“Alright, girls. Out with it.”
>”Out with- Oh! Right. I’m… we’re sorry for yesterday.”
>Sunset gives Twilight a soft elbow to her side, prompting her to speak.
>”O-oh, yes, very sorry! Especially for freaking out and, well…
>”Disturbing the peace? Attempted assault?”
>”Shut up, Pinkie!” Shouts Rainbow as she muffles her bubbly friend with her hands.
>”Um… yeah, that stuff…”
>You cross your arms as you look down on the nerdy-looking purple girl.
“I understand that you’re the reason everybody decided to follow me across town yesterday. Is that correct?”
>”I-“
>”Now hold on there, Ahnon!” the cowgirl interrupts, stepping forward, “She only asked fer Pinkie to come with ‘er!”
>Then, Rarity raises a finger to voice her concern.
>”Indeed, and even so, she simply asked. Each of us made our own decision to come along, to blame and punish her alone for all of our actions is simply unfair.”
>Rainbow buts in as well, raising her voice as well as her concerns.
>”Yeah man, you can’t do that! I know we broke some rules, but that’s why we’re here talking to you right now!”
>They’re right. Not that you we’re going to solely punish Twilight anyway, but still.
>They’re very protective of their friends, it seems. It’s commendable.
“Relax, I wasn’t going to do that. Just pointing out what you’ve all said.”
>”What they said?” Twilight asks.
“That they all left school to be there for you while you tried to do… whatever you were trying to do.”
>”Oh… Right.”
>You’re tempted to scold and call her actions stupid, but all that would likely accomplish is another outburst from her friends.
>”I know what we did probably seems stupid to you…”
>Well, looks like Sunset is a mind-reader.
>”But Twilight just wanted to talk to Timber and make sure he was okay. We didn’t mean for anything else to happen, I swear.”
>”Yes, exactly! I just-“
“Stop. I talked with your brother; I don’t have the whole picture, but I think I’ve got enough of it to understand.”
>”… You do?” Twilight asks, looking completely dumbfounded.
“Well, I think what you did was wrong, foolish, and a whole bunch of other words that aren’t appropriate, but I can at least see the dots you were connecting. And I can’t really blame your friends for just wanting to be there for you…”
>”So we’re good, right? We’re not in trouble?”
>Skittles seems eager to get out of this.
“Well… you did all come to apologize, although SOMEONE could have done a better job.”
>You give Rainbow an accusatory look which she brushes off with a shrug.
“And I did get a free pie…”
>”Mah pleasure, pardner.”
”Fine. You’re off the hook, bu-“
>”YES!”
“But! If you girls pull something like this again, I promise you, it will not be pretty. You’re on thin ice, got it?”
>The girls answer collectively with various “yes sir’s”, “yes Anon’s”, and a “you got it pardner”.
“Good.”
>You peer past the girls and notice a large amount of the students on the grounds beginning to head indoors.
“Looks like school’s starting soon. You girls better get going.”
>Sunset pulls a phone out of her back pocket and checks the time.
>”Yeesh, we’ve only got a few minutes. I guess time flies when you’re stressing out, huh?”
>”You have no idea…” Twilight mutters.
>”Well, alrighty then. Let’s get to moseying on. Ah’ll see ya around, Ahnon!”
>”Mmhm. Thank you so much for your time, Anon, it’s been a pleasure. Ta-ta!”
>Rarity steps over to Fluttershy and takes her by the arm.
>”Say goodbye, Fluttershy.”
>”O-oh, um, bye Anon. I hope you have a nice day.”
>”Yeah… thanks for being cool about this. I’ll see you in the halls. Later, dude.”
“No problem, girls; and you too, Fluttershy. I’ll see you all around.”
>You wave them off as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and rainbow all set off together.
>”Thanks Anon. It’s really nice of you to be so understanding about all this. Right, Twilight?”
>”Absolutely! The way Shiny was talking, I thought we were in huge trouble with you.”
“Well, you caught me in a good mood, and you seemed sincere enough. Besides, I’m still young enough to remember all the dumb stuff I did when I was your age.”
>”Hey, how old are you anyway? And when’s your birthday?”
“None of your business.”
>”Well, I think Principal Celestia said he graduated four years ago. Or was it five?”
>Twilight adjusts her glasses as she scans your features.
>”If that’s the case, he’s got to be in his early twenties. Twenty-three or twenty-four at most. ”
>She’s close. You’ll be twenty-three in a few months.
“I’m old enough, and that’s all that matters.”
>”But when’s your birthday?!”
“Why do you want to know?”
>*BBRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGG*
>”How am I supposed to throw you a birthday party if I don’t know your birthday?”
“You’re not. That’s the point.”
>”But what about-“
>”Come on, Pinkie. We’ve already bothered Anon enough, and we need to get to class.”
>”Oh… fine. But this isn’t over!”
>Sunset smiles and glances back to you.
>”Thanks again, Anon. Have a nice day!”
>”Goodbye, Officer Anon.”
“Goodbye girls. Try and stay out of trouble.”
>”We will!”
>You watch as the three of them begin to take their leave.
>Hardly a few feet away, Pinkie slows to a stop and turns to you, smiling. 
>”Oh, Anon…”
“Hm?”
>Her gaze falls to your boots before rising, carefully looking over your body.
>”I just wanted to say that…”
>After a few short seconds, she makes her way back up to your face.
>”Today… You.”
>Still smiling, she turns and skips on after her friends as if nothing happened.
>…
>What the fuck does that mean?!
>Just when you thought you were getting used to her, too!
>Legitimately somewhat unnerved, you quickly decide to hang back and wait for the pink girl and her friends to leave your sight.
>Once the coast is clear, you head over to the main building’s door and quickly duck into the office, letting the door swing shut behind you as the tardy bell rings.
>Aaaand you’re safe.
>”Oh, there you are!”
>Raven leans to her side, peeking out at you from behind her monitor.
>”Where’d you go yesterday? Celestia was looking for you.”
>You notice her eyes drop and linger on your pie for a moment before looking back to you.
“Some stuff came up and I ended up being out longer than expected. Is she in?”
>”Yep, she’s in her office with her sister.”
>Her eyes find the pie once more.
>”Starting things out with a gift, I see.”
“What? No, one of your students gave me this.”
>She gives you a wary stare.
>”Uh… might want to make sure that student isn’t a trouble-maker. And that they didn’t put laxative or something in there.”
>Laxative?
>No way. Applejack seems like a nice southern(?) girl. The type that was raised right.
>She’d never do something like that. Right?
“I think I’m good.”
>”Hm. If you say so. Anyways, Principal Celestia is in her office. She’ll probably want to talk to you.”
“Good, because I need to talk to her.” You say as you slide past the front desk.
>You step through the glass door and lean into your office to safely deposit your pie before heading back to Celestia’s office.
>You give the door a polite knock and wait for an answer, which comes seconds later with Luna opening the door.
>”Oh, it’s you. We were just discussing you.” 
>”Is that Anon?”
>She steps to the side, pulling the door open as she goes. Celestia peers up at you from behind her desk.
“I hope everyone was saying good things about me.”
>”Where did you go yesterday? Raven said you just disappeared with some other officers.”
“Yeah, sorry. I would have said something, but I didn’t expect to be gone for all that long. Didn’t turn out that way.”
>”Well, come in! Where’d you go, what happened?”
>You step through the door and take a seat in front of the desk. Luna shuts the door behind you and takes her position next to her sister, just like she did Monday.
“So, I was coming back from talking to Twilight…”
>”Twilight? You found Twilight?”
“Yeah, she was hiding out in one of the science labs.”
>Celestia rests a hand over her eyes.
>”Of course she was.”
“She was supposed to come talk to you, but it looks like that didn’t happen.”
>”Sister and I can sort that out later with a phone call to her mother. I’m more interested in knowing where you disappeared to.”
”I went to go catch our drug dealer.”
>”You did?” Celestia asks, leaning forward with interest. “Did you find him? Was it Timber?”
“My friends stopped by and noticed someone in the alleyway. It wasn’t Timber, but a guy that lived with him. He pointed us in his direction.”
>”So it wasn’t just Timber selling drugs there? That’s quite concerning.”
“Aside from Timber, there were two others there that appeared to be involved with all of this at the address the second dealer gave us. Might even be more out there; either way, I’m gonna keep an eye on that alley in case someone tries to move back in.”
>”So… what was the problem, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well…”
>Should you tell them everything?
>Nah. You’d be here for a while explaining everything and answering their questions.
>There’s a big enough spotlight on you right now anyways.
“Paperwork, red tape, all that stuff. What’s important is that we got our guy.”
>Celestia sits back in her chair, somewhat slouched over.
>”Well, that’s a big weight off my shoulders.”
>”Hopefully it will quiet down around here again.”
>”Oh, please. You know as well as I do that it never stays quiet for long.”
>”Unfortunately…” Luna says breathily.
“Has it been that bad here the past few years?”
>”You have no idea.”
>Huh. And you thought you were a trouble-maker.
>”I’m going to go make some coffee. Would either of you like some?”
>”Yes, please.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
>”Suit yourself. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
>Luna gives Celestia a light pat on the shoulder as she pushes herself off the cabinet she was leaning on and heads out the door, closing it softly behind her.
>The two of you briefly sit there in somewhat awkward silence before you recall the other reasons you wanted to speak with Celestia.
“So… you know how you asked me about Bulk?”
>At the mention of his name, her eyes noticeably perk up.
>”Yes! Are you going to be able to do something to help?”
“I spoke to my boss about it, he’s going to give my information to the prosecutor, so I can talk things out with her.”
>”I, um… that’s good, right?”
“If I can convince the prosecutor to see things our way, she can get the charges dismissed. It’s a long shot, but it’s better than nothing.”
>”I see… Well, keep me updated, and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Will do. You really care about your students, don’t you?”
>”Of course I do! It’s my job to help prepare them for adulthood, to guide them along their path in life. With Bulk… well, I feel as though I’ve failed him.”
“What makes you say that? You didn’t force him to take that poison.”
>”I knew he was having trouble. I’d known for some time, and I just didn’t do anything. I didn’t talk to him or try to tutor him… I should have done something.”
“You couldn’t have known it’d end up this way.”
>She leans forward, crossing her arms o her desk and using them as a makeshift pillow.
>”Maybe, but that doesn’t excuse my inaction. I should have done something, anything. Ugh, can we talk about something else? I’m depressing myself…”
“Alright, well… we could talk about that other thing you asked me about.”
>”What other thing?” She mumbles out, lacking any enthusiasm.
“About getting lunch together.”
>Her eyes snap wipe open as she jerks back up from her desk.
>”Oh! Did you make up your mind?”
>Well, somebody looks excited.
“Yeah, I thought it over and talked with a friend about it. Why not?”
>”Great! I’m glad you think so.” 
>Her usual warm smile quickly makes it’s way back onto her face. Her lips part with a nervous chuckle.
>”Hehe, sorry if I came on a little strong about it. I’ve just, well…” Her cheeks warm to a shade of pink as her eyes dart about, “Work’s kept me busy for the last few years, and I’d been out of the game for a while even before that. I was pretty certain I had scared you off.”
>Busy, huh? Man, what the hell happened after you graduated? You must have just missed one hell of a wild ride.
>Wait.
>It just now occurs to you that you’re not entirely sure what she’s looking to get out of this.
>Is she wanting something serious, or is this just for some casual fun?
“No, no, it’s fine, you just caught me off guard is all. I’ve been on my own for a while now as well, and I just… wasn’t expecting my old principle to ask me something like that.”
>Her blush intensifies.
>”Oh, god… You know, after that conversation, the only thing running through my head for half the day was ‘what are you thinking?!’. It must’ve been weird, being asked out by an older woman.”
>It probably would have if you weren’t friends with a woman a decade older than you who’s been borderline sexually harassing you for a while.
>You take your turn to laugh and give her a smile back.
“Haha, oh, you’d be surprised. I’m actually pretty used to it. It was just that whole principal thing.”
>”Yeah… it does feel a little strange to be talking about this sort of thing with an old student.”
>Her entire face flares up into a shade of red as her smile wavers.
>”B-but you don’t have to be worried! I swear there’s nothing weird going on; I’m not one of those predatory authority figures you read about in the news! I just saw you, thought that you had turned into a very attractive young man, and-”
>She’s really spilling her spaghetti here. Maybe it’s been more than just a few years for her.
“Relax, Celestia. I get it. It’s no big deal.”
>She nods and takes a breath in to calm herself.
>”Right… good.”
“Though, I do have one question, if you don’t mind me asking. What’s your endgame with this?”
>”My endgame?”
“Yeah. Are you wanting something serious? Is this just for fun, or…?”
>”Well…  Serious. I’m looking for a partner. That doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy ourselves. Though, I understand if that doesn’t sound appealing to you; you’re still young with many years ahead of you.”
“No, that’s fine with me. I was kind of hoping for something sort of like that. Slow, serious…”
>”Yeah…”
>She smiles and nods back as the conversation dies for several seconds.
>Her optimistic smile shrinks a little as she opens her mouth to speak again.
>”Well, um… maybe we should actually spend some time together before we get too deep into what we want out of this, don’t you think?”
>It occurs to you that you’ve hardly spoken a word to Celestia that wasn’t related to work.
>Aside from her job and her sister, you don’t even know the first thing about her.
>Yeah, maybe you should actually get to know the woman with whom you were just planning on jumping into a relationship with.
“Oh, y-yeah, absolutely!”
>”I’m glad you think so, too.” She says with a slight giggle. “How does dinner after school tomorrow sound? There’s a great diner at the mall that I’ve been craving for a while. They have the best shakes in town there!”
>Shakes? Aw yeah. It’ll be nice to get some real food in you for once, as well.
“That sounds great to me.”
>“Good. It’s a date then.”
“Should I pick you up, or…”
>”No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you, though. The place is called the Sweet Snacks Café. It’s right outside the mall’s south entrance. Trust me, you won’t miss it.”
 “Alright. I’m looking forward to it.”
>”Me too. Oh, and here.”
>She reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a single yellow sticky note. She quickly jots down a few characters on the sheet and holds it out for you to take.
>It’s her phone number.
>”Go ahead and send me a text when you can.”
>You stand and take the yellow note in hand.
“Will do. Well, I think I’ll let you get back to work for now. I’m sure you’ve got things to do.”
>”I suppose it has been a good few minutes.”
“Well, I’m right down the hall if you get a minute.” You say as you step toward the door.
>You quickly twist the nob and pull the door toward you, startling the coffee-toting Vice-Principal who was standing suspiciously close to the other side.
>”O-oh, Anon. Leaving so soon?”
>”Luna? Were you listening in on us?”
>”Oh, please! I would never spy on my sister! I was merely waiting for one of you to open the door; didn’t you hear me knock?”
“But you didn’t-“
>You hear Celestia spring out of her seat, rolling it into the cabinet behind her, and rush to your side. With one arm each, she gently pushes you out of her office while pulling Luna in with the other.
>”I really enjoyed our chat, Anon. I hope we can do it again soon, but I need to take care of something at the moment. Bye!”
>With her free hand, she swings the door shut with enough force to hit you with a gust of wind.
>”Why do you always have to do this?”
>”Do what? I was just-“
>”You were spying on us! Ugh, it’s like you’re reading my high school diary all over again!”
>”Well, it’s not my fault you never locked the thing!”
>Yeesh.
>You back away from the door and make your way back into your office.
>You plop yourself down into your chair and stare blankly at the pie on your desk.
>Hmm… nah, it’s too early for pie.
>With little else to do, you kick up your feet and let your mind wander from topic to topic.
>Yesterday. The girls. Celestia and her apparently nosy sister.
>After what feels like an eternity, you pull your phone out and check the time.
>8:25.
“What the hell am I supposed to do all day?”

-Some time later-
>Fully reclined with your feet kicked up on your desk, you stare up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
>You are incredibly bored.
>You’ve already done a few laps around the school grounds, poked your head into Ms. Harshwhinny’s class, and greeted a few teachers and students alike.
>You browsed the web in search of a few cheap laughs and dank memes. You read up on all the local news; even the story about that rising-star actress getting into a catfight with Chestnut Magnifico on set for some new trash movie you won’t see.
>What was her name? Chrisis? Chrystala?
>Eh, whatever.
>You try your best to fight off the urge to check the time, but ultimately, you cave. Again.
>With a shake of the mouse, your desktop screen comes to life.
>10:02.
>You scream internally.
>No, you can do this. Just a handful of months to go. That’s not so bad, right?
>Doing your best to relax, you lay your head back and shut your eyes.
>You stay there for some time before finally succumbing to the urge once again.
>10:02.
>10:03.
“I can’t do this.”
>You slide your feet off your desk and hop up from your seat. You don’t bother to push in your chair as you storm out of the room.
>Deciding you’d rather walk around the school again, you push open the glass door and make your way past Raven to the exit.
>”Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m gonna go walk in circles some more.”
>”Should I send Pinkie back then?”
>You halt as you grip the doorknob and turn back towards the secretary.
“Pinkie?”
>She points behind her with her thumb.
>”I just sent her back there for her appointment with you. You didn’t see her?”
>Huh. Maybe she was saying hi to Celestia or Luna first?
>Wait a minute.
>’Oh, Anon. I just wanted to say that… today… you.’
>An image of her with that same smile flashes through you mind.
>You’re not quite sure why, but suddenly you get the feeling you should be very afraid.
>Maybe you should get out of here.
>Yeah, that’s it! You’ll just hide out somewhere. The janitors closet, or maybe the library. Hell, maybe Redheart will let you hide out with her.
“Uh… yeah, I did. Just got to, um… use the restroom.”
>Raven gives you a skeptical look as you pull open the door.
>Only to be greeted by the sight of the smiling pink girl herself.
>”Hiya Anon! Going somewhere?”
>Oh no.
>”Huh, there she is. Pinkie, Anon will be right with you.“
“Yeah, I’ll be just a few minutes.” You say, trying to slide past her through the door.
>She steps in front of you, blocking your escape.
>”But I was just waiting for like, ever!”
>”Pinkie, you’ve only been waiting for a few seconds…”
>”Maybe to you! Come on Anon, it can wait, can’t it?”
>You cower away from her as she approaches you.
>There is no escape. There is only fear.
“Y-yeah, sure. Right, um… right this way.”
>You take the lead back to your office, immediately regretting letting her out of your sight behind you.
>Upon reaching your door you pull it open to find Pinkie sitting at your desk, smiling back at you.
>”About time! I’ve been waiting for forever!”
>What?
>You glance at the small hallway behind you, finding it completely empty.
>A cold sweat breaks as your heart begins to pound.
>But… how did she- when did sh- that’s not-
>”Something wrong, Anon? You’re makin’ some weird faces. They’re pretty funny!” Pinkie giggles out.
>Without lifting your eyes from her, you slowly shut the door and turn to attempt to flee, only to find yourself cornered.
>”Where are you going? Don’t you want to talk to me?” The pink demon says, her smile replaced with a distraught frown.
>But she was just, and now she’s- How? HOW?!
>An invisible hand clutches your heart, clenching it between it’s fingers, squeezing the life from it.
>You claw at your heart through your vest, desperate to free it from the wrenching pain.
>You struggle to stay on your feet through the attack. With what little you can do, you feel yourself succumbing.
“Ah! Arrgh…hah, g-guh…”
>This is it. This is where it all ends.
>”You’re lookin’ pretty rough, Anon… Maybe you should sit down for a little bit.”
>As she snatches up your hand, a peculiar warmth flows into you.
>The pain dulls as the warm feeling creeps through you and begins to converge in your chest.
>You stumble along as she drags you back into your office and practically throws you into your chair and pushes you up to your desk.
>”There you go!”
>The warmth fades away as she lets go, the terrible pain in your chest having mostly dissipated into an aching throb as she plops down across from you.
>”And there I go! How’s it going, Anon?”
>Lightly panting, you slide your hand into your vest and rest it over your heart.
“I… I think I just had a heart attack.”
>How are you still alive right now? What the hell was that?
>”Wow, that’s not good. Maybe you should just take it easy for a while? Boy, it sure has been a wild week, huh? I mean, there was that thing with Bulk, and then all that… Well, you were there for it, you remember!”
“Pinkie, I think I need to go to the hospi-“
>”The hospital? To visit Sugarcoat?” She lets out the loudest gasp you’ve ever heard. “Oh my gosh, that would be AMAZING! I’m sure she’d love that! You know, I’m going as soon as school gets out, you should come along!”
“No, I mean I-“
>”Let’s see…” She gives her chin a scratch as her eyes roll back and forth across the room in thought. “Sunset is definitely going, along with Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, I think Applejack might be busy, and Twilight is grounded, so we totally got room for you in the van!”
>You lay your head back against the top of the chair, doing your best to get comfortable.
>What the hell is she?
>Does she even realize what she just did to you?
>How the hell did she do that?
>”So? You gonna come?”
>Just give her what she wants, Anon. Maybe she’ll leave you alone if you do.
“I… yeah, sure. Just… don’t do whatever you just did to me ever again.”
>”I got no idea what you’re talking about, but YAAAAAY!” She throws her arms up in a cheer. “You wanna ride with us?”
“I can drive myself.”
>”Okie doki loki! Hey, you’re still looking pretty rough. Maybe you should eat something. How about Applejack’s pie?”
>Something to eat actually does sound good, though there’s no way apple pie is going to do anything to help with a heart attack.
“Yeah, actually… can you go get me a-“
>”I got it covered.”
>Out of seemingly nowhere, Pinkie pulls out a small plate, a fork, and a pie spatula. Wasting no time at all, she hops out of her chair and gets to cutting out a piece of pie.
>She lifts a slice out of the tin and plops it down onto the plate. Using the fork to cut the slice, she scoops up a small piece of pie and begins waving the fork around through the air as she steps around the table to you.
>”Nyeeeooouurrghn~, Pie plane to Anon National Airport, we’re comin’ in hot for an emergency refueling! I see an open landing strip and I’m going in!”
“I can fee-“
>She shoves the slice of pie into your mouth, somehow avoiding stabbing you with the fork.
>Your tempted to spit the pie out at her until your tongue registers the flavor of the pastry.
>It’s… It’s amazing.
>It tastes like angels descended from heaven in the form of Applejack to give you this pie.
>There’s a flavor orgy going on in your mouth, and your tongue is the only dude there.
>And he’s going allllllllll night long.
>”Wow. Judging by that look, you must really like it, huh?”
>You begin to chew and get ready for the next bite.
“It’sh… it’sh really ghoo-“
>She shoves another bite into your mouth.
>This time, you don’t sit idly by, snatching the plate and fork from her and giving her a glare as you chew and swallow the second bite.
“I can feed myself, thank you very much.”
>”If you say so,” She shrugs, “Say, mind if I have a piece? Jackie makes some great pies!”
>Fuck you, this is my pie. This pie was made for me.
>No, Anon. Appease the demon. Maybe she’ll leave you alone if you give her an offering.
“Uh… sure.”
>”Awesome! Thanks Anon, you’re super-duper nice!”
>She grabs the spatula again and scoops up a slice of pie before taking her seat across from you.
>As if she completely normal to her, she opens her mouth wide and slides the entire slice off the spatula and into her gaping maw.
>You watch in terror as she shuts her mouth and swallows, not bothering to chew once.
>”Mmm-mmm! Deee-lish! Man, those Apples really know how to bake ‘em, don’t they?”
“Uh… y-yeah, they… they sure do.”
>You need to leave. Now.
>You slowly reach over toward the pan and deposit your half-eaten slice in the free spaces.
>”What’s the matter? Not hungry anymore?”
>Quick, think of something!
“It’s not that! It’s just that, I, uh, I have to go by Nurse Redheart’s office! Yeah! She wants to make sure I’m alright. You know, after that whole thing with Bulk!”
>Pinkie narrows her blue eyes at you.
>”Hmmmmmmm.”
>She continues to stare you down for several seconds before suddenly reverting to her usual wide smile.
>”Okay! I hope you’re okay! Hey, you should swing by our table at lunch. I’m sure everyone would love to talk some more with you.”
>You slide her plate and fork back across the table.
“I’ll think about it.”
>”Don’t think about it, just do it!” She says loudly as she crams her eating utensils into her curly pink hair.
>What.
>”Anyway, thanks again for the pie! I’ll see you at lunch! Bye-bye!”
>She quickly hops up from her chair and skips out the door, waving to you as she goes, and slams the door behind her.
>Oh thank god, it’s over.
>The door is quickly flung open again; Pinkie pokes her head through the doorway.
>”So I was thinking, ‘Hey Pinkie, why don’t you walk Anon to the Nurse’s office? He’s pretty rough lookin’ and he’d probably like the company’. And then I thought ‘You’re right, Pinkie. We should totally do that! That way, I can hang out with Anon some more’!”
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
“That’s really… nice of you, Pinkie. I’d like that.”
>”I knew it! Come on, Anon! Let’s go!” she shouts, posing with a finger pointing out of the offices.
>Slowly, you pull yourself out of your chair and follow her out of the office.
>Surprisingly, you manage to stay on your feet. The chest pain seems to have mostly gone away.
>Maybe that pie actually did help? Or maybe it just wasn’t as bad as you thought it was.
>Sure seemed like you were gonna die back there though.
>”Walking her back to class? What a gentlemen.” Raven remarks as pass her desk.
>You don’t bother trying to explain anything. She won’t believe you.
>”Nope! I’m actually walking him to the Nurse’s office.”
>Raven’s eyes shift from Pinkie to you.
>”Did you get hurt again?”
>You mouth the word ‘help’ to her.
>”He’s just feeling a little under the weather right now. He’ll be better in no time!”
>Sticking out a pinkie and thumb, you raise your hand to your head in mimicry of a phone. You then point to the CPD badge on your vest.
>”Uh… Isn’t it a little inappropriate to be asking me to call you after what you talked to Principal Celestia about this morning?”
“What? No, I mean… wait, you heard about that?”
>”Heard about what? I wanna know!” Pinkie shouts as she bounces up to Raven’s desk.
>”Oh, so Principal Celestia came out here earlier and told me-“
>Of course she did.
>You quickly snatch up Pinkie’s arm and begin to pull her towards the door.
“It’s been nice chatting with you, Ms. Inkwell. Unfortunately, I have to get to the Nurse’s office and Pinkie needs to get back to class.”
>”Oh, okay then.”
>”But I want to know what Principal Celestia said!”
“Too bad. Say goodbye.”
>”Aww. Bye Ms. Inkwell…”
>You manage her into the halls before Raven has a chance at any more words.
>Well, that’s probably a crisis averted.
>Seems like Celestia likes to talk. Well, to Raven anway. And Raven definitely likes to talk.
>Probably a smart decision not to talk about what happened yesterday.
>”You’re hiding something from me…” Pinkie accuses with narrowed eyes.
“No idea what you’re talking about. Come on, let’s get going.”
>You release her arm only for her to quickly snatch up your hand with hers.
>”Alrighty then! Hey, you wanna hear a funny story?”

>Almost there, Anon. Almost there. Just a few more steps…
>”Aaaaannnd that’s how I got cake icing in my-“
>You round the corner and stop just in front of the door to Redheart’s office.
>It feels strange to be so eager to get here after hoping to avoid her the past few days.
“Oh wow, look at that, we’re already here.”
>”Huh, I guess we are. Boy, though, I gotta say, that icing sure tasted good!”
“You ate it after that?”
>”Well, I didn’t want to waste it! And there was only a little bit of hair stuck in it. But golly, it was EVERYWHERE! Even in my bra!”
>You knew the moment you saw her that this girl wasn’t right.
“Uh huh… anyway, you should go ahead and get back to class.”
>You slip your hand free of hers and step partially through the door before something snags your other arm from behind.
>”Hey, you’re coming by at lunch, riiiiight?”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll come see you guys.”
>Please, please just go away.
>”Promise? Pinkie promise?” She asks, leaning in towards you.
“I promise! Now go an-“
>”No, you’re supposed to say, ‘cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-‘ Oh, hi Nurse Redheart!”
>You turn back and find Redheart startlingly close to you, pressed up against the wall just next to the doorframe, peering out with mild interest.
>”Hi Pinkie.” She turns to you and gives you an uneasy grin, unsure of how to great you. “H-hi Anon. Is something wrong?”
“Nope, just swung by for a checkup! Bye Bubblegum, see you at lunch!”
>With a strong jerk of your arm, you pull away from Pinkie, quickly step through the door, and slam it shut.
>Not that you feel any safer with the obstacle between you. Apparently, doors don’t mean anything to her.
>”BYE ANON! BYE NURSE REDHEART!”
>You take a few steps away from the door and turn around, only for Redheart to walk straight into you.
>”Oh, sorry! I didn’t think you were going to stop, and I… A-anyway, what was all that about?”
>You back away a few steps and take a seat on one of the beds.
>What was that about? How do you even put that into words?
“I think… I think that might have been one of the more terrifying experiences of my life.”
>She glances back at the door briefly.
>”Pinkie? Yeah, she can be like that sometimes… You’ll get used to her.”
>You’re pretty sure you won’t.
>”Honestly, she’s pretty tame compared to the stuff that goes on around here.”
“Yeah, everyone keeps mentioning that stuff. What happened anyway?”
>Redheart takes a few slow, plodding steps towards the counter, which she leans up against.
>”Well, a couple years ago, that Sunset girl turned into a demon and mind controlled most of the student body trying to take over the world, or something. Then some weird fish-horse girls showed up and tried the same thing using some magical gems and singing, or something… Then that new girl, Twilight, went all demon, too, and apparently almost broke reality, or… something. Also, there was some weird stuff going on at Camp Everfree last school year, but I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what’s up with that.”
>You stare at Redheart as she finishes nonchalantly rambling on about insane bullshit that never happened.
>You think that, but in lieu of what just happened with Pinkie…
>Wait a minute.
>What if she just has a twin sister?
>Yeeaaaaah. Yeah! That’s got to be it! One of ‘em was in hiding in one of the other offices when the other walked into you. Then the first Pinkie snuck into your office, then the second one bailed!
>That doesn’t explain her swallowing that pie, though. Maybe she’s just one of those people that can do crazy shit with their bodies?
“So did someone send out a memo of crazy shit to tell me when I got here? Cause yesterday I had someone trying to tell me Sunset was a unicorn, and that there’s another Twilight running around who’s apparently a princess from some kind of magical horse land.”
>”That’s true, too.”
>Once again, you bust out your best ‘are you fucking kidding me’ stare.
>”I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth!”
“Uh huh. Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” You say as you lie down on the bed.
>Huh. Surprisingly comfy.
>”I wouldn’t lie to you. Not after yesterday… Look, you’ll see. Just give it some time.”
“Whatever.”
>”So, um, did you actually want me to take a look at you, or were you just trying to get away from Pinkie?”
“A little bit of both. I thought she gave me a heart attack, but I’m feeling okay right now, so I guess I’m alright.”
>Her uneasy smile shifts to a slight frown, her concern apparent.
>”I can’t do anything about a heart attack. You should get yourself checked out at a hospital if that’s the case, though.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’m heading to the hospital later on anyway, so I guess I’ll do that.”
>”Visiting someone?”
“Yeah. Don’t ask, it’s a long story.”
>”Oh. Ok…”
>The conversation comes to a grinding halt. Redheart pushes off the counter and stands there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
>She blows air out of her mouth and takes a few awkward steps toward you; she takes a seat at the edge of the foot of the bed.
>”Sooo… How’d you end up joining the police? I thought you didn’t know what you wanted to do.”
>Oh, man. If there was ever a story she didn’t want to hear, it’s this one.
“That’s also a long story.”
>”So? I’ve got nothing to do, and if you’re here, you’ve got nothing to do either. Skip to the good bits if you have to.”
>God damn it.
>Whatever, she knows you’re an alright guy. Just change the story and say you got inspired or something.
“A couple months after the party, I found myself just wandering around town. At the bridge over the bay, in particular. I was making my way across when I noticed traffic on the right-hand side was beginning to pile up. Then I noticed the flashing blue lights.”
>”Was there an accident?”
“No. There was a jumper standing on the railing on the side of the bridge. Apparently, he had been standing there for a good little while, and nobody stopped or said anything. They just honked or kept on driving. This cop, kind of an older looking guy, was the only one who stopped.”
>”That’s horrible. He didn’t let the guy jump, right?”
“That’s the thing that got me. It looked like the cop just pulled over, turned on his lights, walked over to the railing and started talking to the guy like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I thought the guy was crazy, or just didn’t give a damn; but I stood there watching them for almost an hour. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but eventually the cop just held out his hand, and the guy took it. He got down, they hugged, the jumper broke down into tears.”
>Running the events through your head again, you’re having to strain just to choke back the emotions the memory has dug up.
>Stitches was right. It’s time you visited Breacher. Blitz, too.
>You owe them that, and more.
“I had been pretty depressed since, you know… what happened on that bridge made me realize that there are people out there with way worse problems than the ones I had. I guess I decided I wanted to help people. Make a difference. I went by the department the next day to ask how I could join.”
>”Wow… that’s really sweet of you, Anon. Do you enjoy it?”
>You sit up and slide over to the side of the bed.
“I love it. Joining the force has been, hands down, the best thing that ever happened to me.”
>An apprehensive smile cross her face.
>”Well, I’m glad I was able to help you find your dream job. Heh-heh… I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke about that.”
>Huh. You never thought about it before, but you guess that, in some kind of weird, fucked up, roundabout way, you wouldn’t be where you are now if it wasn’t for Redheart.
“No, it’s fine. Like I said before, I’m not torn up about it anymore.”
>”If you say so, I’m glad. But… I am torn up about it. And so is Cheerilee. You haven’t spoken to her yet, have you?”
“No. I got a little caught up with work yesterday, didn’t get the chance.”
>”Oh… O-okay, well, no rush.”
>That translates roughly to ‘why are you waiting so long?’
>Fuck it, like you’ve got anything else going on right now.
“Why don’t we go say hi to her right now?”
>”Now? Both of us? I don’t think that’s a good idea. I thought you said for me to give her some space for a few days?”
“When did you last talk to her?”
>”Tuesday.”
“Yeah, it’ll probably be fine. Come on.” You urge as you rise from the soft, white-sheeted bed.
>Stepping back out into the halls, you turn to make sure Redheart is following you.
>She is, although hesitantly. 
>”Maybe we should wait until after school? What if we make a scene, and some students see?”
“Nah, I can’t. I got things to do later.”
>You stop and look behind you when you notice the sound of her shoes clacking against the tile has ceased. 
>”Anon, I don’t know… I really think I should stay behind here.”
>Christ, do you want me to help or not?
“Redheart, if you come with me, it just makes you look better. If you want her to believe that you’re sorry, you need to be there to say it and ask for another chance.”
>She crosses her arms and glances back towards her office, then back to you, clearly indecisive.
>After a few moments, she sighs and steps toward you.
>”Alright. I just hope she doesn’t slap me again. Or worse… I know I deserve it, but still.”
“Don’t worry. There wasn’t a cop there last time.”
>Out of the blue, you hear the intercoms crackle to life.
>”Twilight Sparkle to the office, please. Twilight Sparkle to the office.”
>Well, guess she’s busted for yesterday. Rip.
>Hopefully she won’t mention any of that shit that happened yesterday. It’d be bad to get snitched on.
>Oh well, you got a decent reason for not telling. Most of it isn’t anyone else’s business anyway.
“Come on, let’s go.”

>Oh boy. First you get in trouble at home, and now school.
>Not that you have anyone to blame besides yourself.
>Soon enough, you may be able to blame your psycho alter-ego, but that’s not comforting at all.
>Well, Principal Celestia has been very understanding in the past. You’re sure that if you just explain that you’ve been having a rough past few weeks and that you don’t want to talk about it, she’ll probably leave you be with a slap of the wrist.
>There’s more important things to worry about anyway.
>Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna need to know about the problems you and your friends are having with your powers and the possible reemergence of Midnight Sparkle.
>They’ll be way more worried about that than your behavior yesterday, anyway.
>You arrive at the office door and push it open.
>Having already known what to expect, you quickly exchange greetings with Ms. Inkwell and head back to Principal Celestia’s office.
>You give the wooden door a light rap and wait. Before long, it opens, giving way to the towering, motherly figure that is Principal Celestia.
>”Ah, Twilight. I-“
>Principal Celestia cups your cheek, leaning in to examine it with deep concern.
>”My word, Twilight, what happened?”
>Oh, gosh, the bruise. Of course, she would bring up the bruise.
“It’s kind of a long story. Can we just skip over that?”
>You gently guide her hand away from your face.
>”Absolutely not, Twilight, you’ve an enormous bruise on your face! If this is from a fight or some form of abuse, you need to tell me!”
“I’m okay, Principal Celestia, really. I already talked to Officer Anon about it, along with my friends and my entire family. Please, I really don’t want to talk about it again.”
>She stares down on you, hesitant and frustrated. You can tell that she clearly wants to push the issue.
>”Well… if you’ve spoken to your brother and Anon about it, then… I suppose I’ll trust that you’re okay. But please, Twilight, I’m here for you if you need me, like always.”
>Celestia drapes her arms over your shoulders and pulls you toward her bosom.
“I know, Principal Celestia. I can always count on you.” You say as you return her hug.
>Principal Celestia really is the greatest. You’ve never seen someone who cares about their students so much.
>Well, aside from Dean Ca- Principal Cadance, of course.
>But the students here don’t realize how lucky they are to have her.
>The two of you hold the embrace for a few quiet moments before Principal Celestia releases you and guides you into her office with her hand and quietly shuts the door behind you.
>You both take your respective seats. Principal Celestia scoots close to her desk and intertwines her fingers.
>”Well, I was hoping you could explain why you’ve been here at the school, despite supposedly being home sick, but it seems a reasonable guess that that has something to do with your cheek, doesn’t it?”
“You’re not wrong…”
>”I see. Then can you explain why Anon told me you were supposed to come to my office yesterday?”
>Oh, geez.
“Um… well, you see…”
>”That also has to do with the bruise?”
>You give her a cheesy smile and nod, to which she sighs.
>”I understand that you don’t want to discuss it, but you have to give me something to work with here.”
>Darn it. Guess your not getting out of this.
“Well… so, the bruise was from Timber.”
>”Twilight! Why didn’t you say something?” She scoots toward the edge of her seat, “Is that why you’ve been missing this whole time?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to talk about it. My friends found me, and I… broke down in front of them talking about it. But it’s fine now.”
>”It isn’t just fine now, he struck you!”
“But it is! He’s gone, Principal Celestia. I watched him get arrested yesterday, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere for a while.”
>”You saw him? What do you mean?”
>You hang your head low, preparing for the third scolding you will receive for your actions.
“The reason I didn’t come to your office yesterday is because… I left the school. I overheard Officer Anon talking on the phone, to some of his friends I guess. He mentioned Timber, and it sounded like they were going to catch him, and I…”
>You glance up to gauge her reaction. Judging by her disapproving stare, she seems to have a good idea of where things are going.
“…Might have followed him to Timber’s house.”
>Oh, wait a minute…
>Please don’t ask how you followed them! PLEASE DON’T ASK HOW YOU FOLLOWED THEM!
>”But… why? How did you even follow them?”
>DARN IT!
>No, it’s fine! Just skip to the magic!
“I, um… I-it’s not really all that important. What’s important is-“
>”I think I’ll be the one to decide what’s important here, Twilight. Answer the questions.”
“But-“
>”Twilight. Please. I understand you’ve been in a rough place, but I need you to cooperate here.”
>ARGH! Dang it, Principal! Fine!
“I wanted to ask him why he tried to force himself on me! I asked Pinkie to drive me, and everyone else came, too!”
>”He tried to force himself on you?! Twilight, I’m so so-“
>You shoot out of your chair and slam your hands onto her desk.
“IT’S FINE, IT’S OVER! MIDNIGHT SPARKLE IS COMING BACK!”
>Principal Celestia’s jaw drops. With a hand over her heart, her head and eyes roam and wander about as she tries to register the information.
>”I… but, how? Are you certain?”
>As you open your mouth, the twist of a knob and squeal of a hinge announce the opening of the door.
>You turn to see Vice-Principal Luna poking her head inside the door, looking over both of you with unease.
>”Sister? Twilight? I heard yelling, is everything okay?”
>Principal Celestia buries her face in her hands.
>”No, Luna, everything is not okay. Come in, you’re going to want to hear this.”
>Clearly uncomfortable and a little weirded out, Vice-Principal Luna slides in through the door and steps up to her older sister’s side.
>”What’s the matter here?” asks the Vice-Principal to her superior.
>”Twilight, if you would explain?”
>”Yes, if you would. With your inside voice this time.” The sapphire-haired sister requests.
>Having calmed from venting your frustration and feeling prompted from VP Luna’s inquisitive stare, you sit back down on the edge of your seat.
“Well… Midnight Sparkle is back?”
>As if she doesn’t believe you, she looks to her sister for confirmation. She finds none.
>”How can that be? I thought you were Midnight Sparkle? Er… Midnight Sparkle was you? How is she back if you’re you, right in front of us?”
“I don’t know… Lately, I’ve been experiencing periods of time where I seem to just… black out. I come to, and I don’t remember anything. I had a black out yesterday when I saw Officer Anon arresting Timber. Sunset was there, and she said-“
>”Wait a moment, you  and Sunset were there when Anon arrested Timber?”
“AARRGH! YES, I WAS THERE!”

>”You’d best watch your tone with us, young lady. You may have saved us at the Camp, but we’re still your principals!”
>”Luna, please. Twilight, you were saying?”
>Luna grumbles quietly and gives you an annoyed scowl, but otherwise remains silent.
“As I was saying, Sunset was there. She said she saw me opening portals, like Midnight could. She said I was about to throw Timber through one into a volcano…”
>”My word… you said he was arrested, right? So Midnight was stopped?”
>”Surely, she had to have been. If she wasn’t, Twilight wouldn’t be here talking to us now.”
“She was, although I’m not sure how. Sunset didn’t mention it.”
>”And you don’t remember any of it?”
>You shake your head at Principal Celestia.
“Not even a little. Shining was talking to me behind Timber’s house, then it just goes black… The next thing I know, I’m back at home with some very upset parents.”
>”Fantastic!” VP Luna blurts out as she begins to pace back and forth beside her sister’s desk, “So she could just pop up at any moment with no warning, is that it?”
“Well… Maybe?”
>”Maybe doesn’t do much to calm me, Ms. Sparkle.”
“It’s only happened twice, and both times, Timber was… involved.”
>”You think your boyfriend might have something to do with it?”
>Hearing someone call him your boyfriend after everything that’s happened irks you.
“Ex-boyfriend.” You correct, “And that’s the thing, Principal. I don’t know why she’d care about Timber. She shouldn’t even know who he is.”
>”It certainly is strange. And you have no idea how this is happening? Or about what she wants?”
>Your eyes sink to the floor as you shake your head again.
“Nothing. On top of that, Sunset says she can use my magic, so she’s even more dangerous than before! Even worse is that we… we’ve been having some trouble with our magic lately.”
>”What? What kind of trouble?”
“Sunset’s been having trouble controlling hers. She goes through these episodes where she can hear the thoughts of everyone around her, as if they were shouting them into a microphone, and there’s nothing she can do about it; and just yesterday, Applejack… well, let’s just say she’s having some trouble controlling her strength in the same way. Sunset and I are worried our powers are getting out of hand, and that we could become a danger, to ourselves or others.”
>Lips quivering, Principal Celestia takes in a slow, deep breath. She lets it out and collapses onto her desk, face down, and pounds the wood with her fist.
>”It never ends. It… never… ends…”
>She springs up, her eyes closed and her face wrinkled in frustration. She puts her fingers to the side of her head and begins to rub circles into her temples.
>”And of course, all of this just has to happen now! Just as I finally get a date!”
“Oh, you have a date? Well… at least there’s some good news?”
>”Hold on a minute, Celestia. If Midnight has only manifested twice, and hasn’t remained manifested, maybe we can still nip this in the bud.”
“It’s possible, but… we have no idea what’s causing this; Midnight’s resurgence, or the trouble with our powers. We haven’t had a chance to find out anything yet.”
>VP Luna stops and braces herself on the desk next to her sister.
>”And exactly how many people know about these problems?”
“Um… here at the school? Just me and Sunset.”
>You jump as Princess Celestia slams one hand on the desk and jabs a finger at you.
>”You need to keep it that way. Don’t tell anyone about this except your other friends. No one else is to know about this, understand? Especially not Anon!”
>Anon?
>Well, you guess he probably hasn’t been exposed to any magic yet…
>There’s no clue what he’d do if he saw Midnight tearing up the place.
“Yes, ma’am! Not a word! But, we still don’t know how to stop this stuff…”
>”I was getting to that. You, Sunset, and any of the others you may need are excused from class until you can sort this out. Use your lab, use the library, use whatever you need to, just figure this out before it gets worse! We absolutely cannot have another incident like we did at the Friendship games, or any other magical catastrophe the school’s already been through, understand?”
“Y-yes Principal Cele-“
>”Good, go! Go get Sunset and get started right now!”
>You instantly hop from your chair and give your principal a quick salute.
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
>With a quick turn, you rush out of the office and toward Sunset’s classroom.
>You’ve no doubt she’ll be ecstatic to know what Principal Celestia is allowing you to do.
>Hopefully, you’ll be able to sort all of this out quickly.
>Maybe you’ll finally be able to stop one of these incidents before it even starts.

>With a loud creaking, you open one of the libraries’ double doors.
>You stop just inside the threshold and scan the area. No Cheerilee in sight.
>Probably sorting books, or… whatever her job is.
>You hold the door open for Redheart as she meekly steps in after you. She stands behind you, attempting to hide herself in your silhouette.
>The two of you quietly step down into the center of the library, towards the media center. Redheart steps off toward a large bookcase as you look around again.
>No students, no one at all. The place looks completely empty.
>Guess you won’t be disturbing anyone when you do this, then.
>You raise your hands and circle them around your mouth.
“HEY, CHEERILEE!”
>You hear the distant sound of books hitting the floor.
>”NO YELLING IN THE LIBRA-“
>The shout back falls short, followed by some faint grumbling.
>Within seconds, your old friend approaches the second floor railing.
>”Oh, Anon. No yelling in the library! You scared the crap out of me!”
>You smirk and shrug.
“Sorry. Got a minute? I want to talk.”
>”Oh, now you want to talk?” She says, turning and heading toward the stairs. “I’ve been trying to talk to you since Tuesday!”
“Yeah, well, It’s been a busy week. I’ve been in and out a lot.”
>The cerise-colored woman hits the ground floor and makes way straight to you.
>”Well, I did hear about what’s been going on… I saw that video of the fight, too; rough stuff. But, boy, you fixed up real fast.”
>Sleep fixes everything. Pie, too, apparently.
“Yeah, you’ve got no idea. Speaking of fights; I heard you got into one, too.”
>”You did? Who told you that?”
“Redheart.”
>In an instant, a disgusted scowl crossed her face.
>”So she found you? What did she say? That it wasn’t her fault? That she was drunk?”
“The drunk part, yes. But she admitted that she messed up.”
>”Messed up? She didn’t mess up. When I put a book in the wrong section, I messed up. When a student spends all night typing up a paper and forgets to save it before closing the window, that student messed up! Redheart fucked everything up! That slut ruined our relationship with you and lied to me about it for years! She even came storming in here the other day like I was the bad guy for not telling her you were here!”
>The angry librarian takes in a few heavy breaths to recover from her rant.
“Cheerilee, chill. Messed up, fucked up, whatever; the point is she admitted she was in the wrong. That’s why we’re here.”
>”We? She’s here?”
“Yes. She asked me for help with this. We want to talk this out.”
>”What is there to talk out? Get out here where I can see you, Redheart!”
>Cheerilee jerks her head to the side, staring just past you with malice in her eyes.
>With a glance over your shoulder, you see Redheart slowly slide out from behind a bookcase.
>It’s easily apparent how uncomfortable she is with the situation.
>”I-I’m sorry, Cheerilee! I know what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry! Please, I just want things to go back to how they were before. I’ll do anything, just give me a chance!”
>”Get the hell out of my library.”
>Redheart hesitates for a half-second before turning and trying to walk away. You grab her arm and pull her back towards you.
“Give her a chance, Cheerilee. She lied because she was afraid of losing you, too.”
>”Yeah, and look how that turned out. Why are you taking her side?”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side here. I’m just trying to help.”
>”You’re trying to help the one who caused all of this!”
“I’m trying to help-
>”He’s trying to help all of us!”
>”Shut up, Redheart!”
>”No!” She breaks free from your grip and storms toward her old friend, “Don’t you see? Anon’s back. We can start over; we can try again. Don’t you want to go back to how we used to be?”
>Cheerilee’s face turns a shade darker as she squeezes her balled fists.
>”Why would I EVER want to go back to how things were when I know how much of lying, cheating, unfaithful whore you were? I can’t even believe you got Anon in here trying to defend you, after everything you put him through!”
“I’m not defending her! And what is with you? Last time I saw you, you wanted us to talk about this. All of us. Why are you so mad?”
>”I’ve had plenty of time to think about things, Anon; I changed my mind. She lied to me all this time because it was beneficial to her; she took the easy way out. I’d bet my life that she’ll do it again if we give her the chance. And what about you, huh? You said you just wanted to avoid this, but here you are, arguing for her! How can you feel bad for her when she’s the reason you have that?”
>Cheerilee throws up a pointed finger, directed at the scar on your neck.
>”You said that after seeing her with those men, you just went home and gave up. You disappear for years without saying a word to either of us, and then you show up here again, out of the blue, a completely different person! You barely say a word about anything, including that painful-looking scar on your neck! It’s pretty obvious to me what happened.”
>God damn it, Cheerilee, don’t go there.
>Shocked by the apparent truth of the claim, Redheart turns back to you.
“You don’t know what you’re getting at, Cheerilee. Drop it.”
>”No! I’m not going to just let her slide on this, and neither should you! You almost killed herself because of her, didn’t you?!”
“I said drop it.”
>”She needs to know what she did, Anon. I need to know what she did. Did you try to cut your throat? Did you mess up trying to shoot yourself or something?”
“Cheerilee!”
>”Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t try to kill yourself!”
>Cheerilee stares at you with a dark grimace, awaiting your answer.
“I…”
>Tears begin to swell in Redheart’s eyes.
>After Cheerilee’s accusation and the story you told her earlier, she’s probably beginning to put two and two together.
>”…Anon?”
>You want to lie. You really want to lie.
>But part of you still cares for these two. Even if you aren’t close to them anymore.
>You don’t even know if you want to rebuild your ties with these two, but you don’t want them to split up.
>These two had been friends since kindergarten. You only knew them for a few years.
>Redheart made a mistake, but is it really worth throwing away the history they have together?
>Lie. Just lie. She won’t know. 
>No. A lie is why you’re here trying to sort this out.
>So don’t lie. Tell the truth. Some of it, anyway, and hope they don’t catch on.
“Redheart is not the reason I have this scar.”
>Cheerilee hesitates, but quickly recovers and steps closer to you and Redheart.
>”Yes or no; did you try to kill yourself?”
>Fuck.
“…Redheart is not the reason I have this scar.”
>Cheerilee’s eyes dart to Redheart. In an instant, she rushes toward her, a fist pulled back and ready to strike.
>Redheart cowers behind her arms. You lunge in as fast as you can and just barely manage to grab Cheerilee’s arm before the hit lands.
“Cheerilee, stop!”
>”LET GO OF ME!”
>She rears back and swings her left arm at you, smashing her fist right into your cheek.
>As soon as the blow connects, all movement in the room ceases.
>Both of your old friends look on, shocked and horrified.
>You release Cheerilee’s arm as she begins to stagger backward, as if expecting a retaliatory strike. She clasps her hands over her agape mouth.
>”Anon, I am so sorry! I-I-I didn’t mean to, I was just… I’m sorry!”
>With the arm you still hold aloft, you give your cheek a gentle wipe with your thumb. You stare blankly past Cheerilee and Redheart as you breathe deep.
>Are you fucking kidding me?
>You let the breath out through your nostrils and narrow your eyes at Cheerilee.
>”L-look, maybe we sh-“
“If you swing at me or her again, we’re through.”
>”O-okay, I won’t!”
“Good. Now shut up and listen to me. I’m over what she put me through, I don’t care anymore. I get it, you’re pissed. You’ve got every right to be; if you want to hate her, then fine, but stop bringing up what she did to me. It’s over, it’s in the past, it’s done. Got it?”
>”Yes, bu-“
“Good. Now, if you give a shit about what I want or think even in the slightest, and you sure act like you do, you’re going to go sit down with Redheart and try to talk this out. If it doesn’t work out, then fine, but at least try.”
>With an about face, you march up toward the library door. As you grab the door handle, you turn back.
>The two of them stand there, awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
“With just my job alone, I have enough bullshit to put up with in my life. If you two can’t hash this out, whatever, but if this is what I’m going to have to deal with, I don’t need either of you in my life.”

