Chapter 15

>You follow Trixie and spot a few tables pushed together with what looks to be the Autism Club
>Most seem to be talking amongst themselves
>Some are playing Magic
>Mountain Dews all around
>Code Red
>You count more fedoras than not
>About half are gross and overweight
>The other half are clearly skin puppets being used by spooky skeletons
>One guy even has fucking fingerless gloves
>Those two podcasters are sitting next to each other
>Wario and Waluigi
>Biggie and Smalls
>Fatboy and Slim
>"Trixie has brought a friend with her! She hopes this is okay."
>You hear some 'holy shit's and a good chunk of the guys seem to be scared
"Uh... Hello."
>You wave at them limply
>"Dude, that was a really cool match you had with Q at the walk-in!" on says
"Thanks..."
>Don't really want to think about that right now
>Trixie takes a seat next to Dust and taps on the seat next to her
>You can almost feel the autism wafting off of these guys
>Almost literally pushing you away like a gust of strong wind
>Grin and bear it, Twilight
>Sitting down next to Trixie, she gestures her arm across the table
>"These are Trixie's new friends, Miss Sparkle!"
>You nod and smile to the 'nice to meet you's
>Well, at least you're "cool" here, and you'll probably be able to talk about things with these guys
>Just gotta sit back and wait for someone to start the conversation with you
>"Trixie took your advice on building her deck, Mister Dust, and she thinks she has a very strong build now!"
>"N-Nice... Anything to help you out, m'lady."
>UGH
>Just try not to be too judgmental, Twi—
>"—and put as many as I could into the FICTION section!"
>Urge to shitpost in real life rising
>You look around the tables
>Never really been in a group with this many people before
>Even if they're all sperglords, it's still a little intimidating the more you think about it
>Then just don't think about it
>You just sort of sit next to Trixie and dart your eyes about
>Most of the guys want to talk to Trixie
>She seems to be pretty popular
>Lots of people seem to want to talk to her, about her webcomic, apparently
>People actually read that?
>Good for her, you suppose
>Seems like one of those things that gets ruined by its audience, maybe
>Otherwise, they're all busy playing card games
>Or talking about gay things
>"U-Uh, Twilight?"
>Someone's talking to you
>Don't know their name
>Probably Neckbeardo
"Yeah?"
>"So, uh, do you, like, go on Reddit?"
> :^)
"No. I go... Other places."
>"Like 4chan?"
>You squint
>Is this the kind of thing you answer truthfully?
"Uh, yeah, I guess."
>The guy looks to his friend next to him as if you were a cool upperclassman who just said they weren't a virgin
>You can totally say that shit though
>"Do you go onto slash b? That's so hardcore! Are you a hacker?"
>...
"No. I don't. And no. I'm not."
>"Oh. You should totally go on Reddit then, because whatever subchans they have on 4chan, they definitely have a way better subreddit comparison I bet."
>'Subchan'
>You're starting to feel enlightened already
"Uh, yeah, I bet."
>"Cool. It was really cool listening to your match with Moondancer!"
"Thanks..."
>The guy scratches the back of his head and falls back into conversation with his friend
>Super
>Didn't think people were like this in real life
>Well, just lean back and wait for an actual conversation
>Time passes by without anyone trying to talk to you
>You're a regional Magic champion
>Autistic nickname and everything
>You'd think people would want to talk to you
>Are they just scared?
>Starting conversations with people you don't know...
>Even if they are spergs
>That's just not something that's really in you
>Trixie seems to be the social nexus at the table
>How'd that happen?
>Apex Sperg, you guess
>Not necessarily in a bad way
>She's a good sperg
>But the others?
>Maybe they're just trying to be 'nice guys :^)' to her
>Plus, if they're not going to talk to you, what's it matter?
>Can't talk about 'epin subchans' or something?
>Or how stupid everyone that isn't an atheist is?
>Or about how great some pop science baby garbage is
>'Ha ha, dude, the new Cosmos, man, mind blowing :^)'
>You can't believe people are actually like this
>Maybe they're not NOTHING but a cardboard cut out of the internet redditor, but
>Do you really have to deal with the autism to find that out?
>You wish Sunny were here
>You liked hanging out with her and Trixie
>Being 11th wheel sucks
>Maybe you should try talking to someone...
"Uh, hey, when you guys finish, maybe I could play winner?"
>"Oh, you'd totally win. We suck. It's okay."
"Oh, okay..."
