affected those around her.
>It's not as if she was without worry either.
>Anon disappearing on the night of a terrible 'accident' where three other men lost their lives, and the police seemingly at a loss for any leads.
>Before the time had even properly registered itself, not only was it the Friday of that week, but of the next.
>Separate from the group chat, Rainbow Dash and Rarity speak to one another in regards to Anon.
>[Say, Rainbow, do you think the girls would be up this week to take the trip up to Anon's house? Last week they didn't want to go, be it because of schoolwork or other activities, but I have the feeling that they're just avoiding it.]
>[i unno man. i don't think any of them really wanna deal with it any more. you've heard the rumours around school haven't you?]
>[Which ones?]
>[that... you kno]
>[anon might.]
>[god its hard to even type out]
>[might just be one of the three that... you know]
>An empty silence ensues between the two girls.
>Rarity picks up her phone and begins to type away again.
>[Yes, I'm... aware. I just don't understand why the school doesn't do something. The year group is positively buzzing with rumours now, but they're not taking any action.]
>[eh, apparently the school is being sold so thats got them busy. and imagine if schools responded to every rumour that went around a school, it'd be chaos.]
>[I understand that of course, but there's a student missing this time!]
>[i get where youre coming from, but im sure they have their reasons.]
>[So I suppose it's a no on the 'going to visit Anon plan'?]
>[we cna ask them i guess, but i wouldnt expect anything if i were you.]
>It's been three weeks sine anyone's heard from Anon, or anyone who knows anything about him.
>And as Rainbow Dash predicted, all of them had something or the other that came up, fiilling up their weekends up.
>"Oh dear, whatever shall I do?" Rarity chimed, looking over at her cat, white, fluffy, and fat.
>The friends hadn't been out with one another since the last time with Anon, all that time ago.
>Usually it was a weekly meeting they all had.
>Fridays were always unconditionally the girl hangout days.
>When one could just let go of what was stressful about that week or otherwise.
>What if, just what if this was the beginning of the end?
>There's no way that's possible.
>Rarity tries to convince herself that with time everything will be okay, wanting more than anything to just stop thinking about this whole ordeal.
>Rarity knew Anon the least, even though they were quite fond of one another's company.
>He seemed interested in what it was Rarity did, and while he didn't understand it, he was nevertheless keen about listening.
>Pulling herself off of the sheets and running her hands through her hair, Rarity rummages around her room.
>Time to do what she always did when she felt overwhelmed and had to be alone.
>No, the other thing.
>Going to Carousel Boutique and working on her lineups.
>Stuffing all her essentials in a bag, she made sure she had the keys and bid her mother and little sister farewell.
>Her father would drive her to the Boutique as he always did.
>"You sure you want to go now? It's already quite late, and isn't it Friday? Why aren't you out with your friends tonight, did something happen?"
>Rarity tries to dodge the question, hoping to steer the conversation off track.
>"I just feel like I have to get some touches done on my new pieces, there's something just... off with them. Understand what I mean?"
>"Can't say I do honey, but whatever you think it best. You know your father was never the best with fashion and what was 'in'.
>She giggles.
>"Oh I do indeed recall. Me, just barely 10 years old, telling you how to get dressed when out meeting your boss or other colleagues."
>"You don't need to remind me."
>"Don't be like that. Do you perhaps remember what they told you, regarding your luxurious vetements, near every time?"
>"That they were great and that I should dress that well around the office."
>A mix between a content squeal and giggle came from Rarity as her body writhed slightly, hands squished up on her face.
>"We're here honey, come on, get your stuff."
>Together they went to the building, Rarity using her key to unlock it.
>The lights were all off, and all of the fabrics put away.
>Makes sense, it's been closed for about 2 hours now.
>Rarity kisses her father goodbye and wishes him a good journey as she decides to get to work.
>
>
>...
>A musical chime and buzzing wakes Rarity up from her resting place, a bunch of fabrics that she had fallen over in a few hours prior.
>"Oh, oh dear. What happened- I was just... I only closed my eyes for a second."
>She feels around in the pile for her phone, the source of the noise.
>Clutching it and raising it from the heap, Rarity manages to answer the call.
>"Yes, Hello- uh, Rarity here. I mean- Good Mornniiii-"
>She moves the phone away from her ear and looks at the caller ID.
>Just Applejack.
>"Oh, thank heavens it's you. Is it even morning?"
>A deep chuckle crosses from the other side of the line.
>"Did Ah catch ya at a bad time? It's already 2, sleepyhead."
>Rarity rubs her eyes and rubs the sleep out of them.
>"No, not a bad time, I just- I just woke up. A little disoriented, if you may."
>"Just woke up? You ain't the type to be sleepin in."
>"Not usually but I spent the night at the boutique, working on my new dresses. Worked well into the morning after the sun came up."
>"Ah getcha. They let you stay overnight at the boutique?"
>Rarity lifts herself from the mound on the floor and walks to a mirror in an effort to touch herself up.
>"No, not usually. But I always held the manager up when I was working, sometimes forcing her to stay an extra two hours if I was particularly engrossed at the time."
>"Yeesh."
>She brushes hair away from her face and runs her hands through it, fixing her glasses and tucking in her shirt.
>"I suppose she got tired of having her time wasted, and once she'd had enough just handed me a key, telling me to lock up when I was done. Ever since then I've just kept it."
>"And that's what you're doin with your weekends now?"
>"Pretty much."
>Rarity rubs the sleep from her eyes, and while still on the phone she starts picking up her various tools and utensils.
>Nor her mother or father have called or texted, so today seems to be a free day for her.
>It's been quite a while since she's had one of those.
>"So, Applejack, do you need my help with anything?"
>"Ah, right, dang. Applebloom was askin to see if Sweetie was free, but since you're at the boutique I don't suppose you'd know."
>"No, sorry Darling."
>"That's fine, thanks anyways. Gotta head out, we'll talk later."
>"See you soon."
>The call ends and Rarity throws herself onto a couch, crossing her arms over her eyes.
>The tensions between the girls has put a huge toll on her mind.
>On the plus side, she's spent so much time at the boutique that basically all her lines are done, but...
>It's not as fun when she doesn't have her friends around to talk to about it, to come be models, to give her inspiration.
>She huffs.
>"No reason to dwell on it, I suppose."
>Rarity goes to the staff rooms upstairs, complete with kitchens, bathrooms, and a common area fitted with a television.
>Sometimes some designers live here for days or even weeks at a time to get their work done, but it's a relatively quiet season now, so Rarity's the only one here.
>She tinkers around in the kitchen, searching for something to make.
>Playing music off of her phone she works together some breakfast and tea, bringing it downstairs to look out of the carousel boutiques windows.
>Due to Canterlot's elevation and the location of the building, one can see everything from the street nearby all the way down the mountain.
>The view is half the reason there are always tourists in the city.
>There aren't many places where they built an entire fortress into the side of a mountain.
>A drawback is that by October it's already freezing as soon as the sun goes down.
>Even now, at midday, you'd need at least a jumper to walk around outside.
>It should snow in the next few days, too.
>Getting to school would be a hassle, then.