>Briskly stepping back into the empty hall, you let the heavy door slam shut behind you.
>God damn.
>You know she’s mad, but throwing fists? Real nice of her to change her mind about talking it out, too.
>And bringing up your scar, your suicide attempt…
>You guess you can see how she came to that conclusion, but bringing up something like that just to throw it in Redheart’s face?
>Maybe you should have waited longer before forcing this.
>Then again…
>With a glance behind you through the door window, you see the two of them still standing there, facing each other. Their lips move slowly, carefully; as if unsure what to say.
>Maybe this will work out alright after all.
>As long as they try. Maybe today won’t be so ba-
>*BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNG*
>You jump at the sudden ringing once again. As classroom doors open and the halls flood with life, you stare daggers at the bell mounted on the wall.
>With a shake of your head, you turn and start back toward your office. You don’t make it too far before a student rushes out of an open door and runs directly into you.
>As she collides with you, her large, starry wizard hat slips off of her head and falls to the floor.
>Hey, it’s that weird girl you saw Monday.
>She glares down at her hat; she begins to shout as her head snaps up to you with a scowl.
>”Who dares assault th-the…”
>She stops, her mouth hanging agape. An intense blush spreads across her face.
>”W-who dares… assault the g-great and powerful Trixie?”
“Uh… the great and powerful Trixie?”
>”Y-yes! I’m-” She looks down at her hat and swipes it up, restoring it to its rightful place upon her head. With bravado, she clears her throat and puffs out her chest with a pose. “Tis I, the great and powerful Trrrrixie!” she shouts, rolling the R’s in her name.
>You notice more than a few laughs and rolling eyes from other passing students.
“Yeah, I got that. Why are you talking in the third-person?”
>”Oh, please! One with such amazing talents and abilities as the great and powerful Trixie shouldn’t walk around referring to themselves like some lowly commoner!”
>Wow. If this is how she acts towards most people, you can’t imagine she has many friends.
>Maybe she is a sperg after all.
“Uh-huh… so what makes you so ‘great’ and ‘powerful’ then?”
>”You act as if it isn’t obvious! Why, Trixie is the most skilled magician in the land, of course. OBSERVE!”
>The young magician grips her hat by the brim and swiftly pulls it off her head. With a wide smirk, she waves her fingers in the air before digging into her hat.
>Her smirk quickly fades as she appears to have trouble finding what she’s looking for.
>”Ehehe… Trixie is sure she put them in here somewhere…” she says with a cheesy smile.
>She digs around more, but her efforts are fruitless.
>Her eyes widen. She glances to you, then to the bag hanging from her shoulder. She turns slightly to her side and holds her hat in front of her bag, very clearly trying to hide the act of her rifling through it.
>You decide to pretend you didn’t notice it.
>”Aha!” she exclaims, yanking her hand forth from her bag and holding it aloft. In her hand rests a deck of cards held together with an old, worn rubber band.
>She places the hat back on her head and quickly slides the rubber band off the deck and onto her wrist. She fans the cards out, face down, and holds them out to you.
>”Pick a card, any card, and prepare to be amazed by the great and powerful-“
“Yeah, yeah.”
>With only mild interest, you grab one from the middle of the fan and looks at its face.
>The jack of clubs.
>“Memorize the card and place it back in the deck.”
>You do as she commands and slide it back into place.
>”Now, watch as the great and powerful Trixie shuffles the cards and correctly chooses the one you picked!”
>She halves the deck and presses the halves back together. She does this several times before halving them one last time and holding the halves out toward you, right in front of your face.
>She bends the halves with each hand before peeling her thumbs back, allowing the cards to snap back into place, the two halves beginning to interweave.
>Half-way through the riffle shuffle, the cards explode forth from her hands, directly into your face.
>Through knee-jerk reaction, you clench your eyes shut to shield them from the card’s edges.
>As they fall to the ground, you open your eyes to the flustered and embarrassed Trixie.
>You both glance down to the pile of cards resting on the floor.
“…So, which one’s my card?”
>Her blush returns tenfold. She opens her mouth, but can barely manage to speak without stumbling over her words.
>”I-, Tr-Trix-, I-I mean, Triii-xii-iie means…. You, you’re c-card is…”
>Her eyes dart around to the other passing students, noticing their mocking smiles and snickers.
>She hastily reaches back into her bag, yanks out a small, black orb, and hurls it into the floor.
>The ball erupts into a thick smoke, blocking your vision. You cough and wave the smoke away the best you can.
>The smoke clears just in time to see the wizard girl running away. She looks back over her shoulder as she attempts to turn a corner; somewhat to your amusement, she runs straight into the wall.
>She falls to the ground, but hastily recovers and scampers away out of sight.
>Man, are any of the students here just normal people?
>You look down at the card-covered floor once more.
>…You’re not picking that shit up.
>Ignoring the passing crowds as much as you can, you stuff your hands into pockets and begin to make your way back to your office.
>You barely make it ten feet before a feeling of dread overwhelms you. You stop in your tracks and in slowly spin around, taking in the faces of everyone around you. 
>Nothing and nobody strange, aside from the looks you’re getting for standing in the middle of the hall staring at everyone like a weirdo.
>But as you turn back towards your original orientation, the world slows. Your hair stands on end. Your heart skips a beat.
>Like the Red Sea, the crowd splits in front of you, revealing a lone figure standing across from you, her eyes already locked onto you.
>She enthusiastically waves her hand and calls out to you.
>”Ooooo, hi Anon! Are you excited for lunch? CAUSE I SURE AM!”
>Pinkie.
>No, Anon. Don’t be scared. She’s just a normal girl, remember? Her and her doppelganger were just fucking with you, that’s all.
>You regrow your spine and step toward her, giving her a wag of your finger.
“I’m on to you, Pinkie!”
>”You’re on to me? You mean you already figured out that super-secret surprise party I was planning for you?”
  “What? No, I mean you and your clone.”
>”My clone?” she says, furrowing her brow in confusion.
“That’s right. That other you, from earlier.”
>”But… the other me hasn’t been here in a while; unless she snuck over and didn’t say anything. Boy, that’d be a great surprise!”
“Uh-huh. Then who was that this morning? You got a twin sister or something?”
>”Yep! Well, we’re not really twins, but we’re super-duper close! People tell us all the time how we look almost exactly the same; they get us mixed up a lot. Oh, there she is now!”
>Bubblegum reaches out and grabs a seemingly random passerby; a grey-skinned girl, dressed simply in a single-colored grayish-blue dress.
>Her unflinching expression in the face of Pinkie gives you the impression that she is likely the most apathetic person in the world.
>”Anon, this is my big sister Maud! Bet you can hardly tell who’s who, huh?”
>She quickly ducks behind the girl and rapidly pokes her head out, back and forth, from behind the girl’s shoulders.
>”Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?”
>The stone-faced girl stands there, staring at you with uninterested turquoise eyes, completely unfazed by Pinkie’s shenanigans.
>”Hi Pinkie.”
>”Hi Maud! Oh, meet Officer Anon! He’s my new friend!”
>That’s a funny way of pronouncing ‘hostage’.
>She blinks, slowly, before parting her lips.
>”Hi Officer Anon. I’m Maud, Pinkie’s older sister.” She says in the most flat, uninterested, and monotone voice possible.
“Uh, hi. Are you… really Pinkie’s sister?”
>”Of course. Can’t you tell?”
“Uh…”
>These two look absolutely nothing alike; and the contrast between their behavior and speaking only backs up the thought that they can’t be related.
>It’s also freaking you out a little bit.
“O-oh, yeah, I can see it now. That’s uh, that’s some family resemblance, huh?”
 >”Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, huh Maud?”
>”Yes.”
>Pinkie continues to smile as Maud stares through you with cold, nearly soulless eyes.
“Uh-huh… Well… I’m gonna go now.”
>”Me, too. I have to go feed Boulder. Bye, Officer Anon. Bye, Pinkie.”
>”Bye Maud!”
“Yeah, bye, to both of you.”
>”Hey, wait!
>As you try to make your escape, Pinkie slides out from behind her sister and right into your path.
>”You said you’d eat lunch with us!”
“Yeah, but I’m kind of in a bad mood right now, alright?”
>You try to step around her, but with a surprising amount of strength, she stops you with a stiff arm to your stomach.
>Her bright blue eyes meet yours with a vacant stare. Your skin crawls as an unusually wide and toothy smile spreads across her face.
>”But Anon… You. Promised.”
-------------

“Is there a reason you’re dragging me to the science wing?”
>Probably to dissect you in some Frankenstein-esque lab.
>Or maybe she just wants to eat you; just rip you apart like a flesh hungry zombie.
>Either way, it’s looking grim. You’d try to run, but you already know it’s pointless.
>There is no escape.
>”Because you said you’d eat with us, silly!”
>You glance through a door’s window as you pass, taking note of the empty, sterile school laboratory.
“Yeah, so why aren’t we in the cafeteria then?”
>”Ooooooh…” 
>She spins around mid-step, keeping her pace while walking backwards.
>”Sunset texted us and said they were eating in Twilight’s lab for some reason, so we’re all going up there. Say, is that all you’re gonna eat?”
>Your eyes fall to your nearly empty tray, populated only a ham sandwich, a bag of pretzels, and a can of Surgeon Spice.
>Seems like enough to get by to you. Pinkie’s tray on the other hand…
>Cups of pudding piled on top of each other, multiple slices of cake, even a large bowl of ice cream.
>The cafeteria wasn’t even serving ice cream!
>Never mind where she got it, where does she put it all?
>She’s no stick. By a cursory glance, you can tell where some of it’s gone; hips, thighs, chest, and rear.
>But what about the rest of it?
>She’s a healthy weight, heavier than most other girls, but a far cry from what you’d call obese you’d call obese. If this is what her normal diet looks like, she must have one hell of a metabolism.
>One hell of a sweet tooth, too.
“Yeah. I’m not too hungry; bad mood and all that.”
>”Aww… What’s wrong, Copper?”
“Copper?”
>”Yeah! You know, ‘you’ll never catch us, coppers! Nyeh, see?’”
>She sticks out a finger gun and makes a few childish imitations of gunshots with her mouth.
“Oh, right. Don’t worry about it, just some old friends being a pain.”
>With an exaggerated swing of her body, she turns around and stalls mid-step, her leg outstretched. Only as you step up to her side does she continue on.
>”Oh, come on! Tell lil’ ol’ Pinkie Pie about your problems, let her help make ya smile!”
“Nah, I’m good.”
>”Buuuut Anooooooooon! You always look so sad, or angry. How come you never smile?”
>Probably because I almost died today.
>Again.
“I smile on my days off.”
>”No need to be like that! You know what? I know just the thing…”
>She pirouettes back to her spot in front of you, somehow not losing anything on her lunch tray in the process. Outstretching her arm to you, she offers you her hand.
>”~My name is Pinkie Pie, and I am here to say; I'm gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your day!~”
>Is she…?
>”~It doesn't matter now, if you are sad or blue, ‘cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do!~”
>Oh god, she’s singing. She just burst out into song.
>With another spin, she slides to your other side and hooks her arm through yours. Her eyes stay connected with yours as she bounces and sways in beat with her song.
>”’Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile, yes I do! It fills my heart with sunshine, yes it does! ‘Cause all I really need’s a smile, smile, smile, from these happy friends of mine!~”
>You have so many questions.
>Is this something she’s memorized? Or is she just pulling this out of her ass?
>Is this normal for her? Does Pinkie even have a ‘normal’?
>How long until she stabs you? Will it be quick, or will she make you suffer?
>Wait, that’s a stupid question. You’re already suffering.
>”~I like to see you grin, I love to see you beam; the corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie’s dream!~”
>You begin to near the last door in the hallway.
>The others are in there, right? They’ll save you, won’t they?
>Sweet salvation, nearly within reach!
>”But if you’re kind of worried, and your face has made a frown, I’ll work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside-down!~”
>The door at the end of the hall swings open; leaning on the door knob, Skittles pokes her head out from the doorway. She gives you a puzzled look as she eyes to two of you from the door.
>”Pinkie? Why are you singing? And why is Anon here?”
>Help me, please.
>”I’m just trying to cheer Anon up! He doesn’t want to smile.”
>Rainbow’s eyes shift from Pinkie to you, where they linger. From the disconcerted look she wears, you’d say she recognizes just how freaked out you are right now.
>”Well, knock it off. I think you’re scaring him.”
>”Pffft, that’s silly, Rainbow.” Pinkie says, waving off her concern. Still hanging from your arm, she looks up you with another terrifying grin. “I’m not scaring you, am I Anon?”
“Nope! Not at all! Nothing scary here!”
>Smooth.
>”See? Everything’s fine, Dashie.”
>Yeah, she’s not buying it.
>”Sure… So why are you here Anon?”
“Pinkie, uh… ‘persuaded’ me into eating lunch with you guys. Hope you don’t mind.”
>She rolls her eyes but opens the door for you as you near.
>”I guess it’s cool. I’m sure Sunset will be really happy to have you. And Fluttershy… and Rarity…” She adds, stepping away from the ajar door.
>”Don’t forget about me, Dashie!”
>Pinkie yanks you forward and into the lab; you narrowly avoid hitting your tray against the door frame.
>On the other side of the room, Rainbow takes a seat with the other girls as they eat. They seem to be quietly chatting amongst each other, with the exception of Twilight and Sunset, who seem quite focused on the school-issued laptop in front of them.
>”WE’RE HERE!”
>With Rainbow as the exception, they all turn toward you and Pinkie.
>”Pinkie, must you always be so… oh, hello Anon. Will you be joining us today?” Rarity asks with a grin. 
>”Howdy ‘Non!”
>Fluttershy gives you a soft smile and wave while simultaneously ducking down behind Rainbow, who rolls her eyes again. Twilight and Sunset share a strange look before greeting you.
>”O-oh, hi Anon. What’s up? We, uh… weren’t expecting you today.”
>”Yeah, what is up, Anon? My, uhh… my h-homie?”
>Rainbow lets out a disgruntled groan as she palms her face.
“Hey, girls. Pinkie wanted me to come eat with you.”
>”Pinkie’s freaking him out.”
>”Am not!” the demon exclaims as she skips over to the table and takes a seat.
>”Oh!” Sunset gives Twilight another unsure look before turning back to you. “Well, you’re totally welcome to eat with us.”
“You sure? Kinda looks like you’re busy, I’d hate to intrude.”
>”Nonsense, Anon. Come, take a seat; why don’t you tell us more about yourself?”
>”Yeah, take a load off, pardner. I figure we owe ya a little bit ‘a hospitality.”
>”Yeah, get over here, Anon! you already promised!” Pinkie commands, patting an empty seat next to her.
>Mashing away at the keyboard, Twilight briefly peeks up at you.
>”Yes, don’t mind us. We’re just working on, a, um…”
>”A special school project! Principal Celestia asked us to take care of it.”
>You shrug and step toward the table to take a seat. 
>You’re not sitting next to Pinkie though; fuck that. You decide to slide into a chair between Applejack and Twilight instead.
>”OOOooooo! Sounds cool, what is it?”
>”It’s a secret, so only we can know about it.”
>”Yeah, so what is it, though?”
>Sunset simply points to you with a nod of her head.
>”Ooooooooooh… right. Darn it, Anon! Why’d you have to come eat with us?”
>Oh, fuck you.

>”Pinkie, yer the one that brought ‘em up here.”
>”Buuuuuuuuuut Applejack! Seeeeeeeccrrreeeeeeeeettssss.”
>”…Ah suppose Ah do have ta wonder what it is…”
>Sunset slouches in her chair, resting her head in her hand.
>”Believe me, I’d love nothing more to tell you all, but-“
>”Principal Celestia was very clear; absolutely no one but us can know about this.” Twilight interjects, still typing away.
>Huh. Sounds pretty serious.
>”Um… Twilight? Sunset? Is this something we should be worried about? It sounds like bad news.”
>”Yeah, I’m with Fluttershy. This sounds like we’re about to get dragged into something crazy again.”
>What is so serious that Celestia would trust to students, but insist that they keep it a secret?
>Maybe some student council stuff? Not that you know anything about the student council or what they do.
>Do they even do anything?
>Wait… Yeah, that’s got to be it.
“Does this have to do with that Pep Rally next month?”
>Pinkie shoots out of her chair and slams her hands down onto the table, making Fluttershy jump.
>”WE HAVE A PEP RALLY COMING UP?!”
>”Y-yeah, that’s exactly what it’s about! How did you know?”
“Vice-Principal Luna asked if I’d want to join in. I got a meeting tomorrow morning about it.”
>”Isn’t the one in October the Students versus Teachers one? So, you’ll be playing for the teachers?”
“Yep. Should be fun.”
>A wicked smirk crosses Rainbow’s lips.
>”Nice. Maybe I’ll sign up, see what you can do, and make sure the students win again this year.”
>Looks like little miss ‘star athlete’ is a little competitive; not that that is any surprise, you guess.
>You don’t get to be a team captain by being complacent.
>”Oh, please, Rainbow. If you’re looking for some testament of his physical fitness, Fluttershy and I can assure you that Anon is nothing but the image of strength and… endurance.”
>Lewd?
>A slight blush creeps onto Fluttershy’s cheeks.
>Lewd.
>”Yeah, you mentioned that yesterday at lunch. You were getting all wobbly in the knees about it, too.”
>God damn it.
>You knew getting that massage was a bad idea. Girls talk, girls always talk.
>But, damn, did it feel good. At least it hasn’t bitten you in the ass yet.
>Quick, redirect this shit before it goes somewhere it doesn’t need to.
“Hey, you know what’d be great? If we talked about something other than me for once.”
>Now that you think about it, just about every conversation you’ve had has revolved around you.
>You guess it makes sense for Redheart and Cheerilee, but why are these girls are way too interested in you.
>”What’s-a-matter, Anon? Not a fan of bein’ the center of attention?”
“I mean, occasionally is fine, but it’s just been constant since I got here.”
>”I understand. I don’t really like being the center of attention either, even if it’s just with my friends…”
>No surprise there, but at least Fluttershy gets you.
>Wait, Fluttershy…
>Butterfly? Eh.
>Butter… Butterhigh? Nah.
>”Okey doke. So what do you want to talk about, Copper?”
“I don’t know… how abou-“
>”Let’s talk about yesterday.” Rainbow quickly interrupts with a smirk. 
>The clattering of keys falls silent.
>You immediately open your mouth to shut her off, but stop yourself.
>That smirk really rubs you the wrong way. It reminds you of a certain abrasive friend of yours.
>However… you probably really should have a word with them about what happened. It is your job, after all.
“I guess we should probably go over that. Is everyone else okay with that?”
>”Ah, uh… Ah don’t know ‘bout that.”
>Skittles keeps her eyes on you while the rest of the table exchanges a few glances, particularly directed towards Twilight.
>She uneasily looks up from her screen.
>”It’s fine. I don’t know if I have anything to say, but you girls can talk if you want.”
>”Are you sure, dear? We can always talk to Anon alone if you’re uncomfortable with this.”
>”No, no, it’s fine. I can handle it. Besides, now that Sugarcoat is involved… well, I guess it’s as much of a concern to all of you as it is to me.”
>Sunset rests her hand on Twilights shoulder, gives her a friendly smile, and turns to you.
>”Speaking of Sugarcoat… how is she? Have you heard anything?”
“No. I talked to my boss this morning, but he didn’t mention how she was doing. I guess I probably should have asked about her, but… well, some other stuff came up and I guess it slipped my mind.”
>”Slipped your mind? What do you mean, it just slipped from your mind?” your rainbow-haired ‘friend’ aggressively asks.
“Well, I-“
>”You’re a cop, aren’t you supposed to know what happens to the people you save?”
>Man, she gets worked up quick. Does this girl have some beef with you or something?
>”Rainbow, calm down. Anon’s a person, too, and he’s already been through a lot this week. Cut him some slack.”
“It’s fine, Sunset. She’s just concerned, that’s all.”
>”Of course I am! Aren’t you?”
>”If he wasn’t worried about Sugar, he wouldn’t be going to see her at the hospital later, Dashie.”
>Rainbow’s head jerks toward Pinkie.
>”He… he is?”
>Well, you are since Pinkie ‘convinced’ you.
>”Yepperdoodle! He told me so earlier.”
>Not that you didn’t want to go, it just hadn’t occurred to you.
>You’ve never visited someone you helped before. It always seemed to you that, if you had to be the one to help them, they wouldn’t want to talk about it. Not to you, anyway.
>That’s what family and friends are for, right?
“I don’t know if she’ll want to see me, or talk about it or anything, but… Pinkie asked me to go, and I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see her.”
>”Oh. W-well… good.”
>“I’m sure she’ll appreciate the visit, Anon. It’s very sweet of you.” Rarity adds.
“Yeah, we’ll see. I think I mentioned this to one of you before, but I’m not to good at talking to people like this. It’s not something I did a lot when I was with SWAT.”
>Everyone but Fluttershy noticeably perks up upon you mentioning your old role on the police force.
>You sigh internally. Now they’re going to bug you until you talk about that, too.
>”I actually think you’re good at it. What you said to me before, about being brave for talking about it, it helped me feel a lot better.”
>Based Fluttershy, keeping the conversation going.
“Really? But I barely said anything.”
>”Well… maybe. But you were nice to me. You didn’t get mad when you saw Angel. You told me that what happened wasn’t my fault, and you were right. You told me you’d be there if I needed you and let me go home for the day. And, well… I didn’t feel right feeling so sorry for myself knowing how much you got hurt. After everything, you sat down with me and talked to me like I was the victim; like I was the one that went through the worst of it.”
>Fluttershy’s eyes begin to glisten slightly.
>”I… I don’t think I said it yet, but… t-thank you. It helped me feel better, and, I, um… I think you’re a really nice person…”
>Rarity, Sunset, and Pinkie collectively ‘aww’.
>You can’t help but crack a grin at Fluttershy. 
>Man, this girl is gonna give you diabetes. It’s like she can’t stop herself from being sweet or cute.
“Thanks, Flutters. I appreciate it. And you’re welcome; it’s what I’m here for.”
>She beams back at you, and Rarity’s smile grows alongside her friend’s.
>”Ah got a question, if’n you don’t mind me askin’. You, too, Twilight; if Ah’m crossin’ a line here, stop me. Ah was wonderin’… just how involved with what happened in that house was Timber?”
>Unsure of whether or not to answer, you take a bite of your sandwich and look to Twilight. 
>She seems uneasy about the question; like she’s not sure if she wants to hear these details. Ultimately, she gives you a nod to go ahead.
>As you swallow your food, you quickly run through what you recall from the raid.
“Well… you all know why I was out there. As for what happened in the house, it’s hard to say. I didn’t check out the whole place, and I didn’t have a lot of time to really look around. Most of the time I was in there, I was worried about clearing the place before I got shot.”
>”So ya don’t know?”
“I can only guess. He and some other guy came charging out of the basement with guns after… Well, they heard gunfire and came out of the basement. Stitches cleared it later, and it sounded like they had a drug lab set up down there, in which case, he was probably cooking.”
>”Ah see… What about-“
>”What about Sugarcoat?”
>The whole table turns to Twilight, who doesn’t shy away staring you down. 
>”Did he touch her?”
>”Twilight… does it matter at this point?” Sunset asks, “I mean, she’s safe; he’s gone. Do you really want to know?”
>”I guess it doesn’t matter, but… I want to know. He tried to force himself on me, and part of me is thinking, what if he hurt her because he couldn’t get me? If I hadn’t have fought back… would she still be in the same position?”
>”Whoa, slow down Twi-Twi! You can’t seriously be thinking like that!”	
>Sunset tightly grasps Twilight’s hand in hers and meets her friend’s eyes.
>”Don’t say that. Just… don’t.”
>”Yeah, Twilight, that’s messed up! This isn’t your fault; it’s your asshole ex-boyfriend’s!”
>”Exactly! This ain’t yer fault, Twi. You had no say in what that no-good scum was up to.”
>”You can’t go blaming yourself for Timber’s actions, Twilight. You fought back and protected yourself, like the strong and brilliant girl I know you are. I know you’re smart enough to understand that you aren’t to blame for what happened to Sugarcoat.”
>”…If anything, we might have just ended up visiting you and Sugarcoat in the hospital…”
>A tear begins to roll down Twilight’s cheek. She wipes the droplet away and sniffles.
>”I-I know it’s terrible, but-”
“It’s called Survivor’s Guilt. You feel guilty because you made it, when someone else didn’t. You think it should have been you instead.”
>The girls all fall silent and pay their full attention to you.
“I know that feeling, Twilight; I do. I’ve been through it myself.” 
>You’re still not fully through it.
>Slowly, you turn your head to show the scarred flesh of your neck, feeling the eyes of the girls press down on you.
>You tap at the twisted skin with a finger before turning back.
“…It’s not a good feeling. But you can’t listen to that little voice in your head. What happened to you, to Sugarcoat, it’s not your fault. It’s not her fault. The only ones to blame here are the ones who put you two in those situations, understand?”
>Jaw slacked, Twilight slowly nods.
“It’s perfectly understandable to feel bad about what happened, but you need to listen to your friends here. You cannot blame yourself for this. Doing that is just going to lead you down a real rough road; you don’t want to go there, I promise. Understand?”
>Twilight wipes her eyes again, swallows the lump in her throat, and nods.
>”I… y-yes. I know I shouldn’t think like that, but… it’s hard not to feel some guilt.”
“I know it is... But, to answer your question; I can’t really say. Aside from her simply being there and what he tried to do to you Twilight, I don’t have any reason to think he had anything to do with Sugarcoat. She only reacted to the girl that was living there. It might have just been her.”
>The spectacled girl sighs and rests her head in the palm of her hand.
>”I really wish that made me feel better.”
>”Wait, I don’t remember seeing a girl besides Sugarcoat there.” Dash points out.
“She was the one that started shooting at us. She was in the house the whole time; she never stepped outside.”
>”Oh…”
>”And, yer sayin’ it was her that did… y’know, that did that stuff to Sugarcoat? How does that even work?”
“Well, same-sex sexual assaults and rapes are a thing. I know it can seem strange, particularly in the context of female on female, but it happens.”
>Fluttershy lowers her head, staring down at the salad she’s barely touched.
>”Ah understand that, but… well, Ah’ll just be honest. Ah’m a real simple, traditional girl, and Ah’m kind of a, uh, a stranger to how things work in those relationships… uh, forced or not. How would a girl… do that to another girl?”
“Unwanted touching, rubbing, forceful insertion of foreign objects, etcetera.”
>”Ah see.” She replies with a concerned grimace.
>The shy girl noisily scoots her chair away from the table and quickly comes to her feet.
>”I-I think I could use some fresh air… I’ll be right back.”
>Briskly, she steps toward the door.
>”Hey, Shy! You okay?”
>”I’m fine, Rainbow.” She responds, her hand on the doorknob, “I just… I need to clear my head. I’m starting to imagine what happened to her…”
>”Would you like one of us to accompany you, dear? I’d be happy to.”
>Her teal eyes briefly bounce over to you before quickly returning to Rarity.
>”No… I’ll be okay. I-I can tough it out.” 
>The whole table watches as she quickly slides out of the door and closes it behind her.
>After a brief moment of silence and a shrug from Rainbow, they all turn back to you.
>You take advantage of the pause to take another bite from your sandwich.
>”So, you’re saying it was that girl that violated her then? What’s going to happen to her, Timber, and those other criminals?”
>Oooh, how to word this…
“Well… Timber and the other two guys are in police custody, and short of a really good lawyer, a miracle, or some legal loophole, they’ll be going to jail.”
>”…What about the girl though?” Asks Skittles with narrowed eyes.
“She’s, uh…she’s probably in a morgue right now.”
>”You mean she’s… gone?” Sunset asks, mortified.
>”Ha! Good riddance!”
>”Rainbow, how can you say that? Someone is dead!”
>Oh lord, she’s one of those types.
>”Yeah, the someone that raped our friend! Do you seriously care?”
>”Of course! In Eques-, er, where I come from, all life is sacred. To take someone’s life away like that, it’s considered a terrible crime, one of the worst in the land!”
>Rainbow springs to her feet, forcing her chair back. With a scowl, she jabs a finger towards her life-loving friend.
>”Yeah, well, you aren’t in Kansas anymore; and you heard Anon! She was the one that started shooting at him! How can you feel sorry for her when she could’ve easily killed Anon or that other cop?”
>”I…”
>”Sorry Sunset, but Rainbow is right. Ah can’t feel bad fer someone like her, knowing what she did. Just ain’t right, ‘specially cause she tried to shoot Anon. She got what was comin’ to her.”
>”But… Rarity, you agree with me, right?”
>“I understand your sentiment, Sunset, I do. Bloodshed should always be avoided where possible, but… I can’t find it within myself to feel bad for her. She brought it upon herself.”
>”Pinkie?”
>Pinkie’s head slowly turns toward Sunset, sorrowfully gazing at her from across the table.
>”I hate for anyone to get hurt or be upset, Sunny. I understand, but I also understand Rarity, Jackie, and Dashie. They’re not wrong.”
>Sunset gazes out at her friends in disbelief at being the only one of such an opinion.
>Twilight remains silent and resumes her work on her laptop.
“She really didn’t give us much of an option, Sunset. We yelled at her to drop it, but she didn’t. It was us or her.”
>She slides her hands away from her tray and into her lap, dejectedly letting her head hang low.
>”I believe you. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you; I wasn’t. It’s just… stuff like that doesn’t happen where I’m from. I don’t think I want to talk about this anymore…”
>”Me too…” Pinkie mutters.
>Aside from the sound of Twilight typing, the room rapidly falls into silence.
>Sunset and Pinkie slide their trays away from them, their appetites lost.
>Rainbow pulls out her phone to distract herself, while Rarity and Applejack sulk and poke at their food with forks.
>Well, that really killed the mood. Looks like it killed their appetites, too. Maybe you should have just lied about Cherry Pop?
>It’s probably a good thing Fluttershy left earlier. If Sunset is that upset about someone dying, Fluttershy probably wouldn’t have taken it well, either.
>Oh well. Unlike everyone else, you’re still hungry.
>You pop open your soda, take a sip, and take another bite from your sandwich.
>Flutters… Butters? You kinda like that one. Butterscotch? Eh. Butterbuns?
>Alright, you really like that one, but you probably shouldn’t use it.

-Some time later-
>You throw yourself back into your chair and kick your feet up on top of your desk to rest easy.
>The friendly, southern girl sitting across from you cracks a smile at you.
>”Ah see you don’t waste no time gettin’ comfy.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been napping in here, too. Surprisingly comfy.”
>”Should ya be doin’ that? Seems like ya might get in trouble for it.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Probably. It’s not like I sleep all day, I do other stuff.”
>”Like what?”
“Walk around, get annoyed, get involved in everyone else’s business…”
>”And refuse to talk about yer own?” She laughs out.
“Exactly.”
>”Sorry if it feels like we’re interrogatin’ you sometimes. We don’t mean no harm by it; we just want to get to know you.”
>Suddenly, you feel a vibrating sensation coming from your pocket. You dig out your phone and check the screen.
>(Stitches) Hey, hows school going for my favorite little boy?
>Well, she sure took her time responding.
“I know, I’m just not used to the attention. Sorry, do you mind if I take this text really quick?”
>With a wave of her hand, she brushes your concern away.
>”Ah’m fine with it if you are.” She says, pulling out her own phone and resting it in her lap.
>Nice.
>(You) Terrible. Girls keep bullying me and I made all my new friends feel bad.
“So… anything you wanted to talk about?”
>”Well, Ah was gonna talk about yesterday, but since you showed up to lunch, you kinda cleared up my questions about that. Is it alright if Ah just hang out for a while?”
“I don’t really mind, but… if you got nothing else to do, shouldn’t you help your friends with whatever their supposed to be doing?” 
>”Eh… It didn’t sound like anything too serious.”
-Meanwhile…-
>Rainbow slams her hands down on the table.
>”WHAT DO YOU MEAN MIDNIGHT IS BACK?!”
>”Also, she can use my powers now.”
>”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Pinkie screams, flailing her arms as she runs about the room.
>Fluttershy faints in her chair, slamming her head face first into her half-eaten salad.
>Rarity grabs Sunset by the shoulders and violently shakes her in cadence with her words.
>”This is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!”
-Back in the offices…-
>”Ah’m sure they’ve got it under control.”
“If you say so. Well, you don’t scare the hell out of me, and you made me that pie, so feel free to hang out for however long you want.”
>With a smile, she tips her hat to you.
>”Thanks, pardner. Mighty appreciated.”
>(Stitches) When your dad gets home, we’re gonna have a talk about getting you transferred.
>(You) But moooooooooooom, I just got a date!
>”Uh, Ahnon? Did you just leave the pie laying here like this?”
>You glance over to the pie, still resting in its tin.
“Oh. I guess I did.”
>”Ya might want to wrap it, maybe put it in a fridge. It’ll keep longer.”
“Huh, I probably should do that. I’ll take care of it after this.”
>”Good. Ah’d hate for you to lose out on any of that pie.”
“Yeah, me too! What did you put in this thing?”
>With a grin, Applejack slides to the edge of her seat.
>”Sorry, Ahnon. Apple family secret.”
>Eh, figures. Not like you can do much with that knowledge anyway. You can’t cook for shit.
>(Stitches) Mouse, I will be legit disappointed in you if you don’t share those nudes with me.
>…Huh.
>(You) I didn’t think you were bi.
>A few short seconds tick by before another message appears.
>(Stitches) I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a nice piece of ass.
>You have a nice internal chuckle at that.
>Channeling her inner bro. Man, she’s really something special, ain’t she?
>(You) We’ll see. It’s just a date, nothing serious.
>(Stitches) You’ll do fine. Don’t leave me hanging, Mouse. I’d do the same for you if I was into girls.
>(You) Uhhuh, sure. Hey, did chief talk to you?
>”So, uh… Ah know yer kinda sensitive about some topics. Is there anything ya want to talk about?”
>Your eyes drift over Applejack, who stares back at you with a blank expression.
“I don’t know… Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself? I hardly know anything about any of you.”
>”Okay. Well, my names Applejack, as ya already know. Me, my big brother, Big Mac, and my little sis, Applebloom, live with our granny, Granny Smith, on our family orchard.”
>You slide your feet off the desk and lean in towards her.
“Wait a minute, you’re related to Granny Smith?”
>”Yup!”
>A smirk parts your lips.
“I knew I liked you. Your granny is pretty cool.”
>”Ya think so? Ya don’t think she’s kinda… crazy?”
“Oh, she’s crazy. But she was also pretty cool to me. Used to slip me some extra food because I was polite; yes ma’am, no ma’am, that sort of stuff. Though, uh… she kinda got mad at me when I snuck in and messed with her batch of brownies…”
>”Ah think Rarity mentioned you had a bit of a, uh, wild side. What did you do?”
>Oh, man…
>You still remember the smell. That disgusting, rank stench.
>Your fellow students scrambling out of their classrooms towards the bathrooms.
>Those sweet, salty tears of anguish from those that didn’t make it.
>Especially the cheer squad…
>It was glorious.
>Just thinking about it is making you giggle.
“Let’s just say that the janitor, and the plumbers they had to call, had a rough day.”
>Applejack recoils in disgust.
>”Eugh… Ahnon, that’s… that’s just revoltin’. Did you get caught?”
“Nope. Not by Celestia or Luna, anyway. Granny Smith knew. She was kind of upset at me because she ended up getting in trouble for it. She still had a good laugh about the whole thing though, and she didn’t rat me out or anything.”
>”Heh, yeah, that sounds like somethin’ she’d get a good chuckle from. She’s a little… well, Ah think she might have a few screws loose.”
“Oh, there’s no doubt. She once told me about how she chased off some wolves with a frying pan, or something… she’s wild.”
>”You have no idea.” She says, smirking and shaking her head.
>Your phone vibrates again.
>(Stitches) Yeah, he said you’re stuck at the school or something. That sucks, huh? No more fieldtrips for you. He also mentioned something else that I’m not supposed to talk about, but I think it’ll make you real happy.
>(You) Would this thing happen to take place early next year?
>Instantly, another message appears on the screen.
>And another one… And another one…
>(Stitches) YES AND IM SO EXCITED I CANT WAIT
>(Stitches) It’s going to be so good having you back doing some real work again! No more being on loan to those other shitty teams!
>(Stitches) I’m going crazy having to deal with Eye’s cranky ass every day. Can’t wait to have my man back!
>Your smirk turns into a full-fledged smile.
>(You) Me too. Won’t be long now.
>”What’s got you grinnin’ like that?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing.”
>”Suuure. What, ya textin’ yer girlfriend or something?”
“N-no! Whatever. Anyways… how old are you girls?”
>She stares at you, dumbfounded for a moment, before a cunning grin crosses her face.
>”Why? You aren’t getting’ no ideas, are ya?”
“What?! No!” You exclaim as she begins to laugh.
>”Hahaha! Relax, Ahnon, just tuggin’ yer leg. Sunset and I are 18, and everyone else is 17. We’re all seniors, too.”
“Yeah, haha, real funny… Ready to graduate?”
>She slides back into her seat, throws her legs out in front of her, and crosses one over the other.
>”Hmm. Yeah, Ah suppose so. Ah already know what I’ll be doin’ after Highschool, anyways.”
“Oh yeah?”
>”I’ll be takin’ care of the orchard. Course, me and Mac should probably hash out some details. Granny’s gettin’ on in years, and we need to figure out who’ll be officially takin’ over for her. Mac’s the oldest, so he’s the obvious pick, but he ain’t the best with the more logistical stuff. He likes to stick to workin’ out in the fields.”
>Big Mac sounds like your kind of guy. Fuck math, you’re terrible at that stuff.
>For real, you can barely remember your multiplication tables, let alone anything you learned in high school. 
>You’re dumb as hell.
“Paperwork blows, and working with your hands is way more fulfilling.”
>”Heh, right about that!”
“So, how big is this orchard of yours?”
>”Sweet Apple Acres isn’t anything huge, like some of them giant, fancy farms you’ll see around. No, we’re more of a smaller, family-run, neighborhood market kinda thing. The Apple family has always prided ourselves on hard work; we put our blood, sweat, and tears into our work, and it shows! That’s why we have no trouble at all selling our apples, cider, apple pies, apple fritters, apple turnovers, apple… Well, you get the idea, don’t ya?”
>Man, no wonder that pie tastes so amazing. Applejack and her family must be pros at their craft.
>”Yeah, I think I got it. You and your family must be awfully proud of all that.”
>”Ain’t no doubt! Ain’t an Apple out there that isn’t proud of our family’s legacy! Heck, on top ‘o that, we Apples we’re some ‘o the first folks to come over here during the colonization. We’ve been here buildin’ this nation up all this time.” Applejack pauses, leans toward you, speaking in a hushed tone, “Ah’ve even been told that us Apples we’re the original founders of this here city.”
“…Who’re you whispering to?”
>”Uh. It was fer dramatic effect.”
>While the Apple family’s legacy sounds pretty interesting, you can’t help but wonder if she might be buying into her own hype a bit. 
>Guess you can’t really blame her. That’s quite a bit of work for one family. 
>You wonder if it’s all true, though.
>”What about yer family? Where are your folks from? Anything yer proud of? If you don’t mind sharin’, that is.”
“I don’t mind answering that. That’s nothing too personal.”
>Well, let’s think…
>You scour the depths of your mind, scrounging for every bit of your family’s history that you’ve heard from your father, various distant relatives, and that online ancestry thing you spent way too much money on.
“Well, I know both sides of my family came from Germaneigh. I think my dad’s side immigrated to the U.S. after the first world war. My mom’s side stayed there, and they’re still there to this day. I’m not really one to care much about what my family did before me, but… Well, military service has run in both sides of the family since the world wars, so I guess there’s that. Both my great grandfathers were in world war two, fighting against each other.”
>”So… yer great grand-pappy was a nazi?”
>You give her a nod.
>”And… yer proud o’ that?” she asks, slightly tilting her head out of bewilderment.
“Maybe it’s because my dad was a real patriotic s-o-b, but I think there’s some honor and nobility in fighting for your country and your beliefs, especially given how brutal war was at the time. I’m proud about that part, not the genocide.”
>Applejack remains silent, awkwardly and uncomfortably staring at you, as if failing to understand your reasoning.
“What? Don’t act like your family has never had a bad apple or two.”
>Heh. Bad Apple.
>Nice one.
>The cowgirl awkwardly shifts in her seat, re-crossing her legs.
>”Well… once upon a time, we focused a lot less on apples and a lot more on, uh… cotton.”
>You try your best, but fail to stifle your smile and chuckling.
“Ha! I bet you guys had a lot of real cheap labor to help out with that, too, huh?”
>She lowers her head and tilts her hat downward, hiding her eyes behind the hats brim.
>”It ain’t something we like to talk about…”
“Relax, Applejack. I’m just having some fun with you.”
>”Ah know. Ah guess Ah’m just a little too caught up in mah family’s history. Ah’m always thinkin’ ‘bout-“
>*ding* *ding*
>Applejack glances down at her phone, raising an eyebrow at it.
>”Er, just a sec.”
>Taking the phone in hand, it rings twice more before she can even unlock the screen.
>*ding* *ding*
>*ding* *ding*
“Well, someone’s popular.”
>”Heh, it’s probably just the girls wantin’ mah opinion on somethin’.” She says with a smile.
>Her smile quickly fades as she looks back down to her phone.
>You watch her eyes scroll down the phone. She squints, pulls the phone closer to her face, and reads the text again.
>And again.
>She quickly texts back; her eyes remain glued to the screen, waiting for a reply.
“Everything okay?”
>She jumps a little, as if she completely forgot you were there.
>”Oh, uh, yeah! Yeah, just, uh… Looks like the girls may need mah help, so Ah think Ah’m gonna head out… Thank’s fer havin’ me, Anon. It’s been a pleasure.”
>That’s a shame. You we’re actually enjoying this.
“Alright then. Feel free to swing on by whenever, I guess. You’re a lot more fun to talk with than Pinkie Pie.”
>”Heh, will do.” She says, rising from her seat and stepping towards the door.
>She gives you one last smile and tip of her hat before stepping out.
>Hm. Cowgirl is pretty cool. She seems a lot more grounded than her friends. More… normal.
>If you’re remembering correctly, that just leaves… Sunset?
>Yeah, just Sunset. Well, hopefully that meeting will go like this one did.
>Your eyes glance down to the pie on your desk.
>Guess you should take care of that now.
>But first…
>(You) Hey. I think I’m ready to visit them.

-Some time even later…-
>You watch on from your bench as the last of the students head home after a long day of learning.
>The first round of buses has already left, as have the ones that live close enough to walk.
>Only a handful remain, awaiting their parents to pick them up.
>Eh, may as well get a move on.
>You hop up from your seat and head back into the school to retrieve your pie, now wrapped in plastic, from the teacher’s lounge refrigerator.
>Not a slice missing. Glad to see no one touched it.
>Your prize secured, you leisurely stroll through the quiet halls and back out to the faculty parking lot, where you find Vice-Principal Luna standing in front of your car, talking to someone on her phone.
>From the tone of her voice, she sounds fairly annoyed.
>”Yes… Yes, another one. They just won’t listen, even after all the warnings! …Thanks, I’ll see you soon, Jiffy.”
>She hangs up and slides the phone into her pocket. With a sigh, she crosses her arms and stares disapprovingly at your car.
“Something wrong, Luna?”
>With a slight startle, she turns to you.
>”Oh! Oh, Anon. It’s nothing, just…” She lets out another exasperated sigh before continuing, “Yet another student parking in the wrong parking lot. We’ve been warning them for years, but they just won’t listen.”
“Sorry, must be a rain pain in the ass.”
>You should probably tell her.
>She angerly glares back at your car.
>”Well, I’m done putting up with it! I’ve already towed one, and I’ll keep towing them until they learn their lesson!”
>Nah, Luna’s a smart woman; you’ll just let her figure it out for herself.
“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. You go get ‘em, girl.”
>”Thanks. Are you going home for the day?”
“Yeah, after a few errands. By the way, when’s that meeting tomorrow?”
>”6:30 sharp, in the teacher’s lounge. Sister and I will also be picking up something for everyone to eat; coffee, donuts, that sort of thing.”
>At the mention of donuts, you decide to act like a total ass, placing your palm over your chest and feigning offense.
“Oh, yeah. Coffee. And donuts. Cause cops just love donuts and coffee, right? That’s all we eat, right, JUST COFFEE AND DONUTS?”
>It’s clearly not getting to her, not as much as it would someone else, anyway. Still, she tries to explain things away.
>”Oh, no, no, no. It’s nothing like that, we’ve always done this for our meetings. I promise, I wasn’t… Oh. I get it. Very funny, Anon.”
>You give her a nice shit-eating grin.
>”It is ever so nice to have you back with us, Anon. It truly is a pleasure.” She says, rolling her eyes.
“The pleasure is all mine, Luna. I’ll see you in the morning.”
>She remains silent, watching you through narrowed eyes as you step over to your car door.
>As you begin to climb inside, the realization hits her; her look of annoyance and her narrowed eyes transforms to genuine spiteful glare.
>If looks could kill.
>She’s such an angry woman; she needs some time off.
>Or a good dicking, or something. That can’t be healthy.
>Putting the cherry on top of this rage sundae, you smile and waggle your fingers at in goodbye as you back out.
>With her fists balled and her jaw clenched tight, she just stomps away before you can antagonize her more.
>Yeah, that’s for yesterday!
>Now, time to get a move on to the hospital.
>As you pull onto the street, a thought occurs to you… Maybe you should stop by a store and get something for Sugarcoat? Some flowers, a card, or something.
>Maybe a big, ol’ teddy bear?
>Yeah, that sounds like a nice idea. You think you’ll do that.
>Poor thing could probably use a gift.
>You suppose you need to stop and get some liquor anyways.
-------
>Bearing a Teddy bear in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other, you step inside Canterlot General Hospital.
>You stop for directions at the reception desk, and with a nurse’s guidance, quickly find yourself making your way through the long, mostly quiet, and sterile halls of the hospital.
>Man… You do not miss this place.
>At least, thanks to the time you spent here, that clean hospital smell doesn’t bother you as much anymore.
>However, just being here is enough to bring up some bad memories.
>You walk just a little faster, endeavoring to get out of here as quickly as possible.
>You continue on, passing a few nurses and doctors as you go; they all smile warmly at you.
>With one final turn, you spy Sunset, Applejack, and the others, along with three you don’t recognize, gathered near a window at the end of the hall.
>Judging from their Crystal Prep uniforms, they’re Sugarcoat’s friends from school.
>It’s good to know she’s got people worried about her. At least she won’t be sitting here alone for however long she’ll be here.
>You briefly contemplate speaking to them, but remember why you came in the first place. They can wait until after you check on Sugarcoat.
>You find Sugarcoat’s room and give the door a quick, soft knock. Within seconds, the door is pulled open by another girl from Crystal Prep.
>A single streak of aquamarine runs through her rosy hair, and freckles dot her cheeks.
>She stares up at you, almost angerly, but she quickly replaces grimace with an almost sickeningly sweet smile.
>”Oh!~ You must be Officer Mouse. Sugarcoat told us about you.” She gasps as she notices the gifts in your hands. “Aww! Are these…?”
“For Sugarcoat? Yeah, I figured she could use a little treat.”
>”Well, you weren’t the only one. Come on in.” She says, turning back into the room. “Oh Sugarcoat, you have another visitor!~”
>”If it’s that nurse again, tell him he’s just being a nuisance and that unless he’s got painkillers, I don’t want to see him.”
>”No painkillers, but it’s still something nice.” The sweet girl replies as you step inside and shut the door behind you.
>Peeking your head around the corner, you see the sweet stranger taking a seat next to the hospital bed.
>Practically littering the room are all manner of party decorations; streamers, confetti, get well balloons, and other cheery decorations.
>Any stable, flat surface is covered with cake, cupcakes, candy, and other sweet treats, as well as a few unwrapped gifts.
>In the bed itself lies Sugarcoat, covered in her patients gown and multiple bed sheets. Her tired and annoyed eyes peer at you from behind her glasses, softening as she recognizes you.
>”Officer Mouse? What are you doing here?”
“I know some friends of yours at Canterlot High; Pinkie thought it would be nice if I stopped by saw how you were doing.”
>You hold your gifts out to her with outstretched arms.
“I got you these. I, uh… I hope you like them; I wasn’t really sure what to get, and-“
>”I’ve already got more sweets than I know what to do with, thanks to Pinkie…” She flatly states as she eyes your boxed chocolates.
>O-oh…
>She seems a little… different than what you remember.
>Fuck man, of course she does. Nobody acts like their usual self after going what she did.
>Her eyes meet yours again, and they immediately re-soften.
>”Not that I don’t appreciate it, I mean… I just already have so much.”
>You guess she must have noticed your disappointment.
>She takes the teddy bear from your hands and holds it out to inspect it. She drags her fingers along the bear’s coat before pulling it into a soft cuddle.
>”…I do like the teddy, though. He’s soft.”
>One for one? You’ll take it.
>”So, Sugarcoat… this is one of the guys that saved you?”
>”He’s one of the police officers, but he’s THE police officer that saw me, found me, and carried me out.”
>”Oh my. Officer Mouse, you seem to be a real hero!”
>Well, Sugarcoat seems to be a little blunt, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this friend of hers sure seems nice!
>Maybe the kids at Crystal Prep are more human that you thought.
“Actually, It’s Anon. Anon Mous, but… You can keep calling me Mouse if you like; and I was just doing my job.”
>”Oh! Well, I’m Sour Sweet. But, thank you so much for saving our friend!” The freckled girl exclaims as she rises from her chair and approaches you. 
>With a wide, bright smile, she grabs your free hand and begins to shake it enthusiastically.
>She leans in towards you as she looks up to meet your eyes.
>”I heard you killed the girl that did this to Sugarcoat. I hope you made her suffer a long, excruciatingly painful death!” She exclaims with that same cheery cadence.
“I… what?”
>”Oh, sorry! I must be mumbling again.” Sour says as her smile begins to melt away into an intense, furious scowl. “I said, I hope you made her suffer. She could burn in hellfire for the rest of eternity and it wouldn’t be punishment enough for what she did to my friend.”
>An uncomfortable feeling sinks into your gut as you stare down into her indigo eyes.
>A feeling that reminds you of Pinkie.
“I… I, uh…”
>”Well, it was nice meeting you, Officer Mouse! I’m gonna step out and see what the other girls are talking about. I’ll be back in a bit!”
>Plastering that cheery smile back on her face, she releases your hand and slides by you, giving your shoulder a friendly pat as she heads out the door.
>Dumbfounded, you glance over to Sugarcoat. With the slightest hint of a smirk, she motions for you to take the only open seat in the room.
>While you begin to contemplate where it all went wrong for this generation of youth, you move over to the bedside chair and sit down.
>You stare blankly at the wall across from Sugarcoats blanketed legs. 
>Out of the corner of your eye, you see her watch you for a brief moment. Her smirk grows as she grabs the remote for the wall-mounted television and redirects her attention towards that.
>She flips through several channels before glancing back to you.
>”Are you okay? I thought you were the one that was supposed to be worried about me.”
>When did girls become so scary?
>Like, shit, you’re a combat-hardened grown ass man, and here you are, getting freaked out by that freckled chick and whatever the hell Pinkie is supposed to be.
>And people thought your fear of sea monsters was irrational.
“Was that your version of Pinkie Pie?”
>”Hm. I guess you could think of her as something like that. Normally, she’s just sarcastic and rude, but she’s understandably a little upset about everything.”
“And… you’re not?”
>”Rude? A little. Upset? Of course not. It’s over. I’m already on the road to recovery, so what’s to worry about? 
“It’s just that, most people have some psychological trauma after going through something like that.”
>”No, I’m fine. I mean, it’s not like I’m putting on a tough face and lying about everything being okay, just waiting until the people that care about me to stop asking so I can force myself to repress any feelings and memories of what happened into the darkest pits of my mind and try ignore an overwhelming and soul-crushing sense of vulnerability.” 
>She pulls the bear closer to her, squeezing it into her bosom as she continues absent-mindedly channel surfing.
 >“That would be stupid. I mean, can you imagine living like that? Imagine those repressed memories resurfacing anytime I got too close to someone, causing me to self-sabotage any relationship I have, damning myself into a lonely life with no friends and destroying any chance of being even remotely intimate with anyone ever again; just because of some irrational fear that someone I know and trust will do the same thing to me that that girl did to me? No, that’d just be dumb. I’d never do that.” 
>Ooooooookay.
>What are you even supposed to say to that?
>See, this is why you don’t talk to the people you help.
>Shit, man. You’re just a paid monkey with a gun. You didn’t sign up for this.
>Except you totally did because you decided to come here just to get Pinkie to leave you alone. Also, it’s sort of totally your job now.
>Well… you gotta say something…
>Think, Anon, think…
“Uh, of course you wouldn’t… I mean, you seem like a pretty smart girl. If you were going through something like that… well, surely, you’d remember all the people that care about you. Everyone that came to visit you here, the ones that got you all this stuff, your parents… even some random, friendly cop; you can, I mean, you could talk to those people, if you needed to.”
>”Ugh. Why is cable TV so terrible?” 
“Sugarcoat…”
>”What?”
“You know what.”
>She shoots you a quick glare as she gently tosses the remote to the floor. Its batteries break free and scatter across the room as it hits the tile.
>”Why? Talking about it won’t fix anything. Time won’t just magically rewind to before it happened. I’ll still just be sitting here, bedridden so I don’t tear open my stitches. Have you ever had a urinary catheter before? It’s very unpleasant.”
>Her eyes break away from yours with a jerk of her head, redirecting themselves down to the teddy bear in her arms. She remains silent for several seconds before speaking up again.
>”…I didn’t know her. I’d never spoken to her, let alone even seen her. She just pulled up to me as I was walking home, asking for directions. She showed me her gun and told me to get in; I didn’t know what else to do.”
>She pinches the bears ear, rubbing her finger and thumb across its fur.
>You wait patiently for her to continue.
>”I didn’t even know her, and she hated me. She dragged me upstairs and forced me into that room. She hit me, beat me, and called me a ‘spoiled bitch’ and a, a ‘rich, upper-class slut’, threw me onto that… shitty mattress. She held me down and tore at my clothes…”
>She tries to curl up and pull her legs up toward her, but instantly stops herself as she lets out a pained yelp.
>You quickly reach out for her, but Sugarcoat pushes your hand away.
>She pauses, taking in a deep breath and clenching her eyes and fists as she allows her legs to slowly sink back to their original position.
>Once back in place, she lets out a ragged breath. She pauses a moment, briefly removing her glasses to wipe at her eyes.
>”Did I mention that my wounds are extremely painful? Because they are.”
“I know…”
>”Do you? Do you really?”
“I, well… when I saw all the blood…”
>”Do you know what she used? What she shoved into me?” She asks with a somewhat hostile look.
>You open your mouth, but she doesn’t wait for your response.
>”A table leg. A wooden table leg, snapped off from the rest of the table. It was roughly eight inches long, and just over three inches wide at it’s widest point, which just so happened to be the foot of the leg. That first day, she was kind enough to only use the foot. The next day, she used the other end.”
>As she squeezes the bear tightly in her arms, her eyes drift back to the TV, where they vacantly linger as she recounts her story.
 >”She had used a knife to whittle away most of the splintered wood. Most of it; she left it jagged on purpose. They pulled several splinters and shards out of me, in varying size. They said that’s what made me start bleeding again when you found me.”
“That sounds-“
>”Terrible? Excruciating? Agonizing?”
“Yeah… Sugarcoat, I’m sorry.” You mutter, hanging your head in shame.
>She stares silently for a moment before looking back to the teddy bear.
>”…You shouldn’t be. You stopped it; saved me and made sure she won’t hurt anyone again. I know you’re just trying to help me, but I just don’t see the point. Talking about it won’t change anything. Everything will have still happened. At the end of the day, I will still be here; hurting. Understand?”
>It’s a good thing you stopped to pick up some booze.
“I do. I really do…”