>Then you see one of the autists take off their trenchcoat, putting it on the chair they're sitting on
>Revealing a Pepe T
>You frown intensely
>"Oh, T-Twilight, you know this meme?"
"You could say that..."
>Fucking Pepe isn't even safe from these disgusting spergs
>You haven't even been using 4chan that much lately, but fuck
>The mad is burning inside of you
>"Yeah, i-it's the rare Pepe meme from Smosh."
>What
>Another autist turns to the Pepe sperg
>"I thought rare Pepes were from Reddit? You know, almost all the dank memes are from Reddit."
>You don't say anything
>You just let your eyes widen in a barely contained rage
>They may be sperging
>But don't you sperg, Twilight
>Be cool
>"What? No, dude, it's Smosh. Reddit just steals all their memes."
>Another sperg enters the conversation
>"Did you know Richard Dawkins invented memes? That guys a genius! best philosopher of our time. So, Reddit wouldn't even be able to steal memes without him having invented them!"
>The other two nod
>REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>No, Twilight, calm down
>You haven't unironically ree'd in a while
>Just hum to yourself or something...
>The Pepe Sperg speaks
>"Yeah, that's definitely true. Dawkins is based. Can you imagine a world without dank memes? Rare Pepe is hilarious. Dudes, I saw some really crazy Rare Pepe memes that were really gross, with poo and pee everywhere! That's definitely the Reddit ones."
>"Nuh uh! Reddit made Rare Pepes, Smosh made the gross ones! And—"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
>The three spergs jump as you shout
>Fuck, the whole Game Shop is probably looking at you right now
>"M-Miss Sparkle, what's wrong?"
>Trixie tries to touch you, but you push her away
>The Pepe Sperg stutters at you
>"Wh-Why are you so mad? D-D-Do you not like dank memes, T-Twilight?"
>Is this fucker insulting you?
>Is he literally asking 'why u mad tho?'
>In public?!
>"Y-Yeah, c'mon... We're just trying to talk about internet stuff, you don't have to be like that... Maybe you don't know about Pepe, but some of us really identify with it, and that's why it's such a dank—"
"SHUT UP ABOUT DANK MEMES!"
>"M-Miss Sparkle, you're—"
"QUIET!"
>You don't notice Trixie shirk away from you looking hurt
>The autists look scared of you
>Fucking fuckers FUCK
>"Hey, you know, you shouldn't talk to Trixie like—"
"Or what? You're going to 'meme' me to death with your Reddit-Brand Pepes? You autistic pieces of shit shouldn't talk about things you don't understand, you fags!"
>People gasp
"Oh whatever! You asked if I know that meme? I do! That meme is my fucking LIFE! Pepe and Wojak aren't for you, they're for people like ME! You don't understand what it even means, you... You fucking meme loving pieces of shit!"
>Trixie tugs on your shirt sleeve and you pull away
>The autists are fucking whispering
>You're right here, you can fucking hear them
>'—can you expect from a person who goes on the 4chan...'
>You stand up from your chair, slamming your hands down onto the table
"Like you guys are any better with your fucking militant atheist shit or your hugboxing subreddits!"
>"Dude... It's just a meme, what's your problem? Why are you taking memes so seriously?"
"MEMES WERE MY LIFE! You-you—You can't just take things away from people and act like it's yours!"
>And that's when it hits you
>'Memes were my life'
>You're fucking autistic
>Regardless of how disgustingly spergerous these faggots were
>You were blowing up at them
>Over memes
>Literally over memes
>"What the hell is going on back here? Am I going to have to throw somebody—"
>You turn to Mr. Dancer
>"Oh, no no no, s-sorry, you're free to stay."
"I was just leaving..."
>Trixie tugs on your arm
>"But Miss Sparkle!"
>You pull your arm away again
>"But Miss Sparkle, Trixie—"
"Look, I'll just meet you at the slumber party..."
>If you even go, that is
>Can't even handle talking to a bunch of spergs
>What chance do you have with the girls?
>They'll see how you really are
>MAYBE you can do the one-on-one thing
>But in a group?
>Might as well just stay home
>You begin to walk away from the table
>And then you hear it
>"SPARKLE!"
>Moondancer at twelve o'clock
>There seems to be even more tape on her glasses
>Oh, and she has a black eye
>Fluttershy hits harder than you expected...
>You sigh
"Not now, please."
>"You're not leaving until I'm through with you!"
"I thought last time you wanted me to leave no matter what."