>At least the city has great snow and ice...
>Removal.
>Putting down her lukewarm mug of tea, half empty, Rarity peers out the window.
>It's midday on a weekend, so she moves her head up and down, side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of what she saw before.
>Just for a second, she thought, just maybe...
>Was that Anon?
>It had to be, it's not like she'd imagine him out of thin air.
>After a minute of not being able to spot him again, Rarity pulls on a scarf and bolts out the door.
>Usually, she wouldn't be caught dead in an outfit this mismatched, but just for a few seconds would be okay.
>Crossing the street to where she 'saw' Anon, Rarity stands on her toes to try scan the surrounding people.
>She isn't the tallest, but just maybe...
>A head and shoulders, clad in a hoodie, pokes through the crowd, walking down the road and to an intersection.
>If memory serves her correctly, that's Anon's hoodie.
>They'd had a conversation about it, pertaining to it's foreign make and how it looked unique.
>There's no way that anyone else could have the very same outfit.
>Rarity pushes herself through the crowd in an effort to catch up to Anon before he moves out of sight.
>If it even is him.
>As the wave of people stops moving, she has to push more and more to get ahead, apologising as much as she can to anyone she shoves.
>The pedestrian crossing light is red, she should have enough time to make it to the front if she hurries, she should...
>If she just could stop getting stuck.
>Finding new ways to circle those waiting, getting mean looks from everyone she cuts in front of.
>She hides her face out of embarrassment, still apologising.
>This better be worth it.
>Just as she gets a few feet away from the man she thinks to be Anon, the worst happens.
>Cars stop moving and feet start shuffling as the entire wave she cut in front of shifts and pushes past her.
>In a last ditch effort to make this journey worth it, to at least make all of this embarrassment show some form of result, she reaches her hand out as far as she can and grips the familiar hoodie, using it as an anchor point amidst the volatile and turbulent movement of those around her.
>The torrents trickle into fewer and fewer numbers as all those that were waiting cross, her hand still on the piece of cloth she's holding.
>Cars start driving again as the traffic light flashes green, and Rarity finally decides to look up at the figure she's been clinging to for the last minute.
"R- Rarity?"
>The fashonista girl's hand goes limp and falls form the hem of your hoodie, her eyes as large as dinner plates, staring at you.
>"Anon?"
>You can't help but feel a little nostalgic seeing her again.
"Yeah."
>Her legs are shivering, she must be cold.
>Hell, you're goddamn freezing.
>Haven't changed clothes in days, and this hoodie is barely covering your stomach.
>"How could- why are you so positively filthy? No, where have you been?!"
"I- I don't."
>She bunches her hands up into fists and grabs the bottom of your hoodie again.
>"Come with me, now."
>She begins to pull you along with her and your legs oblige, crossing the road and travelling up to a very decorated building.
>Walking up a few steps, Rarity opens the door and pushes you in, closing it firmly behind her.
>She starts undoing her scarf and paces straight past you, all the sudden change making you feel slightly befuddled.
>"Can you even /begin/ to fathom how much stress you've caused me?! All of us? Where have you been, you dolt!"
>Oh, she's mad.
>Very mad.
>Never pictured Rarity mad before.
>"We've been so worried about what happened to you- how do you think that you could just show up on the street all of a sudden- looking, looking like that!"
>She stops pacing and stands in front of you, but you're unsure if she wants an answer or an apology.
>She takes notice of the fact that you're still shivering, twiddling your thumbs and looking to the ground.
>And sighs.
>"We'll talk about this later, you look a mess. Come with me."
>She rests her hand on yours as you flinch and pull away a little, much to her surprise.
"S- sorry, habit."
>Rarity looks away, motioning you to just follow her.
>She brings you upstairs and shows you to a small bathroom, complete with sink, shower, and running water.
>This is nice.
>"There are towels in the drawer, get yourself cleaned up."
"Are you sure I can use this?"
>"Yes, just do it."
"I don't... have any other clothes."
>She facepalms.
>"Right. No matter, I'll find something, just get yourself to look less," she motions over your whole body, "like that."
>You almost chuckle at the jab, but find the humour of it eluding you.
>You walk into the bathroom ad begin to disrobe, getting the small and slightly damp clothes off of you.
>Turning the shower on, you test the warmth of the water, seeing that it's actually hot.
>Oh thank God.
>It's been too long since you've had a proper wash.
>Rarity stands outside the door of the bathroom as she hears the shower start, debating with herself.
>He looks terrible.
>What the devil happened to him?
>His hair is at least down to his shoulders now, which not only looks terrible and unkept, but much longer than it ever could have grown in the time span of three weeks.
>Moreover, he seems completely disoriented.
>As soon as she found Anon, Rarity was ecstatic about telling the girls, but now she's thinking that inviting them over may not be the best choice.
>When she finds out what's happened to him, she'll decide.
>For now he has to have something to wear.
>Looking through various drawers and cupboards, she finds a suitable pair of underwear, but nothing more.
>Damn, not even some shirts?
>Looking downstairs she finds a shirt, a white tank top, but it's hardly suitable for the weather.
>It's not as cold as it is outside, but Rarity doesn't know how to turn on the heating, or even if she's allowed to.
>And there are absolutely no pairs of pants to be found.
>This is not turning out as intended.
>He'll either have to bear with it or just spend his day on the bed, getting warm in the covers.
>Back upstairs she hears him still having his shower, so she leaves the clothes she found outside the door and heads back down.
>Her tea is completely cold now.
>What to do.
>Anon's back, that's a plus.
>Or is it?
>Of course it is, for a second there, the rumours were pointing to the fact that he was dead.
>So now we know he isn't dead, but that raises the question of what the hell he was doing instead.
>Rarity decides against messaging the other girls, fearing that they would make the situation a whole lot louder than it needs to be at this point.
>It's up to her to find out just what happened to Anon now.
>And she's going to begin that the only way she knows how.
>
>Rarity left clothes outside the door for you.
>But aside from the underwear it doesn't really fit.
>Not that you're surprised, it fits better than what you had on before, but still.
>Though things are definitely looking up now.
>That was your first warm shower in, hell, days now.
>To think that she would find you when you first got into the city.
>Were you even thinking about where you were walking?
>It's not like you had anywhere to go.
>Home?
>Nah, you weren't walking in that direction anyway.
>Maybe you wanted someone to find you.
>After everything that's happened.
>Yeah.
>You look at yourself in the mirror, a clean mirror, for the first time in three weeks.
>After that night, the fight, you got home completely naked, carrying naught but your backpack in tow.
>None of the pain from before, nor the blood, remained.
>Somehow the hair on your head had grown a full year's worth, with it now falling below your shoulders.
>Your bodily functions still elude you, your musclemass still as bountiful as ever.
>Can't remember when you last ate anything.
>You open the bathroom door and step out, slightly shivering at the cold air rushing in.
"Rarity? I'm done."
>"Come downstairs dear."
>You follow the voice down, taking notice of your surroundings.
>Windows hug every wall, with mannequins just about everywhere.
>Rows of tables and sewing machines fill the floorspace, big pieces of fabric laid out.