>”If you understand, then why did you even bother?”
“Christ, I don’t know…” You say under your breath, laying your head back and staring up at the ceiling.
>”Sometimes you just can’t help someone, Officer Mouse.”
“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least try.”
>”…I suppose.”
>The conversation dies between the two of you, leaving the room silent aside from the low chatter coming from the TV.
>You sit there for some time, waiting for… something.
>You lift your head, wandering the room with your eyes.
>After a while, they find themselves upon the box of chocolates, still in your hand. Haphazardly, you toss the box onto the corner table next to you.
>This… This is not how you expected this to go.
>You’re not really sure what you expected, but it certainly wasn’t this.
“Hey… do you really think all that stuff is going to happen to you?”
>You’ve seen others say or go through something similar after their traumatic experiences, but hearing her talk about it so coldly, so emotionless, as if it was already set in stone…
>It’s like she already thinks she’s hopeless.
>”I don’t know. Possibly. I think I’ve already alienated my parents and friends to some degree. They all barged in here and tried to hug me…”
“And you probably didn’t want to be touched.”
>”I did not. I had to yell and literally fight some of them off of me. They looked very confused… hurt.”
“It’s a natural response, from both you and them. You don’t think they’re going to just drop you because of that, do you?”
>”Who’s to say I won’t get worse?”
“Who’s to say you won’t get better? I think it’s too early to say, for you and your loved ones. You and them, you all just need a little time.”
>”Officer Mouse? You’re trying to help again.” She says, glancing at you from the corner of her eyes.
“I… Yeah, sorry. I guess I just can’t help it.”
>”It’s okay.” 
>For a split second, you think you see a tiny, weak smile cross her lips.
>You blink and the smile is gone.
>”It was a much better attempt than your last. You know, you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”
“Do you want me gone?”
>”I don’t mind if you stay, but you don’t need to waste your time sitting here with me. Like you said before, I have my friends. And mind-numbingly boring day-time television.”
>Well… you do have some friends of your own to visit. Stitches and Eye can’t wait around all day for you.
 “I guess, if you really don’t mind…” You state as you rise from your chair.
>”It’s fine. It was nice enough of you to come by once, and there’s nothing stopping you from visiting again later if you want. Maybe I’ll feel more talkative then.”
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll do that. Hey, just remember, you’ve got people that care about you. If you need to-“
>You cut yourself off once you notice the cold, disinterested look she’s giving you.
>”You really can’t help yourself, can you?”
“It’s been a complicated week.”
>”Mmm. If you really want to help, bring me a cheeseburger or something next time you come by. The slop they call food here is terrible, and unlike Pinkie, I can’t live off of candy and cake.”
>You let out a small grin and a chuckle as you take your steps towards the door.
“Heh. Alright, I’ll bring you something sometime.”
>”Good. And, um…” She turns the bear around in her hands, allowing you to see its face once more.
>Resting it in her lap, she hugs it again and gives you a small, but hopeful smile.
>”…I really do like the bear. So… thanks.”
>You smile back at her, nod, and step out the door.
 >As you reenter the halls, you see that the group of girls hasn’t moved from the end of the hall, still looking out the window.
>You quietly shut the door behind you and head that way.
>As you approach, you overhear a few words from the conversation.
>”…So, that’s where we’re at right now. Needless to say, we’re all a little…”
>”Totally freaking out?” Suggests the green-haired Shadowbolt as she slips her headphones off of her ears.
>”Yeah, we’re freaking out. We’re also a little mad that Sunset and Twilight waited so long to tell us.” Rainbow says, giving Sunset a passive-aggressive glance.
>”Harsh…” Chimes in the spiky-haired girl with the goggles.
>”We wanted to, but we weren’t sure what was going on; we didn’t want to worry you until we had some idea of what was going on. “
>”But we were ALREADY worried about you, Sunset! Don’t you remember what happened the other day outside of the cafeteria?”
>”Of course I do, Pinkie. We wanted to wait until we had a better understanding about what was happening, but after Twilight talked to Principal Celestia, she gave us…”
>You see Sunset perk up as she notices your reflection in the glass. She turns on a dime toward you.
>”O-oh, Anon! I didn’t realize you were done talking to Sugarcoat already.”
>The others turn to face you as well. Rainbow meets your eyes and gives you a nod, while the Crystal Prep girls you haven’t yet met eye you with passing interest
>”Yeah, you were barely in there, Officer Mouse.” Sour whimpers. She narrows her eyes at you and adds more than a hint of hostility to her voice. “You did talk to her about what happened… didn’t you?”
>”Oh, I’m sure he did. Right Anon?” Fluttershy asks with a hopeful smile.
“I did, but… she didn’t have much to say. She just told me what happened, and even then, she didn’t want to talk about it.”
>”So she’s still just acting like it’s fine? Man, this is so messed up…” 
>”Give her time, Lemon. She was just found yesterday. Things like this… they don’t just go away.”
>”Yeah, no duh, Sunny! But… I don’t know, isn’t she supposed to talk about it or something? How are we supposed to help if she just pretends it never happened?”
“A lot of people handle these things differently. Sometimes they’ll try to get away from it; they’ll ignore it, act like everything is fine, maybe even move away. Others… they can’t get away from it. Not for some time, anyway.”
>”So… what are we supposed to do?”
>You give a cursory glance back toward the door to Sugarcoat’s door as you think.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I’m no expert on this sort of thing, but… she acknowledged what happened. She doesn’t seem to be ignoring it; she just told me there was no point in discussing it…”
>”And she yelled at us when we tried to hug her…” The depressed and deflated pink demon adds.
“Yeah, probably don’t try to touch her for a while…”
>”Oh, dear… is there nothing we can do for her?”
“Like I said, I’m not sure, Rarity…” You say, shifting your eyes to the Shadowbolts. “ You four. Are you her friends from school?”
>The light-turquoise girl glances down at her uniform, then back up to you.
>”Is it that apparent?”
>The sporty girl gives her a swift elbow to the side.
>”Knock it off, Sunny. Yeah, we’re her friends from school; her best friends.”
“There’s only one thing I can think of; it goes for all of you, but doubly so for you four. Just… be there for her. Don’t let her think she’s alone.”
>”That’s your advice? Just be there for her? So just… keep doing what we’re already doing.” 
“Yes. Don’t touch her if she doesn’t want you to, don’t force her to talk about it if she doesn’t want to; give her some space if she wants it, but just be there for her. She’s in a rough spot, and she seems to think she might push you away, so just… be there for her.”
>”That we can do, Anon. It’s what we’re all here for, right girls?” Sunset asks.
>”Right!” The girls all nod and cheer in agreement.
>”C’mon, we should all get back in there. Wouldn’t want her thinkin’ we all ran off on her now, would we?”
>”Yeah! Let’s go, Anon! You can help us eat all of the sweets I made!” Pinkie cheers.
“Well, actually…”
>”Huh? What’s up, Ahnon?” Applejack asks as she rests her hands on her wide hips.
“I gotta head out. I’m meeting some friends, it’s… kinda important.”
>”What? Already? You just got here.”
“Yeah, I know, but I’ve already put this off for… well, way too long. Don’t worry, Skittles, I’ll be coming by again to check on her soon.”
>The sporty Shadowbolt pushes her way to the front of the group and extends her hand toward you.
>”Well, thanks. It’s real cool of you to stop by and check on her; we all appreciate it.”
>Maybe you missed something. When did Crystal Prep students stop being obnoxious assholes to everyone?
>Shining was cool, but you were pretty sure that was it. Guess you were wrong?
>Your hand meets hers and she gives you a powerful shake.
“No problem. Good luck to you girls.” You turn your head towards the Wonderbolt crew. “And I’ll see you girls tomorrow. Please try to stay out of trouble, okay?”
>”Don’t worry, Mouse, was it?” Rarity says with a smile. She slides next to Fluttershy and takes her by the hip, pulling her close. “You’ll get no trouble from us, today. We’ll be on our best behavior; the spitting image of angels, isn’t that right, Fluttershy?”
>”A-absolutely. We’ll be good girls, we promise!”
>You give the pair an inquisitive stare for a few seconds. Rarity smiles wider, showing off her teeth, while Fluttershy unflinchingly returns your gaze with those big, puppy-dog eyes of hers.
>”Hmph. I guess I can believe that, at least for you two…” You say softly, stepping forth and ruffling the shy girl’s hair. 
>You scan your eyes over the rest of the girls and give them a friendly, albeit somewhat mocking grin.
“…Jury’s still out on the rest of you though.”
>”Don’t worry, everything will be fine; you’ll see.” Sunset says, assuredly.
>”Yeah, how much trouble could we get into in a hospital anyway?” Rainbow scoffs.
“I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow. Take it easy, girls.”
>The girls all say their farewells to you; as you head off down the hall, they file back into Sugarcoat’s room, determined to do the best they could for their friend.
>You wish the best for her. You can’t begin to imagine what she’s been through, or what’s waiting in her future, but you feel a little bit better knowing she has so many friends that care about her.
>She’s a strange girl; not unlike some of the ones you’ve met this past week.
>But she seems like a strong one, too. Hopefully, she’ll make it through this.
>As you step through the quiet corridors of the hospital, you pull out your phone and shoot Stitches a quick text.
>(You) Hey. I’m on my way.

----------

>As your car slows, you pull over to the side of the road, parking just behind the vacant police cruiser.
>You kill the engine, retrieve your keys, and climb out. Once you retrieve your bag from the trunk, you re-secure it and make your way to the sidewalk.
>Immediately, you notice the quiet, somber atmosphere of the area around you. It’s surprisingly quiet for this part of the city; it’s as if everything else is muted.
>A strong, whistling breeze blows through, knocking a handful of loose leaves from a nearby tree. They skitter down the sidewalk, drawing your eyes along until you lay eyes on her.
>Standing by the gate, alone, is a wistful pale woman clad in her blue uniform.  In each hand, she holds a small, brightly colored bouquet of various flowers. 
>She notices you and gives you a half-hearted smile before turning her eyes back inside the gate.
>You follow her eyes and peer through the tall, metal bar fence.
>A large, rolling field covered with standing stones of various shapes and sizes awaits you. On the far end of the field, you see a single man, staring down at one stone in particular.
>Eye.
>As the thought of who he might be with crosses your mind, a twisted, sinking feeling hits your gut.
>Maybe you aren’t ready for this.
>You’ve never done this before. What are you supposed to do? You haven’t even thought about what you’re going to say?
>Maybe you jumped into this to early. Maybe you can-
>”Eye went in ahead. He said he didn’t want to wait and wanted some time alone with them anyway. I hope you don’t mind.”
>You glance back at Stitches, now finding yourself by her side in front of the large, looming gateway.
“No, it’s fine…”
>”I see you brought the stuff. The place is empty, so it should be alright if you have a little, too. Just don’t over-do it, okay?”
>You shift your grip on the bag in your hand, causing the bottles inside to softly clink together.
>”Well… You ready?” She asks with a melancholic smile.
“I… I don’t know. What am I supposed to say?”
>”Whatever you didn’t get the chance to say before.” 
>She takes both bouquets in one hand and extends her free hand out to you.
>”Come on. Don’t worry, the words will come.”
 >Slowly and reluctantly, you take her hand. With a soft pull, she leads you into the field.
>You glance back at the looming iron gate. Though backwards, you can still clearly make out the metal lettering standing atop of it.
>Whitetail’s Rest Cemetary.

>The peaceful name of the cemetery does little to calm your thoughts as Stitches continues to lead you down the pathway.
>You turn your head back and wander the resting grounds with your eyes.
>Aside from Eye, there really isn’t another soul in sight.
>”So… who do you want to see first?”
“I… I don’t know.”
>”We can see Breacher first. I know you probably have a lot to say to him. Or, we can wait for Eye to finish talking with Blitz. He probably won’t be much longer.”
>The thought of ‘talking’ to them is strange to you.
>Images come to mind of all the times you’ve been out together. 
>You see them joining your table at Shamrock’s Pub or Patty’s Place, your favorite haunts.
>They sit across from you, smiling and laughing as they chat and enjoy their food and drink.
>But here, in reality, you know what you’ll be talking to.
>The grass. The dirt from which it grows. The wind and the trees.
>A sun-warmed tombstone and the dead man buried underneath it.
>”Here, let’s start with Breacher. He’s a little bit closer.
>She nods off ahead of her, but she fails to point out anything other than the general direction of his grave.
>Nevertheless, you find it hard to peel your eyes away from that group of markers.
>Your foot hits a loose stone, causing you to stumble slightly and knocking your alcohol bottles together.
>”Hey, quit dragging your feet.” She says as she gives your arm a tug.
“Sorry, just hit a rock.”
>You resist the pull, refusing to budge an inch.
>She lets out a short, playful laugh before tugging again, failing to move you once more.
>She spins around with an eyebrow cocked. She gives one last gentle tug, which fails to move you as well.
>With a glance, Stitches looks back out toward his grave. She turns back to you with soft, sympathetic eyes.
>”Mouse. I know this is hard, but you can do this. You need to do this.”
>You try and meet her eyes but feel yours drawn back to the graves.
>Your heart begins to race as a tingling sensation set in on your fingers.
>You didn’t think this through.
“I’m not ready for this.”
>”Mouse.”
>You’ve spent so much time trying not to think about this.
“I’m not ready for this, I can’t do this.” 
>Your feet grow heavy as your head becomes light. Your chest heaves as your lungs struggle to keep up with your quick, irregular breaths.
>”Mouse…”
>You barely gave this a thought. Why did you think you could just walk in here and do this?
“I… I-I gotta go. Let’s just… try this again later, okay?”
>You manage to pull your eyes from the graveyard as you try and flee. You don’t make it a step before your feisty friend tugs you back towards her with one, strong pull.
>”No. We’re doing this now. You need to face this.”
“Stitches, please, I can’t.”
>”You can! You need this, Mouse. You can’t just ignore this for the rest of your life.”
>You can. You absolutely can.
“I… I…”
>As the tempo of your heart rises, the world begins to spin around you. You struggle to keep your balance, even while standing still.
>”Mouse? Hey, you alright?”
>You try to flee once more, but trip over yourself, nearly collapsing and dragging down Stitches on top of you.
>”Whoa, hey! Calm down Mouse, what’s wron… why are you sweating so much?”
>You begin to lose balance, leaning too far to the right and stumbling to stay on your feet.
“Stitches, I n-need to go home.”
>”Okay, just… just take it easy, Mouse. C’mon, let’s just sit down for a moment, okay?”
>She frees your hand and wraps her arm around your back, gently guiding you towards a nearby bench along the path.
>She eases you down into the wooden seat and lays the flowers down next to you.
>You try and turn your head back toward the graves, but Stitches forces your head to face her.
>”Hey, look at me. Don’t worry about what’s over there, just keep your eyes on me.”
>For a brief moment you begin to calm, until you recognize that look.
>That look of worry, the one she looked down on you with some time ago.
>You blink and your back there, in that hallway.
>Ears ringing, you stare up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend what just happened.
>Your heavy, numbed body refuses to respond to your orders to move.
>Slowly, you roll your head to the sides, taking in the dusty corridor; the blood beginning to pool on the floor around you, the pockmarked walls, the debris and dust coasting through the air.
>None of it makes any sense to you.
>You look down and find a young man in a uniform, laid out atop your legs, the stock to his rifle poking out from beneath him. His head rests atop your thigh, staring up at you with empty, glazed over eyes and a slacked jaw.
>Blitz…
>There’s something black, jagged, and twisted sticking out from the back of his neck.
>He isn’t moving. 
>You catch sight of some movement and manage to raise your head just enough to look further down the hall. Past the staircase, an older man struggles to rise to his feet. 
>It’s Breacher.
>His rifle hangs from its sling at his side. Shakily, he braces himself against the wall, clutching his left shoulder. 
>Through his hand and shredded sleeve, you can see torn, mangled flesh. The wound bleeds profusely.
>Out of seemingly nowhere, a hooded figure with a red bandana tied around his arm steps down from the stair case.
>In his hands, a long, pump-action shotgun. Before Breacher can even turn around, the stranger pumps the shotgun. As the spent shell falls to the ground, he shoulders his weapon.
>You try to open your mouth and call out to him, to warn him, but through your deadened body and deafened ears, you can’t tell if you even managed a sound. 
>Fire spits forth from the barrel as recoil rocks the man’s shoulder.
>Limply, your friend, mentor, and savior falls to the ground, a large, bloody hole in the wall in his stead.
>The stranger pumps the shotgun again. As he turns toward you, you see to shadows appear over you. You try to look back, but you can’t see who they belong to.
>You can only barely make out muffled shouting, though you can’t comprehend what they say.
>The man raises his shotgun towards you but is quickly ravaged by a volley of gunfire before he can do much else. He falls backward to the ground.
>As the muted sound of the gunfire dies, you hear more shouting.
>Another man in uniform steps next to you, his rifle ready and pointed down the hall.
>A figure kneels down above you. Though the light shining in from behind her casts a shadow over her face, you recognize her.
>Stitches.
>She gazes down at you and the man laid across your legs, horrified.
>She stares at the two of you for what seems like an eternity. A voice calls out to her, snapping her back to reality.
>The ringing begins to fade, allowing you to comprehend some of their words.
>”Stitc..., .. .e okay?!”
>She looks to him, then quickly back to you. She clasps your face in her hands and stares into your eyes.
>”Mouse!? Mou.., .an you hea. ..?”
>You try to speak again, to say anything, but again, you’re unsure your lips even move. You manage a blink, which catches her attention.
>You see her breath a shallow sigh of relief before dropping her eyes slightly lower.
>”Stitches, let’s go!”
>He sounds like Eye.
>She pulls back and quickly sits you upright, giving you a better view of Blitz.
>You see numerous holes torn in his uniform along his arms and legs. Blood drains from the holes.
>Lodged firmly in his back plate is a bent and blackened nail.
>As your neck grows tired, you allow your head to hang limp. You notice your bloodied arm, which refuses to move.
>Looking over to your right, you catch sight of your rifle, resting on the floor.
>Oh… that’s… yours. You need that.
>You reach out for it and manage to weakly grasp the sling in your fingers.
>You feel someone jerk you back, pulling you partially out from under Blitz.
>With another tug, you’re pulled free, pulled backward into the light with your weapon dragging after you.
>The man… Eye? He follows you, walking backward with his rifle still readied.
>Wait…
>Why are they leaving Blitz? And Breacher?
>They can’t leave them there. They need help.
>You feel your lips move, but all that comes forth is a barely audible, raspy whimper.
>You reach out for them, allowing the sling to slip from your fingers.
>They fade from sight as the light becomes too bright for your eyes, forcing you to clench them shut.
>You open them again, finding yourself staring up at a bright, cloudless sky. Kneeled at your side is Stitches, holding her hands against your neck.
>You roll your head over to see a squad of armed men in black uniforms running into the building’s doorway.
“Bra…vo…?”
>Are they getting Blitz and Breacher?
>”Mouse? Mouse, look at me.”
>You struggle to do so little as to look back at her. With a helping hand, she turns your head back.
>”Hey, look at me. Don’t worry about what’s over there, just keep your eyes on me.”
>You’re tired.
>With shaky breath, you struggle to keep your eyes open.
>You’re so tired.
>Against your struggles, your eyelids fall further and further each time.
>”Hey, stay with me! Help’s almost here, just hold on.” Stitches cries, giving your cheek a light slap with her bloodied hand.
>You barely feel it. You barely feel anything.
>You try your hardest, but finally, your eyes close.
>”Mouse! Hey, just hold on…”
>You open your eyes to find Stitches leaning over you, holding your shoulders. Just behind her, Eye eyes you with apprehension.
>”Is… he okay?”
>Trembling, you look past them, realizing you’re back in the cemetery.
>As reality comes back to you, you find your arms screaming in pain, muscles taut as your hands tightly squeeze the wooden planks of the bench.
>”Hey, calm down. Just calm down… everything is fine.”  Stitches mutters to you.
>As you fight your body, trying and failing to calm yourself down, you look up into her violet, teary eyes.
>”It’s okay, Mouse…” she whispers as she pulls you into her chest.
“S-stitches…”
>You manage to pry your hands away from the wooden planks; shakily, you reach out and embrace her waist.
>”Shhh, shhhh… it’s going to be alright.” She whispers, clutching a hand around your shoulder straps.
“I… I-I can’t…”
>”Shhh… I know, Mouse. I know.”

----------

>Sluggishly, you step through the door and into the darkened room. With little care, you cast the bottles aside, sending them clattering to the floor beside your couch.
>From the light shining inside from the hallway, a shadow is cast.
>”Hey. Are you going to be okay?”
>Are you?
>You honestly don’t know.
>You simply shrug your shoulders.
>The shadow grows as boots step toward you.
>”I can come by later… I’m off in a few hours. We can talk if you want.”
>Talk?
>You barely made it into the graveyard and she wants you to talk about it?
>You strip your vest off of you and toss it to the floor.
“I think I just want to be alone for now.”
>”Are you sure?”
>Fighting your still trembling hands, you begin unbuckling your belt as you turn to face her.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
>”Mouse…”
>You feel bad, brushing her off like this, but…
>You can’t. You just can’t.
>You drape your belt over the back of the couch and step towards her. Without a second’s hesitation, she throws her arms around you.
>”Please, if I can help you, please just say so. I can’t stand seeing you like this…”
“I’ll be fine. I just… I think I need more time.”
>”Maybe you should see someone. You know, some professional help?”
>Gently, you pull her off you and nudge her towards the door.	
“No.”
>Despite the fact that she could easily make this difficult, she steadily steps back as you guide her towards the door.
>”Mouse, please… You don’t have to suffer through this alone.” She dejectedly mutters, clutching at your hand.
>You stop as you push her back into the hallway and meet her eyes one last time.
>”We’re here for you. I’m here for you.”
“I know. I know you are. I’m sorry, Stitches; I can’t explain it, but I just… I just can’t face them.”
>She inches toward you, intertwining her fingers with yours and resting her head on your shoulder.
>With your free hand, your cradle her hip and pull her close.
>The two of you stand there, holding each other for some time. Suddenly, her whispered voice breaks the silence.
>”You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”
>Stupid?
“Like what?”
>”Like… you know… try again? Like… try and l-leave us…”
>You slide your arm up and around her back and pull her closer.
“Absolutely not. I would never put you two through that.”
>”Promise?”
“I swear.”
>You feel her let out a sigh of relief against your neck.
>She slides away a step and nervously eyes the floor. With a quick pull, she jerks you toward her, catching you and planting her lips against yours.
>As the shock fades, you find yourself returning her kiss without a second thought.
>You know you shouldn’t. You know she knows she shouldn’t either. But you both can’t help yourself.
>The two of you bask in each other’s taste, allowing yourselves this small comfort.
>Slowly, reluctantly, she breaks her lips away from yours, cupping your cheek and gazing deep into your eyes.
>”I know it hurts, Anon. But please, don’t forget; you aren’t alone. We are here for you. We care about you. I lo-“
>For a split second, her voice falters, unsure of herself.
>But you hear her all the same.
>”I… I care about you. I want to help you, any way I can. So please, don’t shut me out.”
>You give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I won’t. I just need some time.”
>She steps back and away, holding your hand until the last moment.
>”…I’ll be waiting for you.”
>You hold her gaze for a few more steps before she turns and makes her way back down the hall.
>As she steps into the elevator, you retreat back into your gloomy apartment and barricade yourself off from the world again.
>Deciding to make do with soft light bleeding through the curtains, you take a seat in the middle of your couch and reach down into the bag of alcohol.
>Ignoring the shattered shot glasses inside, you randomly clutch a bottle by its neck and pull it out.
>John Derrick’s whiskey.
>Reclining back into the couch, you stare blankly at the sorry excuse for a man reflected in the TV screen.
 >He stares back, prying the cap off of a bottle of whiskey. 
>The two of you raise your bottles, sharing a silent mournful toast, and throw your heads back to take in a long drink.
>Cheers.

----------

>Feet pounding against the paved track, you continue to push yourself despite your body’s cries of pain.
>Head throbbing, calves cramping, you hit the final turn. 
>Holy shit, you’re so dehydrated.
>Come on, man, almost there! Power through it!
>With the final stretch of track in front of you, you lengthen your stride and sprint for the finish.
>You push and push, steadily picking up speed as you draw nearer to the line.
>Finally, you burst across the imaginary line, hitting the stop button on your watch and stumbling as you transition from sprint, to jog, to walk.
>Panting, you begin to pace back and forth and check your time.
>23:48
>For three miles? You guess that’s not too bad, considering you’ve barely done anything for a year and you’re hungover as fuck. 
>Not really good, either. Pretty rough, actually.
>Though, you got plenty of time to shave off some minutes and get that back down below twenty. 
>That shouldn’t take any time a-
>You feel a sudden surge of bile creep up your throat.
>Oh god.
>You rush to the side of the track, falling to your knees as you begin to gag. Moments later, you empty the watery contents of your stomach into the grass.
>The downpour ends, though you continue to dry heave for several seconds.
“Oh, o-oh fuck…”
>Yeah, only water for you today. Oh man, that sucked.
>Well… Dad always said, ‘if you aren’t puking, you aren’t pushing hard enough’.
>Panting, you force yourself back to your feet, wiping the bile from your mouth and the water from your eyes.
>Clearing your run time from your watch, you see that it’s-
>Oh, shit. 6:23.
>Guess you should’ve started a little earlier. No time for a shower, though you really need it.
>Maybe no one will notice.
>You step off toward the locker room, head splitting with every step. By the time you make it inside, you feel like falling over and dying.
>After quickly washing your face, you throw on a fresh pair socks and boxer-briefs and slip into your favorite pair of jeans.
>Next, you pull a grey, short-sleeved spandex top and…
>Well, shit. You’re still pretty warm for a hoodie, but I’d probably be weird to walk around in just this.
>Eh, you’ll have to deal.
>You grab your old academy hoodie out of the bag and inspect it.
>Black with a single blue stripe on each arm, starting from the collar and running its way down the sleeve. On the back, ‘C.P.D.’ in bold blue lettering.
>It’s pretty thin… shouldn’t be that bad.
>You throw it on and slip back into your shoes.
>Quickly throwing your soiled clothes back into your gym bag, you rush out to your car.
>Halfway there, the throbbing becomes too much and you decide to slow down.
>Fuck it, they can wait on you.
>You arrive at your car and pop open the trunk. You toss your bag inside and reach in to retrieve your gear.
>You quickly fasten your belt around your waist and slip into your armor.
>You’re not quite sure what Chief wanted from you when he said ‘make sure you can be easily identified’, but… Well, you got your badge on your front, along with a C.P.D. patch on both your front and back.
>Seems pretty easily identifiable to you.
>With nothing else to take care of, you lock your trunk and step off to the lounge at a semi-leisurely pace.
>Let’s see… 6:33.
>Celestia probably won’t care, right?

>As you meander through the calls, you squint and shield your eyes from the light with your hand.
>Shhhhiiiiiittttt.
>It’s 6 in the god damn morning, why are these lights so bright?
>You should have grabbed your sunglasses, or a hat, or something.
>Well, at least you know today’s gonna be shit going in. No fooling yourself today.
>After lazily drifting through the halls for some time, you finally find yourself outside the teacher’s lounge.
>And you’re only… 10 minutes late!
>Eh, it’ll be fine. You don’t think you’ve ever been in a briefing or meeting that started on time.
>Hell, you bet that half of them aren’t even here yet.
>You swing open the door and find yourself staring down an entire table of teachers and staff.
>Celestia and Luna, Cheerilee and Redheart, Ms. Harshwhinny and Dr. Cabelleron, Coaches Spitfire and Soarin, Mr. Doodle, oh you hate that guy, Granny Smith and…
>Who the hell is that?
>You stare inquisitively at the somewhat obese old man. He gives you no sign of acknowledging your presence, opting instead to continue reading his magazine.
 “…Who are you?”
>”I’m Scruffy. The janitor.” He says disinterestedly, giving his bushy mustache a scratch.
>A new janitor?
>Wait…
“So… Mr. Dusty?”
>”It’s nice of you to finally join us, Officer Anon.” Luna replies, her annoyance readily apparent in her voice. However, she softens her tone before continuing. “Unfortunately, Mr. Dusty is no longer with us.”
“You mean he’s…?”
>She nods her head empathetically.
>”He went terminal a few years ago.”
“O-oh…”
>RIP in peace, you old bastard. You put up with far too much shit.
>Heh.
>”We all miss him dearly… But if you don’t mind Anon, we’d like to begin.” Celestia interjects, beckoning you in.
>Oh. Guess they’ve been waiting on you.
>Ah, you knew everything would be fine.
>”Please, help yourself to some food and take a seat.”
>Following her pointed finger to the counter, you see two large boxes of donuts, still mostly filled with a variety of donuts.
>Your stomach growls just from looking at those strawberry glazed and cream-filled delicacies.
>You shut the door behind you and quickly ste-
>OW! 
>Baring your teeth with a hiss, you hold a hand to the side of your head, as if that will help quell the sudden surge of skull-splitting pain.
>You see some of the staff, Celestia and Luna included, watching you from the corner of your eye. You ignore them.
>With a deep breath, you take a more light-footed approach and carefully make your way to the boxes.
>”Um… okay. Now then, since we’re all here, let’s get this ball rolling. First off, I want to thank all of you for volunteering for the pep rally, especially those of you who are repeat volunteers and some of our more senior staff.”
>”Oh, don’tchall worry yer pretty little head. Yer darn tootin’, I’ll volunteer! I ain’t gonna miss out on any a that fun!”
>Digging through the counter drawers, you dig out a paper plate and grab a strawberry donut and chocolate éclair.
>”Thank you, Mrs. Smith. As always, your enthusiasm is infectious. Unfortunately, after last year, we’re going to have to ask you to refrain from engaging in anything too physical.”
>”Oh, hogwash! Now you listen here, missy, that was just one hip! I still got another!” She exclaims in her rattling voice.
>Oh, Granny. Never change.
>”Maybe so, but nevertheless.” Luna says, speaking up.  “With these kinds of things, avoiding potential injuries is important. That’s why, as you may have already noticed, we have some of our younger staff here today. On top of the coaches’ usual involvement, we’ve asked Ms. Cheerilee, Ms. Redheart, and even Officer Anon to join in.”
>”If I may, Principal Celestia, I understand and welcome the participation of these two young ladies, but Anon?”
>You can feel Mr. Doodle’s cranky eyes burning holes into the back of your head as you grab a cup of tap water from the sink.
>Oh, here we go.
>”After all the trouble he caused in his time here, it seems incredibly inappropriate to have him involved in this pep rally; not only that, but the fact that he’s supposed to be a role model for our students is insane! Can we not request another officer to be our SRO? Someone more suitable?”
>”Mr. Doodle!” Celestia exclaims.
>You flinch at her raised voice, spilling some of your water on the floor.
>Praying the others will keep their voices down, you act like it didn’t happen and turn to find a seat.
>Cheerilee eyes you suspiciously but pulls out the empty chair between her and Redheart and offers it to you.
>Ha, no.
>You really need some of that kickass couch in your life right now.
>Taking care to step lightly, you slide over to the couch and take a nice, comfy seat on its soft cushions.
>”Mr. Doodle, while I can understand your concerns given Anon’s past… behavioral problems, this is not only the inappropriate time and place for this discussion, it is incredibly inappropriate for you to make such assertions right in front of him.” 
>Aww, yeah… that’s the stuff.
>You lean back into your heavenly seat and take a bite from your strawberry donut, opting to simply watch this conversation unfold.
>”B-but Vice-Principal, he Seram-wrapped my car, he-“
>”If I may interrupt, Cranky,” Ms. Harshwhinny butts in with somewhat pointed words, “Anon was a bit of problem student for me as well, but to persecute now for his past actions is simply unfair to him.”
>Ms. Harshwhinny looks around the table, meeting eyes with her fellow teachers.
>”Aside from the incident I’m sure you’ve all heard about, I’ve had little interaction with Officer Mous since he’s returned here, but I have no doubts about his character or morals.” She turns her eyes back to Cranky, giving him a somewhat intimidating glare. “In fact, after what happened, I would go so far as to say it would be incredibly rude and insulting to question such things. As far as I’m concerned, he has already gone above and beyond expectations.”
>Your old literature teacher gives you as much of a smile as she can conjure and an approving nod.
>”Well said, Ms. Harshwhinny. However, much like my sister said, this is neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. If you would like to voice your concerns, we can discuss this later; for now, I think it would be appropriate for you to apologize to Anon so we can continue with the meeting.”
>Oh, that ain’t gonna happen.
>”But… But…”
>Mr. Doodle desperately looks around the table for anyone else who might support his argument.
>Coach Spitfire simply shrugs while Soarin lets out a muffled chuckle.
>He turns to Dr. Cabelleron, who simply smirks back.
>”Don’t look at me, my friend. Anon may have slept through nearly every one of my lectures, but he always completed his work on time. Ironically enough, he was one of my better behaved students.”
>Hey man, history is pretty bitchin’.
>He turns toward Cheerilee and Redheart but is quickly turned away by their disapproving frowns.
>Lastly, he turns to his only real remaining option, Ms. Smi-
>”Oh, don’t go lookin’ to me like that. The whole point of this here pep rally is fer the youngun’s to have fun, and if there’s anyone in this room that knows how to have fun, it’s that boy right there!” She exclaims, pointing a shaky finger at you. “Now will ya just pull that… whatzit, er… ruler! Will ya just pull that ruler outta yer keister and apologize? I gotta start cookin’ lunch soon!”
>You flinch again and grimace at the old lady’s raised voice, letting out a very frustrated sigh.
>A sigh loud enough to catch the attention, of Celestia, Luna, and the others.
“Sorry, just, uh… Just got a migraine.”
>”Then we should try to keep the noise down, shouldn’t we?” Redheart says, seemingly to you in particular.
>”Come on, Cranky. Let’s get a move on.” Coach Spitfire teasingly urges.
>”Oh, fine!” Mr. Doodle shouts out, slapping his hand on the table, causing you to shudder once more. “I apologize, Anon. It was rude of me to bring up my concerns in such a manner. I’m sorry.” He mutters with a slight roll of his eyes.
>Huh. He actually said it.
>Well, honestly that barely counts as an apology, but…
>He DID say ‘I’m sorry’.
>Maybe you should try to amend some bridges?
”Apology accepted, Mr. Doodle. It’s okay, I know I used to be a bit of an ass.”
>His frown seems to take a small, but noticeable turn for the better.
>”O-oh… well, as long as you’re admitt-“
“By the way, your tags expired last month.”
>”-ing… wait, what?”
“Just a heads up.”
>You quickly gulp down your water to hide your grin.
>”Well then, now that’s taken care of… Sister, would you like to start?”

----------

>”Ugh… It’s soooooo early…” Rainbow whines, letting her limbs hang limply from her chair.
>Fluttershy lets out timid yawn.
>”…And I thought I hated getting up at regular hours.”
>”Oh, come on, Rares!” Pinkie exclaims, giving her marshmallow friend a squeeze, “It couldn’t have been that bad; I mean, I practically EXPLODED out of bed!”
>Rarity groans and weakly shoves Pinkie away, who simply hops back and cartwheels over to Twilight.
>Applejack grins, choking back a laugh at her friends.
>”Heh, you girls don’t know nothing. Y’all wanna guess how early Granny has to get up to make breakfast fer the school? Or how early me an’ Mac get up to do our chores?”
>”Oh, stuff it, Applejack.” Rainbow replies coldly and sleepily, “It’s one thing getting up early for running, it’s another thing to show up here and watch Twilight work on… whatever. Are we gonna have to do this every day?”
“I know it’s rough, girls, but it’s important that we’re all here in case we’re needed for something.”
>You wipe the sleep from your eyes and look to Twilight.
>Facing away from you at her crowed workstation, she continues ripping apart whatever spare electronics she could get her hands on, stopping only to gulp down some hot coffee.
>Pinkie leans over her shoulder, watching intently as she works.
>”OoooooOOOOooooo. Whatcha doing?”
>Twilight doesn’t respond.
>She must be in the zone.
>”I understand, and I’m more than happy to help out, but, um… I’m just not sure what I could really do to help out.”
>Applejack steps up behind Fluttershy and rests a hand on her shoulder.
>”Wut Shy said. Ah ain’t no simpleton, but just about any time you or Twilight gets into yer sciencey lingo, Ah hardly understand ya. Ain’t no way Ah’ll be much help.”
>”Same…” 
>Well… you guess you can see where Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow are coming from.
>You suppose they are more or less just sitting around and waiting on you and Twilight.
>Heck, even you’re waiting on her…
>At the sound of a chair screeching against the floor, you turn back towards Twilight.
>”Sorry, Pinkie. I’ll explain in just a second.” She says, guiding Pinkie back over towards you and the others.
>Quickly finishing off her coffee, you see her scoop up an eerily familiar device before hiding her hands behind her back and joining you and the others. 
>”I know it might seem like you’re here early for no particular reason, but it’s actually very important. Yesterday, while you all went to visit Sugarcoat yesterday, I was stuck at home doing some extra assignments; I also used this time to do some brainstorming on our current dilemmas, the issue with our powers and Midnight Sparkle.”
>She turns to pace back and forth, allowing you to catch sight of the device’s rounded edges and dark, metallic form. 
>”So what’s the plan?” Rainbow asks, now perked up and fully awake.
>”I started with my focus on Midnight. I have a few theories, but this one seems to fit best. I’m sure you all remember the events of the Friendship Games? Most Importantly, the device I used to track down any magic.”
>”Ya mean the one that sapped us of our magic and turned you into Midnight? Don’t you go tellin’ me you’ve been playin’ around with that thing again.”
>”No. Well… okay, let me get to that.”
>Applejack narrows her eyes apprehensively but allows Twilight to continue.
>”So, Midnight appeared, or… well, I transformed into her after I released and absorbed all of the magical energy that I had accidentally drained from all of you. Right now, my working theory is that simply being around so much magical energy is allowing my body to absorb some of it, like a sponge soaking up water.”
>Huh. You suppose that makes sense. 
>Maybe you should stop sitting next to the portal all the time?
>”Before I continue, I want to touch on how I think this might be playing into the issue with our powers…”

>”Much like with Midnight, this is just a theory, but I was thinking. It’s been a while since we’ve had anything crazy happen around here. I mean, there was that thing with Wallflower, but that didn’t really get too out of hand.”
“No offense, Twilight, but that’s easy for you to say. I was genuinely terrified I was going to lose all of you!”
>Which reminds you, you really need to hang out with Trixie sometime soon.
>It’s been too long since you’ve done something together.
>”I know! I didn’t mean it like that. I only meant that we haven’t had another Friendship games incident, or another Camp Everfree, you know?”
“O-oh.”
>”True, but what are you getting at, Twilight?” Rarity inquires.
>”So it’s been a while since we, or at least you, have done anything where you’ve needed to use too much of your magic. Aside from using this stuff for casual, day to day stuff, we haven’t done much with it. Consequently, I think the magical energy might be building up inside us to the point of becoming unstable. Dangerously unstable.”
>Fluttershy nervously turns to Applejack and slowly steps away, sliding her friend’s hand off of her shoulder.
>”Um… S-sorry.”
>”It’s okay Fluttershy.” Applejack sighs as she looks down at her hands, “Ah should try an’ remember to keep my hands to myself.”
>”So, you think that us not being as active with our magic as we used to be is causing that energy to build up inside us. That, in turn, leads to you absorbing excess magical power, which leads to you transforming into Midnight. Is that correct?”
>”Correct, Rarity!” The scientist exclaims with surprising optimism.
“Those both sound like pretty solid theories, Twilight, but they’re still only theories. How do we test them?”
>”Ah! Good question. That’s where this comes in.”
>She extends her hand out to you and the others, allowing you more closely inspect the object.
>Like you observed earlier, round and metallic, though you can now clearly see it’s purple color and glowing cyan lights.
>Pinkie leans in toward the device, closely inspecting it from all angles before giving it a sniff.
>She quickly pulls her head back with a disgusted frown.
>”Yuck! Twi-Twi, why do you have another magicy detector thingamabob?”
>Oh, so that’s what that is. It’s another magic detec-
>Wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE!
“Twilight, what are you thinking? Do you want another incident like the Friendship Games?!”
>”Absolutely not. That’s why I made it.”
>”I think Twilight’s finally lost it…” Dash whispers to Rarity. 
>Rarity lets out a nervous giggle and nods slightly.
“But I, but you, that isn’t-“
>”This isn’t like the one from before. I made this one without the capability to drain magic specifically to avoid another incident like before. This detector is just that, a detector.”
>Oh…
>Phew. 
>What are you thinking? There’s no way Twilight would make the same mistake twice, right?
>Applejack gawks at the device, scrutinizing it with her skeptical eyes.
>”That’s, uh… that’s real nice, Twi. But how does that help us stop Midnight?” 
>”Well, the short answer is that it doesn’t. Not directly, anyway.”
>Twilight twists the top half of the device’s shell, causing the device’s lights to flicker before beginning to glow brighter.
>Once again, she holds it out toward you and the others. The cyan lights quickly grow intense but dim just as fast as the detector begins to spark wildly and emit a low electrical hum.
>Fearing for your safety, you all dive for cover behind a table. Seeking comfort in Applejack’s arms, you clench your eyes shut and fear for the worst.
>Seconds pass, and suddenly…
>Nothing.
>”Huh. I guess it still needs some calibrating.”
>You open your eyes and find yourself face to face with Applejack.
>Through heavy breathing, a bashful smile quickly spreads across her face as she lets out an embarrassed laugh.
>”Heh… Hehehaha… Fer a second there, Ah thought we were goners.” She mutters, sliding her arms off of you.
“Hehe… Yeah, me too.”
>You all peek over the makeshift cover, laying eyes on your scientist as she steps back over to her workspace. She gently places the device down before turning back to you.
>”Where was I? …Oh, right. As it is, the device won’t help us against Midnight.”
>”Then what was the point of making it? Just so you could scare the crap out of us?!” Dash shouts as she leaps out from behind the table.
>Twilight sighs and drops her cheery smile, opting for a more somber and serious look.
>”Because, at the moment, I don’t know what to do about Midnight. I laid in bed thinking about it for hours last night, and nothing else came to mind. So, I decided to focus on solving this issue with our powers.”
>Twilight steps toward you, looking upon you with unsure eyes.
>”Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie… All of you. You were able to stop her before, without the help of our new powers. If we can figure out what’s wrong and fix it before she manifests again, there’s no way she can stand a chance against all of you; even with control over my magic, she simply can’t beat the odds. Furthermore…”
“If both of your theories are spot on, you not only solve our magic problem…”
>”But you also potentially outright prevent Midnight for appearing again!” Rarity exclaims.
>A smile reappears on Twilight’s lips.
>”Exactly!”
>Oh, this clever little scientist…
>”Awesome!” Pinkie cheers as she begins to bounce in place. “So, what’s the plan?”
>”Step one is getting that detector working. With that, I can get a good feeling on just how much energy we’ve got built up inside us. Once we got that working, we’ll have a good idea of whether or not to keep going or if we need to go back to the drawing board.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s say it turns out we’re chock-full of magic, what’s step two?”
>”Well… so thats where you guys might have a problem.”
>”A problem? With what?” Fluttershy asks.
>Twilight steps to the side, gazing back to her device.
>”So… at the moment, the plan is the reinstall the device’s ability to drain magic.”
>You all stand there silently, letting her words sink in.
>WHAT?!
>Feeling your eye twitch, you grit your teeth to choke your urge to shout.
>”But! Buuuuuuut; this time, with a safety locking device. A function that would lock up and prevent the operator from draining any more magic until the energy already in its storage is properly dispersed or disposed of.”
“Twilight…”
>”Relax, don’t worry.” She says, defensively throwing her hands up. “After nearly accidentally destroying reality, I’ve picked up on a few things that I can do better this time around.”
“This is dangerous, Twilight. We can’t just be playing around with this stuff!”
>”I’m not playing around with this stuff! I’ve learned from my mistakes; I can handle this! Besides, with a device that allows us to take samples of raw magical energy… well, just imagine how much we can learn about magic!”
>She returns back to her workspace, taking up the device in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. She wastes no time getting back to work, leaving you in thought.
>Darn it, Twilight. She knows you want to learn as much as you can about magic. 
>Just like her. Just like Princess Twilight.
>Oh, you really don’t like this. 
>Sure, she’s learned from her mistakes. Her proposed safety mechanism does put you at ease somewhat, but you still can’t help but worry.
>It’s not that you lack faith in your friend. It’s just that the worst has a tendency to happen.
>”I say go for it.” Rainbow boldly states. “I don’t understand much of this sciency stuff, but Twilight’s pretty smart. Plus, she already knows what NOT to do.”
>The kaleidoscopic athlete turns and gives you a cocky grin.
>”You’re pretty smart, too.  If you’re so worried about her doing something wrong, what better way to stop that than being there and helping her the whole time?”
“Well…”
>”If I may, I don’t see any alternative here, Sunset. We might as well follow this course of action until we deem some other plan more acceptable.” Rarity states matter-of-factly.
>You turn back to the others. Rarity and Rainbow await your response while Applejack and Fluttershy smile and nod, counting themselves among the former.
>Pinkie skips towards you and gives you a mild, friendly push towards Twilight.
>”C’mon, Sunny! Just think about everything you two have been through!”
>She spins you around to face Twilight and rests her head on your shoulder.
>”You two got this! Just give it a chance!”
“I… Well…”
>”I understand your hesitation, Sunset, but it’s like I said. I know I can do this right this time around.” Twilight says as she spins around in her chair, still tinkering with her device. “We can take it slow, step by step, until we know it’s safe. We can even test the drain on the portal or my geode if you’re worried about someone getting hurt.”
“Oh… fine.”
>”Yes! Thank you, I won’t let you down!” She cries as she continues to spin in circles.
>After the tragic events of the past few days, you can’t help but smile warmly at your friend’s enthusiasm.
>At least, you can’t until a pink hand suddenly slaps you across your flank.
>”’Atta girl!” The party girl shouts. “So when will it be ready?”
>Stomping her feet to the ground, Twilight’s spinning comes to a stop with a slight wobble.
>She hops to her feet and shuts the device’s casing before holding it up next to her head.
>With bright eyes, she smiles an eager grin.
>”Now.”