>She stomps her foot
>"I CHANGED MY MIND!"
>God fucking fuck
>All the autists in the room are looking at the two of you
>You really don't want this drama
>As you try to push your way past her, she puts her arms out in front of you
>"NO!"
>Mr. Dancer rushes to his daughter's side
>"You have to let her leave if she wants to leave, Sweetie!"
>"NO, YOU CAN'T LET HER DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS!"
>Even if it's autist eyes on your back, you still feel the cringe building up
"Moondancer, I swear to fucking God, get out of my way."
>You try to move past her again
>This time the fucking sperg pushes you back
>You give her a glare
>Mr. Dancer looks like he's going to faint
>One of the spergs shouts from behind you
>"Don't mess with her, Moondancer! She's a bully!"
>WHAT?!
>YOU?!
>You clench your fist with all your might
>Don't blow up again
>Don't be a sperg
>Be better than them
>You hear someone talking behind you
>'—didn't know she was such a bitch—"
>That distinctive fat-guy-mouth accent
>You turn to face the autist
"Cheeto, Trixie isn't your fucking girlfriend."
>The sperg looks shocked
"And if I'm a bitch, then what are you? Some fat fuck who's never going to move out of his mom's house? You look like a melting fat suit."
>Trixie stands up from her chair and stands in front of you, her arms crossed
>"Miss Sparkle, you're being mean!"
>Why would she defend these fat spergs?
>She saw the way they were talking about you
>The cringe inducing shit they were saying
"Maybe I'm being mean, but I'm also just telling it like it is. You're too good for these people. I mean, this one's named freakin' Cheeto Dust for God's sake!"
>You point at the lardball
>He shrinks back, still impressively large
>"My name isn't Cheeto Dust... That's my podcast name, and my nickname now, I guess. My real name is Sawdust. And you know why I call myself Cheeto Dust? Because I know what I look like. It's a joke. If you think you can bully me because of that, well... You're not the lady I thought you were."
>You groan and roll your eyes
>Blubbering whale fuck
>He fucking started it
>That Jugular Follicles fuck scoffs
>"To think I used to think you were hot."
>If you keep rolling your eyes, you're probably going to get some kind of condition
"If you though this was hot—"
>You gesture to your body with your hands
"—then you're fucking retarded and have shit taste. You know what this outfit says? 'Don't worry, I'm buying the cats in bulk'."
>The room is distressingly quiet
>People just staring at you
>You don't even know why you're arguing with these people
>You're just mad
>These are the people other people see you as
>Trixie frowns, looking at the floor
>Just leave, Twilight
>There's nothing for you here
>"Sparkle, you're not leaving until I get my revenge!"
>Moondancer parks herself in front of you again
>You don't have fucking time for this
"What fucking revenge? Making me 'feel bad' about your dumb party? It's not happening. You know why? Because I don't give a single shit about anything you do. I didn't care then, I don't care now, and I never will."
>Moondancer stomps and begins throwing a fit
>It's like she can't do anything but
>You turn to her father
"Get her out of my way."
>Mr. Dancer rushes to his spergling's side
>"Sweetie, you're just going to have to leave her alone."
>"BUT DAD!"
>Go fucking commit suicide you shit cunt
>She literally starts crying once you pass her
>To think you almost apologized to her before
>"Miss Sparkle!"
>You hear Trixie following after you
>Ugh
>You pick up your pace as you walk out of backroom of the Game Shop
>The autists give you odd looks
>You shoot mean ones back
>Fuck this place
>You don't belong here
>You don't want to be surrounded by people so autistic they can't even think
>Barely even people
>What would happen if you went to the slumber party?
>The girls would talk with each other and have fun
>You'd fuck up, or, even better, not get a chance to fuck up because you'd just be alone the whole time
>Amongst autists, Trixie can talk to people and you can't
>Among normal people it would be the same
>Even if they're "friends"
>Maybe you can have fun with people when you're alone with them, but you're always going to be the least interesting person in the room
>Always going to be the last wheel
>You push your way out of the Game Shop
>Guess you'll just walk home...
>There's a tugging on your arm
>"Miss Sparkle, stop!"
"Why don't you? You can go back and have fun, I'll just go home."
>Trixie frowns
>She's holding tightly onto your arm, feet planted frimly on the ground
>"Why are you being like this?! Miss Sparkle was in such a good mood before she came with Trixie! Why are you so mean to her new friends?!"
"I don't want to talk about it!"
