>Luna blinks as if waking from a daydream before clasping her hands together behind her atop the crook of her back with a wry grin
>”Luckily for us both, this time it really isn’t too serious.”
>That’s not a number…
>With her right hand still placed behind her she reaches into her pants pocket with her left
>”However, I realized earlier today that I forgot to give you something…”
>Stopping suddenly she pulls something out of her pocket and turns to you with her open palm outstretched
>”Here.”
>Glancing down you reach for, a silver key and card?
>Picking them up you examine it a bit closer
>”I had another key and card made so you can get into my apartment on your own.”
>Ah, that would explain the black 9 printed on the card and key
>Regardless this will no doubt be useful tonight
>You can go straight home and not back to school for a third time
>Pocketing the card and key you wink at Luna
“Thanks, this’ll make it much easier to sneak in after all the wild parties I’ll be going to.”
>With a small chuckle your parental unit resumes her walk with its proper posture and clasped hands
>”Well of course, it was this or a grapple and rope so you can sneak in through the balcony.”
>Glancing down at you from the corner of her eye she smirks
>”But it’s a bit too chilly for that now.”
>Tucking your hands into your pockets you sport a smirk yourself
“Well, there’s always next year when it gets warmer…”
>The conversation dies off after you both share silent smirks
>Guess that was the only really important thing she had to ask you about
>You’ve barely covered a single hallway so you have a few minutes before you get to the front entrance
>You could speed up and leave, but you don’t think the others will even be out of the parking lot yet

>Suppose that leaves you some time to shoot the shit or ask Luna a question or two
>Not like you don’t have enough of those or anything…
>Your eye is drawn towards a sparkle of light at the end of the hallway as you glance around
>Actually looking at it you can see it’s something on the poster board above the water fountains
>Particularly, a large poster taking up a good half of the board
>A bunch of white circles adorned with glitter surround a papier-mâché black mound that pops out of the poster
>Beneath that is a scribbly white outline of an obviously kissing couple together with a date and location written in orange
>Hm, wager a guess that it’s advertising the “Enchantment under the Black Moon” dance at the end of the month
>Helps that it states as much right after the date and location
>Along with the line, Halloween costumes encouraged
>Kinda figured that was a given since that is pretty much the Halloween dance, but whatever
>Though thinking about the dance you do remember something
“Hey Luna, who’s idea was it to name the dance the Enchantment under the Black Moon?”
>The contemplative vice-principal heaves a haggard groan
>”You’d have to ask sister about that as I had no involvement in the decision; she was the one so adamant on naming it so.”
>Celestia was the one pushing for it?
>That doesn’t help clear things up at all!
“Got any guesses as to why?”
>With an amused hum and a frown Luna glances over towards you
>”While the answer she aught give might have to do with the pushing of more local and unique traditions to break the mold, I think it’s because she believes I would appreciate the lunar theming.”
>Well you can see why that’d be the case, her name is Luna
>Not to mention that she seems to really like moon and star stuff if her apartment has anything to say about it

“Do you not like it?”
>Luna rolls her eyes as she runs a hand through her hair
>”While I may be fond of the moon, it does not really matter what I like in this instance yes?”
>Waving a hand to you she frowns
>”What do you think of the theme she chose?”
>That’s a bit of a hard question considering you don’t really get it in the first place
>Like, you’re pretty sure it’s a back to the future reference, but you don’t know what a black moon even is
“Can’t really say honestly, if it’s just a back to the future reference with a new moon tie-in then it doesn’t seem like a really great substitute for a Halloween one to me.”
>With a nod and a sigh your vice-principal throws her hands into the air
>”That is the exact problem; while it may be something I enjoy it doesn’t have very many connections to Halloween.”
>Very many?
>Pretty sure it doesn’t have any at all
“It doesn’t have very many connections?”
>Pinching her brow Luna frowns once more
>”Well yes, besides the obvious dark night there are a few supernatural aspects they share.”
>Hm, that’s not intriguing at all or anything
>Just continue to walk with you and don’t list any of em
>You’re going to have to spell it out aren’t you?
>Stopping in front of the water fountain you give her a verbal nudge
“Like?”
>Crossing her arms the rumpled moon enthusiast looks up to the ceiling
>”Well, if you were to consider the black moon as a new moon then it and Halloween would share increased magical activity alongside with some old traditions.”
>Ohhh, spooky
“So why not just advertise the spooky black moon aspect as a part of a normal Halloween dance then?”

>Luna gives you a halfhearted shrug
>”It is not my place to really advise so, as vice-principal I normally deal with inter-faculty relations and student discipline in the first place...”
>Oh, well you guess that’s true
>You don’t really see her as the most involved with big events
>Probably fits her sister more
>Though to be so frank about it with you…
>”And unlike normally, where most of the creative decisions for school events are approached with our standard lassez faire attitude, this suggestion of sister’s has caught on with the party planners.”
>Well that’s not a bad thing is it?
“I mean, at least it’s somewhat original while still pretty much just being Halloween right?”
>Luna lets out a short hum
>”I suppose, hopefully they don’t mind the fact that our black moon was at the end of September.”
>Well that shouldn’t be too big a-WHAT?!
“Wait, are you saying the theme is wrong on top of just being not!Halloween?!”
>She nods tapping the poster lazily with a pointer finger
>”Yes, our black moon, the second new moon in a month, was in September while this black moon will be for Europe, Asia, and Australia. Thus, this will technically be a normal new moon for us.”
>Bravo Celestia
>You have no idea how someone can research and come up with an idea for something you’ve never heard of before, but then overlook something so important
>“Well, at least the poster for the dance looks interesting enough that it may draw in those who might not otherwise attend.”
>Yea, that’s a possibility…
>Your eyes glance over the poster once more before noticing something horrifying
>Peeking behind the corner of the dance poster is one of the fliers for this Saturday’s showdown with Flash

>Oh shit, does Luna know about that?
>That seems like something she’d bring up immediately with you, and considering that you aren’t being very uncomfortably held by the shoulder…
>Maybe she just hasn’t noticed them absolutely plastered anywhere a poster is allowed?
>You have to find out, but be all stealth like about it
>If she doesn’t know, you won’t tell her!
>She already seems pretty stressed if her appearance is anything to go by
>You don’t really want to worry her over something you’re confident the girls can handle
”Hm, you’re right, it’s definitely one of the more noticeable posters huh?”
>Turning away from the board Luna shrugs
>”While I’m not knowledgeable about which posters in the schools tend to be the most effective I believe this may be one.”
>With a hand on her hip she waves the other in the air lazily
>”Usually, I have neither the time nor the energy to pay much heed to any of the posted advisements throughout the school. Circumstances lately have demanded my attention elsewhere as well…”
>Jeez, can’t help but feel the weariness she’s exuding
>You’re starting to wonder what she’s up to that you don’t know…
>On the bright side, you can assume that she doesn’t know about Saturday
>You’re sure going to keep it that way too
>At least until after you all put Flash out of the magic game
>You’ll take Luna probably being angry over making her more like, this
>Don’t think she was little miss sunshine before all this or anything, but it seems like all this is getting to her
>Or maybe you’re seeing something where instead she just woke up from a nap
>You don’t think so though, call it a gut feeling

>You resume walking towards the entrance as you think Luna’s interest in continuing that conversation has more than waned
>Your old friend silence finds his way between the two of you once more as you get closer and closer to the entrance
>Besides your footsteps and the occasional student going wherever they need to nothing breaks through the shroud of tranquility between the two of you
>At least until Luna suddenly snaps her fingers
>”I almost forgot…”
>Slowing down slightly you tilt your head towards her as she speaks
>”How long were you planning on leaving your sculpture in the office? While it’s not a problem that you keep it there, I won’t be available for most of the school day tomorrow to let you in if you need to take it out.”
>You go back to looking down the hallway you’re walking as you bring a hand to your chin
>Sculpture, in Luna’s office?
>What the hel-oh yea!
>Man, your memory really must be getting shot if you forgot about the cake-pie!
>Hm, what ARE you going to do with that thing?
>While you have the overwhelming desire to eat it all by yourself in one sitting you’re pretty sure you’d die
>Maybe you can just think about that later?
>Yea, making it a delicious problem for future Anon sounds good
>Turning back towards her you give her a thumbs up
“Oh that’s fine; I don’t need it for a bit anyways.”
>Your favorite moon loving vice-principal give you a silent nod as the two of you finally wind up in front of her office a short way from the front entrance
>She stops with a hand on the door knob
>”What time should I expect your return tonight?”

>Um, how long…
>So do you tell her about dinner now, or conveinetly forget to until you’re actually out and about?
>That doesn’t really seem the way to do Luna any real favors on the stressing out front…
>She did say that she knows you will have places to go and things to do though
>Maybe she figures you’re going out for dinner after anyways?
>Still, that leaves just how long you will be out
>An hour to an hour and a half for the intro to gym
>How long for washing up after?
>Yea, that’s half an hour max
>Why would rinsing off and jumping into another set of clothes take any longer?
>Maybe an hour and a half to two hours for dinner
>So all in all about four and a half hours?
>Sounds about right
“I think I’ll be home around 10pm at the latest.”
>A sound estimate if you’ve ever thought of one
>Luna hangs her free hand by hooking her thumb into her pocket as she gazes at you
>”Alright, I would prefer if you make it back before then, it is a school night after all.”
>Shuffling your backpack with a quick jump in place you smile
“Don’t worry, if there’s one thing I’m always eager to do it’s sleep.”
>Can almost never have too much of the stuff
>Luna’s eyes seem to linger on you before she cracks a smile
>”I couldn’t agree more…”
>She turns to the doorway, and you taking that as the end of your conversation turn towards the entrance heading off
>It doesn’t take long for you to finally see the light of day once more
>You wander out by the barren statue base before realizing something
>It looks pretty clear outside
>Must’ve taken a bit longer than you thought talking with Luna
>Though it’s odd, you don’t even see Rarity’s car either
>You clutch your back pack strap with an idle hand while scouring the area for any sign of the white luxury vehicle

>Yep, still no sign of it
>Leaning against the statue base you pull out your phone
>Might as well make use of her number
>As you scroll through your really short contact list you hear the sound of screeching tires
>Whipping your head up you see Rarity’s car peel to a stop
>With a honk of the horn the driver herself waves you down
>”Sorry about that, just got caught up is all, get in darling!”
>You tuck your phone away and rush over to the eager fashionista’s motor chariot
>Looks like Twilight’s riding shotgun, so you’re going to slum it up in the backseat alongside Fluttershy
>Which is fine because it has more than enough room for your large backpack
>As you open the door and shrug off your backpack the other two passengers are all smiles
>”Okaerinasai!”
>”Hello, again…”
>With a silent wave in response you get to settling in with your backpack forming a barrier between you and Fluttershy
>Resting your arm atop your pack and your seatbelt buckled you lean back into your seat
>You spot Rarity glancing at you from the rearview mirror
>”All ready darling?”
>You give her a thumbs up prompting her to begin the short commute to Twilight’s
>Speaking of Twilight, you notice that she’s been staring at you from the front since you got in
>”Soooo Anon, Fluttershy was kind enough to inform me about something…”
>Hm?
>You look to the pink haired girl in question only to be met with a quick aversion of her eyes
>”I, I thought that maybe Twilight could recommend some light novels for you, I’msorryifyouwantedtokeepthatsecret…”
>Oh is that all?
>Twilight is swaying in her seat as she props her chin on the shoulder near the headrest
>”Oshiete Anon-kun, how many light novels have you indulged in?”
>Well, at least that’s a short list

>”So in short, all three separate forms of presentation have their own strengths, but I vastly prefer the more in-depth view of a story that a light novel offers.”
>Guess that makes sense, but you prefer manga or anime really
>Fight scenes are just so much better with a visual element
>You just can’t fully capture the pulse-pounding action of that fight between Shirou and Gilgamesh in UBW with just writing like the anime does
>You’re about to voice your opinion to Twilight when you feel the car come to a slow stop
>Killing the engine Rarity turns to address all of you
>”Sorry to interrupt, but we have arrived!”
>Everyone proceeds to pile out of the car as you realize a bit of a problem
>Leaning on your door you tap rarity on the shoulder who turns her attention to you
“Can you pop the trunk? I’m probably going to need to stick my backpack in there if Jordan and Spike are riding along with us.”
>Bit of an oversight on your part
>Hell, probably could’ve just left the thing at school since you’re going back anyways
>The purple haired diva clicks her fob prompting the trunk to pop open
>”Oh, that reminds me thank you darling; Twilight darling!”
>She quickly runs off towards the iron bar gated mansion as you pack your backpack away
>As you close the trunk you feel a few droplets of water hit your head
>Glancing up you can see the grey clouds have congregated together once more, and are getting ready to pour down on you
>Damnit, the one thing you forgot to get was an umbrella, and you even reminded yourself to!
>Looking back down to Earth you can’t help notice two girls arguing amongst the milling people just out of earshot in the gazeebo area of the park down the street
>One of them runs off in a hurry down the sidewalk opposite you as the other crosses her arms in a huff
>Must’ve forgot their umbrellas too or something

>What the hell are you doing?
>You’ve got to get inside before it starts pouring!
>Also there is the whole Twilight needing your help to move stuff, probably
>Not to mention she’s bound to have an umbrella in her house
>You close the trunk and quickly run off towards the open gate to Twilight’s manor as droplets begin falling in earnest
>After getting through the door and slipping out of your slightly damp burnt shoes you make your way to the kitchen
>There you spot Fluttershy, Rarity, and Jordan doing, something?
>Looks like Rarity’s measuring Jordan with a tiny tailor tape measure as Fluttershy occupies most of its attention with a soft hug
>You’re about to say something, but something happens the second Rarity hunches down to measure Jordan’s legs
>That thing being both Fluttershy and Jordan spotting you
>”Now be a dear Jordan and hold stiiiiilllll!”
>Jordan almost topples the poor tailor in an effort to close the distance between the two of you
>You, just sorta stand there with your arms held out welcoming the inevitable
>As the excited not!Sunset smacks into you, you’re reminded of how forgetful you are when you get a nice forehead to your chin
“Hey little dude.”
>Returning the overly eager bug’s embrace with one hand you rub your now sore chin with the other
>Jordan doesn’t seem to really care as it does its best to imitate a cat marking its territory
>You do your best to ignore the fact it’s like Sunset rubbing herself against you instead turning to a now free Fluttershy
“Assume this was the first thing done to you too?”
>She gives a sheepish nod as the ruffled tailor brushes herself off
>”Well, luckily for us I have a spare outfit in the back that will fit Jordan perfectly!”
>Yahoo?
>Didn’t realize that was really a concern here

“Can’t we just use some of Twilight’s clothes?”
>You are in her house after all
>Rarity and Fluttershy both glance at each other before the former shakes her head
>”You have noticed the apparel of hers that Jordan’s currently wearing right?”
>Well, no not really
>You try very hard not to in fact
>However…
>Separating from the unwilling cuddle bug and keeping it at arm’s length you give it a quick once over
>It’s just some pajamas nothing to-wait a second
>Oh jeez, those are a bit tight
>Normally, you don’t think a traditional set of yellow pjs with pink hearts would be all that bad, but with Jordan being slightly, bigger, than Sunset…
>You can see a bit too much of the belly button underneath the shirt hem alongside the hips peeking over the pants
>Not to mention it seems they needed to unbutton a few of the top buttons to fit Jordan’s ra-OK
>You’re not going to look at how tight the clothing is hugging downstairs either
>This isn’t too egregious to common decency like only wearing your sweatshirt, but it’s still too much!
>Jordan murmurs a purr as you hold it by the shoulders
>With a short snort accompanied by pursed lips you glance at the waiting fashion girl
“I see your point, you wouldn’t happen to have something that would disguise and accessorize by any chance?”
>Rarity, bringing an open palm to her mouth, lets out a short laugh
>”But of course I do darling, anything less would be simply unbecoming.”
>She begins waltzing towards the hallway muttering something about wigs as you turn the antsy Jordan over to Fluttershy
>Almost immediately the bugg is snuggling up to her
>It takes you a moment to realize that someone’s missing
>Then you almost point that out before remembering what you should be doing

>You jab a thumb towards the basement doorway
“I’ll go see what I can help with while you two help dress Jordan.”
>Fluttershy nods while doing her best to keep Jordan from squeezing too hard
>You reach the stairway with a few quick strides
>Flinging your feet down the hardwood steps you descend the stairs only to stop at the foot to check out the basement once more
>As you take in the scent of sanitizer and old books you can’t help notice something
>There’s a particular roll of fabric that you’re sure Rarity was probably talking about to the right tucked behind the whiteboard
>Looks nice
>Not only that but, the place looks a lot more spacious without all the racks of exo-suits in the left hand corner!
>Heh, not that it’s a good thing they’re gone or anything…
>Problems for later aside, this is still a cluttered nest worthy of being Twilight’s abode
>You spot the aforementioned girl typing away on her rig over by the now empty exo-suit area
>Huh that’s weird, she’s not wearing her lab coat like usual
>It lies on a wall hook a few feet from the desk
>Haven’t actually seen her without one save the time she wore the exo-suit
>Wading through the stacks of books and other assorted gizmos you call out to the science prone girl
“So, what do you need help packing up?”
>Sitting up straight in response to your voice Twilight swivels around in her chair to face you
>”Well actually, not that much.”
>Huh?
>You stand next to her desk as she swivels back towards the screen
>”I’m going to be taking my tower along with a few of my more pertinent physical books, but it’s looking like it’ll all fit into a box or two.”
>Oh, that’s a pleasant surprise
>Though guess you don’t know what you expected considering Rarity only has so much trunk space
>You spot what you’re pretty sure is the cardboard box Twilight’s using beside the desk

>As to be expected it’s currently filled with a few books and odd looking instruments
>One do-dad does stick out from the rest however
>Though it’s not really in the box, but instead resting upon a stack of books nearby
>It’s that spaghetti strainer hat thing
>The one that Twilight said you’d have to use after the whole Dis-OH FUCKING HELL!
>You snatch the helmet thing as you realize you completely forgot about Discord’s more than likely super important call for help
>Twisting back towards the dutifully typing purple weeb you don’t manage to stay in control of your voice
“TWILIGHT WE FORGOT ABOUT DISCORD!”
>Your panicked yelling startles Twilight who mashes a few keys before whipping her head towards you
>”What are yo-“
>Her eyes make contact with the strainer you’re tightly grasping causing her to flip from slight concern to full on happening mode
>”EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!?”
>You stand there like a rube as she begins running both of her hands through her hair in a panicked fit
>”I-I can’t believe that slipped pass me! There was so much happening that it must’ve been pushed back so far that I forgot!”
>Her and you both!
>You hold the helmet aloft as you continue yelling
“AHHHHH, IT’S BEEN THREE DAYS TWILIGHT!”
>She looks up to you with a grimace
>”I KNOW!”
>You both stand there basking in the feeling of horrified realization for a few yell filled moments
>As you both finally stop yelling you hear a concerned voice from the stairs
>”My word, do you need me to lend a hand down there darling?”
>You glance at Twilight who shakes her head no so furiously that she almost whips her glasses off
“Uh no thanks, just uh, stubbed my toe, super hard!”
>God you are really doing it; you must be getting worse at lying or something the more you try
>”Oh, well don’t be afraid to ask if you do!”

>You begin to whisper yell in an attempt to keep in control as Twilight takes her glasses off and massages her temples
“What are we going to do!?”
>Keeping her eyes shut your science partner in this forgotten crime struggles to come up with an answer
>”Um, I think, alright Anon-bo take your pin off!”
>You don’t bother questioning her as to why before setting it and the strainer helmet on the desk
>Getting out of her seat she begins digging into the pockets of her hanging lab coat
>Since she’s looking for something you might as well ask
“So what are we doing?”
>She roots around the two outside pockets before looking inside the lab coat
>“I’m going to scan you for any active ties of magic currently permeating you now that your pin isn’t filtering magic away from you.”
>Ohhh, that’s not a bad idea, but wait…
“How did you know that’s how it works?”
>She stops searching for a moment before turning her head to you with a smirk
>”I probed Luna for information regarding it and a few other mysteries while we were getting better acquainted at her lab; it was quite the learning experience.”
>Twilight quickly returns to rooting around her lab coat pockets
>Should’ve figured she’d ask questions
>Though you do see a potential snag in that plan
“So when you say active tie of magic do you mean like the back door thing I mentioned Discord left open?”
>She brings out a small handheld device from the hanging lab coat with a smile
>”Bing-bong!”
>Well shit, you hate to be the bearer of bad news
“That may not actually work anymore though…”
>You avert your eyes with a shrug
“Luna went into my head yesterday and gave me a clean bill of health; so the door might be closed again.”

>Twilight frowns as she takes her seat once more and places the small rectangle she pulled out beside your pin
>Thinking for a moment as she dons her glasses once more she suddenly snaps her fingers breaking the silence
“Got an idea?”
>Swiveling in her chair once more she begins to rapidly click through several folders
>”Sone tori! Do you remember what time it was when you awoke from your dream after your fight with Platinum Mettle on Sunday?”
>What time it was?
“Umm, give me a sec…”
>You try hard to visualize it, but you can’t quite remember
>Probably would’ve checked, but you were woken up by a call and
>A call!
>Fishing your phone out of your phone you tap and swipe until you’re staring at your recent calls
>A particularly small list if you do say so yourself, but that just makes it easy to get to Sunday
>Alright, wait when did YOU call someone?
>Besides the obvious answer of at 5:51pm you think back to then
>Pinkie!
>Oh shit, you should really add this number as Pinkie’s
>You do so before getting back on task
>Looks like she called you before you called her
>Was that when you woke up?
>Says it was at 5:30
>That sounds close enough
>You tuck the phone into your pocket and look up to a patiently waiting Twilight
“I woke up around 5:30 so a little before then.”
>With a few keystrokes and clicks she nods as the purple tinged map of Canterlot pops up
>”If the problem is that you don’t have a magical tie currently, then we’ll simply examine a moment we know for sure you did!”
>Alright, that makes sense to you
>You watch as she slides a few bars and focuses the screen on your apartment building
“So what exactly are you doing?”

>Twilight snaps her fingers before holding an outstretched pointer finger to the ceiling
>”Do you remember when I likened magic to electricity? Well that’s not the only thing magic mimics in the field; it also functions like frequencies in its own version of the EM spectrum under the right conditions. While that may be somewhat of a gross oversimplification, every instance of magic not only creates a complete circuit, that through I can derive a voltage so-to-speak of the magic used, it als-“
>You place a shoulder on the very hype looking Twilight in an attempt to stop her short as you stare in some awe
>It’s only at moments like this do you realize how much more academically advanced she is compared to you
>It’s probably because of all her weeb, it throws you off guard
>Regardless, you have no fucking clue what she means, but boy are you going to act like you’re following along
“Ok, I got a chunk of that, but will you find Discord through that?”
>She shakes her head sadly as she stares at the purple hued screen
>”Unfortunately not, the complete circuit made when magic interacts in the physical world has the magic act as the source rather than the caster that outputted the magic in the first place. What we’re looking for is something else…”
>Something else?
>You cross your arms while stroking your chin and looking down at the magic science girl
“Like?”
>She clicks through a few more folders booting up some program while further explaining
>”While I haven’t performed many experiments yet, the ones I have conducted helped gather enough data to reasonably believe that every person’s magic has a certain magical, for lack of a better word, frequency that accompanies it.”

>Twilight drags the program to take up half the screen alongside the purple close-up of your apartment before turning to you
>”Like, for instance, the magic which permeated you while you were unconscious.”
>Ok, that was a bit more understandable you guess
>Kinda, not really
>At least you get what she’s looking for, but…
“So why exactly are we looking for this frequency?”
>She clicks a few buttons as your apartment becomes less purple and more a mixture of colors
>Like someone smeared a few light colors that at least attempted mixing
>She writes down a few numbers on a nearby notepad before responding
>”Well…”
>Patting the strainer helmet gently she flashes you a smile
>”With this I believe I can find someone outputting that specific frequency of magic!”
>You nod as a smile splits your own lips
>In other words you can find Discord specifically
>Nifty
>That still begs the question though, and your curiosity must be satiated
>Twilight begins fiddling with the various cords and connections on the strainer thing as you voice a question
“So what exactly does this thing do?”
>She plugs in the strainer to her pc, causing something to happen in the program beside the map, before she turns and focuses on you
>”With the few frequencies I got from the time you were incapacitated in hand I’ll be able to use this device to cast a simple spell using my natural radiative magic that will, for all intents and purposes, act as a radar.”
>Ok, now this shit is starting to bother you
>You aren’t exactly an expert in sonar, closed circuits, or the EM spectrum, buuutttt
“So wait, does magic work like radar, electricity, or the EM spectrum?”

>Twilight scratches the side of her head while averting her eyes
>”Well, I said it works LIKE all three of those, the truth of the matter is that magic works in its own complex way...”
>She shrugs with a grin
>“It is magic after all, those are simply the best comparisons I can give without delving so deep that a crash course in a mostly undocumented academic field only a handful of people somewhat understand is required.”
>You open your mouth to respond but nothing comes out
>Hmm
>Oh ok, you can accept that
>Even if it does drives you up a wall, you’re not exactly prepared to learn in-depth knowledge on something like this
>You were never a heavy academic
“Alright, you can continue.”
>Twilight studies you for a moment before she waves her hand above the strainer in a circular motion
>”As I was saying, this will send out the frequency I input and it will in turn react to the natural magic that permeates magically saturated people of the same frequency, giving me a ping of their current location.”
>Simple enough, but now you realize something the more you think about how far you’re going to do this
”Why don’t we just check the scans from yesterday or something to find Discord’s location?”
>Twilight claps her hands together with a nod
>You feel like she’s enjoying this
>”Good question, the answer being that I won’t be able to determine the exact frequency of the magic unless it’s being utilized in a spell of some form due to the decay magic goes through outside of spell use.”
>Magic decay?
>God, you hope that isn’t like radioactive decay
“Why does magic decay outside spell use?”

>With a somewhat defeated sigh Twilight shrugs
>”I wish I could definitively say why, but in all honesty I have no clue. I only know that unless Discord’s magic is specifically reacting or enacting a spell then I won’t be able to find him, and scouring through several days of data to find if he has without knowing for sure seems like a bit much.”
>Ok
>Guess you might as well get on with it
>You take the strainer helmet in hand and beginning undoing straps
>Thing looks like it’s going to be a pain to put on
>As you get to the long business of undoing the straps with care Twilight pokes your side
>”Nani o shite Anon-kun?”
>You continue attempting to undo straps
“I’m getting the helmet ready for you to put on obviously.”
>They’re really refusing to budge
>“That isn’t a helmet…”
>Huh?
>You shift your eyes over to a now giggling Twilight while still holding the strainer thing
“Then why does it have so many straps and stuff!?”
>She gently takes the strainer from your hands holding it by several of the straps
>”It’s so that you can carry it without having to hold onto the protruding metal or sensitive parts.”
>Someone just fucking kill you
>Letting out a quiet laugh at your expense from behind her hand she set the strainer back on the desk
>”I, or one of the others, need to be in contact with it for it to function, but you don’t need to wear it.”
>Seriously, someone end you
>She swivels once more to the screen finally set up enough apparently
>”So now I’ll imput the first fre-wait a moment…”
>She stares at the program she opened up on the right with her brow furrowed
>Now her eyes are darting between it and the numbers she wrote down
>Maybe you should interject
“Something the matter?”

>Twilight shakes her head incredulously
>”There’s already a frequency programmed into this…”
>You raise an eyebrow as you have no clue what that means
>She brings a closed fist to her lips as her brow furrows further
>”I’ve only tested this a handful of times, I haven’t even come up with a name for it, but I always clear out the frequency I used for testing purposes when I concluded the test.”
>While you get that Twilight is a bit autistic about these things you feel she may be mistaken here
“Sure you didn’t just forget to the last time?”
>She looks up into your eyes her lavender irises shining under the basement lights
>”I wish that were the case, but the frequency that’s been programed is one from the list I acquired looking at last Sunday.”
>Oh
>Oh fuck that’s not super concerning at all
“You don’t, maybe, what the hell?”
>She leans forward on her desk over the strainer with her fingers in a pyramid beneath her nose in contemplation
>”The only hypothesis I can pose is that the two intruders last Monday during their incursion used this device as well.”
>Fuck
>You were right, they really did bend her over a barrel
>She turns to the computer with a hand on the strainer still
>”I will search for Discord’s current location using the frequency already inputted, then I will verify if they did in fact use this by checking the map of Canterlot during the time of their break in.”
>You nod silently in response
>”Please take the box upstairs and to the car for me please; then check in with Fluttershy as I believe she needed you for something before we leave.”
>You feel like you should offer to stay and all, but you’re not really helping
>Not to mention Twilight looks like she’s in the zone right now as she begins typing with one hand

>Deciding to follow orders you get to moving the box into Rarity’s car
>You give the box a small push before to determine if it’s way too heavy
>Doesn’t seem too bad
>Squatting down you lift it up in one smooth motion
>This box may not weigh much more than 30 lbs, but it doesn’t cause any strain
>Guess your muscles are fine
>You quickly head to the stairs and up them without issue
>As you step into the kitchen you spy what appears to be Rarity and Fluttershy fussing over a beanie’s placement atop Jordan’s head
>”I’m telling you this way is a bit more casual, while placing it at a slight tilt would scream chic.”
>Okay, maybe more like Rarity fussing and Fluttershy sorta just standing around waiting to keep Jordan under watch
>Stepping forward you sneak a peek at the disguised Jordan
>Surprisingly enough Rarity seems to have shown some restraint
>Dressed in a somewhat modest pair of long dark blue jeans that cling to the legs slightly along with a bit of an over-sized baggy black sweater Jordan looks pretty normal
>Save for some of the hair not covered by the beanie you wouldn’t really recognize Jordan as Sunset
>Though for some reason Rarity keeps adjusting it
“Problems?”
>The three of them seem to just notice you with your vocalization
>Jordan almost does the exact same thing as before, only this time Fluttershy gently keeps the little guy in place with a tactically placed arm hooked onto its
>”Well of course there is darling, I’ve almost got this hat on to where its loose but still containing most of the hair, but I simply can’t decide how tilted it should be!”
>That uh, that sure seems like a pretty big problem
>It’s a good thing Rarity is just the girl to fix it without even needing your help!

>You take a step towards the hallway leading to the entrance with the box in tow
“Well, while you deal with that, I’m going to go stow Twilight’s stuff in the trunk.”
>Before you can leave the important fashion calls to Rarity, Fluttershy speaks up
>”Oh if uhm, if you don’t mind waiting a moment Jordan and I will join you!”
>You stop with an unsure eyebrow raised
>what’s got her so eager to come along?
>You only ask because she’s being suspicious
>Like, you swear you just saw her and Rarity make eye contact before she spoke
>She drags Jordan away from Rarity and to your side with a nervous smile
>”I-I thought it would be nice, toooo take Jordan, on a short walk!”
>The winter colored needleworker behind her perks up at the suggestion
>”What a great idea, you could also hold an umbrella for Anon while he takes the box to the car, wouldn’t want Twilight’s things to get wet now would we?”
>You blink a few times as your suspicion only grows
>You’re beginning to wonder if they’re up to some-oh wait
>Rarity’s probably trying to get you out of the house to retrieve the roll of fabric you saw downstairs
>Being the good guy you are, you’re going to play along
“You’re right, that would be a big help.”
>Rarity claps her hands together while squirming in excitement
>”It’s settled then, you three run along; I left a pair of shoes for Jordan with Spike at the door, make sure to tie them tight while I see to our dear friend Twilight about something before we get going!”
>You don’t even get a chance to say ok before she dashes down the stairs
>Yea, she’s definitely getting the fabric from downstairs
>You turn to Fluttershy who’s now awkwardly staring at the spot Rarity used to be and motion to the hallway out with your box
“Well, shall we?”

>The three of you make the short journey to the front door where Spike sits on his doggy rear staring out of the open door
>The plip-ploping of heavy rainfall graces your ears as you stand in the now slightly humid vestibule
>You decide to greet the purple pupper as Fluttershy gets down to the business of getting shoes on Jordan
“Hey doggo, what cha doin?”
>Spikes eyes do not leave the doorway as he responds
>”Keeping watch for any evil-doers!”
>Couldn’t he just close the door?
>Well, as long as he feels useful you guess
>You peek outside into the light torrent of rain
>Eh, it doesn’t look too bad
>You wouldn’t want to be out there long without an umbrella, but you won’t get soaked within seconds or anything
>Hope that girl in the gazeebo got out before it really hit the fan
>”Are you going out there?”
>You look down to the pint-sized purse dog
“Uh yea, gotta put this in Rarity’s trunk
>Spike jumps up to all fours and skitters over to a door to your left
>”Then you’ll want an umbrella, Twilight keeps a few in here!”
>Sweet, kinda forgot to ask for one of those
>The excited pooch leaps forward latching onto the door handle
>With his full body weighing down on it he manages to bring the handle down causing the door to swing open
>What a talented little dude!
>He hurriedly scurries into the closet
>As he rummages around you notice a warm presence is now encroaching on your right side once more
>Jordan rubs its beanie covered head against your shoulder as Fluttershy stands up
>”Oh my, it’s looking like it may start raining cats and dogs any minute out there.”
>Spike trots out of the closet with an umbrella in his mouth
>”But ahm ribt here!”
>You smirk at the dog as Fluttershy takes the umbrella with a thank you
>As she unwraps the umbrella you come to a horrid realization

>The umbrella’s not small be any means, but there’s three of you
>One is currently pressing itself against you
>The other seems to be as awkward with people as you are
>Both are at least physically very attractive females
>You know what?
>Nope, you’re not going to let this get you
>You’re going to tense your muscles the entire time you carry the box!
>That way you can’t focus on the girls being on either side of you
>Fluttershy snuggles in close on Jordan’s other side bringing the umbrella above it wordlessly
>Huh, don’t know how that simple solution eluded you
>Honestly, now you’re a tad disappointed you won’t get to smel-What are you saying!?
>You shove the thought aside and start walking into the rain
>”Don’t worry; I’ll keep an eye on things here!”
>What a good boy…
>The sound of all three pairs of feet splotching across the wet pavement gets lost in the rhythmic plopping raindrops
>It seems the rain has driven away what little pedestrians that were hanging out at the park
>Even the angry girl who stayed behind in the gazeebo
>Fluttershy does you the solid of popping the trunk open and you happily deposit the box in
>With plenty of room to spare too, nice!
>With the weight of box lifted from your hands you stretch your arms out getting your left arm drizzled lightly
>Fluttershy nods her head forward
>”Do you think that gazeebo would be a nice place to walk to?”
>You don’t have too much time, and that’s really close so why not?
“Sounds good…”
>The three of you stroll along the sidewalk with you on the outer edge near the street
>The first to pierce the rain’s white noise beside Jordan and its purring is Fluttershy
>”So, what do you think we should do with Jordan?”