----------

>”Alright… blue and yellow, as per usual. I’m sure our excitable Pinkie Pie has plenty of streamers and other decorations on hand; I’ll speak to her later about borrowing some.” Celestia says as she jots down a quick note.
>A fresh, full cup of water in hand, you return to the revered couch and prepare yourself for another droning round discussion and planning.
>You cannot believe you just sat here and listened to a ten-minute conversation about decoration colors.
>Seriously? Did it really just take ten minutes to decide to go with the school colors like we always do?
>”Now, on to the main course; the events. Luna?”
>Taking a small stack of papers in hand, Luna straightens the stack before clearing her voice and speaking.
>”Just like in years past, we need three to five events to adequately fill the time slot. The student’s favorite, the talent competition, will be returning again as well. That leaves us in need of at least three more events, four at most. Does anybody have any ideas?”
>Three or four, huh? That should be easy.
>How about… Uhh… 
>C’mon brain, get those gears a turnin’.
>Luna drums her nails along the table’s wood surface, awaiting any answers from her associates.
>”Hey… You remember that two-legged race you and Celestia did last year?” Asks Coach Spitefire.
>Luna shoots her big sister a quick, annoyed glare.
>”I recall falling on my face and eating dust off the gym floor because someone couldn’t move their butt.”
>”I told you, your shoes came untied. And I’d rather not repeat something from last year if we can help it.”
>”It won’t be a repeat because we’re gonna throw in the sack race from the year before that, and the egg race from before that, and combine all of them into one big race!”
>Alright, that sounds pretty rad.
>”Whoa. Like, all at the same time?” A wide, dumb grin spreads across Coach Soarin’s face. “It’s got my vote.” 
>”You expect two people to tie themselves together, hop in a big sack, and then race two other people while balancing an egg on a spoon?”
>Well, you suppose Cheerilee has a point there.
“Yeah, as fun as that’d be to watch, that kind of sounds like a train wreck.”
>”So why not just separate them into laps? First lap could be just two-legged, then a lap in the sack, and finally, the egg race.”
>”Hmm… I was going to say no, but Redheart’s solution sounds fine to me. What do you think, sister?”
>”Sounds like a lot of fun to me. It’s got a nice twist to it. Would anyone like to volunteer for the race?” Celestia asks.
>Nobody, short of Granny Smith, raises their hands. The sisters simply ignore her.
>”Why don’t you two just do it again?”
>The two of them share a quick glance before turning back to Mr. Doodle.
>”Well… because it’s just so exciting that , uh…”
>”W-we thought that we should share the fun with someone else!”
>”Hmm.” Dr. Cabbeleron hums as he strokes his jawline. “No. You two should be the ones to do the race. Maybe you will have retained some fraction of skill and experience from last year. This is, after all, a competition. We want the students to have fun, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to win.”
>He pauses to let out a low chuckle.
>”Besides, it’s quite amusing to me seeing my superiors struggle.”
>A low murmur arises as the room agrees with Dr. Cabelleron.
>”Oh… Fine! I’ll mark Celestia and I down for the race.” 
>Luna pouts and quickly jots the information on her sheet.
>”There! Now, any more suggestions?”
>Once again, the room falls quiet as you all descend into thought.
>Man, who would have thought it’d be hard for a bunch of grown adults to come up with some fun ideas?
>You might be here for a while.
>”Well… How about…”

-Some time later…-

>Sweet baby Jesus, this is boring.
>”Okay, so we have the two-legged, sack, egg…relay race thing? Celestia and I will be handling that. Then, we’ll have a few rounds of random trivia with Ms. Harshwhinny, Mr. Doodle, and Mrs. Smith. Next, Dr. Cabelleron will be handling the talent competition.”
>Is it offensive to hope that he does one of those dances around a sombrero?
>Wait. Is he from Spain or Marehico?
>How different are those two countries and their cultures?
>Fuck, you’re ignorant.
>”Then Coaches Soarin and Spitfire with the three-point shootout. Finally…”
>Aw yeah, here it comes.
>”…as per Anon’s insistence…”
>Pfft, you’re just jealous you didn’t come up with the idea yourself.
>”A ‘rousing’ game of dodgeball with Anon, Ms. Cheerilee, Ms. Redheart, and the Coaches.”
>Yeeeeeessss. Gonna pelt some kids with some rubber balls.
>”I’m afraid I have to restate my concern from earlier.” Celestia scans the faces of her staff once more. “Are we sure this is a good idea? What if someone gets hurt?”
>”Then you’ll have a trained nurse already on-hand to take care of it!” Redheart points out with a smile.
>”Yeah, besides, what could go wrong? We’ll have nearly every teacher there keeping an eye on things. It’s not like Officer Anon is gonna start pelting kids with rubber balls.”
“Honestly, what kind of monster would do that?”
>It took a ridiculous amount of strength not to smile like an asshole when you said that.
>”Spitfire’s right. It’ll build some character and the kids get to throw stuff at some authority figures. It’s all in good fun.” Agrees Soarin.
>”Well… alright. I guess that just leaves the prize for beating us. Any idea’s?”
>Mr. Doodle glances down at his watch.
>”Just go with the usual, we’re short on time and I need to prepare for class.” 
>You take a look at yours as well.
>7:45? Damn, where does the time go?
>”Well… I was hoping to get all the way through this, but because we had to wait…”
>Celestia’s words hint at annoyance, but her tone sounds somewhat… playful.
>”I suppose Luna and I can handle it from here. Thank you all for coming and have a wonderful day.”
>You chug the rest of your third cup of water and go to stand along with the rest of the room.
>As Mr. Doodle slides by you, avoiding eye contact and any acknowledgement of you, you catch sight of Cheerilee and Redheart giving you uneasy smiles and a wave.
>Guess they sorted things out then. That’s good.
>Cheerilee probably wants to have a word with you abou-
>”Anon? If you would hang back a moment, I’d like to have a word with you.”
>Uh…
>”Alone.”
>Oh. Well, this probably isn’t good.
>Luna grabs her things and leads the others out of the room. Your old friends give the two of you a worried glance as they approach the door.
>Cheerilee stops mid-exit and leans toward you, speaking softly.
>”Hey, if it’s not too much to ask, can we talk when you get a chance?”
>Her eyes beg you for a chance at forgiveness.
“I’ll come by when I can.”
>”Thank you.” She whispers as a smile spreads across her lips.
>With her answer, and something to look forward to, she ducks out of the room, leaving you alone with Celestia.
>You turn back to her as she towers over you, flaunting her authority like she would with a student.
>Arms crossed, she stares somewhat disapprovingly down at you.
>Just like she used to when you ended up in her office.
“Hey, uh, something up?”
>With a slight bounce of her breasts, she steps toward you and leans down, putting her face inches away from you.
>”Speak.”
>Oh. Ooohhh… you might’ve messed up here.
“Celestia, I can explain.”
>She sniffs at your breath as you speak, scrunching her face up in near immediate response.
>She recoils, standing tall and taking a step back.
>”Explain what, the alcohol on your breath or the body odor?”
“Both?”
>”Well?” She asks, raising an eyebrow at you.
“…I went for a run this morning. It took longer than I thought, and I didn’t have time for a shower. I’ll get to the locker room and take care of that right away.”
>You turn and try to make a quick escape, but a white hand swiftly catches your shoulder.
>”I’m sorry, but I find that somewhat hard to believe given your very obvious hangover. Who in their right mind would go for a run with a hangover?”
>Pfft. Who in their right mind would show up to range day with a hangover?
>This dumbass right here.
>Hell, you even had a hangover when you got called in for that rai-
>No, stop that.
“Well, there’s some vomit on the side of the track that says otherwise…”
>She grimaces in disgust as the thought crosses her mind.
>Maybe that was the wrong answer.
>”Anon, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how this reflects poorly on you, both professionally and personally.” She says, putting extra emphasis on her last word.
>Wow. Ouch, that actually kind of hurt.
“Okay, you’re right. The hangover looks pretty bad…”
>”Of course it does, especially for people in our position. We’re here to teach, mentor, and protect future generations; this kind of behavior is simply unacceptable. What if something were to happen? I mean, you know how dangerous these times are. Gangs all over the city, school shootings rampant across the country, and even bombings now.”
>Great, now she probably thinks you’re a piece of shit.
>You fall back to your previous position on the couch, holding your head in your hands as you stare down at the floor.
“I… I know. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”
>”I certainly hope so.” 
>She pauses for several seconds before dropping her authoritative tone.
>”I mean… I don’t mind if you drink, but you can’t show up to work like this. If you want to have a drink with your friends from work, please try to keep it to the weekends.”
>You catch sight of her long legs and heels as she moves to the door.
>”Honestly, what were you thinking?”
>You wish you could explain to her, just to clear things up.
>The door squeaks as she pulls it open.
>Just… just say something, anything.
>And keep your mind straight. Focused.
“Celestia, wait.
>You hear a sling clack from her heel hitting the tile outside, then nothing.
>The door squeaks shut again.
>”Yes?”
“I can explain. I want to explain…”
>She lingers by the door, stone-faced and disinterested.
>You climb to your feet again and face her.
“I wish I could explain, I really do. But trying to talk about this just doesn’t work out for me. I know this probably doesn’t help much, but it’s not what you think. I just… I have some problems.”
>You can feel yourself tensing up just by dancing around the subject.
>Don’t think, just focus on her.
>Focus. Focus.
>Her features slowly soften as she silently listens to your words.
“Yesterday I tried to deal with one of those problems. I thought I had a handle on it, and I was wrong, and it turned out real bad. I went home and… did the only thing I could think of. I sat down and drank myself to sleep.”
>She takes a cautious step towards you.
>”What was the problem?”
>You watched two of the four people on earth that matter to yo-
>No! Don’t think! Just focus on her!
>Fighting against the slowly rising panic, you dig your nails into your palm and try your best to calm yourself.
“I-I can’t talk about it. I know it’s probably hard to believe, but please try to understand.”
>Her eyes study you intently as you struggle to keep your hands from shaking. 
>She notices your vain struggle. Her eyes rise, briefly stopping on your neck before jerking themselves up to your face.
>”Anon… why don’t we take a seat?” She says softly, stepping towards you slowly.
>Taking your hand and shoulder in her hands, she gently guides you back to your seat.
>She slides into place next to you, taking one of your hands in hers.
>”Are you okay Anon? Do you need to talk?”
“No!” You exclaim louder than intended.
>Celetia jumps from your raised voice but remains beside you.
>You break your eyes away from hers in shame, hanging your head and staring down at her lily white hands.
“…Sorry, no. I appreciate it, but it won’t help.”
>”I see.” She mutters, her voice trailing off. 
>She remains quiet for some time before speaking up again.
>”How bad is it?”
“Bad. Sometimes I can’t sleep. Nightmares, panic attacks… flashbacks.”
>”Hm… I’m sorry, for jumping on your case like that. You seemed like your normal self, aside from the hangover.”
“No, you were right to. I just didn’t want you to think I’m some drunk dirt bag or something.”
>”A drunk dirt bag? After everything that’s happened this week? Anon, please, don’t be ridiculous.” She says, letting out a somber chuckle. “I wasn’t going to change my entire opinion of you just like that. And… well, I really shouldn’t have jumped on your case like that. It was hypocritical of me. I’m sorry.”
>Hypocrit-… wait, what?
>You jerk your head back up to face her embarrassed grin.
“You mean you’ve shown up with a hangover, too?”
>Her grin only grows.
>”Once or twice. Or more… On the not-so-odd occasion that I get stood up, I normally go home to stuff myself with chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream and drink myself to sleep with cheap wine. B-but, this isn’t about me, this is about you. Is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?”
“Well… It helps a lot to keep myself occupied. Keep myself busy, keep my mind on other things.”
>You give her a weak but hopeful grin of your own.
“We’re still on for that date, right?”
>She giggles at your question as she rises to her feet. Dropping her embarrassment for a kind-hearted smile, she gently pulls your arm, prompting you out of your seat.
>”Of course we are. Just, you know… make sure you take care of that shower, will you?”
>Oh man, that is a massive relief.
>That date is going to be today’s saving grace.
“Yeah, of course. Don’t worry, I clean up real good. I’ll brush and shave and… yeah, you get it.”
>”Good. Though, maybe don’t shave… You can leave that be, if you don’t mind.” She says, playfully eyeing your scruff.
>You drags your fingers across your jaw, feeling the rough stubble pushing out from your skin.
>She likes facial hair? 
>Well, you’re already in civvies, and tomorrow is Saturday. Why not?
“Yeah, sure. Anything else?”
>”No. Just… keep your eyes on what’s ahead of you. And please, let me know if you need any help. I will gladly make time for you if you need it.”
>She’s right. Just keep your eyes straight ahead of you.
“Yeah… I’ll do that. Thanks, Celestia.”
>”It’s my pleasure, Anon.”
>Seemingly out of reflex, she reaches her arms out towards you, but suddenly stops herself. Uncertainty crosses her face.
>Stiffly and awkwardly, she holds her arms out for you, unsure of whether or not to continue.
>”Um… you’re okay with a hug, right?”
“Yeah, of course. If you’re offering, I’m not gonna say no.”
>With a smile, she drapes her arms on your shoulders in a loose embrace.
>You feel her chest push against your armor as she closes in and rests her head against yours.
>You catch a whiff of her long, luxurious hair. Though you’re not sure what to call the scent, you find it oddly… calming. Fragrant. Pleasant. 
>As your thoughts begin to shift to that of the carnal variety, she pulls away from you, brushing your cheek with her fingertips as she goes.
>”I’m sorry, Anon, but you REALLY need that shower. I don’t know how the others didn’t smell you.”
>It’s not that bad, is it?
>It was just three miles. It’s not even that warm out.
“Yeah, like I said; I’ll get right on that.”
>”Good, good.”
>Taking a few short steps back to the door, she pulls it open and steps to the side.
>The hall has become moderately busy in the meantime. A few curious students glance your way, raising an eyebrow at your clothing.
>”Well, I’ve got to get started. Just… you know, let me know if you need anything, okay? I’d hate to have you dealing with whatever this is while I’m just sitting in my office, typing up a-“
“Celestia, I really appreciate the concern, but continually talking about it like this is likely to get me started up again.”
>Her eyes widen with the realization.
>”Oh! Oh, of course. Right, sorry, I’ll just, um… Well, I’m just going to go get to work. Have a nice day!”
>With an awkward grin, she quickly strolls out the door.
>Well, that was… something.
>At least it turned out okay. She understands, and you’ve still got that d-
>Suddenly, Celestia’s head pokes back through the door, still sporting that awkward grin.
>”J-just wanted to say that I’m really excited for this afternoon; in case I didn’t mention that.”
“Uh… yeah, me too. Really lookin’ forward to it.”
>”Great! Well, I’ll… I’ll see you around then!”
>She ducks away out of sight just as fast as she reappeared.
>She seems eager. She DID say it’s been a while that she’s had a date, right?
>Maybe it was foolish to think she’d dump you so fast.
>Eh. Doesn’t matter now. You need to take a shower!
>Stepping out into the hall, you shut the door behind you and watch as Celestia scurries away back toward the office.
>Your eyes linger on her, intently watching the sway of her hips and the fairly tight fit of her jeans until she turns the corner.
>Unf.
>With no further distractions, step off toward the locker room, observing the sleepy, zombie like students that shuffle through the halls as you go.
>They look pretty miserable.
>They can suck it up. You’ve been up since-
>*BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG*
>Jerking away from the noise, you quickly clamp your hands to your ears, futilely attempting the block out the noise and simultaneously rattling your brain.
“ARGH! MOTHER FU-“
>You clench your jaw shut as you come face to face, or faces, with a group of three small girls.
>The pint-sized redhead and her alabaster friend stare up at you, wide-eyed with surprise. The tom-boy looking one, however, giggles relentlessly.
>Suddenly, you’re aware of all the other students watching you. Many among them laugh along with her.
>”Hehehehahaha… Geez, dude, you get scared that easily?”
“What? No, I’ve got a mig-“
>”I mean, I thought you were supposed to be tough or something.”
>”He is tough! Applejack said she threw ‘em against a car and he barely did anything!” The redhead says with a distinct and familiar southern accent.
“Wait, Appleja-“
>”Yeah, and Rarity said he’s super strong!” The tiny alabaster girl squeaks out, flexing her arms as she boasts for you.
“Rarit-“
>”Eh, I don’t know.” The tanned girl shrugs, “I haven’t heard Rainbow say much about him.”
“Good, I don’t wan-“
>”Oh, Rainbow’s just playin’ it overly cool. She ain’t that great.”
>Who the fuck are these girls?!
>”You take that back!” The little tomboy shouts as she jabs a finger into the redhead’s shoulder.
“Will you all just shut up for on-“
>*BBRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG*
“AGH! WHY ARE YOU RINGING AGAIN ALREADY?!” You shout at the wall-mounted bell, half tempted to draw your weapon and fire on it.
>You hear the familiar click of the intercoms as they power on and spread the sound of Luna’s voice through the halls.
>”Attention staff and students; we seem to be having some technical difficulties with the bell today.” 
>Fan-fucking-tastic! Hopefully they’ll turn that off, you can’t put up with this all day!
>”Teachers, please keep an eye on the clock so you can release students for their next class on time and deal with tardy students appropriately. Students, make sure you aren’t late to your classes today. Thank you, that is all.”
>Rather than hearing the usual click as the intercoms power off, the speakers shriek with a wail of the electronically damned.
>*SssshhhrrriiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG*
“AAAGH!”
>The shrieking last for several seconds. Over the wailing, you can just barely her someone run into Luna’s office and says something to her.
>”Oh… Did it stop? Okay… Um, sorry about that! Anyways, have a nice day.”
>The intercom finally clicks off.
>Jesus, Luna.
>”Aww man, those bells going off all day is going to get annoying.”
>Yeah, no shit.
“Get to class before you’re all late.”
>”Eh, whatever..”
>The tomboy disinterestedly turns and slowly plods off, her friends following along after her.
>Now, back to the task at hand, getting squeaky cle-
>*BBBBBRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG*
“WHAT IS THIS?!”

>With a peaceful mind, you stand underneath the shower head as the warm water cascades down your naked body.
>You take a deep breath and tilt your head towards the ceiling, letting your body relax as the water washes away the suds.
>Oh man, this feels great. You didn’t realize how much you need this. How much this would help you relax.
>The headache is still there, somewhat, but at least the noise from the shower isn’t agitating it.
>It’s actually helping a lot. Through the thick walls of the locker room and the sound of the shower, you can barely hear the bell, despite the fact that it’s been going off nearly every ten minutes.
>It kind of makes you want to just stay in here all day.
>But you’ve been in here long enough, and you’ve got a thing or two to take care of.
>You put your back to the nozzle and wash away and remaining soap on your body.
>With that taken care of, you turn off the water, grab your towel from the rack, dry yourself the best you can, and step back through the corridor into the locker room.
>At least, that’s what you want to do.
>You stop yourself as the concrete walls echo the noise of chatter.
>You peek around the corner to find the locker roomful of male students as they change out of their gym clothes.
>Shit, has it really been that long? You spent nearly the entire period in there!
>At least they seem to be avoiding your bag. You’ll just wait them out, and…
>No, you can’t do that. There’s no doors in here, they’ll see you standing here naked and think you’re up to something, like some perverted pedophile!
>Plus, by the time they’re gone, the next class will be here.
>Your eyes drift across the hall from you, through the open doorway to the toilet stalls.
>Bingo bango. Just grab your bag and clothes and change in the stall.
>Alright, dude; it’s just any other locker room. Hell, just pretend you’re back at the station.
>You take a deep breath and situate your towel to drape over your left arm, covering as much of it as possible while not being too conspicuous.
>Putting on a casual and indifferent face, you stroll out from the showers and into the changing area.
>Despite your attempt at stealth, your presence is noticed right away.
>Most of the clothed young men glance between you and each other before nervously scattering out the door.
>Some of the ones still changing awkwardly attempt to shield their bodies, as if you’re interested in looking.
>As you calmly stroll to your belongings, you catch more than one or two of them glancing your way, and below where your belt would be.
>You finally reach that holds your stuff and quickly snatch up bag and clothes.
>Package secured.
>As you turn around, nearly half of the locker room jerks their head around, pretending they weren’t just watching you.
>Seriously?
“What, you’ve never seen a cop’s dick before? It’s a locker room, deal with it.”
>You hear a few snickers from the more athletic looking students, likely because they’ve been in an actual gym’s locker room before and aren’t fazed by the nudity of their fellow man. 
>The rest don’t acknowledge you as you stroll back past them and into the restroom stalls.
>Jesus, these kids are awkward. You’re not even that intimidating down there.
>You’re average as fuck, and no you don’t know that because you were once insecure enough to actually measure yourself and look it up online.
>Nope. That totally never happened.
“Whatever…” You mumble to yourself as you lock yourself into a stall.
>At least it kept them distracted.
>You pull the towel off your arm and drape it over the door.
>You hold your arm out in front of you, gazing upon the multitude of tiny scars.
>…
>It’s a good thing you held it together in front of Celestia. It probably wouldn’t have ended well if you had another incident like yesterday…
>No, stop it!
>Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you’ve got a date with a hot cougar!
>Good food, good conversation, good company. It’s gonna be great.
>And you got shit to do today! You gotta talk to Cheerilee, and… you’re pretty sure Sunset has an appointment with you today.
>Probably another appointment or two as well.
>So get it in gear, man!
>Shaking your arms and legs to get some blood flowing, you quickly clothe yourself, grab your bag, and head out to your car.
>Once there, you once again stow your bag and retrieve and re-equip your gear.
>After locking your trunk up, you start to walk away, but stop yourself as an idea pops into your mind.
>Oh yeah, you totally have some of those in your glove compartment, don’t you?
>You open the door and reach inside and… Yep!
>You pull out a pair of bright orange foam earplugs, tethered together by a single string of blue plastic.
>Probably won’t block the bell out completely, but hey, it’ll help.
>You should probably grab your shades as well, in case the light starts to bother you again.
>You pull your spare pair of eye-pro out of the glove box and throw those on right away.
>Ah, already better.
>Stuffing your ear-pro into your pocket, you shut and secure your car before carrying on back to your office.
>You turn the corner back to the front of the school. Far ahead of you, standing next to the Wondercolt statue, you see Sunset, Applejack, and the others.
“…and of course they aren’t in class.”
>They all gather around Twilight as she holds something up to the statue. 
>Her phone? What, are they taking a group picture?
>Whatever it is, it starts beeping loud enough for you to here it all the way over here.
>Guess you should send them back to class.
>Man, you’re going to be dealing with them every day, aren’t you?
>As you make your approach, they all huddle around Twilight. 
>Why is she wearing a lab coat?
>Only Skittles notices you as you near them.
>”Oh, hey dude. Nice threads.” She says, casually observing your clothes and announcing your presence to the others.
>Twilight jumps and hides the device behind her back as her and the others turn to face you.
>”O-oh, hey there Officer Anon!”
>”Hiya Anon!”
>”Oh, howdy.”
>”Good morning, Anon. How are you today?”
>”H-h-hi…”
>”Oh, uh… hey Anon. How’s it going?” Sunset says with an awkward glance to Twilight.
“Morning girls.”
>”Why aren’t you wearing your uniform?” Asks the fashionable and elegant Rarity.
>You decide to cross your arms just for an extra authoritative vibe.
“It’s casual Friday, and I’m allowed to dress in civvies, so… Yeah. Mind telling me why you’re out here at…”
>You take a quick look at your watch.
“…8:53?”
>”Uh… a science project?” The junior scientist states.
“Uh huh. So what’s that behind your back then?”
>”It’s a, uh… it’s… a metal detector!”
>”Don’t be silly Sunset, you know that it’s a ma-mmph!”
>Applejack quickly clamps a hand around Pinkie’s mouth. With a sheepish smile, she lets out a strange laugh.
>”Ha, haha, come on now, Pinks, leave Anon alone. You’ve messed with him enough this week, don’t ya think?”
>”Hmmph mm m-mmmph!”
>Normally, you’d find that highly suspicious.
>In fact, you do find it highly suspicious.
>You’re not gonna question Applejack or Pinkie about it, though. In fact, you kind of just want to high five Cowgirl for shutting Pinkie’s mouth.
>You legitimately can’t handle her today. 
>You shift your gaze back to Sunset and her nerdy friend.
“A metal detector?”
>”Oh, yeah, totally! We, uh… made it from scratch for science class, and it totally works!”
>She grabs the device from Twilight and holds it out towards the statue.
>Huh. Kind of looks like a giant combination lock.
>With a twist of the top of it, it’s lights light up and it begins to emit a moderately paced but constant beeping.
>*Beep*     *Beep*     *Beep*
>”See? It’s detecting the metal inside the statue! Isn’t that cool?”
>Okay, that’s actually pretty cool.
>You’ve never gotten one of your science projects to work, and these girls built a fucking metal detector from scratch?
>Hats off to them.
“Wow. Good job, girls. That’s pretty rad.”
>With an optimistic smile, Sunset turns back toward you.
>”Thanks! Although Twilight did all the-“
>*beep*
>The device lights up again, albeit with dimmer lights and a slower beep.
>Huh?
>Oh, she’s still got it on.
>”…work… Uh, Twilight?”
>Sunset, Twilight, and all the rest of the girls stare down at the device in confusion.
>*beep*
>The pair of friends slowly look up from the detector and straight at you.
>They look confused. Like, really confused. As if something inexplicable is happening and you’re just unaware of it.
“Something wrong with you two?”
>”Wrong? N-no way, it just… shouldn’t be beeping at you.”
>Twilight takes the device and takes a few steps toward you, holding the thing practically inches from your chest.
>*beep*
>”No way…” Rainbow whispers.
>Rarity turns towards Applejack, cupping a hand in front of her mouth to muffle her voice.
>”Is he…?”
>With a slacked jaw, Twilight repeated looks back and forth from the device to you.
>”This can’t be right…”
>…Are they really this stupid?
>*beep*
“Uh, girls?”
>You give you firearm and magazine pouches a quick pat, as well as pointing out your baton.
“I got plenty of metal on me; I’m not a robot.”
>Dumfounded, they all stare at you blankly. 
>Recovering quickly, Rarity steps forward between her friends, resting an arm along Twilight’s and Sunset’s shoulders.
>”Riiiiight, of course you’re not. The mag- I mean, metal detector is only beeping because you’re carrying metal; and that’s what it detects. Because it’s a metal detector.”
>Showing an uneasy smile, she gives a sideways glance to her two friends.
>”Right?”
*beep*
>”O-oh, yeah! Metal!”
>”Of course! I knew that! I mean, I made it! I just, uh… was confused because I didn’t know what materials your equipment was made out of.”
>*bee-*
>Twilight quickly snatches the detector from Sunsets hand and twists it, deactivating it again.
>Yeah, you’d have to be an idiot to not notice that something is going on here.
>What that something is though… no idea.
>Probably just trying to skip class or something. Figures, what with the bell and all.
“Uh huh. Why are you all out here again?”
>”Testing the metal detector…?” Fluttershy meekly replies.
“Right. And why are you testing it outside? You couldn’t test it inside somewhere?”
>”I-I, um…”
>The shy girl stumbles over her words. Rather than actually answering, she opts to hide behind her rainbow-haired friend and peek over her shoulder at you.
“Anyone else wanna answer that?”
>”Mmph mmm mmmphr!”
>”Shush! Will ya just be quiet?” Applejack sneers at Pinkie.
>You wait a few seconds, but no one else bothers to answer.
“That’s what I thought. Get back to class. Please. I really don’t need the trouble tod-“
>*BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG*
>You and Butters both jump at the sudden shriek of the bell.
>Even from outside, the noise stings your brain, forcing you to shudder in pain.
>As the ringing passes, you collect yourself with an aggravated deep breath before turning your attention back to the girls.
“Class. Now.”
>”Yes, sir…” They collective groan as they turn to leave.
>Pinkie silently salutes you as Applejack drags her off towards the front doors.
>They begin chattering again as they reenter the building, but you pay them no mind.
>You turn and gaze upon the large statue, taking a few steps away as you realize your proximity to it.
>Just looking at it is enough to send an icy tingling through your nerves.
>Nah, you’re done getting close to that thing. 
>You simply shake your head at the stonework and head back inside.
>You nearly head back to your office when you remember about Cheerilee.
>Right, that.
>You make a bee-line through the full halls towards the library.
>Peeking through the doors upon arrival, you’re happy to find the place seemingly void of any students.
>You quietly step through the doors and glance around, quickly finding the librarian at the front desk.
>As you step towards her, she perks up at the sound of your footsteps. Looking up from her workstation, she enthusiastically smiles when she lays eyes on you.
>”Oh, you’re here earlier than I thought.”
“When did you expect me?”
>”Later, maybe around lunch or the last bell.
“Hm. Nope. So, how’d it go?”
>”It? Oh, right. Um… it went… well?”
“Well?”
>”Yeah, you know. Well.”
>You’re a big girl Cheerilee, use your words.
>”Uh, Anon? Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?”
“Migraine.”
>”Ooooohh.” She says, raising her eyebrows. “That makes sense. I was wondering what was up with you back there.”
“Yeah. C’mon, Cheerilee. Don’t make me ask again.”
>She drops her eyes and sighs down at her desk.
>Rising to her feet, she steps around the desk with slow, measured steps and joins you at your side.
>”I’m… trying. I mean, I’m going to try, for you.”
>She leans against the counter and stares into the library.
>”It’s hard for me to just look past this, though. It’s been years for you, but this was just the other day for me.”
“I know.”
>”If you don’t mind me saying, you’re not really being fair to me, forcing me to get through this right away…”
>You suppose that threatening what’s left of your friendship with her was kind of a dick move.
>But so was that hit she got in on you.
“Well, I wasn’t going to force you to do anything, but then you punched me in the face.”
>She cringes as she recalls the event, sucking in air through her teeth.
>”Yeah… I mentioned I was sorry about that, right?”
“I’m pretty sure it came up.”
>”Well, in case it didn’t, I am. Really. It’s just like I said though, it’s hard for me to just look past this.”
“I understand. It took me a long time to get over my issue with her. If I hadn’t of met a friend of mine, I never would have gotten over it. I’m not asking that you just suck it up and pretend to be friends with her or anything, I’m only asking that you try. If it doesn’t work out, you two can go your separate ways and I won’t blame you.”
>”Yeah, I hear you…”
>She turns her head from the numerous book cases towards you.
>”Anon? Did you really almost kill yourself?”
>You were kind of hoping that didn’t come up again. It’s not exactly going to make things any easier between the two of them.
“Do you really have to ask about this? Why does it matter?”
>”I just… I want to know.”
>You suppose you might as well talk. There’s no way Redheart isn’t going to bring it up again, especially after that tale you spun for her yesterday.
“Before I answer, I will remind you of my ultimatum from yesterday. Anything like that again, and I’m out.”
>”Yeah, I know. So, what happened?”
“…I almost jumped off a bridge.”
>”Jesus, Anon, a bridge?”
“Yeah… I don’t know what I was thinking, other than just… wanting it to end. I went for a walk one day, after months of staying locked away in my apartment. I came across the bridge, looked over the rails and just thought… this is it.”
>She takes a long pause, letting that bit of information sink in.
>”…Damn. Then, what’s the sc-“
“Don’t. Just don’t.”
>”O-okay, touchy subject?”
“Very.”
>Stay focused. Just stay focused.
>”Well… so, why are you so adamant about Red and me sticking together?”
>Because, despite everything, you can’t help but feel some tiny shred of a connection to her?
>Some form of pity for the situations she’s in?
“Honestly? I’m not entirely sure.”
>You turn towards the doors of the library, leaning your lower back against the tall desk.
“When she started talking to me about everything, she just kind of… broke down. Fell over and started crying right there on the floor, like a lost kid or something.”
>”So… you fell for some sappy tears?”
“No, it wasn’t because she was crying… but I did pity her. I think… I think I still feel for her, at least a little. The hate I felt for her is gone, but something is still there. I didn’t want her to have to go through that; being alone, especially when she knows the blame is on her. She deserves for someone to give a damn about her. Everyone does. If someone wouldn’t have gave a damn about me, I wouldn’t be here.”
>She pushes off from the desk and steps toward the door, absent-mindedly peering through the glass windows.
>”I guess… Everybody needs somebody. But, how can you still like her?”
“Like her? I don’t. Not like that anyways. Besides…”
>You let out a quick sigh before continuing.
“I’m gonna be real with you, Cheeri. It was nice to run into you again, and I’m real glad to know you’re doing alright. Relatively, anyway. I know both you and Redheart and really happy to see me again.”
>”Of course we are! Where are you going with this?”
“I’m just saying, you and her should stick together. You’ve been friends since both of you were tiny, right? What’s the point of ruining a friendship that strong over some shitty high school drama?”
>She turns back towards you, anger growing in her eyes.
>”It’s not just ‘some shitty high school drama’. She was my best friend, but so were you! Sure, we didn’t know each other as long as Red and I had, but what’s that matter? In the little time we were together, you became just as important to me as she was.”
“Cheeri, I don’t know what the state of your relationship with her was like before this revelation, but I’m sure you two are better off sticking together…”
>You stand straight and close the distance between you, meeting her gaze.
“Look, Cheeri. I am not who I used to be, and I never will be again. After I almost jumped off that bridge, I put everything behind me. School, my dad, Redheart, even you. I started a new life, with new friends. The Anon you knew might as well have jumped off that bridge after all.”

>”Don’t say that…”
“There is no point in ruining your friendship with her over me because I am not the guy you used to know. What Redheart said yesterday, about going back to how things were? That’s just not going to happen. Sure, we can try and rebuild these bridges, but we’ll never go back to how we were. At least, I won’t. You’re better off just forgiving her because if you stay angry over what she did to me, a man who no longer cares, you’re going to lose her. You’ll lose her and think ‘at least I still have Anon’, and then you’ll realize that I’m not that Anon anymore.”
>She stares you down before grumpily shaking her head and pacing away from you.
>”I don’t believe you. ‘I’m not the same person’…” She grumbles, poorly imitating your voice.
>She turns on a dime, quickly stepping back towards you.
>”You’re an idiot, you know that? You’re the same idiot you were when we were in school, and you’re the same idiot that ran from us after that party.”
>She jabs a pointed finger into your shoulder.
>”You’re the idiot that punished me, abandoned me, because of what she did! And here you are, doing it again! Why, because you feel sorry for her? You still feel some connection to her? Well, what about me? Where’s our connection, huh?”
>She angerly paces back towards the door, mumbling under her breath.
>She’s right. You did abandon her.
>She’s entirely blameless and you didn’t even speak a word to her.
“You’re right… I should have said something to you, but I didn’t.”
>”You’re god damn right I am!” She shouts, pacing back at you. As gets back in your face, the anger in her expression bleeds away to sadness. “You should have come to me, talked to me, anything! I wasn’t going to just take her side because I knew her first, Anon. And now, here you are, doing…this.”
>She sighs and looks to the floor.
>”I know you loved her, but still… I thought we had something special, too.”
“We did. I just, I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight, and… I don’t know. I’m not going to make excuses for myself.”
>”But what about now, Anon? Even with everything that’s happened, it still seems like you favor her. I was worried about you for so long, and now it feels like you barely even care about me.”
>Again, she’s right.
>You had left them behind. Redheart’s impact on your life would always be with you whether you liked it or not, but Cheerilee just faded away after a while.
>Sure, you were happy to see her again, but there’s no lingering connection for her, not like Redheart.
“I don’t know what to say, Cheerilee. I’ve been a real piece of shit to you, and I’m sorry for that.”
>She takes a momentary pause before slowly lifting her head again. A weak, melancholic smile pulls at your heartstrings.
>”Well… You’re back now, right? You’re not going to just disappear on us again, are you?”
“No, I don’t plan on going anywhere. Well… I don’t know how long I’ll be here at the school, but I’m not going to just go ghost on you again.”
>Her smile grows a little more hopeful.
>”Then, we can try again, right? I mean, you’ve got me trying to fix things with Redheart. Why don’t we all just start over? Together, with a clean slate. I’m not expecting things to be how they were, but it’s better than this, right?”
>Starting over. Completely.
>”I’m trying for you. Can’t you do the same for me?”
>That’s not a bad idea.
>You’re already trying to rebuild your love life.
>Fingers crossed on that one. 
>You suppose you might as well try to rebuild things with these two. It’s not like what happened before can happen again.
>Cheerilee would definitely get along with Redheart better if you’re there with them; and obviously Redheart would love any solution that lets her keep both of you.
>Besides, it’s not like you could walk around this place for the next several months outright ignoring them.
>Yeah. A clean slate.
“Completely fresh? No bad blood?”
>”Completely!” She exclaims while nodding eagerly. “I’ll leave it all behind. Or, at least, I’ll do my best to… Soooooo…?”
>Her voice trails off as her grin grows, awaiting your response.
>You smile back at her and extend your hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Officer Mous, but you can just call me Anon.”
>Her grin grows until her lips part, revealing her pristine teeth.
>She takes your hand in hers, firmly gripping and squeezing it.
>”I’m Cheerilee, and I’d very much like to hug you right now.”
>You both allow yourselves a chuckle.
”I bet you would. But you shouldn’t go around hugging strange people you only just met.”
>She simply laughs and rolls her eyes.
>”Yeah, yeah. So, you want to go tell Redheart? She’ll be pumped.”
>No doubt she would be.
>However, you’re not exactly sure when your appointment is.
>And maybe it’ll be a nice bonding experience for these two if you just let Cheeri handle it.
“Why don’t you take care of it? I should probably get back to the office, and Redheart would probably love to hear it from you.”
>Her joyful expression immediately shifts to suspicion.
>”I suppose… you’re not already trying to blow this off, are you?”
>You simply give her a stern look in response and pull out your notepad.
>Quickly flipping to an empty page, you begin to jot down your phone number.
>”Uh… what’re you doing?”
>You yank the paper free from the spiral notepad and hand it over to her.
“My number. Give it to Redheart, too. I’m not ducking out of this. Any time you two want to do something, let me know. Just give me a warning, I still get cranky if plans get dropped on me the day of.”
>Your new friend looks up from the paper, a smirk plastered across her face.
>”Uh huh. ‘I’m not that guy anymore’.” She says, making another mockery of you.
>With a smile and a shake of your head, you begin to make your way towards the exit.
“Yeah, shut it. Anyways, I’m heading back now. You know how to get in touch, so let me know how it goes. I’ll see you around.”
>”Yeah, I will.” She calls out. “I’ll see you later.”
>You push open the doors, emerging from the library in a refreshingly optimistic mood.
>You know, things are really starting to look up. You just got to learn to focus on the positive.
>Halfway back to your office, your text alert goes off.
>On your phone’s screen, you see a single text from a faintly familiar number.
>(1-555-5658) Thank you.
>Those two words, they put a smile on your face.
>You know what? You’re not going to let anything get to you today.
>No bullshit from work, or these kids.
>Not even Pinkie.
>You embrace the positivity, wearing the smile all the way back to the office.
>With gusto, you swing open the door and greet Raven.
>The door hits the wall a little too hard, and the sound sends pain through your skull. You quickly shake it off and smile at the secretary.
“Good morning, Raven!”
>”H-hi…”
>She watches you warily as you stroll over towards the corkboard.
>With a quick glance at your schedule, you can see that you’ve still only got Sunset scheduled.
>And she’s not due until around noon.
>Guess you’ve got some time to kill.
>”What’s up with you today?”
>Turning back, you step over to her and lean against her desk.
“What, I’m not allowed to be in a good mood?”
>”No, you are. Just seems so… out of character.”
“Well, I’ll have you know that I’m-“
>A light twitching sensation runs down your spine as the hairs on your neck stand stiff.
>Wait a minute. Somethings not right here…
>When was the last time the bells-
>Oh shit, that’s right!
>You quickly stuff your hand into your pocket, yank out your ear protection, and jam the foam corks into your ears.
>”Anon, what are you-“
>*BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG*
>You can’t help but let out what must sound like a maniacal laugh as the bell tolls.
>Not this time, fucker!
>As the ringing of the bells dies off, so does your laughter; you pull the foam out of your ears and continue your conversation with Raven.
“Anyways, I was saying I’m happy cause I got a date later. Well, that and some other stuff.” 
>”Oh, that’s right!  I’m glad you are, because Celestia sure is.”
“Oh, yeah?”
>”Oh, yeah. She puts on a good face, but she’s as giddy as a school girl.”
>You picture Celestia hiding away in her office, bouncing up and down in pure glee, much like a young teen girl who was just asked out by her crush.
>And then you picture Celestia dressed up like a school girl, bouncing up and down with glee.
>And then you picture Celestia dressed up like a school girl, bouncing up and down on you.
>Oh baby. Yeah, you’re saving that thought for later.
>Not to get ahead of yourself, but… you wonder if she’d be cool with dressing up for bed.
“That’s good to know. So, you two talk a lot?”
>”Oh, yeah. Absolutely.”
>She pauses to sneak a glance behind her at the glass door. Satisfied with the lack of Principals or Vice-Principals, she turns back to you and speaks with a hushed voice.
>”She like’s to act all grown up, but I swear, she’d fit right in with half the kids here. She loves to laugh, she’s got a HUGE sweet tooth, and she’s surprisingly prone to gossip, as long as it isn’t mean-spirited.”
>Loves to laugh, a big sweet tooth… that’s good stuff to know.
>If things go well tonight, maybe you can take her out to a stand-up comedy show or something.
>Sweets are a plus, too. Hopefully that’ll make for some easy gifts.
“And I suppose that bit about gossip is how you know about this?”
>”Well… us girls have to talk about something, you know?” She admits with a sheepish smile. “None of it leaves the office, I swear. It’s just me, Principal Celestia, and Vice-Principal Luna.”
>Hm. You wonder how much they’ve talked about you. Or what Luna thinks about all of this.
>Luna… you never did ask about what she said to you a few days ago. What was it?
>’Maybe my sister was right about you.’
>Yeah, that’s it. You should ask Celestia about that.
“Well, while you girls keep gossiping, do me a favor? Let me know if I come up again?”
>”Interested in what your girlfriend thinks of you?”
“I mean, who wouldn’t want to know what other people are saying about them?”
>She grins a toothy grin as she arrogantly reclines in her seat.
>”Well… I’m not one to go all ‘double agent’ on anyone, but I’ll let you know if anything juicy comes up.”
“Works for me. Thanks, Raven.”
>You push off the desk and make your way back behind it.
>”No problem, Anon.”
>You step through the glass door and step towards Celestia’s office.
>Just as you reach out for the nob, you stop yourself.
>Maybe you should let her be for a little bit.
>You just talked to her not too long ago, and you don’t want to seem too weak desperate.
>Especially after what happened before.
>Yeah, she said she’d be there if you need her, but…
>You don’t really need her at the moment. She’s probably doing actual work in there, unlike you.
>You’ll just leave her be for now. It can wait until the date.
>You back away and head into your own office, wasting no time getting comfortable in your chair.
>Now. What’re you going to do today?

----------

>You nervously chew away at your thumbnail as you stare out into the distance through the science lab’s window. 
>Your mind races through the events from just minutes ago.
>This doesn’t make any sense. This can’t be right!
>There’s no way Anon is magic! You fixed the portal, there’s no more stray magic running around!
>Unless… You didn’t find every bit of it. Something must have slipped through.
>Is he dangerous? 
>Does he even know he has magic in his hands?
>No, you’ve got to be overreacting. The detector probably just isn’t working right.
>You all looked everywhere! There’s no way he’s magic!
>Right?
>*Beep*     *Beep*     *Beep*
>”Hmm…”
>You turn away from the window, towards the detector’s beeping. Twilight holds the device up to Rainbow.
>”How often have you been using your speed?”
>Rainbow stares up to the ceiling as she gives the back of her head a gentle scratch.
>”Pretty much any time I go anywhere without you guys. I always run to work, but, you know; I only work a few days out of the week.” She says with a shrug.
>Twilight silently nods and steps over to Fluttershy.
>*beep*
>Like with Anon, the beeping is much slower.
>”And how often have you been using your powers, Fluttershy?”
>”Oh, every day! I talk to my animal friends all the time, every chance I get.”
>*beep*
>”I see. Well, I’m definitely starting to see some correlation here. Keep it up.”
>Flutters gives Twilight a beaming smile as she steps over to check Rarity next.
>”Oh, you don’t have to tell me! Um… So, is Anon really magical?”
>*Beep*     *Beep*     *Beep*
>”It certainly seems that way. Rarity?”
>”Aside from the experimenting I did some time ago to see just what I was capable of, I really haven’t done much with mine, I’m afraid. A small improvised tea tray here, maybe an impromptu sketching surface there.”
>Twilight gives her chin a few strokes of her finger as she stares down at the detector.
>”Maybe exercise your magic every so often; every other day or so, just to let out some energy.”
>”If you really think it’ll help, I’ll start today.”
“Twilight, there’s gotta be something wrong with that thing. We fixed the portal and we haven’t seen any rampant magic in forever!”
>She gives you an uneasy glance as she faces the detector toward you.
>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEE-*
>She grimaces and quickly shuts the device off. Her, along with the rest of your friends, stare at you, concern evident in their eyes.
>”I’m sorry, Sunset, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The portal’s magic levels are right where they should be, and so far, everyone else’s seem to fall in line with what they say. I’m sure it’s safe to assume you don’t use your power a lot, do you?”
“Of course, I don’t! It’s so… invasive. It wouldn’t be right to just go rooting around through people’s heads and violating their privacy.”
>”Well, you won’t have to worry about that. I’ll be getting to work on adding the detectors ability to drain magic soon enough.”
>The idea still fills you with dread. It just reeks of disaster to you.
>It’s not like you have many options. You’re not about to run around reading everyone’s minds just to get rid of some of this energy.
>Next up, Twilight moves to Applejack, reactivates the detector, and scans her.
>*Beep*   *Beep*   *Beep*
>”Hm. Not as bad as I thought. Applejack, you know what to do, right?”
>She nods and tips her hat at the scientist.
>”You betcha. Ah’ll guess I’ll start workin’ out with the truck, or somethin’. Maybe Ah can find some boulders.”
>”Whatever’s heaviest and safest for you. Now, that just leaves Pinkie.”
>You suppose that if there’s a bright side to all of this, it’s that nobody has it as bad as you.
>Well, there’s Twilight. If what she theorizes is true, there’s no telling how much magic she’s got in her.
>”OOOOOH!! MY TURN!” Pinkie shouts as she springs up to Twilight.
>The device goes haywire the second it’s focused her, shrieking out a constant beeping.
>*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEBRrrrrrzzttt*
>Sparks burst forth from the handheld detector. Twilight throws it to the ground and pulls Pinkie away from it as it begins to emit smoke.
>Before too long, the sparks stop, leaving a mess of smoldering parts on the floor.
>”Gee, Twilight, I think something’s wrong with your magic doohickey.” 
>Oh sweet Celestia, no.
>This is bad. Very, very bad.
>Pinkie lets out a giggle as Twilight scoops up her ruined invention, horrified. 
>She scrambles over to her workstation in panic and immediately gets to work tearing apart the device, searching for any salvageable parts while muttering to herself.
>You and your friends all close in around her, watching as she works.
>”Uh…Twi? Is there anything we should be doing ta help?” Applejack asks.
>”Yeah, it’s gonna get real boring just standing here and watchi-“
>”Parts! I need parts!”
>”Um, w-what kind of parts?”
>She pulls at the top half of the device as hard as she can, but it won’t give way.
>Thinking quickly, she grabs her screwdriver and jams it into it’s side. With just a little bit of leverage and force, the shell pops off.
>”Anything! Computers, projectors, calculators… I’ll even take old land-line phones if you can find them!”
>”Okie dokie, Loki! C’mon Rainbow, let’s get to lookin’!”
>Before Pinkie can even turn towards the door, Rainbow bolts of in a blur.
>She returns just as fast, clutching an old, square-shaped computer monitor in her hands.
>”What about this, is this okay?” She asks, unceremoniously dropping it onto Twilight’s desk.
>The loose tools, bits, and baubles resting on the table all jump as the monitor impacts.
>”That’s good, more!”
>Again, she’s gone in a blur. Pinkie skips out after her, desperate to keep up.
>”Hey, wait for me!”
>Applejack reaches out and takes your hand in hers. With a cocky grin, she playfully tugs you toward the door.
>”C’mon, Sunset! Can’t let ‘em do all the work fer us, can we?”