>A lot more disorganised than you thought a fashion designer would be.
>"Come here, Anon."
>Rarity stands next to a dresser, with a large mirror above it.
>This is one of the tables that women use when they put on make up, right?
>She motions you to sit down, and you do, feeling as if you owe her at least this much.
>And then you see what's in her hands in the mirror.
"W- what're you doing with those?"
>"Oh, these?" She asks playfully while opening and closing scissors, making a resound metal on metal sound.
>"We're going to do something about just what is happening... here."
"I don't really think that's nece-"
>"I insist, Darling."
>She looks at you though the mirror, not about to take no for an answer.
"If you say so, I guess."
>"Good."
>Rarity begins to go to town on your matted and dirty hair, cutting entire sections off without a second thought.
"Rarity, uh, do you know how to cut hair?"
>She scoffs.
>"Of course I do, who do you take me for? Besides, guy's hair is so much easier than a girls."
"How so?"
>"All you men need to do is shave the sides and leave some hair at the top nowadays. Nothing near the of complexity of a woman's, with layers and different tools, scissors, and products used."
"I... suppose so."
>You stay quiet as Rarity carries on, getting a razor out after she was done with the scissors.
>Without mercy she runs it around you head, leaving you with what seems to be the most popular haircut of today.
>"And we're done. Look at what a mess you made, Anon."
>You look down to the floor and witness the absolute carpet's worth on the ground, slightly astonished at how that was all on your head.
>"I must say, your hair wasn't nearly this long before you... well, you know. It's not been that long, so how did-"
"Yeah, my hair- it uh- grows pretty damn fast. Always has."
>That's not the real reason of course, but you've become too accustomed to lying about your body at this point.
>She drops the subject and begins to sweep up around you, putting all of the excess into a plastic bag.
>Once last time, you look at yourself in the mirror.
"I never thought I'd be the type of guy to have one of these haircuts. Kinda... weird."
>"Do you not like it?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. It's just... different. Fuckboy, y'know?"
>She laughs a little, shaking her head.
>"Well I think it looks good on you."
"That's because you cut it, isn't it?"
>"Perhaps."
>Rarity points her nose up, as a posh woman would, and heads upstairs to throw away the bagged carpet.
>Having a conversation like this again, it's more than pleasant.
>You meet your own eyes in the mirror.
>Back home, huh?
>But is anything even gonna be remotely the same?
>You rub your eyes, trying to just live in the moment and not dwell on the past.
>Rarity comes back downstairs and paces around the room.
>She stops at the other side of the boutique, sitting on the windowpane next to a small mug.
>"Would it be in bad taste if I were to ask where you'd been all this time?"
>You try respond but nothing more than a few gravelly moans can come out.
>It's not that you're uncomfortable saying it.
>Well, maybe you are.
>It's just that you want to protect them.
>Letting anyone into your world could only spell disaster for just about everyone involved.
>Look where it got you.
>While stuck somewhere in your mind, Rarity cuts your short.
>"I suppose so."
>Shit, damage control.
"T- That's not, I mean-"
>"It's fine, Anon." She responds while turning to face you. "You'll tell me when you want to, right?"
>A brief moment of mutual understanding and silence follows between the two of you, but in that moment relief strikes you heavily.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
>None of you are too eager to strike up conversation in the following minutes, as any interaction would just be awkward at this point.
>You lean back in your chair and rest your eyes, letting yourself drift off into the recesses of your own mind.
>Back in Canterlot, back in the old routine.
>Well, there's no routine at this point, is there.
>A shiver travels up your legs and through your spine as the cold air nips at you.
>Wearing underwear and a t-shirt is not proper attire for this weather, even if you are inside.
>"Are you chilly?"
>You open you eyes and look to Rarity, a small smile on her face.
>"I already put your old clothes in the wash, so they should be clean in a few hours."
"Thanks."
>"I'm afraid I don't have anything else to give you, however. For a fashion boutique we have surprisingly very few pieces that are wearable."
>You chuckle and rub your arms for a little warmth to come back to your fingers.
"Nah, that's fine, I shouldn't be complaining. If not for you I'd still have long ass dirty hair and those gross clothes on."
>"Think nothing of it dear, it's what friends do. Now, I've just realised that I never asked you if you were hungry. Do you want anything? I don't know if we have enough for a meal here, but I could try whip something up."
"Really? That's nice of you, though I think I'll make something myself. I've already made you do so much, I do-"
>"Oh hoshposh, you /have/ to stop being so timid. Come upstairs, I'll show you what we have."
>Rarity walks to you and rests her hands on the back of your chair, waiting for you to get up and follow her.
"A- Alright then."
>You follow up the stairs and continue into the small kitchen around the same size, if not smaller, than yours.
>Speaking of, you haven't been home since you came back.
>After walking through the city that was gonna be your first stop, but things didn't seem to turn out that way.
>"Well, if I'm honest, it looks like that only thing worth making is pasta."
"Hm? Oh, yeah. That's fine."
>You chuckle to yourself and scratch the back of your head.
>Oh, it's short, weird.
"I usually make that when I'm at home anyways, pasta's fine."
>"A tad bland, but okay."
>Rarity brings out the bag of pasta and you look in the freezer for frozen vegetables.
>They should be in ever freezer, you just gotta look hard enou-
>There they are, right at the back.
>Probably been there a while, but it's frozen, it's not like it can go off.
>The two of you prepare the meal in relative silence, with the occasional quip surfacing before silence ensues once more.
>The feeling of cooking again is enough to make you a little bit happier.
>Better than the shitty food you've been eating recently.
>With the food ready, you take your time in eating it.
>Not much rush in doing anything else at this point.
>You offer to wash all the dishes when you both finish, insisting when Rarity said she would rather do it.
>You're surprised.
>To be honest, she always struck you as the kind to love being pampered and treated with care.
>Though she rarely ever seems content with sitting around while others work.
>It's endearing, at least somewhat.
>In school the two of you don't have any classes together, so the only time you two interacted was lunch.
>And there she had so many others to talk to, as did you, that you never got all that close.
>It's a shame.
>This last... however long it's been has been enjoyable.
>And you're surprised that she dropped the whole 'disappearing' act you did so easily.
>Others come to mind that probably won't let it go all that easily.
>Dash.
>You find yourself sighing as the pangs of guilt wash over you again.
>Rarity's reaction to your arrival is probably going to be the least violent one you'll have to deal with.
>Jesus Christ, Sunset is going to fucking kill you.
>If you could have, you would've called or texted her for sure, but...
>After that night with the gang, the fight...
>You woke up in your apartment stark naked, the largest headache you've ever head pounding on your skull.
>But it's not like you 'woke up', really.
>It's more like you just all of a sudden became lucid.
>Everything up until that point is a blur, and at the time it felt as if you'd fallen unconscious during the fight and just teleported home.
>As time went by the memories, or whatever they are, flowed back to you.
>They're blurry, hazy, almost as if there's a filter on top of them, but you remember the jist of what happened.
>Everything went dark, you could have sworn you were dead, but something or /someone/ kickstarted you back up.
>It was like a switch or a button.
>Everything felt light, it all stopped hurting.