>Do?
>Fluttershy probably means long-term considering you whisked a kid away from anyone who knows how to raise it
>Aw jeez, that sounds like something she should be asking a responsible adult or something
>Certainly not you that’s for sure…
>Maybe going to Luna for help might not be so bad an idea…
>Well, she’s bound to find out if you’re bringing the little guy to her lab so you’re already doing something yea?
>You almost hit your chin against the snuggle bug as you at least attempt looking at Fluttershy
“I uh, don’t really have any clue, but I’m sure we can get it all sorted out once all the SIN stuff is done.”
>She doesn’t seem very confident in your answer as she looks at Jordan
>Your gaze lingers past Fluttershy’s pink locks onto the green yard behind the elaborate gate
>The black iron bars and occasion cement pillar separating them stand between you and Twilight’s impressive estate
>Can’t help but notice some movement out of the corner of your eye as you stare
>Looks like someone under an umbrella rushing out of Twilight’s house
>You’re about to sneak a closer look when you hear an agitated voice from around the final cement pillar of wall
>”You’re finally back, I rushed out here thinking someone else was you under their umbrella an-“
>Fluttershy raises the umbrella slightly revealing the source of the angry voice to be the gazebo girl from earlier
>Though you notice she’s less of a girl now that you get a closer look
>She seems a bit more mature looking, though that may be that she just has that resting bitch face Ms. Harshwhinny has
>Besides her now damp mess of purple hair you can see the mystery woman is dressed in a pale grey military styled rain overcoat already slick with water
>Think you spy an aquamarine shirt beneath alongside some grey dress slacks underneath it too 
>She seems to have stopped herself mid-sentence as she must see you’re not whoever she’s looking for

>For a moment you may think the gazebo girl is too embarrassed to speak, but you feel like that’s wrong
>At least normally when you’re embarrassed you avert your eyes, but hers?
>They’re focused on Jordan of all people
>She blinks for a moment obviously stunned before replacing her scowl with an awkward smile
>”Heh heh, sorry about that, you just look a lot like someone I know and…”
>Shaking her head she grimaces
>”I mean, I thought you were someone else under that umbrella cause it’s the same as the one they have!”
>You know listening to her talk, you feel like you’ve heard her voice before
>Can’t exactly place it though
>”I-it’s been a long day…”
>The umbrella-less lass runs her pink hand through her wet bangs pushing them aside with a wry smile as the silence continues between the four of you
>With your rather keen eyesight you spy a length of turquoise-ish hair hiding beneath her mostly purple locks
>Not only that, but you notice that her arm from the wrist down appears to be wrapped in some pale yellowed bandage
>Wait, bandage?
>A somewhat familiar angry voice?
>Is this the girl from the mall?
>You want to say something like ask her, but that seems like it may make this even more awkward
>Before you can decide on something she coughs into a clenched fist clearing her throat and speaking in a bit more of a deep voice
>”If you’ll excuse me, I must find my assistant before I catch a cold.”
>Stealing a glance once more at your now curiously starting back bug companion she nods before quickly walking away behind you through the rain
>As her wet footsteps fade behind you Fluttershy manages to find her voice once more
>”Sorry, I’m not too good at situations like that…”
>Her and you both
>You give the troubled yellow youth a shrug
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, let’s get back to checking out that gazebo yea?”

>It’s taking everything you have right now to not simultaneously jump for joy and rip your hair out
>You control your breathing as you stride hastily down the sidewalk away from Anon and, and whoever that is
>You tightly ball your fists as you turn past the corner of the Sparkle estate
>Now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes it’s confirmed
>That is indeed the mysterious girl Bedlam you have been looking for, or at least the appearance of her
>You had held onto the hope that it would turn out like this from the conversations you’ve overheard thanks to the bugged phone, but this does make things vastly more complicated than you desired
>Spying Indigo’s black charger in the distance you focus on speedily reaching it
>As you get close enough to see through the tinted windows you find yourself getting a bit peeved
>Of course Indigo’s on her phone
>Yanking the passenger door open you toss yourself into the seat a bit more wet than you’d like 
>Your assigned escort finally looks up from her phone with a smirk
>”Finally giv-whoa, what happened to you?”
>Instead of verbally lashing out at her you decide to grip the seat belt as tight as you can while buckling in
“I’m going to ignore you blatantly forgetting the reason you went back here in the first place and will instead move on by saying I got what I came for, even if it wasn’t in the subtlest of manner."
>You take a deep breath as she shrinks somewhat before starting the car
>”Alright, so then what’s the sitch?”
>You pull out your phone and begin sending a message to Zecora along with those two lovebirds
“We’re going to regroup back at base immediately; I’ve confirmed that the Sunset the changeling turned into does in fact match the girl I’ve been looking for.”
>Indigo buckles herself in before furrowing her brow
>”What really?”
>You look up from your phone as your assistant revs the engine
“Yes, and that’s what worries me.”

>”Um, Anon?”
>The words break you from your trance-like state as you turn around towards the street
>Fluttershy stands at the opening of the gazebo with umbrella in hand and an eyebrow raised
>”Are you ready to go?”
>Go?
>You finally become cognitive of the vibrating Jordan at your side and remember where you are
>It appears after sharing a few tranquil moments under the gazebo with Jordan and Fluttershy you began clocking out thanks to the white noise of rain and bug vibrations
>Looks like Twilight and Rarity have driven up and are waiting on you too
>Whoops
>Shaking away any lingering drowsiness you get moving
“Yea sorry bout that, just sorta zoned out for a moment.”
>Fluttershy seems like she’s going to say something but opts to smile and nod in understanding instead
>You hold the umbrella for her as she enters into the passenger seat before you and Jordan join Twilight and Spike in the back
>The, for one of the first times since you’ve met her, lab-coatless weeb gives you a quick smile as you buckle yourself and Jordan in
>Soft music seeps through the speakers as if to accompany the droplets of rain while Rarity begins driving
>”So Fluttershy, there’s something I’ve been dying to ask you…”
>You tune out their casual small talk in the front and turn to Twilight who’s been staring out the window with Spike, who’s wrapped up in a blanket, on her lap
>Now, you’re curious about three separate things, but maybe checking on the more important one first is a good idea
“So how’d the uh, test turn up?”
>She doesn’t seem to react instead petting the panting Spike on the head and replying without turning towards you
>”They used it…”

>Oh, well damn
>You don’t really know what that means
>Well, besides the fact that whoever jacked Twilight’s exo-suits also happens to be interested in Discord maybe
>God damn, whoever these guys are they seem to know about a lot of stuff
>Maybe you’ll run into them at some point…
>No use in worrying about it now
>At least not like Twilight, she seems to have taken this hard
>At least you’re assuming by the fact she’s not chatting about anime right now and generally seems detached
>Kinda weird seeing someone expressionless contrasted with a happy doggo in their lap
>Maybe you can lighten the mood a little?
>Um, how to do that…
>Well you do have those two other concerns
>Start with the most obvious
“So uh, why don’t you have a lab coat on?”
>That must’ve caught her off guard because she blinks a few times before glancing over shoulder at you
>"I merely felt that a change in my normal attire might be appropriate is all..."
>Oh, that’s a surprising answer
>Perhaps, perhaps she’s finally realized that going around in a lab coat all the time is a tad autistic?
>Yea, fat chance
>Not that you’re one to judge fashion
>Well, while you’ll at least admit getting rid of the lab coat is probably a good thing, you really hope Rarity didn’t hear Twilight say that since all she did was take off her lab coat
>Like you think the baby blue turtleneck shirt and black jeans are fine, but you’re pretty sure Rarity would disagree
>Twilight runs a hand through her new pony tail sweeping it off her shoulder as she turns her attention back to the streets passing by
>”I’ve been thinking of leaving it at home for some time and thought, why not start now?”
>Ok, you can get behind that

>Though now you’ve got one last question
“Ok that’s understandable, but I still don’t get why Spike looks like he’s a tightly wrapped up bean with a head.”
>The little doggo gives you a smile as Twilight scratches behind his ears
>”It’s to keep my hair from getting everywhere!”
>Oh yea, you are in Rarity’s car
>Don’t know how you didn’t think of that
>Twilight shifts in her seat away from the window holding up the little bundle of joy
>”It was either this or a hypoallergenic suit I made for him, and he kinda enjoys being wrapped up.”
>Spike the dog bean happily nods and adds between pants
>”It’s great, like being hugged all over FOREVER!”
>He then proceeds to wiggle around in Twilight’s grasp with his eyes closed
>Man, he loves it
>You and the now less somber weeb share a small chuckle as she places him back in her lap with a smirk
>It’s then you realize that your own, pet(?), child(?), um buggo hasn’t done much since getting in the car
>Maybe Jordan’s just really interested in its own lap?
>Peeking underneath the beanie you see that the little dude’s sleeping
>Guess you can’t blame em, what with the nice music, rumbling of the car, and the pitter patter of the now nonexistent rain?
>"Nous sommes ici!"
>You have no idea what Rarity just said, but the car has stopped
>Looks like you’ve arrived
>Where exactly you are though, well that’s a mystery to you
>Was a bit too focused on Twilight
>Wherever you are, it can’t be too far from her house since it’s only been like
>You glance at the car dashboard
>4:40pm
>Ten minutes or so
>You inadvertently wake Jordan as you work on unbuckling the two of you
>The buggo smiles sleepily in a way that makes your heart feel like it’s being squeezed in a vice
>With a wince and a smile you step out of the car

>Jordan scooches over wearily as you examine where you are
>Aged grey concrete illuminated by a plethora of pure white fluorescent tubes surrounds you on all sides
>Is that an elevator and a stairway in the wall over there?
>Guess you’re in some basement parking garage or something
>Only thing that bothers you is that there are no other cars
>Besides the sparse water damage on the walls the place doesn’t look abandoned or anything, just empty
>This doesn’t just scream that you’re going to get murdered down here or something
>You give Jordan a hand out of the car as you hear the trunk popping echo through the structure
>”You know, for such an expensive home base you’d think they’d splurge a little on at least making the interior dazzle.”
>You can’t tell if Rarity is being sarcastic or serious, but it worries you
>Twilight and Fluttershy gather in front of the car while you step around the drowsy Jordan towards the trunk
>As you do however, Jordan wobbles where it stands causing you to stop in your tracks in an attempt to catch the poor dude if it falls
>And fall into you Jordan does
>You’re going to actively ignore the fact that your not!Sunset bug is rubbing against you once more, instead opting to resume your natural girl is too close to you stance
>That being going stiffer than a board via flexing
>The buggo leans on you for support and you can practically feel everyone’s stares on you
>Fluttershy’s the first to comment as she rushes towards the two of you
>”Oh my, is Jordan ok?”
>Oh, something tells you that it’s just sleepy
>Perhaps wanting to answer for itself Jordan lets out a long yawn while rubbing its eyes
>You shrug with a hopeful grin
“Think the dude could use a nap.”

>Spike yawns from Twilight’s grasp
>”Uhh, we did run around and stuff todaaaaaaayyyy…”
>Twilight scratches behind the doggo’s ears with a smile before addressing you
>”There’s some beds inside; we’ll go call the elevator while you grab the box.”
>Sounds like a plan to you
>With a gentle pull Fluttershy diverts Jordan so it’s leaning on her before walking off with the others
>You step around the car and peer into the trunk
>Looks like Twilight packed a little bit more after the box you brought, but not enough to fill the trunk
>Though you can’t help notice new rectangular shape covered by a blanket further in the back
>The sight causes you to smile as you load some of the new stuff on top of the box
>Grabbing the now fully loaded box you shut the trunk with your elbow
>You hurry over to the now open elevator
>Slipping in behind everyone you shift away from the doorway as it closes
>Hmm, bit more spacious than you had anticipated
>Just enough room for you to take refuge on the left wall with room for everyone to pass by if need be
>Twilight steps up to a panel on the right wall
>It’s got four buttons with her pressing the second one from the top
>The wire brushed brass adorning the walls draws your wandering eyes as you ascend
>With a quiet *ding* the elevator stops and the doors open revealing a surprisingly normal looking break room
>Twilight holds a palm out to you as you begin to move
>You stop as she turns to the others with a whisper
>”Would you please tuck Spike and Jordan in while Anon and I bring my supplies up?”
>Oh, looks like the pupper fell asleep too
>Rarity mouths “of course dear” as Fluttershy shifts Jordan onto her 
>Like a doting mother Fluttershy quietly cradles the sleeping pupper in her arms
>She along with Rarity ferry the two sleepy companions out into what looks like a kitchen area as Twilight presses the second to the top button

>Twilight has a frown on her face as the elevator doors shut and you begin ascending
>Sweeping a hand through her ponytail once more she rolls the end of it between her thumb and forefinger
>Think she’s mulling something over?
>You decide to allow her some quiet to think or whatever she’s doing
>It doesn’t take long for the elevator to come to a stop and open revealing a normal white tiled hallway
>You step off first as Twilight tentatively enters the hallway
>Besides the shiny linoleum tiles on the floor the only things to see are bare white walls along with a large metal door with a glowing panel at the end of the hallway
>Well that, along with the elevator and door to the stairway behind you
>The two of you slowly wander towards the door with the only noise being your shoes squeaking against the polished floors
>You stop in front of the door and step to the side to allow Twilight the honors of opening the door since your hands are a bit occupied
>However she doesn’t step up
>You glance over your shoulder to see she’s intently staring at you
>Not creepy at all
>As you turn around to see what’s up she finally speaks
>”You know where we’re going, right?”
>Is that a trick question or something?
“Yea, Luna’s old lab she used back in her SIS days right?”
>She crosses her arms with a sigh
>”While correct, it wasn’t just Luna’s lab, it was your father’s as well.”
>Papa Neato’s…
>Your eyes drift to the ground as that realization hits you
>You, didn’t really think of that
>”Knowing that, do you still wish to enter?”
>Looking back up, Twilight has her hands awkwardly hovering over her pockets as she stays stone-faced
>Probably not used to not having a lab coat pocket to store her idle hands
>It’s what happens when you get used to wearing the same thing

>You’re doing that thing again where you ignore a problem literally right in front of you
>Though you guess at this point does it really matter?
>You decided to dive into all this shit in the first place because dad was involved, right?
>Not going to wuss out just because you have to goto a place he worked
>You were in Luna’s study before and you’re pretty sure he spent a lot of time there too
>It didn’t bother you then and this won’t now
>No not you, you’re a big man who’s going to give a confident answer!
“Yea, I’m sure.”
>Your voice came out a little less, ok a lot less confident than you would’ve liked, but at least it came out
>With a slow nod Twilight takes a step towards the door and reaches a hand towards the green glowing number pad
>She hesitates for a moment before pressing in a sequence of numbers and pushing the door open
>Was that, your birthday?
>With a metallic *creak* the door pops open
>You step past the threshold behind the weaboo genius
>This, this place
>It looks just like Twilight’s basement, only bigger and cooler!
>All around you are island counters topped with so much STUFF!
>Even the walls are practically covered!
>Trinkets, books, do-dads, paintings, it’s like there’s a little of everything here
>Some things look like scientific instruments of some sort hooked up and examining seemingly random objects
>Like is that a severed shriveled up hand suspended in a jar?
>Jesus H Christ, that purple gemstone is the biggest one you’ve ever seen; it’s bigger than your head!
>Aw fuck, is that a silver suit of plate armor, a beat up shield, and a mace in the corner?
>Whatever feelings you were harboring before are completely blown out by awe as your eyes are drawn from one item to the next
>Twilight stands beside you taking in all the sights as well
>”Quite the cornucopia of magical artifacts huh?”

“That’s a word for it alright…”
>Twilight strolls towards a cleared table in the back spurring you to follow with a wave
>You place the box on a nice clean spot and proceed to stretch your arms
>It wasn’t too bad, but boy were your fingers getting cramps
>You lean against the counter beside the box as your science compatriot begins unpacking some of it
>So, this is where Papa Neato and Luna worked huh?
>Resting your hands in your hoodie pouch you scan the room once more from your new vantage point
>Once you get over the sheer amount of clutter everywhere you begin to notice new details
>Like how almost everything is covered in a layer of dust
>Just like back at Luna’s place…
>Probably for the same reason
>”Anon-bo.”
>You glance over to Twilight who appears to be setting up her computer tower
“Yea?”
>She continues rummaging through the box pulling out a flat keyboard
>”In light of recent developments I believe I’ve decided on the appropriate course of action.”
>You don’t get a moment to think about what she means by that as she continues while placing the keyboard in front of her
>”I’ll be taking a leave of absence from school for the indefinite future to focus on solving issues such as the unknown intruders using my scanner, whatever aliment is currently afflicting Jordan, and other equally pressing matters.”
>Oh, looks like she’s taking charge of the situation
>Can she just do that though?
>Pretty sure school will have a problem with that
>Well, guess if you asked nicely Luna may let you with all that’s going on
>Though it’d be hell to catch up with everything after…
>Unless of course you’re a genius like one of you
“Sounds like a good idea, but what are you actually going to do?”
>Twilight smiles proudly as she puffs her chest out
>”What I do best my dear nakama, research!”

>While it is comforting to see Twilight so confident you were kinda expecting a bit more in-depth an answer
>”I’ll be starting immediately after you depart!”
>She scratches her chin in contemplation for a moment before snapping her fingers with a grin begins twitching onto her lips
>”YOU however, should give me your number, and I should give you mine; just so that we-I can contact YOU, as soon as I make any progress!”
>While you don’t really have a problem giving her your number…
“So we’re going to keep this between us or…”
>She coughs into her fist before nodding her head vigorously
>”YES, yes we are! I don’t exactly know why those ninja-esque intruders wanted me to see that specific magic frequency, but we’ll keep quiet about it until we have more information, no sense worrying the others if it doesn’t turn out to be an issue after all.”
>Guess that’s true
>Wait, the ninja thieves wanted her to see it?
“Why do you think they wanted you to see that frequency?”
>Crossing her arms she adjusts her glasses with a frown 
>”Well, they had the capacity to break into both my home and computer system without raising a single alarm, yet they didn’t erase any evidence of their presence there. I don’t think it was carelessness on their part; it doesn’t make any sense UNLESS they wished to be seen, but keep their identities hidden.”
>Well that’s certainly an interesting theory…
>On one hand that is pretty fishy now that you think about it, but the big problem is WHY they would do that
>Though you think Twilight and you might be getting a bit off track here since you guys haven’t even completed the thing you set out to do in the first place!

“Well even if they did purposely leave that behind for you to discover shouldn’t we be more worried about Discord right now?”
>This time sliding her hands into her jeans pockets, instead of hovering in the place her lab coat pocket would be, Twilight leans against the counter
>”While you are correct in your assertion, I’m afraid we’re at an impasse until approximately 4am tomorrow.”
>Huh?
>Hang on a sec
“That’s how long it’s going to take the data to be crunched isn’t it?”
>Twilight hums sadly before shrugging
>”Affirmative, while there were only 3 magical frequencies present while you were unconscious, that’s still 3 separate city wide scans in a row regardless of if I chose to perform the left behind frequency first.”
>She steps away from the counter pulling her hands out of her pockets and clapping them together lightly
>”However, at that time we will have the position of all 3 mystery frequencies. It’ll then simply be a matter of physically investigating their locations for Discord or whatever emanates particularly high amounts of magic compared to its surroundings.”
>Hmm, well in that case
“Should I take off of school too then and hel-”
>Interrupting you with a shake of her head Twilight speaks
>”While appreciated, your involvement in investigation is both unnecessary and may arouse suspicion.”
>Unnecessary?
>She smirks as she brushes off some invisible dust on her shoulder
>”I may have dabbled in remote drone technology back at Crystal Prep.”
>Her smirk grows as she looks off into the distance
>“I would’ve been able to attend classes from the comfort of my home, but they said the constant hovering drone would be akin to implementing a surveillance state unbecoming of the distinguished institution even thoug-“
>She stops herself mid-ramble as her eyes finally drift back down to you
>Coughing into her fist she cuts it short
>”I, have it covered thank you.”

>Well, if Twilight’s so sure
“Alright then, keep me updated as soon as you find something out I guess.”
>”Mochiron, as soon as you actually give me your number that is...”
>Oh yea, whoops
>With a wry smile you pull out your phone and exchange numbers with the excited science investigator from the weeb division
>You stare at the new entry in your contacts for a moment before tucking the phone into your pocket
“Guess if that’s everything…”
>Twilight happily tucks her oddly angular chrome phone back into her jeans before nodding towards the elevator
>”Shall we reconvene with the others?”
>You nod as the two of you start walking
>A short trip downstairs later you step out onto the grey carpet that borders the kitchen area from before
>Maybe kitchen was a bit of a stretch
>Though it does have pretty much everything needed to cook a good meal
>It sits a few feet to the right of the elevator in its own corner with its various cabinets and appliances stacked in a L shape
>It’s even has its own nice white tiling on the floor
>You can see Rarity’s looking through the steel fridge on the left edge of the kitchen area that borders a hallway exit
>Twilight is the first to call out as you both stroll towards the kitchen
>”Where’s Fluttershy?”
>Exiting the fridge with a defeated sigh Rarity closes the door
>”Oh you know her, she’s can’t resist dotting on Spike even when he’s sleeping.”
>Not like you wouldn’t either
>Petting sleeping dogs is great
>”Allow me to ask her a quick question before you depart.”
>Twilight walks off down the hallway past the fridge
>Rarity seems like she’s about to say something before a chime jingles
>Giving you a smile she reaches into her blue purse
>”Excuse me a moment darling.”

>Deciding not to stand in the middle of the kitchen like some rube you lean against the steel plated stove
>Since you have nothing better to do in the short time you’ll be waiting you decide to give the rest of the place a cursory glance
>Your eyes wander past the exit Twilight just dipped out and onto a varied collection of furniture 
>Looks like a few comfy couches, love seats, and two old wooden rockers gathered round a fireplace
>Must be a living room?
>On the living room’s left edge sandwiched between it and the wall is a steel door
>No clue where that could lead, but since it’s adorned with a red cross
>Well you can take a guess
>Continuing to sweep your gaze you can see a particularly large oil painting
>Seems to be some sort of large lodge overlooking a snow covered mountain range at night
>The wind swirling the dust like snow throughout the picture along with the glow of warmth from with the lodge gives it quite the comfy feeling
>In the bottom right hand corner you can just barely make out the words “Thanks for getting to the bottom of things- with love, Gustysnows”
>Huh, old memento or something?
>Finally the last thing you can see beside the elevator and the stairway door is another hallway
>Peeking down this hallway however you can see what looks like two doors lining the walls with a window at the end
>Hm, so this is apparently where Celestia, Luna, Will, and Papa Neato spent their days huh?
>Can’t say that it might not be a bit comfy
>Wonder if those two hallways lead to bedrooms of some sort?
>Before the urge to actually explore takes over you hear a door open from the hallway Twilight went down
>Soon enough the weeb herself returns with Fluttershy in tow
>Rarity tucks her phone away just as they arrive
>”Are we ready to get going?”

>Fluttershy perks up as she pats Twilight on the shoulder
>”Um actually, I’m going to stay here with Twilight to help with Jordan.”
>Twilight chuckles to herself as she looks away
>”I was never the best at zoological physiology and bedside manner…”
>Hey, the more the merrier you suppose
>Might actually help if Fluttershy has the correct know-how on animals to apply on Jordan
>She must right?
>She likes that bunny enough at least to make you think she may be an animal lover
>Regardless, she may help ground the genius weeb a little while doing, whatever it is they’ll do
>You stand up straight and take a few steps away from the stove while shoving your hands into your hoodie pouch
>Rarity holds a palm to her heart as she nods
>“Well, I wish you two the best of luck; hopefully you’ll be able to help the poor dear in due time.”
>Yea, hopefully sooner rather than later
>You notice something out of your peripheral as Twilight smiles and crosses her arms over her puffed out chest
>That being the blinking time from a handy dandy clock on the stove
>5:13pm
>Ohhhh no!
>Deciding that being pressed for time is a viable excuse to cut this goodbye short you quickly ask the question
“Hey uh, how far away are we from CHS?”
>The three girls turn to you at once with various degrees of mild worry before Rarity answers
>”Only a few miles or so, do you have a prior engagement?”
>You nod your head
“Yea, I gotta be there at 5:30.”
>She lets out a theatrical gasp into her palm before turning to the other two
>”Then we no time to loose, if you’ll pardon us girls.”
>You gently smash the elevator button with your elbow narrowly missing your funny bone
>”Alright, be safe…”
>”Mata ne!”
>Fluttershy and Twilight both wave the two of you off as you hurry onto the elevator

>You move to the right next to the panel as Rarity stands beside you to your left
>With a quick jab the ground floor button is pressed and the elevator doors close
>Rarity runs a hand through her bangs flipping them as you descend to the parking garage
>Glancing over her shoulder to you her she flutters her eyelashes
>”So darling, what exactly is your little soiree if you don’t mind me asking?”
>Oh boy, why are you getting a sinking feeling that you’re pretty sure has nothing to do with the elevator?
>As the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open you shrug
“Oh it’s nothing special; I’m just showing someone the ropes at the school gym.”
>You barely take one step off the elevator before hearing the fair skinned damsel laughs, oddly
>”Ohoho, I didn’t realize you were giving out lessons…”
>You can hear the *click-clack* of her heels striking the cement as you both waltz to her car
“Well I normally don’t, but they asked me for help and I’m not really one to say no if I can actually do something.”
>It’s kinda a problem sometimes…
>With a *beep* her car lights up and the doors unlock
>As you open your door and get settled in she grins as she puts the key in the ignition
>https://youtu.be/7CesqN-B8WY?t=3m
>Music softly flows out of the speakers
>The strings of what you’re pretty sure is a guitar strum along as Rarity brings her buckle over her chest
>Not that you’re looking
>"Well, perhaps I should join you some time; I've been meaning to try something new to keep me in shape..."
>You are not going to think about that
>Her body’s shape is something that’s not going to enter your mind
>Not at all
>STOP
>You begin forcing words out as the car begins ascending the slight incline in an attempt to NOT think
"You uh, what do you do?"

>That’s a normal question to ask
>Just in a somewhat not normal way
>God you really wanna not be here right now
>Rarity sighs as you come to a gate with an automated toll teller to the left
>"Nothing too strenuous, I've only done hot yoga for a few months.”
>Hot yoga
>Her
>Sweaty
>Downward dog
>HMMMMMMMMMMM
>She keys in a few numbers on the teller’s number pad and the garage shutter rises
>Driving off into a somewhat desolate looking backstreet she eyes you with narrowed eyes and a grin
>”Maybe I’ll show you what I can do if you agree to do the same?”
>Heh, yea sure
>MHM
>You’ll just learn some yoga, hot yoga
>With her
>Alone
“I uh, I’m not much for yoga, but uh…”
>Your voice dies off as you do your best to look away into the upcoming street
>Hey, you actually recognize this place
>Through the light rain you can see it’s not too far from the Stop-an-Trot down the road from your apartment
>Pulling up at a stop sign Rarity hums
>“You should give me a chance; yoga does such wonders for a person's, flexibility."
>You blank a bit as the car begins moving again
>You don’t like how she put emphasis on that last word, or do you?
>You’re getting really confused and and and
>Oooooohhhhhh
>You’re about ready to jump out of this car and run to school!
>A chuckle cracks through your inner turmoil as Rarity shakes her head lightly
>”Really though, I would appreciate your assistance, at some other time though; I won’t butt in on a lesson unannounced.”
>You give the shiro vixen the best confident smile you can
>Pretty sure you can feel the corners of your lips twitching though
“S-sure, I’d love to!”
>Smooth as hedgehog’s bottom
>Luckily for you, you already see that you’re where ya need to be

>Pulling into the now near empty parking lot you let out a sigh of relief
>As the car comes to a stop you quickly unbuckle your seat-belt
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
>Clutching the wheel a bit tighter Rarity gyrates in her seat with a grin
>”Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the two of us at the fashion district!”
>You freeze up at her words
>Maybe it’s everyone’s reactions to it, but now you feel something ominous at the mention of your shopping excursion with Rarity
“Y-yea…”
>You get ready to open the door before feeling a hand on your shoulder
>”Don’t forget to grab your backpack darling.”
>Totally wasn’t about to
>You pull your hood up with your free hand as you hear the trunk pop
“No worries, till tomorrow!”
>You push the door open and rush out into the still drizzling rain
>You quickly gnab your backpack and make your way into the school as the dress enthusiast drives off
>The halls are pretty dead as you shake a few rain drops and your hood off
>Seems the only sound is the muffled rain and your footsteps
>It doesn’t take you long to navigate the halls to the changing rooms, but as you approach you spy a familiar head of Rainbow colored hair leaning against the entrance to the girl’s locker room
“Hey Dash, what’re you doing here?”
>Sporting a damp tracksuit and holding a grey duffel bag over her shoulder the multi-colored track star smirks
>”Hey man, you left some stuff back at my place, so I figured I’d return it.”
>Your stuff?
>Oh yea, you left some extra clothes and that armor at her house
>She steps forward extending the duffel bag towards you
>Placing your backpack on the floor by its handle you accept the duffel bag hoisting it over your shoulder
“Thanks, I’ll be sure not to make a habit of leaving my clothes lying around your place. Don’t want your dad to Blaze me.”

>Dash jabs you in the shoulder with a smirk
>”It’s Blaze it, not just Blaze you dork.”
>Ehh, tomato tomahto
>You’re about to say your goodbyes when you realize something
“So wait, have you been waiting here since school ended?”
>Clicking her tongue she blinks for a moment before looking anywhere but at you
>”*Tch* no! I was, here, already… doing stuff with the squirt…”
>You are pressing x to doubt so hard right now
“So you just happened to be here the second I got here?”
>Crossing her arms she rolls her eyes
>”Alright, maybe some stuff happened and I worked out with the squirt for a while, but she had to bail and then I decided to chill here for a bit till you came round.”
>That makes a lot more sense
“Was that so hard?”
>She doesn’t even miss a beat
>”Yes.”
>You both chuckle for a moment before you ask one last thing to sate your curiosity
“So why’re you wet by the way?”
>She wasn’t running outside was she?
>Nobody would just run in the rain, that’s stupid
>”Forgot where I put my umbrella, and I had to get the duffel bag from my car.”
>Ah, shit you forgot to bring one too!
>Wait a second, she DROVE here?
“Aren’t you banned from driving during school?”
>With a grin splitting her lips from ear to ear Dash wiggles her eyebrows
>”It’s not during school is it?”
>Clever girl…
>You farmer’s carry your backpack with a smile while shaking your head
“Fair enough, I’ll see you around.”
>Tucking a hand into her track jacket she gives you a two fingered wave with the other
>”Catch ya later!”
>You head off to the boy’s locker room
>Time to get your head in the game

A FEW MINUTES PRIOR
>Maybe this was a bad idea…
>You curse yourself for your own stupidity while you flop your hoodie pouch up and down with both your hands
>Because you were so busy picking out the perfect outfit that would surely woo Anon with now you’re late for being early!
>Well you were…
>Oh, why did SHE have to be here!
>Very stealthily you peek around the wall you’re leaning against to check if she’s still here
>Sure enough, you catch a glimpse of the rainbow haired showboat leaning against the entrance to the Boy’s locker room
>Your grip on the wall tightens causing your knuckles to go white
>Mmmmm, why is she even here!?!
>Is she trying to sabotage your time with Anon?
>Does she even know about it?
>Arrggh, that doesn’t matter right now!
>What matters is that she is in the way of your plans!
>If you don’t have a great first workout and, date, how are you supposed to progress into going steady?
>If you don’t go steady how are you supposed to experience the magic of love?!
>You can’t let your future children down!
>Hermione and Harry are counting on you!
>Think, what can you do?
>You study the backside of the blue skinned roadblock as she pecks at her phone
>M-maybe she won’t say anything if you stroll past her and into the girl’s locker room?
>She does seem pretty occupied, but that seems really risky!
>What if she looks up and decides to say hello?
>You can’t just greet her and then walk away!
>You’d have to ask her how she’s doing, even though you don’t care, and then…
>Uuuuooohhhh , why couldn’t you just have come earlier!?
>You slump back into cover against a locker with a quiet *dink*
>If only you had a way of getting past her without being seen…

>Wait, getting by without being seen?
>You’re so stupid sometimes!
>Here you are, the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie, fretting over someone like the NOT great and NOT powerful Rainbow Dash when you can just bypass her!
>You’ll simply poof yours-
>”Hey Dash, what’re you doing here?”
>THAT VOICE!
>Scrambling to your knees you quickly peer around the corner
>It’s Anon!
>Wait, did he just call her Dash?
>Oh no, they must be getting close!
>”Hey man, you left some stuff back at my place, so I figured I’d return it.”
>So casual!
>WAIT, he LEFT stuff at HER place!?
>She steps forward presenting a grey duffle bag to Anon
>How much stuff did he leave at her house!?
>Better yet, why!?
>You figured that Sunset’s group got their grubby hands on the boy you will eventually marry, but you didn’t think it progressed so fast!
>”Thanks, I’ll be sure not to make a habit of leaving my clothes lying around your place. Don’t want your dad to Blaze me.”
>It was his CLOTHES?!
>W-why would someone need to bring clothes over to a frie-AHHH
>You cover your mouth with both hands to stop yourself from yelling out in agony
>The boy of your careful planning accepts the duffel bag and says something you can’t hear
>You’re too deep into your thoughts when it finally hits you
>Waiting to give back his CLOTHES hidden in a duffel bag after school
>The casual nature in which they’re able to converse
>OH NO!
>It’s worse than you thought!
>How could Anon do that with HER!?
>How could he…
>He, he, HE’S ALREADY HAVING SLEEPOVERS WITH HER LIKE BEST BUDDIES!
>On a school night no less!
>This is the worst situation possible!

>You’ll have to double down on having the SUPERIST BEST time tonight!
>You’ll make sure to completely eclipse any good memories Anon may have with DASH
>After all you are the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!
>You almost laugh out loud, but manage to catch yourself before you blow your cover
>”Fair enough, I’ll see you around.”
>Huh, oh no!
>Rainbow Dash gives Anon a two fingered wave before turning your way
>”Catch ya later!”
>OHHHH SHE’S COMING THIS WAY
>You fling yourself back behind the wall frantically looking around
>You have to hide somewhere!
>Options!?
>Can’t hide in one of the rooms since they’re all locked after hours
>The nearest bathroom is in the locker rooms
>Umm
>Your eyes flick between a trashcan within running distance and the hallway you came down
>Hide in the filthy trash, or run down the hall and go around?
>You can already hear the footsteps signaling your impending doom getting closer and closer
>You won’t be able to run down the hallway in time, but you REALLY don’t want to hide in the trash
>You’ve done that before and it wasn’t fun
>One second you’re in the cafeteria and the next you’re falling through some weird tunnel network
>It took forever for the janitor to let you out of the supply closet…
>The footsteps are almost here!
>Uhhhhhh
>You clench your eyes shut as your panic takes hold
>For a moment you suddenly feel weightless before feeling cold metal surround you
>Huh?
>Where are you?!
>Opening your eyes you see that wherever you are it’s dark save for the light coming out three small horizontal slits
>Pressing up against the small slits just at eye level allows you to see, the hallway?
>You must be inside the locker you were just beside

>Hazah!
>Even while, mildly discomforted, you were able to stay cool under pressure and hide!
>Pretty impressive if you say so yourself
>You let out a sigh
>Guess you’re safe now
>Rainbow Dash walks by causing you to silently choke out any remaining air you had in your lungs
>Though the choking only lasts a moment as she passes by without any incident
>As her footsteps fade you begin to breathe once more
>Alright, NOW you’re safe!
>You can celebrate for real!
>Since it’s time to meet with Anon!
>Just have to get out of this locker first…
.
.
.
>You smooth a crease in your shirt as you ascend the stairs towards the weight room
>Hopefully this is appropriate gym wear
>You didn’t want to wear your simple old gym clothes, oh no, the Brilliant and Fashionable Trixie must present herself with something that has a bit more flare than a boring grey t-shirt
>That something being a somewhat loose purple tee adorned with yellow crescent moons and blue stars of course!
>Speaking of tee-shirts…
>As you get to the top of the stairs you see Anon waiting by the entrance to what you assume is the weight room proper
>Not only that, but for once he’s dressed in something besides his grey hoodie and sweatshirt!
>Instead he’s got a somewhat tight white tee and some black shorts
>He flashes his chompers as you approach
>”Hey, ready to get your sweat on?”
>You nod vigorously causing your bangs and ponytail to bob
“Trixie is ready to pump iron like a champ!”
>He clamps his hands together at his waist with an eager sparkle in his eyes
>”Great, today we’ll work mostly on teaching you some basic lifts, and maybe seeing what you can do afterwards.”
>Sounds good to you!