>Applejack leads you down the halls, searching for any supplies Rainbow has yet to snatch up.
>It’s a fruitless endeavor. 
>Any time you happen to wander near a classroom that hasn’t been scavenged, the blue blur herself swoops in and robs you of the opportunity. 
>It’s probably for the best. She’s so fast, she doesn’t have to worry about explaining herself.
>She’s probably burning a fair amount of energy as well.
>It’d be much harder for you to make off with anything anyways.
>Once again, you and your friend meander towards a classroom, only for a blur to rush in and out. Loose papers blow out after her and lazily drift to the ground. 
>Angry and frustrated voices call out after her.
>”W-what in the name of… Rainbow! Rainbow, bring my computer back this instant!” Mr. Cranky roars out.
>”Hey, she took my calculator!”
>”Mine too!”
>The two of you share a glance at the door and hurry off down the hall to put some distance between you and Mr. Cranky. 
>”Maybe we’ll have to let Rainbow do all the work after all.”
>You glance behind you in time to see Dash blowing through the hall again, nearly knocking Mr. Cranky off his feet and he peeks out of his classroom.
>”Rainbow! Stop this instant!”
>She ignores him completely as she bursts into another classroom to rob it of its supplies.
>”Rainbow! Don’t make me take this to Principal Celestia!”
“I think we just need to head to a different part of the school. It’s probably a good idea to get away from here anyway…”
>”Yeah… Mr. Cranky’s lookin’ awful cranky. Where do ya think we should go?”
>Hmm… where would you find a surplus of electronic parts and equipment in a school?
>Oh, duh.
“Let’s check out the computer lab, and maybe the AV club. There’s bound to be some good stuff in there.”
>Applejack nods and takes the lead. You keep pace at her side.
>”Sounds like a plan to me! So, you really think Anon ain’t magic?”
 “I don’t know… It just doesn’t make sense. I was sure we got everything. Maybe the detector was still picking up the energy from the portal, or maybe even one of us?”
>”Heck, Ah don’t know, Sunset. Maybe. What with this business around Midnight and our powers, Ah honestly ain’t too worried about it. ‘Sides, Ah figure that if he ain’t magical, there’s nothin’ to fret about, and if he is, we’ll just end up having to deal with it at some point anyways.”
“I guess, but… what if he’s got another magical artifact, like the Memory Stone that Wallflower had? Or something even worse? He could be doing terrible things and not even realize it!”
>”Girl, ya gotta calm down. Ah don’t exactly understand the finer points of it, but didn’t Midnight almost break the world or somethin’? Whatever’s goin’ on with Anon, if there is somethin’ goin’ on, Ah think she’s got him beat.”
“Yeah… You’re right. We have bigger problems right now.”
>”Exactly.”
>You walk along in silence for several moments before the silence is broken again.
>”So… what do ya think he’s got? Laser eyes? Maybe he’s super tough.”
“Didn’t… didn’t you just tell me not to worry about it?”
>”Ah did. An’ Ah ain’t worryin’. Ah’m just speculatin’.”
“O-oh. Well… I don’t know. I don’t think he’s got super toughness; he got pretty messed up by Bulk.”
>And laser eyes? Seriously?
>Applejack briefly turns back to you. Her eyes flick down to the floor
>”Ah suppose… He did have that problem with his back the next day. But, what about me throwin’ him into that car?”
“Hmm… No. He was looking kind of rough after that, too. Maybe that bulky vest he’s always wearing softened the impact?”
>”Eh… Maybe.”
>The two of you arrive at the Computer Lab. Applejack cracks the door open and peeks inside.
>”Hm… empty. Looks like Mr. Systems is out.”
>She pulls the door open wide for the both of you.
>Row after row of sleeping monitors stare back from the empty classroom.
>Aside from a single tower, which lays sideways with its innards spread out on Mr. Systems’ desk, everything looks to still be in place.
>A veritable treasure trove of parts, completely untouched by Dash.
>Now, how are you going to get all this stuff back to the lab?
>Aha!
>Tucked into a corner just inside the door, you spot a small rolling cart, littered with papers and miscellaneous classroom supplies.
>You step inside and quickly begin clearing the cart.
>”Ya know, Mr. Systems’ll be awful mad if he catches us messin’ with his stuff.”
“I’m sure he’d understand if he knew what was going on. We can always just point him to Principal Celestia.”
>”True enough.” 
>Applejack cuts straight to the nearest desk top and gets to work disconnecting it.
>Man, this room alone has got to have everything Twilight needs.
>A load or two from here and…
>Wait.
“Hey, Applejack?”
>”Yeah? What’s up?”
“Twilight never mentioned how much stuff she needs… did she?”
>She effortlessly hefts the tower up, resting it against her chest.
>Her jaw slackens slightly as she turns, slowly running her eyes over the rest of the computers in the room.
>”Err… No. No, she did not.”
>As you clear the rest of the paper and clutter from the cart, she carefully lowers the tower onto it.
>”Ah say we jus’ grab a few and take em’ back. Fer all we know, she may already have enough.”
“Yeah, sounds like a plan. I mean, surely something that small doesn’t need that many parts, right?”
>She shrugs and gets to work on the next nearest computer.
>”Heh, ya never know. If there’s anyone who could cram all this stuff into one tiny thing like that magic detector, it’d be Twi.”
>Ain’t that the truth.
>You drop the rest of the cart’s original contents onto Mr. Systems desk and get started on your own computer.
>Ducking under the desk, you’re pleasantly surprised to find all the wires for each computer neatly arranged, tied together with plastic zip-ties.
>Mr. Systems must’ve worked hard to keep this place straight and orderly.
>You hope you aren’t causing too much trouble for him.
>”What about some kinda super reflexes?”
“Eh, nah. I doubt it.”
>Pull this out, and this one, and unscrew these…
>There we go.
>You climb back to your feet and grab the computer as Applejack places her second one on the cart.
>She turns towards you, pointing to finger guns your way.
>”Time powers.”
“Uh, no.”
>Carefully, you lower the third computer onto the cart.
>Maybe you should grab some monitors, too.
>”Mind control.” She says, waggling her fingers back and forth.
“Hmm… no.”
>You know… you don’t think you’ve seen Anon do a single thing that could even be misconstrued as magical.
>And he’s fairly nice, which is a noticeable change of pace from all the other magical individuals you’ve run into.
>So long as you avoid some of the more personal topics, anyway.
“You know, now that we’re actually talking about this, it’s starting to seem like he really isn’t magic after all. I can’t think of anything suspicious or strange about him at all.”
>Applejack leans onto the cart, watching as you grab a monitor or two to pair with the disconnected computers.
>”Maybe. That’s a shame.”
>With little effort, you heft a lightweight monitor and deposit it onto the bottom shelf of the cart.
“A shame? What, do you want to deal with more magic problems?”
>”Well, no.” She admits with a slight shake of her head. “Ah was just thinkin’… ya know, maybe it’d do the city some good if some of the police could do some of what we can.”
>The police? With magic?
>You like Anon and all, and he seems like a great person, but…
>You’re not sure you like the idea of the police, or any authoritative organization, getting their hands on magic.
>You’ve no doubt that there are men and women out there that could be trusted with it.
>Heck, maybe even Anon could, if he really has any.
>But magical police? What’s next, the military?
>It’s too slippery of a slope.
“I don’t know, Applejack. Seems like a recipe for disaster to me. Also sounds like a comic book super hero story... Have you been reading Rainbow’s comic books again?”
>”Err… no?”
>Applejack lets out an awkward laugh as she grabs one last monitor and puts it next to the other on the bottom of the cart.
>”N-not that there’s anything wrong with super hero stuff. It’s not immature or childish at all! Ah definitely wouldn’t look down on Rainbow, or anyone else, who liked the stuff!”
>Quickly turning her back on you, she grabs the cart and begins to push it out the door.
“Applejack, I know you had Rarity make you that Ultra Girl costume last year.”
>Immediately, her body locks up mid-step.
>You can barely see a flushed cheek poking out from her long, blond hair.
>”A-Ah have n-n-no idea what yer talkin’ about.”
>Is she embarrassed?
>You slide between her and the door, giving her a friendly smile as you pull the cart from the front, leading it into the hall.
“Come on, Applejack. There’s no reason to hide it. We’re friends, and friends don’t make fun of each other’s interests. I’m kind of into them, too.”
>Her sudden discomfort takes a turn for the better as she follows you into the hall, closing the door after you.
>”Really? Ya are?”
“Totally! I’m actually pretty excited to see that new Revengers movie that’s coming out soon. Do you want to see it together?”
>”Uh… Y-yeah, sure! If yer really interested, Ah mean.”
“I sure am.” You say, beginning the short trek back to Twilight’s lab. “So, you gonna wear that costume for Halloween this year?”
>”Err… nope.”
“Why not? You didn’t wear it last year.”
>”Ah, uh… Ah grew out of it.”
>You turn back towards your friend, running your eyes up and down her body, taking in her figure.
>She doesn’t look any different than last year. That you remember, anyway.
“You don’t look like you’ve grown at all since last year; and I know you haven’t gained any weight. What’s up?”
>She grimaces and nervously checks behind her for any lurking students.
>Quickly catching up with you from behind the cart, she glances towards a few classroom doors before speaking under her breath.
>”It’s a lot more revealin’ than Ah thought it would be, and it’s awful tight in some places. Ya know, below the belt…”
“I see… Maybe Rarity made a mistake and made it too tight?”
>Applejack shakes her head and turns her eyes down the hall.
>”No, there’s no way. She took her time getting’ those measurements. Ah think she made it like that on purpose. Tryin’ ta help me get a boy, as if that’s the way to do it.”
>You suppose that’s not all that surprising, given the fashion advice she gave to Fluttershy the other day.
“Yeah, that’s a bit much.”
>”Right? Ain’t like wearin’ that thing’ll get the attention of anyone worth havin’ anyways.”
“I didn’t realize you were even interested in dating someone. I don’t think you’ve ever really mentioned it before.”
>She pauses as her eyes sink to the floor.
>”Ah wasn’t for a long time, what with bein’ busy at home and all. Then, ya changed fer the better and started hanging around with us. The times you talked about dating Flash made me feel like Ah was missin’ out on somethin’. Ah wanted to try, but no one seemed right fer me, ya know? And then, Twilight met Timber, and she just couldn’t quiet down about him. ‘He’s so great’ this, and ‘he’s so romantic’ that… Hoooo, boy, did that get old fast. It was like she was rubbin’ it in mah face at times.”
>A small pang of sorrow echoes through your heart.
>This whole time, Applejack was lonely? You had no idea!
“I’m sorry, AJ. I didn’t realize you felt like that. I know what you mean, though.”
>She shrugs and quickly brushes it off.
>”Don’t worry ‘bout it. What with what’s happened to Twilight and Sugarcoat… Well, datin’s kinda lost it’s appeal to me anyways.”
>Ain’t that the truth.
>It’s dangerous out there; maybe worse than you realized.
>Even for a strong girl like Applejack.
“I know what you mean. I kind of lost interest in dating after Flash, but if I hadn’t… Well, this stuff would probably be more than enough to make me think twice.”
>You hear Applejack choke back a few quiet snickers. When you narrow your eyes at her, she smiles cheekily back at you.
>”Are ya sure ‘bout that, Sunset? Heck, it wasn’t but a few days ago that ya seemed mighty interested in a certain police officer.”
“This again?” You ask, rolling your eyes.
>”Just kiddin’, just kiddin’. Ah know yer not interested in him like that. Though, Ah’d say Rarity is from the way she’s actin’ around him.”
“You think so?”
>”Ah’m pretty sure. Ah mean, remember how she was talkin’ ‘bout his body the other day? And you shoulda been there when she apologized to him yesterday. She’s goin’ fer him.”
 “Well, she can try all she wants. There’s no way Anon’s gonna fall into that trap like all the other boys here.”
>As you approach the corner where you last saw Mr. Doodle, Dash flies by once again, leaving your hair in a mess.
“Ugh.” You groan, putting your hair back in place with a shake of your head. “Well, looks like she’s still going.”
>”She’s had to of cleared out this whole side of the school by now. Does Twilight really need that much stuff?”
“I guess we’re about to find out.”
>You turn the corner and head down the hall.
>Just outside of their classrooms, Mr. Doodle angerly rants about Rainbow’s antics to a few of his fellow mathematics teachers.
>Luckily, they seem too caught up in their on anger to notice you.
>You continue on. Before long, the lab door is back in sight.
>Rainbow blows by again, dropping off her payload and bursting back out to scavenge more.
>You finally reach the door and peek inside. What you see shocks and astounds you.
>Blocking your vision of Twilight’s work station is a mountain of computers, phones, calculators, printers, keyboards, projectors, a few hand-held game consoles, and even a bunch of loose wires.
>It’s stacked nearly six feet tall!
“Whoa…”
>Applejack shows no immediate reaction besides a lowly sigh.
>”There’s no way we aren’t gonna get in trouble for this.”
>Twilight said that Principal Celestia told her to do whatever we had to, but…
>Honestly, it’s real hard to imagine that’s gonna fly with this.
>You abandon the cart next to the pile and walk alongside it until you lay your eyes on Twilight.
>She’s still just sitting there, working away on the detector.
“Twilight?”
>She gives no answer.
“Twilight!”
>”Hey, Twilight!”
>She jumps slightly from the sudden shouting and turns to face you.
>”Yes, what is i- WHOA!”
>She drops the contents of her hands and practically springs out of her chair to rushes towards the massive pile.
>”Where did you get all this?!”
>”Rainbow got it all. Ah think… Doesn’t look like Rarity, Shy, or Pinkie are here.”
>You take a look around and, sure enough, none of the others in sight. They’re probably still out looking for stuff.
>A sudden gust blows into the room, accompanied with the sound of plastic clattering on plastic.
>More parts for the pile.
>”Rainbow did all of this?! I didn’t need this much stuff! Where did she get all of this?!” Twilight exclaims as she clutches her head.
“Well, you never told us how much you actually needed. I think Rainbow’s just been grabbing everything she could from every classroom.”
>”Oh man, oh man…” Twilight mutters as she paces back and forth, staring at the pile. “I don’t even know where to start with this!”
>”Uh… So Ah’m guessin’ we won’t need to make another trip?”
>”No!”
>Well, at least there’s that.
>Another sudden burst of wind as Rainbow returns.
>”Hey, Rainbow!” Applejack calls out.
>You hear the sound of squeaking plastic as the tower begins to shake ever so slightly.
>Suddenly, over the crown of the electronic mountain peaks Rainbow’s head.
>”Yeah?”
>”You can stop now. Twilight says ya got too much stuff.”
>”Oh, did I? Heh, sorry, guess I got a little ahead of myself.” She says, smiling smugly as she rests her chin on top of a printer.
>”Rainbow, this is insane! I don’t even know where to start! I’m afraid that if I pull one thing out, the whole thing will just fall over!”
>Dash seems to contemplate this for a second before hopping off the tower.
>”Just one sec!” She shouts as she jets off again.
>”Ugh, this is unbelieva- AH!“
>Suddenly, Rainbow reappears right in front of you, just as fast as she disappeared.
>With an outstretched hand, she offers Twilight an aquamarine-cased smart phone.
>”Here, start with this.”
>Twilight, confusion evident, takes the phone and presses the home button to bring up the unlock screen.
>The phones wallpaper is a picture of Rainbow Dash, angerly attempting to block a camera from taking a picture with one hand.
>Crudely photoshopped over Rainbow’s other arm, which appears to be a clenched fist mid-punch, is a smiling picture of Zephyr Breeze, a rose held in place between his teeth.

-Some time later-

>Leaning over Twilight’s shoulder, you watch her work as she carefully solders two tiny wires together.
“So, how long do you think it’ll take?”
>She doesn’t let your question distract her from her delicate work.
>”Hard to say. A couple of hours, at least. Could you back off a little? You’re in my light.”
“Oh, sorry!”
>You back off to give her some space and take a seat on top of a nearby table, ready to jump in and help if she needs it.
>Through the still-open door, you begin to hear angry muttering.
>”Stupid Cranky… Stupid magic detector… stupid…”
>Having finally returned the large bulk of the stolen supplies, Rainbow trudges back into the lab and slams the door behind her, giving Fluttershy a shock.
>”There! It’s all back where I got it!” She shouts as plops herself into an empty chair next to the others.
>”I’m sorry, Rainbow. I really should have told you how much I probably would have needed.”
>You don’t blame her for getting ahead of herself, but yeah, she really should have.
>Turns out you only needed some parts from a couple of computers, a few calculators, one projector, and some of the wires.
>Rainbow sinks into her seat, taking a moment to cross her arms and huff.
>”Yeah, well… It’s fine, I guess. Just get that thing working and I’ll call it even.”
>”Um… Did you really have to use my brother’s phone for parts?” Fluttershy asks.
>Oh, yeah. Zephyr’s phone.
>Nothing left from that thing but the screen and the plastic case.
>”Eh. He had it coming.” Rainbow states unapologetically.
>”And those parts were just what we needed; isn’t that right, Twilight?”
>”Huh? Oh, yeah, sure thing, Rarity.”
>”Beside’s, I doubt there was anything important on it anyway. Just selfie after selfie, I’d wager.”
>Rarity pulls out her own phone and begins tapping and swiping away at the screen.
>Pinkie climbs over the table and embraces her from behind, resting her head on Rarity’s shoulder.
>”But Rarity, isn’t that, like, all you do, too?”
>”Oh, please. I know just about everyone here, just like you do, Pinkie. I use my phone to stay in touch with those I don’t get to spend too much time with. I also take pictures of things that inspire me while I’m out and about, so I don’t forget them by the time I’m back at my desk. Selfies are just a plus.”
>She then holds her phone out in front of her and Pinkie.
>”Smile!~”
>Pinkie immediately breaks out a huge grin as the flash and camera goes off.
>”Perfect, as always!”
>”B-but… now he doesn’t have a phone. What if he gets into trouble and needs to call me or my parents? Now my parents are going to have to buy him a new one, and we’re already having trouble after my daddy got laid off from his job…”
>”Ah’m sorry, Shy, but sacrifices must be made.” Applejack coldly states as she kicks her feet up onto the tables edge.
>You can see the hope draining from Fluttershy as her head droops down towards the floor.
“Hey, come on girls. That’s a little cold, don’t you think? I mean, it’s one thing if it’s just Zephyr, but this affects Fluttershy’s whole family. That’s not fair to them, and times are hard enough for a lot of people to begin with.”
>”Times’ll be a lot harder for everyone if we don’t stop Midnight…”
>”Dash… Sunset’s right. Ah’m sorry, Shy. Tell ya what; after we get all this business sorted out, how ‘bout we all put aside some money fer Zephyr’s new phone, so we don’t make things harder on your parents?”
>”Oh… I suppose you’re right; and that’s a marvelous idea, Applejack. I’d hate to make life difficult for a dear friend and her family. I have some savings put away for a rainy day that I’d be more than happy to offer.”
>”Count me in, too!” Pinkie cheers.
>Rainbow sighs and rolls her head towards Fluttershy.
>”Yeah, I guess… Sorry for stealing your brother’s phone and scrapping it so we could save the world again. I’ll make sure you get some of my next pay check.”
“I don’t know how much I can offer after rent, but I promise I’ll do what I can. Twilight’s a little busy, but I’m sure she feels the same.”
>Twilight gives no indication that she’s even aware of your presence as she continues working away at her desk.
>Fluttershy beams with optimism at you all; tears of joy begin to swell in her eyes.
>”O-oh, thank you girls! You’re the best friends I could ask for!” She cries as she pounces on Rainbow with a surprise hug. “I love all of you…”
>You can see Rainbow almost resist the hug to keep up her tough girl act, but she quickly embraces Fluttershy as a smile spreads across her face.
>”I… love you too, Fluttershy.”
>Aww…
>”Right back at ya, Flutters!”
>Rarity quickly snaps a photo of the two friends in their hug.
>”Oh, that’s adorable!”
>Applejack smiles and tips her hat down over her eyes.
>”Happy ta help, Shy. Now, if ya’ll don’t mind, Ah think Ah’m gonna take a nap. Ah’m still pretty beat from yesterday’s chores.”
>”Yeah, a nap sounds pretty good to me.” 
>Rainbow and Fluttershy part, though somewhat reluctantly on the latter’s part.
>”Keep it down for us, will ya?”
>Your sporty friend wastes no time scooting up to the table and getting comfortable as she lays her head down on her arms.
>”So, um, now we just wait, right?”
“Guess so, unless Twilight needs something.”
>”And she did say it might be some time before it’s done, didn’t she?”
“A couple of hours, at least.”
>”Hmm…” Rarity hums, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing one over the other. “I suppose I’ll use this time to do a little bit of sketch work.”
>Rarity digs into her bag and produces a sketchpad. She wastes no in flipping through the pages and losing herself in her own little world.
>Guess that just leaves you, Pinkie, and Fluttershy.
>You look over towards your shy friend, finding her just as absorbed in her own world as Rarity, writing away in brown, hardback book.
>An elegant, green ivy pattern dances around the borders of the cover, giving way to several bright and colorful flowers.
>”Hey, Fluttershy? Whatcha doin’?”
>”Writing in my diary.”
“Diary? I didn’t know you had a diary.”
>She nods as she begins writing anew.
>”Mmhm. I got it when school started up again. I thought it’d be nice to have one and write down how I feel about things.”
“Yeah, that does sound pretty-“
>”Oooooohh, you got anything juicy in there?”
>Pinkie immediately jumps up and attempts to peek into the diary’s contents.
>Fluttershy quickly clutches the open book to her chest to block her vision.
>”N-no! Nothing you’d want to know about! J-just, um… writing about the birds!”
>”Uh huh. The birds and the bees?”
>A mischievous grin spreads across Pinkie’s face as she begins suggestively waggling her eyebrows.
>A fiery blush spreads across Fluttershy’s cheeks.
“Fluttershy, is there someone you like?”
>She sinks deep into her chair and cowers behind the diary.
>”U-um…”
>”Come now, Fluttershy. There’s no need to be embarrassed. Why don’t you just tell the others who it is?”
>Fluttershy focuses her eyes on Rarity, who smiles knowingly back at her as she taps her pencil against the binder of her sketchpad.
>Wait… ‘Just tell the others?’
“Rarity, do you know who it is?”
>”Oh, do I. It-“
>”Rarity, no!” Fluttershy shouts.
>Her sudden change in volume is enough to startle all of you, Applejack and Rainbow included.
>You all stare at her in surprise.
>”I, u-um… please?”
>”Relax, dear. As I was saying, it would be incredibly inappropriate and unbecoming of me to say who he is. I think there’s no harm in telling you all, but if Fluttershy doesn’t want you all to know, then I simply won’t say.”
>Fluttershy relaxes upon hearing Rarity’s explanation, allowing herself a sigh of relief.
>”Come on, Fluttershy. We aren’t gonna make fun of you or go tell him or anything like that. Promise!”
“Yeah, we’d never do anything mean to you. So, who’s the lucky guy?”
>”I-I-I-I… I d-don’t want to talk about it…”
>Aw. Now you’re actually really interested in who it is.
>Hopefully someone just as sweet and gentle as she is.
>You’d hate to see her fall for someone that might abuse her trust or, Celestia forbid, try and pull something like Timber did.
>Fluttershy’s a fantastic girl, and she really deserves someone to care about her.
>Hmm… maybe you should try and keep an eye on her. Just to make sure nothing bad happens.

>The mysterious light hangs in the night sky above the empty, grassy field as the two agents stand by, watching in awe.
>”They’re real, Mully. I’ve finally found them.”
>”Scullder… this can’t be real. There has to be some explanation. Some natural phenomenon or an experimental military aircraft.”
>Fuckin’ Mully.
>’Oh, Scullder. There has to be a logical explanation for this crazy mutant fish-man that’s been eating people.’
>’Never mind the fact that we literally just watched him crawl out of a storm drain and eat a kid.’
>The light begins to dance in the air. Seconds later, the light shoots off into the sky, vanishing into the stars.
>Scullder turns to Mully and points to where the light was just hovering.
>”They’re real, Mully! The abductions, the lost time… it’s them, the aliens… and they took my brother.”
>”Come on, Scullder. It’s probably just some swamp gas, or a massive horde of fireflies.”
>The camera dramatically pans in towards Scullder’s face as he stares deeply in Mully’s eyes.
>”The truth is somewhere, Mully. I have to believe.”
>The screen cuts to black as the episode’s credits begin to roll.
>You go ahead and pause it there. 
>Eh, you guess that was an okay episode.
>It’s nice to see the main plot finally getting to the aliens, but honestly, it’s the side cases that you really enjoy.
>Like that lake monster episode, or the one with the inbred southerners. 
>Damn, that one was real good. Probably your top pick so far.
>You glance over at the time displayed in the corner of the monitor.
>11:30.
>Getting close to lunch. Guess you should probably get up and do a lap or two around the building, just so it looks like you’re actually doing something and not just watching shit on Yulu in your office all day.
>You minimize the tab, lock the screen, and step out the door.
>To your surprise, you spot Sunset Shimmer through the glass door, walking your way.
>She greets you with a smile as you pass through the door.
>”Hey Anon. You’re not going to break up another fight, are you?”
“Huh? No, just taking a walk around the school. You need something?”
>”Well, it’s time for our appointment.” She says, pointing a thumb behind her towards the cork board.
“Oh, right.”
>You turn back and reach for the door’s handle.
>Hm. You know, some fresh air would probably do you some good; you kind of want to stretch your legs now, anyway.
>You turn back around to Sunset, who looks up at you curiously.
“Feel like walking and talking?”
>”Sure, that’s fine by me.” She cheerfully replies.
>Nice.
>You gesture for her to lead the way and wave to Raven on the way out.
>Once in the hall, Sunset turns to you, waiting for your directions. Wordlessly, you take the lead, heading for the glass double doors at the far end of the hall.
“So, how’s it going? Got anything on your mind, or is this just a casual visit?”
>Her optimistic expression falters for a moment.
>”I’m doing okay enough, I guess. It was supposed to just be a casual visit when I signed up, but now…”
>Her voice trails off. She falls silent after a brief sigh, as if struggling to find the words.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s been rough for me, too.”
>”I bet…”
“If you want, we can just talk about normal stuff. Life, school, your friends. Whatever you want, mostly.”
>She lets out a half-hearted chuckle along with a slight shake of her head.
>”That’s all pretty hectic right now, too.”
“Yeah? What’s up, something going wrong with the pep rally?”
>For a split second, confusion crosses her face. 
>”Huh? Oh! Right, yeah, it’s uh… hard, you know? Picking teams and decorations and all that. And then there’s that science project.”
“Wait, what happened with the metal detector?”
>Sunset lets out a dreary breath as her head droops, her hair falling from her shoulders and hanging loosely in front of her.
>”Pinkie accidentally broke it, so we’re having to remake it nearly from scratch.”
>She throws her hair back over her shoulder with a flick of her head.
>Oof. Rough.
>You’d be absolutely livid if you had to rebuild something like that.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that Pinkie was just being Pinkie.”
>”Yeah, you could say that. It’s not really her fault; I mean, it’s not like she could have helped it or anything. It’s just… tough luck, I guess.”
>Hm. Almost sounds like she knocked it off a table or something.
>Something hand-made like that metal detector probably doesn’t hold together too well after being tossed around. You’d bet it’s in pieces right now.
“Well, is the project due soon or something?”
>She looks to you with a worried, half-hearted grin.
>”Uh… Sorta. You could say that. It’s one of those ‘the sooner the better’ kinds of things. But, Twilight’s cranking away at it right now, so it shouldn’t be too long.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
>The conversation falls off momentarily as you near the hallway’s intersection.
>You hear soft murmurs of chatter from around the corner.As you pass by, you glance toward the quiet noise, finding Redheart and Cheerilee quietly, although excitedly, talking outside the Teacher’s lounge.
>Redheart’s eyes light up as she peers over Cheerilee’s shoulder at you. Anticipating what comes next, you stop dead in your tracks.
>She carefully slides past Cheerilee so as not to shove her over, but quickly picks up speed once there are no obstacles between you and her.
>Curious from your sudden stop and the clatter of heels against tile, Sunset peeks around you as Redheart runs into you, locking you in her arms.
>You return the gesture, wrapping an arm around her thin figure and patting her back as she begins excitedly babbling in your ear.
>”Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best, Anon, I-“
>Suddenly, Redheart falls silent.
>”Uh… Hi, Nurse Redheart.”
>Redheart slowly climbs off of you, red-faced and wearing an awkward and obviously disingenuous smile.
>”H-hi there, Sunset. I didn’t notice you there.”
>Cheerilee snickers at Redhearts embarrassment before turning her eyes towards you and Sunset.
>”Sunset? Why are you with Anon?”
“Celestia has me doing some faculty counseling.” 
>You pause to glance back at Sunset, who seems a little confused by Redheart’s reaction to you.
“Sunset here, along with all of her friends, decided to sign up and introduce themselves.”
>”W-well, that’s good! Sunset, if any more trouble comes up, you should let Anon know right away.”
“Trouble?”
>”She means all the magical stuff that’s been going on here the past few years.” Cheerilee crosses her arms as she lets out an annoyed breath. “Every couple of months, something always comes up.”
>Are you for real right now?
“Oh, for god’s sake, not more of this ‘magical high school’ crap.”
>You turn back to Sunset, finding her staring at your friends with wide, somewhat panicked eyes.
“Do you believe this? I’ve had like, three different people try to tell me stories about monsters and magic or some crap running around the school.”
>She let’s out a weak laugh as a single bead of sweat runs down her face from her hairline.
>”Y-yeah, ha… haha, that’s… that’s really crazy, huh?”
“I know, right? It wasn’t even funny the first time. I even had some kid with spiky hair and a leather jacket came into my office and tried to tell me that you’re a unicorn from another world, and that he almost dated a horse princess or something.”
>”We’re not messing with you! C’mon, tell him Sunset!” Insists Redheart.
>Sunset warily shrinks away from you and your friends, her eyes frantically bouncing between you and the other.
>”Um… You know what? You seem kind of busy right now, so I think I’ll just let you do your stuff and maybe I’ll reschedule later.”
>She turns on the ball of her heel and begins to hastily walk away down the hall.
“Hey, hold up.”
>Apprehensively, she turns back toward you. You beckon her back toward you with a wave of your hand, and she hesitantly obeys.
>You point her down the other hall, towards the pair of glass doors that lead out back to the student parking lot and the sports fields.
“Just wait outside the door, I’ll be right there.”
>She looks up at you, confused and maybe even a little worried at your intentions, but nods and follows your commands.
>You turn back to your friends, somewhat annoyed at the re-emergence of the topic and the attempt to drag Sunset into it.
“Do you guys really have to drag Sunset into this?”
>”We’re not dragging her into this; I’m pretty sure she started all of this, actually.”
>”Yeah, she did!” Red exclaims as she nudges Cheeri’s arm. “She stole that crown thing from the Twilight in the other world, and then turned into a demon after the-“
“Enough!”
>They fall silent at the authoritative tone of your voice.
>Noticing movement from the corner of your eye, you turn to see Sunset standing at the doorway, staring somewhat meekly back at you.
>Her eyes jump from Redheart to you, before quickly slipping out the door.
>Great, she heard that ‘demon’ bit.
>You turn your eyes back to your friends, ready to scold them like children.
“Guys, this is ridiculous. I’d expect this kind of stuff from students looking to mess with some new staff member or a substitute, but from you two? Two grown faculty members? Not only that, you’re still trying to push this stuff after what’s happened with us the past few days. I mean, come on. That’s kind of just insulting, don’t you think? And calling Sunset a demon? I mean, I know she apparently had a mean streak before, but it’s pretty rude for you two to just call her that. I mean… Christ, she heard that! What would Celestia or Luna think if they heard you call her that?”
>Redheart immediately seems to regret her words, reaching out to you with worry.
>”What? No, no! It’s real, it’s really real! I mean, yeah, I guess it was kind of mean to say that about her, especially when she’s right there, but it’s true! I-I swear, we’re not messing with you!”
>Even still, she just can’t stop.
>Cheerilee reaches a hand out towards her shoulder as if to pull her back to reality.
>”Redheart, hold on. Look at this from his point of view, alright? He wasn’t there for any of this; he didn’t see any of it. Of course, he doesn’t think it’s real. I mean, if we hadn’t of been here for it, we’d be crazy to believe it, too.”
>Redheart pauses as she contemplates Cheerilee’s words of reason.
>”…Yeah, you’re right. I just… Look, please don’t think we’re messing with you. I guess it doesn’t matter if you believe us about this stuff or not, but we’re not trying to prank you or something. If it helps, we’ll stop bringing it up.”
>This is really starting to astound you. 
>’Really, magic, demons, and unicorns are real you guys.’
>Fuck. What’s next, Sunset and her friends are vampires or some shit?
>You guess that doesn’t mean too much coming from the guy who still thinks sea monsters are real, but still.
>You’re pretty sure magic is at least a tier or two higher than sea monsters on the bullshit chart.
>You knew Redheart was always liked fantasy stuff and was pretty imaginative, but this is too much.
>And Cheerilee being in on this? You always thought she was pretty grounded. The mostly reasonable one.
>Whatever. As long as they drop this nonsense.
“I’d really appreciate that. I don’t mean to be a dick about this, but-“
>”No, I get it. It’s absurd from your point of view and it’s absurd for us to just expect you to believe it.”
>”And, well… you just stick around, you’ll see.” Redheart adds, lightly tapping your ballistic vest with her finger tip.
“Uh huh. I’m sure I will, Red. Just drop it.”
>”Yeah, enough of that.” Cheerilee says and she pulls Redheart away from you. “Clearly, you’re busy so we’ll let you go for now. Come on, Redheart, let’s get back to work.”
>”Hey, hold on a sec! Anon, do you have any plans this weekend?”
>Plans?
>Pretty much just that date with Celestia. Though, maybe she’ll want to do something again Saturday or Sunday if things go well.
>It wouldn’t surprise you if Stitches wants to do something as well, given what’s happened.
“Just something later today, but something else might come up. Why?”
>”Nice! What about you?” She asks, looking to Cheerilee.
>”Not really. Pretty much the usual. E-Flix and maybe some reading.”
>”Great. Do you guys want to do something? Maybe we could do a movie night at my place, like we used to before?”
>”Sure, I’m okay with that.” She states optimistically before crossing her arms and furrowing her brow at the two of you. “As long as you two don’t just dump me halfway through the movie to run off to the bedroom like you did half the time before.”
>Huh. You guess you did do that, didn’t you?
>You begin to recall all the times wandering hands and seemingly overwhelming hormones pulled you and Redheart away from her, just leaving her alone.
>The memories bring about a feeling of shame that washes over you.
>Man, you really were a piece of shit to Cheerilee.
“If nothing important comes up, sure, I’m down; and don’t worry, that won’t be happening.”
>Redheart’s posture sinks ever so slightly.
>”Heh, y-yeah, that’s all… you know, in the past now. Duh.”
>She attempts to keep her smile up, but you can tell your words had some effect on her. Nevertheless, she keeps her optimism about her.
>”Well, I’ll let you know what day decide. Cheerilee gave me your number, so… I’ll hit you up later, alright?”
“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll talk to you guys later.”
>The both smile wave you off as they move to return to their respective rooms.
>”Okay, bye Anon. Have a good day!”
>”Yeah, see you around. And tell Sunset we’re sorry, okay?” Cheerilee calls out.
“Yeah, will do!” You call back.
>Though, it’d honestly be a lot better if they apologized themselves. 
>Whatever.
>You’ll get on their case to do it personally later.
>You turn back towards the glass doors. Waiting on the stone steps outside is Sunset, looking somewhat troubled with her head hung low and her back to you.
>Pulling your sunglasses off your vest, you quickly slide them on as you step out the door.
>The fiery-haired teen looks up to you with mild surprise at your sudden exit.
“Hey, sorry about that. I just had to get real with them for a second. I’m sorry they tried to drag you into that nonsense.”
>She quickly climbs back to her feet.
>”I-it’s okay… I don’t think they meant anything mean by it.”
“Sunset, I know you said you used to be a bit of a trouble maker, but I don’t really think it’s appropriate for someone that works here to call a student a ‘demon’ to their face. I mean, that’s the kind of stuff that blows up in the media nowadays. That’s how someone loses their job.”
>Sunset just shrugs and gives you an uneasy, half-hearted smile.
>”I guess, but really. I’m kind of used to being called stuff like that. It doesn’t bother me too much anymore. I’m not that person anymore; I’m different now, and that’s all that matters to me.”
>You can’t help but feel she’s somewhat missing the point here.
“Yeah, but…”
>Oh, whatever. You probably shouldn’t dwell on the topic anyway.
>You’re typically not keen to discussing your past, so you shouldn’t assume she would be.
“Oh, never mind. For what it’s worth, they said they were sorry. Anyways, come on.”
>Sunset takes your side as you step off down the cement walk-way leading out towards the soccer field.
>A small horde of young men run about the field in a game of soccer. Half of them sport bright, yellow jerseys, likely to differentiate the two teams.
>Coach Soarin stands alone on the sidelines, his hands on his hips, idly watching and occasionally calling out comments on the student’s performance.
>”So… You, Ms. Cheerilee, and Nurse Redheart all know eachother? If you don’t mind me asking.”
>You suppose there’s no harm in telling her a little bit about that.
>It’s probably pretty evident there’s some connection between the three of you after what she saw.
>You’ll just leave out the personal bits.
“Yeah. Old friends from when we were in school here.”
>”They went to school here too?” 
“Oh, yeah. But, they’ve been best friends since they were little; I only met them halfway through my time here.”
>”Wow…” Sunset mutters as she stares off into the soccer field. “I’ve seen them talking around school a lot but I had no idea they went that far back.”
>As you pass through the chain-link gating off the soccer field, you hit the end of the walkway. Your feet stop off of the hard cement and onto the soft, grassy sidelines of the field.
>You turn and step off towards the home team bleachers, as well as Coach Soarin.
“We were pretty tight-knit for a while. It’s been… interesting, reconnecting with them.”
>”Is that what that whole ‘thank you’ thing was about?”
“Yeah. It’s a little-“
>”Get ready, Wiz Kid! The ball’s heading your way!” Soarin suddenly shouts out.
 >Glancing out into the field, you see only one kid respond to his voice.
>A small-framed, panicked looking boy stands alone in the goal on the far side of the field.
>Moving across the field before him, the opposing team, clad in their yellow jerseys, advances toward him.
>A group of three young men in particular cut through the defending team, effortlessly weaving through their rivals and passing the ball between one another.
>Wiz Kid looks out to Coach Soarin, hoping for some sort of help; maybe some divine intervention.
>One young man from the trio, average in height and weight with peachy skin and long brown hair, takes the ball. He breaks through the last of the rival team, lines up his shot, and shoots.
>As the ball flies toward him, Wiz Kid lets out a frightened yelp and throws himself to the ground in fear.
>The ball flies by, nearly five feet away from him, hitting squarely in the goal’s bottom left corner.
>Coach Soarin sighs and mutters to himself.
>”Come on, man. At least try…”
>He then cups his hands over his mouth and calls out to the one who scored.
>”Nice work, Norman! Keep it up, jerseys!”
>The team in yellow doesn’t cheer or celebrate. Norman doesn’t even seem to acknowledge Soarin’s praise.
>They just fall into position and wait for the game to continue as Wiz Kid picks himself up off the ground.
>Looks like the game might be kind of one-sided.
>”Alright, lets get it in gear, guys! They got a solid lead, but we still got plenty of time left in the period!”
>Several members of the jersey-less team groan as they sluggishly move about the field.
>Yeah, probably pretty one-sided. Figures.
>Where were you? Oh, right.
“Anyway, yeah. It’s a little complicated.”
>”And that means that’s all you’ve got to say about it, right?” Sunset asks, looking up to you with a cocked eyebrow and a knowing, somewhat snarky grin.
“Ah, look at you. You’re learning.”
>”You know, you don’t have to keep everything about you secret. How are you supposed to make new friends by refusing to talk about yourself?”
>You hook your thumbs into your pockets as you smirk back at Sunset.
“I talk about myself. I’m just very particular about specific topics.”
>As you pass by the empty bleachers and near Coach Soarin, he notices your voice and turns toward you.
>Silently, he raises his hand and nods to you and Sunset.
>You return the silent greeting, and he turns his attention back towards the gym class skirmish.
>Sunset seems well enough aware of your reluctance to discuss yourself to remain silent until you’re an acceptable distance downfield from the Coach.
>”Uh huh. Well, I’ve got a question for you. Yesterday, at the hospital; Sugarcoat said you told her she could call you ‘Mouse’. What’s up with that?”
>Oh, she heard about that?
>Wait, no shit she did. Wasn’t she standing right next to one of the Crystal Prep girls when they called you that?
>Well, you guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell her. It’s not like there’s anything personal to it.
“Well, there’s kinda two halves to that. See, my full name is Anon E. Mous. Take the E and throw it onto Mous, and bam, Mouse.”
>”What about the other half?”
“Yeah, so…”

“…Back when I got out of the academy, I didn’t know too many people. I wasn’t close to anyone in my class, and I only knew two people on the force; Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armor, and an older guy named Breacher. He was the whole reason I decided to join the police.”
>Sunset gazes up at you, giving you a nod at your pause.
>You can tell you have her full attention.
“I pretty much just stuck with him whenever I could. Morning briefings, meals, the odd patrol. Well, Breacher was a squad leader for one of the S.W.A.T. teams. Naturally, teams like that typically tend to be pretty tight-knit, so it wasn’t long at all before I found myself hanging out with them as well.”
>Man, you’ll never forget the first time you met them.
>That first morning briefing you decided to steal the seat next to him.
>He grinned and chatted with you, about life and your training.
>You remember Eye giving you the occasional look from the far end of the table, but he hardly said a word.
>The other two… they were a different story.

>Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you trudge down the station corridor towards the briefing room.
>At least, you think the briefing room is this way. That what the desk clerk said, right?
>It’s gotta be around here somewhere. How hard could it be to find?
>As you scan the doors of the hallway, you finally find one halfway through the hall labelled ‘briefing hall’.
>Oh. Not hard at all, you guess.
>Grasping the doorknob, you slowly turn and push the door open to peek inside.
>Rows of tables line the room, their chairs mostly vacant. A few informative and motivational posters dot the walls.
>A handful officers wait inside, some struggling against the early hours while others read or quietly talk amongst themselves.
>At the head of the room sits a large podium adorned with the C.P.D.’s golden shield, along with another vacant table; reserved for leadership, you presume.
>The whole set-up looks eerily similar to the classroom back at the academy. 
>You slip inside and shut the door behind you.
>You’re unsure if anyone heard you enter, but no one pays you any attention regardless.
>Opting to keep a low profile, you take a seat in the back and let your eyes wander the room as you wait.
>You find the clock ticking away on the wall; it reads 5:34.
>Probably could have taken a little more time getting out of the apartment this morning. But, old habits die hard.
>’If you’re not fifteen minutes early, you’re late.’
>You’re never gonna get that out of your head. Thanks Dad.
>As you continue to look over the room, your eyes pass over the other officers.
>All of them look older than you. Some seem to be in their twenties, or thirties.
>An older looking man in front of you looks like he might be in his forti-
>Wait. Is that…? 
>You lean from side to side, trying to get a better look at him.
>Muddy skin-tone, high and tight grey hair, and that build. You can’t see his face, but…
>That’s him! There’s no way that isn’t him! 
>Gingerly, you rise from your seat and walk forward to his row. As you carefully slide past a thin, yellow young man, he turns to look at you.
>You see a spark in his eyes as a wide, proud grin spreads across his face.
>”Well, I’ll be…” He mutters, rising to his feet.
>You feel a sudden surge of joy flow through you as smile back at him.
“Hey Breacher.”
>”Anon. Hell, it’s about time.” 
>He quickly clasps one hand on your shoulder; taking your hand with his other, he gives it a vigorous squeeze and shake.
>”I’ve been wondering when you we’re gonna show up. I was starting to think you’d changed your mind, or maybe even washed out.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I just had to take care of some things first.”
>”Good to hear, Anon. Or should I say, Officer Mous?” He says tapping a fingernail against your nameplate. 
“Anon’s just fine, Breach.” You say with a smile.
>”Hm. Whatever works for you. Anyway, take a seat. We got plenty of time to kill before the briefing starts.”
>He slips back into his chair and pulls the adjacent chair out for you. You slide in place next to him.
>”So. How was training? Nothing too hard for you?”
>Hard? Pfft.
>The only thing you had trouble with was staying awake in classes.
>Going into class right after morning P.T. was the bane of your existence there.
“Nah, not really. I thought the P.T. would be harder.”
>Breacher grabs his cup of coffee and takes a quick sip as he leans back in his seat.
>He swallows his brew and chuckles softly.
>”Heh, me too. I figured they’d settle for only the best.”
>He leans closer towards you. With a mischievous grin, he points a finger toward a heavy-set officer seated at the front row.
>”If you ask me, they should raise the bar a few pegs. It’d help trim the fat.” He whispers.
>In all honesty, they probably should. Even at the academy, there were a few instructors that looked like they couldn’t lay off the donuts.
>”What about shooting? Any trouble?”
“Not really. I mean, my dad used to take me out to ranges, so twenty-five meters with a sidearm was breeze.” You say with a shrug.
>”Good, good. Think you can do the same with a rifle?”
>You scratch the side of your nose as you try to hold back a cocky smirk.
“Last time my dad I went out with my dad, I shot forty out of forty. Though, his rifle had an ACOG.”
>”Nice, nice.” He says, nodding his head. “Though, from what my pa used to tell me about the Corp, that’s exactly what any competent rifleman should be hitting.”
“Yeah… that’s what my dad said, too.”
>He laughs and gives you a playful slap to your shoulder.
>”Ha! Don’t get all mopey on me, kid. We could use some more folks that actually know how to shoot. Right now it’s-“
>”Oh my god, Blitz, shut up and listen to me for a second!” A feminine voice shouts.
>You, along with a few other officers, turn towards the door to the hall.
>”Oh god, what now?” Breacher whispers to himself.
>The quiet officer at the end of the table sighs and lays his head down on the table.
>As the door is quickly flung open, a muscular, navy-skinned officer storms in. He pushes a few loose strands of his long, golden hair behind his ear before turning and shouting back at the female voice.
>”No, you listen to me! The egg couldn’t have come first because if the thing that laid the egg wasn’t a chicken, then it’s not a chicken egg!”
>Another officer, a small woman of pearl coloring and crimson hair, follows him into the room.
>She aggressively pursues the other officer, her ponytail bouncing with each step.
>She leans in towards him and jabs his chest with her finger.
>”No, you idiot, it doesn’t have to be a chicken egg. What comes out-“
>”If it’s not a chicken egg, then there’s no chicken inside!” He exclaims. 
>The navy officer grins, seemingly like a man who knows he’s right; his female companion groans audibly in frustration.
>”Ugh… No, look. Evolution doesn’t just happen all of the sudden, it’s slow, subtle changes that take a long time to-“
>”Stitches, I don’t mean to sound insulting, but I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”
>She stares back at Blitz, her apparent frustration and anger building as her right eye begins to twitch.
>Blitz, however, continues to smile as he towers over her.
>”ARRGH! Breacher, tell this idiot that-“
>She pauses as she lays her eyes on you, taking a moment you look you over with a scrutinizing gaze.
>”Who’re you?”
“Uh, I’m-“
>”Looks like a new rookie.” Blitz says, looking you over as well.
>Blitz gives Stitches’ arm a light tap. He casually nods his head toward you while giving her a smirk.
>A wide, almost predatory grin spreads across her face as Blitz begins to repeatedly shift his weight from one foot to the other.
>The pair split with Stitches sliding around the front of the table, leaning in over you.
>”You’re in my chair, rook.”
>As you open your mouth to explain, Blitz slides into the open chair next to you, a mischievous smirk on his face.
>”You’re in my chair… rook.”
>What?
>”Oh, will you two knock it off?”
>”But this is Alpha team’s table.” Blitz quickly replies.
>”But this is Alpha team’s table.” Stitches repeats, staring straight into your eyes. 
“…Why are you two repeating yourselves?”
>They both pause and shoot each other a confused glance.
>”I’m not repeating myself, am I?”
>Blitz gives her an overtly animated shrug.
>”I’m not repeating myself… am I?”
>Breacher brushes a wide arm in front of you, pointing his index and middle fingers at the two.
>”Enough with the Repeat, you two. It’s not fun when they aren’t scared anyways.”
>”I don’t know what you’re talking about, Breach.” They reply simultaneously, not even trying to hold back their enormous grins.
“Repeat?”
>”It’s a game these two chuckle-fucks play to mess with people they pull over. They just repeat whatever the other says.”
>”Aww, come on, don’t spoil it!” Blitz whines.
>”Shut it!”
>”Fine…” They both concede, simultaneously once again, before attempting to hold back their snickering.
>Breacher groans before taking another sip of his drink.
>”Whatever you want, old man.” Stitches turns her attention back to you, looking down on you somewhat disinterestedly.  “Come on, newbie, get up. That IS my chair.” She states, prompting you to rise with her hand.
>Hesitantly, you begin to stand from your chair, but a strong hand quickly clasps your shoulder and forces you back down.
>”He’s a friend, so he can stay. There’s plenty of chairs right behind you.” Breacher orders, pointing two the row of empty chairs directly behind her.
>She rolls her eyes at Breacher. Glaring at you with apparent annoyance, she reaches blindly behind her and grabs a chair.
>Yanking it out from the table, she throws a leg over the seat and rests her arms over the back of the seat.
>”So, you gonna introduce yourself rookie?”
“O-oh, right, I’m-“
>”I’m Blitz! Kreiger Blitz, actually.” He interrupts, throwing a friendly, but bulky arm over your shoulder.
>He points his hand, all fingers extended, towards the other man at the end of the table.
>”That’s Eagle Eye. He’s kind of a cranky asshole.”
>”Fuck you.” Eagle Eye quickly jabs back, his voice muffled by the table.
>Blitz completely ignores him, turning his attention to Stitches instead.
>”And this is Stitches; Quick Stitches. We used to call her ‘Quickie’, but, you know… HR hates fun.”
>”Yeah, they really do. I mean, my parents call me ‘Quickie’.” Stitches adds with a shrug.
>”And, well, I guess you already know the old man.” Blitz says, pointing a thumb towards Breacher. “So, what’s you’re name?”
“My name is-“
>”His name is Mous.” Stitches quickly interjects.
>Jesus, you can’t even get a word in.
>”Wait, how do you pronounce that?”
>Blitz leans forwards, hooking a fingertip on the corner of your nameplate and turning it toward him.
>”Looks like ‘Moose’ to me.”
>”No way, that’s totally ‘Mouse’.”
“Actually, it’s just-“
>”Nah, it’s moose. It’s even got a U in there.”
>”There’s no U in moose, you dumbass.”
>You look to Breacher for some assistance but offers no help.
>Like a man who’s more or less given up, he simply closes his eyes as he lowers his head into his hands and groans.

“It just kind of stuck after that. Especially after Stitches got used to being around me. It typically takes me a while to open up to new people, and she started saying I was even sneaky, quiet and shy like a mouse.”
>She also started throwing the word ‘cute’ around, too.
>Quite a bit, actually.
>”Huh. Well, it’s a pretty cool nickname. Fluttershy really… likes it.”
>Sunset pauses as she seems to contemplate some unknown thought.
>Quickly, she snaps her attention back to you.
>”A-anyway… So, Stitches. Sounds like you guys are pretty close.”
“Are you fishing for something? Some juicy gossip, maybe?”
>She gasps and feigns insult, covering her heart with her hand.
>”I would never! You don’t have to be so defensive, Mouse.” 
>She smirks as she speaks your nickname in a manner you find eerily similar to Stitches.
>”I just mean… You know, you guys seem like good friends. You know, just the way you talk about her, and then there was the other day when you two were talking in front of the school-“
>You stop in your tracks, quickly turning towards her.
“You saw that?”
>She seems hesitant to speak as she slides an inch or two away from you.
>”Well… Yes? We weren’t spying on you, I promise! Well, wait, I guess we were technically spying on you because we were trying to follow you to find Timber, but… I mean…”
>You reach out and take her shoulder in your hand.
“Did you hear what we were saying? Anything?”
>Please say no, please say no.
>You really don’t need word getting out about you and Celestia.
>”No, not at all. We were in Pinkie’s van, some ways away from you.”
>Well, she says she didn’t, but…
>No. Sunset’s been straight with you. Even with everything her and her friends have been getting up to, she hasn’t really given you a reason not to trust her.
>She DID help you the other day by taking you to Twilight, too.
>Maybe she is just trying to be friendly.
“Sorry, it’s just that the conversation was kind of personal.” 
>You release her shoulder and lead her further down the field, towards the away team’s bleachers.
“Yeah, we’re close. She’s my best friend.”
>”It’s alright.” She replies cheerily. “And that’s good! Everybody deserves a best friend! I’m lucky enough to have a bunch; the best friends I could ask for! Heck, I’d even call them my family at this point. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
>Her and her friends do seem to be a pretty close group.
>No in-fighting or squabbling, at least not to the degree you’d typically see from teen girls.
>A family. A real family.
>But her words hit you too close to home, inviting unwelcome thoughts into your mind.
“That’s good. Yeah, Stitches… I don’t… I don’t know what I’d do without her, either.”
>The image forces it’s way into your head.
>Her body lying on the ground, face down in a puddle of her own sanguine fluids.
>Holes torn straight through her vest, like it never had a chance to stop those rounds.
>Gone, just like the others.
>Just from visualizing it, your eyes begin to water.
>Your heart begins to speed up its tempo.
>Stopping dead in your tracks, you clench your eyes shut and take several deep breaths.
>”Anon? Are you alright?”
>NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, stop.
>Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, just think about something else.
>Like Celestia. And Redheart, and Cheerilee.
>Good times. Focus on good times. The day you met Cheerilee and Redheart, or-
>A soft hand grabs your wrist and a warm sensation washes over you.
>Quickly, the strange sensation seeps into your mind, banishing the dark, toxic thoughts from your head, filling you with a pleasant, inner peace.
>You open your eyes to find Sunset holding your arm, looking up at you in distress.
“Sunset?”
>”Hey, are you okay? You just kind of froze up for a second; you looked like you were hurting.”
“Yeah, I… think I am. Alright, I mean.”
>That strange sensation… What the hell is that?
>It felt just like when Pinkie grabbed you yesterday.
>Come to think of it… You felt something just like that when Rarity and Fluttershy were massaging you, too.
>These girls. There’s something strange about them; about all of this.
>Maybe what everyone keeps trying to tell you is true?
>No, no that’s just stupid. You’re probably just starved for any sort of affection or human touch.
>You’re mind and body playing tricks on you, or… fuck, you don’t know.
>”A-are you okay? Do you need to sit down? What’s wrong?”
“No, I think I’m alright. Just… you know, a bad headache.” You say, wiping the water from your eyes.
>”Are you sure? You looked pretty rough.”
“Yeah, really. I’ll be fine. Come on.”
>You step off once more, pulling your arm from her hands.
>Sunset lags behind for but a moment before catching up to your side once more.
>You can tell from the way she looks at you that she’s still worried but knows better than to badger you with her concern.
“…Thanks for the worry, though. I do appreciate it.”
>She quickly beams a sunny smile back your way.
>”Just want to make sure you’re okay. That’s what friends do, right?”
>Friends, huh?
“We’re friends? That’s news to me.”
>”Come on, don’t be like that! We’ve been around you all week; what, don’t you want to be our friend?”
>As strange and suspicious as these girls tend to seem, you suppose they are alright.
>Well, Rainbow’s kind of… abrasive, and Pinkie’s legitimately terrifying.
>But even they’re not so bad. Sometimes. 
>Applejack and Sunset seem pretty nice. Talking to Applejack was actually enjoyable.
>Same goes for Sunset, short of… well, that.
>Twilight’s a bit of an unknown, but she did apologize for getting all of her friends involved in all of that stuff with Timber. 
>It’d be unfair to fault her after what Shining told you. Either way, she seems like a nice enough girl.
>Rarity and Fluttershy both seem particularly well behaved, Fluttershy especially.
>She seems like the type that wouldn’t hurt a fly. A real sweet girl.
>And Rarity’s been nothing but friendly towards you, from your meeting with her, to the massage, to her apology the other day.
>All in all, a great group of young women; leagues better than you’d expect from most girls their age.
“Hmm… I’ll think about it.” You say, giving Sunset a smirk and a friendly nudge with your elbow.
>”Pffft, whatever. You know you wanna be friends with us.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
>Sunset smiles and takes a moment to observe the ongoing game as you pass by the away bleachers.
>Having found a new topic, she turns back to you.
>”So, what kind of movies do you like? I really like Wizney stuff; the Tiger Queen is probably my favorite.”
“Uh… I’m really into horror.”