>A new sense of life filled you, a new outlook.
>You stopped the car... somehow.
>Trees flash by.
>The darkness wasn't dark anymore.
>And one by one, you killed them.
>Your hand stops drying the plate you're holding and you put it down.
>Three men.
>Dead at your hand.
>The tight, almost crushing feeling squeezes your chest.
>Over the weeks you've rationalised that it had to be done.
>You or them.
>You or them.
>You leave a few dishes wet to dry in the air.
>The peaceful atmosphere from before fast vanishing as you slowly delve more into your own thoughts.
"Rarity?"
>She's not upstairs, so-
>"Come downstairs, Darling."
>Walking slowly down, you see the lights downstairs all on, Rarity working with one of her mannequins.
>Right, this is where she works.
>"Need anything?"
"Uh, no, it's fine."
>You take a seat on one of the tables, looking out of a window.
>It's dark.
>Hm, that's to be expected nowadays.
>Daylight savings was recent too, so the sun sets even earlier than before.
>It's only 5, yet the sky is quickly turning from a dark blue to black.
>Canterlot's pretty far north though, apparently it gets even worse come winter.
>Crap, you don't have anything for the winter.
>You bought that jacket, but have no clue what the hell happened to it.
>It was such  a nice jacket.
>So warm.
>And you had it for less than a day.
>But just maybe...
"Hey, Rarity, you make clothes right?"
>"Took you this long to deduce that, did it?" she responds snidely.
"Well, I've been struggling recently and I just realised that maybe you could help me."
>"Help you, how so?"
"Thing is, nothing I own fits me anymore. Like, at all."
>"I noticed."
"Yeah, so, I was wondering if maybe I could get a friend to help out with that?"
>She stops working and pivots to look at you.
>"I understand what you're saying. Finding clothes for your body type is hard, to say the least."
"I know right, the hell is up with that?"
>"Your body type just isn't very common, Anon. You're a part of an extremely small percentage of the population, so a lot of products aren't made to cater to your needs, specifically."
"Hm. Guess that makes sense."
>"The problem now is that since no one makes goods, in this case clothes, for your body type, you're going to have to look into custom made outfits."
"Which is something you do, yeah?"
>She nods her head at first, but then shakes it.
>"True, I mean, that is literally exactly what I do, but it's very expensive to tailor outfits to specific people."
"Yeah."
>Money is not something you're at liberty to spend.
>God damnit, you need to get a job.
>"But you know what, that's not too much of an issue."
"Hm?"
>"We're friends, Anon, I'm sure I can find a way to help you out."
"Really? You mean that?"
>"Of course. The boutique gives me most of the materials I need, it's not like I have to buy them myself. If you do end up needing to pay me back somehow, you could do that over the next few months or so."
>You nod, not wanting to sound too enthusiastic but nonetheless appreciating the offer.
>"That is, if you don't disappear again."
>You smile.
"I'll try not to."
>She looks around on her desk for tools and instructs you to go stand on an elevated pedistal.
"Stand there? Why?"
>"I need to take your measurements."
"Like what?"
>"Waist, hips, legs, chest, arms, the usual."
"Sure. But does that mean I have t-"
>"Undress? Yes."
>You freeze up on the stand.
>She looks onto you, waiting for you to start.
>"Well, come on then."
"Uh."
>"What."
"Can I- can I keep my underwear on?"
>She squints her eyes, almost in disbelief.
>"Are you serious?"
"I don't know?"
>"Yes, keep your panties on."
"I'm no- okay."
>You take off the shirt, making sure not to rip it while lifting.
>You've already torn holes in a lot of your old clothing that way.
>And seeing how this shirt isn't even yours, tearing it really wouldn't be admirable.
>You let the shirt fall to the floor, biting the inside of your cheek uncomfortably.
>Literally wearing nothing but your underwear in front of a her.
>Though from the look on her face, she doesn't look too perturbed.
>Instead, she looks...
>She's...
'Rarity?"
>Her gaze doesn't shift from your body, even when you bend down to try get her attention.
"Hello?"
>She looks back to your face and down again a few times, snapping back into lucidity.
>"Uh, yes, right then. Let's... yes, indeed."
>You look down at yourself.
>It's not like you haven't gotten that reaction before.
>Though to you it doesn't seem all that impressive.
>Probably because you live with it all the time.
>And that you put in nothing to get it.
>Gains don't come overnight, they say.
>Work for at least a year before expecting results, they say.
>Took you about a week in total.
>Whenever Rarity needs you to move in any specific way, she taps you and you shift positions.
>She encircles the tape measure around your form, taking down numbers when she needs to.
>Sometimes you help her to hold it down while she runs around you to grab another side.
>The waist measurements are the most unpleasant.
>You hold down the tape measure just above your crotch as she walks behind you, pulling it back.
>Her hand juts our from behind you, snapping to tell you to give it over.
>You move it over to her but she grabs for it before it gets to her hand, leading her to grab a handful of Anon jr.
>Instinctively and instantly you crush your legs together in surprise, which only makes the situation worse as it prevents her from releasing her grip.
>She 'eeps', you 'eep', and the both of you don't interact for the next few minutes.
>You with both hands covering your crotch, and her facing the opposite direction, gripping her hand.
>She walks upstairs and you cringe internally, hating yourself for screwing this up, but right as you're about to step down and get your clothes back on, Rarity pops back out like normal.
>"Well then, let's continue."
>Whu-
>Alright then.
>She carries on with her work, finishing her list of numbers and letting you, albeit shamefully, to put your shirt on.
>You're still unsure as to how exactly you could start a conversation.
>Her hand was firmly gripping your groin just minutes ago.
>And considering what you've done with her friends, and how the two of you barely know one another...
>You sit on a tabletop, watching as Rarity dashes around, taking string or material from one mannequin to another, all while deep in thought.
>It's pretty late.
>You spent your whole day here.
>That's now what you planned, but hey, screw it.
>You inhale sharply as the cold gets to you.
>The clothes you brought here'll still be wet until tomorrow, so there's no chance of wearing those.
>You hunch over more to conserve heat, and rub your feet to try warm them up.
>They're numb.
>And these marble floors are not helping at all.
>You hear Rarity stop working and look up to see her looking at you, though still fiddling with her materials on the table.
>"Are you tired?"
"Oh, nah. I mean, it's just a little cold in here."
>"Is it? I don't feel mu-"
>She looks you up and down and nods.
>"Right. You're not dressed up very warm, I'll give you that. There's a bed upstairs, if you'd like. You could get under the covers and warm yourself up with, say, tea or the like."
>You smile.
"Thanks, that's really nice of you. I just- don't know how comfortable I'd be in a random bed, in some building I've never been before."
>"I suppose. Suit yourself then, I'm going to continue down here for a little while longer."
"Mhmm."
>Though, in all honesty, a hot drink does sound nice right about now.
>What the hell, you'll go up to make some tea.
>You curl out of your ball and recoil at all the cold air making it to your core, a shiver running down your spine.
>You begin up the stairs and shout back to Rarity downstairs.
"I'm making tea, you want any?"
>She takes a moment to reply.