>Anon signals for you to follow him with a hand wave as he enters the weight room
>You trail behind him taking in the sight of all the weightlifting equipment in its stoic silence
>Kinda smells sweaty…
>Anon speaks seemingly looking around for something
>”So, how much do you know about weightlifting?”
>How much knowledge in the field of weightlifting does the Great and Powerful Trixie possess?
>It’s laughable that anyone would even ask that question!
>You cross your arms with a confident smile stopping beside the green lifter
“Trixie knows absolutely EVERYTHING about weight lifting!”
>With a curious eyebrow thrown over his shoulder Anon smirks before stepping towards a bunch of metal poles sticking out of the ground
>He opens his mouth, but you cut him off before he gets a chance to speak
“Of course, since this IS Trixie’s first time ACTUALLY lifting, Trixie would not be against hearing you go over the basics anyways.”
>You give him an eager and hopefully bewitching smile with a flutter of your eye lashes
>He simply lets out a quiet snort accompanied by a grin before pointing to the odd bouquet of metal sticks beside him
>”Alright, well to begin these things are called barbells, typically they weigh 45lbs, but for today we’ll be using a lighter one that weighs 35lbs.”
>Hmmm
>You feel, a question brewing within you!
>As with any pressing question, it must be answered post haste!
>Anon lifts a shiny barbell with his left hand as your own shoots up by instinct
>The tall green and exercise ready boy gestures to you with the barbell wearing an amused smirk
>”Trixie?”
>Standing upright you slap your hand back down to your side
“Trixie was wondering why we’re using the 35lbs barbell!”
>He blinks with some apparent incredulity before shrugging
>”Well, do you know what lifting 35lbs feels like?”

>Ah yes, of course!
>A very poignant question as an answer to yours
>It has only one answer
>You cross your arms once more while puffing your chest out
“The knowledgeable and experienced Trixie, has no clue what-so-ever.”
>Anon switches his grip on the barbell and cradles it between his hands horizontally as one would hold a sword out to a queen before being knighted
>Is he saying that you’re going to become his gym queen?
>”Try picking it up using a grip like I’m doing and I’ll catch it if you drop it.”
>Lift this paltry barbell?
>That in itself is easily done, however…
>You have to lift with a grip like his
>Doesn’t that mean you’ll have to put your hands beside his?
>Mhmm, that’s practically hand holding!
>Your palms all of a sudden feel a bit clammy at the thought of intertwining your fingers with his big green knuckles
>Just need a second to brace for this
>After all, you’ll be going steady soon enough so feeling his fingers besides yours is no big deal
>You’ve hugged him before with no trouble!
>Though that was spur of the moment
>You shake your head and take a deep breath to clear your mind
>Strike with a Great and Powerful first blow!
>HA!
>With a mighty battle cry you manage to keep in your head you practically whip your hands around the barbell leaving a hair’s breadth between the edges of your hands and Anon’s
>You can see your love interest’s eyes light up in response to your beautiful and stunning opening move
>The barbell however, does not move
>Um
>You try to exert your arms to lift the deceptively heavy metal rod only to succeed in flexing your arms while shakily lifting the bar
>Yes, bend to the overwhelming willpower of the greatest magician in Canterlot!

>Yes, yes, yes!
>With the barbell within your shaky and somewhat unstable grasp you make progress hoisting it
>Slowly, ever so slowly you leave the bounds of Anon’s hand safety zone
>Someone as strong as you does not need help with this burden!
>You can feel your arm muscles becoming taut as the barbell rises
>Your great feat of strength is all but apparent as you’ve brought the bar up from Anon’s midriff to his pecs!
>However, your progress stalls soon after and you’re left barely holding the bar up
>It’s here that you come to an impasse as you stare at your wibbly-wobbly arms
>You have no idea what you’re supposed to do now
>”Uh, you done getting a feel for it, or do you want me to take it off your hands?”
>Huh?
>Your eyes snap to a slightly worried Anon
>Hah, of course you don’t WANT him to take this from you!
>Though you don’t think you’re capable of doing anything aside from keeping perfectly still right now
>Through gritted teeth you do your best to smile casually
“If you would like to, the strong and certainly not struggling Trixie can keep this up indefinitely!”
>Anon must really want to as the weight is lifted from your hands quickly
>Like wet noodles your arms dangle from the odd new strain they feel
>Holding the barbell like a staff he points to your upper arm
>”What you just did was pretty much a curl, I’ll go more in-depth later, but suffice to say you can probably already feel it in your biceps if you’ve never lifted before.”
>Oh right, that’s what they were called!
>Pointing to some odd cage thingie with the barbell he nods
>”Next we’ll going over there to the squat rack to show you, well-“
>You cut him off as you’re already aware what he’s going to say
“On how to squat right? Trixie could infer from the name.”

>”You’re right, but some people can’t seem to get it even with the obvious name…”
>You raise an eyebrow curiously as Anon stares off into the distance for a moment before shaking his head and walking towards the squat rack
>With a bit of pep in your step you follow behind your gym guide
>As you cross the distance together he speaks
>”So to begin, a weight lifting squat is kinda like a regular squat but with a few crucial differences.”
>He stands next to the squat cage placing the barbell on two metal dangly doos that kinda look like coat hangers
>”First off, you have perform an actual squat, which means that your butt should be practically touching the floor.”
>That might be a problem
>You don’t really know how to do that
>Stopping behind Anon you stare at his reflection in the mirror on the wall
>As he moves two long silver l shaped bars down a few holes you voice your concern before he can continue
“Trixie has not seen an actual squat before.”
>He stops after sliding the second L bar before turning to you with a wry smile
>”Well, that’s what I’m here for after all. I’ll demonstrate then walk you through it.”
>He waves a hand in front of the cage as he climbs into it
>Stepping in front of him you wait patiently as he gets settled in
>”Ok, so you want the bar to rest on your shoulders and NOT your neck.”
>He brings his arms up and grasps the bar
>”I like to position my middle fingers on the little bare part of the bar so I know I’m centered. Then I make sure my feet are shoulder length apart with my toes pointed forward.”
>He stands up fully lifting the bar off of the holder things before taking a step forwards towards the mirror
>”After all that's good, you just step forward and go ass to grass.”
>Ass to grass?
>You tilt your head slightly at the odd phrase, but decide against asking about it

>Anon slowly squats down to the point it almost looks like he’s sitting on the ground from your view
>Guess that’s what he means by ass to grass?
>You take a step to the side just in time to see him snap back to a standing position
>He repeats the process a few times as you stare at all his muscles tighten throughout the process
>While it doesn’t look too hard you don’t know…
>A soft pat on your shoulder from a green hand accompanied by a voice bring you back from your introspective state
>”It’s a lot easier than it looks trust me!”
>You force out a chuckle along with a gritting smile 
“Trixie does not doubt you Anon, she is just eager to get started!”
>Your green trainer waves you toward the rack with a bow
>Ok, this is it!
>Don’t blow it!
>Your first lift with Anon
>First of many you’re sure!
>Stepping into the squat rack you duck under the barbell
>Straightening up a bit you feel your shoulders hit the stiff bar
>Hmm, it seems as if you can’t stand up fully
>Anon steps out in front of you pointing to the bar
>”I adjusted it so it should rest at your height; take a few seconds to get situated before going for it.”
>You nod as you go down the list of instructions he gave moments before
>Um, the barbells on your shoulders…
>Middle fingers on the bare part?
>You grope at the oddly rough bar before feeling tiny smooth parts
>Hm, this doesn’t seem right
>You notice in the mirror that you're a bit off center
>You take a moment and shuffle around until you space yourself out between your arms more evenly
>Perfect!
>You peer down and space your feet shoulder length apart making sure to point the tips of your toes straight
>Looking back up you catch Anon’s gaze in the mirror as he nods
>”Lookin good from here.”

>You feel the warm fuzzies begin to burn in your tummy from Anon’s praise
>Ok, it’s time for the opening act of your long-term relationship!
>Performed by the Strong and Beautiful Trixie!
>Stand up straight!
>With all the excitement building your energy levels to their max you take a deep breath before using your powerful legs to, not move?
>HERRGG
>Hm
>Oh wait, you were going forward
>Whoops
>Now for real!
>HHHHMMMM!
>You strain once more against the heavy weight, but this time you can feel it moving as you stand
>YES
>With a powerful push you stand up straight despite the crushing force on your shoulders
>A beaming smile greets you from your mirror self as you feel, something
>Whatever it is, it’s good!
>Taking a confident and not at all slow shuffle step forward you prepare yourself for the real deal
>You focus on the you in the mirror so you can appropriately move
>You try to emulate Anon’s slow and fluid movement with care
>As you move down into the squat proper you realize something
>This isn’t so bad
>You stop just about where he did
>Good, and now you just…
>With a little bit of effort you watch yourself rise triumphantly
>HA!
>You can feel your chest tighten, from the thrill of accomplishment no doubt!
>After standing up fully this is a cake walk!
>”Fantastic, how’d it feel?”
>In fact, you think you’ll do another
>You resume your squatting with a slow methodical rhythm
>”Trixie?”
>Easy does it
>You smile once more as you stop above the ground
>You amaze even yourself!
>”Hello?”
>You spring up this time
>Whoo, your head’s starting to spin with how good you are!
>Before you can go down for another you feel a tapping on your shoulder
>”Trixie, are you breathing?”
>Breathing?
>Hah, what is he talking abo-
>With a panicked choke you let out the breath you didn’t realize you were still holding

>You manage to stay upright with a helping hand from Anon to steady you
>With a chuckle he looks away from you
>Stupid!
>How could you forget to breathe!
>”Guess I kinda forgot to go over that…”
>Your smile dims a bit as he claps
>”Usually if I’m going for reps, I breathe in while going down and out while up.”
>You furrow your brow as he shrugs
>”For now stick with that.”
>He crosses his arms once more as you resume your squats
>You try to keep eye contact with yourself as you go down and suck in air
>However you can’t get your own idiocy out of your head
>Gah, he must think you’re stupid!
>Your eyes drift back towards your future husband as you ascend
>Look at him, his eye brows are furrowed in disappointment
>You stand still for a moment staring
>He’s not even looking at you in the mirror anymore
>Now his eyes are, wait
>They aren’t staring at, at your butt are they!?
>Your eye snap back to yourself as you feel a sudden heat
>Going down once more in an attempt to take your mind off that only fuels the fire
>Oh gosh, you just realized how much your butt sticks out while going down!
>So he must be staring at it!
>But, why is he!?
>You let out the air slowly while transitioning into a stand
>D-does he like it?
>It’s not really that big compared to other girls, but you always thought it was, nice…
>Lowering yourself once more you feel doubt setting in
>Then again, if he liked it he would be smiling right?
>He must not like it at all!
>”Hey.”
>HMMM
>You reflexively shoot up with your back stiffening at the sound of his voice
>”Your feet aren’t quite straight.”
>Your feet aren’t?
>Glancing down you notice that your feet are indeed a bit crooked

>Oh what a relief!
>You thought that Anon didn’t like your butt
>Not that you wanted him to or anything!
>As you readjust your feet you really think about that
>Ok maybe a little…
>You’re able to get another squat in before a hand taps you on the shoulder once more as Anon steps forward into your view
>”Alright, you should be good now, that was like 6 reps right?”
>Ummm
>You blink at a loss for words before your green coach facepalms
>”Oh geez, I forgot to mention gym vernacular didn’t I?”
>You nod silently ready to receive his wisdom
>He points both his hands towards you and pantomimes as he speaks
>”Ok, reps is short for repetitions which means how many times you do an exercise during a set ie the amount of times you’ll go through a specific number of reps, usually I do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps.”
>Oh, that makes sense
>He shrugs before stretching his index finger towards you
>”For now, since I’m showing you the ropes, we’re only going to do one set on a couple of the main exercises.”
>You raise an eyebrow
“Main exercises, Trixie does not quite understand.”
>Anon grins wryly as he diverts his gaze from you
>”Jeez, I’m really great at this teaching thing… uh, they’re basically the things everyone should do at least a bit to work their whole body.”
>You nod once more doing your best to commit his words to memory
>He smiles with an enthusiastic clap of his rugged hands
>”Alright, with that outta the way, let’s move onto the bench press!”
>His enthusiasm is infectious as you smile with a cheer
“Of course!”
>You’re about to start walking with him before you realize something
“Though first, Trixie would perhaps enjoy a hand in shrugging off the barbell, if you wouldn’t mind.”

>You're impressed
>While not incredible lifts it's certainly more than you thought she could do
>She's not exactly a stick or anything, but her bulging pythons can be more accurately called gardener snakes
>Regardless, she did well memorizing the basics
>Stopping in front of the entrances to the boy’s and girl’s locker rooms you point to your tired companion
“So that’s pretty much all I got for ya today. It may not seem like it now, but you’re going to be sore tomorrow when you wake up, so make sure to pop some ibuprofen or something in the morning.”
>Seemingly still winded, the softly panting Trixie wipes her glistening forehead with a sluggish hand messing up her already somewhat ragged hair further
>”He-heh, sore, Trixie is sure that she will be in tip-top shape tomorrow morning, but will prepare none-the-less.”
>She shakes her head causing her ponytail to sway along with the loose strands of hair over her forehead
>”For now though, Trixie will freshen up somewhat before we continue onwards!”
>You stretch your arms out with a yawn as she turns to you
“Sure, take as long as ya need, I’ll be waiting out here.”
>With one last nod she pivots back towards the girl’s locker room and disappears behind the door
>You worked up a bit of a sweat yourself along the way so you might as well rinse off before you change
>Casually sauntering your way through the boy’s locker room door you wipe the sheen of sweat of your forehead
>Your footsteps echo in the empty room as you make a b line for the locker you claimed
>Can’t help but feel weird being in here alone even after all this time
>Usually during school it’s always so loud in here with all the other guys in class, but when you workout after school…
>So peaceful

>A few spins of the dial later and you prop open your locker
>Slipping out of your clothes you toss them into the locker
>Snatching your phone you swipe it open and press random on your music player before grabbing your other stuff
https://youtu.be/d-VVnhwB4Gw
>Good enough shower song if any
>You pile your sweat pants, hoodie, and towel into the crook of your arm then slam the locker shut
>Walking with a jig in your step over to the nearest shower stall you quietly sing along to the song
“This ain’t a song for the broken hearted…”
>Hanging your towel and clothes on the stall door you enter into the privacy of the shower
>You dance in place while placing your phone on top of the stall wall safely outside of the splash zone
>Humming along you take a step back from the showerhead before turning on the faucet
>Always starts out ice cold for some rea-
“By Grabthar’s hammer, what is that?!?”
>Instead of water spewing out of the fountain is brown stuff?
>As you quickly press yourself against the wall you take a small sniff of whatever the stuff is
>Smells like, nah
>No god damn way
>Dipping a finger in the stream you quickly pull it out of the surprisingly warm and sticky liquid
>You lick your finger and roll the mystery liquid around in your mouth loudly before gulping it down
>Yep, it’s certain now
“That’s hot root beer.”
>You don’t get much time to process that thought as you feel the hot soda fizzing around your feet in a bubbly pool
“For what purpose!?”
>Reacting quickly you attempt twisting the faucet back to the off position
>Only for it to twist completely off and fall into the quickly rising pool of soda

>Oh that feels wrong
>Especially considering that the root beer shouldn’t be that high thanks to the stall door having a foot high gap from the floor
>Well that and the floor drain
>But of course, it’s filling up in here like there’s something stopping the root beer from spilling out
>Ok, so you’re either dreaming or falling victim to a magical prank of some sort
>So firstly
>You proceed to pinch yourself
>Nope, that hurt
>Ok, well regardless, time to not be here!
>Doing a 180 you unlatch the stall door and push
>Only for it not to rattle in place refusing to budge an inch
>Blinking you stare over the door for a moment
>This is your life now
>Warm root beer now at your knees and locked in the stall
>Could always climb over the door you guess
>It only comes up to your neck
>You reach towards the edge only to hit some invisible wall
“Why am I even surprised at this point?”
>The root beer is up to your thighs now
>Words can’t describe the feeling of warm fizzy soda caressing you down there
>Needless to say, you start angrily yelling while bashing against the stall door
“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
>In the meantime the soda is now up to your belly button
>Ok, maybe now it’s time to panic!
>Just to check you try climbing over the stall walls, after all they’re just above your head
>Nope, another invisible barrier…
>PANIC
>With no other options you try blocking the faucet with your hands
>It actually seems to work for a moment, that is until it starts to grow like an overinflated balloon and spew root beer hard enough to push you back into the door
>The root beer is now rapidly rising as it passes your chest
>Alright, maybe the drain is blocked
>Grasping at straws here, but it’s something!

>After all this literally CAN’T be happening
>Which means it’s a dream
>Just one you can't pinch yourself out of
>So you have to use dumb dream logic right?
>Right
>Oh jeez, gotta dive now
>You take a deep breath then plunge yourself down into the murky root beer with a squat
>OH FUCKING CHRIST YOUR EYES
>IT BURNS
>You blink somehow relieving the burning
>Pawing at the floor you curse your existence when suddenly!
>Ah, a drain plug!
>You grip its chain with both hands and pull
>Well then, just pull this off an-
>Oh, fuck you!
>In place of the drain is a white spot with two red letters
>NO
>Deciding that you’re running dangerously low on air you stand up only to hit your head against a soft invisible wall
>Great
>This is how you die
>You’re going to drown naked and alone in a pool of warm root beer
>For some reason you feel oddly calm about that revelation
>You can feel the air run out in your lungs as you float in your liquid tomb
>Wait, is that a fish?
>Before you can investigate further you feel yourself pulled backwards by the root beer
>Suddenly air is in your lungs and root beer fizzles on your tongue as you choke hungrily 
>The bright light of the ceiling stings your eyes as the sound of your phone’s music progressively gets louder
>On your back you surf a wave from the stall
>Deciding that it’s too much effort to do anything you dead float
>As the tide dies you slide across the floor slowly on your back
>You don’t move as you feel the liquid drain beneath you
>You can feel your soda soaked clothes and towel sticking on top of your body
>Choking out one last bit of root beer you blink
>God it’d be so nice to wake up now and find out that you just slipped on the floor
>You can live with hitting your head like an idiot
>Even if you are in serious danger of having a concussion after the past week

>As you bask in the sticky feeling a familiar voice chuckles
>”Heh, wow you should see yourself now, in fact here I’ll take a picture.”
>With a bright flash your vison goes white before seeing a polaroid photo waving in front of you
>Looking at the photo floating in midair above you, you see that you look like a doof lying on the floor
>You feel like you should yell at Discord or something, but you feel more like just dying right now
>”Oh come now Anon, you of all people can’t be a dead fish after going through one of my hilarious pranks; give me one of your fun reactions!”
>You take a deep breath as you close your eyes
“I thought I was going to die.”
>He’s silent for a moment before you hear him click his tongue
>”Well while that is something, I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly fun reaction.”
>Through sheer force of righteous indignation you manage to hurl yourself up into a sitting position 
“Not only did you violate the sanctity of a shower I legitimately thought I was going to dr-”
>Your anger is cut short upon opening your eyes and seeing Discord floating before you
>Instead of the normal amalgamation of animal parts you expected he’s completely, wrong
>Dark crystal growths cover his form and crackle with shimmering sparks
>Thick glowing red lines pattern him like pulsing veins leading up to his dull milky green eyes
>You blink in disbelief, but then he’s all back to normal
>Being the big brave man you are, you react in an appropriate manner to this spook
>Not really, you freeze on the spot and stutter like an autist
“Dr, dr,dr…”
>You hesitate to do anything as if doing so will revert him to the state you saw before

>”Dr, dr, drown? Don’t be ridiculous, I would NEVER do that! Besides, that’d be FAR too anti-climactic of a way to kill someone anyways.”
>Oh wow alright that totally puts you at ease
>You throw your sticky arms up in a huff
“AHHHHHHHH!”
>You let your arms plop back onto the sticky floor while struggling to come up with a proper way to voice your complaints
>Guess you’ll settle for that incoherent outburst
>”Are you saying you DIDN’T like my little prank? I mean, I even chose your favorite soda.”
>Ok, you can’t rely on incoherent screaming here
>You feel like you haven’t appropriately put your feelings out there for him to pick up on
>After all, he thinks that almost DYING is a great prank bro!
>Time to use big boy words to get your point across
“No, of course I didn’t, see I have this really weird aversion to DROWNING!”
>You glare at the terrible prankster making sure to subtly inform him of your dissatisfaction
>Discord shakes his head wearily
>”See it’s because of reactions like this to all I do for you that’s lead us here.”
>All he does for you?
>You are like three seconds away from, well doing SOMETHING
>Might just be an anger induced aneurism for all you know
>Wait
“What do you mean lead us here?”
>Discord places his paw and claw together in front of his face with a frown
>”You’ll want to be fully clothed for this so here.”
>With a snap of his claw your root beer soaked clothes and towel lift off you leaving your quick hand the only thing covering your decency
>”Oh please, like I want to look there.”
>You shoot him an annoyed glance as your clothes and towel go into a tiny washer floating beside discord
>He closes the washer and turns a little dial prompting it to start

>Turning back to you Discord snaps once more and suddenly you’re very cold
>Probably because of the cold splash of water that just appeared out of nowhere!
>You wipe the water out of your eyes with your free hand and see a fresh towel floating before you
>”Figured you’d like to freshen up as well, no need to thank me.”
>Instead of justifying that with a response you snatch the towel out of the air and start drying yourself
>As you rub the towel against your now water soaked head you see that Discord is now sitting at a small circular white table
>Though more concerning is that he's sporting a white wig, ruby red lipstick, and some pink blush
>”Anon, honey, we have to talk…”
>Oh you already don’t like where this is going
>Is he breaking up with you or something?
>Cause you weren’t aware of something to be breaking
>Well, besides his previous want to be your trainer or something
>You continue drying yourself as he looks off into the distance suddenly with a wistful gleam in his eye
>”Look, things are, different now. I’ve been through a bit of soul-searching and I’m a new dracquonis you see…”
>You feel as though you could take that a bit more seriously if he wasn’t wearing the get up
>Or if you had actually known him intimately enough that you’d actually notice a change
>Or maybe if it was just a tad bit longer than 3 days for him to apparently become a whole new, whatever he said
“It’s only been 3 days.”
>He stops staring into the distance and snaps his gaze to you with a shit eating grin
>”And your life’s been turned into some sort of mystery-thriller-comedy in the span of 2 so what?”
>Well that’s, um
>While that’s certainly a way to put it, kinda
>He’s not, well he is
>Huh…
>A sharp *Ding* interrupts your thoughts

>Discord claps his paw and claw together with a smile as his outfit and table poof into pink smoke
>”Oh, time to dry!”
>He lifts the washer lid and winces
>”Oh my…”
>Oh boy
“What now?”
>He looks back to you grinning sheepishly
>”So tell me, how do you feel about pink?”
>Is he being serious right now?
>It hurts that you know he is
>Now sufficiently dry you tuck the towel around your waist as you answer
“Can we stay on track here instead and just contin-“
>Bringing the mini-washing machine with him Discord points an extended talon towards you
>”Oh no no no, this is something I must insist on, I need to know how you feel about pink.”
>He’s not going to give up on this till you give him some sort of opinion isn’t he?
>You sigh deciding it’s probably faster to just answer him
“It’s not a color I have any particularly strong feelings over, there happy?”
>He frowns and shakes his head
>”Well no not quite, after all, what am I supposed to do now with this?”
>He fishes his paw into the mini washer and pulls out all your sopping wet clothes
>Sorry, all your bright pink sopping wet clothes and a single tiny pink sock
>Your clothes even have the word pink on them now
>”I seem to have left some of my laundry in there by mistake, and well, grey tends to stain you see...”
>You blink taking in the sight of a ruined outfit with slight indifference
>It’s not as if you don’t have several basically exact copies of this outfit or anything
>You wave off the currently almost tear stricken Discord
“Look, it doesn’t really matter since I have another outfit to change into anyways so why don’t we get back to what you were sa-“

>Discord scooches in close to you clutching the pink garment against his chest 
>”Anon, sweaty, I know you’re trying to be the bigger man here, but you don’t need to suffer to spare my fee-
>Nope, that’s it!
>Grabbing him by the shoulders you shake him as your annoyance boils over into anger
“For the love of god quit fucking with me for ten seconds here!”
>You release him and he wobbles back a few steps
>He stops wobbling, but his eyes keep doing so for a few seconds
>Grabbing his eyes with his paw and claw he forcefully stops them as well
>”Calm down Anon, jeez don’t you know we need to pad out this update with more dialogue, and I for one think my comedic antics are more tha-“
>You clap your hands together as hard as you can cutting him off
“JUST, TELL, ME, WHAT, YOU, NEEDED, TO, SAY.”
>He backs off holding his claw and paw up defensively
>”Alright, alright, if you’re going to get THAT worked up about it.”
>He snaps his claw and your pink clothes disappear from your view
>”If you really want to know what I came to tell you, I’m saying my friendship with you has ended, I have new friends now.”
>He forms a chain-link with his claw and paw then breaks it with a grimace
>You simultaneously feel relieved and yet somehow even more annoyed by this development
“That’s it?”
>He shrugs before pacing back and forth midair
>”Oh and you know, I’m just going to help somebody in his genius scheme to attain the power to rule over this world and Equestria, no big deal really.”
>Huh, did he?
>You open your mouth to ask him to extrapolate on that, but he cuts you off
>”So unfortunately that means I can no longer be your mentor since that would run counterproductive to my master’s plan, but oh look at me I’m rambling again!”

>What?
>Your eye twitches uncontrollably as Discord holds a claw in front of his muzzle while letting loose a haughty laugh
>”Ah ha ha ha, it’s unfortunate we won’t be able to do this again my ex-friend, but alas duty calls!”
>With a snap of his claw he once more appears in front of you this time with a red colored poof
>Patting you on the shoulder with his paw he nods
>”Well, I was never good at goodbyes so… I’ll see you never, ta-ta!”
>And like that he poofs away
>And like that you’re left with only questions
>The most important being
“What the fuck?”
>Did Discord just seriously say that he was going to help someone acquire the power to rule over Earth and Equestria?
>Pretty sure you heard something about his master too
>Who the hell could be the master of HIM of all, whatever he said he was
>Also, what the hell was that thing when you first saw Discord?
>You’re pretty sure that wasn’t a joke or something since he never even acknowledged it or anything
>That might have just been you, but you’re having trouble convincing yourself
>Call you paranoid but something smells fishy, and you’re certain this time it’s not just Discord leaving behind a bucket of fish
>At least…
>You tentatively take a whiff of the room
>Yea no, seems this really is the figurative type of fishy
>Staring at the drain beneath your feet you can still see some remnants of root beer around the rim
>Ok, maybe you need to tell Twilight
>Then maybe the two of you should tell everyone else
>You run a hand through your hair
>Just, damn
>You uh, you need to get changed and continue your night with Trixie/investigating bowling alley
>Yea, do that
>You turn to your locker and get another affirmation that what just happened wasn’t a fever dream when you see your pink clothes lying on the bench
>God, what the hell just happened…

>Finally all clean, freshly shaven, and in a dry set of clothes you pop your neck
>Feels good after having been, you know what, you’re not going to dwell on that
>You pat yourself down making sure you got all that you need in your pockets
>Wallet, phone, uh that’s it really
>Seems like you’re all good to go!
>You slam the door only for it to bang back open
>Oh don’t do this
>You try to force it shut only to feel SOMETHING putting up resistance
>Opening it back up you check the edge to find, an umbrella dangling out the duffle bag Dash gave you?
>Wait, did she forget that she put it in one of the side pockets of the duffle bag
>Oh boy are you going to enjoy telling her that, but for now
>You acquire the umbrella for your own use!
>Looks like rain won’t be a problem for you
>You quickly check your phone as you lock up all the rest of your stuff for safe keeping till tomorrow
>7:35pm
>Guess being pranked super hard takes a long time
>You shake your head as you stretch
>Not to mention leaving you a bit tired
>Tucking your phone and extendable umbrella safely into your crisp new hoodie pouch you make your way out of the boy’s locker room
>As you step out into the hallway you can see that Trixie is already awaiting you
>Though taking a look at her she might’ve just got here herself as she’s still fluffing her bangs and stepping out of the girl’s locker room
>Looks like she changed into something pretty casual too
>Just an eggshell white hoodie and some tan shorts
>The hoodie's a bit too big for her as it not only covers a bit of her shorts, but only her fingertips peek out the ends of her sleeves
>Hm, definitely approve
>Though, that could be just because you have a bit of a bias towards hoodies
>Just a little bit

>Disregarding your plain fashion sense, you give Trixie a nod and an apologetic smile as she notices you
“Sorry bout the wait, I take personal hygiene VERY seriously.”
>Placing her hands on her hips she nods with a wide toothy smile
>”Ah, Trixie just finished up herself so it is no trouble; especially since, as Trixie always says, cleanliness is next to powerfulness!”
>Well that’s one way of putting it, but you’re glad she didn’t have to wait too long none-the-less
“Anyways, shall we get going?”
>Her gaze breaks from you as eyes dart away while she clutches her hoodie’s pouch pocket
>”Mhm.”
>The faint sound of rain trickling onto the school’s walls are the only thing you hear besides your own baited breath
>Trixie takes a deep breath as you begin to think something's up with the way she suddenly seems so different
>Before you can ask what's up, she focuses her gaze back onto you with a nod
>”Trixie is ready.”
>For what exactly?
>She extends a slightly shaky hand towards you
>”Are you ready to be amazed Anon?”
>Oh boy, why do you have a bad feeling all of a sudden?
“Sure?”
>You raise an eyebrow while tentatively reaching for her now steady hand
>With a surprising strength she interlaces her fingers with yours
>Not enough to crush or anything, but enough to catch you off guard
>Gesturing out towards the rest of the school with her free hand open Trixie looks around before speaking with a bit of enthusiasm only a performer can demonstrate with her voice
>”As you can see now, you and the Grrreat and Powerrrful Trixie are currently within the halls of CHS, BUT with a few magic words I can make this whole building DISAPPEAR!”
>See, half of you thinks she’s feeding you bs, but then the other half remembers she’s has actual magic and…

>Trixie brings a closed fist in front of her mouth as she clears her throat
>”*Ahem* Simply close your eyes and I will evoke my magic!”
>You raise an eyebrow, but comply when she nods happily
>With your eyes closed you feel her hand tense once more as she breathes in deeply
>She holds it for a moment before letting the air flow out of her
>”Abrahadabra ,and away we go!”
>The change is immediately present even with you unable to see
>It’s like your entire body had a gentle force moving it
>After that single instance though…
>It’s cold, and you feel like your falling!
>”NOT AGAIN!”
>Your eyes force themselves open on reflex as you hear Trixie scream and feel her cling to you
>In the next moment her screams become drowned out by a huge gust of wind from beneath you, or your own auto-tuning
>Oh, oh you have so many questions right now
>Like, why is Trixie’s hair and hoodie blowing upwards even though she’s falling into you right now?
>Or why it feels as though the entirety of your backside is being pushed against?
>It’s similar to when you stick your hand out a car window while driving
>Are you two falling?
>Why is it so dark out?
>Wait, falling, dark, THE WIND!
>You look over your shoulder and immediately regret doing so
>Those look like clouds below, but that doesn’t make sense because clouds are supposed to be above you
>So if they’re below you
>You spot what looks to be lights and STREETS, STREETS BELOW THE THINED OUT CLOUDS!
>The need to scream has risen so far and fast that you don’t think your vocal chords even know what to do
>You gaze snaps to the tiny girl currently freaking out as hard as you want to in your arms

>Need to do something, need to do something!
>You REALLY weren’t planning on dying via falling, or dying at all for that matter!
>You’re not an expert when it comes to teleporting, and, silly you, you forgot to pack a parachute with you!
>Just, get ahold of yourself!
>Since you haven’t gone splat yet that means you’ve got some time yea?
>More than enough to scream, or get Trixie to try her magic again
>Sounds like a plan
>You open your mouth to try and get Trixie’s attention
>Only not to hear anything
>Forgot about the wind!
>Fuck it, direct approach
>Grasping her face firmly yet gently you move her chin up to face you
>She opens her firmly shut eyes slowly
>Once she looks into yours you do your best to communicate with a look
>Hopefully whatever message you confer is more coherent than “PLEASE GET US OUT OF HERE!”
>Though you think mouthing “Do something” helps get it across
>As if suddenly realizing she CAN do something she speaks into the wind
>Then something overtakes your vison
>Your mind finds it hard to properly process
>One moment you’re staring at Trixie, and then she, along with everything else in view, inverts colors and stretches into long lines
>The mish-mash of unsettlingly colored lines all mix into a swirl that feels as though it’s pulling you into it
>Until finally, you feel weightlessness take hold of you and your vision go black
>With a soft *thud* you land on something comfortable that shifts below your weight and that of Trixie's beside you
>An intense feeling of vertigo washes over you as your sight slowly returns
>Wherever you are you can hear just fine, you’re no longer falling, and it appears to be safe for the moment
>Taking a moment to simply enjoy the rapid beating of your heart you breathe in and out slowly
>Ok, you're good
>Yep, just fine
>You slowly pat yourself down to take inventory of your stuff
>Still got everything, even the umbrella
>You’ll call that a win considering you were just tumbling through the skies

>You stare upwards at what seems like a moonlit spackled ceiling
>Hard to tell what color it is, but probably something dark
>The scent of rich coconut faintly tickles your nose as your breathing evens out
>Propping yourself up with your hands you feel a soft fabric beneath your fingertips
>Not to mention the slight give and squeak of a mattress
>Now sitting up you look around, trying to survey where you are, but the lingering vertigo and whatever that inversion of colors was must’ve messed with your eyes cause you ain’t seeing jack
>Blinking you rub your eyes in an attempt to speed up your recovery
>It helps somewhat as you can just make out your surroundings
>Looks like a bedroom?
>You hear a squeaking of springs as Trixie sits up as well
>Seems her hood has gone up in the time between falling through the sky and into wherever you are
>She jumps off the bed and walks into the darkness
>”Well, um, welcome Anon, prepare yourself for the splendor that is, TRIXIE’S ABODE!”
>With a *click* the lights turn on causing you to wince from the sudden brightness
>Shaking your head you get rid of any lingering vertigo and prepare yourself to see once more
>Slowly opening your eyes you see, dark purple everywhere
>That explains why it was so hard to see in the dark
>You glance around as Trixie steps away from the light switch with one hand in her hoodie pouch as the other waves outward
>”Yes, soak in the glory of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s humble and inviting room!”
>Well, it’s certainly a room
>It’s got a normal four walls to it
>Looks like the bed you’re on is alone in the back right corner
>The wall pressing against its right side has a window that was letting in the moonlight and a few feet of free space past the bed

>Directly in front of you is a purple armoire tall enough to dwarf you with two rather ornately carved doors
>The opened shutter doors to the closet lie just to the left of the armoire
>Looks like there’s a tall bookcase filled to the brim with books hiding behind the various articles of clothing both hanging up and piled into a heap
>A few feet to the left on the next wall lies a large metal desk cluttered with various trinkets
>Oh hey, it’s the half-cape thing and wizard hat you saw her wearing before
>A bit crispier than you remember them being, but pretty much intact
>Above the mess of stuff is a peg board with a various pieces of paper pinned to the board
>Finally your eyes land on the simple ceiling fan silently twirling above your head in the middle of the room
>Besides that the only thing that stands out besides the occasional magic themed posters on the walls is the door on the last wall behind you
>Looks pretty normal in all honesty
>Wouldn’t have even guessed this is a girl’s room really
>Which is somehow disappointing you a bit
>You don’t know what a girl’s room should have to make it girly, but dangit if you weren’t expecting it to be there!
>Though considering you’ve seen three of them now you’re really becoming disillusioned with what should be a girl’s room
>Before you can continue on that tanget of thought you turn Trixie who now stands beside the desk with a smirk
“Consider the image of this room burned into my mind for future reference.”
>Apparently taking that as a compliment she nods with her chest puffed out
>”Good good, as you should! Trixie felt it appropriate to show you as it was on the way to Bowling Alley anyways!”