-A few hours later-

>”So he said he’d be friends with us?” Pinkie asks, rocking back and forth in her chair.
“Well… he didn’t really say yes, but I think he implied it pretty strongly.”
>”YAAAAAY! MR. OFFICER COP IS GONNA BE OUR FRIEND!”
>Rarity and Fluttershy scrunch their faces as they cover their ears at Pinkie’s sudden cheering.
>”Pinkie, dear, please try not to be so loud. We’re right next to you.”
>”Yeah, just embrace your inner Fluttershy.” Dash says, pointing a thumb to the butter colored girl next to her. “Shy, if you don’t mind?”
>”Huh? Oh, um… Yay~!” Fluttershy cheers, her arms trembling with glee.
>”So what else did ya’ll talk ‘bout?”
“Well, favorite movies, hobbies, interests…”
>”Oh? Did he say anything interesting?” Rarity inquires.
“He said he likes horror, but that he thinks most of the newer horror movies are pretty bad.”
>Rarity lets out a somewhat dubious giggle to herself as she rubs her hands together.
>”Ah, how… interesting. Why, maybe we should see how he’d feel about going to the movies with us sometime.” She says, shooting a grin to Fluttershy.
>”Oh, that sounds nice! B-but, I don’t think I can handle any watching scary movies…”
>”Who said anything about actually watching the movie? Why, you simply stick it out until it starts to get the teeniest, tiniest bit scary, and then you cling to his big, strong arms, look up into his eyes and-“
>”Eugh! Enough! What else did he say, anything about sports?” Rainbow interrupts.
>You tap your finger against your chin as you recall your discussion with him.
“Hmm. Nope, nothing about sports. He said he used to be pretty big into video games, but he lost interest about a year ago. He also said that he loved to go out camping and hiking, but that he hasn’t done that in years either.”
>”Well, that’s kinda nice. Maybe if we get to go back to Camp Everfree this year, Anon can tag along.”
>”That sounds nice, Applejack! I wonder if Mr. Mousie-wousie would like the trails they have at the camp...”
>Mr. Mousie-wousie?
>You can’t have heard that right. You know Fluttershy thought his nickname was cute, but…
>You look around at your friends, who seem to be having varying reactions.
>Rarity and Pinkie look like they can barely hold themselves back from openly ‘awww’-ing.
>Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow look like they’re about to burst into laughter any second.
>Twilight is… well, still in her own little world over at her worktable.
>Maybe you heard her right after all.
>Judging from Fluttershy’s confusion, she probably doesn’t realize what she just said.
“Fluttershy, did you just say-“
>”Mr. Mousie-wousie?!” Rainbow shouts before bursting into laughter. “PFFFFAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
>”W-what? Mr. Mousie… O-oh no, oh no!”
>Your shy friends face quickly blossoms into a bright shade of red. She hides her face in her hands and leaps from her chair to rush towards the door.

>Pinkie leaps from her chair and rushes to her fleeing friend. Wrapping her arms around Fluttershy, Pinkie stops her just short of the door.
>”Hey, wait up Fluttershy!”
>”No, let me go!” She cries, weakly thrashing about in Pinkie’s arms.
>Rarity hops up and rushes over towards them, attempting to calm her down from the front.
>You quickly follow suit, rushing over to your friend’s side.
>”Fluttershy, dear, please calm down. Everything is fine!”
>Rarity brushes Fluttershy’s arms to the side, taking her panicking friend’s shoulders in her hands.
>”Yeah, come on Shy! It’s okay if you like-“
>”BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
>Fluttershy tucks her chin to her chest, causing her hair to fall over her eyes.
>You whip your head around, finding Applejack and Rainbow leaning against each other, practically in tears from laughter.
>”Ahahaha! Ahahah… ahaha… hehehe.”
”Stop it, guys! It’s okay if you like someone Fluttershy, really.”
>”Ah’m sorry, Shy. Ah don’t mean to laugh, it’s just… well, the nickname.”
>”MOUSIE-WOUSIE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
>Applejack delivers a swift, back-handed slap to Rainbow’s gut.
>”Oof! Ow, what?!”
>Adopting a more serious expression, Applejack takes a firm grip of Rainbow’s arm and drags her over to Fluttershy.
>”WE’RE sorry, Shy. Ain’t right of us to laugh or make fun of ya for who you like… Ain’t that right, Dash?”
>”Yeah, whatever. It’s fine.”
>”Rainbow…” Pinkie growls, shooting your brash friend a threatening glare.
>Fluttershy ever so slightly raises her head, giving you a fleeting glance of watery eyes peeking out at Rainbow from behind long, pink locks. 
>She lets out a long, exaggerated sigh before finally meeting Fluttershy’s eyes.
>”I’m… I’m sorry, Fluttershy. It wasn’t cool of me to laugh at you like that. That’s not who I am anymore, at least, not to you, so… I’m sorry. It’s alright if you like Anon, I’m not gonna make fun of you for it.”
>Dash pries her arm free of Applejack’s grasp. Somewhat hesitantly, she holds her limbs out for Fluttershy.
>You, Rarity, and Pinkie pull back, allowing the two some space.
>Fluttershy wastes not a moment, instantly throwing herself into her friend’s arms.
>As the two share a long, loving embrace, a cursory look of remorse spreads across Rainbow’s face, water welling up in her eyes.
>With a single quick sniffle, she blinks a tear away and returns to her normal self.
>”Juuuust do us all a favor and keep your fantasies to yourself. Rarity’s bad enough…” She says softly, gentle rubbing Fluttershy’s back.
>Aww. Still trying to put on the tough girl act.
>You can tell from Rarity’s half-scowl that she finds Rainbow’s remark offensive, but she holds herself back from complaining.
>Pinkie, Applejack, and even yourself can’t help but chuckle a little.
>She could learn to keep some things to herself…
>After a long, touching hug, Fluttershy finally releases Rainbow, and the pair of friends smile warmly at each other.
>Rainbow takes scoops Flutter’s hand up into her own, guiding her back towards the chairs.
>”Come on, Shy. Why don’t you, uh… tell us what you like about him?”
>”O-oh… I-I don’t know about that, Rainbow.”
>”No, really.” She reassures as Fluttershy reclaims her seat. “Come on. Pinkie, Sunset, don’t you want to hear about what Fluttershy likes about Anon? I know you do, Rarity!”
>”Of course I do, Fluttershy! Please, do tell!” 
>”Yeah, totally! Come on Sunny, Jackie! Let’s hear what Fluttershy likes about Anon!”
>As if you needed the motivation to help make your friend feel better, Pinkie grabs you and Applejack by the arms, pulling you alongside Rarity back to the chairs.
>You all take a seat and put on a warm, welcoming face for Fluttershy.
>Even Rainbow, who you know for certain couldn’t be less interested in this, does her best to look eager and excited.
>”I, um…”
>”Come on, Fluttershy. We’re not messing with you, we really want to hear about this.”
>”Y-you do?”
>”Totally! I mean, I’ve known you for forever, and I’ve never seen you look interested in a guy.”
>Fluttershy pans her eyes to the rest of you, and you all grin back at her.
>”Go on, darling, I’ve been dying to hear what you like about him.”
>Fighting her fear of being the center of attention, Fluttershy gulps before parting her lips.
>”W-w-well, u-um… He’s r-really nice to me, a-and… he got all beat up for trying to stop Bulk from hurting me and the others, a-and…”
>Her uneasy look slowly changes to a smile as she continues.
>”He told me I was really brave for talking about what happened! And Oscar-“
>”Wait, who’s Oscar?” Applejack asks.
>”Ugh. Oscar is that… filthy stray cat that roams around the neighborhood.”
>”He’s not filthy! He just… hates bath time.” 
>”Well, why he refuses to let you take him to the shelter is beyond me.”
“Some people, or animals I guess, are just free spirits Rarity. But go on, Fluttershy.”
>“B-but, Oscar said Anon let him out of a dumpster he got stuck in! And that he talked to him, and scratched his ear, and I like it when he ruffles my hair, and, and…”
>As Fluttershy continues on, she presses her hands to her cheeks. Bouncing in her chair like Pinkie Pie, her knees begin to knock against each other as her smile grows even wider.
>”And, a-and I really liked it when he hugged me, andIreallywanttohughimagainandmaybeholdhishand!”
>She lets out a frightful gasp before clasping her hands over her mouth.
>Handholding? How… lewd.
>”Oh, I’m sure there’s plenty more you’d like to do with him…” Rarity adds with a seductive smirk, causing Fluttershy to sink further into her blush.
>”Fluttershy and Mousie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Sings Pinkie, swaying side to side in her chair.
>”Oh… oh, gosh, I… I couldn’t. D-do you think he would? I mean, um…”
>For a moment, Fluttershy retreats back into her curtain of hair. With on eye peeking out, she leans cautiously towards the center of her circle of friends.
>”…K-k-k-iiiii-isss m-me?”
>”Uh, Shy?”
>”Yes Applejack?”
>”Ah’m real glad you found someone ya like, it’s mighty nice seein’ ya like this, but…”
>Oh no. You know where Applejack’s going with this.
>Really? Now? She has to do this now?
“Well, Ah gotta be honest.“
>Quick, you need to shut her do-
>*BBRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG*
>In an instant, you yank out your phone and check the time. 3:00.
>YES!
“Oh, golly gee willickers, Applejack, look at the time! Looks like school’s over, and we can all go home now! I guess we’ll have to finish this conversation later!”
>”FINALLY! This day has been sooooooooo booooorrriiiiiiiiiinng.”
>Rainbow hops up from her chair and stretches her limbs.
>”Oh my, is the school day over already? It feels like we’ve done nothing but-“
>”Steal a bunch of stuff from the school and sit around while Twilight works on her magic thingamajig?”
>”Well… yes, precisely.”
>Well, you got to take that walk with Anon. But, yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
“Huh. Time flies?”
>”Er, anyways, before we go, Ah’d like to finish. Ah hate to bring ya down, but you don’t really expect Anon to-“
“OH MAN, ARE YOU GUYS EXCITED FOR THE WEEKE-“
>”FINISHED!”
>With the sudden exclamation from the other side of the room comes the sounds of a chair squealing as it’s pushed across the floor.
>You all turn and look, finding Twilight standing in front of her desk, triumphantly holding the device over her head.
>OH THANK CELESTIA!
>”YAAAAY! TWILIGHT DID IT!” Pinkie cheers with eardrum shattering volume.
>She springs out of her chair, leaping all the way over to Twilight with one incredible jump.
>”So we can try and take care of this magic stuff now?”
>”Yup!” Twilight says cheerfully.
>Device in her hand, Twilight and Pinkie converge with you in the center of the room.
>”So, who’s first? Who’s first?”
“PINKIE! Please, start with Pinkie!” You shout, pushing Pinkie towards Twilight.
>”Yay! I’m first, I’m first!”
>”Wait, shouldn’t Sunset go first? She’s been having those headaches for a while, and Pinkie seems completely fine.”
>”I think you forgot, Rainbow. They think Pinkie might, um… explode.”
>Rainbow’s eyes slowly widen in fright.
>”Oh. I kind of, uh… I kind of feel like I should have remembered that.”
>She takes Fluttershy by her hand and takes several cautious steps back.
>”Good thinking, Rainbow. You all might want to back up for this.”
>Twilight steps backward a few paces and lifts her device up, pointing it directly and Pinkie.
>”Ready Pinkie?”
>The pink party girl beats her chest and falls into a slightly crouched stance.
>”I was born ready!” She cries, flexing her arms with a fearsome grin.
“Wait, we’re doing it inside? Is that safe? What if something goes wrong?”
>”Yes, probably, and we’ll deal with it.”
“But-“
>”We have to, remember? No one else can know about this! School just got out, so people will be all over the place. It’s safest to do it here.”
>Oh… darn it, she’s right!
>”O-okay, I just… hope it doesn’t explode or something!”
>”Oh, don’t worry about that. I’d say the odds of that happening are only about… thirty-eight-point-six-two percent.”
>Rainbow and Flutters take a few more precautionary steps back, with Rarity and Applejack quickly joining them in the corner of the room.
>”Twilight, dear? Don’t you think those chances are a little unfavorable?”
>She briefly drops the device to her side to wave off Rarity’s concern.
>”Oh, that’s really not that bad. Do you know how many prototypes I went through before I got that working model for the Friendship games?”
>”Four? No, six! NO WAIT! …Three.”
>”Twenty-eight.”
>”Darn it, I was so close…”
>”Did… did all a’ those explode, too?” Applejack asks.
>Rarity’s eye’s peek out from behind her shoulders.
>”Mostly. The budget at Crystal prep was mostly spent at the time, so I had to use whatever parts I could get my hands on, regardless of-“
>”Hey, I gotta go to work soon, can we hurry this up?”
>Pinkie’s so, just… whatever about this whole thing.
>It’s like she’s not worried in the least.
>Wait… Oh, horse apples, you have to work today too!
>”Right, you got it Pinkie. Are you ready?”
>”LIGHT ME UP, FAM!” Pinkie roars, flexing again.
>”Uh, r-right, right back at you, um… fama… famalam?”
>With a muffled groan from Rarity, Twilight snaps hers arms back up and takes aim at Pinkie.
>”Initiating Magic Drain, text number one!”
>With a twist of the device, it splits and opens. From it’s center, purple lights shine brightly.
>A mere second passes before a pink haze begins to emanate from Pinkie. It sparkles and glimmers, floating freely in the air for but a moment before being pulled into the glowing purple lights.
>It gathers in the device’s center, forming an initially small pink orb. It only grows in size as the device continues to suck Pinkie’s magic.
>Once the orb grows to the size of a golf ball, Twilight breaks the draining stream by snapping the device closed again. The magic remaining in the air quickly returns to Pinkie and disappears into her body.
>All eyes upon her, Pinkie looks down at her hands and wiggles her fingers.
>”Test number one complete!”
“Pinkie? How do you feel? Everything okay?”
>She gives you a brief look with a furrowed brow before turning her attention to her legs, which she kicks about as if shaking off some unknown feeling.
>”I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I be like, super tired?”
>”You’re not? I recall being absolutely exhausted after I had my magic drained.”
>”Yeah, me too Rarity, but… I feel fine.”
>”Strange…”
>Twilight gives her chin a light scratch before lifting the device up to Pinkie once more.
>She gives the top and twist, and…
>*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBE-*
>”AAAHHH!”
>Twilight quickly shuts it off before the device bursts into flames again.
>With a quick sigh of relief, she smiles up at you all.
>”Ooookay, so I guess you’re still full of magic.”
>”You mean it didn’t work?” Rainbow asks as she steps toward the center of the room.
>”No, it definitely worked…”
>Twilight holds the device up, showing off the lights that now glow a neon pink.
>”I think Pinkie’s just so full of magic that we’ll have to drain her a couple more times.” Twilight pauses to glance around the room. “Which isn’t good; it’s already full, so I’ll need to find something to hold this magic for now…”
>”How the heck are we gonna jus’ hold magic?”
>That’s a good question.
>”I’ve got a water bottle in my locker. Can plastic hold magic?”
>That’s also a good question. Isn’t the device plastic? Or, is it metal?
>How does that thing even hold the magic anyway?
“Maybe? I don’t know how I feel about storing magic in a cheap plastic bottle, though.”
>You glance around the room as well, looking for anything that might be suitable for your needs.
>You find your interest piqued as your eyes roll over Twilight’s chemistry set.
>On a table some mere feet from where she had been sat most of the day are racks lined with glass tubes, bottles, and flasks; each glass stopped with a rubber cork.
>You snatch a small test tube off a rack and hold it out to Twilight.
“Hey, think this will work?”
>Twilight looks upon the glass tube with a scrutinizing gaze before gently taking it into her hand.
>”It should. It’s probably better than an old water bottle. Let’s try it out.”
>You, Rainbow, Pinkie, and even the others gather around Twilight as she opens the tube and holds it up to the device.
>She presses a finger into the center of the bottom half of the device’s shell, causing a small, tube-like port to pop out of the rear of the device.
>Twilight quickly shoves the port into the glass tube, and a pink, shimmering mist pours forth and into the glass.
>It swirls within the glass confines, sparkling as it moves about.
>The magic flow peters out as the tube fills. A perfect fit for the amount taken from Pinkie.
>Lifting her finger from the bottom of the device, the port quickly retracts. As fast as she can, Twilight re-plugs the tube with the rubber stopper.
>The seal holds, letting not a bit of the magic out.
>With a triumphant grin, Twilight holds the tube out, allowing you all a clear look at the magic as it dances hypnotically within the vial. 
>It glows brightly, covering you all in pink light.
>”Yes! It worked!”
“Yeah!”
>”Yay!”
>”That sure is somethin’, ain’t it?”
>”My word, it’s absolutely breathtaking. I’m, well… almost speechless.”
>”Wow… it looks so cool. Kinda reminds me of a lava lamp.”
>”It’s so pretty… it reminds me of my night light…”
>Rainbow and Applejack cringe a little as they eye Fluttershy.
>”W-what? The dark is scary…”
“Anyway, you can drain her again now, right?”
>”Yep! The storage is completely empty. Ready for round two, Pinkie?”
>”Yeah, lets do it!” She cheers. “Just try and hurry, I really do have to work soon.”
>Twilight smiles and takes a few steps back. 
>”Alright! Girls, if you could give us some space?”
>Quickly, you all shuffle up to Twilight’s side to observe her work.
>”Initiating Magic Drain test number two!”

-Several minutes later…-

>As the device is clamped shut again, the beam breaks and the loose magic returns to Pinkie’s body.
>”Test number…”
>Twilight turns to her desk to recount the small collection of filled vials you’ve amassed.
>”Nine. Test number nine complete.”
>For the ninth time, she drains the magic into the glass, stops it, and places it with the others on the table.
>Pinkie yawns and reaches to the ceiling to stretch her limbs.
“How’re you feeling now, Pinkie?”
>”I’m bored. Can I go now? My sisters are waiting in the van, and I really need to go home and get ready for work.”
>You really shouldn’t keep her much longer. Heck, the others already left to take care of their own things.
>Rarity rushed home after staring at one of the vials for almost fifteen minutes.
>Fluttershy’s off to the shelter, with Rainbow walking her.
>Applejack had to go get started on her chores.
>You should probably be getting moving, too. You don’t want to miss the second round of buses. You’ll be late for work again if you have to walk home.
>”Well…”
“Come on, she’s gotta be fine by now. How much magic can she have in her?”
>”Yeah! At this point, if I was gonna explode, I’d have to actually try!”
>”Hold on.”
>Activating the magic detection, Twilight holds it up to Pinkie to get her reading.
>*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
>Letting out a relieved sigh, Twilight turns the detector off and sets it aside on the table.
>”The levels aren’t as low as I’d hoped to get them, but they’re safer than before.”
>”Soooooo?”
>”Yes, you can go.”
>”Yes!” Shouts Pinkie.
>She rushes over and snatches both you and Twilight up in her arms and squeezing you tightly to her chest.
>Her bosom easily overtakes both yours and Twilights.
>”Thanks for making sure I don’t explode! You guys are the best ever!”
“O-ow! Don’t worry, what are friends for?!” You manage to get out.
>”Y-yeah, ow! You not exploding and possibly killing everyone is reward enough!”
>”Hah, yeah, that’d be a real bummer!” She says surprisingly cheerfully.
>Suddenly, you hear her familiar text message ring tone sound off.
https://youtu.be/3CWKYAKGhTQ
>She drops both of you to the ground, smiles, and bolts for the door.
>”That’sprobablyLimestonesoIgottagoI’llseeyouguysmondayokaybye!”
>And just like that, she’s gone in the blink of an eye.
>You and Twilight watch the door slam shut behind her before meeting each other’s gaze and sharing a short laugh.
“Well, that’s a big load off our shoulders.”
>With a smile and a nod, Twilight turns away from you. As she rests her hands on the side of the table, she stares down at the nine pink vials.
>”I have no idea how she has so much magic in her.”
“It’s crazy to think about, but… well, she IS Pinkie Pie.”
>Your best friend bursts out into a fit of giggles before scooping up the device and turning back to you.
>”So, ready for your turn?”
“Absolutely… but I have to get moving. I got work soon, just like Pinkie, and I can’t be late again.”
>”You sure? What if you have another attack?”
>You reach out to her, resting your hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll be alright. It’s just a couple of days. We’ll take care of it first thing Monday, okay?”
>”Okay… I guess if that’s what you want.” She responds worryingly.
“Don’t worry! But I really do need to get going. You got everything under control here?”
>”Oh, yes. I’m just going to put these vials somewhere safe; the lab closet will probably have to do until I get ungrounded.”
“Yeah, that should be alright. Nobody but us gets in here anyway.”
>”Well, I’m just gonna clean up a little before Shiny gets here. I’ll see you Monday, Sunset. Have a nice weekend!”
“Yeah, you too. I hope solitary confinement isn’t too rough on you.
>Twilight giggles and the two of you share a quick, short hug before you rush out the door.
>You rush through the halls towards the front doors. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about stopping by your locker since you spent all day out of class.
>Within mere moments, the front doors are in sight; your yellow school bus waiting by the road on the other side.
>Yes! Still on time!
>You burst through the doors, and…
>He bus hisses and slowly begins to roll away.
“Hey, wait!” You shout.
>You wave and reach out towards the bus, hoping anyone will notice.
“WAIT! WAAAIIIIIIIT!”
>A single chubby, grayish face turns and notices you.
>Snips.
>As the bus pulls away, he simply smiles and waves goodbye.
>You reach the side of the road too late, and the bus continues on down the road, through a green stoplight and well out of your reach.
“Oooh… Crap!”

>”…And you’re sure?”
“Yes, really. I’m holding it together, Stitches. I’m okay.”
>After a short pause, an exasperated sigh comes through the receiver.
>”Fine, fine… but if I hear about you drinking on your own like that again, I’m gonna smack you.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you hit like a girl then.”
>”I’ll beat your ass like a girl, too! And I’m not joking, Mouse. Don’t do that again! If you need someone, just let me know. I don’t care if I have to work the next day, I’ll be there for you.”
“I know, Stitches, I know. I’m sorry.”
>”No, it’s fine.  I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to convince you into that. I thought I’d be helping you, and…”
“No, no, you were just trying to help. You couldn’t have known what would happen. Besides, it was my call. I thought I was ready, and I guess I’m just… not.”
>As the words flow out of your mouth, you feel a dark, ominous feeling creeping up from the back of your mind.
>You shift in your seat as you do your best to focus your mind elsewhere.
>”Maybe you should see someo-“
“H-hey, you mind if we shift to something a little more cheery? Now’s not a good time for this.”
>”Oh. O-okay... I’m sorry, I jus-… Yeah, okay, alright. Uh… Everything looking good for your date?”
“Yeah! Yeah, I’ve got a good feeling about it. She’s real excited about it, too.”
>”Great! I’m sure you got it in the bag. I’ll be expecting a phone call in the morning with all the… juicy… details.”
“Stitches.”
>”What? When does this date start?”
“Uh…”
>A glance at your watch puts the time at 3:24.
“Soon. Maybe half an hour.”
>Now that you think about it, she just said ‘after school’ didn’t she?
>You should probably get going.
>”Oooooh. That’s a lot of time you two got set aside. Are you sure you can go for that long?”
>”Stitches.”
>”I mean, I know you can do some real work, but… that’s an awful long time. You sure you need to start that early? Make sure you spend plenty of time on the foreplay.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, given that nothing is going to happen.”
>”Not with that attitude.”
“Why are you-“
>”Hehehe…”
>You pause as a few laughing giggling girls pass by on their way to the bus.
>For a split second, you contemplate whether or not they’re laughing at you before pushing the thought aside.
>Once they’re out of earshot, you continue with a softer voice.
“Why are you so interested in what we do? I know you want me to be happy and all that, but… wait, do you have some kind of cuckold fetish or something?”
>”Oh, now you wanna know my fetishes!”
>”Oh my god, that’s it.  Get off the phone.”
>”No, fuck off, it’s your turn to drive.”
>”Get off the phone, I don’t want to hear you talking about this shit.”
>”No! Eye! EYE, I SWEAR TO GOD-“
>You hear a few heavy, meaty whacks as something on the other end shifts about.
>Oh god, not this again.
>”Ow! OW! GOD DAMN IT, PUT THE PHONE DOWN!”
>”NO!”
“Hey, you know what? I’m gonna go ahead and go…”
>”No, hold on… Argh, let go of my leg!”
>”STOP KICKING ME!”
>”NO, YOU STOP-“
>You end the call.
>Well then.
>You really hope they were parked or something…
>Suddenly, he bus’s engine roars to life as the last few stragglers board it.
>You take a brief look around at the school’s lawn from your bench.
>Not a soul left.
>Makes sense. It’s Friday, figures that everyone is rushing to get the hell out of dodge.
>Guess it’s time for you to get a move on, too. You’d hate to be late for your date.
>Celestia would probably… Well, something tells you she’d be understanding, but you shouldn’t make her wait on you.
>As you rise from your seat and head off toward the parking lot, you consider if you should have dressed nicer for this.
>No, you’re fine. Today was supposed to be casual Friday, right?
>Let’s see, Celestia was just wearing… some jeans and a button up, right?
>Unless she’s running home to change really quick.
>There’s no way you’d be able to go change and make it back on time… shit.
>No, stop worrying man. You’re just going to some diner in the mall, you don’t need to dress up for that.
>You decide to safely pack away that dread in the pack of your mind, to save it for any fancier nights out.
>Not looking forward to that, if it ever comes to that.
>You can’t stand ties. Hell, you can barely even stomach your dress uniform.
>Arriving at your vehicle, you quickly unlock the door, climb in, and start the engine.
>You know, today you could use some of your hand-picked favorites.
>You grab your aux cord, plug it into your phone, pull up your favorite playlist and hit shuffle.
https://youtu.be/ljpwi4daxGA
>Oh, hell yeah!
>You crank that shit up.
>Thank god that hangover finally passed. Which reminds you…
>You dig your ear-pro out of your pocket and return it to the glove compartment.
>You’re glad you keep that on hand. You’ll never know when you might need some.
>With that taken care of, you slide your glasses on, check your mirrors, and pull out of the lot.
>Man, you’re glad this is finally happening.
>Even though you just agreed to this, what, yesterday? It feels like it’s been a long time coming.
>Months, even.
>You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little giddy.
>That’s probably an overstatement for Celestia. Well, hopefully it is.
>You just hope everything goes well, and that you don’t run out of conversation topics and just end up sitting there awkwardly.
>You come to the intersection and, once the way is clear, turn onto the road directly in front of the school.
>As the last bus of the day begins to make its way down the road, a fiery-haired girl rushes out from the school’s doors.
>Though you can’t hear her words over the music, it’s not hard to guess what they are as Sunset waves and flails her arms at the bus.
>The bus, however, fails to stop.
>It continues on through the upcoming intersection as she makes it to the side of the road. 
>Though you can’t hear her words, she clearly shouts out and balls her fists in frustration.
>After a moment, her shoulders slump and her fingers fall loose from her fists. She takes a single glance back towards the school before sluggishly stepping off down the sidewalk.
>Damn, that sucks. Wonder how far she lives from here.
>Hopefully it won’t take too long for her.
>Just as you go to step on the gas, a thought catches your attention.
>Sugarcoat. 
>She was walking home when she was initially attacked…
>And although the circumstances were different, Twilight was assaulted as well…
>Unlike some crazy feminists, you know better to think that there’s sexual predators lurking around every corner, but still.
>The thought of something like that happening to her here because you sped off and left her…
>Well, you don’t want that grief on your mind. Better safe than sorry.
>Your brakes squeal as you pull up next to her. The noise catches her attention and she turns toward you.
>You quickly turn down the radio before reaching across the passenger seat to throw the passenger door open.
“Hey, you need a ride?”
>She stares at you in confusion for a moment before a big smile bursts onto her face.
>”Yes! Yes, thank you so much Anon!” She exclaims as she rushes over to your car.
>Huh.
>You’re a little surprised at how happy she is. You also figured she would be a little more hesitant.
>Guess she just trusts you that much?
>Beaming a bright smile at you, she quickly climbs into the passenger seat and buckles up.
>”Oh gosh, thank you so much! I thought I was gonna be late for work!”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It wouldn’t have felt right to just leave you like that. Where you headed?”
>”882 Brightstone Boulevard.”
>Oh, you know where that is. That’s not that far at all.
 “But, um…”
>”What is it?”
>”So… I actually just need to stop there to get my uniform. I really hate to ask, but would mind taking me to work?”
>Though she looks to you with hope in her eyes, you can tell she expects you to say no.
>Well, you’ve already offered her the ride. Might as well take her the full way.
>You put your foot on the gas and head off down the city streets.
“Yeah sure, where we going?”
>”Just the mall. I hope it’s not too far for you…”
“What a coinky-dink, I’m actually- wait, where in the mall?”
>Please don’t say Sweet Snacks, please don’t say Sweet Snacks, please don’t say Swee-
>”Oh, at Canterlot Sushi by the mall’s central plaza.”
>Oh, thank Christ.
“Oh, cool.”
>”Yeah, you should come by some time. I’ll give you my employee discount!”
“Hm, that’s real tempting Sunset, but I’m not a fan of fish.”
>”O-oh. That’s too bad, it’s pretty good…”
>She quiets down for a while as she stares out the window, watching the neighborhood fly by.
>After a while, you notice her subtly nodding her head to the beat of the drums.
>Just as you contemplate asking about her taste in music, she turns back to you.
>”Who is this?”
“Def Leppard. The song is Pour Some Sugar On Me.”
>”Huh. I like it! It’s pretty different than what I normally hear on the radio.”
“What do you normally listen to on the radio?”
>”Mostly pop or alternative stuff. Pinkie normally just plays some Katy Perry or Lady Gaga.”
>Yeah, you suppose that’s more or less what you’d expect from her.
“Figures. I mostly like the older stuff. Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest.”
>”Judas Priest? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.”
“They’re a little… Well, it’s hard to describe, but they’re definitely one of my favorites.”
>”Cool, can we listen to some of them? Are they like that other band you were listening to yesterday?”
>You crack a grin at her query.
>Oh, you sweet summer child.
“I wouldn’t say that. We’ll start off with something a little slow.”

-----------

https://youtu.be/_4javSsseS8
>As the scenery of the suburbs passes you by, Sunset lightly bounces in her seat, tapping her fingers against her exposed legs to the beat of music.
>”Wow, these guys are pretty cool. I definitely see why you like them! I’m gonna have to look up some more of their stuff later.”
>Heh. You wonder what she’ll think of their newer stuff.
>You’re glad to see that she seems to be enjoying the album so far, but…
>Sunset’s skirt seems awfully short…
>You thought Japanese robes, what are those things, kimonos? Aren’t they supposed to cover everything?
>You guess it’s not the worst thing you’ve seen on a teenage girl, but you’re kind of surprised Sunset doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.
>You’re really glad you stopped to help her though.
>You doubt she planned to walk to the mall in that get-up, but still.
“So, uh… parents at work or something?”
>She perks up at the sound of your voice, turning to you and lowering the volume.
>”Huh? Oh, no I’m on my own.”
“You’re on your own? What do you mean?”
>A look of discomfort and shame spreads across her face as she turns back to the window.
>”My parents are… Well, they live really far away. It’s kind of rocky between us.”
“Wait, so you live on your own?”
>”Yep.”
>You throw a few quick glances at her before putting your eyes back on the road.
>She turns to face forward, but still refuses to meet your eyes.
“How do you get by? I mean, with the bills and food?”
>”It’s hard. I try to do the best I can. I pinch pennies where I can; I get school lunches for free for being ‘economically challenged’, so I normally try to fill up there. Work pays well enough, despite being part time. I guess being able to prepare sushi well is an appreciated skill. That, and…”
>She lets out a weak laugh as she pinches the hem of her short between her fingers, unintentionally revealing an extra inch of bare thigh beneath the cloth.
>You redouble your focus on the road.
>”Heh, well, Rarity wasn’t lying when she said a shorter skirt would help bring in the tips. I don’t like wearing it, but I can’t deny that it works. I just can’t stand all the ogling and constantly getting hit on, though.”
>Oh. Oooooohh. That makes sense.
>Man, Sunset seems like a surprisingly wholesome girl.
“You get that a lot?”
>”At least a couple times a week. But it’s not that bad. The tips help out a lot.”
“It’s a little sad how much money a grown man will throw at a girl just for being pretty. But hey, I know how it is. I’ve been through that stuff before.”
>Finally, she slowly looks over to you again.
>Out of the corner of your eye, you spy the mild confusion and discomfort painted on her face.
>”You’ve worn extra revealing clothes at work to help you get by?”
“What? No, no! I mean I’ve been in your shoes before; alone, still in school, just trying to make it by.”
>”You have?”
“Oh, yeah. When I was about your age, my dad left. I was on my own, for the most part.”
>”Wow… Why did he leave? What happened? O-oh, I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to-“
“He was stationed here for a few years at Fort Determination. You know, the military base a few miles out of town?”
>”Oh, yeah, yeah.” She replies, her interested piqued as she leans in toward you.
“Well, the short of it is, his time here was up, and he was headed for Germaneigh next. I didn’t want to go, so I didn’t.”
>”That’s it? You didn’t want to go, so you just didn’t?”
“Well, there’s more to it than that. I was tired of moving around every other year. I had met Redheart and Cheerilee some time before that, and I didn’t want to leave them to go someplace else and start over again. I told him I wasn’t going, we had a huge fight… and, when the time came, he left.”
>”He just up and left you?”
“He had his orders. He left me money, enough to get started on my own, but that was that.”
>Checking your mirrors and finding the road free, you shift into the turn lane and prepare to pull into the mall’s parking lot.
>”But, you’re his son! He shouldn’t have just left you like that!”
“He didn’t really have a choice, Sunset. Once you sign that contract, Uncle Sam doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I certainly didn’t make it easy on him. But enough about me. What about you?”
>As you pull into the lot, her interest turns to shame once again. She pulls away from you, pressing herself against the door.
>”I… I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve talked to my parents. It’s been years.”
>Hold on, what?
“You’ve been living on your own for years? Even as a minor?”
>”Well, yeah.”
“Like, alone alone? By yourself, with no one taking care of you?”
>She somehow pulls even further away, gazing out at the packed parking lot as you cruise through.
>”I had a… guardian, for some time. She was one of the best things that ever happened to me, but after a while, I threw everything she gave me into her face. After that, I was on my own for years. I only just got my apartment not that long ago. Before that, I was sleeping on gym mats in the weight room.”
>Holy Jesus.
>And you thought you had it rough. At least you always had a bed for your bitch ass to crawl in to.
>Look’s like you might be making a phone call about some shitty parents here in a bit.
>Spotting an open parking space relatively close to an entrance, you quickly swing into it and park.
“Sunset, did you run away or were you abandoned?”
>”Um…both?” She shrugs as she unbuckles her seatbelt.
>She pulls down the sun visor and opens the mirror to double-check her hair.
“Uh…Huh… And, who are your parents?”
>”Oh, they’re… Well, they’re just some snobby nobles. It doesn’t matter.”
>Nobles? That’s a strange way to phrase it.
>Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she closes the visor and turns toward you as she reaches for the door handle.
>She stops upon noticing your stern expression and seemingly remembering your role in society.
>”Oh. Oh, you don’t need to look into it, Anon.”
“Sunset, if your parents just abandoned you-”
>”Really, it’s fine. As hard as things can be sometimes, I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I’ve got my friends, my own place…”
>She pauses as she opens the door and climbs out of the car.
>You quickly follow her out and join her by her side as she hastily makes her way towards the mall.
>”And even if things get really rough, I have friends that I can turn to. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna even offered to help me multiple times after they learned about my situation; food, money, a place to stay… If I need help, there are people I can turn to.”
>Huh. Celestia and Luna are looking after her?
>You knew they cared about their students, at least, you knew Celestia did, but that’s pretty admirable of them.
>It’s also almost assuredly against a policy, rule, or regulation of some kind.
“Still…”
>”Come on, Anon.” She says, giving you a friendly elbow. “You just got done telling me you went through almost the same thing, and you turned out great!”
>Yeah, great. You turned out just great.
>Everything after dad left was just fantastic.
>As you step off of the pavement and onto the sidewalk lining the outside of the building, she stops and turns to you, smiling.
>“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. But… thanks for caring; and thanks a lot for the ride! I might have been in trouble if I had to walk again!”
>Trouble. Yeah, she might have been.
“Don’t worry about it, Sunset. Any time.”
>”Don’t tempt me, I might start relying on you! Anyway, I gotta get to work. I’ll see you Monday!”
>She cheerfully waves goodbye before turning away and heading towards the doors of the busy mall.
>As she pulls open the first set of glass doors, she smiles at you once more before stepping inside.
“Hey, wait!” You call out as you swiftly follow her inside.
>”What is it?” She asks, stepping to the side of the doors.
>Oh, you really shouldn’t do this.
“You got a ride home, right?”
>This could really be taken the wrong way.
>But Sunset would know better, right?
>”Yeah, I normally get a ride from Pinkie. Why?”
“Normally?”
>”Well, sometimes we don’t work the same hours, so I’ll walk home…” She says with a shrug.
>Better safe than sorry. Right?
>It’ll be fine. Just don’t initiate any conversations. Keep screen shots from the texts, record calls…
“Alright, uh… Well, don’t get the wrong idea, but…”
>You quickly pull out your notebook and jot down your number on a sheet. 
>With one quick yank, the sheet tears neatly from the binder, and you hand the paper to Sunset.
“In case you ever need a ride. Or your friends. Or, hell, anyone from school I guess.”
>She takes the paper in her hand and stares down at it, somewhat dumbfounded.
>”Oh, like I said Anon, you really don’t need to worry about me. A little bit of walking isn’t going to hurt me.” She says, half-smiling as she tries to return the sheet.
>You refuse, firmly but gently pushing her hand back towards her.
“No, I mean… Alright, look. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be walking home alone. Or at all. I mean, with what happened to Sugarcoat…”
>Sunset immediately drops her smile, her eyes widening as she realizes just what you’re getting at.
>Her jaw slackens ever so slightly as she looks down at the sheet again.
>”I… Oh my gosh…”
“I just think it’s a bad idea to put yourself in that situation. So… I don’t know, keep my number or trash it if you want, but at least keep your eyes open when you’re walking home. Call the police if you need to. Just let them know that you don’t feel safe walking home alone, and they should have someone head your way.”
>She briefly glances up at you, allowing you a glimpse of the overwhelming concern in her eyes.
>She quickly reaches into her robe and retrieves her phone, and wastes no time putting your contact information into it.
>”I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that, oh my gosh, what am I thinking?!”
>She rapidly taps away at her screen, and in no time at all, locks and returns her phone to her robe.
>Balling the paper up in one hand, she steps away to toss it into a trash can before rushing back to you for a hug.
>It catches you by surprise and makes you very uneasy.
>Anyone who knew the two of you and witnessed this might get the wrong idea.
>Luckily for you, Sunset’s embrace only lasts a brief moment before she pulls away, shining an appreciative smile at you.
>”Thank you so much, Anon. I hadn’t even thought about it, but you’re right… And, I can give your number to the others? You know, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” You say with a nod. “Just, well, try and save it for emergencies. I’m not gonna be your taxi cab, you know?”
>”Yeah, of course! I wouldn’t dream of using this like that. I’ll be sure to spread it around, in case one of us gets in a jam.”
>Suddenly, she whips her head around, staring through the second set of glass doors and into the mall crowded ways.
>”Oh, I really gotta go! But thank you so much, Anon, I won’t forget it!”
>Without waiting for a response, she runs off through the doors, her sandals clapping against her feet as she goes.
>You watch her go for a moment before she disappears into the crowds inside.
“Yeah. No problem.” You mutter to yourself.
>Hopefully she’s just late and not desperately trying to flee from who she thinks might be some kind of predator.
>Doing your best to ignore the thoughts telling you that you really shouldn’t have done that, you step back out the doors.
>Just as you go to step back out into the lot, a strange structure jutting out of the mall catches your attention from the corner of your eye.
>You turn and lay your eyes on what appears to be an old school, vintage diner.
>At least, that’s the vibe your getting from the big ass car on its roof. 
>You’re no expert on these things. Regardless, you’re certain that that’s gotta be Sweet Snacks Café.
>With one quick, deep breath, you begin to make your way over to the Café.
>Man, you really hope you beat Celestia here. It wouldn’t do to keep her waiting on you.

>As you pass by the Café’s windows, you peer inside to look for any sign of her.
>The place is fairly busy; only a few booths and seats are available.
>And thankfully, no sign of Celestia. You’d recognize her head of hair anywhere.
>That’s a relief. Guess you’ll go ahead and grab the two of you a spot.
>As you swing open the door, your arrival is announced with the sound of bells chiming.
>Immediately, the pink-skinned woman behind the counter whips around and greets you with a bright smile.
>”Hi, welcome to Sweet Snacks Café! Feel free to take a seat, I’ll be right with you!”
>She immediately turns back around and resumes her task of filling glasses for her customers.
>A few nearby customers throw a quick glance your way. Their eyes linger only momentarily returning to their food and conversations.
>Looking around at your choice of seating, you see plenty of stools available at the counter.
>You’ve never considered it a great place to sit, though. Can’t stand having your back to half of a restaurant or bar.
>There’s a nice, clean booth with a window just a few feet away, right next to the door.
>Yeah, that’ll do.
>”Mommy, can we go to Toy-Land? I want a new toy!”
>”WAAAAAAH! But I don’t want to go to the dentist’s office!”
>”MOOOOOOOOM! Blossom won’t stop kicking me!”
>”Am not!”
>”Are too!”
>”Blossom, stop kicking your brother! Stargazer, maybe, but only if you BEHAVE! And I’m sorry, Sweet Tooth, I know it’s scary, but you need bracers!”
>”But mooooooom!” The three children whine simultaneously before continuing their bickering and complaining.
>Yeesh. Nope.
>Only thing worse than sitting next to kids like that in a restaurant is sitting next to them on a plane.
>Never again.
>Desperate to get out of the doorway before you start looking like some kind of nutjob, you quickly glance around one more time.
>Thankfully, you notice one more open booth on the far side of the restaurant, right next to a vibrant and colorfully lit jukebox.
>And no kids in the neighboring seats, just some friendly looking old folk.
>Winner, winner.
>You quickly move to the booth and take your seat, making sure to face the door.
>Great, that takes care of that.
>And now, you suppose you just wait.
>…
>You know what, you should go ahead and let her know you’re inside. So she doesn’t end up standing outside waiting for you or something.
>As you dip your hand into your pocket, a womanly figure in an apron slides in to the corner of your vision.
>You look up to find the woman that greeted you standing over you, smiling down on you.
>”Hey there, sorry about that. I’m Sunny Sugarsocks.” She slides a laminated copy of the Café’s menu onto the table in front of you. “Feel free to take your time looking this over; just holler when you’re ready.”
>Deftly, she pulls a notepad and pencil from her apron, looking upon you expectantly as she prepares to write.
>“Can I get you something to drink in the meantime, hon?” 
“Oh, sure, uh…”
>You quickly flip over the menu and look for their drinks section.
>Bepsi, Hill Condensation, Surgeon Spice, Sun Explosion…
>Eh, some orange soda sounds nice.
“I’ll take a Sun Explosion.”
>”Alrighty then! Just one minute…”
>She takes a few steps away before stopping and quickly sliding back over to your side.
>”Are you expecting someone else?”
>As you meet her eyes, a small feeling of worry begins to creep in from the back of your mind. 
>As ridiculous as it seems, you half expect her to tell you that you’ve been stood up.
“Y-yes?”
>Her grin noticeably grows.
>”Ah, I knew it! We’re pretty popular with the love birds. Would you believe I had my first date with my husband here?”
>She extends her left hand, giving you a good view of a silver ring and its sizable diamond.
“Oh. You don’t say.”
>”Yeah. Those were the days…” She trails off as she stares dreamily out the window. “Anyways, I’ll grab you another menu with your drink.”
>She puts away her notepad and slides her pencil in between her ear and a lock of her chilly cyan hair before returning to her place behind the counter.
>Before she comes back, you quickly pull up Celestia’s number from your contact list and shoot her a quick text.
>(You)Hey, went ahead and grabbed us a table. See you soon.
>Sent.
>Alright, now we just play the waiting ga-
>(Celestia) :) 
>Just as her message appears on your screen, the door’s bells chime again.
>You look up to find Celestia standing in the doorway, looking just the same as before.
>She scans the Café, looking for any sign of you.
>As her eyes fall on you, a joyful smile spreads across her face. As she steps forward, she holds up her phone, your message clearly visible on her screen.
>”Hey, welcome to Sweet Snacks Café! I’ll be right with you to get your drink!”
>As Celestia makes your way to you, you notice Sunny smirking your way. You meet her eyes and she simply nods proudly.
>You can’t tell for sure, but you think she’s trying to tell you ‘nice catch’.
>You turn your eyes back to your date, giving her you brightest and friendliest smile as she slips into the seat across from you.
>”I’m so sorry bout the wait, Anon. Luna and I had some last minute business to take care of.”
“Hey, it’s no problem. Everything okay?”
>”Oh, yes, don’t worry.” She says with a nod. “Just a phone call regarding funds for the field trip at the end of the year. Please tell me you weren’t waiting here for long.”
>”He just got here himself, don’t you worry.” Mrs. Sugarsocks suddenly interjects as she places your drink in front of you. “Nice to see you in here again, by the way. You ditch your sister for this one?”
>”Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Celestia replies bashfully. “Though, she did really want to come.”
>Sunny shakes her head and clicks her tongue in disapproval.
>”Hah, yeah. A third wheel would make it awkward, especially with that sister of yours. Anyways, what can I get you?” She asks, handing Celestia her menu.
>”The usual.” She replies, skipping straight to the foods of the menu.
>”A special sweet tea, just for you. Should I come back in a bit, or are you two ready now?”
>Sweet tea? You thought that was just a southern thing.
>”Hmm… I’ll take the Cyclops with fries on the side. Hold the onions, please.”
>The Cyclops? What the hell is th-
>”Got it. What about you, hon?” Sunny asks, her pencil and pad ready.
>Oh, right, the menu.
>Cyclops, Cyclops… Oh, here it is.
>’A beef patty with bacon, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and topped off with an egg over easy on a buttered, seedless bun.’
>An egg? On a bacon cheeseburger?
>Mother of god, that sounds delicious. Why didn’t you know this was a thing?
“I’ll take the same but hold all of the veggies.”
>Plants are for herbivores, nature’s vegetarians.
>You eat nature’s vegetarians.
>”Gotcha. Look at you two, already on the same page.” Sunny says with a grin as she takes the menus. “I’ll have this out to you in a jiffy. You two enjoy each other!”
>As Sunny leaves the two of you alone, you find yourself smiling as your eyes fall back on Celestia.
“So, you a regular here?”
>”You could say that. They’ve got the best desserts in town; well… okay, they’re tied with Sugarcube Corner, but Sweet Snacks does lunch and dinner on top of desserts and sweets.”
“In that case, I’m glad we came here instead of Sugarcube Corner; I mean, nothing but ice cream and cake doesn’t make much for dinner, you know?”
>Celestia breaks eye contact, letting out an awkward laugh as she watches Sunny pour her drink.
>”H-ha, haha, yeah! As great as it is, you can’t eat ice cream, cake, and candy every meal of the day. Right?”
>Well, that’s totally not transparent at all.
>Look’s like Raven was right, though.
>You wonder what else she knows.
>”It’s been a while since we’ve been here; a month or two, maybe.”
>You lean forward and sip on your soda, listening intently.
>”You know, at first Sunny thought we were lesbians.”
>You choke back a sudden laugh as best you can, barely keeping from spitting your drink out onto the table.
>Celestia grins widely as she cradles her head in her hand.
>”Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny, too. Sunny told us how nice it was to see a couple like us in here. Apparently, they get the odd older gay couple, but never lesbians around our age. Luna didn’t think it was that amusing, though…”
>As suppress your laughter, you manage to gulp down the rest of the liquid in your mouth and clear your throat before speaking.
“I guess I can understand that. You two do look pretty different. Like day and night, really.”
>”Just like our parents. I think she’s a little jealous that she took after father instead of mother.”
>Just as you begin to imagine what Celestia’s and Luna’s father looks like, Sunny suddenly appears at your side once more with your date’s drink.
>”Here’s your tea, sweetie. Food shouldn’t be too long, either.” She says as she places the tea in front of Celestia.
>”Thank you. I can’t wait to get my hands on that burger!”
>”Oh, I bet. Let me know if there’s anything else I can get you two.”
>Without waiting for a reply, she turns and heads back to the counter, but not before giving you a subtle wink.
>You’ve never had a random stranger cheer you on in your romantic pursuits before.
>It’s kind of weirding you out.
>Oh! Since you’re already sort of talking about Luna, maybe now would be a good time to ask her that question.
“Hey, so the other day, Luna told me something kind of strange.”
>Celestia leans forward and pulls her straw up to her lips. Her eyes linger on yours, clearly listening intently as she takes a long sip of her beverage.
“After that thing with Bulk, she told me that you were right about me. What’s the story with that?”
>She gulps down her drink and rests against the back of her seat, contemplating her words.
>”Oh. Well, you see… How do I put this? Surely, it was obvious to you that Luna did not care for you during your most… defining times at Canterlot High.”
“Well, yeah. Hardly any of the staff liked me after I started acting up.”
>”That’s… well, I wouldn’t necessarily agree with you, but your not entirely wrong either. But Luna was particularly annoyed with your antics. So much so that she approached me multiple times trying to get you suspended or expelled.”
>Well, you did target her quite a bit.
>You’re still surprised you didn’t kicked out.
>Celestia lets out a quiet sigh as her eyes drift throughout the restaurant.
>”I understood her reasonings. Truthfully, I probably should have suspended or expelled you, or taken any action other than some time in detention and a slap on the wrist. But I spoke to your teachers about your behavior, and they all said the same thing; that you had been a model student until you started acting up. You were always on time, polite, quiet, and well-behaved. You always did your work and received above-average grades. There wasn’t even a hint of back talk from you. Then, suddenly Luna’s car is wrapped in plastic and covered in glitter.”
“So why didn’t you give me the boot?”
>Celestia stares down into her drink as a brief smile crosses her face. She loosely wraps her hand around the glass, tapping her index and middle fingernails against its surface.
>”Aside from the fact that I thought many of your shenanigans were hilarious? I believed that you were still a good student, a good person, and I told Luna that time and time again. Even after it became apparent that it was you stirring up trouble, you still but a good amount of effort into your school work. You were still trying and most of your pranks were harmless, so I decided that I wasn’t going to cast you aside. That didn’t stop me from wondering what caused your sudden shift in behavior, and that quickly became apparent as things… escalated.”
>Celestia shudders as she seems to recall the events of your school days.
>”After the… brownie incident, I had decided that enough was enough. By that point, your grades had been slipping for some time and I couldn’t just stand by and let something so… disgusting and malicious slide by; I had to put my foot down.”
“Wait, I thought Granny Smith took the blame for that? How did you know it was me?”
>”Everything else that went wrong had your fingerprints all over it. Why would we not suspect you for that? Besides, Ms. Smith may be strange and a little too far gone, but even she isn’t crazy enough to accidentally poison lunch with laxatives.” Celestia pauses to shoot you a fierce glare. “By the way, you should thank your lucky stars that Luna and I went out for lunch that day.”
>Yeah, that, uh… that probably would have soured things between the two of you a bit.
>”Just as I finished filling out the papers for your expulsion, I received a call from your father. He explained to me that he’d be leaving shortly, and that you had simply refused to join him. That you decided to stay and finish out your senior year, so that you could be here with your friends. I had suspected some trouble at home might have been the root for all of this, among other things, but I didn’t think it was something quite like what he said. I didn’t mention to him what had happened that day.  After the call was over, I decided to shred your expulsion papers.”
>Wow. All this time you thought you had gotten away clean, but you were inches away from the chopping block.
“You were that close to expelling me and you just stopped? Why bother?”
>”Because I knew that if I had you expelled, one of two things would happen. One, your father would have forced you to go away with him, and I didn’t want that. Despite regularly being a nuisance to those around you, it was clear that you were much happier than when you were well-behaved. I didn’t want to separate you from Miss Cheerilee and Miss Redheart. Two, if I had expelled you expelled and you stayed here, I feared your future would have taken a turn for the worse. Things were already beginning to look bad around the city, and I didn’t want any of my students, no matter how much trouble they were, falling in with some gang. I decided to let you stay; there was only a few months left before graduation anyways. And look how things turned out; the rest of the year was fairly quiet and you managed to pull yourself together enough to make the walk with your friends!”
“Wow. I… I had no idea. This whole time, I thought you were clueless. I never thought I was that close to getting expelled either…”
>As you look upon Celestia’s warm, soft features, a sudden wave of shame and regret washes over you.
“Celestia, I’m real sorry for all the trouble. I never should have-“
>”Ah!” She interrupts, waggling her index finger at you. “I don’t want to hear it, Anon. It’s all in the past, and you’re a better person now. I never held a grudge against you, and I forgot all about what happened the second you stepped into my office Monday morning. You don’t need to worry about it.” 
>It’s hard to say where you would have ended up had you been expelled.
>Regardless, you can’t help but feel you are where you are now because of Celestia’s mercy.
> This woman… This woman is a saint.
“Well, fine… but at least let me say this; thank you very much.” You say with a most sincere smile.
>She smiles warmly back as she toys with a lock of her hair.
>”You are very welcome, Anon. But please, let’s not dwell on the past. I was wondering, how are you enjoying being back in the school? Recent chaotic events aside, of course.”
“Well, it’s been-“
>”ORDER UP!”
>You snap your head towards the source of the shout.
>Behind the counter and through the open window to the kitchen, you see a figure dash by in the Café’s uniform.
>Your stomach lets out a hungry growl as your mouth begins to water in preparation for your meal.
>Well, what is hopefully your meal.
>”Oh, I think that might be us.”
“Yeah, I hope so. I’m starving.”
>Suddenly, the kitchen’s swinging doors burst open as the figure skates through the restaurant, two plates balanced in her hands.
>Effortlessly, she glides over the floor and to your table, where she stops and looks to the two of you with a wide, bright smile.