>"Just boil the kettle for me Darling, I'll make my own later."
"Aigh'."
>Flicking the kettle on, you pour yourself a mug and leave enough for Rarity to make her own.
>It's probably gonna get cold too fast for it to matter anyways.
>You pace around the kitchen as there's nothing else to do.
>Having nothing to do isn't that bad compared to the rest of this month, but still.
>Being without a phone really is boring.
>Maybe you could ask Rarity to lend you her laptop so you could message some people, let them know you're okay.
>Sunset comes to mind again.
>You're gonna have to get ready for that one.
>Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack.
>Ya dun' goofed.
>With your tea, you walk past the bedroom of the boutique, the one Rarity and other designers use when they stay the night.
>What the hell, might as well get in it.
>It's not like there's anything else to do.
>The sensation of the sheets covering your lower body is well met, and you place your tea on the bedside table.
>This room's pretty small.
>Just a dresser and mirror.
>Weird that they only have one bed.
>What if more than one person wanted to stay over?
>Wait.
>Oh, no.
>There /is/ only one place to sleep.
>That means as soon as Rarity's finished with her work, she's gonna come up here for bed.
>And that either means you're going to sleep somewhere else, or share the bed.
>That can't be good.
>As if to just make matters worse, you start hearing footsteps making their way up the stairs.
>Crap, think.
>Rarity gets to the top of the stairs and passes the room.
>You jump to your feet, as if to imply you weren't just lying down.
>She giggles softly and passes into the kitchen.
>Shortly thereafter she comes back into the room and leans herself on the wall.
"No tea?"
>"No, it's cooled too much and I can't bothered to boil it again. I probably shouldn't be drinking tea before bed regardless."
"True, I guess. Apparently some teas have just as much caffeine in them as coffee does."
>"Probably."
>She walks past you and opens the dresser and cupboard, taking out various clothing items and.. oh boy.
>You look away as she takes out her underwear.
>She ends by taking out a towel and walking out the door.
>So she's going for a shower then.
>Hm.
>Slowly, you slide back into the covers, still unsure about what you'll do when she's done.
>The right thing would be to offer to sleep downstairs.
>The tables are long, and there's fabrics everywhere, so there's bound to be a few sheets laying about.
>You could use your clothes as a pillow and lie there.
>Recently you've become accustomed to sleeping on a road or on concrete, so a table with sheets is already monumentally higher than that.
>You'll just stay here until then, and when she comes back you'll get out and rummage around downstairs for things to sleep with.
>Finishing your now slightly lukewarm tea, you rest your head back on the wall and look at the ceiling.
>Ah, Jesus shit, the light is bright.
>Don't look at the ceiling.
>From the next room over you hear the water stop and the shower door open.
>That was a fast shower.
>Don't chicks usually take way longer?
>It's not like she's showering to go anywhere though, so it makes sense to be fast.
>You close your eyes and think.
>The sound of cars and people loitering the streets can't be heard from where you are.
>The background noise that's become so familiar to you.
>You can hear the pipes in the house, the footsteps in the next room, some sound outside the window, but mainly it's just quiet.
>Mellow and calm silence.
>You've no idea what the time is, but you imagine the city to be busy tonight.
>Saturday night, the last evening they have before people sober up for work.
>You can't see the moon from this window, much less the stars.
>From your apartment balcony the starry night is a sight to admire, but once you're up in Canterlot the city lights are blinding.
>The sky becomes blanketed in yellow light, immersing even the mountaintops in constant shine.
>Damn, the heat rising from the city must melt a hella lot of snow.
>One side of the mountain is probably a lot snowier than the other.
>Back in the age of castles and kingdoms, building into a mountain must've seemed like a good idea, but now it's just becoming a nuisance.
>Apparently the President is hiring top of the range architects to build state of the art extensions to the city.
>Find a way to increase city space outwards, creating a floating city balancing on it's own weight.
>The physics of it must be pretty cool.
>You hear the bathroom door open and slightly damp footsteps exit, making their way to the room you're in.
>The hall light turns off and you lift the covers off of you, planting your feet on the ground.
>Rarity makes her way inside and you lift off of the bed before telling her that you'll just sleep downstair-
>Oh, damn.
>She walks in, towel in hand, still drying her hair.
>In an effort to seem like you weren't staring you look to the floor, only to be greeted by slender and perfectly white legs.
>You look back up, taking notice of the large button up shirt she's wearing, damp around the shoulders from her straightened hair.
>The shirt itself is too large, but Rarity's still wet body has caused the fabric to tighten and stick to her side somewhat, showing the curves to her figure.
>Just by looking you can tell her underwear's black and intricately patterned, but you only glance for a second before you tear your eyes from it, trying to forget what you just saw.
>Before today, you and Rarity weren't anything more that acquaintances, and to have seen her like this so soon can't be a healthy pace for this relationship.
>You don't know if she's already aware of the fact that you were checking her out, but in an effort to salvage what dignity you have left you look away to your side, swiping a look at her face to see if she's annoyed or angry at you for staring like that.
>Wait a minute.
>Her eyes are closed.
>She didn't see you do shit.
>Rarity finishes drying her hair and throws the towel onto the dresser, strolling right past you and face first onto the bed.
>"I am absolutely knackered."
>You chuckle at her words, regaining your composure.
"So, uh- I'll leave you be now, I guess."
>You take two steps towards the door before Rarity stops you.
>"Wait, where are you going?"
>You stop.
"Uuuh, well. I figured since, like, there's only one bed..."
>You don't finish the sentence, hoping that she could figure out where you were going with it herself, but she looks just as perplexed as before.
"Since there's two of us, I'd go downstairs to sleep. So that we didn't need to share a bed, make it uncomfortable, you know?"
>She continues staring at you and gives a smirk, scootching closer to the wall and resting her shoulder on it.
>"This is a double bed, Anon. It is literally made for two people."
>You make your way back over to it and sit on the side, still not resting your full weight on it in case she changes her mind.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
>She puckers her lips and looks around the room before replying.
>"It's not like I'm fully comfortable with it, honestly. I mean, we're not close enough to make this non-awkward, but there's no alternative, so we'll have to do."
"Shit, Rarity, if you're at all uncomfortable I can totally go downstairs. I swear it's not an issue, it'll be fine."
>"No, no, don't be ridiculous. This isn't the most pleasant circumstance, but I know for certain that I would be even less comfortable knowing you were down there."
>You sigh.
"Only if you're absolutely certain, yeah? You've already done a lot for me here, and I don't want you to do anything you're iffy about."
>"It's fine, Anon, I promise."
>You move the covers over to her side, and she tucks her legs into them.
"Alright, but tell me if you ever change your mind. I can go downstairs just fine."
>"I won't, don't worry."
>Pushing your own legs under the covers, you relish the warmth again, feeling it revitalise your numb toes.
>You stay sitting up, waiting as Rarity makes herself comfortable.
>After a few turns and twists she stops moving, but cranes her neck back to you.
>"Are you going to lie down?"
"Oh, yeah."
>You shuffle down the bed's length, resting your head on the pillow.
>Rarity reaches her arm out to the wall and turns a light switch, killing the light.