>For some reason you have a hard time believing Trixie on that one…
>She coughs into her fist causing some stray hair peeking out of her hood to messily drape a curtain over her right eye
>She whips her head to the side gently as if to get the hair out of her eye only for it to go right back to where it was
>Deciding to ignore it instead she places her other hand into her hoodie pouch
>”Well, now that you’ve seen it shall I take us to Bowling Alley?”
>Oh fuck that
>You scramble to stand up and say something but she continues as you’re too dumb to speak AND scramble at the same time
>”Or, if you prefer, you could accompany Trixie on a lovely evening stroll there as it’s not too far away now.”
>Ok, you’ve been handed a golden opportunity here, and it appears she’s actually going to wait for an answer on this one
>Be cool
“I WOULD, vastly prefer the latter option.”
>It was harder than it should’ve been to restrain yourself there
>Ok, cooly elaborate and save face
“Cause it’d be nice to just talk a bit before getting there, ya know?” 
>Just believable enough to work!
>Trixie sheds her hood with a quick flick of her head back before swiping a hand through her bangs
>”Trixie agrees with that splendid choice as Trixie believes that’s a much more suitable choice for a…”
>She trails off staring out into the void for a moment before clearing her throat
>”Alright, then allow Trixie to adjust her dashing assistant Mr. Rufflerump into a more proper position and we shall make our exit.”
>Mr. Rufflerump?
>You step aside as Trixie moves towards the bed
>Turning around you can see she’s picking up a slightly tattered plush bunny
>It’s shaggy grey fur’s color seems to be faded along with the velvet black top hat and red bowtie

“So uh, he been your assistant for a long time?”
>As you glance at the plushie Trixie brushes it off before plopping it atop her pillows
>”Ever since Trixie started performing feats of magic as a young apprentice.”
>Well it certainly shows
>Seemingly satisfied she turns back to you
>”It’s much easier to pull a stuffed rabbit out of a hat than a live one after all.”
>The image of a tiny Trixie pulling a plush rabbit from a hat pops into mind
>Heh
>She stops next to the closed door beside you
>”Now, shall we?”
.
.
.
>”Trixie would like to present you with, your card!”
>You barely restrain yourself from snatching the card out of her hands right then and there
>God damn, how the hell does she do it?!
“Yep, it’s the ace of spades alright!”
>You give her a little round of applause as she replies with a curt bow
>She hands the card back to you for you to presumably shuffle it into the deck yourself once more
>”Thank you, thank you, Trixie will be here all night.”
>The hoodie clad magician smiles brightly in the moonlight as you inspect the card
>There’s gotta be some sorta trick to this right?
>She’s not just using real magic, at least you think
>Pretty sure her’s was really obvious with like pale pink poofs
>As you clumsily try to shuffle the cards once more Trixie’s voice speaks up
>”So have you figured out Trixie’s wondrous card trick yet?”
>You abruptly stop your amateur shuffling as you regret your previous words
>Thought it’d be a bit easier to figure out a simple card trick
>You both come to a stop at a crosswalk as you look down the street
“Well, after my extensive viewing of this routine for like the past ten minutes or so I can say with the utmost confidence that these are indeed cards.”

>Trixie stifles a chuckle with her sleeve covered hand
>”Would you like to know Trixie’s secret?”
>Hmmmm, that’s hard
>Seeing the crosswalk light turn white you both cross the street
>You scratch your chin in contemplation as your footsteps softly plop against the still wet pavement
>On one hand, you do
>On the other, that’s like admitting defeat
>”How about a hint then?”
>Huh?
>Glance at Trixie you can see she’s looking at you like an excited teacher
>Aw well, why not?
>You nod
>She holds up her pointer finger so that it pokes out her sleeve 
>”One word Anon, misdirection.”
>Misdirection?
>Well, you know that most sleight of hand tricks use that, but you don’t know how it applies here
>She just keeps doing a bunch of really cool shuffles and pulling out your card without fail
>Whether it be from the bottom, middle, or top
>With a snap of her fingers she points to you
>”Here, allow Trixie to perform once more, but try to pay close attention.”
>Ok, you haven’t given up yet
>This time, for all the marbles!
>Both of you come to a halt near a lamp post
>You memorize your card, the ten of clubs
>Placing it on top of the deck you hold the deck out for Trixie to take
>Alright then, if you just pay attention SUPER HARD you can’t possibly be misdirected without knowing it right?
>It’s a perfect and obviously not flawed plan
>So now to do it
>Trixie pushes her sleeves back so her wrists are visable and cracks her slender blue fingers
>Taking the deck of cards from you she begins her first odd shuffle
>”Keep your eye on the card!”
>She places your card on the bottom and flips the deck over to show you your card
>With a wave of her left hand the cards spread out in her right like a fan
>Fanning herself for a moment with a smirk she suddenly flicks her wrist neatly squaring the deck back into shape

>Placing the pack of cards into the palm of her left hand Trixie spreads them back along her arm in a tightly packed row
>By closing her left hand she causes the cards to flip over in a wave
>Scooping them up back into a pile in one smooth push she then palms the deck
>With the cards in hand once more in hand Trixie somehow cuts the deck in two with a single hand
>Her hand closes a bit causing the card halves to shuffle into each other like a dealer’s shuffle
>You know, only using her right hand instead
>God, how is that possible?
>Now for the part that always manages to stump you
>Separating the deck into two once more with her right hand she tosses the bottom half over the top and catches it with her left hand
>It’s at this point everything becomes a blur
>Seperating both half decks into two she begins twisting and turning her hands
>The four decks of cards stand and roll over each other in what seems like an impossible display of gravity-defying manipulation
>Cards shift in and out of each deck never ceasing in their perpetual motion
>Until suddenly they all form a single deck in the palm of her hand 
>Bringing the deck up high snuggled in her right palm she launches the cards down towards her left hand in a cascade managing to catch them effortlessly
>Then with a light toss from her left hand she launches the deck upwards
>You can see that the cards threatening to leave their compacted deck as they begin to spread
>However, before they can all go flying to and fro Trixie snatches the deck out of midair with her right hand
>She then lowers the deck to her waist
>With her left hand she whips it down towards the deck and draws the top card like a sword
>Flinging her hand out in front of her she holds a card between her finger tips
>”Is THIS your card?!” 

>This time you can’t stop yourself from exclaiming your disbelief
“Ok, how?!”
>With a chuckle Trixie places her deck of cards back into her case before stowing it into her hoodie pocket
>”Are you sure you don’t want Trixie to reveal her magical ways?”
>For the love of god you wish she wouldn’t tempt you
>The two of you resume walking as you scrunch your face up
“Oh I would, but don’t! I’ll figure it out, just not right now is all…”
>”Well, fret not, for not everyone can be as naturally talented and adept as Trixie! Though Trixie does have an idea to remedy this.”
>Hm?
>She gives a little flourish with her hand before pointing to you
>”Perhaps you could become the Great and Powerful Trixie’s, apprentice?”
>You blink as the suggestion hits you a bit harder than you would’ve expected
>Is she offering to repay the favor for like teaching her about lifting?
>Cause you’re still far from done and all…
“So like, you teach me stage magic?”
>With a shrug she stares off into the cityscape before glancing back at you
>”Among other things… Does that not appeal to you?”
>It would give you an excuse to hang out more, but you kinda got your plate full already with several other potential friends
>Not to mention the whole Canterlot-magical-bad-times-ahead thing
“Oh no, it seems like fun, but I feel like it’d be a bit too much for me.”
>Trixie clasps her hands together with a confident smile
>”Nonsense, with a teacher so Skilled and Understanding as Trixie you’ll be co-heading events in no time!”
>That’s not quite what you meant
>”Besides, Trixie wouldn’t mind having a wonderful assistant to help out during her shows…”

>Oh jeez, you don’t like the hopeful look Trixie’s got on right now
>Man, she seems like she’d like to do this, but you gotta say no
>Well, you don’t HAVE to say no yet
>Maybe you can think it over for a bit and get back to her?
>That doesn’t sound like too bad a plan at all!
“Ya know, the next few days are kinda booked solid and I don’t know how much time I’m gonna be free to do stuff after those. So, how bout I figure all that out and we meet up again on Sunday or Monday and talk it over then?”
>Furrowing her brow for a moment she stares off into to space again
>”Sunday or Monday? Trixie should be free!”
>Great!
>Oh, seems like you got that outta the way just in time
“Cool, we can talk about that later, for now though I think we’re here.”
>At least if the big neon blue and red blinking sign labeled “Bowling Alley” is to be believed
>The two of you stop before the dark red building’s façade
>”Yep, oh it looks like they finally got a new sign!”
>Does look pretty new compared to the old brickwork on the walls
>Two sets of wooden double doors separate you from the inside
>Being the supreme gentleman you are you hold open one of the doors and usher Trixie in
“After you.”
>You follow in after your giddy companion and take in everything
>Damn, this place is busy
>Music you don’t really know fills the background between the chatter of the swath of people hanging out everywhere and the occasional crack of bowling balls on pins
>The tantalizing smell of pizza and other greasy junk foods hangs in the air like a comforting blanket
>Thought Twilight said this place was supposed to be a dive?
>Sure as hell doesn't look like one to you
>Seems like this place is split into three different areas

>On the left side you have the bowling lanes underneath a mass of black lights that makes the neon painted and lit parts stick out even more
>Then on the right you’ve got what can only be described as some sort of diner like area ripped straight out of the 80s or 90s
>You can’t quite nail which decade, but it has a multitude of bright eye-catching colored shapes and squiggles adorning the walls and booths
>Lastly in the center there’s what looks to be a shoe rental counter and prize kiosk
>Think you see a sign for the arcade a bit a ways back
>A girl behind the counter in a half checkered and half striped button up shirt stares at her phone in indifference
>Hm, speaking of
>You spot a clock on the wall behind her
>8 o’clock on the dot
>Good, means you’ve got more than enough time to hang out
>You’re about to suggest going up to the counter when Trixie speaks up
>”Excuse Trixie for a moment for she needs to, check on something!”
>You barely have any time to sputter out an alright as she rushes towards the arcade
>Ah shit, you need her shoe size!
>Well, too late now
>You sigh with a smile
>Wonder what she’s checking on?
>No use thinking about it now
>You’ll probably find out soon enough anyways
>Might as well get a lane and your own shoes for now
>As you’re moseying on up to the shoe rental counter you spot something shiny on the checkerboard ground
>Oh damn, is that a quart-
>Your thoughts come to an immediate halt as you accidentally bump shoulders with someone
>Well it’s a bit harder than a bump considering it almost causes you to fall flat on your ass
>You look at whoever came out of literal nowhere with an apology at the ready
>The words die in your throat as you see a rather tall and wide cop giving you a death glare

>The pale white skinned policeman stands about a head taller than you and quite a bit wider than you
>Though like if you were to put a world class body builder in a suit kinda wide
>You shrink a bit under the gaze of mountain of a lawman
>Something about this guy…
>You really don’t like it
>Though maybe that’s just his eyes seemingly burrowing into your soul
>You feel the compulsion to turn away overwhelm you
>As you look away your voice comes out significantly less present than you intended
“Uh, sorry about that…”
>You almost stop breathing in anticipation of whatever his response is, but then breathe easy as he walks past you
>You don’t look over your shoulder as you’re pretty sure he’s leaving
>What the hell was with that guy?
>The thought only lasts a moment as you shiver at his glare once more
>Ok, maybe more importantly you should uh, find that quarter!
>Looking on the ground once more you come to a horrid realization
>What you thought was a discarded quarter is merely some metal circular cap or something embedded in the checkerboard tiling
>Great, just bumped into one of the most off-putting cops around and you didn’t even get a quarter from it
>Stellar
>Shaking that off you make the short trek to the counter, this time paying attention so you don’t bump into anyone
>As you get up to the counter and are about to greet the bored girl manning it she smiles
>You raise an eyebrow as she stands up straight and pockets her phone before hollering back towards a doorway behind her
>”Alright, time for my break, you get this guy yea?”
>Oh, of course
>You come right as the attendant leaves
>You’re having the best of luck tonight
>The girl walks off towards the café as a voice reverberates from the doorway
>”You can’t just leave whenever you want you stupi-“

>Cutting herself off a similarly dressed pale golden skinned girl with orange flame like hair steps out from the doorway and speaks in a completely different polite tone
>”Hello there sir and welcome to, wait a second you’re...”
>You are?
>As she scrunches her face up you get a sudden feeling of déjà vu
>She smiles a bit more candidly suddenly while dropping the polite façade
>”Oh shit, you’re the big green lug from the park!”
>From the par-oh, you think you recognize this girl now
>She seems pretty chipper to see you for someone who was being such an ass
>Though guess that’s probably because you took the heat off her from Gilda
>You nod with a somewhat awkward grimace
“Oh yea, you’re the girl that was tagging along with Gilda weren’t you?”
>The fire-haired girl nods slightly and extends an open hand over the counter with a smirk
>”That’s me, Spitfire, you?”
>You grab her hand and give it a firm squeeze
“Anon.”
>She looks at your hand before breaking the handshake and giving you a quick one over
>”Well, just wanted to say thanks for stoppin Gilda, I kinda bugged outta there when I saw her get all pink and you getting punched into next Tuesday and shit.”
>Yea, you don’t blame her
>Not like she owed you anything for sticking your neck out for her
>You probably would’ve left too if it were like two weeks ago
>Spitfire leans forward pressing her elbow into the counter
>”But you look pretty fine for someone who’s tussled with Gilda so I’m guessing you got away even with her new superpowers.”
>Getting away huh?
>Well, that’s a way of putting it
>You shrug deciding not to dwell too much on that
“Yea, well you know, shit happens.”
>Now leaning forward on both elbows with her forearms crossed she chuckles
>”Ain’t that the truth, so you’re new around here right?”
>Well, considering you haven’t really gone out and done anything you might as well be
“Kinda, I don’t get out much.”

>Spitfire nods slowly exuding a casual air
>”Figured as much, otherwise you would’ve steered clear of here considering this is one of Gilda’s hangouts.”
>You blink keeping silent for a moment
>Of course Gilda comes here
>Well, that at least probably solves why there’s so much residual magic here
“What, does she works here?”
>Spitfire lazily waves off your question with a limp hand
>”Ah no, she just likes to bug the shit outta me whenever I’m working.”
>Figures
>Shit, if Gilda and Spitfire are both gonna be here and you’re here with Trixie…
>”She’s been coming by around this time trying to apologize, and I’ve been giving her the cold shoulder for the past few days."
>Really?
>Wouldn’t have really taken her as the type
>Though, you guess you kinda know how much her friends mean to her….
>Whatever, this is all the more reason you should get outta here befor-
>”Speak of the devil…”
>Spitfire stands up straight settling her gaze on something behind you causing your breath to catch
>Your back muscles involuntarily flex and tighten as you hear the damp heavy footfalls of boots on tile drawing near
>You turn to the side and lean on the counter a bit so hopefully all Gilda can see is your back
>"You know this is like harassment right?"
>As if expecting that an answer rings out immediately
>"I'll harass you kid!"
>From what Spitfire just told you, isn’t that exactly what Gilda’s already doing though?
>”Can’t you take a hint and get lost, I’m working here.”
>Taking a peek from your peripheral you spot what looks like a mildly agitated Spitfire crossing her arms with a grimace
>”Yea I know, that’s why I’m waiting patiently for my turn right now.”
>Oh boy, Gilda’s one of THOSE people
>Probably should’ve figured as much from your previous run in with her
>She seems like the type of person you have the most problems with
>Arrogant, loud-mouthed, and an ass
>Great combination

>Spitfire jabs out one accusatory index finger while keeping her other arm folded beneath her chest
>”Most people form a line when they’re waiting; they don’t stand right next to the guy I’m trying to talk to!”
>She jabs her thumb towards you as if to accentuate the point
>Oh please don’t bring you into the conversation
>You’re already doing your best impression of not existing right now
>At least no one’s paying the three of you any mind
>Stuff like this must actually happen a lot round here
>You feel a sudden hard grip on your right shoulder attempt to rock you back and forth as Gilda speaks
>”Well it’s not my fault if your customer feels like letting me cut in line, right bud?”
>She ends her reasoning by roughly patting you on the back hard enough that had you not already been tensed might have cause you to stumble forward a few feet
>Man, you really wish you were better at impressions
>”God, you just never learn do you?”
>Spitfire shakes her head with a slight sneer curling her lips
>”What’dya mean?”
>God you hope she doesn’t just add fuel to the fi-
>”You can’t just be a cunt to EVERYONE, because then you get shit like last Sunday!”
>Oh god damnit
>Does she have to do this now?
>Can't these two sort out their bullshit while you aren't here?
>"Look man, how was I supposed to know that wasn't my ring; it looked EXACTLY like it!”
>Wait what?
>You’re suddenly very interested in what they have to say
>"Well besides the fact you should’ve realized you just lost the damn thing in that pigsty of a room, you weren't, but that still doesn't mean you can just go off like that and expect me to be just peachy with ya after!"
>Oh, Discord must’ve just thrown the ring back into Gilda’s room
>That’s good yea?
>At least now you’re not going to be held accountable

>You can hear Gilda as she stumbles over her words in an attempt to reply
>”I, well, ehm…”
>Spitfire cuts through the poor attempt to speak
>”And since you not only did wrong by me, but that dude at the park too, you know what you gotta do now yea?”
>What’s this now?
>”Yea yea I know, when I see him I’ll, eh, fuckin apologize and do right by em, I guess… but, haven’t I been tryin to give you one since it happened?”
>Oh, do these two have some sorta honor code going on or something?
>You do recall something from Gilda’s memories about her having a small time band of misfits
>Guess there’s honor amongst, juvenile delinquents?
>Though maybe park bullies is more accurate
>Spitfire looks at you with a smirk
>You really don’t like that look
>She can’t be thinking…
>No please, please for the love of god don’t
>She can’t do this to yo-
>”Well, better put your money where your mouth is then.”
>You choke out a gasp at this unprecedented betrayal of common decency
>Words can’t describe the feeling of fug you are experiencing right now
>You can feel Gilda’s gaze burrow into your back
>”What the feck are you on abo-holy shit, you’re the dweeb from the park!”
>And now the cat’s out the bag
>Alright, maybe you can still salvage this somehow?
>Need to be cool
>You take a deep breath, shoot a glare at the smug Spitfire, and then put on the old not giving a fuck face
>Just don’t talk too much
>In fact, you’re going to use one syllable words only
>You remember someone saying you looked way more intimidating when you don’t speak
>Doing a 180 you lean onto the counter with your left arm and address Gilda with your old devil may care attitude
“Yep, that’s me, Anon.”
>Don’t just introduce yourself all casually you dumb fuck!
>Not only that, but your name is two syllables, two!
>God, you’re going to die here aren’t you?

>Surprisingly, Gilda seems a bit off, in that she’s not about to start throwing hands
>At least if her frown and refusal to look you in the eyes in any indicator
>Her yellow eyes wander around for a few moments before snapping to Spitfire
>”And you call me the cunt.”
>Spitfire rolls her eyes with a lazy chuckle
>What the hell is going on?
>You’re about to say something, but think better of it when Gilda coughs into a balled fist
>”*Ahem* anyway, guessin you heard Spits just a sec ago, I did you wrong since I just lost my ring and you didn’t steal it or nothing…”
>While not really what happened, you’d rather not correct the record and just get this done as painlessly as possible
>Stuffing a hand into her brown bomber jacket pocket she runs the other through her spikey pink-tipped white hair, effectively fluffing it
>”Look, I ain’t no goody two shoes, but I don’t do anything for no good reason.”
>You’d be lying if you didn’t find that a bit doubtful
>After all, Gilda literally started shit with you the instant she thought you were remotely associated with Trixie
>Chalk that up on the list of things to grill the pink bomber about later
>Puffing her chest out she bites her lip for a moment while looking straight at you
>”And since my reason was wrong it’s only fair that I, I say uh…”
>She stuffs her other hand into her bomber jacket pocket and hunches over a bit
>Man, this hurts to watch
>Finally looking up to the ceiling she sneers
>”I’m sorry alright, I owe you any favor you want, you name it and I’ll do it…”
>Sorry?
>You look to Spitfire, for any sorta clarification, who simply shrugs
>”Hey man, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.”

>Well, while you normally abide by that logic in this case it feels weird
>Don’t suppose you could ask Gilda to stop being a bully could you?
>Yea no, that sounds stupid even to you
>Gilda scratches her chin while suddenly gaining the resolve once more to stare you down
>”Now that that’s settled, just don’t think we’re square for what you did at the end there; I’ll still pay you back, it’ll just be a bit less, violent now.”
>For what happened at the end there?
>Oh, when you head-butted her after pretending you were down to clown
>Yea, definitely not one of your brightest ideas, but hey, it worked
>Gilda pulls out a crumpled up pack of cigarettes from her pocket and nods upwards at Spitfire
>”We’ll talk later, I’m gonna go for a walk.”
>Spitfire gives her a little wave and a smile as she turns back towards the exit
>Your gaze follows the tight jean-clad vixen as her heavy boots stamp on out
>”See ya cunt.”
>Popping a cigarette into her mouth Gilda flips her off without looking back
>”Right back at ya Spitroast.”
>You feel yourself physically relax as she disappears behind the double doors
>A sharp whistle sounds off behind you
>Turning back towards the counter you see Spitfire grinning like a mad woman as she leans forward onto her forearms
>”Wow, don’t know why it happened, but Gilda managed to cool off from what Lightning Dust said was easily in the top five for how mad she’s seen Gilda, think she likes you?”
>Wait, that’s a possibility!?
>You flash Spitfire a worried look to which she laughs
>”Nah I’m just fucking with ya man, she likes smaller submissive guys that she can dominate anyways, so you’ll be fine.”
>Well you’re glad she’s having a god damn giggle, cause you sure ain’t

>You zone out for a second as silence descends upon the two of you
>Well, as much silence as there can be with the constant stream of chatter between patrons, ambient music, and the clinking of bowling balls on pins
>Man, the scent of fresh za is making you hungry…
>”But anyways, thanks.”
>You raise an eyebrow at Spitfire’s somewhat somber and out of nowhere gratitude interrupting your food thoughts
>”I mean really thank you; I didn’t really feel too keen on jaabberin with her just yet.”
>Eh, you can get that
>It’s awkward and shitty to talk to someone after you have a falling out
>Which is why you don’t even try most the time
>Well, except if you’re feeling especially guilty you guess
>Like with the BJ brigade, though some more than others
>Spitfire manages to bring your mind back to the present as she speaks up once more
>”The past few days she’s bugged me until closing time wasting her breath and annoying the shit outta me. I haven’t really gotten the message I wanted to through her thick skull, but I guess having to face who’ve ya wronged right in the face is pretty sobering huh?”
>You can’t help but smile as she throws shade behind Gilda’s back
>You scratch your head and mutter out
“Man, you two have an odd way of being friends.”
>Spitfire leans back off of the counter with her arms cradling the back of her head
>"Well, Gilda can be the worst cunt in the world, but she's still my friend ya know? Friends gotta stick together, even if we're the worst sometimes."
>If only every friend were so good
>You smile wistfully before shaking your head
“Nah I meant more the bantz you two throw at each other even when the other isn’t here.”
>With a smirk she gives a hearty chortle in response
>”Oh that? Eh, words lose their meaning without any real substance to back em up.”
>Mhm, makes sense

>Spitfire suddenly snaps her fingers with a glint in her eye
>”Speaking of backing words up with some substance!”
>Ducking under the counter for a moment she wiggles her rump around as she searches for something
>You do your best not to stare, but damn if your best sometimes isn’t enough
>You blame the teenage hormones
>With an aha, a hand holding what looks like a plastic card shoots up from beneath the counter
>”Here!”
>You examine the black and white card in her pale gold hand
>It’s got the black outline of a bowling ball and an arcade cabinet on it with the letters BA in bold
>There’s also a strip of white masking tape with the letters SS and “don’t recycle!” on it
>Placing the card flat on the counter she pushes herself up back to a standing position
>Sliding the card across the counter towards you with a smile she proudly states
>"Take this as thanks for the park and just now."
>Cool, free stuff!
>Though there is one problem with this particular free item
>You slide the card into the palm of your hand and hold it up to examine it some more
>You do your best to look appreciative and nod like you totally know what it is
"Yea yea, it was no big deal, but what is this?"
>You look to Spitfire with a nervous grin to which she crosses her arms
>"It's my personal arcade card. I usually transfer any leftover funds people leave on cards so I can game for free, go nuts man. Just like, return it when you're done yea?"
>Oh, oh shit, sweet!
>Free plays at the arcade sounds like some substance if you’ve ever heard of any
>Pulling out your wallet you tuck the card neatly in front of your debit card
>With a grin you pocket your wallet once more
“I’ll make sure not to use up all the funds on it.”

>Relaxing into what seems to be her natural position, leaning on the counter with her arms crossed, Spitfire lets loose a small chuckle
>”Man, I’ll be impressed if you can.”
>The two of you stare at each other for a brief moment before she shakes her head
>”Oh yea, completely forgot to ask since Gilda barged in but eh, what can I do you for?”
>Huh?
>Oh fuck, right
>You nod while resting both your hands in your hoodie pouch
"Yea yea, can I uh, rent a lane for two?"
>Standing back up fully Spitfire directs her gaze to beneath the countertop as she begins to type on an unseen keyboard
>"Hm, so you’re trying to pick me up at work already huh?"
>With a smirk and a sparkle in her eye she gives you a quick wiggle of her eyebrows
>You being a master of keeping your cool now respond posthaste and with vigor
"W-what, no, it's for me and someone else here."
>Yep, you’re a master all right
>At least she looks to be completely buying your hardy response as she nods resuming her typing
>"Right right, so what's your shoe sizes big shooter?"
>Heh heeehhh, you didn’t ask Trixie for hers at all…
>Sometimes, you feel as though you should think ahead more
"Uh, I don't know hers."
>The sound of typing ceases immediately as Spitfire’s eyes shift to you causing you to slink back a little
>You really don’t like the way her lips are curling back
>"HERS hmmmmmmmm? You two wouldn’t be on a daaaate?"
>Can a guy not just hang out with a girl without it being a date!?
>You shake your head a bit too much in an attempt to help accentuate your point
"NO, no we’re not! I'm just treating her, because like, I put her through a pretty hard workout earlier at school is all."

>Hm, saying that out loud it suddenly becomes apparent how easily someone could misunderstand you
>You realize your poor choice of words a second too late as Spitfire’s grin spreads from ear to ear
>Leaning forward once more she strokes her index and middle finger with her other hand in an ok sign close to her chest
>"Hard WORKOUT you say? And here I thought you’d be gentle with a girl for your first date; guess it’s always the big quiet ones who just can’t wait to workout girls before they even leave school huh?"
>GOD WHY!?!?
>You do your best to keep your composure at the obvious provocation
>Sometimes though, you feel like maybe trying is a bad idea
>All you manage is an uninterrupted slew of noise that even the most charitable wouldn’t classify as speech while your hands gesture in the air wildly
>Spitfire chuckles hard enough that you think you hear her snort before finally calming down
>Giving you a firm pat on the shoulder she sighs happily 
>"Ehhh, I'm just giving you shit man, but with that song and dance you just did though I bet you’re a whiz at parties."
>You have officially given up here
>Cursing your own ineptitude you do your best not to look Spitfire in the eyes while simultaneously appearing casual
>You’d be lying if you said you thought you were doing a good job
>"It'll be lane 15, come back with her shoe size and I'll have em ready for ya."
>You nod and with as much dignity as you can speak
"O-ok..."
>You slink off from the desk and towards where you saw Trixie run off towards
>Pretty sure that it’s the glow in the dark sign that says arcade
>It’s only a few racks of bowling balls away

>You stand before the entrance to what you can safely assume is the arcade area
>At least if the multitude of machines and cavalcade of different tunes demanding your attention has anything to do with it
>Man, this room is a lot bigger than the tucked away side entrance would suggest
>Though maybe it’s the way they’ve organized all the machines into neat rows that just gives the illusion of depth?
>You take a moment to survey the machine packed area
>There's a vast array of arcade machines spanning from Pong to some Japanese third person shooter with dual pistol controllers
>Hmm, while it’s all well and good to appreciate how much stuff is here now you gotta find Trixie in all this
>Um, pick a direction and start walking?
>How bout towards the brighter area?
>As they say, always follow light sources
>You cross over from the tile floor of black light lit bowling section into the dimly lit black carpeted arcade heading towards the brighter corner of the room
>Hanging a left by the Multibus machine you spy what’s creating the brightly lit corner of the room
>A section completely made of crane games, and hey what do ya know!
>Looks like Trixie is fiddling around with one of them
>Though that may be a bit of an understatement considering her face is almost pressed against the machine
>Not to mention she has a neat stack of what looks like little plastic wrapped rolls of tickets
>You stroll up behind her as she wiggles her body around in tandem with the joystick
>”Come on, come on…”
>Coming to a stop beside her you glance over her shoulder at what she’s so intently trying to get in the machine
>Similar plastic wrapped rolls of tickets like the ones beside her are stacked into lopsided towers make up most of what’s in this machine save for a small blue egg like capsule gently nestled between the remnants of a collapsed tower

>Trixie readjusts the claw hovering over the capsule a few times as your curiosity piques
“So, what’s in the blue thing?”
>As if your voice had the force of a thousand wombats Trixie’s concentration is broken as she jumps a bit
>”Henyu!”
>Letting out a startled string of sounds not unlike some sort of animal might make she manages to both knock over her stack of tickets and press the big glowing blue button beside the control stick
>The crane lets out a little jingle as she quickly glances at you in her panic only to calm down after seeing it’s you
>”Oh, I, *ahem*, Trixie did not see you there…”
>You’re about to question her on the noise she just made when a sad trombone blaring from the machine demands attention from the both of you
>You glance over just in time to see the blue egg falling out of the retracting claw
>The capsule now sits pretty directly atop the hole of a roll of tickets
>Man, way to rub salt in the wound
>Trixie sighs as she turns away from the machine and leans on the small control port with her butt
>”A free round of bowling among other things...”
>Among other things huh?
>Whatever that means, guess that’s why she has the small stack of tickets
>Well had, since now they’re strewn about the floor
>Speaking of
>You squat down and begin picking the rolls
“Ah, so that’s why you went here right away?”
>She nods as she places her hands in her hoodie pouch
>”While it’s very difficult to win, Trixie had to make sure it was still here. Though Trixie did not expect this much trouble seeing as Trixie is The Master of the Claw.”

>You can’t help but crack a smile at that title as you stand up with the ticket rolls in hand
“Master of the claw huh, so I take it you come here often?”
>Trixie’s eyes wander about the machines as she shakes her head
>”Not as much anymore, but there was a time Trixie did. Trixie has won it twice before after all.”
>Wonder what stopped her from coming here?
>You get the urge to ask, but decide against it
>Instead you keep the conversation going before you both just sit here silently
“Well, sorry bout that, didn’t mean to take you out of the zone.”
>With a somewhat lethargic shrug she gives you a wimpy excuse for a smile
>”Just as well, it appears that like the skill Trixie had accrued, Trixie’s credits have run out.”
>Well that’s certainly chipper
>Ok, you can’t let the night start like this
>Especially since Trixie dodged the biggest of pink bitchy bullets just a few minutes ago
>No, you came here to unwind, and unwind you will do!
>Setting aside the tower of ticket rolls on the claw machine’s control console, you pull out your newly acquired SS card from Spitfire with a flourish
“Well I happen to have some right here, and I’d be willing to give you another shot since I mean, look at that smug blue egg now!”
>You point at the little bastard with your card as it taunts you by simply having the audacity to sit in its ticket throne
“It’s practically egging, I mean begging to be taken at this point!”
>Words are hard and now you just look like an idiot
>It takes a moment but you see Trixie’s lips begin to curl back as she stares at the blue egg
>Ah, but it seems that being an idiot really can bring joy to others
>How could you ever doubt it!
>You gently nudge her with an elbow
“So you might as well give it one more try eh?”
>Letting out a chuckle Trixie smiles with the vigor worthy of a showman once more
>”Trixie supposes she could give it one more attempt, if only because you offered!”
>Great!

>You glance at the control console and, oh shit
>You blink after realizing you have no idea what to do with this card
>There’s like no coin slot or card reader on the console
>Just the joystick, a button, and like a few glowing lights here and there
>Ok, maybe you uh…
>WAIT, you have an idea!
>Alright, instead of looking like an idiot you’ll use this brilliant idea
>Placing the SS card flat between your open palms you offer it up to Trixie like a prized possession
“If you would do the honors.”
>With equal reverence as your handling of the card she lifts it up with her two index fingers
>”It would be The Claw Master Trixie’s pleasure.”
>Holding the card up to the light for a moment in fake awe she nods
>In one fell swoop she ceases supporting with her fingers and snatches the falling card out of mid-air
>Extending the card out nestled between her index and middle finger she gently presses it flat against a pulsating blue outline of a rectangle on the control console
>Ohhh, how the hell were you supposed to figure that out?
>At least put a sticker or something on it
>With a cheerful jingle the small led countdown timer next to the stick begins ticking down from 30
http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=9crCGMh4j9g&p=n#/18;33
>Your eyes flick between the countdown and Trixie, who lets out a little sigh before patting her face
>25
>With a furrowed brow she gets to work gripping the joystick enough that her knuckle almost go white
>20
>Using a few quick movements she maneuvers the claw above the general area over the blue egg capsule
>15
>She leans closer to the machine, almost smacking her forehead against it once more, as she squints and tries to minutely adjust the claw
>10
>Moving painfully slow her hand leaves the joystick and gravitates towards the big red button
>5
>She hesitates, but only for a moment before smashing the button

>As if to spite the speed in which Trixie so carefully moved, the claw drops like an eagle descending upon its prey from its perch up high
>Both you and the powder blue magician let out little sounds of surprise
>Hurtling towards the blue prize with enough force that it almost seems like it’ll bounce off the damn thing the claw makes contact and the impossible happens
>The claw manages to push the egg further into its ticket roll throne!
>It’s enough that the pointy part of the egg is now barely treading above the tickets!
>The claw gives a few weak grabs that scrape against the roll of tickets
>You bite your lip in anticipation and hope that it manages to find a claw hold
>Without warning your hopes turn into reality as it seemingly gets a firm grasp
>Now clutching the ticket roll that made the blue egg thing’s throne, it begins to ascend
>As the cradled egg raises both of you dare not even breathe for you come to a horrible realization
>The egg has practically fully fallen through the ticket roll!
>Your eye twitches as the claw takes its god damn time to move towards the prize drop-off labeled as the prize pit
>Luckily everything seems to hold as it closes in on its destination
>Coming to a halt almost alarmingly quick the claw dangles treasure tantalizingly
>You can practically feel beads of sweat beginning to form as it sways slightly above the prize pit
>The egg!
>You can see it, it’s almost gone through the ticket roll entirely!
>With a metallic *clank* the claw sets the egg and ticket nest free
>Thanks to the sway you can't tell if it’s going to bounce off the edge or not!
>Oh god, you can’t look!
>You shut your eyes as you hear a loud *tunk*

>It’s as if the whole world is silent for just that singular moment
>The silence however, is broken with the sound of a jolly jingle
>”WINNAR!”
>Everything comes rushing back to you as you open your eyes and see Trixie holding the egg and ticket roll
>Seemingly as stupefied as you are her eyes wander towards you
>As the two of you make eye contact a smile simultaneously rips through both of your lips
“AH holy shit, that was way more intense than it should have been!”
>Clutching the egg and tickets to her chest Trixie bounces in place
>”I know, I almost thought it was going to just fall out!”
>Man, who’d a thought that a crane machine could be so intense?
>The two of you bask in the victory for a moment and just stare at the egg
>After what is a more than likely worrying amount of time spent staring at a plastic egg Trixie coughs into a clenched fist
>”*Ahem* Well, now that The Deft and Jubilant Trrrixie has acquired the coveted Bowling Alley Mega Prize Egg™, she shall express her gratitude and pay for tonight’s festivities!”
>She smiles nervously as you raise a dubious eyebrow
>Oh really, that’s news to you
“I’m pretty sure I said I had you covered for tonight ya know, my treat?”
>Trixie smiles devilishly as if you’ve fallen straight into her hands
>”And technically speaking YOU have, after all it was your contribution to the claw machine that finally allowed Trixie to win no?”
>Well that’s a really, you mean like, technically yea
>Though that reasoning doesn’t really stand up on its own considering…
“Be that as it may, my contribution wouldn’t have been able to get the thing without you setting it up by using all your tries, and you know, the whole actually being the one who played the game...”
>You scratch your chin in mock thought
“So if anything, we BOTH won this Bowling Alley Mega Prize Egg™.”