>”Let’s see, I’ve got a number two with extra sauce and a number four, no cheese or tomatoes.”
>Without pause, she slides the plates onto the table in front of you.
>”Everything look okay?”
>”Um…”
>With barely a passing glance at the pulled pork sandwich in front of you, you look back up to the new, violet-haired waitress.
“Ma’am, I think you got our order wrong. We had two cyclopes.”
>”Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry! Don’t worry, your order should be coming right up.” She says reassuringly as she scoops the two plates back up.
>Sunny seems to notice the mix-up and calls out to the mistaken waitress.
>”Fizzy, that order is for table eight!” 
>”Yeah, I got it now!” She calls back as she skates a few tables down. “Work on your handwriting, that eight looked like a six!”
>Your stomach groans again, this time in disappointment. 
>Celestia chuckles at its call.
>”My, you really are hungry, aren’t you?”
“It definitely sounds like it. I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was. But, uh, to get back to your other question, it’s been a ride. I didn’t expect to see any old friends still here. Meeting up with Redheart and Cheerilee again has been a little crazy.”
>”Crazy?” She asks as she toys with her straw.
>You take a quick sip of your drink before reclining back against the booth’s cushioning.
“Just sorting out some old issues. Last time we were together, some stuff happened and, well… I don’t really wanna get into it.”
>”Oh. I had no idea; I’m so sorry. If I had known that, I might’ve spoken to them about your arrival, or given you some warning that they worked at the school.”
“Oh, it’s fine. We’ve talked with each other a little throughout the week. We actually got everything cleared up this morning after our, um… talk.”
>You half expect her to immediately attempt to change the subject, but instead she just sits there, that same warm smile on her face.
>”Well, that’s fantastic. So many people drift away from their friends after school. I’m glad to know you’ve reconnected with them.”
“You know, it’s crazy. I never expected to run into them again here. At least, definitely not Redheart. Was pretty sure she wanted to be the real deal, not some high school nurse.”
>”Yes, well, um… No offense to her, but she does typically seem less than enthusiastic about her work; we’ve found her asleep in her office multiple times. Maybe she lost her drive somewhere along the way and just decided to settle?”
“Maybe. Maybe. Is the sleeping really a problem? I mean, what if she’s got nothing else to do?”
>You know, now that you think about it… how much does Redheart really have to do anyway?
>How much is she getting paid to just chill in her office all day on the off chance that someone gets sick?
>It kind of just seems like a big waste of money.
>”Even if all of her duties are taken care of, sleeping on the job still reflects poorly  on her. She needs to be ready and alert in case she’s needed. What if a security guard just slept at his post all night? What if you just slept in your office all day?”
>Oh shit. Act natural!
“Oh. Yeah. Sleeping in my office. That’s, uh… that’s bad. I certainly wouldn’t do that. No, ma’am.”
>”Anon…” She says, narrowing her eyes at you, “Is there something you’d like to confess?”
“…It gets boring, okay? I walked around the school like forty times today. I don’t have much to actually do.”
>”Hehe, it’s fine. You don’t actually answer to me anyways. How about I try and see if I can find some way to keep you busy? I’m sure I could use you in my office… Would you like that?”
>She playfully bats her eyelashes at you, throwing you off guard.
“U-um… maybe we should finish the first date before we get to talking about that…”
>She muffles her laugh before reaching across the table and resting her fingers atop your hand.
>”I’m sorry, I’m only joking! You don’t mind a little bit of playful flirting, do you?”
“Oh. Oh, no, it’s fine! I guess I’m just, you know, still pretty out of the game.”
>It’s also strange to see your old Principal so openly flirting with you.
>Strange, but… titillating.
>”Hmm. Well, I’ll see what I can do about that; your boredom, as well. How would you feel about assisting one of the teachers in their classes?”
>You? Teaching?
>HA!
“I don’t think I’d be much help in a classroom. I’d probably be more of a distraction, if anything.”
>”Are you sure? I’m certain Ms. Harshwhinny wouldn’t mind you hanging around for a few classes. You’d even get to brush up on some classic literature.”
>Huh. Maybe you should start reading again. Start exercising your mind along with your body.
“Yeah, I don’t know…”
>”Oh! How about gym! I just know the Coaches would love to have a hand.”
>Gym? That’s a little better.
“That definitely seems a little more my speed.”
>”So you’re interested?”
“Well…”
>Suddenly, you realize that Celestia touching your hand.
>As you gaze down at her hand, she suddenly comes to the same realization and yanks her hand away with a blush.
>”Oh, um. Sorry.”  
>”ORDER UP!”
>”I GOT IT!”
>Wait…
>You recognize that voice.
>You twist back around to the kitchen window just in time to see a curly, rosy pink bush of hair fly by.
>No. No, no, no, no, no.
>”Oh, finally! That must be us. Wait a minute; that voice… was that-“
>The doors to the kitchen fly open, slamming against the walls before swinging closed again.
>”Whoopsie!”
>They calmly swing open again and Pinkie Pie, dressed up in the Café’s cutesy uniform, confidently skates out and over to your table.
>She looks both of you in the eyes as she comes to a stop and gives you a wide, toothy smile.
>”Hi! Two cyclopes, right?”
>You give Celestia a questioning glance, but she looks just as surprised as you do.
“Uh… yeah.”
>”Great!” She exclaims as she slides the two plates in front of you.
>You glance to your food, then to Celestia, who simply shrugs before taking a bite out of a fry.
>”Everything look and taste okay?”
>”Mmm! Oh, I missed these fries!”
>Celestia quickly fills her mouth with a small handful of fries.
>Before you dig in, you turn to have a short word with Pinkie.
“So, uh, Pinkie. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
>”Huh?”
>”Ohh, yesh, I-“
>Celestia pauses to swallow her mouth of food. Somewhat embarrassed by her poor manners, she smiles awkwardly before continuing.
>”Ehehe… excuse me. Pinkie, I didn’t know you worked here. When did you start?”
>”Work here? Uh…”
>Pinkie looks back and forth between you and Celestia several times before staring straight ahead in thought.
>”Is this supposed to happen today? I could’ve sworn that this was supposed to be… Wait, what timeline is this?”
>Timeline?
>As she stands there, lost in her own head and muttering to herself, you notice her eyes slowly begin to drift apart.
>It’s almost as if one eye is watching you, with the other on Celestia.
>It’s extremely unsettling.
>After several seconds of silence, she suddenly finds herself, her eyes realigning as she lets out an extremely loud and audible gasp.
>”ANON!? PRINCIPAL CELESTIA?! ARE YOU GUYS ON A DATE?!”
>Oh, no.
>The entirety of the Café’s inhabitants turns in your direction, their interest piqued by Pinkie’s outburst.
 >Feeling their eyes press down on you, you shift uncomfortably in your seat. Celestia seems to share your plight.
>”Pinkie, dear, please try to keep it down.”
>”Oops. Sorry!” Pinkie leans in on the table, eagerly meeting yours and Celestia’s gazes before whispering out. “Are you guys on a date?”
“Uh… Well…”
>Shit, what do you say?
>You don’t want to give Celestia the wrong impression, but you’d really rather this stay under wraps.
>No doubt it’d be bad if word of your date got out to the students.
“We’re not really-“
>“Pinkie.”
>With an unnaturally snappy jerk, Pinkie turns to Celestia.
>”Yeah, Principal Celestia?”
>”Officer Anon and I are just… enjoying each other’s company.”
>”On a date?”
>”We’re just talking. You know, catching up.”
>”Right. Talking. On a date?”
>”A friendly dinner to get to know each other as co-workers.”
>”So a friendly dinner date?”
>”I…” Celestia lets out a tired sigh, signifying her throwing in the towel. “Yes, Pinkie. Anon and I are on a date.”
>Pinkie once again lets out an extremely loud gasp before dancing in place and squeeing giddily.
>”EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Ohmygosh, that’s like soooo cute! And I didn’t even have to force you two together like the last few couples!”
“Wait, what? What do you mean by that?”
>”Oh, don’t worry about that. Golly, I can’t wait to tell literally every single person I know about this! Like Sunset, and Applejack, and Twilight-“
>”Pinkie.”
>”-And Dashie, and Nurse Redheart, and Ms. Cheerilee, and Mr. Doodle-“
>”Pinkie.”
>”And Rarity, and…” Her words slow as her enthusiasm seems to falter. “And Fluttershy…”
>”Ms. Pie!” 
>At the sound of Celestia’s authoritative tone, Pinkie snaps back to attention.
>”What’s up, Principal Celestia?”
>”While I’m glad that you think we’re… cute, I’m sure I speak for both of us when I ask that you not spread this around. What we do together, be it as friends or otherwise, is our private life. I’d very much prefer not to have what I do on my own time be the topic of high school gossip. Understand?”
>Pinkie slumps her shoulders, once again seeming to take a hit to her enthusiasm.
>”Aww. Are you sure? So many people would be so happy for you!”
“She’s right, Pinkie. I’m a pretty private guy, and I’d hate to have everyone sticking their noses into my love live. I’d really appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.”
>”Besides, this is our first date. We’re still just feeling things out.”
>”Well… Okay, I won’t tell anyone…”
“Promise?”
>”I Pinkie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
>She reaches behind her and, from out of nowhere, pulls out a cupcake which she promptly shoves into her left eye.
>She then smiles proudly, as if whatever that was is something to be proud of.
>”Pinkie? Please don’t bother the customers! The dancing and singing was fun last time, but I really don’t want another mess on our hands!” Sunny shouts out.
>”Okay Mrs. Sugarsocks!” Pinkie shouts back before looking back to you. “I guess she wants me to get back to work, but… OOH! I know! I’ll get you something special!” She shouts excitedly before skating off back to the kitchen.
>Celestia reaches out in an attempt to recapture her rather limited attention.
>”No, Pinkie, that’s…”
>But she’s already gone.
>Your date’s hand flops down to the table. She stares at the kitchen doors for a few moments, her concern apparent, before turning back to her plate and shoving another fry into her mouth.
“…Just when I thought I was getting used to her, she shoves a cupcake in her face.”
>”I know it seems weird, but she takes her Pinkie promises very seriously. We won’t have to worry about her telling anyone.”
>Seems more than a little overly dramatic, but you’ll take her word for it.
“That’s a relief. N-not that I don’t want to be seen with you like this, it’s just… you know.”
>She giggles as she carefully lifts up her sizable burger.
>Holy shit, that burger. You hadn’t realized how tantalizingly delicious it looks.
>The vegetables look fresh, the bacon not too crispy or undercooked. 
>Hot, melting cheese runs down the side of the burger, crossing over the edges of a shiny white egg and the juicy meat patty just beneath it.
>”I understand, Anon; no need to worry.”
>As she pulls the burger up to her mouth, a drop of juice falls down to her plate. Opening wide, she takes the biggest bite she can.
>Her eyes roll back as she moans in pleasure, thoroughly savoring the taste of her meal as she slowly begins to chew.
>A steamy yellow fluid slowly trickles down from her lips, all the way to the tip of her chin. 
>Looks like she popped the yolk on her first bite.
>She swallows and takes another ravenous bite, closing her eyes and losing herself in the flavor.
>As the yolk drips down from her chin, you decide to just sit back and watch her eat for a moment.
>It’s quite the spectacle. You never expected her of all people to be so… piggy.
>It’s strangely endearing, though. Cute, even.
>As she goes for her third bite, her eyes flutter open, and reality quickly sets back in for her. Wide-eyed and embarrassed, she stares back at you like a deer in headlights.
>”Oh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how poor my manners were!”
“No, it’s fine. I just… never thought I’d see you like this. Must be one hell of a burger, huh?”
>You pull a napkin from the dispenser and hand it to her. She takes it from your hand and begins clearing up the eggy mess on her chin.
>”Once you take a bite, you’ll understand.” She says confidently.
>We’ll see about that. It’s time to get eating.
>You grab the table’s ketchup bottle and apply just a little sauce onto your burger before grabbing it.
>Celestia watches you with interest you bring it to your mouth and take your first bite.
>You feel your teeth tear through the juicy beef and bacon. The warm melting cheese, runny egg, and the hint of ketchup ooze into your mouth, complimenting the already delicious taste as it hits your tongue.
>Mother of god, it’s that apple pie all over again.
>This. This is Flavortown.
“Ohh my ghod. Thish ish the besht burgher I’ve ehver hhad.”
>Celestia snorts and cracks another smile as you talk with your mouth full.
>You swallow and stare down in disbelief at the succulent burger.
“Can I eat one of these every day for the rest of my life?”
>”I told you. It’s one of the best burgers in town! …Oh, um, you got a little bit of egg right here.” She whispers, pointing to the corner of your mouth.
>Craving every bit of this burger, you desperately try to lick it up with your tongue.
>Celestia launches into a fit of giggles as she watches, emboldening you even further in your endeavors. 
>”Hehehehehe! Here, let me help.”
>She takes a fresh napkin and leans forward. She meets your eyes as she softly wipes the food from your face.
>The two of you can’t even keep a straight face, barely holding back quiet snickers.
>”There.” She says, pulling away.
>You really wanted to eat that tiny bit of egg, but… Oh well. There’ll be more.
>There’s no way you aren’t coming back for more sometime, even with Pinkie working here.
“Thanks. Maybe we should try and make sure the food actually gets in our mouths?”
>”Maybe.” She says with a nod as she hoists her burger up once more.
>The conversation dies for the most part as the two of you resume eating; only a few passing utterances about how good the food tastes are spoken.
>The near silence doesn’t bother you, though. You’re in the middle of a meal you’re both eager to enjoy, and you’re happy with simply enjoying Celestia’s presence.
>Her gentle eyes and the soft smile she wears throughout the meal tells you that she feels the same.
>Time passes and, before you know it, the both of you clean your plate. You sit in silence for a moment, letting your meal settle.
>Suddenly, she clears her throat as she climbs back to her feet.
>”Excuse me just a moment, I, um… need to use the restroom.”
“Don’t worry, I promise I won’t leave you with a check.”
>Cracking another grin, she chuckles before heading off to the other side of the Café.
>You watch her go for a moment before turning your attention to the rest of the Café.
>Since the time you arrived, the place has filled to capacity; not a single empty table remains.
>Mrs. Sugarsocks and Fizzy rush about, taking orders, filling drinks, and delivers meals.
>Looks like you arrived just in time to get a table.
>It’s strange, though. You haven’t seen Pinkie once since-
>A loud thump and the clattering of plates against their table makes you jump in your seat.
>”Young lady!” An elderly woman cries, “What are you-“
>”SHHHHHHH!”
>Oh, god damn it.
>You don’t bother to turn around. You already know who it is.
>You feel weight press down on the back of your seat, causing the wood and leather to creak.
>Your hair stands on end as you feel her warm breath against your neck.
>From the corner of your vision you see a single strand of pink hair creep forward. It grows thicker the further it moves, growing into a tangled, curly mess of hair until eventually you catch sight of her nose, then her mouth.
>Her jaw drops and hangs limp as she lets out another warm breath against your skin.
>You’re scared to look at her; you honestly kind of expect a smaller head to shoot out of her mouth.
>She lingers there, breathing against you for what seems like an eternity.
>Finally, you gather enough courage to speak.
“U-uh… H-hi Pinkie.”
>Seconds tick by with her lurking there, still as a statue.
>”HI ANON!” She suddenly shrieks into your ear.
>You feel a mighty force push off from the seat as she launches herself into the air. She twists and flips mid-air and somehow lands nearly perfectly in Celestia’s seat.
>She giggles as she adjusts the front of her skirt, which had come to a rest atop the tables edge.
>”Hehe, whoopsie! So, how’s it going, Anon? Is your date going okay?”
>You look around again, searching for anyone who might’ve just seen what Pinkie had just done. 
>No one even glances in your direction. Not even the old couple behind you seems disturbed.
>It’s as if everyone but Pinkie is suddenly oblivious to your existence.
“Uh… it’s going pretty good so far.”
>”Well, that’s great! I can tell you guys are super-duper into each other!” She exclaims as she throws her hands up into the air.
“How can you tell that?”
>”Because I’ve been watching you from the kitchen window this whole time, silly!”
>Jerking back around to the window, you see Pinkie standing just on the other side, watching you.
>You feel another stab at your heart as she blinks her right eye, then her left, before slowly stepping out of view.
>You jerk back around to find Pinkie somehow still in front of you, happily smiling at you.
>OH FUCK, SHE’S DOING THAT THING AGAIN!
“P-P-Pinkie? I legitimately don’t know what you are or what you want, but please don’t kill me.”
>She bursts out into full blown laughter, which still fails to attract any attention from the other customers.
>As her laughter winds down, she pounds her hand against the table and wipes a tear from her eye.
>”AHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA! Ahaha…. Aaaaahh. Don’t worry, Anon. I’m not going to kill you. I’d never do that! Besides, it’s not even close to your time yet!”
>This does not calm you down in the slightest.
>”I mean, people would probably get pretty upset if the story ended like that. Gosh, can you imagine that? …Anyway, I wanted to get you and Principal Celestia something special, so I made this chocolate milkshake for you!”
>She reaches underneath the table and produces a large chocolate milkshake, topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a bright red cherry.
>She holds her hands out and drops it square in the middle of the table. Next, she produces two straws from her apron pocket and stabs them into the shake.
>”It’s on the house! I hope the rest of your date goes well!” She exclaims as she slides out of her seat and underneath the table.
>You sit there for a moment, completely still, too terrified to move.
>All of the sudden, she bursts up into the seating next to you.
>Wearing that same grin, she brings a cupped hand to her lips and whispers into your ear.
>”Make sure you pay for everything, hold the door open for her, and walk her to her car! Trust me!”
>Before you can reply, she slips back underneath the table. 
>Bent at the knees like a limbo pro, she effortlessly skates out from underneath the table and back towards the kitchen doors.
>Finally, something snaps in your head. You just can’t take the madness anymore.
“WHAT ARE YOU?!” You cry out.
>”Don’t be silly, silly!” She replies with a giggle. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”

>Jesus Christ.
>Resisting the urge to curl up and hide underneath the table, you try to calm your shaky nerves.
>Okay Anon, just calm down. She’s gone. The monster’s gone. 
>For now.
>Just… cool it. Act normal.
>You can’t have another mental breakdown in front of Celestia.
>Save that for the second date.
>You take a deep breath and refocus your attention on the chocolate shake in front of you.
>Despite it’s questionable origin, it does look pretty appetizing.
>And it doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with it.
>Pulling it toward you, you take a straw and take a sip. Delicious chocolately goodness pours into your mouth.
>Doesn’t taste like poison. You guess it’s safe.
>”Getting desert without me?”
“AHH!”
>You jump and slam your knee against the table at the sudden sound of her voice.
>”Oh, sorry!” Celestia says as she reclaims her seat, “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“No, it wasn’t you, it’s just… So Pinkie came by to check up on us and give us this shake, and she was being-”
>”Pinkie?”
>As if there’s any other way to put it.
>Monstrous?
>Terrifying?
>Some kind of incomprehensible elder god in the body of a teenage girl?
>Actually, that one seems to fit pretty well.
“Yeah, pretty much.” You mutter, rubbing your aching knee.
>”It takes some time, but you’ll get used to her. She isn’t always like that.”
>Celestia then turns her attention to the shake in front of her.
>”Though, it was nice of her to get this for us. She did say this was on the house, didn’t she? I hope this is okay, I’d hate for her to get in trouble or something.”
>You nudge the glass to her side of the table.
“I’ll mention it to Sunny when we pay. If it’s an issue, I’ll just pay for it. Here, try it. It’s pretty good.”
>Celestia takes the other straw between her lips and samples the shake. She lets out a low moan at it’s flavor before nodding her head at you and eagerly drinking up more.
>”Mmm! Delicious as always.”
 >She slides the glass back to your side of the table, allowing you another taste.
>You take your sip and pass it back.
“So, Celestia. What’s it like being a principle? Do you enjoy it?”
>Straw in her hands, she pauses just before pressing her lips to the tip.
>”It has it’s ups and downs, especially these last few years. I used to be bored out of my mind with all the paperwork and the emails and the micromanaging, but lately I’ve come to enjoy the quiet, boring days. Still, I do miss being in the classroom…”
“You used to teach?”
>She takes another drink and goes to pass it back to you.
>”Oh, yes, I… Oh, hold on. Could you scoot over?”
>She grabs the shake and scoots out of her seat as you slide over to provide her with ample space.
>Space that she takes plenty of, happily scooting up right next to you with barely an inch or two to spare.
>”There, much better!”
>She pushes your straw towards you before continuing.
>”But yes, Luna and I both used to spend our days in the classroom. I’m not sure she feels the same way, but I miss connecting with my students. Teaching, helping, and just being there with them. I used to do everything I could to get my students interested in the subject. Oh, those were the days…”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have had so much trouble with algebra if you were teaching it instead of Mr. Doodle.”
>“I certainly wouldn’t have let you struggle alone.” 
>She pauses to sigh as she stares remorsefully out the window. 
>“Like I did with Bulk… I should have been there for him.”
“You shouldn’t beat yourself up for that. There was a lot going on with him.”
>”But I should have been there for him! I should have sat down and talked to him a long time ago! But I didn’t, and now he’s facing jail time!”
“And he may get off just fine. We don’t know yet.”
>Celestia pauses to stare silently into the remaining chocolate milkshake.
>”…I suppose. It’s just hard to be optimistic about this. But… I think I’m done with sitting in the office all day doing paperwork and barely interacting with my students.”
>Clenching a first, a determined grimace overtakes her previously melancholic expression.
>”Starting Monday, I’m going to try and be more involved. To join in on teaching in the classes and making sure the students know I’m here to help. I’m going to make sure I’m there for the next one that needs my help.”
>Man, she sounds pretty motivated.
“Glad to hear it. I’ll be sure to say hi if I see you while I endlessly wander the halls.”
>Before it drops too far into the glass, you grab the cherry by its stem.
>With a dumb grin, you hold the cherry out for her.
>She smiles bashfully before leaning in and allowing you to feed her the berry. She pulls away as she begins to chew, leaving the stem still pinched between your fingers.
“Sorry, just not too sure what to say to you about all that. I’m rooting for you though. Just, you know, let me know if I can help.”
>She stifles a chuckle before swallowing.
>”Well, thank you. And it’s alright; I probably shouldn’t have brought it up here anyways…” She says, her voice sorrowfully trailing off as she gazes out the window again.
“Hey, it’s alright. I’m the last person you have to worry about apologizing to when it is and isn’t appropriate to get emotional.”
>Hmm. She really is bothered by this whole thing with Bulk. You should distract her, or get her to laugh again, or something.
>What do to, what to do… Oh. Duh.
>You give Celestia a light nudge with your elbow to recapture her attention. 
>Once her eyes are on you, you open wide and place the cherry stem on your tongue.
>She grins weakly as you shut your mouth and let your tongue go to work.
>With near expert skill and precision, your tongue bends and twists the stem into the shape you desire.
>Once again, you find yourself thankful that Redheart practically forced you to learn how to do this.
>With one last push on the stem, your job is finished. You reach into your mouth and grab one in of the stem. Pinching the other end between your teeth, you tug and fully tighten the knot.
>Letting it slip from your teeth, you smile proudly as you show Celestia your suggestive trophy.
>”My, my… aren’t you talented?”
>Her eyes dart to over to the shake. She locks her eyes on you as she reaches over and scoops up a bit of whipped cream with her finger. 
>Celestia sticks her tongue out and lewdly runs her finger down it. She takes to slowly lapping at the cream with the tip of her tongue, letting out soft, quiet moans as she runs her tongue along her finger.
>You stare on in disbelief, feeling yourself stiffen at the spectacle in front of you.
>Definitely saving this memory for later.
>To finish off, she slowly inserts her finger into her mouth. Wrapping her lips around the digit, she gently pushes her finger in an out, trailing thin amounts white cream along her finger.
>She pulls out with a breathy sigh and laps her tongue and the runny remains. She even gives her fingertip a kiss before winking at you.
>A moment of silence falls over the two of you. The corners of Celestia’s mouth twitch as you try to choke back a grin.
>However, neither you or her are able to keep a straight face, and you quickly find yourselves bursting out in laughter together.
“Holy shit.”
>”Sorry, was that too much?” She asks as she puts a napkin to her moistened finger.
>Too much?
>Your dick is so hard right now you could use it in place of your nightstick.
“Yeah. Yeah, that probably was. You definitely got me beat though.”
>Damn, she’s pretty thirsty, ain’t she?
>Not that you mean that in a bad way, just… Wow. Wasn’t expecting that one for sure.
>”Well, I didn’t mean to show you up; I was just craving some whipped cream.  But that is a handy skill you’ve got there.”
“I went through a whole lot of cherries to pick it up, but I think it was worth the effort.”
>”I’m inclined to agree, but I’ve got a feeling I’m going to find out for sure.”
“You think so?”
>Propping her head up in one of her hands, she gazes dreamily at you.
>”I do.” 
>Taking the glass in her hand one last time, she takes a long gulp before passing it off it off to you.
>”I think that’s enough for me. I’m supposed to be watching what I eat anyways… would you like to finish it?”
>You’re beginning to feel pretty full, but… ah, one last sip won’t hurt.
>You take one last gulp of the delicious dessert before pushing it aside.
>Celestia awkwardly reaches underneath the table to retrieve her phone. She takes one glance at the screen before frowning and stowing it away again.
“Time to go?” You guess.
>”Unfortunately so.” She responds with a sigh.  “I have a few projects at home that I’m hoping to take care of this weekend. I could really use a head start on those today, and there’s only so much daylight left.”
>Guess that’s it then.
>You’re a little sad to end it so early, but you’ll feel a little better knowing that you won’t be in the same building as Pinkie.
>Not that that really means much with the way she seems to appear out of thin air.
>With a quick, subtle readjustment to your jeans, you slide out of the booth and step to the side as Celestia scooches over to join you.
“So what kind of projects? Home improvement?” You ask as she comes to a stand.
>You take the lead on the way to the register.
>”Repainting the guest room, changing out some cabinets in the kitchen… Oh! I’m also replanting my entire greenhouse.”
“Sounds like a lot of work. I don’t consider myself much of a handyman, but I wouldn’t mind lending a hand.”
>”Oh, that’s quite alright.” She responds, waving off your offer of help. “I already have Luna helping me, and… Well, frankly, I don’t let anyone come inside on the first date.”
>Heh. Phrasing.
>That’s a shame, though you don’t mind. It’s not a bad rule to have, and you’re sure she has her reasons.
>You arrive at the register. Ever alert, Sunny takes notice and hurriedly steps towards you.
“So… maybe after the second date I could give you a hand? There will be a second date, right?” You say, shooting her a hopeful look.
>”Well…” She replies coyly.
>”Aww, look at you two lovebirds! Everything taste okay?” Sunny cheerfully interrupts as she begins to type up your bill.
>”It was as good as ever.”
“Yeah, I’ll definitely be coming back here again.”
>”Glad to hear it! Your total will be-“
>”Oh, sorry, could we get ours separated?”
>”Sure thing!”
“Hey, don’t worry about it; I got it.”
>You begin to fish out your wallet for your debit card.
>”No, it’s fine, I have my card right here.” She protests as she reaches into her back pocket.
>You just now realize that she isn’t carrying a purse.
>Maybe she’s trying to avoid getting mugged? 
>Huh. Wonder what she does about her peri-
>”Alright sir, with your police discount-“
“I get a discount?”
>”Ten percent.”
>You boldly shove your card towards Sunny.
“I’ll pay for everything. Oh, and Pinkie brought us a shake.”
>”Anon, really, don’t worry about it!”
>Celestia protests again with a tug at your arm.
“Take the card.”
>”Seriously, you don’t have to pay for me!”
>Sunny’s eyes dart between the two of you, unsure of what to do.
>”Uh… Shake’s free; consider it a welcome back gift for her. But, um…”
>You take a few single bills from your wallet and drop them into the half-full tip jar next to the register.
“Just take the card.”
>Sunny attitude quickly turns around as she snatches your card from your hand.
>”Sorry ma’am, but I’m not gonna turn a blind eye to that!”
>Celestia eyes you as she slowly puts away her tiny wallet. She’d almost looks resentful, if not for a playful smirk.
>”You really didn’t have to do that…”
“I know. Daddy may have left me to go and play army somewhere, but he still taught me to be a gentleman. Tell you what, next time, you can pay if you want; I promise I won’t order a five-star steak or something.”
>Her smirk grows as she rolls her eyes.
>”Here you are, sir. Just sign this for me.”
>She hands back your card, along with a receipt and pen. You stow away the former before signing your name on the latter.
>As you hand it back to Sunny, your eyes drift past her, to the kitchen window. 
>You spy Pinkie, watching you with that inhumanly wide smile. She begins to nod unnervingly fast at you.
>You may just be imagining it, but you swear you hear something rattling around in tandem with her head.
>”Thank you! Annnndd here’s your copy. I hope we see you two in here again soon!”
“Yeah… thanks.”
>Without glancing away from Pinkie, you take the receipt and step away from the counter.
>Sunny eyes you strangely as you slowly back up to the door and hold it open for Celestia.
>She’s clearly confused as well but doesn’t speak up about it as she steps outside.
>Pinkie’s nodding intensifies, as does the rattling sound.
>You step back out the door, only turning your back to Pinkie as the door begins to close.
>”Anon? What are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Was just, uh… thinking. Don’t worry about it. So, where’d you park?”
>”Just over here,” she says, pointing a finger down the aisle in front of you. “But you don’t need to worry about walking me.”
>You don’t speak woman, but you’re pretty sure that means the opposite of what she just said.
“Well, what if I just want to talk to you for another thirty seconds?”
 >”Well, I suppose when you put it like that…”
>She beckons you to her side as she steps out into the lot.
“So, uh. I had a lot of fun today. It was nice talking to you, getting to know you.”
>She smiles at you, then gaily double takes.
>”I… really enjoyed myself, too. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had a genuine date. I…”
>Her voice trails off as she chuckles to herself and shakes her head.
“You…?”
>”Never mind. It’s nothing important.”
“Oh, come on. Just say it.” You say, playfully bumping her shoulder with yours.
>She grins and returns the bump two-fold.
>”Oh… Fine! I almost feel like a young girl again, out on a date with an old crush of mine.”
“Young? You’re not that old.”
>Wait, is she? You know she’s got a good amount of years on you, but she certainly doesn’t look it.
>”I’m old enough.”
“Nah, age is just a number. You seem plenty young where it counts.” You say, tapping a finger on the side of your head.
>”Most men would prefer young looks over a young personality.”
“Well, it sounds like you haven’t had much luck with most men.”
>You look over to her face, noticing the corners of her mouth desperately trying to hold back a smile.
>You also take the chance to closely observe her seemingly flawless skin and complexion.
“And if you think you look old, you might want to get your eyes checked. Or maybe stop looking in the mirror after a hot shower.”
>She suddenly comes to a stop. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as a fully-fledged smile breaks across her face.
>Slowly, she breathes out before opening her eyes and turning towards you.
>“I bet you’re a real hit with the ladies, aren’t you?”
“Just the two I was with before you,” you reply with a shrug. “Well, one, I guess. The second one was a little comp-” 
>”Oh, so we’re together now, are we?” She says, teasingly leaning in toward you.
“Well… You seemed pretty happy with how things turned out, so, I was hoping… you know, a second date?”
>She leans in further, planting her soft lips against your stubbly cheek.
>You catch a waft of her scent, the ever-so-pleasant aroma of vanilla.
>She playfully shoves you back as she steps away and digs into her pockets, eliciting the sound of jingling keys.
>“Because you’re being such a good boy, I suppose we can go on another date.” She says, backing up to the driver’s door of her car.
>With a push of her thumb to her keychain, her car doors unlock.
“Uh, g-good! Good. So…”
>”I’ll call you soon, and we can compare schedules and see where things lie. Do have a pleasant evening, Anon!”
>She climbs into her vehicle without giving you time to respond.
>You wave goodbye as you tread backwards, watching her pull out and drive off through the lot until she vanishes into the traffic.
>Turning around and stepping off towards your own vehicle, you feel a refreshing surge of optimism and confidence flow through you.
>You can’t help but smile a big, dumb grin as you mutter to yourself.
“I think I already am.”

-One month later…-

>The engine hums as the patrol car rolls down the wet, glistening road.
>The rain pours down from the dark sky, pounding on the windows. You stare lazily out, watching the streetlights and neon signs fly past.
>”I mean, you could at least try to hide it. One of you is gonna get the both of you in a lot trouble.”
>You pass an annoyed glance at Eye, who keeps his eyes on the road. Turning back and resting your head on the glass, you give him your response.
“We’re hiding it just fine. You’re just bitching because you overheard us on Christmas.”
>”Fuck you, I am not-“
“You should’ve caught a ride with Breach and Blitz.”
>He lifts his hand from the wheel, holding it out and extending his index finger.
>”One, no you fucking aren’t hiding it. She acts completely different around you; she’s practically hanging off of you every chance she gets. Even ol’ Officer Batts can tell, and she’s borderline blind.”
>’Batty’ Batts can tell? How?
>On that note, how the hell does she even still have a badge? She’s seven kinds of fucked up without even mentioning her eyes. It’s like she’s kept around just to make coffee.
>”Two,” he adds, throwing out his middle finger, “ this isn’t some shitty romance novel or something. You two don’t get too throw yourselves at each other and ignore how this affects the rest of us.”
“Oh my god, what are you, jealous? How the hell could this possibly affect you?”
>As he brings the patrol car to a quick stop at a stop sign, he throws you an angry glare as he checks for any oncoming traffic.
>Putting his foot to the gas again, he shakes his head and huffs.
>”Think about it for two fucking seconds, you dumbass! Fraternization between two officers who regularly work together in the same department is a serious concern to certain brass higher up the chain.”
“There’s nothing written anywhere that says we can’t be together.”
>”Yeah. I know. That doesn’t mean they won’t step in if they hear about it.”
“Oh, what the hell are they gonna do? Take our badges?”
>”Transfer.”
“What?”
>”They will transfer one of you.”
>Your eyes drift to the windshield, watching the lights on the oncoming traffic and the rain splatter against the glass.
>”They will transfer one of you to another team. Probably her, since the other teams are seriously lacking in experience. If they’re feeling particularly nasty, they could transfer one of you to another department; maybe even another precinct.”
>The last thing you want is for her to be separated from you.
>Or you to be separated from her and the others.
>Yeah, it’s only work, but still.
>”And they’re particularly anal about this when they hear about two officers on the same god damn SWAT team going at it like rabbits! Do you not see what kind of picture that paints? Do you not get that your relationship might affect some decisions you might have to make? Do you not understand why that might compromise some things? Cause they do, and I sure do, too; I’ve seen enough movies to know how shit like that plays out.”
>This time, it’s your turn to throw him an angry glare.
“And what that’s supposed to mean?” You reply spitefully before turning back to the window.
>”We got a good thing going here, Mouse. Good people, good cops. A team I can trust to watch my back. Even you. I don’t care what you two do, just keep it away from work. This gets out, the team can kiss one of you goodbye, and the last thing we need is to get an experienced officer replaced with some dumbshit from Bravo or Charlie who can barely tell which end the bullets come out of. I’m telling you right now, it’ll be her to go. And you’ll miss her when she’s gone, Mouse.”
>Before your very eyes, the lights lining the street fade away, taking the city with them. All noise from the rain and engines dies.
>Your left cruising along an empty road in a dark, lonely void. 
“What… what the hell is going on?”
>Suddenly, the cruiser jerks to the left and begins lazily drifting into the oncoming lane.
”Eye, what is thi-“
>You turn, finding no one at the wheel.
“Eye? EYE?!”
>”You’ll miss her when she’s gone, Mouse.”
>You quickly look around in peril, even checking the backseat for him despite the lack of logic in it.
>No sign of him. It’s as if he was never here.
>Out of nowhere, a pair of bright lights shine on you. A phantom vehicle blares its horn as it rapidly approaches you, head on.
>You desperately grab at the wheel and try to pull the car from it’s path, but no matter how hard you pull, the wheel refuses to budge.
>You panic and try to find any solution that might save you, be it slamming on the brakes or even throwing yourself from the car.
>But now, no matter how hard to try, no matter how hard you fight, your body won’t move.
>It’s already too late, your fate already sealed. Just before the lights impact, you close your eyes and scream.
>”You’ll miss all of us.”

>You jolt awake with a gasp to the grating screech of your phones alarm.
>You wipe at your eyes and look around the dimly lit room, it’s only light source being the glaringly bright TV. You find yourself on the couch, where you drifted off to sleep.
>The show you were watching seems to have paused automatically. A message asking if you’re still watching lingers on the screen.
>You ignore it and carefully reach out to the coffee table to silence your phone.
>The woman resting her head on your chest groans as you shift. Blindly, she inches upward, resting her head just beneath your chin. She gently rubs her cheek into your night shirt as she attempts to snake her arms around you.
>Realizing she’s already awake, you abandon any attempts at subtlety. After fumbling around for a few seconds, you find your phone and silence the pesky alarm. 
>You hear her let out a somewhat resentful sigh of relief.
>Thankful the noise has stopped yet unwelcoming to beginning of the day.
>Surprisingly, she cracks an eye as you rest an arm across her blanketed back. In a moment of silence, she simply stares up at you with one of her beautiful mulberry eyes.
>”Another nightmare?”
“Yeah… Another one.”

>”I’m sorry, sweetie…”
“It’s alright. It wasn’t as bad as they usually are.”
>”Are you sure? Your heart is pounding…”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
>She seems hesitant to believe you, but quickly resigns herself to returning to sleep.
>You slide a hand up her back. Pinching a lock of her hair between your fingers, you begin wrapping it around your digits and toying with it.
“It’s time to get up, Celestia.”
>”Nooooo…” She groans, further burying her head in your chest. “I don’t wanna go to school!”
>You can’t help but chuckle at her childish response.
“For some reason, I thought you’d be the type to roll right out of bed.”
>”If you think I’m bad, you should see Luna.”
“Oh, I bet she’s the worst.”
>”Our parents had to fight her to get her out of bed every morning.”
“Like I have to fight you?”
>Your hands creep lower to Celestia’s sides, finding them fully exposed by her ridden-up pajama shirt.
>Her eyes fully open, staring up at you warily.
>”Anon, no…”
“It’s time to get up, Celestia.” You say with a malicious grin.
>”Anon, don’t you-“
>Your fingers leap into action, assaulting the weakest points of her soft, supple flesh with deadly tickles.
>In an instant, she’s rolling in your arms, laughing out loud and begging for mercy.
>”Anon, no! HAHAHA, STOP, STO- PFFFFFFHAHAHAHAHA!”
>You cease your attack as she climbs to her hands and knees, delivering to you a pouty, yet playful look.
>”You… you ass!” She exclaims, slapping her hand to your chest.
“Ooohh, Celestia said a naughty word.” You reply as your ready your hands once more.
>She quickly snatches your wrists, pinning your arms above you on your armrest pillow.
>You feel her bountiful, braless chest press against yours as she leans in, melding her lips with yours.
>You revel in her taste, her lips’ soft touch.
>A little taste of heaven.
>She pulls away, breaking the kiss and interlocking your fingers with hers as she straddles upon your waist. The pale flesh of her bare midriff glows in the light of the television.
>”I’d love to stay in bed all day, but… I suppose we do have a big day in front of us.”
“It’ll be a good day. The last few hours will be nothing but fun, you’ll see.”
>”I know… Thank you so much for what you’re doing for us, Anon. I really do appreciate it.”
>This again? How many times is she going to thank you for helping with the rally?
>You’re just playing some dodgeball. It’s not like you’re risking life and limb here.
“Really Celly, don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help out.”
>”I know you are, but it just seems like a lot to ask of someone.”
>As you roll your eyes, she releases your hand. You feel her hand creep under your shirt and up to your chest, where she softly rakes her nails across your skin.
>”But if it goes that way, I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” She says with a seductive look.
>’If it goes that way’? What? Jesus, Celly, It’s just dodgeball.
>Though, if she’s feeling that way… Well, you aren’t going to stop her.
>The two of you really hit it off after that first date, and you’ve got some great chemistry.
>Outside of some playful flirts, neither of you have said a word about sex. It seemed like you two had some unspoken agreement to just let it come naturally.
>But if she’s ready, you sure as hell are, too.
>You reach out to her, resting your hand on her exposed love handle.
“I’ll be looking forward to that then.”
>”You should.” She whispers, leaning down and delivering a quick peck to your lips before climbing off of you.
>As she walks away into her kitchen, she adjusts her pajamas and begins running her fingers through hair.
>”I suppose you won’t be staying for breakfast again.”
“Sorry, no. I have to get my workout in.”
>You climb off the couch as she rounds a dark corner. With a loud click, light suddenly blasts out from the kitchen.
>”Don’t you think you’re already in good enough shape?”
“Nope. And if I don’t keep at it, I’ll only get worse. I really want to get my three-mile time down another minute.” You say as you begin to search for your bag.
>”But… you were just telling me the other day that you were down to twenty minutes. Are you trying to break a record or something?”
“Twenty minutes and eight seconds, actually. And no, I just know that I can do better, so I want to.”
>Finding your bag resting against the back of the couch, you scoop it up and dig around for a fresh pair of work-out clothes.
>Once located, you shield yourself with the couch and quickly change into your shorts before Celestia finishes in the kitchen.
>”Maybe I should start working out…” She quietly mutters to herself.
“You look great, Celestia! You don’t need to do anything!” You shout as you change into your long-sleeved running top.
>”I think I’ll be the one to decide that, thank you very much! You’re just trying to make me feel good.”
>You slip on a pair of socks and your running shoes before securing your bag and making your way to the kitchen.
>You find Celestia in front of the oven, cooking an egg as she stares out the window and into the coming dawn.
>You creep up behind her and take her in your arms.
“If I wanted easy brownie points, I could do way better than ‘you don’t need to work out’.”
>”Hmmph… True.” She replies as she leans back into you.
>You hear her let out a content sigh before turning to check the digital clock on her microwave.
>”You should get going, it’s almost six o’clock. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
>Already? Shit.
“If I am, it’ll be because someone couldn’t get their butt out of bed.”
>You give her rear a playful slap as you slip away, her body noticeably tensing up in response as she lets out a short, breathy gasp.
“I’ll see you at school, Celly.” You say with a smirk.
>”Y-yes… Have a nice workout, Anon.”
>You gather your things and head out to your cruiser. As you turn on the ignition, the pass a quick glance to her kitchen window.
>There Celestia stands; she offers a wave goodbye as she takes a sip from a coffee mug.
>You return the wave and set off for the school.
>You’re glad Celestia is happy to have you over for the night.
>It’s nice to spend time away from work with her, even if it’s just kicking up your feet, snuggling in, and watching TV with her for a few hours before she uses you as a mattress.
>Her cooking is great, as well. She’s more than happy to cook for someone besides herself again, and you’re ecstatic to eat some home-cooked meals again.
>It’s been so long that you’ve had real food, you had honestly forgotten what a meal cooked with love tastes like.
>On top of all of this, she lives in a pretty nice neighborhood just a short drive from the school, so staying with her is much faster than coming from your apartment. Much comfier, too.
>So short that in no time at all, you arrive at the school.
>You park in your usual spot and begin your morning workout, starting with the weight room.
>A few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, and a handful of sets at the weight bench later and you’re ready to hit the track.
>You head outside and stretch out, taking in the cool October air as your eyes wander your surroundings.
>As usual, they find themselves looking over to the patch of dying grass next to the track, then the old trashcan right next to it.
>Apparently, some idiot keeps coming out here and throwing up on the side of the track in the early mornings.
>You’ve yet to catch the individual in question, but you’re certain you’ll get him one of these days.
>In the meantime, Celestia asked Scruffy to place a trashcan out here, in an attempt to prevent further damage to the grass.
>You’re pretty sure he wasn’t the one that put it out here, though. You’ve never actually seen him doing his job.
>Wasting no more time, you get set at the starting line, start the clock, and burst into your run.
>You give it a good hustle, but ultimately become complacent and end up falling behind on the last mile.
>You finish at twenty minutes and forty-seven seconds.
>You walk a lap to cool down and wallow in your self-annoyance. As you head off to the showers, you put it aside and tell yourself that you’ll do better tomorrow.
>A quick shower and a change into your casual Friday ‘uniform’ later, and you’re ready to begin the day.
>After quickly retrieving your gear from your cruiser and stowing away your gym bag, you head around to the front of the school.
>Through the crowds sleepy-eyed teens meandering about, you spy the group of girls you’ve grown particularly fond of loitering by the Wondercolt statue.
>With her arms held stiffly out in front of her, Pinkie dances around in front of the others with Fluttershy at her side, who awkwardly tries to follow along with some strange cloak hanging from her shoulders.
>As you set off toward them an aimless clique wanders off, revealing a lone, hulking student sitting against a nearby tree.
>Alone again. You haven’t seen him with anyone all week.
>With his head buried deep in a textbook that seems relatively tiny compared to his enormous size, he fails to notice you approach.
>You crouch next to him and wait for him to take note of you, but it quickly becomes apparent that you’ll have to be the one to initiate here.
“Hey, Bulk.”
>”Huh? O-oh, hey Officer Anon! Good morning, uh… sir!”
>He lays the open book in his lap and gives you his full attention.
“How’s it going, dude? Whatcha up to?”
>”Just, you know, trying to figure this algebra out…”
>Oof. You feel his pain.
“Still having trouble?”
>”Yeah… Even Principal Celestia and Twilight can’t help me. They tell me how to do it, and show me every step, but then when I pick up my pencil none of it makes any sense. I get all the numbers and symbols mixed up in my head and… I just don’t get it!”
>In a fit of self-pity, he harmlessly flops his arms against the textbook.
>”ARGH! Why does everything have to be SO HARD?!”
>You notice the chatter from the nearby students quiet down in light of Bulk’s exclamation.
>With a look around, you find plenty of eyes on you. Even Sunset and the others look your way.
>Why is Pinkie wearing face paint?
>You know what? Never mind. You don’t know why you still ask yourself these things.
“Whoa, easy Bulk.” you say, planting a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, “I’ve been there, man, believe me. I still suck at math. Just keep trying. Principal Celestia and Twilight aren’t going to give up on you; don’t give up on yourself.”
>”I know, and I won’t. It’s just… I don’t know.” He says with a sigh as he turns away from you.
“What’s going on, Bulk? Talk to me. Still feeling down about what happened?”
>”Yeah… but it’s not just that! Between tutoring, homework, practice, and community service, I barely have time to do anything anymore! It’s just school and work and sleep! Nobody wants to be around me; they all just act like I’m going to freak out again! Even my team mates barely put up with me…”
“I know it’s hard, but you gotta keep pushing. Especially with the community service. You know what happens if you stop putting those hours in, right?”
>”Yeah,” he says with a gulp as he fearfully shakes his head. “I don’t want to go to jail.”
“It’s just a couple months’ worth of work, it’ll be over before you know it. As for people giving you the stink-eye, well, just give them some time. You’ve only been back a few days, they’ll warm back up to you in no time.”
>”I hope so. But, I’m more worried about…”
>He turns to look over his shoulder, laying his eyes on the girls.
>Fluttershy immediately takes cover behind Pinkie, her zombie face paint now apparent. Shy nervously peeks out from behind her friend, watching you intently with the others.
>Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack seem especially wary of him.
>”Her.”
“Pinkie? Yeah, I’m worried about her, too.”
>As if she can hear you all the way over there, Pinkie grins and licks her lips.
>It’s gonna be one of those days, isn’t it?
>”No, Fluttershy!”
“Oh. Oh! Right, I forgot that you liked her.”
>”You knew?” He asks as he whips back around to face you.
“I saw a drawing you made back when you were in the middle of your berserker rage. It was pretty obvious.”
>He closes his textbook and haphazardly tosses it to the side to pull his knees to his chest.
>”Oh, man… She won’t even talk to me. I tried to talk to her, to apologize for hurting her, and all she said was ‘it’s okay’ before running away. I mean, I think she said that… she was really quiet.”
>Wow, going so far as to just run away from him? Ouch.
>You guess Butterbuns might be a little more uneasy with Bulk’s return than you had thought.
>”I could barely work up the courage to talk to her before, and now she hates me…”
>Hate? You’re pretty sure Fluttershy isn’t capable of hate.
“Relax, man. Fluttershy’s a sensitive girl. She’s probably still just a little shaken up about it. Give her some time to adjust. You’ll see.”
>”I guess… You think I should get her some chocolates? Or some flowers or… no, never mind. I’d probably mess that up, too.”
“Come on, Bulk. Stop being so hard on yourself! Yeah, you made a mistake. But you can’t let that keep you down. You gotta focus on the positive! It’s Friday, and we got that pep rally. Me and you, and little bit of friendly dodge ball… It’ll be great!”
>As a tiny grin begins to form, he gives you a slight nod.
>”Yeah… I guess that does sound pretty good.”
>You give his chest a friendly tap with your knuckles.
“Tell you what. I’ll have a talk with Shy, see if I can’t get her to warm up to you a little.”
>”No! Please don’t tell her-“
“I won’t tell her anything. Just that you’re a nice guy, you feel bad, and that you’d really like to clear the air and be friends with her. Okay?”
>”Oh… O-okay then.”
>You give him one more friendly nudge before getting back to your feet.
“Relax, just trust me. But in the meantime, try to lay off yourself, alright? Principal Celestia, Twilight… Hell, even me. We’re all here to help you. We’ll get you where you need to go. Just keep your chin up.”
>He looks to the ground for a moment before raising his head to meet your eyes. An inspired smile grows across his cheeks.
>”Thanks Officer Anon! I’m really glad I didn’t kill you!”
>Within an instant of completing his sentence, you see him regretting his choice of words.
>Before he launches into his hundredth tirade of apologies this week, you cut him off.  
“Yeah, me too, Bulk. Anyway, I’ll see you around. Have a nice day!”
>”Uh, yeah! You, too Officer Anon… Sir!” He cries as you walk off.
>Man, Celestia and Fluttershy were right. Nice, sweet kid. Just a little dim.
>But there’s nothing wrong with that.
>As you step nearer to the statue, you feel your skin begin to tingle and crawl.
>You stop right at the border of the cement walkway, as has become habitual over the past month. You still can’t stand getting too close to the statue.
>The girls eagerly approach you, though Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity eye Bulk with a scrutinizing look.
“Morning, girls.”
>”Morning Anon!” They reply.
>”Mornin’, Sheriff.” Applejack says with a smile, tipping her hat to you.
>With a smirk, you tip your own invisible hat back at her.
“Deputy. Should I even ask what this is about?” You ask, pointing a finger at Fluttershy and Pinkie.
>”It’s Halloween soon!” Pinkie exclaims. “So, I brought some costume stuff to school! Check it out, I’m a zombie!”
>She stiffly holds her arms out as she slowly shuffles closer to you.
>”Brrraaaaaaiiiiiiinssss… See? Are you scared? Huh? Huh?!”
>You don’t think you’ve ever not been scared of her.
“I’d be more worried if I found you and a bunch of other zombies back-up dancing for Mr. Jesus Juice himself.”
>”Is that a joke? I don’t get it.” Rainbow says with a shrug.
“Cause, you know, he’s dead. That’d mean he was an actual zombie this time, and…”
>The girls all stare blankly at you.
“Seriously? I know the guy was a nutcase, but who hasn’t heard of Thriller?”
>”I… think I’ve heard of that. It’s an old movie, right?” Sunset asks.
>It seems your young padawan still has much to learn.
>You shake your head and turn your attention to Fluttershy, who stands front and center before you.
>She smiles shyly the second you look to her, revealing the large, plastic fangs hiding in her mouth.
>Your eyes drift lower, taking note of the bat-shaped pendant that holds the dark cloak over her bright, blue dress.
 >You smile back at the silly, albeit cute, sight.
“A vampire?”
>She nods and grabs hold of the cloak in her hands, raising her arms and spreading the fabric like a bat taking flight.
>Stuttering all the while, she shakily steps toward you, baring her fangs.
>”Th-that’s right! A vampire! OOooooOOOoooo… Watch out, Officer Mouse! I-I’m… g-g-going to suck… suck your b-blood!”
>As she reaches out, her hands inches from your neck, you effortlessly stop her bloodthirsty advance by pressing a finger to her forehead.
>She very lightly pushes against it, but you refuse to budge and succeed in holding her at bay.
“Fluttershy, if you bite me, I’m biting you back.”
>”I’d be okay with that…” She whispers under her breath as a faint blush begins to blossom on her cheeks.
>Rarity snickers to herself, but otherwise remains quiet.
“What was that? You’re mumbling again.”
>”Um! I-I said…”
>Her eyes panic, looking all over before settling on her black cloak. She releases the fistfuls of fabric from her hands, allowing the cloak to fall freely to her sides.
>Leaving her arms hanging naked in front of her, it quickly becomes clear what she wants.
>”Can I have a hug?”
>Just like yesterday.
>And the day before that.
>And the week before that.
>And the week before that, too.
>You playfully roll your eyes, feigning annoyance.
“Again? Fine, I guess.” You reply jokingly.
>Your words do not bother her. It’s not the first time you’ve told her that.
>She lunges at you and wastes no time in wrapping herself around you. Somehow, she manages to find the one comfortable place on your vest to rest her head against.
>You’re not quite sure if it was stopping Bulk, or everything that happened with Sugarcoat, but at some point Fluttershy became a whole lot less shy.
>You’ve seen her still awkwardly talking to others and muttering quiet phrases like ‘excuse me’ and ‘I’m sorry’ while passing in the halls.
>But you? Every day, she asks for a hug. For you to walk her to her class. For a ride to the animal shelter.
>Not that you mind. Honestly, you kind of enjoy spending time with her, just like the other girls. Even Pinkie, as long as she isn’t doing any weird shit.
>You’re not certain what caused her to become so comfortable with you, but you think it might’ve been from seeing you in action.
>She seems pretty prone to worry and fear. You reckon that after saving her from Bulk and her witnessing everything that went down with Sugarcoat, she’s come to see you less as an authority figure and more of a protector.
>And a friend.
>Which is great! That’s what your supposed to be for these kids. Yeah, you’re still a cop, but you’re supposed to be a role model for the students. Someone they can count on for help and protection.
>After a few moments of her clinging to you, you give her the usual pat on the back, indicating that the hug is over.
>She lets out a disappointed groan as she pulls away, looking up at you with a pouty face.
>You reach out and ruffle her hair, turning her frown upside down.
>”So what was all that fuss with Bulk? He ain’t stirrin’ up no trouble, is he?”
>”Yeah, what’s he yelling about now? Is he freaking out again?”
“No, he’s not freaking out again, Dash. He’s just getting a little upset because he’s still having trouble with his school work.”
>”But… Twilight, I thought you and Principal Celestia were supposed to be tutoring him? Is it not going well?”
>Twilight rubs her arm and passes an unsure glance from Rarity towards Bulk.
>”Well… we’re trying. He’s having a rough time picking up some lessons but, he is making progress! Just… very, very slowly.”
>”Ah knew he wasn’t the brightest, but is he really havin’ that much trouble?”
>”It’s mostly just mathematics. He’s come a good ways as far as comprehending literature, and his grade in earth science is already starting to look better, but algebra in particular seems to be his weak point. I know he’s trying his best, but it’s as if everything we say just goes through one ear and out the other. Nothing seems to stick.”
“And it’s getting him a little frustrated, that’s all. He’s got a lot going on right now.”
>You sternly look over Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity, who shrink just a little before your gaze.
“So don’t go mean-mugging him just because of what he did last month. I know you’re just being protective, but he’s clean now. He’s juggling his community service, his tutoring, and his practice all in the hopes that he can go somewhere with his life. He’s stressed out enough, he doesn’t need to feel like an outcast.”
>While Rainbow and Applejack pass each other an uneasy glance, Rarity steps forward.
>”You’re right, Anon. It’s been made quite clear just what he was going through during what happened before.”
>She pauses to turn to her skeptical friends as she places her hand across her chest.
>“Why, he was only doing what he thought he had to. We know he didn’t mean to harm anyone, it just turned out that way. He’s already apologized to everyone involved, including Fluttershy! It’s unfair to him, and awfully hypocritical of us, might I add, to keep treating him like he’s dangerous. We have forgiven others for worse acts, after all.”
>Sunset shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she begins to speak.
>”Rarity and Anon are right. You all forgave me after what I tried to do. We forgave Juniper Montage, and Wallflower. Heck, I’d forgive the sirens if they were still around. Don’t you think you two should forgive him as well? There’s no reason to keep acting like Bulk is dangerous.”
>”But, but you all just heard him yelling! He could totally flip out again!”
>”Bulkie yells all the time though. He’s always like, ‘YEEEEAAAAAAAAH’!”
>”Yeah, when he’s excited, Pinkie. That wasn’t him getting pumped for the game, though. That was him getting mad.”
>”Rainbow, please. That’s just him getting frustrated with himself. He gets like that plenty during tutoring.” Twilight calmly states as she crosses her arms.
>”Ah’m with Rainbow on this. Maybe it is just him getting’ mad at himself, but that don’t mean he can’t snap again. What if he breaks while he’s with you and Principal Celestia? What if he, well…”
>Applejack stops and looks around, suddenly becoming wary if any other students are within earshot.
>”…What if he brings a gun to school?” She whispers.
>Oh, fuck. You really don’t like where this is going.
>Fluttershy lets out a sharp gasp before throwing a terrified stare towards Bulk’s tree.
>”Applejack! You can’t be serious!” Rarity cries.
>Even Rainbow, who remains silent, seems unnerved by Applejacks suggestion.
>”Yeah, how can you say that? Bulk would never do that!”
>”Now, hol’ on there, Sunset!” Jack responds, throwing a finger up towards her leather-clad friend. “We woulda said the same thing about his lil’ rampage before! All Ah’m sayin’ is, it can’t hurt to watch him.”
>”He’d wouldn’t, Applejack! Even with as frustrated as he gets with himself, he hasn’t done anything that could possibly be construed as violent! The only time he’s even touched Principal Celestia or I was to hug us in thanks for our help, and he was crying when he did that!”
>Applejack takes a step back, surprised by her friends siding against her.
>”Ah… Ah don’t mean… Look, Ah’m jus’ worried, alright? You all watch the news, dontcha? Ah know you do, Anon. Stuff like that ain’t exactly uncommon no more, ya know? What if he does do that? What if he-“
“Jack, that’s enough.”
>”But-“
“Enough!”
>Fluttershy and Applejack jump at your sudden exclamation. Applejack hangs her head in shame.
>”Ah’m sorry… Ah’m just scared, that’s all. Ah don’t want to see our school all over the news like that. Ah don’t want to worry if Ah’ll even be there to see it.”
>Damn, Applejack. You really didn’t expect to hear this stuff from her of all people.
>You sigh and look to the other girls, who all seem a little uneasy. They only briefly meet your eyes before looking away, with the exception of Rainbow and Fluttershy, who only stare at the ground.
“Alright. Gather round real close. C’mon, huddle up.”
>Slowly, the girls huddle around you. You make sure to pull Jack to your side, putting a comforting arm around her.
“Look. I get it, Jack. That stuff’s happening all the time, all over the place. It’s fine to be scared of it happening here. Hell, I’m scared of it happening here, too.”
>”Ya are…?”
>You hunch down closer to them and lower your voice.
“Yes! I am- Alright, I’m real sorry for my language here, but I am fucking terrified of that happening here! I mean, I spend several hours a day, five days a week walking around school and trying not to be bored. You think it hasn’t crossed my mind yet? That is a cop’s worst nightmare!”
>The girls all stay silent, their eyes wide as they watch you speak.
“How many people go here? Six hundred? Seven hundred? And there’s just kid one running around with a gun, trying to shoot at the others… You, your parents, the news, the whole freaking world is going to be looking at me, first and foremost, to stop that one kid. That one kid, in a literal sea of people.”
>You turn to Rainbow, who returns your gaze, her mouth hanging slightly agape.
“What am I supposed to do if I find that one kid and he doesn’t want to give up? What if I find him and he starts shooting at me?”
>”Uh… S-shoot him?” Rainbow meekly replies.
“What if he’s in a crowd? What if he’s got a hostage? What if he’s in front of other students, or in front of a classroom door? What if I shoot and miss?”
>Sunset sniffles and wipes at her eyes as Fluttershy inches closer to your side.
>“Ah don’t know…”
>Just as you open your mouth to go into all the things that could possibly go wrong, you meet Sunset’s watery eyes.
>They shake and glisten but remain uneasily locked on you.
>You suddenly become aware of how scared and alienated you’re making them feel.
>With another sigh, you motion for Sunset to step forward. As she nears you, you reach out for her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. All I’m doing is just freaking you girls out, and it’s supposed to be a happy day. My point is… I can guarantee you, Applejack, that I’ve thought more about this than you. I’ve been trained to deal with this. I can’t predict the future, but… I don’t think you have to worry about Bulk. He’s a good kid that was just trying to do what he thought he had to to get by.”
>You turn to Shy, who still has her eyes locked on the ground. Taking your hand from Sunset, you urge her to raise her head with a light tap to her shoulder.
>She slowly raises her head, revealing watery eyes, just like Sunset.
“He feels bad for what he did. Especially to you, Fluttershy, and he’s stressed to hell worrying about everything from school to making things right. So just… lay off him, alright? Give him a chance.”
>Fluttershy nods as she pulls her cloak tightly around her like a security blanket.
>She inches even closer to you, until she’s practically pushing herself against you.
>After a particularly long moment of silence, Applejack speaks up.
>”Shucks… Ah’m real sorry, Anon. Ah feel awful foolish fer sayin’ stuff like that, ‘specially to you of all folks. Ah’ll… Ah’ll talk to Bulk real soon, see if Ah can’t make him feel a little better about himself; see if Ah can’t make mahself feel a little better about him.”
“It’s alright, Jack,” you reply, giving her another friendly pat. “Just do me a favor; maybe don’t talk to any other students about stuff like that. There’s no point in getting anyone else all riled up like that. And, if you need to talk… Well, you know.”