"There's a switch right next to the bed?"
>"It's unbelievably handy."
"I would think so."
>You stare up into the darkness, sleep being something you don't often need.
>Which sucks, because you still get tired.
>You just don't fall asleep like you used to.
>It's probably your body still getting used to its new biology.
>For minutes you stare into the dark roof overhead, just waiting the night away.
>The closest thing you get to dreaming is when you lose yourself in your thoughts.
>It's like dreaming, except that with even the slightest input from the outside world you snap right out of it.
>That and it takes hours to achieve.
>You wonder what time it is now.
>How long is it gonna take to wait out till morning?
>With the days getting so much shorter you can't tell any more.
>Though it's been about 15 minutes since the two of you 'fell asleep'.
>You turn your head over to Rarity, listening to see if she's asleep or not.
>Nah.
>Her breathing and heart rate are too rapid.
>She's still awake.
>You sigh and turn back over, facing away from her.
>Don't want to accidentally spoon her or anything.
>That wouldn't be good for anyone.
>The thought of accidental intimacy brings you back to earlier today when you were getting your measurements taken.
>What does she think about that?
>She just left the room for a minute and never brought it up again.
>And now you've gotten yourself worked up about it.
>You breathe out heavily and open your eyes again, scanning the dark room.
>Your eyes have adjusted enough to be able to see everything just fine though.
>It's pretty bland, considering that artists sleep here.
>No posters or art on the walls at all.
>Then again, it is just a guest room.
>Hmm.
>You go through a few tunes in your head, just drifting off into your own thoughts.
>Turning your head again, you listen for Rarity's state.
>Still the same.
>Damn.
>It's been like 45 minutes and she isn't asleep yet.
>Crap, maybe it is too much for her, you being here.
>You'll find a way to diffuse it, offering to go downstairs again.
>She'll probably try deny you again, but if it's gonna be this way you have to do /something/.
"You awake?"
>"Mh."
>You sit up.
"Anything wrong?"
>"No, no."
"You sure? Look, honestly, if you don't like this I can just-"
>"It's not that, Anon, stop worrying about it. I've just- I've got a lot on my mind."
"Yeah?"
>Rarity turns her head to look at you, an almost pitiable expression in her eyes.
>She also shimmies herself up to rest on the headboard, looking into the black room.
"Anything you can talk about?"
>"I don't know."
"There's nothing wrong with keeping your problems to yourself, really. People always tell you to let it out, but I think there are situations where it's better to keep it in and deal with it yourself, y'know?"
>You look over to her, not managing to remember that she can't even see you.
"Just as long as it doesn't affect the rest of your life negatively. That's when you gotta open up about it."
>"I know what you mean."
"Ah, hell, what do I know about talking about my problems though, right?"
>"You are notoriously quiet about that facet of your being, if that's what you're asking."
"I'm surprised Twilight hasn't burst a vessel yet."
>"She came close, trust me."
"Aye?"
>"I was the one keeping her in check most of the time. She's got real anxiety and stress issues, that one."
"Twilight, really?"
>"You should have seen her when she first transferred. Her integration wasn't that bad though, considering. I'd known her from primary, and we live in the same neighbourhood, so it pretty much fell to me to introduce her to the school."
"That's nice of you. Plenty of people would've left her to her own devices."
>"It didn't seem right. Crystal Prep, her last school, was notorious for being mean and nasty."
"Still, don't under-credit yourself."
>"Thanks, I suppose."
>You stretch your arms, breathing in and out heavily.
"So, any ideas on how to get you to sleep?"
>"I might, actually."
"Shoot."
>Through the darkness, you can see Rarity try squinting to see better, not considering the fact that in darkness it probably does nothing.
>"On the dresser shelf, I left my laptop there."
"And?"
>"Could you get it for me?"
>You look to the top of the dresser and sure enough a thin and silver tinted box sits atop it.
"Sure."
>Quickly getting it and getting back under the covers to minimise heat loss, you hand it over to Rarity.
>She turns it on and her face becomes bathed in light.
>You both look away as the brightness of it all blinds you.
>"Ah, that was worse than I thought it would be."
"Yeah, jeez, that hurt."
>Rarity inputs her password and loads up the laptop, clicking around on it.
>You look away while she does this, not wanting her to see you as a guy that snoops over people's shoulders.
>"There."
"Hm?"
>You glance down, seeing that she'd opened a webpage for streaming television shows and movies.
>Hm.
"Shows? Now?"
>"They calm me down."
>She browses the most popular, going through and scrolling.
>Every now and again she asks if you'd like anything in particular, but you insist that she can choose what she wants.
>This is an effort to get her to sleep, after all.
>She scrolls down to the search bar, clicking the K.
>Is this-
>Is this going wher-
>She hits Ctrl F and types in 'Keeping up wi'
>Yeah.
>This is going where you thought it was going.
>She clicks on the bumfuck most recent season, probably on it's 30th now, and boots up a random episode.
>"I haven't kept up with this show since the year started, so now I've got a lot to watch backed up."
>You just smile, not really finding anything to say.
>You've seen this show on television before, but you never stayed to watch any of it.
>Your friends would sometimes make fun of it, joking about how dumb it was or how dumb the celebrities were.
>It's supposed to be reality TV but you're almost certain that it's scripted.
>As the episode begins to buffer, Rarity tries to get comfortable, and in her tumbling she almost knocks the laptop off of her legs and to the floor.
>You catch it in time and hold it, letting her get comfortable without disturbing it.
>"Hey, Anon."
"Hm."
>"Could I have your pillow?"
"My- my pillow?"
>"Yeah, could I, just for a second?"
"Sure, but I don't see why, exactly."
>"Thanks."
>Rarity takes your pillow and puts it under hers, then takes hers and places it where yours was.
"O- okay."
>"Laptop."
>You pass it back to her and she places it on her lap, clickling the play button and watching her show.
>Leaning back, yo-
"Eeee!"
>Your back arches back and you jump forward, hand on your lower back.
>The- her-
>You look to Rarity, wide grin on her face.
"Gross, your pillow's all wet and cold."
>"Yeah, I like yours a lot better."
"This wouldn't have happened if you just had dried your hair properly before sleeping."
>"You try that when you've got hair this thick. You couldn't even fathom the effort that goes into curling this every day."
"Sure, sure."
>You take her pillow and throw it to the ground, seeing as how nothing is better than that moist, cold mess.
>Laying against the headboard, you watch as Rarity continues shifting to become comfortable watching her show.
>She looks up at you, pillowless, just sitting up against the wood and almost laughs.
>"Now I feel bad. Do you want the pillow back?"
"Nah, it's fine, take it."
>She gestures with her eyebrows about whether you're sure or not, and when you confirm again she goes back to watching her show.
>"Anon, be a dear, can you hold this?"
>She gives you the laptop and turns a few more times, and when you think she's stopped you go to place the laptop back on her.
>"Wait."
>You oblige.
>"Keep it there. If you put it down on me I'll stop being comfortable and have to do it again."
>Seeing as how you almost got kicked in the face the last two times you decide to listen to her.
>You lay the laptop down on your stomach and she inches her face closer to the screen to get a better view.