>99-1 split is still two people both doing it right?
>Yea, that’s what you’ll go with
>Trixie purses her lips as she crosses her arms
>”So then, you should be fine with this being used to pay for everything!”
>No, you’re not, but like…
>As your mind races for a moment you come up with a very simple solution
>Oh, OH!
>You nod with a grin of your own
“Yea sure, we can use that to pay for everything NEXT time.”
>Caught like a deer in the headlights Trixie flinches and stiffens up
>”N-next time?”
>Placing your hands into your hoodie pouch you lean back on a nearby crane machine with a nod
“Mhm, since we’re going to hang out again, and I’m pretty sure I’ll want to come back here eventually...”
>The white haired card expert relaxes with a more subdued grin and then gathers the ticket rolls
>As she puts the tickets and egg in her pouch she nods
>”Of course, then Trixie will get you next time.”
>Sounds good to you
>Though now that that’s sorted
“Cool, but before there can be a next time, we should really focus on actually doing what we came here for.”
>You nod towards the exit
“What say I go up, get our shoes, and order some grub while you claim our lane?”
>With hum of agreeance Trixie begins walking towards the bowling alley section, and you follow beside her
>”Trixie is craving some cheese curds, what about you Anon?”
>Uh, you don’t really remember what they have, and while cheese curds sound good you should go for some sorta salad, or anything healthy really as long as you don’t say chicken tenders like a rube
“Eh maybe, what else is good?”
>Skipping ahead a step the teleporting girl throws her arms up into the air
>”Their chicken tenders are the best in Canterlot!”
>You flinch a bit as something dies inside you
>The best she says?
>Man, it’d be kinda a shame to skip out on the best…

>As you’re tempted by the promise of the BEST chicken tenders in Canterlot, you remember what you’ve had for food today
>That being literally nothing but sweets
>With a sigh the two of you exit the arcade proper
“Eh, I’m feeling a salad right now so I’ll have to pass.”
>Trixie shrugs as she looks out at the bowling lanes
>”Trixie understands, have you already reserved a lane?”
>You glance over the busy lanes and at the lane numbers up above
>You quickly find that 15 is one of the only empty lanes that just so happens to be to the right of you
“Yep, it’s the one on our right, 15.”
>Spinning on her heel she faces and points at you
>”Alright, The Hungry and Expectant Trixie will claim our lane and trust you to get her cheese curds, a BLT with root beer, and size 6 shoes!”
>You give her a salute and part ways
>Making your way towards the front counter you realize it’s been quite a while since you’ve bowled
>Would asking for the bumper up be dumb?
>On second thought, it’s Spitfire up there so maybe that’s not the greatest idea…
>Speaking of, the girl herself grins as she spots you
>"Well hey again handsome, finally done sucking face with your date and decided you couldn't get enough of ole Spitfire?"
>You almost trip with the god damn curve ball she just chucked at you
>Like wow, way to open a conversation!
>As stone faced as you can you deny literally all that
"NO, no I wasn’t doing or thinking that, I just, I came back for the shoes and food man."
>As if blowing your answer off she nods as she becomes increasingly interested in something behind the desk
>"Mhm, yea I believe ya… oh, so THAT'S who're you're datin huh? Explains why you stood up for her I guess."
>What?
>Oh nonono
>You lean onto the counter and calmly negate that statement

"Nonono that ain't it, I just didn't like Gilda being such a cunt so I did something. Also, how'd you even know it was Trixie?"
>Spitfire looks up from the counter and gives you a look of a disappointed teacher
>"She typed her name on the scoreboard dude, and word of advice, don't go telling Gilda that to her face."
>You look away in equal parts shame for not thinking that, and “oh no” for having done exactly that
“Heh-ehh, too late...”
>The constantly smiling attendant gets a bit wide-eyed as she looks at you with awe
>"Holy shit, how are you even alive?"
>Thanks to Trixie, but anyways…
>You shake your head
"People who gang up on others just piss me off is all."
>Huh, speaking of
>You suddenly realize you haven’t really gotten Spitfire to apologize or anything
>Even if she is kinda being strung along
>It becomes apparent you’re unintentionally giving her a bit of a stink eye as she shies away under your gaze a bit
>”Hey man, it ain’t personal or anything, I just like the reactions I get outta people, you just happen to react to different shit than her.”
>That’s not really a good excuse, and you should know since you’re the expert on shit excuses
>She hastily adds to her defense
>”Well that, and hey, sometimes Gilda and me can BOTH be the worst.”
>Ain’t that an understatement…
>Though that reminds you!
"What's with her and Trixie anyways? I feel like Gilda was a bit too into picking on her."
>At least you kinda hope so
>If that’s her normal cuntyness, well shit
>"Trixie and her? Aw man, I ain't touchin that with a 10 foot pole."
>Fuckin what?
>The spikey haired counter girl shakes her head
>"Those two have bad blood if I’ve ever seen it, don't exactly know why though.”
>Shrugging she leans back into her natural posture against the countertop
>“Gilda always mutters something about Trixie knowing what she did usually before walking off and punching something."

>That, sounds pretty believable…
>With a bit of a startling clap of her hands Spitfire gives you a grin
>”But enough bout that huh, you get her shoe size?”
>Guess you’ll drop it, you’ve got shit to do
>Like bowl!
“Yea, she’s a size 6 and I’m a 13.”
>She steps back toward the doorway you saw her come through and squats down by a cabinet
>It, really makes her ass look nice
>Sliding open the shelf door she glances over her shoulder with a grin
>”Heh, with a size 13 I guess you really are a big shooter aren’t ya?”
>You feel your eye and mouth twitch as you can’t decide how to properly respond
>Chuckling at your expense she pulls out two pairs of shoes out of the cabinet
>Placing them on the counter she pulls out a notepad and pencil as she wiggles her eyebrows
>”So what do you want for grub?”
>You pick up the shoes as you calmly think
>Just answer concisely and don’t give her the opportunity to do ANYTHING
"Two root beers, cheese curds, a BLT, and a salad preferably with chicken."
>She scribbles your order down smirking the entire time
>"Can do, I'll even have someone else go deliver it so I don't ruin your date."
>Even though she ended that with a wink, you ignore it since you feel a verbal jab coming from within
"Sure it isn't because you're lazy?"
>You’re about to leave, but she retorts quickly
>"Wow, looks like you do have claws, even if they're a bit blunt."
>You feel a really shitty come-back rushing to spew out of your mouth
>For the love of god don't just say "no u"
"Like you?"
>Only marginally better
>She begins chuckling
>"Oh please spare me from these sick burns."
>You resist the urge to play into her game and instead walk back to your bowling lane with shoes in hand
>That could’ve gone way better, but it did give you something to think about
>Besides her ass…
>For now though, you gotta get your head in the game!
>It’s time to bowl!
.
.
.

>Your eyes wander about the damp streets from underneath your drawn hood as you take in the chilly night scenery
>The sound of Trixie’s and your combined footsteps seems distinct compared to the general quiet of the calm city streets
>Even with the occasional car and the lights of buildings around you it feels like you two are alone out here
>On the horizon you spot your destination, the modest sized white house on the corner intersection of a more residential street
>Hm, lights aren’t on inside
>Wonder if anyone’s home?
>Probably asleep already, though it’s not that late right?
>You’ll check later
>The two of you close the distance at a nice relaxed pace until, when you’re not too far from the house, Trixie lets out a content sigh
>”Tonight was, good.”
>You glance to your side to see the blue girl staring down at the black plush bowling ball she cradles against her stomach above the hoodie pouch
>She looks towards your direction before closing her eyes and smiling widely
>”Trixie had a lot of fun!”
>You nod wanting to say the same as she turns her attention back to the sidewalk beneath her and her plush
“Yea, me too.”
>You blink as further words kinda die in your throat
>Killer conversational skills
>Instead of dwelling on that you enjoy the silence between the two of you for the few yards you have left before her doorstep
>It feels like no time at all before your feet hit the wooden deck beneath the door and you breathe slowly beneath the pale yellow light of the porch light
>Looks like your time together has finally come to an end
>Standing still for a while the two of you don’t speak
>It’s almost as if the night won’t end if neither of you disrupts this final silence
>Though a part of you would enjoy that, if only a little bit, you do have to go sleep
>You turn to Trixie who seems to be a bit troubled as she stares at the door

>”Trixie uh, I guess this is goodbye huh?”
>Trixie’s eyes shift down to her side as her question dissipates into the night
>You think so
“Mhmm, I guess I’ll be seeing ya at school tomorrow.”
>Trixie nibbles at her bottom lip before nodding slowly as her gaze drifts in your general direction
>”Yes, yes Trixie will indeed see you again, at school.”
>Her eyes aren’t fully at your eye level instead hovering just below
>She looks like she either wants to say something or she expects you to say something
>Though you don’t really know what in either case
>Before the silence comes back too long she suddenly clears her throat into a balled fist
>”*Ahem* um, are you sure you would not wish for Trixie to help you get home fas-“
>You wave that suggestion away a bit too enthusiastically with a frantic swipe of your hands
“NO no, that’s fine I, just want to enjoy the night a bit more before I turn in anyways, but thank you.”
>Her eyes finally meet yours as she seems to contemplate your answer with a frown for a moment before a smile returns to her face
>”Well, the offer stands for you if you ever require the need of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s assistance.”
>Holding the plush to her side as dips a hand into her hoodie pouch she turns and steps towards the large white door
>”You should be thankful; it is not a service Trixie would offer just anyone.”
>You feel a smile of your own creeping its way onto your face with the return of her showman’s pride
“I consider it an honor that I won’t squander without good reason.”
>The jingle of keys and the turning of tumblers tell you she’s unlocked the door
>While she pushes open the door with one hand she glances over her shoulder jostling her ponytail and bangs in the process
>”Goodnight and, thank you…"

>You give a small nod and hold a hand up in farewell
“Goodnight, sleep tight.”
>With one more hint of a smile the magician turns back towards the darkness beyond the porch illumination before her and enters the house
>As the large wooden closes behind her you feel a both relieved and sad at your departure
>Guess that’s a good thing?
>Snorting a little you shove your hands into your hoodie pouch and walk off towards the street
>You start walking at a brisk pace towards the general direction of Canterlot Heights
>Leaving the edge of the urban proper you find yourself passing through the residential streets
>It’s pretty quiet around here
>Maybe it’s later than you thought?
>Can’t be much past 9 right?
>Deciding it’s better than just lazily staring at the scenery you fish your phone out with one hand
>Pressing the power button you’re met with a blood chilling realization
>It’s 10:30!
>Wow, that would explain why it’s so dead out right now
>You are like super late!
>Huh, would’ve figured you’d get a call from Luna at this point
>Though maybe she respects you enough to trust you’ll come home?
>Sure, you’ll go with that
>Well, if you’re already this late there’s not much point in rushing now
>Slowing down to a bit more leisurely speed you crack your neck
>Might as well see if you can do something on your way to Luna’s
>Oh, could tell Twilight about Bowling Alley
>Since for one, it’s not a dive, and you’re pretty sure you’ve figured out the cause of the slightly higher magic in the area
>At least you hope that certain bomber jacket wearing delinquent is the cause
>Dialing her number you bring the phone up to your ear
>It rings which is a good sign
>It rings again
>Once more

>Ok, you’re starting to wonder if she’s going to an-
>With a click Twilight’s voice comes through
>”Hello you’ve reached Twilight Sparkle, I’m sorry I could not answer your call, but if yo-“
>You hang up on the machine before Twilight’s entire spiel could be finished
>Should’ve figured a bookworm like her would be early to bed
>Guess you should probably just send her a text
>Pulling your other hand out of your hoodie pocket you get ready to type up Twilight a text
>Deciding she would probably appreciate succinct answers you’ll get straight to the point
”I was at Bowling Alley earlier tonight and I think the cause of the increased magic is Gilda. She’s been a frequent there since her friend works there.”
>That pretty much sums it up
>Don’t need to get into any of the really messy details since the result is the same
>Since you’re reporting to Twilight anyway you feel like you have something else you should tell her
>Oh yea, that freaky ass encounter with Discord
>You still have no fucking idea what that was
>The image of Discord with those dark crystal growths and milky eyes pops into your mind’s eye as you think back to then
>Or what that was
>If it was in fact anything…
>Pushing past the feeling of doubt over your own eyes you start typing
”Also, I had a pretty shitty encounter with Discord before I went to Bowling Alley. He almost drowned me and told me he was now working with someone in their genius scheme to rule over Earth and Equestria. I have no idea if he’s serious.”
>That about sums up the situation as nicely as you can
>Sure, Twilight will probably freak out a bit and ask you to fill her in more, but this will do for now

>Pressing send you then lock your phone once more and place your hands back into your hoodie pouch
>Breathing out your nose you look around the area you kinda auto-piloted through to
>Seems like you’re at the corner entrance of an iron fenced enclosure and some sort of park or leisure area bordering a forest
>Wait, are those gravestones behind the fence?
>Lovely
>Well actually, it does look very nice compared to what you’d expect a graveyard and park-esque area beside one to be like
>The graves seem tidy enough with plenty of black iron lamp posts dotted around to keep things mildly visible throughout the graveyard
>Wonder what graveyard this is?
>Can’t see any signs so you instead continue examining the park area
>It seems to have similar black iron lamps alongside the concrete sidewalk leading into a clearing in the forest
>Wait a second, you think you see someone walking into the clearing now
>While there are lights along the sidewalk, the path to and the clearing itself isn’t lit
>With the trees at the clearing entrance blocking the moonlight you can’t quite make out who it is
>Though it probably doesn’t help that they’re also short and in a hoodie
>While you feel a bit of curiosity as to why someone would be walking to a clearing in the woods outside a graveyard you can’t shake the feeling that you may just rudely interrupt someone’s nice night walk for no reason
>Ah, doesn’t really matter
>You should leave whoever it is alone
>Besides, it’s late and you do want to go to bed sometime tonight
>Scanning the skyline in the direction you were going before you spot the hospital and subsequently the bundle of buildings that house Canterlot Heights
>While you don’t need to really rush, maybe you should put a little pep in your step?
>Deciding that’s your best bet you begin your brisk walk
.
.
.

>You slam open the double doors with anger fueled vigor before cursing aloud
“Damnit!”
>With your frustration boiling over you stomp your way past the surprised Indigo who quickly rushes to catch up with you
>”I take it things went well huh?”
>You can’t possibly frown any harder at her if you tried
>As you make it to the sidewalk your foot manages to hit one of the only puddles around resulting in a splash big enough to dampen the bottom pant leg of your jeans
>Great!
>You stand in place with one foot in the puddle and heave a defeated sigh as some of the pent up steam seeps out of you
>Indigo stops beside you gently shaking her head with her normal smug smile
>”So, you gonna fill me in or not?”
>You grit your teeth for a moment before hanging your head
“They didn’t listen to me…”
>You shake your head and continue your trek to the parking lot as your escort drills you for more info
>”Wait what; I thought Zecora was already on board?”
>That’s what you thought…
>You were under the impression she’d at least back you and not outright oppose you
>Why did she 180 on you?
>The only reason you can think is…
>No, she wouldn’t do anything that rash yet no matter how pressing
>It’s much too early to be so barbarou-
>”I’ll take that as she did change her mind.”
>Indigo’s words bring you out of your head and remind you that you’re not alone
>Right, she’s your second half for the foreseeable future so you better keep her in the loop
>Even if it is against their orders 
“Yes, for whatever reason she did, not that it would’ve mattered seeing as the vote would’ve still been 3 to 2.”
>The thrill seeking girl stops in her tracks and cocks an eyebrow
>”Oh really, so he’s finally decided to provide some feedback?”

>Yes, that was a bit of a surprise to you too
>Gives you free reign to sort things out among yourselves for how long, and now suddenly he starts to delegate?
>Part of you wants to call him irresponsible for taking so long, but you should probably be thankful he’s at least deciding to do more than smooth things over with the locals for you
>Though you suppose his joining in means things are as expected
>That being they’ve gone from bad to worst
“Not only that, but he’s brought a little something to help the rest of us out.”
>Indigo digs into her coat as the two of you close the distance to her rain-drop spotted car
>”And what’s that?”
>You shrug as she pulls out her keys
“He’s taken it upon himself to arrange a meeting this Saturday with another team of specialists who can help, supposedly anyway.”
>Not that you’re one to doubt his word, but you don’t really see how anyone could really help more at this point
>If anything…
>”So he’s not worried about having too many cooks in the kitchen at this point?”
>Look at Indigo; you really don’t give her enough credit considering that was something you brought up too
>You circle around the car as she unlocks it while staring you down
“He’s worked with them before to great success, but if you ask me that may be a distinct possibility.”
>The two of you get into the black charger with a humph before buckling yourselves in
>Indigo shakes her head as she leans into the steering wheel
>”So if we’re not going after whoever broke into that house, what exactly are we going to do?”
>You shrug while leaning back into your seat
“Well, if we can’t directly follow the only lead to Bedlam we have then we’ll just continue observation and hope that we cross paths with our mystery ninja.”
>Twisting the key in the ignition Indigo seems about as thrilled with the concept as you are
.
.
.

>You stop your sluggish trudge in front of the ornate wooden door you were looking for
>Sleep is a bitch and she calls to you, but first
>You press your ear against the detailed carvings that decorate the door to Luna’s penthouse apartment
>Listening silently for a few moments you hear nothing through the door
>Though that might not mean anything since the thing is solid wood anyways
>You back away from the door and shake your head
>Ok, so you’re like 45 minutes later than you said you’d be, so what?
>Luna’s probably not super mad
>Just open the door and accept what happens
>Even if what happens may be the quintessential parent waiting for you in the dark thing
>Oh god, you could easily imagine Luna being one of those types
>Probably smoking a pipe with her hands crossed over her lap
>Just staring at the door with a frown
>Ok maybe you’re over-blowing it a bit here
>Your thoughts get a bit wonky when you’re tired
>Though you don’t really want to have to open the door…
>Ehhhhhh
>Deciding you’ve stalled long enough you twist the handle and push open the door
>Thankfully the door doesn’t let loose a loud creak or anything as you swing it open to discover the darkness beyond
>Huh, can’t see any lights on
>Is Luna asleep or like looking at stars again?
>Closing the door behind you carefully you listen for any noise
>Can’t hear anything though
>You slip out of your shoes and take note that Luna’s are here too
>So she is here…
>Taking a few steps into the living room you search for her
>Not on the couch
>With the grace of a ninja you sneak over towards the edge of the kitchen
>Peering around the wall you glance at the bathroom and Luna’s room
>Only to see that they’re both empty
>That only leaves…
>You shuffle over towards the guestroom and check the veranda
>No dice
>You turn towards the guestroom and notice that the door to that cluttered room is closed
>As you get closer you peek around the door frame into the guestroom
>Nada

>You do a 180 and face the closed door
>Wonder what Luna’s up to in here?
>You don’t notice any light leaking out from beneath the door itself
>Taking a step closer you grasp the brass knob and listen closely for any noise
>The soft whirl of a computer can be heard
>Hmm, why would Luna be on a computer in the dark?
>Wait, she does like the dark so that’s not too off or anything
>Well regardless, you should check in with her and get to bed
>Sleep sounds like the best thing right now
>Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing yourself for what lie ahead you twist the knob
>Pushing open the door you ready your first excuse
>Only to spy a sleeping Luna illuminated by the blue glow of her computer screen
>With her head atop an open book she seems pretty peaceful
>Well, this would explain why she didn’t call
>As you silently pace towards her you get a better look at her
>Ever the hard worker it appears she’s still in her work clothes
>At least her collar is loosened giving some semblance of relaxation
>Does this mean she went straight to the computer without even changing clothes?
>Weird
>Needless to say, her outfit’s gotten even more wrinkled than when you last saw her
>Though that’s to be expected when napping on a desk
>You stop beside her and glance over the few books of densely packed text that surround her
>Between the pages of text are sketches of strange symbols
>Shifting focus to the thin lcd screen you find, surprise, more text
>Skimming through it, it seems to be some sort of research notes on dreams and REM sleep
>You smirk as you look at Luna’s sleeping form
>Decide to do some first-hand research huh?
>You chuckle a bit at the thought before crossing your arms
>Now what are you gonna do with her?

>How is it that you keep finding Luna asleep literally anywhere besides her bed?
>You’re beginning to wonder if she has troubles with sleep
>While you could carry her to bed, you don’t really think she was planning on sleeping this early
>Maybe this time you should rouse her awake?
>A fond memory of being awoken from a study nap reminds you of a dumb thing to say 
>With slight restraint you place a hand on her shoulder and gently shake her
>Your voice just barely audible above whisper flows from your mouth
“Hey, you can’t absorb knowledge from books through osmosis, trust me I’ve tried.”
>You grin as Luna begins to writhe beneath your attempt to wake her
>Ah man, Papa Neato could be such an ass
>You follow in his footsteps with your continued shaking
“Come on, if you sleep too long on books you’ll get words all of your face.”
>You don’t bother suppressing a chuckle at the dumb remarks
>Luna lets out a low groan as she blinks her eyes open
>The haze of sleep still heavy on her she looks up to you
>”Igi?”
>Heh, guess he’s been using those dumb lines for a long time
>Er, was…
>You frown at the thought before you stop shaking Luna
>She seems to be cognizant enough if she’s speaking
“Nah it’s just, just me.”
>Rubbing her eyes lazily she sits up slowly
>”Oh, Anon…”
>She glances around before catching the glare of the lcd and squinting
>As she shrinks away she manages to ask
>”What time is it?”
>You glance down at the corner of the screen
“It’s currently 10:50.”
>The sleepy vice-principal furrows her brow as she looks down at her books
>”It appears I may have gotten a bit carried away…”
>That’s a word for it
>Brushing her bangs aside she looks back to you
>”Hold on, if it truly is so late, may I ask what you are doing up?”

>Hahaaaahhh, you really wish you could tell Luna she can’t
>You look away from the now much more menacing parent before you and place your hands in your hoodie pouch
>How to go about this…
>The words stumble out about as quickly as you think of what to actually say
>In other words, painfully slow
“Oh uh, you know, I kindaaaa just, got here?”
>You glance at her from the corner of your eye as you plaster a nervous grin onto your mug
>Her mug however is much less angry than you thought it’d be as she appears to be smirking
>”I would reprimand you for being so late, but I don’t think I’m in a position currently to do so.”
>Oh, well that’s great!
>Maybe great’s not the best word for it, but at least you won’t get in trouble for this
>She stretches her arms behind her interlacing her fingers, arcing her back, and thrusting her chest forward
>Not that you would know since you were certainly not looking!
>With a sigh she sits up straight
>”Besides, I suppose your late arrival is indicative of the fun you had tonight?”
>Uh, well hmmm…
>You didn’t NOT have fun, despite Discord and Gilda
“Yea, I guess.”
>With a dreamy smile Luna nods happily
>”Then that’s all that matters.”
>That so?
>Huh, kinda figured she’d at least drill you for info or something
>Seems like the parent thing to do, but given she’s still a bit tired and all perhaps it’s not that surprising her verdict is so simple 
>Well that’s for better, you’ll take that over getting in trouble
>Luna lets out a yawn without even an attempt to cover or stifle it
>You being a normal tired person react with a yawn of your own
>After closing your mouth shake your head
“Guess we’re both pretty tired huh?”

>Luna seems slightly annoyed as she shakes her head as if struggling to stay awake
>Doesn’t looks like she’s anymore awake, but she has succeeded in messing her hair up a bit more
>”It seems so, but hopefully I will be better in the morning…”
>You kinda doubt that given how she is with getting up
>Feeling another wave of tiredness crashing upon the remainder of your energy you decide it’s finally time to call it quits
“I think I’ll be heading off to dreamland myself now, how bout you?”
>With a grimace she gives a sidelong glance at the books on the desk
>”I would love to, but I do need to get a bit more reading done before I can.”
>Really?
>She doesn’t really look all that much better than you on the “staying up” front
“Sure you can swing that?”
>She lazily waves your concern off with her hand
>”Trust me I can keep myself awake when I want to.”
>Eh ok surrrrre
>Maybe say something to hammer the “go to sleep at a reasonable time please” point home?
>Ah!
>Deciding not to press her, your sleep-addled brain comes up with the idea to crack a joke to make sure she doesn’t stay up to late
“Alright, just make sure to make it to bed when you do crash, don’t want to have to carry you to bed again.”
>You, you just said that
>That wasn’t even a joke
>Why in the ever-loving FUCK would you say that, AGAIN!?!
>Instead of awkward silence however, Luna surprisingly chuckles
>”I wouldn’t wish to make that a nightly occurrence after all, would I?”
>You can’t tell if she’s fluttering her eyelashes or blinking
>Though considering she’s now rubbing her eyes it was probably the later
“Ha, ahhhhh nah nah yea, goodnight.”
>You fall silent as you experience a brain fart in the blue-lit darkness for a few moments
>Luna doesn’t break the silence and instead gives you a small wave before turning to her books
>Alright, that’s your queue to leave
>You do the best option available and turn away to leave before you can say or do anything else questionable
.
.
.

>You’re breathing heavily
>Pain has subsided and now numbness overtakes you
>This can’t be happening
>This shouldn’t be happening
>You’re on the ground again
>You can’t see too well
>It’s hard to steady yourself with your hands when you can’t feel them
>As you begin to resign yourself to your fate you notice something off through your almost tunnel like vision
>You furrow your brow as you ponder
>A voice cuts through the fog in your mind
>"Stand up, or I'll make it so you won't be able to."
>With one more in a series of tests to your willpower you somehow are standing once again
>This time however you have a good feeling as you grope at your side limply
>After all, this time the tree that bends will be uprooted by the thunderstorm
.
.
.
>You flinch as consciousness hits you like a truck
>Blinking your eyes slowly you realize you’re in bed, and not, elsewhere
>You sniff as you sit up
>Bathed in a mixture of nightlight and the weak beginnings of the morning sun seeping in from above you stretch your arms with a yawn
>Well, despite the content of your dream you at least feel refreshed, so that’s something
>Swinging your legs over the side of the bed you gnab your phone off the bedside table
>Before you get to unlocking it you notice the notification light is blinking
>Pressing the power button on the side you bring up the time and previews of a few messages
>It’s fresh and early at 7:25
>Ok, maybe you wouldn't describe this as early, but you went to bed really late
>Seems the messages are from that your daily fortune thingie, which is pretty early now that you think of it, and…
>Why has Twilight sent you multiple texts?
>Feeling both slightly worried and confused you see what she had to say first

>Received at 1:33 AM
>”Oh my, I do hope that’s merely hyperbole and you’re daijobu.”
>If it were anyone besides the supposed god of chaos Twilight, then maybe you would be exaggerating…
>You frown before scrolling down
>”Regardless, my frequency scans will soon be complete, and hopefully they will yield more useful information than the leftovers my guests were so kind to leave behind.”
>Leftovers?
>She did say they must’ve used her not!helmet scan thing, and it does take hours to crunch the data from it
>So does that mean they waited there for the numbers to finish or like…
>You drag your free hand down your face with a grimace
>It’s too early for this
>You shake some residual weariness from your head before glancing back at the last of Twilight’s messages
>This one was received at 4:07AM
>”The situation is now significantly more complicated; I will contact you with details before school begins.”
>That’s not ominous or anything
>Ok, instead of worrying about that now, you’re just going to go about your morning first
>Read the dumb spam bot fortune thing, get your clean clothes, take a nice hot shower, and then eat something warm and filling before dealing with any of THIS text
>Whatever THIS text means
>Twilight will call you, and you’ll be much better at processing what she says
>You back out of the conversation while standing up to gather your things starting with your pin nestled next to where your phone was previously
>Let’s see what your fortune is today
>”A journey starts with a single step. Try to make sure you take many today, even if the outcome is uncertain… You may just start a journey you won’t soon regret!”
>You stare blankly at the text as you fold today’s clean clothes atop each other
>This fortune seems a lot more like what you originally expected from something like this
>Trying to be inspiring while also being so surface and vague that it could apply to literally anything

>Overall eh/expected
>You stand up from your squatted position and close the sock drawer with your knee
>You lucky numbers are; 0, 4, 5, and 1
>Stopping at your closed door with clothes in hand you furrow your brow as you still don’t get what exactly the lucky numbers are supposed to do
>Your color, tan
>Wonder if there’s any actual rhyme or reason to these colors, or if it’s just random?
>You shrug to yourself before stowing your phone atop the pile of clothing at your side
>Pushing open the door you come to several realizations at once
>One, you didn’t close your door last night
>Two, something smells good
>Finally, is that music?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxAmA7tSxiM
>You glance towards the kitchen to find both the source of the tantalizing smell and softly thumping beats
>Inside currently doing a little dance in place is none other than Luna
>What is she wearing?
>If you didn’t know any better you’d say she’s wearing some sort of baggy cyan nylon jacket and pants combo straight from the 90’s
>Oh god, is that a scrunchie in her ponytail?
>The dancing woman in question shimmies from side to side before performing a large twirl in place
>She stops on her tiptoes facing your direction with a somewhat shiny lipped smile
>”Oh hey, mornin!”
>You now see that she’s wearing a white cropped tank top that shows off a bit of her well-defined ab-YOU CAN STOP RIGHT THERE!
>Ignoring that you force yourself to give a stiff wave as you walk towards the kitchen
>There is so much wrong with this
>Like besides the fact that Luna seems to be up and at-em
>She’s wearing rounded trapezoid sunglasses when there’s barely any daylight out!
>Their deep purple hued lens block out most of her eyes
>Not that you’re one to judge fashion, but it seems a bit out of place for someone who usually exudes business professionalism

>As you stop at the island counter you can’t help but notice a few more details as Luna bobs up and down to the music
>Mostly the droplets of sweat peppering her slowly rising and falling torso
>Placing your clothes on the counter you lean against it for support
>Perhaps you should ask about the most egregious thing about this somewhat surreal situation
>Leaning forward onto your forearms you ask as naturally as you can
“So uh, you’re up early.”
>You’d say that was a pathetic attempt, but you’re going to say it’s the best you can do all things considered
>Luna chortles softly into a closed fist for a moment before crossing her arms and leaning against the counter with her head thrown back
>”Yeaaa, I couldn’t sleep after a while so I figured I’d get up and do something nice and early for once you know?”
>She waves a hand over herself as if to showcase her cyan ensemble
>It’s only now that you’re at the island counter and actively looking her over that you can see her pants are those odd 3/4 length kind
>Along with the fact that she seems to be wearing some thin purple socks
>”So I dusted off some of my old clothes and decided I’d get a little early morning workout at home.”
>Huh, wouldn’t have taken her for a dancer in either the past or now
>Though we all gotta get that cardio somehow, even if it’s in some really old clothing
“Oh that’s cool, the nylon looks very, distinctive?”
>Luna bounces forward a few steps and gives a little twirl
>”It’s polyester actually, but thanks; I always thought I could rock the look.”
>Well, it doesn’t look bad on her by any means…
>Luna sweeps a hand through her now straightened slightly sweaty hair while still slightly bobbing her head to the music
>”So, do you like quiche, cause I make a mean quiche.”

>You notice that the oven light is on and probably has been since you came out
>Must’ve been where the nice smell has been coming from
>Though quiche?
>Well you do love eggs, even if you did have quiche yesterday
“Yea, egg pies are great…”
>Your words come out a bit more hesitantly than you’d like as they apparently don’t want to come out and play
>Luna however either doesn’t notice or ignores it as she gives a quick nod before twirling around on the balls of her feet to face the oven
>One of her heels softly thumps onto the ground as she slowly leans sideways on one leg while using her other as a counter balance
>She stops as she becomes parallel to the ground before spreading her arms wide
>Her fingertips points to both the ceiling and the floor while she inhales slowly
>As she peers into the oven through its glass window her long ponytail and loose bangs are just barely kept from scraping the floor
>You know, you’d think that loose polyester 3/4 pants would leave more to the imagina-
>Luna’s cheerful voice rings out with a sigh as you find your eyes drawn to where any hot-blooded young man’s would
>”Well, I put one in a bit ago; bet it’ll be done by the time you’re done showering if you’re not too quick.”
>She turns her head peeking over her shoulder with a sidelong glance directed towards you
>”So take your time in the shower while I end with some stretches, ok?”
>With a somewhat miffed nod you do your best to speak words
“Ok, can do.”
>In your defense, just this once you think you can say that this isn’t your fault
>Who does yoga or whatever that is in their kitchen while cooking!?
>Seemingly satisfied with your answer Luna turns back towards the oven as she tightens her muscles showing off a bit more of her sculpted le-AHHHHH!
>You make the quick tactical call to quickly tear your eyes from her and retreat towards the bathroom post-haste!
>If for nothing but your sanity’s sake
.
.
.

>You tap your foot on the floor as you stand beside the elevator door
>Glancing down at your phone you take note of the time
>8:05AM
>Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t take too long in that shower after all
>Probably would’ve been running a bit late had Luna decided to take longer with hers
>At least you were able to eat a bit of that quiche while she cleaned herself
>You hear the soft slam of the wooden door to the apartment down the hall causing you to look up
>Luna strolls towards you with her hair now down somewhat damp
>Though what’s getting to you is that instead of her normal work wear she’s got on an entirely different outfit
>An over-sized flannel shirt acting as a jacket for a dark black shirt underneath and boot cut jeans with more than a few tears revealing a bit of flesh around the thigh area
>Alongside all that is a ratty pair of old purple canvas shoes with the laces tucked in
>Still wearing those purple trapezoid sunglasses too
>You really gotta ask about those
>Pressing the button to the elevator you wait for Luna
>Your oddly grungy dressed parent strolls up with a silent wave and the *ding* of the elevator
>The two of you file into the moving box and slam the garage button
>As you descend and the soothing music blends into the background you decide now is the time to tactfully ask what’s on your mind
>Obviously starting with the most important
“Ok, so what’s with the sunglasses?”
>You shift your focus from the wire brushed brass elevator doors to Luna who seems to be raising an eyebrow
>You elaborate for her
“Like, why were you wearing them inside when the sun is even barely out?”
>Hooking her thumbs into her tight jean pockets she shrugs
>”That’s simple, it’s cause of my condition.”