>You try to pull yourself away
>Can't this time
>Trixie's really holding on
>Ugh
>You don't want to have to drag her along with you
"Let go!"
>"Why is Miss Sparkle acting like this?!"
"Because your friends are autistic as all hell, and I won't associate myself with them!"
>Trixie lets go of your arm, her arms hanging limp at her sides
>"But... Trixie is autistic..."
>Trixie looks down at her shoes
"I... No, but you're different! You're not like them!"
>"But... Trixie isn't different. They like Trixie, and don't make fun of her. They're nice to her... Trixie fits in with them. If her friends are bad, then Trixie is bad."
"Trixie, I don't think you're bad. Look, I-I wasn't using autistic literally! I just meant it as..."
>What
>An insult?
>Good fucking job, Twilight
>Trixie puts her hands on her head
>"Trixie understands there is something wrong with her so she can't think like most people. Trixie is sorry..."
"No, please, Trixie, it's not you! I'm just stupid is all!"
>She just frowns, staring downwards
>Fuck, you didn't want to hurt her
>Just those autistic...
>Just the others
"Trixie, I'm sorry... I don't think anything bad about you."
>Trixie looks up at you
>"It's okay... Trixie will think the bad things about herself."
"What?! Trixie, no, there's nothing wrong with you!"
>God what the fuck, Twilight
>You're such a shit person
>Trixie begins to tear up
>"Trixie wishes she were more normal, like Miss Sparkle, sometimes..."
>You pull her into a hug
"I suck. You make a great Trixie. I'm not even a good me. Don't let me make you think anything bad about yourself, or suck the fun out of hanging with your friends. Just be Trixie."
>Trixie returns the hug
>"Trixie can be Trixie..."
>You breath a sigh of relief
>You're such a fucking retard
>What was it Treehugger said?
>'Assholes beget assholes'?
>Can't just let yourself hurt people just because they remind you of shit other people did to you
>Especially not when you end up hurting your few actual friends
>It's just so hard not to see things as being autistic or normie as fuck...
>"Can Miss Sparkle come back with her to talk with her friends?"
>You pull yourself out of the hug and smile awkwardly
"Um, I really don't think that would be a good idea... I think it's better if I wait a while on that..."
>Trixie wipes at her face with her sleeves
>"Will Miss Sparkle still come to the slumber party?"
>You nod
"Yeah... Yeah, I guess so."
>Trixie smiles and gives you a quick hug
>"Then Trixie will see you later."
"Yeah."
>You wave her off as she reenters the Game Shop
>Still iffy on whether or not her friends deserve her
>Being fedoralords and all
>But if it makes her happy...
"Fuck."
>You should've asked her if she's going to bring her pajamas
>How the fuck are you going to find that shit out?
>Google can only bring you so far, as with perusing forums
>'What do you do at slumber parties?'
>'Oh, never mind, I found it out, guys.'
>'Thread Locked'
>Ugh
>You decide to start walking home
>Just be cool about it
>Don't be a weirdo
>You can just bring a pair of pajamas
>If that's not what you're supposed to do, so be it
>It'll only be a little spaghetti
>Probably
>It doesn't take long to get home
>Still got a few hours before you have to leave
>You head up to your room
>And that's when it hits you
>It's been a while, but you have the perfect book for this very situation
>Haven't opened it up in a LONG time
>Never thought it would actually ever come in handy
>But now it is!
>You look around your book shelf for it
>Man, this shit used to be so organized
>It doesn't take you that long to find it amongst all the manga and Star Wars fanfiction
>'Slumber 101: All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties, But Were Afraid to Ask'
>Quick cram session and you'll be set to spaghetti as little as possible
>When you first picked this up as a little kid, you'd heard about an upcoming slumber party
>All the girls in class would go to some girls house for that
>Thought you should get yourself prepared
>Back then, that meant thoroughly researching the subject
>Library had a book on the subject, so it seemed perfect
>Like, you weren't actually invited in the end, but still
>At the time, the book came off a bit strange
>You remember having some long nights with it...
>Never actually returned the thing
>And now you're in high school!
>You're a big girl
>[Bane noises]
>It'll be of more use to you now
>You plop down on your bed and crack open the book
>There's shit about Makeovers, Spin the Bottle, Scary Stories, Pillow Fights, Snacks
>Lots of shit
>You open to a random chapter near the end
>Seems to be letters to the author...