>Half of the pillow is on you now, with her head resting on the half that isn't.
>And the screen is completely obstructed from your view now.
>Not like you were watching it anyhow.
>Occasionally Rarity laughs or makes an offhand comment about one of the celebrities.
>"Remember when Kendall was a kid?"
"Can't say I really do."
>"Oh she was an absolute monster of a child. Apparently she got plastic surgery when she was under-age, too."
"That's pretty fucked up."
>"And she dated Will Smith's son for a while, too."
"Jaden Smith? I remember seeing him in Karate Kid. Always thought it was weird that they're learning kung fu, not karate."
>"Oh, true."
"He's a pretty baller rapper though, I'll give him that."
>"I don't tend to gravitate towards rap."
>You stop yourself from laughing to keep the laptop steady.
"Yeah, you don't seem the type."
>The episode ends, and for a few brief moments you don't sense movement from Rarity.
>Maybe she fell aslee-
>Clicking of the mousepad alerts you to the fact that she is indeed awake.
>And watching another episode.
>The entire pillow is on you now, a corner of it poking you in the mouth.
>It's not the most comfortable position you've ever been in, but you can't complain.
>Quite literally, you can't complain.
>You'll get a mouthful of pillow cotton if you do.
>More screaming and screeching SFX paired with added drama later, the episode ends.
>Is she finally a-
>Nope.
>Here we go.
>[Last time on Keeping up wi-
>What you'd give to be able to sleep right now.
>You actually wouldn't mind if Dash were to barge in right now and kick you in the face to give you a concussion.
>At least you'd be out for an hour or two, if you were lucky.
>And your lower back is killing you.
>Every now and again you have to actively fight the urge to stretch it, the cramping becoming worse and worse every time you don't.
>But Rarity's lying on your stomach along with the laptop, so it's not like you can say anything.
>After a pretty bad pang of pain, you accidentally shift more violently, causing Rarity to pause the video.
>She lifts her head and looks at you, taking the weight off your spine and causing you bliss.
>"You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just gotta stretch real quick."
>"If you were uncomfy you should have just said something."
"Ah, it's fine. My spine was aching a tad is all."
>Rarity takes the pillow from your stomach and shoves it behind your back, taking the weight of her head and laptop off of you.
>"That should be fine, no?"
"Sure, but now where are you going to lie?"
>"I can just do it here, right?" she says while poking your stomach, where the pillow had just previously been.
"Are you okay with that?"
>"It's no different to before, really."
"I guess, if you're alright with it. Thanks."
>She goes back to watching her show, and this time you've got a much comfier back and her head directly on your thin cotton shirt.
>Well, not your shirt.
>A shirt.
>You can still feel some parts of her head being wet.
>It's been like two hours, how is it not dry yet?
>You try not to breathe too heavy, lest you make her head rock back and forth on you.
>Is it comfortable to be lying on someone else's stomach?
>Maybe you should let her move.
>But you don't wanna come across as creepy.
>She's lying directly on you already, the chances of you making this awkward soon are 99 in 100.
>You see her shift her shoulders occasionally, finding some way to lie.
"Hey, do you want the pillow back?"
>She sits up.
>"No, it's fine. Here, I'll just - "
>Rarity moves the laptop onto your upper stomach, where her head used to be, and lies down on your chest instead.
>She moves her lower body to lie parallel to to, as opposed to perpendicular like before.
>Continuing her show as if nothing happened, she reaches her arm over and clings to you, resting herself.
>Well, your heartbeat's skyrocketed.
>Can she hear it?
>Shit.
>Calm down.
>Every now and again Rarity moves her legs, crossing or uncrossing them, rubbing them together, or tucking herself in more.
>That wasn't a problem before, but now your legs are right next to hers under the covers, the rest of her body also pressed up against you.
>If you moved your hand even a little up and over, it would be directly on her hip.
>This is too close for friends, isn't it?
>Way too close.
>You can barely register the show's crazy antics, caught between the smell of her hair, her breathing, a giggle or laugh here of there.
>Every time she does so her stomach moves, riding up against your side, causing you no small amount of distress.
>If you get too into this, there's no telling what could happen.
>You just have to not think about it.
>She's obviously just this touchy feely with friends.
>She trusts you, Anon.
>Don't fuck that up.
>You briefly see the runtime on the screen below you, remembering how much time you have left before the show is over and Rarity goes to sleep.
>She hasn't moved or laughed in the last 10 minutes, which is a lot more than any time previously.
>Maybe moving did make her more comfortable.
>You just have to wait another 25 minutes for this episode to be over, and then you can move her off of you and get to waiting for tomorrow.
>Might as well watch it to pass the time, as you can't move a single inch without chancing waking Rarity up.
>You crane your neck over to see more of the screen, watching these rich yet talentless celebrities complain about something or the other.
>Crying about how there's not enough cream cheese in the house or whatever.
>Though, it does beat just thinking to yourself in terms of passing the time.
>Before you know it, the episode wraps up on a cliffhanger about whether or not one of them is pregnant - again - and you get to work getting this woman off of you.
>You turn the laptop off, unplugging it.
>Closing it, you take it and place it down on the floor next to you.
>Nah, you'll step on it tomorrow if you do that.
>Pushing it under the bed, along with the charger, you check on Rarity.
>Still asleep.
>Alright.
>What now?
>She's still on you.
>And now one of her legs is literally intertwined with yours.
>You bring the pillow out from behind you, placing it down next to you.
>Slowly sliding away from Rarity, you slip her off of your chest and onto the pillow, checking to see if she's awake.
>Nothing.
>Thank God.
>Her hand is still on your chest, and her legs are still on yours, but this is progress.
>With the weight lifted from your chest, the warmth from her head dissipates quickly.
>You touch the spot where her head was, slightly wetted from her hair.
>Might as well take it off.
>Moving her hand off of you, you lift the shirt off, careful to not rip it at the arms.
>Once off you bundle it up and throw it across the room, apologising to whoever owns it.
>You lie down now for the first time in hours, though now without a pillow.
>The other pillow is on the floor, damn.
>You already lay down, whatever, no point in getting it now.
>You face away from Rarity, laying on your side, and rest on your arm.
>A semi elevated breathing pattern emanating from behind you stops you from thinking anything.
>"Anon, are you still awake?"
>Good God.
>You sigh.
"Y- yeah. I thought you were asleep."
>"I was, I just can't seem to stay that way."
"I know the feeling."
>You turn around.
"What, you wanna get the laptop back out?"
>She shrugs.
>"No, that show gets pretty boring after an episode or two."
"Then?"
>She huffs.
>"I don't know, I just can't get myself to... Anon, I'm..."
"What is it?"
>"I can't stop myself from thinking about you."
>What.
>"I-  I mean as in where you've been, of course. What you've been /doing/ all this time."
"Oh, right."
>She sits up, holding the pillow in her arms.
>"I know I said that I wouldn't ask if you weren't ready, but I can't just act like nothing's happened."
>You stay silent, unsure of what to say.
>"You come late to the school year as a student living alone, you- you get into a fight, you go to such great lengths to protect us..."