>Wait what?
>The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open
>As they do Luna strolls out nonchalantly towards her car
>Stupefied, you stand there for a moment before rushing to catch up with her while calling out
“Wait up, what? You’re not just going to leave that hanging there like a surprise stink bomb right?”
>With a small snicker she reaches into her flannel breast pocket and pulls her keys out
>”If you’re so interested I guess I can humor you.”
>Even though she says that she enters her black, probably-not-street-legal, sports car without telling you more
>You circle around to the passenger’s side as the car stirs to life
>Tearing the door open you throw yourself down into the seat before closing the door beside you
>Luna’s already started up the car, but instead of driving off immediately she pulls something out from her within her jacket
>It looks like a cd case?
>She unzips the circular case’s edge allowing it to unfold revealing several blank cds
>Taking one out at seemingly random she slips it into the cd player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADdaooPZG50
>As the music slowly thumps to life Luna taps her steering wheel
>She finally speaks as she pulls out of her parking spot
>”So if you didn’t know, I wear contacts because of a birth defect.”
>You turn towards her as she waves a hand in the air lazily
>”My eyes happen to be very photosensitive due to my peculiar pupil shape, so in general they act somewhat like sunglasses.”
>Peculiar eye shape?
“What’s so weird about your pupil shape, I don’t remember them being too odd.”
>She shrugs as she pulls out of the underground garage
>”Well you can’t tell when I have my contacts in, but I have more cat like pupils.”
>So slits?
>You’ve never heard of someone having something like that
>As if preemptively assuming your disbelief she leans towards you and pulls her shades down some

>Hot damn, Luna really does have cat-like pupils!
>Compared to her normal cyan eyes they now seem almost too dazzling
>Though maybe that’s because of just how much more of her eyes are cyan instead of the typical black from her pupils
>She smirks before readjusting her sunglasses as the two of you exit into the city streets
>”Pretty cool huh, they’re a bit of a pain during the day, but pretty nice for seeing at night.”
>You’d imagine
>You don’t really know the specifics, but you know cats are good at navigating around the darkness
>Those pupils are probably why
“Yea seems pretty nice, but uh why aren’t you just wearing your contacts?”
>Luna wiggles in her seat to the music as you come to a stoplight
>”Ran out, gotta refill my prescription, among some other errands…”
>Oh, so that probably explains the whole not work clothes thing
>Wait, but since she’s the vice-principal and the principal is gone right now
“What is today just a slow day at school or?”
>Cause you’re pretty sure that even if she is more the discipline side of management she does still need to be there
>”A little bit, but I also may have settled some affairs yesterday that free me up today.”
>She mimics a cellphone with her thumb and pinkie
>”You can basically consider me on call if they need me.”
>Ok, it’s not as though it takes long to get to school you guess
>Speaking of
>The car rolls to a stop as you near where you usually part ways
“Well uh, I guess I’ll see you later then.”
>Luna scratches her chin silently as you grab the door handle
>However as you crack the door open your parental guardian points to you
>”Be safe out there, if you find anything, call me.”
>Her stern voice is a bit off-putting compared to how relatively casual she’s been this morning, but guess that just accentuates how serious she is
>You give a curt nod in response
“Will do.”
>With that, you shut the door and make your way towards the sidewalk

>The sound of Luna driving off fades into the cavalcade of other cars coming and going around you as you step onto the sidewalk proper
>You begin your shamble towards the school in the distance with a deep breath of the fresh morning air
>Doesn’t seem too chilly today, and luckily it’s supposed to even heat up a few degrees later
>Hopefully whatever the shopping district has in store for you will be mostly indoors
>Though considering all the warnings and how you think Rarity is, it wouldn’t surprise you if you’re stuck inside shops the entire time
>Which is just fine with you!
>Carrying bags doesn-
https://youtu.be/atuFSv2bLa8?t=1m15s
>Your phone’s loud ringtone startles you from your thoughts causing you to jump a little
>With a quick hand you pull out your phone and quickly answer
“Hel-“
>You don’t even get through one word before a slew of words assaults your poor ear
>”AnonboheyhowareyouI’mcurrentlydoinggreeeeeaaaaat!”
>Is, is that Twilight?
>It certainly sounds like her voice, but uh…
“Twilight?”
>There’s a small chuckle or giggle over the line before she composes herself
>”Thatisindeedmynamedon’twearitout!”
>You rub your eyes in an attempt to get any remaining sleep out of your eyes because you’re pretty sure she just said she was Twilight and NOT Pinkie
>That can’t be right though considering Twilight doesn’t string her words together with almost no pauses between them
>Before you can get your mental bearings Twilight continues
>”SoanywaysIsaidI’dcalllaterbeforeschoolandit’sexactly30minutesbeforeclasssoIfigurednowwasbeforeschoolifanytimewaseventhoughIdidn’treallyspecifyWHENI’dcallbefore!”

>If you weren’t out in public you might just scream
>However, being the mature adult you are, you’re going to work through this calmly
>Bracing yourself somewhat you try to get through to Twilight
“Ok, pretending I understood what you just said, do you maybe think you could tone down the Pinkie a tad and tell me how you’re doing?”
>There’s a loud inhale of air on the other end that doesn’t comfort you too much
>However instead of exploding like a small puffball of energy Twilight exhales deeply
>”OK, ok ok, I am doing GREAT at this particular moment.”
>Well, you guess that’s something
“That uh, that so?”
>There’s a metallic crinkling noise over the phone before she speaks again
>”Yep, I was feeling a bit tired, and still had so much work to do so I looked around for something to help keep me up.”
>Oh boy, this can only be good
>”Unfortunately they didn’t have any coffee here so I got a bit distressed as I searched around the lab.”
>You unconsciously raise an eyebrow as you draw closer to the school
>”BUT, to my surprise, they had some odd canned beverages in the mini-fridge that I took the liberty of procuring for myself, and MHMMM.”
>Ok wait, hold up
“So you willingly drank some obviously left-over cans of something they had left there?”
>Twilight lets out a sigh as it sounds like she’s sat down
>”Affirmative, they were some moderately dusty cans of POISON BEAST NITR-OX that seemed to be just what I needed!”
>Poison, fucking what?!
>Who just drinks dusty cans of Poison, whatever she found, in the mini-fridge of a lab that SIS hasn’t used in literal years?
>That doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence
“Are you sure that’s safe, name aside, don’t they have like an expiration date?”

>Twilight lets out a laugh that you’re pretty sure is at your expense
>”Oh Anon-kun, don’t you know that expiration dates are for the date in which a distributor can guarantee maximum quality, not for when it’s safe to eat.”
>Hmm, you’re not one to question a genius but
“Are you sure that’s how it works?”
>She coughs and responds in her teacher-like tone of voice
>”Heh heh, well, it works for an energy drink especially because it was canned AND in a working fridge this whole time. Not to mention that the FDA doesn’t even require an expiration date on any food with the exception of inf-” 
>You quickly interrupt her explanation seemingly turned rant with a quick word
“Alright alright, I getcha.”
>Seemingly satisfied with your compliance Twilight goes silent
>Guess you’ll take her word for it
>She’s probably not going to die or anything from that
>You hear a sudden loud *SLAM* on the other end that causes you to jerk the phone away from your face for a moment
>”BOOHOHOH Anon-bo you sneaky boy, you almost made me forget why I called in the first place!”
>Oh yea, she was supposed to tell you about her findings
>Though it’s not like you were TRYING to make her forget
>She took you off guard first!
“Oh you caught me, guess you’ll have to t-“
>Twilight once again interrupts you, almost happily doing so
>”You’re right; I’ll have to tell you exactly what it is that I found!”
>You feel like you should care about people interrupting you, but at this point it doesn’t matter
>The caffeine boosted scientist clears her throat for a moment
>”*Ahem* Hmm, how exactly to put this…”
>You come to a stop at the crosswalk leading into the school front courtyard while pinching the bridge of your nose
>How come you can already tell you’re going to LOVE this news?

“Perhaps use big girl words?”
>Twilight lets out a breath directly into her phone as she answers
>”Oh no no, this isn’t an issue of something being complicated at aaalllll, it’s more an issue of how to break it to you, you see.”
>With a sigh you start crossing the crosswalk
“Just give it to me straight.”
>You don’t want anything but the truth here
>”Alright, both times that my yet-to-be-named device attempted to track Discord he was recorded to be several miles above Canterlot.”
>You blink and come to a stop a few yards from the statue-less pedestal in front of CHS
“I’m sorry I must’ve had a stroke because I could’ve sworn you said he was several miles above Canterlot?”
>Instead of literally anything else like you hoped, Twilight answers straightly
>”That is precisely what I stated.”
>You scratch your head and then proceed to pinch yourself to make sure you didn’t dose off mid-conversation
>Unfortunately for you, you don’t seem to have
“Are you one hundred percent sure that’s correct?”
>You hear what sounds like the shuffling of a multitude of papers on the other end before Twilight’s somber voice graces your ear
>”I had originally thought that perhaps the readings from our oh-so-friendly intruders’ use were inaccurate, but having run the numbers again alongside a simple control test I don’t believe that to be the case.”
>You cross the few yards between you and the pedestal so that you can lean against it
>”The results were that everything is working as intended, and as such I can say with some certainty that Discord, or something radiating his magical frequency, is currently residing several miles above Canterlot.”
>That, well fuck
>You cup your chin and rub your face with your freehand as you realize something
“What do you mean by something radiating Discord’s magical frequency?”

>Twilight clears her throat for a moment before speaking
>”Well, that is the crux of the matter which complicates everything; he is not only recorded as being several miles above Canterlot, but also an entirely separate place simultaneously.”
>If she were right next to you, you think you couldn’t stop yourself from doing a double take
>You’ll settle for calmly asking for clarification
“I’m sorry WHAT?”
>Calm, cool, collected
>That’s you
>“It appears that his magical frequency resides at the same time somewhere near the top of the Shadow Emporium Records building while also being several miles above Canterlot.”
>You were really enjoying your morning
>Glad to see you shouldn’t have been
>Thanks Twilight!
>”As I said previously, this is now significantly more complicated.”
>While perhaps not the phrasing you’d have used, it works
>You stand up straight and stop leaning on the pedestal, cracking your neck as you do so
“So what do we even do about this?”
>You can hear what seems like light tapping on a desk or something before Twilight speaks once more
>”Realistically, I don’t believe we can do anything about it besides the information gathering I was going to initiate already.”
>Oh that’s just great
>Glad to know some more info that does nothing but worry you!
>”I would perhaps suggest one of us inform Sunset and have her acquire any knowledge possible about Discord from my counterpart.”
>That, ok that’s something you can do with this
“Sure sure, I can uh, I can talk with her about it during study hall or something.”
>Though that brings up another problem
“So how much should I tell her about all of THIS, whatever it is we’re doing? Should I fill her in as much as possible, or are we still going to keep everyone in the dark?”

>The tell-tale crinkle of a can precedes Twilight’s worried voice over the phone
>”I will leave the decision to you as I have just come to a realization that requires my immediate attention.”
>Well great, you were always one for making decisions
>This surely won’t get in the way of you doing school work
>Not at all!
>Wait, what needs Twilight’s immediate attention?
“What’s up, are you ok?”
>She huffs over the line obviously doing something strenuous
>"Oh I am not in any notable danger. I simply realized that the serving size printed on each of these cans says there are two per can instead of what I assumed to be one; quite an oversight on my part."
>You furrow your brow
>Don’t really see how that’d require her immediate attention considering how serious an issue the two of you are dealing with right now
>"I suppose this explains the odd symptoms I've been feeling lately."
>Your current thoughts comes to a halt at her mentioning of odd symptoms
"I’m sorry what?"
>How can anyone just drop that so casually?
>"I would elaborate further, but now I believe it imperative to induce the appropriate curative measures, if you'll excuse me."
>You respond with something more akin to a gasp than any actual words
>What kind of energy drinks were those!?
>Did Twilight just down like five cans worth of the stuff?!
>However, before you can alleviate your growing concerns by asking she hangs up
>Way to leave you hanging here Twilight
>You stare at your phone’s call ended screen for a moment before rubbing your eyes
>So much to think about, and so much to do
>Yet it’s not even the first hour of school!
>Why is it you can already feel today's going to be one of those days?
>With a sigh you pocket your phone and make your way towards first hour
.
.
.

>You always find the cold surface of a table to be so comfortable during the first few hours of the day
>You don’t even mind the sideways view of the world you gain as you press your cheek into the hard yet pillow like table
>As the students slowly filter in you lazily glance at the chalkboard
>Ah wow, would you look at that
>Your focus shifts back to the doorway as you don’t bother reading the specifics on the board
>Appears as though you have to read another section from the book
>Whoopie
>Maybe it’s the fact that your morning already feels like it’s gone off half-cocked, but you really don’t feel like reading right now
>Probably doesn’t help that the sections to read are so small it never takes all class to do anyways
>Wow, first hour hasn’t even started and you’re already clocking out hard
>Your eyelids envelope your vision in darkness as you give into boredom
>The ambient sounds of the students around you make nice white noise
>Maybe you could just sleep through this class?
>You entertain the thought long enough that you feel sleep almost grasp around you
>However the bell followed shortly by a light *thump* and a sigh pull you back into reality
>Cracking open one eye you see that someone has sat next to you
>That someone being, a slightly disheveled Applejack?
>With obvious bags under her eyes and her somewhat frayed hair, you don’t think this is exactly the rustic look she’s going for
>Her shoulder slumped she throws a tired glance your way
>”Yer day treatin ya good too?”
>Opening your other eye you raise one eyebrow
“Well obviously not as good as it’s treating you, you look worse than me, and I’m lying face down on the table.”

>The tired cowgirl brandishes a small grin that’s accentuated by her somewhat bloodshot eyes
>”Heh.”
>Oh boy, one word responses
>She must be really having a killer morning
>Finding out that you are decidedly not the most tired at the table you tear your face off of the comfortable cold embrace
>Fully sitting up you nudge the now dangerously close to drifting off to dreamland Applejack with your elbow
“So, why are you so full of energy this morning?”
>Covering her mouth with an open hand she lets loose a loud and drawn out yawn before responding
>”Oh ya know, the usual farm work for two while being one…”
>Oh yea, didn’t she say something about her brother pulling something?
>She collapses unceremoniously onto the desk after pulling her book out
>With her face somewhat mushed by her arm she’s using as a pillow she sighs deeply
>"Had ta stay up later to cut down the work ah’d need ta do, then get up earlier than ah normally do to tackle the extra work still left over, and even then ah still had ta stay at home till the very last second."
>Oh jeez, that sounds like ass
>You give her a soft pat on the shoulder in solidarity
>The southern styled girl’s emerald eyes peek at you from beneath the brim of her Stetson
>”At least ah get to leave school early at lunch so ah can hopefully finish up the rest of the harvest, maybe ah’ll even be done in time ta eat dinner since ah won’t be able to stop for lunch.”
>As if to add insult to injury her stomach growls
>”And since ah didn’t get ta eat breakfast…”
>Holy god damn shit Applejack, and you thought your day was going to be great
>You look away due to just how bad you feel
>You know that you’ve got the whole Discord thing to worry about now, but it’s kinda painful to see her like this
>Especially since you’re now an able bodied young man

>At least you think so
>You don’t feel any hint of soreness from last night’s workout session, and even if you did go light it would’ve hurt if you were still injured in any way
>So considering that, and Applejack’s current state
>It doesn’t really feel right to just pretend you can’t do anything
>Besides, you’re not really going to be missing much if you leave at lunch
>Especially since you probably won’t be able to think straight today with this morning’s developments hanging overhead
>And you’re certainly not using that as an excuse to ditch school!
>Even though that is kinda nice
>You’re sure Luna will understand if you tell her just how bad Applejack’s faring
>You nod to yourself before glancing back towards the overworked girl in question
>Only for the words to die in your throat at the sight of her sleeping form
>Wow, she really went the distance
>Guess the combination of sleep depravity, the shade from her hat, and the comfort of a good book were enough to put her to sleep
>The snoozing farm girl murmurs silently to herself as you look away
>Well, since you’re in the back of the class she’s likely not to get caught snoozing if you don’t wake her
>Not to mention it’s not like Ms. Cinnamon Swirl really seems to care as long as you can do the tests and worksheets by the time their due
>So since you seem to be starting a new section today that’ll no doubt go on for a few days you might as well let Applejack get some z’s in before you give her the good news
>Might as well skim it over though now that you’re not going to sleep
>You pull out your headphones and get ready to read for a bit while you wait
.
.
.

>”*Yawn* Alright, so ah guess we should meet up at the parkin lot huh?”
>Applejack rubs a bit of sleep from the corner of her eye as you stretch back in your seat
“Yep, I’ll head straight there from history.”
>Seemingly satisfied that the last specks of sleep are rubbed away from her eyes the farmhand girl glances down at her pocket for a moment
>”Hmm, that reminds me…”
>You make eye contact with your table neighbor as her emerald eyes glance your way
>She manages to wipe away all traces of her sleepy expression as she stares intently for a moment
>Ignoring your urge to shrink away from her gaze you raise an eyebrow in silent wonder
>In one swift motion she raises up a palm-sized red rectangle
>”Can ya give me your number, last thing ah want ta do is circle round the back of the school looking for you ifin ah miss you somehow.”
>Oh, is that all?
>Shooting a more in-depth looksee at the red rectangle in her hand reveals it is indeed a smartphone with a red case
>Looks like one of those no frills one that’s all about protecting the phone and its screen, to the point it’s a bit bulky
>With your little inspection confirming that what she holds in her hand is indeed a cellphone out of the way you quickly bring out your own
>The two of you enter each other’s numbers into your respective phones
>Look at you, going up in the world
>That’s a total of seven numbers in your contacts!
>You can’t help but feel a bit of you die at the fact that is actually an achievement for you
>With a small sigh you put your phone away and stand from your seat

>”Now that you done agreed and all, ah suppose it’s only fair ta warn ya.”
>You glance towards the apple girl as she stands up with a grin
>For some reason you’re picking up an insidious aura from that grin, though you don’t really know why
>Especially considering all the stuff that’s popping up recently you think some good old fashioned manual labor may do you good
>You decide to voice your opinion as a way to assure her
“Warn me about what, I mean I already messed up by agreeing to shop with Rarity right, how much worse can it be with an hour or two of manual labor?”
>Applejack in response to your question begins to laugh, hard
>It’s enough to not only draw the eye of a few curios students who are also standing around waiting for the bell to ring, but make you feel like maybe you’re missing something here
>Slapping her knee she takes a deep breath and manages to speak words
>”AHha oohh, Anon what Rarity’s gonna have ya do and what ah’m gonna have you do may be two completely different things, but that’s still a question that’s just ASKIN fer trouble.”
>While that’s not wrong, you do feel as though you’re privy to some knowledge that’ll make going through whatever’s in store a bit more bearable in comparison
>Before you can defend yourself however the apple inclined girl pats you on the shoulder as if to interrupt you
>”Just trust me, you’ll see.”
>You’re suddenly feeling much worse about your immediate future than before
>With a minute shake of her head she looks towards the clock hanging over the door 
>”Especially since ah may have, stretched the truth just a little bit about the time needed to finish up everything, and we’ve got pretty much no more time to harvest after today…”
>Wait what?

>Applejack continues on with a somber grimace as you process what you’re pretty sure she tried to slip past you all sneaky like
>”Anyways, ah’m in mighty need of help…”
>Well that’s why you offered you guess
>She turns to you gripping your shoulders with a tight squeeze
>”Basically what ah’m sayin is, ah’m gonna be workin you harder than a horse!”
>She accents her statement with a smile and chuckle
>More importantly though, with a hardy smack on your shoulders
>Why is it you feel as though you’re going to be worked to the bone multiple times today?
*BRRRIIINNNGGG*
>With the bell unleashing the floodgates all the students around you begin to move as one
>Applejack gives your shoulder one more squeeze before joining the tide of students flooding out the doorway
>You, as usual, wait a moment for the crowd to thin out before heading towards your next class
>It occurs to you as you wander the hustle and bustle of in-between class time that perhaps being so quick to help Applejack with her stuff right now isn’t the best of ideas
>Not that it really matters now since you told her you would, and you’re a man, boy, teenager of your word
>Though Sunset won’t probably want to keep a lid on the Discord stuff depending on how much you enlighten her
>Not that you really should, even if people have enough to worry about already…
>AHHH, deciding shit is hard!
>Sunset will want to hold a meeting at lunch or something, and you kinda already cocked that up since you’ll not only be leaving with Applejack then, but Twilight’s probably still going to be out like a light!
>You massage your temples with both hands as you round a corner
>Sometimes this feels like too much…

>Your eyes catch a recognizable rainbow pattern as you glance around lazily
>Maybe you’re worrying about this for nothing?
>After all, maybe everyone’s not here today besides Twilight
>Then you can all enjoy the Discord shit show tomorrow during the time you’re supposed to figure out the Flash showdown?
>That sounds like a great plan!
>If you were an idiot, maybe
>Regardless of that plan’s greatness you should probably check to see if everyone’s even here today, and you have just the way
>You speed walk and catch up with the tiny blue wonder ahead of you
>Speaking up over the sound of students around you, you greet Dash
“Hey Dash, know if everyone’s here today?”
>What an elegant segue if you say so yourself
>The small speedster gives you the thinnest smirk as she digs her hands into her jacket pockets
>”And good morning to you too dude, and no, but you should already know that.”
>Well that answers that question
>Guess Sunset’s going to make you all talk about it tomorrow 
>Wait…
>The two of you slow down as you scooch closer to her
“You counting someone besides Twilight?” 
>Dash rolls her eyes with an incredulous grin
>”It’s Rarity dude, she always saves a sick day or two so she can “work her magic” before a night out at the fashion district.”
>Rarity working her magic?
>Dash doesn’t mean that like
“Are we talking lit-“
>You’re interrupted by a short chuckle before she speaks
>”No it’s not actual magic, at least I’m pretty sure it isn’t but like, it’s close.”
>Ah, cool
>So Rarity is working on whatever preparations she needs before tonight so she’s not here either…
>Probably should’ve seen that coming
>Dash stops you with a tug on your arm pulling you aside by the wall
>”Hey man, not that I don’t like chatting, but like I still need to change, and you’re following me into the girl’s locker.”

>Huh?
>Finally being pulled from your thoughts you glance around, and would you look at that!
>Less than 5 feet from the girl’s locker room door
>A few girls give you two looks as they file into said locker room
>You immediately become keenly interested in the floor as Dash pats you on the arm
>”Hey man, don’t worry; I wouldn’t let you waltz in on accident, probably.”
>Real funny
>You glance up from the floor slightly to give the tomboy beside you a pat on the head along with a patronizing smirk
“Gee thanks, I’ll be sure to remember you and all the other, little things you do for me when I make it big.”
>Oh man, you swear you just saw her eye twitch
>Instead of doing anything rash however, she gently moves your arm off her head
>”Just get dressed you dork, we’ve got weights to lift and laps to run.”
>With a light punch to your side she leaves for the locker room
>Guess you can continue belittling her in class
>Heh, you should use that sometime
.
.
.
>As you curl some light weight a certain rainbow-haired shorty pipes up
>"Hm, going light again huh, you not feeling 100% yet?"
>You shrug as you throw a glance towards her and find she’s also curling
"Nah nah, I mean I guess yes, but only because I'm going to help AJ with farm stuff after lunch."
>She nods as she takes a seat on the bench across from you
>With a wiggle of her eyebrows she makes eye contact with you
>"Ah, so you decided to man up and help her with uh, “farm stuff” huh?"
>Hey, you don’t like the wiggling, and you had legitimate concerns
“I was injured for awhile.”

>Dash places her weight beside her on the bench as she closes her eyes and nods slowly
>”Mhm sure buddy, would suck if your “injury” flared up and you make poor old AJ have to tend to you in her own home.”
>Oi wot is she trying to say?
>You switch your curling arm as you straighten your back and sit up
“You tryin to say something, I can’t quite hear you from down there.”
>As if unconsciously, Dash sits up a bit before resuming her exercise
>”I’m just saying that it’s awfully convenient that you get to go help her with some hard work, alone ya know.”
>Is she, is she trying to imply something?
>It’s not like you get any bad thoughts thinking about being alone with Applejack for an extended period
>Well, besides perfectly healthy thoughts for a boy, teen your age
>You hold your non-curling hand up as if to physically stop her implication
“Unlike you Dash, my mind doesn’t instantly go to the gutter when I think of a boy and girl doing sweaty work together.”
>That’s a complete lie, but you’ll pretend it’s true
>”Sweaty work huh, bet that’s your favorite kind huh?”
>You cease all motion as you stiffen up at Dash’s words
>Why are you getting a sudden case of déjà vu?
>Dash begins to snicker before letting out a full on laugh
>”Ah, I’m just messing with you dude, I’m sure nothing but apple harvesting is gonna happen.”
>Part of you is feeling like you should be offended at that implication, or lack of implication in this case
>You’re a guy too dang it, and things can happen!
>Ok, you’re not going to make them happen, but like the possibility is not an absolute zero!
>You put down your dumbbell and let out a sigh as you throw your head back
>Maybe you should avoid bringing up Dash’s height too much
>Cause if it isn’t a direct challenge it seems she’s perfectly capable of hitting you where it hurts

>As you relax for a moment Dash calls out
>”Speaking of happening, thanks for agreeing to help out the squirt.”
>Tearing your gaze down from the ceiling above you eye Dash who’s currently stretching her arms
>Agreeing to something with the squirt?
>You have no clue what Dash is on about
>Scratching your head idly you voice such
“Um, what exactly did I say yes to?”
>She stands up with her dumbbell in hand
>"You know, for agreeing to do the whole movie thing with those three, means a lot dude."
>Oh yea, that
>The thing you completely 100% agreed to of your own volition
>Guess Sunset told everyone while you were at lunch with Twilight
>You stand up and rerack your dumbbell with Dash
"I mean like, I didn’t think it was that a big a deal, besides I kinda got roped into it more than anything."
>She smiles as she leads you towards the bench press
>"Well, it’s a big deal to them and like even if Sunset roped you into it, you can always say no.”
>Well maybe this little blue blur can
>You kinda have a problem though with crushing cute little girls’ dreams what with being a big old softie and all
>It’s a weakness that girl scouts of the future are going to be sure to capitalize on
>Your lithe gym partner lays back on the bench as you load up her usual plates
>”Anyways, besides making the squirt happy it’s given everyone something nice to look forward to as group. You know, other than rocking Flash in public so hard on Saturday he’ll never perform live again.” 
>Yea, filming a fan trailer is a bit more of a “fun for the whole family” than public humiliation that you hope will go down
>Though how everything will turn it is still up in the air for all you know…
>You assume your spotter’s position behind the waiting lifter and give her a thumbs up
>Ah damnit, now you’re going to worry about not doing enough about Discord AND Flash

>With a nod Dash sucks in air as she readies herself for the main event
>Not that you could really do anything about either, Flash even more so since you can’t into music
>With a quiet grunt the blue athlete hoists the bar up
>Though maybe you can use some of the time during your manual labor later today to come up with some ideas to pitch to the others tomorrow?
>With a slow deep breath she lowers the bar
>That’s better than nothing
>And rises it once more
>Maybe you should focus on what you’re only job is right now instead?
>You glance down to see if Dash not only touches the bar to her chest, but needs help
>Only to realize that you’re kinda staring straight at her small bu-ok how bout you don’t?
>Check her form, and make sure NOT to look at the slightly sweaty and lightly bobbing up and down chest of hers
>Not that there’s much to look a-NOT SUPPOSED TO BE STARING AT THAT REMEMBER!?
>You jerk your wandering eyes away from her mounds and meet her eyes
>Man, the way her slick rainbow locks frame her face really makes her eyes pop 
>Did you just think that?
>Through breaths she glances up at you inquisitively
>”What’s up?”
>You find yourself freezing up after being addressed
>Instead of panicking, you stay cool because it’s not like she can read thoughts
>God you hope so
“N-nothing, especially not the bar, come on and let me have a turn if you’re gonna lie there all day!”
>Yea, nice save!
>With a grin she sits up
>”Alright alright, if you’re so eager I’ll let you work in.”
>You gladly switch positions with her as she loads up more weight
>With a sigh you close your eyes
>Ok you’ve got like 15 minutes of class left
>You’ll use that time to bang out this set and then...
>And then it’ll be time to talk to Sunset to start working on sorting all this shit out
>Soon, but for now
>Opening your eyes you grip the steel bar above you
>Dash gives you a small nod as she looks down on you
>Time to lift
.
.
.

>With your reclamation of the weighty backpack you left behind yesterday complete you shut the locker door
>You slowly trod over to your usual bench to await the bell in the last few minutes of this hour’s class left
>Practically falling onto the bench you sigh
>A little rest before you break the news to Sunset
>Your eyes wander the relatively quiet locker room
>As usual almost everybody is crowded around the door to the hall and eagerly awaiting the chance to leave
>Though now that you look at them you notice a few people missing
>Might be the reason why it’s so quiet too
>Flash and his regular bunch of jobbers are missing
>Wonder if he’s skipping?
*BRRRIIINNNGGG*
>Eh whatever, you’ve got better things to think about
>You will yourself to your feet as the room quickly empties
>With a noticeable lack of pep in your step you make your way out into the halls
>Now you’re not going to say that you dread talking to Sunset, but boy howdy you’d love to do just about anything else
>Then again, it’s not like talking to her is effortless under normal circumstances
>That girl is just, something
>Though maybe that’s just your subpar conversational skills more than anything
>Nah, that’s part of it, but like there’s something about Sunset
>Besides her being pretty
>Maybe it’s the genuine niceness she exudes
>Kind of a piss poor way of explaining it, but damn if you got any other way to classify it
>Or maybe, it’s how she gets so close to you all the time and it’s really easy to sme-AND YOU ARE HERE
>At the library at last!
>You push open the doors to your preferred study hall locale with gusto

>The doors part with barely any effort allowing the smell of dusty paper and old wood to fill your nostrils as you breathe the place in
>After a moment of basking in it you step over the threshold as you scan for the yellow and red haired target for this hour
>Looks as though Miss Cheerilee is sorting books among the rather extensive non-fiction sections
>A few of the usual suspects you don’t really know are milling about at the various tables, and oh look at that
>It appears as though Sunset is seated at one of the computers in the circular island of computers
>Hm, must be listening to something judging by the large over the ear headphones she’s sporting
>Sauntering over towards her you take a peek at her screen
>She’s watching some sort of dancing video?
>You lean onto the circular desk beside her and give a little wave
“Heyo.”
>Tapping the spacebar Sunset slips the pair of headphones down to her neck
>”Good morning Anon, how are things?”
>As you set your backpack down with a *thump* you pull the neighboring empty chair up taking a seat beside her
“Eh, they could be better, but before I open that can of worms tell me, what’re you up to?”
>With a nod of her head and a small wave towards the screen she brings your attention to the currently paused video
>”So I was doing some research on different types of music we could play, with an emphasis on harmony.”
>Ok
>Glancing at the video in question you can’t quite place what it may be since it’s paused
>Just looks like a few guys in different poses
>The title sure as hell isn’t helping either
>It’s in a language you don’t really recognize
>”And through that I was able to find a type of music that really pops when everyone performing dances and sings as one.”
>Wait a second, is this
“K-pop?”

>Sunset smiles brightly as she perks up
>”So you’ve heard of it already then?”
>That’s probably how you’d phrase it for once
>You nod as you lean back in your seat eyeballing the dancers
“I’ve at least heard a little bit, but it was never really my jam.”
>Glancing around conspiratorially Sunset lowers the volume on the computer before unplugging her headphones and placing them on the desk beside her
>”Well, according to what I’ve found k-pop while being popular for a lot of reasons is probably reliant on dancing the most.”
>Really, you always assumed it was because of the cute singers?
>With a quick tap of the spacebar the video resumes playing
https://youtu.be/0JEhBdAr6f4?t=23s
>You lean forward onto your elbows as the previously still dancers burst to life, their time frozen prison of pausing broken
>Immediately you are struck by, well synchronized dancing
>Ok, maybe struck is a bit strong of a word, but it does register as something that definitely makes this music better
>Sunset gleefully bounces in synch with the different dance moves
>You nudge her with your elbow to help bring her back down to Earth
“Don't you guys already incorporate dancing into your routines?”
>You manage to tear her attention away from the dancing as she glances in your direction
>”Well sometimes we do dance a little bit, but usually not nearly on this scale with this much uniformity.”
>Hmm
>While you do think Sunset is right in that dancing definitely helps to enhance what’s there…
“Guess that means we probably don’t really have the time to learn anything snazzy before Saturday?”
>She shakes her head
>”No, but it’s always something to keep in mind for the future.”
>You guess so, but if they lose to Flash you don’t think it’d be much of a stretch to say there may not even BE a future
>Or at least a future you don’t really wish to be part of

>Pausing the video once more, Sunset turns fully towards you in her seat and rests her hands on her knees
>"So, besides the fact you seem like you want to say something, you did mention something about not wanting to open a can of worms just yet?"
>Damn, this girl really must be a mind reader
>Your sarcasm aside
>Furrowing your brow you shrug as you attempt to prolong the inevitable
“Alright, there’s a mildly good and an unknowingly bad can of worms to pop open, which would you like to first; I’ll give you the can opener.”
>Sunset takes a moment to really consider which can to open, or you’d say that if it weren’t for the fact she didn’t hesitate to answer
>”Good news first, always helps to make things sunnier.”
>Did, she didn’t
>With a knowing smile Sunset makes eye contact with you as she awaits the news
>This girl…
>As you shake your head at the sheer audacity of this lass you clear your throat
“*Ahem* Well uh, after making sure I’m basically in tip-top condition I shall be helping Applejack with her last day of harvesting apples.”
>The corners of Sunset’s lip tug back into a subdued smile
>”That’s great, I saw her in the halls earlier today and she looked like the walking dead.”
>Yea that’s for sure
>Can’t say you envy the farm life
>”What’s the can of worms part of that though?”
>You can’t help but smile wryly as you avert your gaze from the bright eyed model student, second only to certain weeaboo genius, before you expose her to deviant behavior
“Besides the fact I have to help rush since it’s the last day of harvest season? I’m kinda skipping class after lunch to help out.”

>Sunset furrows her brow with the same expression a concerned mother would
>”I’m guessing you don’t really have permission to do so huh?”
>Ha ah, you’re a young teenage boy, since when have you done something WITH permission?
>Besides all the times you do…
>Leaning back in your seat once more you casually shrug given how much a non-issue you’re pretty sure it’ll be
“Yea, but given my close relationship with the principals as of late, I think they’ll find it in their hearts to forgive me.”
>Sunset relaxes somewhat crossing her arms atop her chest
>”Yea, since we’ve begun helping out here with their old jobs as magic janitors we do tend to get more leeway when it comes to dealing with school proper.”
>Oh, if only that were the reason you’re so confident that Luna will forgive you
>If only…
>You look up through the glass domed ceiling above at the scattered clouds dotting the morning sun filled sky
>”So that’s the bad news?”
>Oh boy you really wish that were the extent of your problems right now
>Would be downright pleasant
>Following one particularly long stream of clouds with your eyes you shake your head
“No, the bad news is pretty much the reason for talking to you right now.”
>You can see Sunset puffing her cheeks out with air from your peripheral
>”Aww, and here I was thinking you just wanted to hang out during study hall together…”
>You bring your head out of the clouds and back to Sunset as she flutters her eyelashes
>She gives you a sly grin as you do your best not to let her get to you
>Forcing as much stoicism as you can you try to deadpan her
“No, it’s just a happy coincidence that I do.”
>Hey, relative success!

>Sunset hides a giggle behind a hand before getting back on track 
>She leans forwards as if to be more open to whatever ill tides you’re about to unleash on her with her hands clasped together atop her lap
>”So if that wasn’t the bad can of worms, what is?”
>It’s like you know you had to do this at some point, but a small part of you just kept hoping you could put it off indefinitely
>Your previous modicum of stoicism you gained back there dries up as you find yourself stumbling once more
“See that’s uh, well that’s, as the way you put it accurately describes, another can of worms entirely…”
>Shit, you really didn't think through exactly how you were going to break it to her
>You rest the ankle of your right leg on top of your left knee in nervous indecision
>Maybe uh…
>Sunset strokes her shin as she grows worried before hunching down a bit and drawing closer towards you
>”Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, I want to hear you.”
>Yea see, the people who say that typically don’t realize the full severity in which ignorance truly is bliss
>So she may want to hear you, but you really don’t want her to
>You use your right shin as a support for your elbows to lean on
"So like, you know about the whole intruder and Jordan being a different you situation at Twi's, of course you do..."
>She nods slowly awaiting your next words with baited breath
>Though to be honest, you kinda are too at this point
"So like, we got some information with one of Twi's inventions and besides finding out about a few heavy magic areas we figured something out about our friendly deity Discord..."
>Sunset’s face goes flat as she begins to nod slowly
>"Ah, and what exactly did we find out?"