>'Dear Dr. Reuben Rye,
>'Some of the girls threw a little slumber party, and boy did this book come in handy! In high school I'd always been a bit shy, but I wanted to really spread my wings in college. I was a little timid when Spin the Bottle started, but we were all making out to that new Beatles song!'
>HOLY SHIT YOU DON'T REMEMBER THIS
>The advice in this book must be excellent
>You skim around the rest of the book and remember why you kept it...
>It does seem a bit oddly sexual, but
>Hey
>If that's what happens
>Not sure why girls would make out with each other at a party
>But you definitely don't want to be the odd one out
>You try and absorb as much of the information as you can before you have to leave
>A couple hours later, you put down the book, feeling relatively strong in your Slumber Fu
>You put a pair of pajamas in your backpack and head downstairs
>"Oh, hey Twilight! Where you headin'?"
"I'm off to Rainbow's for a slumber party."
>You Dad smiles
>"A slumber party, huh? That's cute."
"Don't be gross, Dad. Anyways, I'll be back, I don't know, tomorrow?"
>You leave the house
>"Gross?"
>Once you make your way to Rainbow's house, you notice quite a few cars outisde
>Some on the driveway, and others on the curb
>One's hers
>Not sure who the other cars belong to specifically, but, probably the girls
>Why's Applejack's gross-ass truck here?
>You were anticipating there to only be five others, aside from yourself
>Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Trixie, and Rarity
>Seven people total?
>Spin the Bottle will get crowded
>And now there's going to be someone left out of all the party shit since the numbers are odd
>That person will probably be you...
>Just gonna have to fight for your place in the pecking order
>You know the ins and outs of slumber partying, so, you're sort of confident
>Just adapt to the situation
>Like Dr. Reuben said
>'Don't start out with too much tongue'
>Yeah
>Keep spaghetti as low as fucking possible, Twilight
>Don't weird this up
>You knock on Rainbow's front door
>"Egghead! Everybody else is already here, dude! C'mon in."
>She opens the door and lets you in
>Seems like Rainbow's in pajamas
>Sort of
>Athetlic shorts and a wife-beater
>Fluttershy is in some sort of night gown
>Pinkie is talking to Trixie, which you guess makes sense
>They've got normal pajamas on
>Glad you brought your own pair
>Spaghetti: 0
>Twilight: 1
>You spot Rarity in, Jesus, that's a bit extravagant for this, you think
>And then there's Applejack in her disgusting, dirty, muddy work clothes
>"—just drag mud all over the place! It's disgusting!"
>"I didn't even want ta come! Y'all wouldn't stop textin' me! Y'all even called my Granny 'n told her I was being 'anti-social'!"
>Rarity, of course, scoffs
>"Well, you were! And I won't stand for us NOT to have the girls all here as a group. It never happens, and I was going to make it happen!"
>God damn these two
>But Rarity's wrong about the gang all being here
>No Sunny!
>Which sucks
>But time to focus on the present
>Got to get changed
>You head over to Rainbow, who is talking with Fluttershy
"Uh, Rainbow?"
>"Oh, yeah, Egghead?"
"Do you have somewhere I could change?"
>She points down a hall
>"There's a bunch of rooms. You can use mine, the bathroom... I don't really care, man."
>You nod and head on down to change
>Something taps on your shoulder
"Huh?"
>You turn
>It's fucking Fluttershy
>Your body goes a bit tense
"W-What do you want?"
>"Um... Twilight... Th-This was just supposed to be time for Rainbow and I to hang out, so... Please be cool, okay? I just want to hang out with my friend."
>Right, right
>'Be Cool'
"Whatever. I'm totally prepared for tonight, Fluttershy, okay?"
>"Okay..."
>She sighs and frowns before meekly making her way back to Rainbow
>Why's she putting on this fucking act with you?
>Fucking psycho
>Whatever, get changed, man
>You head into the bathroom and take out your pajamas
>Nothing fancy
>Plain and simple, comfy purple sleepwear
>Therefore, no chance of spaghetti with this stuff
>You head back into the foyer and...
>Where'd everybody go?
"G-Guys?"
>Oh fuck
>Did they fucking ditch you or something?
>Where would they have gone?
>Fucking Twilight you fucking—
>"Egghead!"
>You turn around
>Rainbow's peeking out from her room
>Oh, that makes sense
"Uh, coming!"
>You head into Rainbow's room
>The girls are just...
>Sitting around and chatting
>Well, just act how you're supposed to at a slumber party, Twilight
>Time to put your knowledge to the test