>Now you sit up to be more eye level with her.
>"Then you just disappear on us. Without so much as a farewell you abandon your life here and travel to- to God knows where."
>Her voice cracks on some words, her emotions getting the better of her.
>"We thought you could have died, Anon. Died! All of us were just trying our hardest not to think the worst, we were all so worried-"
>You go to interject but again, remain silent.
>"I thought you were dead. I thought- I thought you were dead. How could you make me think that? Why would you do that?"
"I- I'm sorry, I never-"
>"What reason could you have to do that to us? It's driven all of us apart, you know that? We haven't so much as spoken about anything since you left!"
"I was just trying to... I don't know, I wanted to protect you."
>"Protect? How was what you did protection? What you did was abandonment!"
"I know, and I'm sorry. I realised that, that's why I came ba-"
>"It took you three weeks to realise it? Three weeks of us being sick to death about you? And since you know what you did was wrong, I'm supposed to be okay with it now?"
"That's not what I-"
>"I had to hold the pieces together when you were gone, Anon. It was me, everyone would have drifted apart otherwise! By the end of this week I was practically forcing them to speak to one another!"
"..."
>You can't force any words out.
>Maybe you should just apologise, but that might make her even angrier.
>Rarity lowers her head into the pillow, muffling soft cries.
>Your heart falls right past your stomach and into your gut as the guilt smashes into you.
"I don't know what to say, Rarity. I'm so sorry for causing you any pain, I just- I'm..."
>"Tell me." A voice escapes from the pillow.
>Muffled but still audible.
"Tell you what?"
>"Tell me why you left. Tell me where you went."
"Rarity, I can't- there's a good reason, I swear-"
>"Then why are you here?!"
>She cuts you off, lifting her head from her pillow.
"W- Why am I what?"
>"Here! Canterlot, school, who are you? Where did you come from, where are your parents, why do you live alone? Why can't you tell anyone, what's wrong with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me, it's ju-"
>The look on her face, a mix of sadness but mainly anger cutting you off.
>You sigh.
"If it's bothering you this much, I guess there's no reason to keep it from you. It's nothing special, anyway."
>"I don't care!"
>You pause again.
"Alright, alright, where do I start."
>You scratch your face, pursing your lips.
"My parents both work, I mean worked, for the military."
>Her breathing slows and Rarity stops gripping her pillow so tight, resting her shoulder on the headboard but still intently listening.
"They weren't soldiers or anything, so they never saw the actual battlegrounds, at least I think not."
>She stays silent.
"As such, we moved around a lot. I mean, I don't remember half the places we lived in, but apparently we were a very mobile family. I guess- I guess the place I call home would be the house I lived in before I moved here."
>"Where was that?"
>Ah, she spoke.
>And she doesn't sound all that mad any more.
>Well, less than before, at least.
"South Africa, actually. Apparently my parents had a short term contract there a few times, but we ended up staying."
>"And where did you live before that?"
"Like, where I'm from? Yeah, uh, truth be told I don't exactly know."
>"You don't know?"
"More like I can't remember, I'm sure I did know, but it escapes me now."
>"How could you forget? just ask your mother or father, or any family you have."
>You bite your tongue, unsure about how to answer the question.
>Is there any way to say this without making it awkward?
>It doesn't matter much to you, but other people tend to take it a little heavily when you say your parents are dead.
"I would, I guess, but... My parents died earlier this year. Before I moved here, somehow or the other, I don't know the exact details of it."
>"Oh- oh my, I'm so sorry. I should've known when you- Oh, dear. Anon, I never intended for you to revisit anything like this, I shouldn't ha-"
"No, no, it's fine I swear. The reason I'm pretty quiet about it is that other people don't take it too well. Tend to over-react sometimes, you know? Even Celestia was sympathetic with me in my interview."
>You chuckle to yourself.
"Though at this point she must hate me."
>"You were going to her office an awful lot. What was that about?"
"Ach, you know, got into fights."
>"Fights? When?"
"After school mainly, you know, Flash and the gang."
>"What? You never said this! You said he left you alone after the first time!"
"Yeah, I lied. I just didn't want any of you involved, you know? Would've gotten more people in trouble than necessary."
>She punches you in the arm, the scowl returning.
>"You can't do that, Anon. It just makes use more worried when you shut everything in. You're worse than Rainbow Dash."
"I guess, I guess."
>"So, what about other family?"
"Other?"
>"Why move here after... that. Why not live with any relatives? Aunts, uncles, grandparents? They should have been able to take you in."
"Yeah, under normal circumstances. Though truth be told I don't have a 'godparent' or whatever it is."
>"Why not?"
"It's not like I don't have relatives, I'm sure I do, but..."
>"But what."
"I can't remember them?"
>She huffs into the pillow, doubting you.
"I'm serious, I can't... remember anything from when I was young."
>You watch as annoyance turns to pity before she asks her next question.
>"What do you mean?"
"When I was 12, I... got sick. I don't know how, I was never told what led up to it, but the first thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed. Viral meningitis, it's a swelling of the brain. Side effects vary, and in this case it had wiped me clean."
>"... Anon."
"I didn't know my parents, my name, how to communicate properly... Learning to read was tough, hated reading. Ever since then, there was some sort of barrier between my parents and I. I knew they were my mother and father, but I addressed them by their names rather than 'mom' or 'dad'. We tried some theraputic measures to get some of my memory back, but nothing stuck."
>"I - Anon, I"
"It's funny, I've got thick-ass binders full of photos of me. Playing in a park, at pool parties... My first few birthdays. But I don't recognise anyone in them, much less myself. When my parents died, it didn't hit me like I know it should."
>"You don't need to contin-"
"It wasn't even sadness that I felt, it was more just- just mild-"
>"Anon."
>Rarity places her hand on yours, squeezing it.
>"It's fine, you can stop now. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, no, I'm sorry, I got carried away."
>"I shouldn't have assumed your situation was simple, it was selfish of me to ask you that. But thank you for doing so. It couldn't have been easy for you."
>You scratch the back of your head.
"No, no, it's fine. It's not a secret or anything, there's no reason to hide it."
>She slides down onto your shoulder and lies there, still gripping the pillow, albeit lightly.
>"I never would've have thought."
"I don't think anyone could."
>Minutes of silence dawn between the two of you, but not awkward or uncomfortable silence.
>Just silence.
>"I'm not very tired, now, after all that."
"Yeah."
>"Could you lean back down?"
"Lea- sure."
>She lifts herself off of you and you shimmy down the headboard again.
"What, you wanna get the laptop back out?"
>"No, that's boring, remember?"
>Rarity plops her head down on your chest again, though this time it's shirtless as opposed to even slightly covered.
"Uh, Rarity, are you okay with this?"
>"It's surprisingly comfortable."
"Isn't it hard?"
>"It's firm, but at the same time your body is so warm that it's nice. Feeling the breathing is pretty relaxing, too."
"Alright then, just... okay."
>"Is something wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with doing that."
>"Mhmm."
>She moves her lower body to be parallel to yours again, cuddling against you closer than before.
"Rarity?"
>"Hm?"
"N- nothing."