>Alright, this is the big moment that’s been hangin over you these past few hours so don’t fuck it up!
>Better take a deep breath first…
>You do so, much to the wonder of Sunset, before unleashing what you hope are an understandable slew of words
"Alright, so he, uh Discord, paid me a visit yesterday that was really suspect; he was going on about how he was ditching me as a student to instead serve some new master that’ll take over the world. So we were wondering what exactly brought about this radical change in career, and why he had sent me a message for help just a few days prior. In order to find out however, we needed to track him down with Twi's magic radar device and uh, well he's kinda in two places at once?"
>Does that sum up pretty much everything?
>You’re pretty sure it does
>Though if you have indeed summed up everything in a somewhat succinct way, why is Sunset so quiet?
>She’s staring awfully hard at the floor all of a sudden
>Maybe uh, you should say something?
"So yea, on top of SINs and stuff, that's kinda a problem yea?"
>That was the most nothing statement you could say at this particular moment you fool!
>You even said yea at the begging and end, who does that!?
>Thankfully however, despite your poor choice of words it does seem to have brought Sunset out of her head
>She flicks her gaze up to yours making eye contact for a moment before running a hand through her bangs
>"De-definetly, that’s a problem..."
>You know, you’re really not feeling much better about this whole sharing the burden of the truth thing that Twilight so kindly dumped onto your shoulders
>Though you would’ve just left it to her if you were in her shoes so you can’t really be that mad about it…

>Sunset blinks for a moment making you worried she’s lost in thought once more before she lets loose a small chuckle
>"Heh, well at least there's one silver lining..."
>Oh really?
>You’ll no doubt love to hear this
"A-and that's exactly what now?"
>Wiping aside a stray lock of hair from her now somewhat exasperated face she gestures weakly in the air with her hand
>"Well, the theory that magic CAN work here like it does back home is somewhat sound now since I helped Twilight with the conceptual designs for the radar like array."
>Oh, hazah
>You slump over in your seat shaking your head side to side
>While you’re pretty sure that is actually useful, considering Sunset was the top pupil to her land’s horse-pony sun goddess, it doesn’t exactly do much for morale at the moment
>You glance up from your slumped state and try to share the bud of enthusiasm Sunset has
“Small victories I guess?”
>Your words cause her to wince somewhat as she begins to nod slowly before speeding up a bit with a thumbs up
>”Yea, yea small victories!”
>You both sit there for a moment after that kinda pathetic attempt at making things a bit brighter
>That is until it occurs to you that while you may have finally told Sunset about the bad thing, the most important step has yet to be taken
“So, what are we going to do?”
>The real important question
>Sunset bites her lip as you can practically see the trains of thought rushing through her mind
>”I think, I think for now I should write Twilight to first get an update on the Nihilem research she was doing, and then maybe talk out this Discord business with her.”
>Ok, that’s something
>”And then, I think we should tell the others.”
>Ah, and that’s the bad part you didn’t want to hear
>Even if you know that’s probably the best decision…
>Sunset turns to her side and begins to dig through her backpack
>”And I think the sooner I get started the better, I just hope Twilight isn’t too busy…”
>If life was kind, the other Twilight won’t be
.
.
.

IN THE DEPTHS OF A CERTAIN CASTLE
>Your hoofsteps echo throughout the empty stone-carved hallways as you make your way towards the underground athenaeum
>It is getting quite late, well for a princess of the night at the very least; perhaps you should retire for the day once your business is concluded here?
>Coming upon the ancient doors to the athenaeum you stop mid-trot
>Going to sleep afterwards sounds like an excellent idea
>With a quick exertion of magic you push open one of the massive doors and let yourself in
>As with most things that existed before your banishment the certain scent things gain after a multitude of years gone by since their creation fills your nostrils
>It brings up feelings that are at the same time comforting in their nostalgia and saddening as a reminder of times lost…
>Trotting into the room proper you try to find the small princess you wish to check up with
>Supposedly she came in yesterday whilst you slept to conduct some research
>A smile parts your lips as you discover the newest princess snoozing away with her head atop one open book splayed out on a large table cluttered with an array of piled books
>You stand beside the sleeping princess, whose current book pillow is endanger of getting drooled on, and shake your head
>Ah Twilight, you always had a problem when it came to putting down a good book didn’t you?
>What is it that she got absorbed in this time that she couldn’t bear to goto sleep and part from it?
>Gently lifting her head with magic you move the book aside and place a nearby pillow underneath instead
>There, that should be much more comfortable
>Bringing the book closer to yourself you glance at the open pages
>Now, let’s see here…

>The pages are elegantly written with text that flows throughout in a steady uniform cursive
>The black ink somehow seems thick and heavy despite not incurring any mistaken stains
>Looking at the first entry to the top left you read
>”The sun is high and scorches my coat as I travel to the final destination needed to complete this blasted ritual. Should I fail, surely not only will the tumultuous ideas of any union amongst the tribes be doomed to fail, but all life in the lands may be at risk.”
>My my, would this happen to be one of Starswirl’s old journals perhaps?
>Turning the worn out journal over you spot his signature cutie mark emblazoned on the pale white cover
>Hm, while you remember going through quite a few of his journals some time ago, you don’t recall this passage or cover…
>Especially not something from before the founding of Equestria
>Intrigued you take a seat on a cushion next to the snoozing Twilight and turn the page
>Instead of more text there’s a beautiful sketch of some sort of desert landmass
>Now you never claimed to be a skilled map maker, but you do think you recognize the area depicted
>It almost looks like the Bone Dry Desert to the far south of Canterlot
>At least if the iconic colossal skeletal remains near the center and forestry peeking in from the north are anything to go on
>Though you’re having trouble identifying what exactly the odd ziggurat-like structure is off to the side of the map
>If you recall correctly, that section of desert doesn’t contain any sort of structures what-so-ever no has it ever
>However you doubt it doesn’t exist considering it’s circled and has a trail leading from the north 
>Obviously it must be important

>Perhaps it’s the “Final Destination” Starswirl wrote about?
>Instead of speculating further you continue your curiosity-fueled reading
>With a turn of the page you once more investigate further into this unknown journal of your old tutor
>Contrary to the previous text the text here seems to have been hastily scribbled in an almost illegible cursive
>Various splotches of ink peppered throughout certainly don’t aid in legibility
>”The battle was long fought, for the beast once p0ny awaited my arrival at the final destination. Somehow through a combination of wit and luck I managed to overcome it forcing it through the hole in space I opened. However, even as I rest against some debris left from our altercation, I can’t seem to get a full grip on my nerves.”
>That is, unnerving to say the least
>Starswirl is rarely one to feel fear that would affect him so
>Though the fact you haven’t heard of this particular incident implies this may have been recorded long before he developed his nerves of steel
>Maybe…
>You continue where you left off still interested in seeing what exactly it says
>”Perhaps that is to be expected, as this is the first time I’ve enacted a spell of this caliber. I only pray that this spell works as I have intended. Should Nihilem ever return I hope that somep0ny can activate each of the six shines located across this great sprawling land and banish it back to wherever I have done so now. It is the only solution for one with such malice tainting its entire being.”
>This is certainly something to digest
>You don’t recall Starswirl retelling any sort of banishment spell that required six shrines, let alone one he used before banishing the sirens as they wreaked havoc
>Not only that, but Nihilem, that name…
>A being with malice tainting its entirety?
>You feel like you’ve heard of something similar somewhere, but you can’t quite place wh-
*Bzzzzzzzzzztttttt

>Hm?
>An odd buzzing sound interrupts your thoughts
>Placing the book back down you glance around attempting to find the source of the peculiar noise
>Your search quickly leads you to a purple glowing book at the end of the table
>Levitating it closer towards you it appears to be vibrating to produce that sound
>How strange…
>It continues to emit light and sound as you examine its cover
>An image of a red and yellow sun?
>You don’t know what that exactly means, but you’re quite intrigued by this unknown book
>Though it may be one of Twilight’s private books considering it doesn’t look nearly as old as the surrounding books
>You can’t simply open it up without permission, and considering Twilight is currently sleeping…
>Your intuition, and the fact it’s still vibrating do make you think this may be urgent however
>Suppose you could wake Twilight, after all not sleeping in a proper bed can’t be good for her
>Stepping in close to Twilight you whisper a simple suggestion into her ear
“Wake up.”
>Your magic enhanced words flow through her ears and into her dreams
>It does not take long for the young alicorn to begin stirring
>You place the book in front of her and wrap a comforting wing around her
“We are sorry to interrupt your sleep little p0ny, but we believe there is something you must see.”
>The studious mare lets out a loud yawn before shaking her head sleepily
>Her mildly bloodshot eyes focus on you after blinking the sleep out
>”Wa-what?”
>You gesture to the still vibrating book with your other wing
“We did not mean to intrude, but we came to see you when this began its curious buzzing.”

>Twilight turns away from you before her eyes widen
>”Ohmygosh!”
>She practically leaps forward with her hooves outstretched
>After fumbling the book somewhat with her hooves she sighs before opening it with her magic
>It appears to be the case that you were indeed correct to assume whatever this book is doing denotes something important
>Regardless, you ask the frantically reading p0ny before you for clarification
“What seems to be amiss?”
>Placing the book flat on the table beside Starswirl’s journal Twilight begins glancing around the room as she speaks
>”W-well, we may have a bit of a situation here, b-but I’m SURE it shouldn’t be anything we can’t handle!”
>Hm, you are not being filled with vast amounts of confidence by her worrying amount of alarm
“May we offer up assistance?”
>Standing up the worried book worm lifts several of the tomes around her with her magic as she scans the room
>”Not unless you have a scroll locator spell on hoof, or maybe the Discord locator spell memorized?”
>Unfortunately not
>You do however believe you can at least find it
>Glancing around you examine the area
>Everything seems to be in its proper place, at least if the dust left behind is an indicator, but you do see something out of place
>A few books from the top of the tall shelve before you are missing forming a noticeable hole in the rows of books
>Along with that you notice something peeking out from on top of the shelf
>Looks to be a scroll, maybe just such the scroll Twilight requires
>You bring the scroll down with your magic
>Getting a closer look at it confirms that it is indeed the locator scroll that Sister and yourself created
>You wave the aged scroll in front of Twilight
“We believe this is what you’re looking for?”

>Twilight breathes a sigh of relief 
>”That’s it exactly, would you please place it on the table while I grab something?”
>You do so as you step beside the little p0ny who retrieves something from her saddlebag and spreads it out flat on the table
>It appears to be a map of Equestria
>Now all that remains on the table is the map, the curious Sun book that was vibrating, and the Discord locator scroll
>You furrow your brow as Twilight unrolls the scroll
“What exactly is the situation my little p0ny?”
>Magic begins to envelope the runes on the scroll as the purple p0ny beside you speaks nonchalantly
>”Well, apparently Discord is on the other side of the mirror, but at two places at once which is ridiculous since he’s currently…”
>With a single burst of magic the scroll flashes before the map begins to glow with light revealing…
>Oh my
>Twilight voices the results that you can hardly believe yourself
>”Currently located at seven places in Equestria…”
>At several points on the map a small illusion of Discord flickers softly
>Rubbing her forehead with a wing your princess companion sighs
>”Alright Sunset, guess you were right, this IS complicated.”
>That is quite the understatement
>Discord tends to stay in one place at a time as you’ve heard him remark how difficult it is for him to be in two, let alone seven!
>Something must be amiss
>”I don’t even know where to start with this.”
>Twilight plops down on her rump with a puzzled expression
>Neither do you, but perhaps…
“Perhaps figuring out where the Discords are showing on the map first is the correct choice?”
>The now serious princess nods as she stares intently at the map

>Twilight leans onto her forelegs and places a hoof below her muzzle
>”While it isn’t exactly based on much, I believe that the one located at the Crystal Empire may just be residual magic leaking in from the permanent mirror portal to the other world…”
>That is not a large leap in logic to make if indeed Discord is on the other side, however…
>Giving the map a bit closer of an examination yourself, you too recognize one Discord is at the Crystal Empire, but where exactly the others are is unknown to you
>Wait, there’s one in the Bone Dry Desert, and you might be mistaken but you think maybe…
>Grasping the discarded journal with your magic you float it up and open it to the pages containing the sketched out map
>Placing the open book onto the map next to the Discord within the Bone Dry Desert you point to it with an outstretched wing
“Correct us if we are wrong, but we believe that the sketch within this journal and the indicated location of Discord may be one in the same.”
>Twilight raises an eyebrow as she examines the sketch and the map side by side
>With her own wing she jabs at the circled icon
>”It might be, but what is this structure depicted here? I’m having trouble figuring it out as there’s no map key.”
>You turn the page with a simple exertion of magical will and explain as Twilight peers closely at the text
“One of six shrines that Starswirl had apparently used to banish away an evil creature known as the Nihilem, we believe?”
>Twilight furrows her brow before standing up and glancing over at the pile of books she previously had moved looking for the Discord scroll
>"One of six..."
>Her pink aura surrounds the stack of books and levitates five other similarly aged journals

>Hm, you don’t want to jump to conclusions, but Twilight may be onto something
>With a quick aerial swoop the five other journals circle around the sixth
>If one Discord shares a location with one of these shrines then…
>Each of the ancient journals open up and begin to flip pages rapidly as they float above the table
>You breathe in sharply as you watch Twilight who glances at each journal stopping their flipping on similar looking sketches of mapped areas
>Each journal contains one handmade map confirming the growing dread she and you share
>This does not please you one bit…
>The princess of friendship then slowly floats each book to a corresponding Discord on the map with relative ease
>However she does not look nearly as composed as you do
>As you had feared, each Discord appears to be located right where a sketched map points to
>Twilight sighs as she slumps down onto her rump with a soft *thud* before holding a hoof to her lips
>”Oh sweet Celestia, this is quite the discovery, but I don’t know…”
>Her words go silent as she shakes her head
>You can easily envision her thoughts flying to and fro quickly spiraling out of control
>Experienced princess she may be, she is still young
>It should be expected that this is how she’d take a potential situation of this magnitude
>Being not only the older princess, but a dear friend of hers you feel compelled to calm her down before taking any other action
>You hunch down and pull her panicked form into a gentle embrace with your wings
“Worry not my little p0ny, we shall summon the other elements, and figure out this mess with Discord.”
>You nuzzle the top of her head as she begins to return your embrace
“Do not lose heart Twilight, for you have great friends who will aid you no matter what may come.”
>The now somewhat calmed princess manages to nod
>”You’re right.”

>”So uh, is this a full house?”
>Indigo shows her hands which to your horror is indeed a full house
>Damnit
“Yes, you win again.”
>With a grin your partner nods happily
>”Sweet!”
>You place your discarded hand into the pile as you’re beginning to question how Indigo is getting this extraordinary bout of luck
>You’re not trying to count cards here, but you may have been keeping track, and the statistical likely-hood of her past tw-
>”So is our guy still in school or?”
>You sigh as Indigo leans back in the driver’s seat glancing towards the school in question
>You don’t even need to look down to confirm what you already know, but since she found it pertinent to ask for the eighth time…
>Glancing down at your phone’s position in the open glove box reveals that, once more, Anon is still in class
>Pulling out the folded up class schedule form your vest pocket you turn to the bored driver
“Yes, he is still in class at least for another…”
>Unfolding the paper you glance at the fourth hour, being history, which ends at approximately 12:10
>Which is in five minutes
“For another five or so minutes.”
>Your words elicit a groan from your partner who smacks her head on the steering wheel
>”Ugh, remind me again why we can’t just wait for those two at the farm if we KNOW they’re going there?”
>You pinch the bridge of your nose as you wonder how someone who’s so keenly aware can happen to also be so stupid at times
>It’s a mystery truly
“We aren’t because of a multitude of reasons including but not limited to; they have a change in plans, they get delayed by something, or the many possible unforeseen events that happen all the time.”

>Indigo grimaces as your words somewhat sink in
>”Couldn’t we have at least gotten something to eat by now, I’m starving man! All we’ve been doing is sitting here and playing cards for like 3 and a half hours.”
>Well, you would’ve on the way but she said that she was fine
>Not to mention that she could’ve napped instead while you kept watch
>Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve had to be on stand-by
>Indigo’s stomach growls as you both stare at each other for a moment
>Rubbing her stomach she lets out a sigh
>”Besides, it’s not like anything is gonna happen at school, and on the off chance something DOES happen, I can just put the pedal to the metal and bim-bam-boom we’re there to save the day!”
>While you can trust that your dear pal Indigo can indeed go speedin like a demon, that’s not going to always be enough
“Look, we won’t be able to save the day if we don’t even know anything is going on in the first place so for right now, we stay right where we are.”
>Indigo obviously did not like that even if you are right
>Might as well appease her somewhat, you’re getting hungry too
>Waving an open palm towards the dashboard clock which now reads 12:10
“Alright, if things go according to plan and he goes to the farm with…”
>You glance down at your small notepad that sits beside your phone in the glovebox
“Applejack, we can, QUICKLY, pick up something to eat as we trail behind them, ok?”
>Your grumbly partner gives you a silent stare before turning the key in the ignition fully bringing the car to life
>”Fine I guess, but you’re buying from Burger today!”
>She accents her statement with a harsh pointing from her index finger

>You can’t help but chuckle at somewhat childish display
“Fair enough, I can treat you.”
>Indigo, seemingly satisfied, grins as she turns towards the school doors and the swarm of students leaving the building
>You lean back in your seat and do the same as silence descends upon the two of you
>As you do whenever you have a moment to do so, you think for a bit
>Maybe this stake out isn’t exactly the most productive plan you could come up with, but honestly it at least makes you feel better
>Cause it’s either this, studying old evidence, or sitting around twiddling your thumbs without the promise of maybe seeing something as you tail a bunch of high school kids 
>Especially since everyone else seems content to sit around for two days waiting on whatever supposed “specialists” you’re supposed to meet with
>For some reason, it doesn’t really sit right with you
>After all, Anon may cross paths with those who broke into Twilight’s house before Saturday
>You’re sure of it
>Ok, you hope so at least
>It’s not really anything concrete, but that kid seems to have some sort of bad luck streak
>At least if the retelling he and the others have provided as you’ve listened in are to be believed
>It might be some embellishment, but your guts telling you something is there
>So you can only hope the stars align and he by chance runs into whoever those ninja were
>God knows you need something to come up before the meeting on Saturday because the way things are progressing now you think the others might consider that kil-
>”Hey look, it’s him!”
>You’re stirred from your thoughts from Indigo’s excited words and the somewhat rough shaking she gives your shoulder
>Paying full attention to what you’re doing once more you can see that he is indeed just exiting the building

>God, you’d forgotten so quickly how boring busy work is in class without someone to work through it with
>You flow towards the parking lot with a few other people who got held up by the congestion of traffic
>Luckily for you, you’re done for the day!
>Yep, instead it’s time for some apparently spirit breaking manual labor
>Not sure if that’s actually an upgrade or not
>You stop at the end of the sidewalk that leads into the parking lot proper
>The sounds of the various types of music being blasted from the lined up cars alongside the revs their engines fill the air around you 
>The hectic environment really makes you forget the slight chill you feel as you look for Applejack’s red truck
>Man, you wouldn’t think it from how packed the lunchroom is, but seems like a lot of people like to go out for lunch
>Bringing up the thought of lunch makes you realize that you yourself are a bit hungry
>Seems even the mighty quiche cannot quell the fires of your stomach for long
>As you begin to wonder about what you’ll be doing for lunch you spy your target
>You wave to Applejack as she rounds the sea of cars
>It’s only a few seconds before she pulls to a stop in front of you with a window down
>https://youtu.be/Xmz9CPuQGp0
>”Howdy there, climb on and catch a ride!”
>Needing no extra invitation from the farm girl you climb into the passenger side after tossing your backpack into the back seat
>As you buckle up the two of you drive towards the street with relative ease
>Turning into the street the music fades into a comfortable background noise level
>Applejack tilts her hat back and throws you a sidelong glance
>“So how was the rest of yer day sugarcube?”
>Apparently not as good as hers
>She was in zombie mode just a few hours ago

>You shrug as the monotony of normal school life rears its ugly head
“Eh, pretty uneventful, how about you?”
>With a smile wide enough to show off her pearly whites the apple farmer chuckles
>”Great! I got to sleep durin my study hall so ah’m rearin to go!”
>Ah, that’s why she’s so much perkier than earlier
>With a snap of her right hand she points at you
>”But enough about school, we’ve got some hard work ahead of us, are you ready to get your hands dirty?”
>You don’t really know what you’re doing, but when has that stopped you before?
“Yea sure, though I still don’t know what I’m doing.”
>You stare out the window as the somewhat crowded city streets begin to give a little breathing room due to traffic and pedestrians thin out
>Applejack energetically waves your concerned off with an open hand
>”We’ll get ta the specifics soon enough, but since ya can’t stay fer dinner, how about I whip up a quick lunch instead?”
>Hmm, while one part of you says that sounds great the other part reminds you that you’re working on a time limit
“While I appreciate it, shouldn’t we grab something on the way so we don’t spend too much time?”
>Applejack purses her lips into a small smirk
>”Prrtb no worries, ah’ll just be makin something right quick since ya’ll need ta change anyways.”
>Sorry what?
“Who mentioned anything about changing?”
>You feel like your disbelief is being met with just as much from your driver as she raises an eyebrow
>”Well of course, ya can’t just go workin on a farm in yer sweat pants and hoodie can you now, ya goof.”
>She gives you a light jab to the shoulder as if to reprimand you
>Well uh, shit that’s not wrong or anything
>Guess you should’ve seen that coming…
>”But don’t worry, ah’m pretty sure some of Big Mac’s clothes’ll fit ya.”

>Well, while wearing one of the Apple family’s clothes doesn’t really both YOU what about Big Mac?
>Not sure you’d be really ok with just some random rube wearing your clothes
“I mean like if he’s alright with it then whatever.”
>Applejack diverts her eyes from the road for a moment 
>”Ah he won’t care none, yer pickin up his slack, so the least he can do is part with some clothes he don’t care about anyways.”
>Good enough excuse for you
>The city streets begin have slowly but surely become less and less city making way for less populated space
>Forests and sparsely spaced buildings dot the horizon as you realize you have no idea what general direction Applejack even lives
>Must be pretty far out though if it is that big a farm
>”Say, what size shoe ya wear by the way?”
>You tear your eyes off the expanding horizon and direct them at the cowgirl beside you
>Before you can really process the question however she continues
>”Cause ifin ya can’t work in sweatpants and yer hoodie well…”
>Oh yea, your shoes are kinda garbo still aren’t they?
>Should probably get to work on that at some point here
“13.”
>She hums happily after hearing you
>”Well how do ya like that, that’s Big mac’s exact size!”
>Guess you two must have pretty similar builds?
>Probably safe to say so if his clothes and shoes will fit you
>”Ah’ll give you his old boots, he’s been lookin for any reason ta toss ‘em and break in the new ones he’s got waitin in his closet anyways.”
>Well hot damn, so much for having to work on getting new shoes!
>Applejack suddenly points forward to something on the horizon with what you think is a hint of pride glinting from her wide grin
>”Hey we’re almost there, can you see it?”
>You follow her finger towards the end of your vision and, holy shit
>Your mouth is almost left agape by the absolute size of the place
“I uh, I think so.”

>Just a few more stitches and… magnifique!
>You let out a held breath as you back away from the freshly sown patch
>Oh you knew you felt inspired seeing Anon draw all those question marks!
>You size up the mannequin wearing what, in your humble opinion, will be the best fitting outfit for a certain criminally undressed green classmate
>Though after your little soiree tonight perhaps you may see a glimpse into whether or not he could be more in the future
>Since you decided to take it slow and all
>Need to see how he behaves during normal circumstances
>It’s not like you and the girls are always going about messing around with trouble all the time
>You drum your fingers on your chin rhythmically as you inspect your work
>Hm, it seems putting the emblem patch over the left breast pocket was certainly the right choice
>While you’ve always been a personal fan of emblems and patches on the shoulders, that’s a bit too over done now a days
>It’s only outclassed in that aspect by having a large pattern of an emblem sown onto the back of a jacket like a biker, or even worse, having it simply printed onto a blank graphic t-shirt like a store bought monstrosity
>Eugh, you do so love your friends like sisters, but sometimes you wish they’d let you design shirts with a bit more flair
>Something to really show off who they are rather than something so safe, but alas…
>Getting back to the piece at hand however, seeing the various shades of earthen colors come together really puts you in a good mood
>You may have had some slight doubts as you were assembling this, but it just goes to show that you were right to trust your instincts!

>You smile to yourself as you pace around the outfit one last time to take it in from all angles
>Hm, still looks marvelous!
>Though now that you’re rrreeeaallly looking at the whole thing a thought occurs to you
>You don’t believe that Anon has the appropriate shoes for an outfit like this
>Besides the fact that they’re dreadfully too dirty, not surprising given white tennis shoes are rather easily turned into filth, they’re somewhat burned since his encounter with Gilda
>Perhaps while shopping tonight you could treat him and buy a new pair of boots over at INSERT STORE NAME?
>Why not that you think of it, you do believe you saw just a tan boot that would fit perfectly!
>Speaking of tonight…
>You glance at a clock on the wall in expectation
>12:25
>Would you look at that, you’re done remarkably early!
>Why, you have a whole 5 hours to relax, and focus on YOUR outfit inside the comfort of your own home
>Outfits that would complement or contrast the ensemble you created for Anon swirl in your head as you make your way towards your room
>Though something cause you pause as you pass by
>That something namely being one of your full body mirrors
>Ohh dear…
>Split ends are a plenty in your normally glamorous hair, and even worse your makeup is an absolute mess!
>Your very not-lady like reflection stares back at you in abject horror
>How could you have possibly let yourself get this bad?
>You step away from the mirror and into the hallway as see the sunlight unfiltered peeking through some curtains
>Well you were up for quite some time working late into the morning…
>Sleeping at your desk has never been very good for you
>Alright, perhaps you’ll use the extra time you have to, freshen up before you pick any garments for tonight?
>Maybe little bubble bath is in order?
>That sounds like a wonderful idea!

>Stepping out of the truck you’re senses are hit with the various sights and smells of the farmland around you all at once
>The mild breeze blows the scent of apples underpinning the fresh grassland past your nostrils
>Everywhere the roaming fields of trees expand outwards only broken up by the occasional hill and the few sparse buildings
>It almost seems like the large barn and some sort of old manor styled house are the only structures around for miles
>Huh, think you spy a few horses trotting about enjoying the crisp October air
>The sudden sound of boots touching the fertile land alongside the subsequent shutting of a door let you know Applejack has exited the truck
>With a satisfied hum she circles around the truck and stands next to you joining you in taking in everything
>”Hmmmm, nothing beats home sweet home.”
>You’ll say
>It’s a bit serene out here
>Maybe not your style, but you could see how someone could live out here
“Yea I can see why you’d say that, seems pretty comfortable around here.”
>Though you can imagine with all the work that’s required out here you might not say that for long
>Speaking of which
>You glance at Applejack who seems to have spaced out for a moment
“So you guys have a barn?”
>The farm girl blinks a few times before directing her attention back to you with a nod
>”Course we do, we’ve got a few head of cow, horses, even some chickens, but we only sell apples; the rest is fer everyday foodstuffs.”
>Huh, that’s cool you guess
>You take a deep breath and savor everything while you can
>Since soon you’ll probably find something to hate about this place while working

>Deciding that the two of you have had enough basking in the glory that is the Apple family farm Applejack gives you a light prodding with her elbow
>”Alright, come on Anon, let’s get ya all suited up and put our noses to the apples!”
>You don’t get an opportunity to ask if she really just said that as she starts walking off towards the manor
>Not wanting to delay the inevitable too much longer you trail behind her
>The large home looks pretty old though that may just be the fact it seems to be made up of plain wooden boards held together with ancient nails and hope
>Applejack’s cowgirl boots cause the steps up to the porch to creak loudly under the strain of use
>While you’re sure they won’t collapse under your weight, you do skip the steps entirely opting to instead take one big step from the ground to the porch proper
>You’re lead to slightly left center of the porch to a large aged screen door
>Tearing open the screen door and actual door behind it Applejack waves you in
>”Ah’d give ya the tour but we’re already runnin low on time; so ah’ll just take ya ta Big Mac’s room and throw together some old clothes for workin.”
>Stepping through the entryway you see a rather modest square shaped living room
>Just some almost antique looking brown couches with some varnished hardwood end tables, which have obviously seen better days, all settled around a brick fireplace that’s currently out
>Along the faded striped wallpaper are various pictures of many different people you can assume are Apple family
>You can see two doorways across from you leading forward, in to some dining area, and to the right into unseen territory
>On the opposite side of the room to the doors is a corner staircase that goes up a floor

>Coincidentally, Applejack walks towards said staircase after stamping her feet for a second in the little shoe area here at the front
>You quickly do so as well before following along
>The steps let lose a series of tired creaks all the way as the two of you ascend 
>You continue looking around the place, instead of at the apple ass-ets in front of you, but as you reach a turn in the stairs Applejack speaks
>”Ok, so I can whip us up some sandwiches outta leftovers while you get changed. What do you like, turkey, chicken, or ham?”
>Uhhh
>You shrug as she glances over her shoulder at you
“I think if it’s got only meat, cheese, mayo, and bread I’ll like it.”
>Satisfied with your answer Applejack smirks before turning back towards the long hallway you find yourselves before
>”Good enough fer me.”
>Looking down the hallway for a moment you see that there are two doorways on the left hand side, three on the right, and one all the way down the hall dead in the center
>The far one is a bathroom
>Applejack leads you past the first set of doors on the right and left
>You being curious sneak a peek, just a little one
>The room on the left is a bit plain with not much personality coloring the bed, bedside table, and dresser
>The room on the right however, you’re pretty sure it’s Applebloom’s
>If not for a the bits of movie memorabilia, then the shirts hanging on the bedpost that are way too small to fit Applejack would tip you off
>The next door on the right is only slightly ajar so you can only see a smidge, but you’re pretty sure there are a guitar and some kind of stuffed animal?
>Probably Applejack’s room

>The two of you come to a stop in front of the last set of doors
>The one on the left is shut tight, while the one on the right is about as ajar as what you assume was Applejack’s room
>The apple girl in question pushes open the right door while walking in
>Following behind you can see that this room is, pretty messy
>While not exactly spacious there’s a bed, desk, dresser, and a nice window
>A few discarded clothing strewn about here and there on the floor, an open box of tools next to the desk, and a lot of tiny mechanical pieces in little plastic bins everywhere
>You wonder what they’re for, for a total of two seconds, before you notice a disassembled model train on the desk across from the unmade bed
>Applejack pays no mind to the cluttered mess around her and instead navigates her way to a closet beside the desk in the right corner of the room
>You take a few steps into the room doing your best to not step on anything and decide to hang out at the foot of the bed as she tears open the sliding door
>Oh wow…
>Inside the closet are a stack of model train boxes almost reaching the ceiling, along with a bin bursting with mini railroad tracks
>Oh, and clothes hanging up on the bar above all that, but there’s not many
>Your lead fingers through the different shirts before taking out a red flannel one
>Tossing it on the bed to you left she points towards the dresser behind you
>”Check the uh, third drawer down for some jeans; Ah’ll get to fixin our lunch while ya get sorted out.”
>You give a silent thumbs up as she makes her way out of the room

>180ing you take a step towards the dresser
>There are a few pictures along with some books on top of it
>One with Applejack, Applebloom, some guy, and the lunch lady?
>Shit, nice forearms on the guy and lunch lady
>So that guy’s probably Applejack’s bother
>You quint a bit at the picture trying to make the somewhat blurry photo more clear
>Hm, now that you get a better look at him, you think you recognize this guy
>Oh, he’s one of like four students tall as or taller than you in school
>Your eyes wander from the pictures to the books and…
>Wait, are those calculus books?
>Gonna ignore that one and just get what you came for
>One, two, three down…
>Popping open the drawer reveals, jeans…
>You know, part of you was thinking there’d be something in here besides that
>Snatching the top most pair of jeans off of the stack you then slide the drawer closed
>Reaching to pull the door closed you notice that there is no doorknob
>Really?
>So you have to change…
>In another guy’s room…
>Where you can’t close the door…
>You’re going to be a bitch about this aren’t you?
>Staring at the jeans in your hands you furrow your brow
>Maybe you can change in the bathroom instead?
>Fuck it, you gotta piss anyways
>You grab the shirt off the bed and walk out into the hallway
>Hanging an immediate right you find yourself in what is a bathroom, and would you look at that it has a doorknob!
>You pull the door shut while tossing the clothes onto the bathroom counter to your right
>Hm, this is surprisingly clean
>Like there's still a mess of soap, toothpaste, and a few toothbrushes decorating the sink counter, but the floor is fine
>Shedding your outerwear you’re left staring at yourself in the mirror with only your underwear, tank-top, and socks on

>You place your clothes on the rim of the curtain drawn bathtub behind you and then proceed to hastily empty your bladder
>As you’re drying your hands you look yourself over as is per usual when alone in front of a big mirror
>You looking particularly Anon today if you say so yourself
>Smirking to yourself you start to slip the red flannel shirt on
>Hm, you’re not exactly a flannel kinda dude, but the shirt at least fits
>A bit snugly, but no more than a regular t-shirt
>Maybe you should stop wearing exclusively tank-tops…
>Whatever
>You pick up the jeans and unfold them in front of you
>Huh, you haven’t worn jeans in like, actual years now
>They’re the same size as your sweatpants though
>Putting one leg through and then the other and then just pull, zip up…
>Huh?
>Ok, either you’re imagining things, or these pants are tight, like too tight
>Specifically around your quads and…
>Oh Jesus Christ, are you too fucking juicy to fit properly in these jeans!?
>You twist your body to get a good look at your rear in the mirror
>Yea this is a bit of a snug fit…
>So it’s come to this has it?
>You’ve got to get some jeans that fit at some point, but for now you guess you’ll have to use this
>With a sigh you resign yourself to wearing whatever cut jeans these previously were as skinny jeans for today
>As you turn around to retrieve your things you hear something drop
>Oh, it was your things dropping into the shower
>Of course
>You push the white shower curtain back and OH ok…
>Those are multiple pairs of panties
>They’re just hanging on every surface available
>On the nozzle, the faucet, the various holder things stuck to the sides of the wall…
>Just panty city

>You feel like you’re remarkably calm about this, but why shouldn’t you be?
>After all, you’ve done absolutely nothi-OHNO there’s one of them on your shit!
>MMMMMMMMMM, ok
>It’s nothing bad, just some shorts like undies
>Probably Applejack’s…
>NOT HELPING
>Ok, uh options options…
>There’s a loofah on a stick over there in the corner
>Maybe you can like uh pick up the, panties, with it and just put it literally anywhere else?
>That’s not a bad idea
>You snatch up the loofah and begin the retrieval of the panties
>Slowly, ever so slowly you prod the forbidden fabric
>Don’t think about how these hug Applejack’s thighs and as-AAARRRGGGG
>You opt for internally screaming instead of thinking as your loofah penetrates the leg hole of the dark cloth
>Alright, the velvety boy-short like panties are basically off already!
>You just need to lift them up and oh oh no…
>Please get bigger, no please
>As you lift the boy-shorts off you come to a horrid realization, these panties are waaayyy too small to be Applejack’s
>And if they’re too small to feasibly be hers…
>An unwanted thought spurs in your mind to no resistance
>Wonder when Applebloom will “bloom” like her sister?
>You think you may just experience a self-induced aneurysm any second now
>With a somewhat shaky arm you carefully drape the panties back on one of the shower wall holders
>Then using speed that might be nothing but a blur to any other you throw the loofah back to where you found it, pick up your shit, close the shower curtain, and back away into the hallway
>With a wall and open door between you and the, bad thoughts, you can breathe easy once more
>You take a deep breath before feeling and hearing a hard *SMACK* across your rump

>You lunge forwards towards the bathroom as you involuntarily grab your aching rear
>OOoh, fuck that hurts!
>"Ah told ya ah'd kick yer keister if ah saw you stayin home, you've got school work to do, at the school ya smart aleck!"
>What the actual hell?
>You turn around to face your would-be butt assailant
>Which reveals none other than a little old lady!
>Well little is relative you guess since she's a bit more on the roundish size
>She wears an old brown plaid sweater and brandishes a rolling pin
>"Wait a sec, yer not Big Mac."
>Tell you something you don’t know already…
>You shake your head as you hug your stuff to your stomach
"No, not at all."
>Wait a second, is this the lunch lady?
>You think it might just be so!
>The old woman squints her eyes before shaking her head with a laugh
>"He-eh, well ain’t this just embarrassin, ah'm sorry bout that young man that wallop was meant fer Big Macintosh’s keister if he stayed home from school."
>Oh, well you are dressed like him, and while you don’t have the exact same build you’re close enough you guess
"Well I kinda figured that Ms. uh..."
>The kindly looking old lady smiles 
>"Smith, Granny Smith, look why don't ah start over with, what in the heck are you doin in mah house young man!?"
>Granny Smith begins to try and hit you with the rolling pin while grimacing fiercely, well as fierce as an old lady can be
>You, being the genius you are, just cower and let her
"I, ow, came to, ack please stop, help Applejack!"
>Her vicious assault ends abruptly as the almost frenzied look also dissolves back into the kindly grandma smile
>"Oh, well why didn't ya say so sonny?"
>Y-you tried to…
>She gestures with rolling pin towards the stairs and you follow behind her at a slow pace
>"Ah'm saprised my gran-daughter could scrape anyone together to replace big mac, but considerin I mistook ya fer 'em anywho, ah'd say yer almost there!"

"Uh, thanks?"
>Great response man, you’re really doing it
>Granny Smith either chuckles as the two of you make your way downstairs
>It’s only as your about to leave the stairs does Applejack poke her head out of the what you can now see is the kitchen doorway
>”Ah, there ya are Anon, ah’ve got everything all ready ta go, so go put on them boots over by the couch and we can get a move on.”
>Granny Smith waves the rolling pin at Applejack as you sit down on the couch
>”Now remember not ta ru-“
>As you set your stuff beside you Applejack interrupts her, grandma?
>”Ah know ah know, not to rush; we’ll be fine only got 4 hours of work, tops!”
>Heh, only 4
>In for a penny…
>You look around for the supposed boots, but find nothing
>That is until a dog pops out of nowhere with a pair of old tan boots in its mouth
>Now where the hell did this dog come from?!
>It drops the boots at your feet wagging its tail happily
“Uh, thanks?”
>You get a little yip in response
>As you pull the boots on you find that they’re a pretty good fit
>Well-worn down, but comfy none the less
>As Applejack comes out with two paper lunch bags she smile
>"Hey there Winona, ready to help out today?"
>Winona scampers around the cowboy hatted girl excitement clearly visible in its wagging tail
>Applejack smiles widely before snorting contently
>Tearing her attention from the doggo she looks to you
>"How bout you Anon, you ready?"
>You stand up with your stuff in tow
"I guess, but you still haven’t mention for what exactly."
>Placing one of the paper bags on your stuff she shrugs
>"Oh that's easy, yer takin the place of Big Mac, so ya'll be hauling apples around after ah get em from the trees!"
>Oh ok, that’s easy
>You can totally do that!

>Oh you regret doing this...
>You sit against the trunk of a freshly de-appled tree as you wipe the sweat from your brow that’s managed to form despite the crisp weather outside
>Man, you wish you would’ve taken Applejack up on the whole getting work gloves from the barn, but no you thought it wouldn’t hurt that much without them
>Look at you now!
>You can’t stop your other hand from twitching like it wants to open and close repeatedly in a futile effort to work out the pain from the wire handles of those shitty apple baskets!
>Things barely qualify for the term basket in the first place considering they seem more like sawn in half barrels that someone nailed almost comically thin wire handles into with the express purpose being digging into your fingers!
>Man, when you started it wasn’t too bad, but after the 20th or so full bushel, or whatever they’re called, those little red buggers caused a number on your poor fingies
>For your sanity you stopped counting how many baskets you carried after 42
>Your day’s torturer, you mean Applejack, wanders into your vision as she pads her glistening forehead with a plaid cloth
>Getting a face-splitting grin as she sees you she loops a thumb into her jean skirt pocket
>”How ya hangin in there Anon, it’s not too much fer you is it?”
>Heh, of course it’s not
>You’re a big tough guy who doesn’t afraid of anything!
>You give Applejack two thumbs up along with an award winning Anon smile, and you certainly aren’t doing the thumbs up thing because you need to hide the marks those little wire bastards left in your delicate fingers, no sir!
>Despite your immense amount of manliness, you may sort of wince at the pain of forcing your hands closed

>Unfortunately for you it appears your not so subtle show of pain didn’t go unnoticed by the Apple boss Applejack
>As you bite down on your cheek she lowers the cloth in her hand and points to yours 
>”Anon, there wouldn't be something wrong with yer hands now right?”
>Haha, didn’t know she had such a sense of humor!
>Your hands are just fine, and you’ll show her now
>You stand up before dusting your hands off a bit too roughly barely managing to contain your pain
>Maybe not the brightest idea to hit your hands together when they hurt, but hey you’re put on the spot!
>You then tell a very convincing truth about how great your hands are doing as you stuff them in your pockets
“They’re fine, just itching to get back to it, ya know?”
>Holy shit that was a really bad one
>Seems like your cohort in work thinks so as well
>She gives you a somewhat stern stare from beneath the brim of her Stetson
>”Uh-huh, let me see yer hands, now.”
>Her none too pleased tone of voice really saps you of any paltry resistance you might have offered
>Pulling your hands out of your pockets causes a sigh to escape your interrogator’s lips as she catches you literally red-handed
>Grabbing your hands gently she inspects them a bit closer with a frown
>You do your best not to worry about the whole “holding hands with a girl” thing
>How are they so soft despite all the manual labor she does?
>”Of course, ah thought ah told ya ta git some gloves from the barn?”
>Looking away from her emerald irises you blab without thinking
“That you did, but as is obvious by my now raw hands, I didn’t find ‘em…”
>In your defense, you are strong, and you hoped your fingers were strong too
>It just turns out that steel wire is stronger
>Applejack lets go of your hands and pinches the bridge of her nose
>”Ah swear, you’re just like big mac gotta go pretendin everything is hunky dory when ah KNOW yer lying and goin the extra mile to pretend like you ain’t.”

>That, well, Applejack obviously couldn’t tell!
>You lean back against the tree behind you as you hold your hands up defensively
“Well it fooled you until now, so there!”
>Tilting her head to the side with a hand resting on her cocked hip she lets loose a small laugh
>”Heh, besides the fact ah couldn’t see gloves on yer hands, ah’m the element of honesty Anon. It’s kinda my thing ta tell when yer, ya know, not bein honest.”
>Oh yea…
>That’s a thing
>Wait, if Applejack knew why’d she let you carry them like that in the first place then!?
>Cutting you off before you can ask that very question she shakes her head with a smirk
>”Ya’ll gotta learn to trust a gal on things sometimes, askin fer help ain’t the end of the world.”
>Pfft, you can do that, just didn’t want to…
>Cause it’d be embarrassing
>Kinda like it is now…
>Man this didn’t work out like you planned
>Oblivious to your realization Applejack elbows your arm with a subdued smile
>”How bout we get you some gloves so you can hold the baskets from the bottom without gettin splinters instead of those no good handles?”
>That, sounds good
>You’ll just do that and pretend this didn’t happen
>With your silent consent she sighs contently as she steps towards the barn
>”Honestly ah wanted to make rope handles, but haven’t really gotten around to replacing them yet, will probably do em over the winter.”
>HMMMMM!?
>She’s the one who did this, AND she even admits the wire handles are shitty!?
>You feel the urge to say something well up inside you, but Applejack has already waltzed away
>You watch her walk away and the sway of her hips coupled with the firmness of her ass help to alleviate the indignity you’ve suffered
>With a sigh you look away from her and to the horizon beyond the apple fields
>You can’t wait to go to bed…

>You let out a yawn as you readjust your seating on the branch
>It’s been a good 4 hours now and you’re starting to think that your endurance for stakeouts is running on empty here
>Maybe there is something else you could be doing with your time?
>Can’t help but think back to earlier in the day when you reprimanded Indigo for thinking the exact same thing…
>You peek through the binoculars once more and take note of the two toiling in the apple fields, again
>A shiver goes up your spine as it’s almost like Anon may be staring right at you
>However, you shake the feeling off as that’d be ridiculous
>You’re at the edge of the farm so there’s no way he can, can he?
>”Aaaaaaahhhhh…”
>The relatively loud yawn coming from beside you pierces your paranoia stopping you from entertaining the idea any longer
>Bringing the binoculars down you lean forward while hanging onto the tree trunk with your right arm
>You can see that Indigo seems to be comfortable as she leans back against the trunk of the tree, atop a branch not too far below you, lazily rubbing her eyes free of sleep
“You feeling ok, need to go for a quick coffee run?”
>You’re used to staying at the top of your game for a few days if need be, but Indigo’s just some high schooler
>A very intelligent, somewhat trained, and practically an adult high schooler but still just a kid regardless
>The eternally be-goggled girl shakes her head before tilting it back enough to just see you
>”No way, you’re stuck with me for the long haul now!”
>She rubs her eyes a bit more as she sets them back towards the two you’ve been watching
>”Besides, after sticking around for this long I, ahhhh, might as well stick it out with you just in case anything happens.”

>You smile at the presumptuousness of your young “escort”
>You agreed to take on this job, and to her tagging along since it may prove useful, but you don’t NEED her to be here
>It’s just advantageous…
>As you feel the cool breeze blow in the scent of apples you can’t help but think back to the caves and what happened last Sunday
>The somewhat pitiable state you wound up in even with the other two accompanying you comes to mind vividly causing your muscles to ache, despite them being fully healed now
>Guess you do appreciate Indigo being here, if only a tiny bit
>You exhale sharply before setting your binoculars down on your lap and gazing out at the fields of trees
“Well I’m glad to suffer through this with you anyways if it gives you peace of mind.”
>You hear the rustling of leaves as Indigo’s spikey mix of dark and light blue hued hair appears in your vision
>”Of course it does, if anything happened while I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t hear the end of it at least until I graduated!”
>She accentuates this with a smirk as you contemplate smacking the top of her head since it’s so close to you
>She shifts out of the way before you can really decide to or not
>Rocking on her heels she scratches her chin with a contemplative look about her
>”Though I still don’t really get why they’re having me tag along with you in the first place…”
>Well, they said it was policy to at the very least work in pairs after some incident a while back, but you hadn’t bothered looking into it
>While you haven’t “worked” like this before, you have enough mastery over magic and theoretical knowledge on family business practices behind you that you doubt things will turn out too difficult for you
>At least from now on that you’re definitely not going to be letting your guard down anymore

>Indigo tightropes on the branch and addresses you while looking out to the fields
>”Shouldn’t it be the other way around since you’re like way older than me and really good at this stuff or something?”
>While you appreciate the acknowledgment of your abilities, you’re not just going to ignore that!
>How could she say you’re way older like that!?
“I’ll have you know that I’m only 21!”
>Your younger partner stops just short of the end of her thick branch tightrope
>With an exaggerated shrug she shakes her head with her back still turned to you
>”Pretty defensive for someone who’s not an old lady…”
>Of course you’re defensive about an assertion that is clearly a falsehood about you
>Wait, did she just!
“Old lady!?”
>Your outburst causes what sounds like barely contained snickering from Indigo who after a moment turns back around with a thin grin
>”Ehh, good to see you can still get riled up instead of whatever your overly serious kick you have going on today is.”
>Overly serious, you are just the right amount of serious for this!
>Things could be getting worse as the two of you speak
>Taking a deep breath your conversational partner glances down at the grass below
>“I’m gonna go take a leak; make sure they don’t do anything or something.”
>With an obvious disregard for safety she steps off the branch
>Instead of hurtling towards the ground however, she grabs the tip of the large branch on the way down causing it to droop downwards as well slowing her down in the process
>Letting go after descending halfway down the tree she lets out a huff as she withstands the several foot drop
>This girl, never one to be careful huh?
“Yea, I’ll make sure you don’t BOTHER me too much so I can focus on the job!”

>Indigo, now on the ground, cups a hand to her mouth as she shouts
>”Ok, you make sure to keep up the hard work so this stakeout doesn’t end up like your college career; you know, with nothing to show for it!”
>You don’t have a college diploma because there’s no wizard school, NOT because you’re a slacker!
>Not that that matter right now anyways!
>You manage to physically stop yourself from giving a harsh retort as your would-be provocateur casually walks off towards the dirt road where you two parked the car
>Must be heading to the forest just beyond the road to do her business…
>You shake your head and get back to business
>Well, you would be if Indigo’s words weren’t bothering you too much!
>You’re not being too serious, she’s just too lax is all, right?
>As you swing your feet limply while staring out through the leaves of the tree you can’t help feel your assuredness falter a bit
>Might do you some good to loosen up a bit
>It’s almost like at this point you’re just hoping for something to happen so you can do something this time?
>Do anything this time really…
>Your gaze drifts downward towards your lap landing on your brown leather pouch tied to your belt
>Palming it you feel the various items you prepared ahead of time should you need them
>It gives you a bit of comfort, if only a small amount
>Your squeezing it hard enough to make a fist now as you reaffirm yourself
>This time you’ll do something for sure
>”Hey, we got a problem over here!”
>Indigo’s voice draws your attention from over by the road
>She waves you down with a stern look on her face
>”You gotta see this!”
>Deciding not to dilly-dally you leap off the tree
>You manage to take the somewhat high fall with minimal difficulty

>You brush a bit of foliage off yourself before quickly jogging over to Indigo, who’s now on the other side of the dirt road and at the forest’s edge
>Seems like she’s looking at something below her
>As you hop the decrepit picket fence that surrounds the Apple family farm and cross the dirt road you call out
“What’s the matter?”
>Indigo leans onto a tree with her elbow and shakes her head as she peers down at something inside the forest
>”Don’t suppose you know what could have caused that, do you?”
>Caused wha-oohhh
>You come to a slow stop after only a few yards of forest beside your partner
>Standing there at the edge of what looks like a deep ravine gives you a good vantage point over what you’re pretty sure is a big problem
>The ravine looks absolutely destroyed, as though it was part of a war path that was recently torn through the earth
>You don’t see anything that sticks out from up here, but
“I think I need a closer look.”
>Indigo makes brief eye contact with you before taking a few steps forward
>You follow alongside and the two of you slide down the somewhat steep incline into the ravine
>Inspecting the area up close helps decipher the chaos somewhat
>Trees and smaller vegetation have been felled and trampled with varying gouges carved into their remains
>There’s the slight scent of freshwater that clings to the air oddly enough
>The dirt looks packed in by a multitude of tracks, all of which appear to be some sort of claw marks 
>There’s enough down there to account for a small army’s worth of something
>Wait, a small army?
>You bend down and examine a particularly deep marking
>It’s almost as if
>”These are changeling tracks, aren’t they?”
>You furrow your brow before standing up straight once more
>Glancing towards Indigo, who’s now donned her goggles, you softly speak
“I believe so…”

>You buckle your seatbelt as you get settled in and glance at the dashboard clock
>5:15pm
>Only 4 hours of work tops huh…
>While it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle, you’re glad to be done with farm work
>Glancing to the driver’s side you see Applejack buckling herself in
>Wonder how she and her family can stand to do all this all the time?
>Speaking of her family, you spy Granny Smith coming out of the house with her arms laden with some sort of large paper bag
>Applejack sits back as she rolls down window with the hand crank
>The apple green old lady holds up the slightly greasy paper bag in her hands
>”Ifin yer going on out be a darling and take this dinner ah packed for Applebloom and Big Macintosh. They forgot to take it along with ‘em, and I don’t want ‘em to be hungry while out makin movies!”
>Applejack accepts the bag and tosses it in the backseat
>”Granny they’re filmin a trailer not a movie, anyways ah’ll drop it off after ah drop Anon off, gotta go love ya!”
>As the truck begins to move Granny Smith sees you off with a wave and a “toodaloo!”
>The bumpy dirt road and orange rays of the sun greet you as the two of you head out
>Glancing over at Applejack from your peripheral it seems she’s pretty focused on driving
>Well, judging by the fact she’s hitting the gas, and with how tight her hands are gripping the steering wheel
>Though if she goes too slow you’ll be a bit late, so maybe you shouldn’t bother her too much
>Stretching your legs you thank Christ to be out of those restricting clothes, and back into your good old sweats
>Couldn’t stand wearing those jeans
>You shift in your seat once more adjusting your seating
>Think your butt might be a tad sore…

>Your eyes drift down to your soiled shoes that you’re currently holding in your lap before focusing on your new boots down below
>Well, at least you got some new boots out of this, and hey they’re pretty comfortable
>Also, they look better than your burned shoes
>Even if they don’t really go with grey sweatpants…
>”Hey Anon.”
>The welcome intrusion to your thoughts shifts your attention back to Applejack beside you
>She’s still got her eyes on the road for the most part, but she flicks them towards you when she starts to speak
>”So uh, ah heard yer coming to the dance with the rest of us?”
>Oh yea, that’s a thing
“That I am.”
>Nodding slowly she raises both her eyebrow
>”Huh, an here ah thought they were blowin hot smoke up my, butt. So anyway how’d she convince ya?”
>Why is it everyone thinks you’d need convincing?
>Ok, so maybe you’ve been going out of your way to not be social since you came here, AND you have a few problems with people in general, AND you may feel a bit out of your element when talking to girls AN-ok…
>MAYBE, you see why they think it’s so weird that you’d accept so easily
>With a shrug you stare out at the paved roads up ahead a bit
“She asked, figured what the hell.”
>Not completely untrue, but you were also kinda strong-armed into accepting
>”Hm, that why you goin out with Rares tonight?”
>Can Applejack NOT word it like a date!?
>You know she didn’t mean it like that, but it still makes you uneasy to hear it said
>Your own autism about that beside, you know why you’re going
“Nah, I feel a bit guilty getting all this free stuff, so I figured being her bag boy wouldn’t be too bad if it’s something she feels like repays her.”

>Applejack smiles in approval
“Though it probably didn’t hurt too much that she asked…”
>With a small kek she props her hat back while rolling her eyes
>”Of course she did…”
>She relaxes back into her seat as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders
>With a sigh and a slight smile from the cowgirl the two of you head into town proper
>Following the flow of your now easy-going driver you space out a bit in the short time it takes to reach Rarity’s house
>The two-storied Victorian house in its entire lavender shingled splendor greets the two of you as you pull into the driveway
>Coming to a stop you unbuckle yourself and get to getting your backpack in the back
>Quickly hauling it out of the back with one arm you stuff your shoes into it while closing the doors
>Circling around to the driver’s side you see Applejack has already lowered the window
“Alright, guess I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
>With a tip of her Stetson she gives you a smile almost as wide as the brim of her hat
>”Mhm, thanks fer the help Anon, yer a lifesaver.”
>Despite the, problems, that arose because of your incompetence it wasn’t too bad
>It comes in handy being good at picking up heavy stuff
“Not a problem, just please replace those handles for next time.”
>For the love of God
>Applejack lets out a quiet snort before giving you a thumbs up
>”You-betcha, ah’ll be sure to do so just fer you.”
>With no more words to say you simply turn around and walk towards Rarity’s
>However, before you can get too far Applejack calls out to you
>”Hey Anon.”
>You glance over your shoulder and make eye contact with the weathered farmgirl
“Mhm?”
>She opens her mouth before closing it and pointing an index finger at you smiling once more
>”Don’t you let her down by droppin any bags, ya hear?”

>Pfft, does Applejack not know who she’s talking to?
>You never drop anything if you don’t want to
>Besides the ball, sometimes…
>You assure her with a thumbs up before resuming course to the front door 
>As you step up the porch the door opens revealing a smiling Rarity
>Seems she’s already in her outfit as she’s wearing a powder blue and white poka-dotted one strap mini dress with black leggings
>The purple fingerless gloves and tall pumps draw your eyes as well during your quick examination
>”Anon, you’re just in time dar-mhm!”
>Scrunching her face she daintily squeezes her nose shut with her index finger and thumb
>Her voice comes out nasally as she glances at you and then to the truck in the driveway
>”Oh my, you must’ve been on Applejack’s farm weren’t you?”
>Huh, kinda forgot that you’d smell like a farm after working on one
”Yea, helped out with the last of the harvest.”
>The slightly shimmering in the sunlight clothing designer nods causing her bangs to bob
>”Well, you certainly have the distinct scent, but no matter!”
>Taking a step out onto the porch she waves to Applejack who’s begun to pull out of the driveway
>”Au revoir darling!”
>With one hand pinching her nostrils shut Rarity excitedly skips to the empty space beside you
>Wrapping an arm casually around your free arm she gives you a once over, her gaze stopping at your new boots
>”Oh my, these boots work rather well with the outfit I’ve cooked up for you, they practically scream ANON!”
>You’re going to ignore her close proximity, and not think about how your hoodie is the only thing stopping you from literally rubbing shoulders
>She scratches her chin in complete ignorance of your personal boundaries as she stares into the distance
>”Though maybe I’ll give them a tinsy bit of a cleaning, enough to make them presentable, but not enough to wash off the rugged nature within.”

>Finally Rarity returns her gaze to yours as you’ve accepted your fate of being side-hugged
>”You MUST tell me darling, wherever did you get them?”
>Her sparkling blue eyes shimmer like her mini-dress causing you to force a cough while looking away
”They were actually Big Mac’s, but he didn’t want them anymore so...”
>With a squeeze of your arm against hers she happily let’s out a gasp
>”Ah, so they are the genuine article and not a stylistic choice, excellent!”
>You feel a lot of, hardship in your near future
>Apparently having had enough of being on the porch your fashion guide for the evening pulls you into the house with a surprising amount of force for someone who barely comes up to eye level
>Entering once more into the lounge area you can feel yourself being led towards the stairs before hearing a voice from the kitchen doorway across the room
>”Ah Rarity, is dat da guy, I was hopin to get a look at em before you two scurry off!”
>Was that a wild Yooper?
>Rarity practically freezes in place as you see a man emerge from the kitchen
>Standing at around your height, the odd mix of portly and muscled marble white man strokes his chocolate colored handlebar mustache
>Glancing towards the stairs the young fashionista beside you lets out a weak response
>”Yes father, this is my friend Anon, say hello.”
>Not wanting to make things difficult you simply go along with the flow raising your book bag with your left hand as a wave
“Uh hi…”
>With a wide smile Rarity’s dad pats you firmly on the shoulder
>”Why aren’t you a big one eh? Bet you might even be able to lift all the baygs my little girl ends up with when she goes by down dere in the fashion district.”
>This man’s voice, it’s like you can feel the winds of the U.P. blowing across your face

>Rarity nods her head strong enough to almost throw her bangs out of whack as she grips your arm tightly
>”T-that’s the plan father, now if you’ll excuse us, Anon desperately needs a shower while I desperately need to finish his outfit, come along!”
>She begins to move as her nails threaten to dig into your skin
>Her father simply smiles as he gives you a big wave
>”Ok, it was nice meeting ya fella, give me a holler if youse ever find yourself at da pie-“
>Another voice cuts him off as you’re now being forcibly dragged up the stairs
>”Oh Hondo, don’t cha go embarrassin the poor girl in front of her friend!”
>You can hear that he’s trying to defend himself from the almost equally Yooper voice that’s chimed in, but it’s too muffled now that you’re on the second floor to really comprehend
>The ever composed Rarity lets out a sigh as she brings you down the hallway opposite to the one where her and the other rooms you saw where
>Stopping in front of what looks like a big bathroom she finally lets go of you and fluffs her bangs lightly
>”Well darling, I’m already done with my makeup; so how about you slip out of those boots so I can touch them up, just little bit, while you take a quick rinse, then we can reveal the main event!”
>Well, guess it was inevitable that she’d want you to rinse off if you do have a slight odor on you
>Here’s hoping it’s not like the last shower you peeked into…
>Shaking off the bad feelings you got from remembering that which shouldn’t, you quickly untie your boots and step out of them
>Rarity gives you a soft push into the bathroom with a smile
>”Towels are in the closet darling, and the body wash is the large green bottle in the shower, meet me in my work room when you’re all done!”
>You’re about to give her an answer, but she slams the door shut before you can even turn around
>Ah well, this should be quick and painless

>You let out a sigh as you stuff the remaining dirty clothes into your backpack
>It’s a good thing you brought two changes of clothes in this thing, otherwise you’d have to wear your dirty clothes out the shower
>You get the feeling Rarity wouldn’t really appreciate that before you put on her new outfit…
>Zipping and hoisting your backpack up you exit the fogged bathroom
>Making your way towards Rarity’s so-called workroom you can’t help but notice that all the doors in the hallway are closed
>The sight makes your skin crawl as you realize there might be a reason for that, and it might just be you
>Doing your best to not let the events of the last time you were here get to you, you give a knock on the workroom door
“Rarity?”
>The silence of the hallway is disturbed by muffled commotion from behind the door until it cracks open just enough for you to see Rarity, her glee practically palpable if her pinkie-like bouncing is anything to go by
>”Come in darling!”
>Ushering you in the door she shuts it carefully behind you
>Wow, this is definitely a workroom
>The circular room is stuffed full with swaths of fabric in every color of the rainbow, a multitude of clothing modeled on mannequins, and a shelf of various bits and pieces for assembling clothing you presume
>Though what really gets you is how neatly everything is arranged
>Kinda expected Rarity to be like Twilight, ie the room looking like a junkyard
>Stepping next to you Rarity waves an open palm towards something being covered by a sheet in the middle of the room
>You can see a bit of a shine coming from your new boots peeking out underneath
>”Now it may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I like to think I have a knack for seeing the style that so desperately wishes to bloom within everyone…”

>O-ok, that’s a bit of a weird way to put it, but you could see Rarity being able to do that, you guess
>As the two of you stand before the draped sheet Rarity rests a hand atop it
>”So from your input, and my tailor’s intuition, I have devised what I think will be the perfect stepping stone into a more stylish you! Are you ready!?”
>You know, before you felt like you were, but you’re starting to have doubts with how much she’s hyping this up
>Probably taking your indecisive silence as confirmation she grips the sheet with both hands
>”I give you, your new outfit!”
>With the spectacle of a showman she rips the sheet off revealing, a posed mannequin!
>Wasting no time your tailor waves to your backpack
>”So, it’s plainly obvious that you’re more of a…”
>She taps her shiny lips with the tip of her index finger before snapping
>”Practical man than fashion conscious; keeping in spirit with that in mind I based the entire outfit’s core around practicality!”
>She pats the shoulder of the dark khaki jacket
>”Starting from the top down we have a zip-up British khaki jacket in a military styling outfitted with some light padding all throughout and the addition of a soft adjustable cotton hood to help deal with those brisk fall chills.”
>Hm, won’t be too much different from your hoodie then…
>As you inspect the stitching of the two breast pockets you notice a patch above the left pocket, you’re about to point it out when the fair skinned seamstress perks up
>”Ah, as you can no doubt see I took the liberty of adorning a patch atop the heart that I think suits you.”
>Suits you huh…
>Sown just above the dark khaki breast pocket is a relatively simple patch
>It’s just a dark green question mark stitched into a rounded, somewhat lightbulb shaped, light brown background
>Don’t know what it is about it, but for some reason it hits you somewhere weird
>At least the feeling makes you smile

>Rarity coughs into her slender fist
>”Now, I know it may sound odd being that you’re a man, but darling part of embracing the fashion in you is being comfortable in your own skin. Everyone has their own physical appeal, and yours so happens to be hidden under all your baggy layers!”
>Well that came out of nowhere
>You raise an eyebrow in your confusion at the left field comment to which Rarity nods before placing a hand on your shoulder
>With her gaze looking off into the ceiling she waves out into the nothingness with her free hand
>”You see, some have smooth skin, charming little freckles, eye-catching proportions, and you my dear…”
>She makes eye contact with you almost causing you to flinch, almost
>”Have a physique that you’ve no doubt toiled for years to acquire! Now you already show off quite a bit with your tank-top whenever you’re not wearing a hoodie, but the best way to show off is to show only so much.”
>Turning you back towards the outfit her porcelain-esque hand flips open the jacket drawing your attention to the dark red undershirt beneath with a soft pat
>”So to help with showing off tastefully we have not only a form fitting, and adequately provocative, but comfortable button up burgundy V-neck. This’ll be sure to show just enough bare muscle to get the imagination flowing!”
>Indeed you find that the button up V-neck actually shows only a sliver of your chest if the mannequin is to be believed
>You shift your glance from the shirt back to Rarity
“And that’s a good thing?”
>With a flip of her purple bangs she lets out a somewhat husky chuckle
>”Oh darling, of course; the imagination is more powerful than you’ll ever know…”
>You’re getting mixed feelings from both that sentence and the focus she placing on you
>However, you think you might get where she’s going with that, maybe, so you’ll trust her regardless

>Rarity, closing her eyes with a thin smile turns back towards the mannequin
>”And so last, but certainly not least we come to the pants… Boot cut cargo pants were an obvious choice given your predisposition, and the style of jacket I chose. However, taking a closer look you might notice a few key differences between this and your ordinary pair.”
>Crouching down beside the pair of pants she waves you over to inspect them more thoroughly
>You squat down as she pinches the pants by the pockets
>”Firstly the material, like the jacket, is khaki; however, keeping with the somewhat earthy split complementary color scheme I went with a light olive green shade.” 
>Patting the side cargo pocket she continues
>”Secondly, unlike less thoughtful cargo pants this pair only has two extra pockets, both of which are located on the side beginning with the inseam and ending just below the knee.”
>Alright, you’ve got enough sense to see why that is
>Though personal experience as a kid may have taught you too…
“So whatever I put in those pockets doesn’t just bash my shins repeatedly as I walk huh?”
>Rarity gives you an approving nod before grabbing the bottom of the pants and inverting them showing two little strings
>”Exactly, now the last detail about this particular pair of pants is the adjustable cuff. While the pants themselves are boot cut, sometimes you just want your pants to hug your boots to keep out the cold air, and you can do so by pulling these strings.”
>Neat, you like being warm
>With a scratch of her chin Rarity eyes the now shined boots
>”Speaking of boots, there wasn’t much I could do for these in so little time, but luckily they didn’t need much as they’re in remarkably good shape, not to mention a nice the same shade of brown as the jacket. So I gave them a little shine and re-laced them tightly.”

>Rarity stands with a sigh as you continue to look over the whole thing once more
>”Now, none of this outfit is exactly ground breaking, but I’ve seen far too many outfits fall flat at such trivial details, and I believe that small steps are the best when stepping out of your comfort zone.”
>You too stand and look towards the orchid white designer who seems to be scrutinizing her own work as well before somewhat sheepishly glancing in your direction
>”So tell me, what do you think?”
>Oh uh, now you have to give your opinion on fashion, shit
>Probably should’ve seen that coming and all
>Well you like it, but you feel like just saying that is a bit lame…
>Especially since she put so much work into it
>So how about…
>With a toothy grin you step towards the mannequin and begin taking the jacket off
“I think I want to put it on right now!”
>Yea, that’s probably the best answer you can give
>You can see from your peripheral Rarity’s face seems to brighten up as you disrobe the mannequin
>Almost jumping in place she claps her hands together once with the biggest smile on her face
>”Fantastic! I was sure you’d love it, but hearing it straight from you is still such a relief!”
>Eh, you can imagine…
>You carefully take fold the clothes onto your arm as Rarity sways from side to side happily giggling to herself with, is that a literal glow?
>Your heart skips a beat before you rub your eyes revealing that she is not indeed glowing
>Gonna say that’s just on you being weird…
>Oh please be you seeing things
>When you’ve folded all the clothing over your arm you glance at the still euphoric Rarity as she stands there in her own little world
“So should I change here, or in the bathroom?”
>Blinking she shakes her head a bit before answering
>”Oh, here is fine darling!”

>Ok…
>You stare at each other as silence descends upon the two of you for a few moments
>At least until you finally break it in your confusion
“So uh, are you gonna leave or…”
>Your words suddenly bring sense back to the girl before you
>”Oh, yes I’ll leave you alone and, yes…”
>She backs away gripping the doorknob behind her
>”I’ll be waiting for you, downstairs, and we can get going…”
>You nod with her as she backs our the doorway before shutting it tight
>Ignoring whatever that just was you slip out of your clothes and into the new outfit
>Huh, yea you can dig this
>The shirt hugs you a bit tightly, but you’re pretty sure that’s the point
>Though after wearing jeans again for the first time in years you have to say that Rarity made the pants perfectly
>Your quads have room to breathe and your ass is not juicy
>What a day!
>With the jacket donned too, you can feel a somewhat velvety softness encompass you
>It’s breddy comfy
>The boots, well they feel a bit more tight so that’s something
>You stuff your old clothes into your backpack before heading out with it in tow
>As you head down the stairs you hear a voice from the kitchen doorway
>”Oh, lookin pretty spiffy there ay fella?”
>Before you can bask in the compliments of the great Yooper man Rarity ambushes you at the bottom of the stairs to once more drag you by the arm, this time towards the front door
>”Yes, yes he does, but we really must be getting along now, we have quite a few stores to visit don’t we darling?”
>You’d answer, but besides not knowing how to you’re already out the door before you can open your mouth

>With a quick goodbye uttered by Rarity and the door firmly shut she lets out a sigh as her shoulders droop causing her small black leather purse to almost slip off
>You know, if you were keenly apt at judging people you’d say that she might just be a tad bit embarrassed by her parents
>She happens to notice you kind of awkwardly staring at her, which causes her to look away while flipping her bangs
>”I’m sorry, they tend to either get on peoples’ nerves or say things they shouldn’t so I got a bit, proactive…”
>Well, that’s understandable
>You’ve got your own problems on that front so you think you can look the other way
>Perhaps literally in this case as you notice the sun lowering itself to set on the horizon drawing your gaze
>Turning towards it you hold out a crooked arm
“Don’t worry about it, how about we get goin?”
>Apparently happy about you ignoring the obvious attempt to minimize your contact with her dad, Hondo you think his name was, she loops an arm through yours
>It’s only as the fabric of her white jacket she donned while you changed rubs against yours do you realize getting this close to her is kinda, intimate, at least for you
>Though you only have to do it until you get to her car, that’s at the end of the driveway…
>A few tense seconds later where you do your best to be casual and act like you’ve been completely socially active your entire life you’re buckling yourself in, hazah
>https://youtu.be/Ogv-98HSxA
>Music you vaguely recall hearing before comes to life alongside the engine
>You space out as Rarity drives deciding to pay more attention to the passing landscape
>Never mind that, because speaking of passing landscapes
“So where is this place anyways?”
>Rarity gives you a sidelong glance as she focuses on the road
>”Not that far away actually, see Whinnychester mall?”

>Glancing up ahead you can see the mall pretty prominently on the horizon
>Rarity taps her fingers on the steering wheel as she turns
>”It’s almost in comfortable walking distance from there.”
>That so?
>Guess this is the swankier part of town
>You can already see the more mundane buildings giving way to more high class establishments
>Not to mention the streetlight and sidewalks themselves becoming cleaner and more ornate in their stylings alongside the populace walking around
“So I take it we’re practically there already?”
>Rarity nods as you come to a stoplight
>”Yes, so with that in mind, are you ready to flaunt your fabulous new outfit in the illustrious fashion district!?
>You feel like maybe illustrious is a bit of a stretch but still, you do feel a little bit of an urge to show off, just a little
“Yea, I’m really feeling it!”
>Turning into a large parking lot of sorts Rarity gives you a grin
>”Great, so what’re you feeling, gothic lolita, bohemian grunge, rockabilly denim, chaquetilla sangrienta, street style preppy, rivethead core, or perhaps some ero kawaii wear?”
>Wait, was one of those in spanish, pretty sure one of them said kawaii at the very least
>Well, you did recognize some of the words she said
>Whether or not you know what they actually are and not just their stereotypes however…
“Oh uh jee, they all sound so interesting that I don’t really know which to pick…”
>As the engine dies Rarity waves her hand with a shake of her head
>”Don’t worry darling, we’ll be seeing all of them, so you don’t have to worry about missing a thing!”
>Oh, oh great
>Perhaps you’ve underestimated just what kind of shopping you two were going out for

>Rarity tries to cover her mouth with a balled hand as she lets out a giggle that you’re 100% sure is at your expense
>”I’m only kidding, you’ll only find most of those here, not all of them, this isn’t exactly the fashion capitol of the state or anything darling!”
>Ah, she was joking, of course!
>You could totally tell what with the obviously unavailable fashion styles she named
>Yes sir, you knew all along
>YOU DIDN’T KNOW AT ALL
>As both of you somewhat gaining your composure as you step out of her pristine white luxury car she speaks up
>”I am curious however, is there anything I listed that did stick out to you by chance?”
>Well, you always have been a bit interested in gothi-
*Rrrghhgg*
>The rumble of your stomach interrupts your thoughts and answers for you
>Heh, kinda forgot about the whole eating something thing
>It’s been like a whole five hours since you last did, and you did farm work today!
>Glancing down you clutch your stomach before looking back up and locking eyes with Rarity
>There’s a hot minute of silence as you don’t really know how to politely excuse that particular outburst
>Deciding not to you flash a dumb grin, to which Rarity cracks up a bit through laughs
>”Well, I do know a great café we can stop at before we get down to business if you’d prefer?”
>You’re not one to exactly argue with your stomach
>Stepping around the front of the car you stand beside Rarity
“I think that sounds like a plan, lead the way.”
>With a nod the two of you begin walking towards the hustle and bustle of the street not too far off