>*BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGG*
>With a subtle but collective groan, all of the students in the school’s courtyard slowly begin trudging indoors to their classes.
>”Ah know. An’ don’t worry none, Ah won’t say a word.”
“I appreciate it. Sorry for killing the mood, girls. Don’t let me keep you down, though; we got a good day ahead of us.”
>”Yeah. Yeah! You teachers are going down!” Rainbow exclaims, quickly reviving her enthusiasm.
>”YEAH!” Pinkie cries, leaping toward you and jabbing a finger into your armored chest. “YOU’RE GOING DOWN, ANON!”
>Full of piss and vinegar, she hops backward next to Sunset, clenching one fist and repeatedly pounding it into her open palm.
>”We’re gonna crush you teachers! We will leave you in dust and raw egg as we hop to victory in the Three-legged-sack-egg-race!”
>Someone really should have thought of a better name for that by now.
>”Our talents, bolstered by your youthful determination, will effortlessly outshine yours!”
>Pinkie turns to Sunset, who quickly becomes infected with a sudden burst of optimism.
>”Don’t you think so, Sunset?!”
>”Y-yeah! We’re gonna dominate the trivia and shoot sooooo many more three-pointers than you guys!”
“Uh huh… and how many of you are competing?”
>The now excited teens stop their cheering. Rainbow crosses her arms, suddenly adopting a somewhat annoyed expression.
>”None. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal says we’re not allowed. Only Sunset and Fluttershy can, and they don’t want to.”
>What? Why?
>You know the girls have a tendency to get themselves into a little bit of trouble, but still. They’re practically Celestia’s favorites.
>And why only allow Shy and Sunset?
“Why?”
>”It’s because we have-“
>Twilight leaps in, interrupting Rainbow mid-sentence.
>”Um, it’s because… Because… I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”
>”Er… Yeah, what Twilight said. She didn’t say why.”
>Strange. But then again, what isn’t strange when these girls are involved?
>You’ll just have to question Celly about it later.
>”Anywho, it’s best that we get to class now. Don’t want to be late, now do we?”
>”You said it, Rares. C’mon now, y’all; let’s get to moseying!”
>You look down to Fluttershy, who still clings to your side.
“You ready, Fluttershy? Need to stop by your locker or anything?”
>She meekly looks up to you, a little bit of sorrow still apparent in her eyes.
>”No… I already have everything I need.”
>As Rainbow splits off from the group, she gives Shy a quick hug.
>”C’mon, Fluttershy. Anon’s right, there’s nothing to worry about. Cheer up, today’s gonna be a good day!”
>Fluttershy hesitates to respond as her friend runs off to class.
>Pinkie and Jack wave goodbye as well before heading off on their own.
>”See ya’ll at lunch!”
>”Bye Jackie! Bye guys!”
>Rarity approaches Fluttershy, taking her friends hand in her own.
>”Cheer up, Fluttershy. There’s no need to let Applejack’s nerves get to you.” She pauses and turns to you, her deep blue eyes meeting yours with a smile. ”We have nothing to fear with Anon here.”
>Like the others, Rarity steps off on her own. However, she turns back for one last word.
>”Have a nice day, everyone! And Fluttershy, Anon… have a nice walk.” She says with a coy wink.
>”Um… B-bye, Rarity.” Fluttershy replies, shifting her feet.
>Huh. Wonder what that’s all about?
“Anyway, we better get going. Come on, Fluttershy. Sunset, Twilight, have a nice day.”
>You set off, and Fluttershy quickly follows, sticking closely by your side.
>”Bye Anon! Bye Fluttershy!” Twilight hollers back.
>”Hey, Anon!”
>You look back, finding Sunset halfway between you and Twilight.
>”So… Foreigner. Jukebox Hero.” She says with an eager look.
>Jukebox Hero. Damn, that’s a good one.
“Excellent choice, Sunset.” You reply, cracking a grin.
>”I know! I can stop listening to it! I just… every time I listen to the lyrics, I imagine myself right there, in the rain outside of the venue. And then I grab my guitar and try and play along, and…” 
>She presses her arms to her chest, shaking giddily in excitement.  
>“Oooooh, it just gives me goosebumps! It’s like the song was written for me!”
>You admit, it’s not hard to imagine her in the scenes depicted in the lyrics.
“Well, you definitely got stars in your eyes. Let me know what you stumble onto next.”
>”Don’t worry, I will!” She exclaims.
>As Twilight rejoins her at her side, they step off together towards the science wing entrance, Sunset singing to herself along the way.
>”So she started rockin’, ain’t never gonna stop! Gotta keep on rockin’, someday gonna make it to the top!”
“I’m glad to see she’s already turned herself around… I forgot how touchy she can be with some things.”
>It’s really weird. You figured Butterbuns here would be the one to handle death and violence the worst, but it quickly became apparent that that’s Sunset.
>You’re not sure where she’s from, but from how she talks and reacts to this stuff, you’d think she’d never been exposed to a single death before.
>Like she really is from some kind of magical fairy tale land.
>”…And be a JUKEBOX HERO! Got stars in her eyes!”
>You set off for Fluttershy’s homeroom, your shy shadow following along.
“What about you, Shy? You okay?”
>”Well… I don’t know.”
>You quickly ascend the few stone steps and pull the glass door open for her.
>She steps through and waits to rejoin your side before continuing on through the swarming corridors.
>A few kids stare, most likely because of her vampire cloak, but she seems completely unaware of their eyes.
“Worried about what Applejack said?”
>”Mmmhmm…” She hums, her voice barely audible.
“Come on, you don’t need to worry about that. Everything’s going to be fine.”
>”But what if it does? What if Bulk-“
“Don’t.”
>”…Sorry.”
“He’s not gonna do any of that, Fluttershy. I really don’t want to, but I’ll repeat myself. He’s a good kid that’s just in a rough spot. You don’t need to be afraid of him.”
>She keeps silent, facing forward with her eyes on the ground.
“He feels terrible for hurting people like that. He especially feels bad for what he did to you.”
>Fluttershy’s head rises, looking upon you with skeptical, unsure eyes.
“He’s always wanted to get to know you better, you know? He wants to be your friend, but he’s not sure how to talk to you.”
>”He wants to be friends with me? But… But I hurt his feelings.”
“Again, Shy, you called him silly. That’s not much of an insult. I’m silly, you’re being silly right now,” you say, giving her a soft boop to the nose. “Principal Celestia is silly, our president is silly, there’s probably some astronaut in space doing something silly right now. The whole world is silly.”
>You faintly hear her let out a quiet giggle.
“I know you’re scared of him. He told me you ran away from him, and I don’t really blame you for it. But, if you could just do me one favor? Try and talk to him. Be his friend. Seems like not many people want to be around him, and I think he could really use a sweet girl like you to be his friend.”
>”Oh… I-I don’t know, Officer Mouse… When I see him, I remember what he was like before, and I… I can’t.”
“You can, Butters. You just have to be brave.”
>The two of you stop just outside of Dr. Cabarellon’s classroom, Fluttershy’s first class of the day.
>She un-assuredly turns and faces you, clutching her cloak around her once again.
>”But I can’t be brave! I’m afraid of everything, I-“
>*BRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNG*
>”EEEEEP!” She cries, leaping towards you at the sudden sound of the bell.
>Pressed against your vest again, she shakes in fear.
“…It’s just the bell, Shy.”
>Her head snaps up to meet your eyes. She smiles in embarrassment.
>”O-oh. Sorry…”
>As she pulls away from you, Dr. Cabarellon pokes his head out from the classroom.
>”Officer Mous.” He says with an acknowledging nod. 
>He then shifts his attention to Fluttershy, who he seems to eye with slight disdain. 
>“Fluttershy. You’re late. Please go to the office for a note.”
>As he attempts to close the door behind him, you shove your foot in the doorway.
“She’s got a note right here.”
>”Where?”
“It’s important. “You reply, simply pointing at yourself.
>Dr. Cabarellon narrows his eyes at you in annoyance.
“Playing favorites, are we? Fine, she’s excused; but don’t make this a habit, or I’ll have a word with Principal Celestia.”
>He mutters something indecipherable under his breath before retreating back into his classroom, leaving the door cracked.
>With him gone, you look back to Fluttershy, who nervously eyes the door.
“Look, Fluttershy… Butterbuns.”
>She giggles softly at the nickname she rarely gets to hear, a bashful smile slowly beginning to form across her face.
>You hunch over just a little, putting yourself on eye level with her.
“You can’t be brave if you aren’t afraid. It just doesn’t work like that. Bravery is doing what’s right, doing what you know you have to, no matter how scared you are to do it. I know you can be brave, you were brave for me before… can you be brave for me again?”
>Avoiding your eyes, she gently swings her hips back and forth, causing her cloak to dance around her ankles.
>She lets out a nearly muted groan before looking back to you, conflict readily apparent in her eyes.
>”If you really want me to… I’ll try.”
>As you smile at her answer, her inner conflict evaporates to smile back in return.
“Thanks, Shy. I knew I could count on you.”
>You reach out once more to further ruffle her hair. Not unlike a cat, she presses and rubs against your hand, glee painted across her face.
>”You’re welcome, Officer Mouse. I’m happy to help. Or, try to, anyway…”
>You retract your hand, leaving strands of now adorably messy hair draped over her face.
“Well, you better get in there before he gets tired of waiting. Let me know if he gives you any trouble, okay?”
>”Oh, okay. Have a nice day, Officer Mouse!”
“Yeah, you too, Shy. I’ll see you around.”
>She quickly makes a haphazard attempt to fix her hair before scampering into class, her cloak trailing behind her.
>You wonder if she plans to wear that thing all day.
>Ah, who cares? If she wants to run around in a cape, you’re not going to stop her.
>With that daily task out of the way, you turn on a dime and set off towards the library.
>You hope Cheerilee and Redheart got everything.
>You had to miss last Friday for lunch with Celestia, and you really want to make up for that.
>Arriving at the library, you push through the doors, finding Cheerilee sitting behind the front desk.
>She takes a sip from her coffee mug as she looks up from her monitor.
“Hey, we still on for today?” You ask, resting against the counter.
>”Oh, yeah. Definitely. Redheart’s got the popcorn stashed in the home-ec room, and I’ll be setting everything up around ten-thirty. We should be good to go by eleven at the latest.”
“Nice. What are we watching this week?”
>She scoops up a flash drive from her desk, holding it up between her fingers.
>”Well, I couldn’t find anything new that looked decent, so I thought we could watch Spaceship Soldiers. I haven’t seen it since we watched it in high school, so…”
“You know it’s like, two hours long, right?”
>She pauses, giving the drive a contemplative look. She shrugs and looks back to you, clearly not bothered.
>”So? You got anything to do until the rally anyway?”
>That’s a negative, ghost rider.
“Fair point.”

----------

>Meanwhile, elsewhere in the school…

>You stand by as your best friend Twilight unlocks the door to her lab, tapping your hand against your thigh along with the rhythm in your head.
>Bouncing ever so slightly to the tune, you find yourself singing out the lyrics again, though much quieter this time.
>Can’t walk around the halls shouting song lyrics in the middle of class, after all.
“…Got stars in her eyes…”
>With the sudden clunk of the lock unlocking, Twilight pulls her key from it’s lock, her overfilled key chain jingling with the movement.
>She steps to the side, welcoming you into her wonderful science-filled world.
>”You really like that song, don’t you?”
“I can’t get it out of my head. It’s just sooo good!”
 >You literally can’t. It’s like your head is stuck on repeat!
>”Well, I hope you can stop yourself from singing in class.”
>Closing the door behind the two of you as you step into Twilight’s lab, you set your things aside as Twilight makes her way to the lab’s closet.
>You decide to go ahead and get comfortable in one of the chairs while she begins the arduous task of opening the improvised magical ‘vault’.
>Four separate locks, a finger print scanner, a retina scanner, and a number pad with an eighteen-digit code that gets reset and randomized every three days.
>Yep. Definitely nothing suspicious about all that in a high school science lab.
>Twilight says she doesn’t want to take any risks given all the magic that got loose before, but you still think she might be going a little overboard with some of the security measures.
>But that’s coming from someone who uses the same password for everything.
>Pr3ttypon3.
>Flying through the locks like they’re nothing, she turns to you as she blindly mashes away at the number pad.
>”Good news! My mom says I’m ungrounded come Monday. Maybe we can finally do that sleepover next weekend?”
>Finally! It’s about time!
“Oh, that sounds great! I know Pinkie’s been itching to throw another slumber party. I bet you’re itching to get all your stuff back though, huh?”
>You hear an audible beep from the key pad as it’s display begins to glow bright green.
>At Twilight’s behest, the door cracks open, painting the tiled floor in front of it in a rainbow of faint, neon light.
>”YES! Yes! I’m going crazy!” She exclaims, pulling the door ajar and diving into her personal vault. “I’ve read every single book in my house one hundred times over, even my mom’s trashy romance novels! I ran out of things to write about in my letters to Sugarcoat, Sunny, Sour, Lemon, everyone weeks ago!”
>After moments of her noisily rummaging around, she emerges clutching a hefty metal box.
>”It’s nice getting to stay in the school for an extra hour or so tutoring Bulk with Principal Celestia, but I know I only get to do that because Principal Celestia asked her for my help.”
“Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.”
>”Oh, it is. Don’t misunderstand, I’m glad I get to send time with her and I’m more than happy to help Bulk, but having nothing to do while at home… Well, suffice to say I’m used to being actively engaged with something at all times.”
>She approaches the table and carefully places the metal box next to you.
>”But, in just a few days, I’ll be able to take these babies home with me and really get to work.” She says, eyeing the closet with a hungry look.
>Well, if you weren’t making much progress with this stuff before, you’ll certainly have a breakthrough once Twilight gets it into her lab at home.
>So far, all you’ve learned is that Pinkie’s magic seems particularly volatile, which isn’t really a surprise to be honest.
>Shake it up too much? Boom. Sudden impact? Boom. Mixing it with just about anything? Boom.
>You’re really hoping that the other flavors of magic, for lack of a better word, do something besides explode.
>Drawing yet another key from her chain, Twilight thrusts it into the lock and twists.
>She lifts the box’s lid, revealing the magic draining device you and your friends have become unpleasantly familiar with.
>Like your past few sessions with Twilight, you find yourself shrinking in unease at the sight of the device.
>While the process of being drained isn’t painful at all, you still find it extremely unnerving.
>Even as a necessary safety measure, you don’t much care for it. It leaves you feeling very, well… drained.
>Twilight takes it in her hands and activates it before turning to you, her eager face lacking any hint of empathy for you.
>”Ready, Sunset?”
“I guess so…”
>With a cowardly whimper, you rise from your seat and move to the more vacant center of the lab.
>Your insides churn as you turn around, finding Twilight already in place, ready to go.
>As she activates the device, igniting its neon lights, Twilight looks up from her hi-tech toy, finally noticing your unease.
>”Relax, Sunset. You know it’s not that bad.”
“I know, I just… I really, really don’t like doing this. It feels so strange.”
>”I know it does, but it’ll only feel strange for a few moments. Then we can get back to class. Now, are you ready?”
>Are you? 
>No, you are not.
>Just looking at that thing, knowing how it’ll make you feel, unsettles you.
>This must be how Fluttershy feels when she has to get a shot, or how Rainbow feels when she gets on a rollercoaster.
>Resigning yourself to just get it over with, you breath deep and giver her your answer.
“I’m ready.”
>”Good. Initiating drain!”
>At her command, the device opens its hungry maw, displaying it’s brightly lit innards.
>In an instant, you feel your magical essence tugged at from inside you. A brilliant opal mist appears and is promptly dragged away from you.
>With it, you feel just a tiny bit of you ripped away. Your energy, your love, your determination, your hopes and your fears.
>A little bit of what makes you, you. 
>As a small orb of your magical energy forms in it’s heart and the machine closes it’s mouth, satiated with its meal.
>As the little bit of left over magic dissipates back into you, you find yourself suddenly growing weak and dizzy.
>Your vision blurs and your legs shudder beneath your weight. You struggle to keep balance but quickly find yourself falling to your knees.
>You rest on the floor, panting as you wait for your strength to return.
>Twilight quickly tables the device and rushes to your aid.
>”Sunset? Are you okay?”
>Taking you by your shoulders, she gives you a light shake. You struggle to maintain eye contact through your blurred vision as your head rolls against your shoulders.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m okay.”
>”Are you sure? I’ve never seen you this bad before. Ooh, maybe I’ve been taking too much from you…”
>Your eyes readjust themselves, allowing you to take in just how concerned she is.
>She looks positively mortified.
>Are you really that bad?
“M-maybe?”
>”Okay, okay, uh… okay, lets get you up off the floor okay?”
>Floor? You’re on the-
>Oh, right. You are on the floor.
>Maybe you are a little rougher than usual.
>Twilight slips around behind you and wraps her arms around your chest.
>”Okay, I’m going to pull you up. I need you to try and stand, alright?”
>Stand? You kind of just want to stay on the floor.
>You’re really tired.
“Okay, I guess…”
>”On three. One, two, THREE!”
>With all of her nerdy might, Twilight heaves you upward. As your legs hang limp, you struggle to put your feet flat on the floor.
>Despite having to fight against the wet noodles you call legs, you eventually find yourself standing mostly stable, with Twilight’s aid.
>”Okay, now lets get you back in your seat.”
>Twilight gentle pulls you along; slowly, so as to help you keep your balance.
>You try to keep yourself from putting all of your weight on her, but you can’t help but give in for a moment or two, causing the two of you two stumble and fight to keep on your feet.
>As you come upon the chair, Twilight gently slips you into the seat and pushes your chair in.
>Immediately, you lean over and rest your head against the hard, cool surface.
>It feels sooooo good.
>”Okay, just hang on. I’ve got just the thing for you.”
>You shut your eyes as she quickly walks off, listening to her footsteps as she rushes off somewhere.
>You can just barely make out the sound of a plastic bag moving before the footsteps come rushing back.
>A handful of objects hit the desk with a whack and the sound of crumpling plastic, prompting you to open your eyes again.
>Before your face you find a bottle of water, a little bag of fruit flavored vitamin gummies, and a small snack pack of peanut butter and crackers.
>Some of the snacks she keeps for when she’s too busy to get a real meal in her stomach.
>”Here, eat up. It might help you feel better.”
>Your stomach gurgles at the mere sight of the food.
“Well, I did skip breakfast today…”
>”You skipped breakfast? Hmm… Maybe that’s what caused this.”
>You suppose it’s possible. You are pretty hungry.
>”But, I suppose I should slow down. Maybe I’ve been taking too much from you all.”
>Slowly lifting your skull from the table, you reach out for the water and the bag of gummies.
“Feeling a little sick once in a while is better than dealing with those headaches.”
>”Well, yes,” she says with a shrug before walking off, out of sight. “But I’ve been asking for more from you all just for research. Research that I’ve only just begun. I can let you all rest easy for a while.”
>As much as you hate this, you really don’t mind helping her.
>But, if she wants to stop for a while, you won’t complain.
>You savor a swig of water from the bottle before tearing open the gummies and promptly dumping half the bag into your mouth.
>As you mindlessly chew, not bothering to enjoy the taste, Twilight steps back into view.
>In one hand, the magic drainer. In the other, a small vial of glimmering opal mist.
>She holds the vial up to the light, closely inspecting the glistening contents before returning to the table and stowing away the device in its box.
>She relocks the box and pauses to stare down at it. With a content sigh, she lets out a half smile.
>”Still no sign of her. No nightmares, no suddenly waking up somewhere else, no nothing. I think we’re safe.”
“Thatsh ghood.”
>That’s more than good.
>Rather than having everything fall apart again for the umpteenth time, you and your friends have managed to avert not just one, but two magical crises’. 
>And from what you can tell, these would have been serious business.
>There’s no telling what chaos could have ensued if you hadn’t sorted out this magic issue, and Midnight…
>Well, Midnight was a force to be reckoned with on her own. But with Twilight’s ability added to hers?
>That’s not a happy thought.
>Ha, if only Twilight could steal Midnight’s powers. There’s no telling what she’d be able to do with that portal stuff!
>Wait…
>Wait just a minute.
“Twilight?”
>”Yes, Sunset?” She answers as she scoops the box up under her arm and proceeds back to the ‘vault’.
“If Midnight could use your powers…  do you think that you could use hers?”
>Just short of the door, she stops. Her lips part as her eyes, now widened in awe, wander in profound thought.
>She lingers there for several moments before throwing you an excited, almost frantic look and dashing into the closet.
>You hear the clank of the box being tossed on it’s shelf, along with the clattering of the racks of vials before she rushes out again, her hands clutching her head.
>”HOLY CHEESE SNACKS! WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS?!” She cries as she erratically begins pacing about.
“Well, I only just thought about it. It seems kind of possible though, right?”
>”I… I don’t know, maybe? Should I try?”
>Suddenly, a strong sense of dread overcomes you.
>Maybe messing around with this isn’t a great idea. Especially here in school.
>Besides, what if Twilight trying to use Midnight’s abilities wakes her up?
>It’s just you here, and you’re in no condition to do anything!
“You know what? Maybe we should just forget I said anything. This is starting to seem like a really bad idea.”
>Twilight’s high-speed pacing slowly ramps down until she comes to a neutral stance.
>She passes you a contemplative look before staring down at her right hand.
>Without so much as another word, she faces the far wall and slowly raises her hand.
“Twilight. Please don’t.”
>”Just one try, Sunset.”
>After moments of nothing happening, she gives her hand another look before quickly throwing it out, as if violently casting a spell.
>Yet again, nothing happens.
>Twilight lets out a disappointed whine as her shoulders slump. She turns back to you, her disappointment more than apparent.
>”I guess I can’t.”
>Carefully, you climb out of your seat. Pleasantly surprised to find your legs much more stable than minutes before, you slowly trudge over to Twilight.
“It’s probably for the best, Twilight. Power like that really doesn’t seem like something we should be playing with.”
>”I know how dangerous it can be, but… think of what we could do with that power; what we could learn!”
>You come upon her, taking your turn to rest your hands upon her shoulders.
“Slow down, Twilight. I know you’re just getting a little excited, but you’re starting to sound a little too much like Midnight.”
>With a frown, she nods and hangs her head in defeat.
>At least, she does for all of a moment.
>Within seconds her head pops back up, an optimistic sparkle in her eye.
>”Sunset… you said you left my geode in the vault, right?”
“Yeah, I-“
>Oh, no.
>You don’t like where this is going.
>Why did you even bring this up?
“Twilight, no.”
>”Please? Just one more try, just one. I can feel it, I know I can do this.”
“No! It’s too dangerous! What if you end up summoning another plant monster or tearing a hole in the space-time… thingamajig! The fabric of the universe, or whatever! What if Midnight wakes up?”
>She softly pulls away from you, taking advantage of your still weakened state.
>”It’ll be fine, we have the geodes now! We’ve handled plant monsters before, and I’m pretty sure I won’t break anything THAT important!”
>Twilight, that does not make you feel any better!
>”And I’m sure she’s gone! I haven’t heard a peep out of her in a long time!”
“Twilight!” you cry, shuffling after her as she barges into the ‘vault’ once again, desperately searching through the shelves.
>She’s all about keeping your magic safe and out of the hands of others, yet she practically jumps at the chance to potentially wreck everything again!
>As you come to the doorway, you feel the exhaustion rapidly setting back in.
>This session must have really taken a lot out of you.
>Slumping against the door, you gaze into the closest, feasting your eyes magical treasure trove.
>Rack after rack after rack of vials filled with glowing, swirling energy rest on the shelves inside.
>Mostly pink, due to Pinkie’s downright horrifying well of energy, as well a remarkable amount filled with your opal and Twilight’s raspberry purple hues of magic.
>Sprinkled comparatively sparsely in between are a few whites, oranges, yellows, and blues from Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.
>Peeking into and around the glow from the magic, Twilight digs through the closet excitedly searching for her geode.
>Oh, thank goodness. She doesn’t know where it is.
>It’s so unorganized in here, maybe she won’t-
>”Aha!”
>Aw, crud.
>Triumphantly she holds the necklace over her head.
>As she turns around and slips on her magical amulet, you position yourself squarely in the doorway.
“Twilight, I’m serious.”
>”I am, too! Everything’s going to be fine, you’ll see!”
>Reunited with her geode, she waves her hand, commanding her magic to envelop you.
>Wrapped in the soft, warm clutches of her magic, she waves you away, returning you to your seat.
>”Wow, I forgot how much easier it is with the geode; I barely even have to focus!”
>The second her magical grip dissipates, you struggle back to your feet and move as fast as you can towards her.
“Twilight!”
>Confidently striding to her position facing the far wall, she turns and gives you what should be a reassuring smile.
>”I know, Sunset. I know it’s dangerous. I’ll be careful. Just give me one more try, okay? Just one more try. I promise.”
>She turns back to the wall and takes in a deep, calming breath. As she exhales, she speaks once more.
>”I was right about the magic, and the draining… everything went fine! So please, just give me one more shot.”
>Without waiting for a response, she raises her hand.

>Seconds pass, with more of nothing occurring.
>She closes her eyes in focus, her muscles tensing up as if exerting force.
>She begins to groan in effort when, in a flash, a small orb of shining energy appears in the palm of her hand.
>Around Twilight’s eyes, Midnight’s spectral mask begins to weakly glow like blue fire.
“TWILIGHT, STOP!”
>Her eyes crack open and gaze in amazement at the marble-sized orb in her hand.
>”I’m doing it! I’m really doing it!”
>Suddenly, a tiny beam blasts forth from the ball, slamming into the lab’s wall.
>The magic tears through the wall and reality itself, blasting open a puny portal.
>As a steady stream of clear, blue water begins to shoot out of the hole, slight purple cracks begin to web out inches from the source.
>She did it. She really did it!
>But… is it actually her?
>With heavy breaths, she stares at the portal. In an instant, she whips around, and ecstatic grin on her face.
>”I knew it! I knew I could do it! I can use Midnight’s magic!”
>As the water spreads across the lab floor, she begins to jump up and down excitedly, cheering herself on.
>Oh, thank the sun! It’s still her!
>You look back to the magical hole in the wall.
>The small, purple cracks don’t budge, but water continues to ceaselessly pour forth.
“Twilight, shut it off! You’re gonna flood the school!”
>”Shut the wha- whoa!”
>As she lands from her hopping, her feet slip against the wet floor, throwing her butt first into the moist mess.
>”Oww…” she whines, rubbing her sore rear end. In a flash, her spectral mask blows away like dust in the wind.
>As she climbs to her feet, you notice the water creeping slowly towards the door.
>Thinking fast and using every bit of strength you can muster, you drag a vacant table towards the door. You flip it over and press it against the frame.
>Hopefully it will at least stop some of the water!
>It won’t hold for long, though. You’ve got to stop the source!
>You jerk around, finding Twilight closely observing the tear with glee.
>”It’s pretty small, but it’s still a portal. Just think of what I could do if I practiced!”
“TWILIGHT!”
>As the water rises, you feel it seeping through your footwear and soaking your socks.
>”Huh?” She replies, as if completely oblivious.
“THE WATER!”
>”I know! I must have opened a portal in some body of water!”
>Leaning over to closely inspect the stream fountaining out of the wall, she gives the liquid a sniff before dipping a finger into it and sampling its taste.
>”Hmm. Salt water.”
>She continues to gaze upon the stream and its magical source, mumbling to herself.
>You step over to her with great haste, water splashing all over your calves as you move.
>”Hmm… Atlantic? Pacific? Definitely not Arctic, too warm. I wonder what depth the portal is at?”
>Fiercely grabbing at her arm, you pull her around before shaking her wildly.
“TWILIGHT, STOP THE FREAKING WATER! CLOSE THE PORTAL!”
>”What? Why? Think of what we can learn from-“
>Not letting her finish, you grab her head and force her to look down at the rising water as it creeps to shin height.
>”AHH! CLOSE THE PORTAL, CLOSE THE PORTAL!”
>Oh, come on, Twilight! How do you not notice that!
>Pulling away from you, she whips around again and frantically begins attempting to close the portal.
>Just like her first few attempts, nothing happens.
>Desperate to stop the flow, you rush over the hole and try to hold the water back with your hands.
>Surprisingly, you’re able to hold it at bay fairly easily, but with the cost of the water further soaking your clothes.
>Nevertheless, you hold your position while Twilight continues failing to muster her powers.
>Looking back, you see her repeatedly throwing her arm out in an attempt to recreate the blast.
>”Sunset! It’s not working!”
>Of course, it isn’t! Who would’ve guessed this would go wrong?!
>Suddenly, you feel something slimy and scaly brush up against your palm. 
>You scream in panic and resist the sudden urge to yank your hand away from the magical hole.
 “AAAAAHHH! TWILIGHT, SOMETHING’S TOUCHING ME!”
>”Just… Just hold on! I can do this!”
>Twilight clenches her eyes shut, doing her best to concentrate.
>”Focus… Focus… Focus…”
>All of the sudden, the steady stream slows to a trickle before stopping completely.
>For a moment, you can hardly believe it.
>You pull your hands away, and only a few droplets spill out.
“Twilight… it stopped.”
>”What?”
>With the sound of sloshing water, she comes to your side.
>She gives you a strange look before peering through the hole.
>”Oh. Well, that explains a lot… Whoopsie.”
>She pulls back wearing an embarrassed and regretful expression.
>She motions for you to take a peak, and so you do.
>Looking through, you see a small child and who you assume to be his mother staring back at you from behind a labeled pane of glass.
>You can’t read what the label says, but the mother and child both look absolutely astounded.
>Several other figures move around behind them in the dimly lit, deep-blue room, laughing and observing what appear to be…
>Aquariums? 
>Angling your eye downwards, you see mostly still water just below the other end of the portal.
>Swimming about the now low, overly crowded water are a handful of brightly colored schools of fish.
>Huh. Well, it’s better than opening a portal to some alien world, you suppose.
>You should probably just be glad it was a smaller aquarium, and not something like a shark tank. 
>The child raises a finger toward you and speaks a language you do not recognize.
>The mother mutters something in response, but again, it fails to make any sense.
>Right, probably time to back away.
>You pull back and look to Twilight, who gives you an antsy grin.
>”So… maybe I got a little carried away?”
>You look around the room, finding the water resting at halfway up your shins.
>A quick glance at the door and the movement of the water around it tells you that it’s steadily leaking into the hall.
>At least you managed to slow it down.
“Close that hole.”
>”Yes, Sunset.” She quickly replies
>You angerly slosh away from her as you contemplate just how you’re going to explain this one.
>Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna are going to go ballistic!
>And how in the world are you going to get rid of this water?!
>Oh, why couldn’t you have just kept your mouth shut? Why did you have to go and put ideas into her head?
>A flash of light lights up the room as you hear another magical blast being fired off.
>You look back and see the hole, enveloped in Midnight’s bright blue magic, slowly closing in on itself.
>Twilight, her face glowing once again, turns back while trying her best not to look excited or proud.
>”P-portal’s closed, Sunset…”
>Good.
>You silently turn your attention back to the water, eliciting a shameful whine from Twilight.
>”I’m sorry…” she mutters as her mask disintegrates again.
“What are we going to do about the water?”
>”Well… Here, let me open-“
>You turn on a dime and shout, interrupting her before she can finish the suggestion you know she’s going to make.
“NO! You are not going to open another portal!”
>She eyes you anxiously before staring down at the floor in shame.
>”I… I was just going to-“
“Twilight, that is the ENTIRE reason we’re in this mess now!”
>”But I-“
“NO! If this is what we get from one portal, we are NOT opening another one! I mean… Argh!”
>Avoiding your eyes entirely, she slowly steps around you and makes her way to the table you had just sat at minutes before.
“What if you open another one and lava starts shooting out! What if you open one, and we get sucked out into space, through a hole no bigger than a quarter?!”
>Not bothering in any attempt to keep herself dry, she ducks under the table.
“Do you even think about what you’re doing before you do it? Do you think about what could go wrong?””
>She momentarily peers into the water before reaching in at something.
“Are you even listening to me?! ANSWER ME!”
>As she begins to withdraw her hands from the standing water, it begins to swirl in front of her. Fully pulling her hands out of the water, you see that in her hands she holds a small, copper plate.
>She climbs out from underneath the table, finally meeting your eyes once again, albeit very briefly.
“What? What is that?”
>”It’s just a lid that I use to cover the emergency drain. I kept dropping stuff down it, so I covered it up last year.”
“Emergency drain? There’s an emergency drain in here?”
>Staring down at the copper plate clutched in her hands, she nods.
>”All the labs have one. You know, in case the fire alarms go off, or someone needs to use the chemical shower.”
>She turns her back to you and recklessly tosses the plate onto the table.
>”That, or, you know… the lab floods.” She adds with a cringe.
>Right away, you notice the water level lowering at a substantial rate.
>As you watch the water drain away into the hole in the floor, an uncomfortable silence falls between the two of you; you realize how viciously you had just been shouting at her.
>Even with the potentially dire situation you had just been in, you regret allowing your old temper to take hold of you once again.
>Overcome with shame, you slowly wade through the flooded lab to her side.
>You reach out for her but decide against it at the last second.
>She probably wouldn’t appreciate it after how you had just chewed her out.  
“Twilight… I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”
>”No, you were right to. I shouldn’t have done that. I just got so carried away thinking about everything I could do with her powers, I completely forgot about what they’ve done before; almost tearing the world apart… and when I, she, almost threw Timber into that volcano… I just saw it as an experiment, and I didn’t think anything bad could happen. I’m the one that’s at fault here.”
>Ignoring your previous thought, you reach out to her with a comforting touch. In an instant, she spins around and throws herself at you, entangling you in her arms.
>”I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
>You hug back, resting your dampened head against hers.
“I still shouldn’t have been that mean to you… and, at least it’s just water. We can deal with that. Let’s just be glad everything turned out okay.”
>After a long, caring embrace, Twilight pulls away.
>With a sniffle, she lifts her glasses to wipe away a tear.
>”Well… I think we should probably tell Principal Celestia what happened, shouldn’t we?”
>You definitely should. But first…
>You look down at your clothes, finding them fairly soaked.
>And thanks to the hug, some of that liquid bled through into Twilight’s top, leaving it somewhat transparent.
>Her purple bra is about as noticeable as Rainbow’s hair.
>No way the two of you are going to walk around school like this!
“Well… maybe we should sneak down to the locker room and see if Coach Spitfire will let us use the dryer.”
>As the water level drops to it’s last few inches, the drain lets out a loud gurgle.
“Aaaaand maybe mop up a little bit.”

>After hastily mopping up every trace of water you could find in and out of the lab, you stealthily rush down to the girl’s locker room.
>You and Twilight swap out the load of jerseys in the locker room’s dryer for your clothes and decide to change into your gym clothes for the time being.
>After all, you’d rather not be sitting around in the cold locker room nearly naked when you could be talking to Principal Celestia about what happened.
>With that taken care of, you rush off to the offices to speak with your benefactor.
>Though clearly busy preparing today’s activities, she quickly recognizes the urgency and welcomes you into her office where you and Twilight explain everything.
>Mostly you, though. Twilight keeps quiet for the most part, only really speaking up to apologize or ask for forgiveness.
>Principal Celestia, on the other hand, remains completely silent as you recount your tale, clearly growing more concerned and disturbed as it goes on.
”…And that’s why some of the science wing might have a mold problem soon.”
>Principal Celestia’s eyes slowly shift from you to Twilight, who shrinks under her gaze.
>Baring down on your friend, your principal arches her hands in front of her as she finally speaks.
>”Twilight, I must say I’m very disappointed in you. I thought I made it abundantly clear that you were to try to stop any more magic trouble, not cause it yourself!”
>”You did, Principal. I just wasn’t thinking, but- but I was thinking, thinking about the possibilities, and-“
>”What possibilities? The possibility that you may be putting us all in danger? That you might be risking our lives just to test your capabilities?!”
>Twilight cowers from Principal Celestia’s scolding tone as fresh tears line her eyes.
>”No, ma’am,” she squeaks, “I wasn’t thinking about that…”
>”Then what in God’s name where you thinking?”
>”Th-that, if I could control her magic, maybe I could control her if she reappeared, and…”
>”And so you just opened a portal? A portal that could seemingly lead just about anywhere, right in the middle of the school.”
>”Yes, Principal Celestia…”
>”And how do you know you’d be able to control her if she did come back? How do you know that what you did won’t just draw her attention, like Sunset suggested? Why didn’t you listen to her? She asked several times for you to stop, and she was clearly worried!”
>Your increasingly ashamed friend glances at you from behind her glasses.
>Like anyone who has seen someone close to you being punished, you suddenly find yourself feeling extremely uncomfortable.
>Part of you wants to defend Twilight, even though you know she shouldn’t have tried her hand at that magic.
>Part of you just wants to flee from this awkward situation.
>You agree with Principal Celestia, but seeing her raise her voice like this…
>You’ve never seen Principal Celestia this angry before. You’ve never even seen her raise her voice, or outright scold someone like this.
>It’s unsettling. It’s not unlike how you pictured your old mentor, Princess Celestia, acting towards you had you ever returned to Equestria.
>Well, before you returned to her castle to meet her again during that crisis with Wallflower.
>You feel a little ashamed for telling Principal Celestia what happened.
>You just wanted her to know what was going on, what had happened.
>You didn’t want to get Twilight into more trouble.
>Now, you just regret bringing it up.
>Twilight tries to mutter something, but what comes out could only qualify as whimpering gibberish.
>Abruptly becoming aware of her student’s rapidly diminishing emotional state, Principal Celestia drops her stern stare, opting for an apologetic and regretful frown.
>She rises from her seat and makes her way around her desk to Twilight’s chair. Kneeling beside her, she offers her soothing touch to Twilight, who gladly takes her hand.
>”I’m terribly sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to talk to you like that, it was wrong of me. I know you didn’t mean for anything bad to happen-“
>”I didn’t I really didn’t!” She cries back.
>”I know; but something disastrous could have easily come of this. We’re lucky what came through was just salt water and not sewage, or worse; imagine if the other end had opened into a warzone, or a volcano, or any other deadly thing.”
>Boy, you’re glad she doesn’t know Midnight almost threw Timber into a volcano.
>That would have made this way more complicated.
>”I know that you want to understand more about magic; heaven knows I’m clueless about any of it, and I’d rather not think about where we’d be without the two of you and your friends.”
>Well… everything would probably be pretty normal, actually.
>”I appreciate and applaud your dedication to learning more about magic, but you must restrain yourself. Midnight’s magic is extremely dangerous, even for you all. I think it’s best for you to stay away from it altogether. Understand? ”
>”Yes, Principal Celestia. I understand. I won’t mess around with Midnight’s magic.” Twilight sadly replies.
>Principal Celestia smiles as she stands again and rests her free hand over Twilight’s.
>”Thank you, Twilight.”
>As her soft smile returns, she turns to you.
>”And thank you for bringing this to my attention, Sunset. I do appreciate knowing what is going on with you all, even though it usually just makes me worry.”
“You’re welcome, Principal Celestia. We both got out fine, but I thought you might want to know about the water.”
>You turn to Twilight, who looks up to you shyly. 
“I’m really sorry I got you in trouble, Twilight.”
>”It’s okay, Sunset. It was the right thing to do.”
>”Oh, you’re not in trouble Twilight.”
>”Wha-what? I’m not?”
>”Of course not.” Principal Celestia replies.
>Releasing Twilight’s hand, Principal Celestia takes a step back and takes a seat on the edge of her desk.
>”We may have an issue with water damage and mold, but I’d rather that than the world being torn apart again. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t had to make a few repairs to the school these past few years as it is. What’s important is that you only meant for the best and that no one was hurt.”
>”So… no detention? No calling my parents?”
>”No. I think you’ve got enough trouble at home for the time being, and I really need you here to help me with Bulk’s tutoring. Though, I will have to stress that you think more carefully about your actions in the future. Again, the school really can’t afford any more catastrophes. I’m astounded our budget hasn’t already been cut. That, and I’d really prefer Anon not find out about magic and all of this nonsense… There’s no telling how he’d take it.”
“About that; is it really so bad that Anon finds out? Everyone else already knows, and Nurse Redheart and Ms. Cheerilee have already tried to tell him about what happened at the fall formal.”
>Principal Celestia slightly cocks her head and blinks repeatedly at you.
>”I’m sorry, what?”
“Yeah, they tried to tell him. He didn’t believe them, though. He actually got kind of mad at them when they called me a demon,” you reply with a shrug. “But, would it really be so bad if he knew? We’ve all been talking to him a lot since he got here, and he’s a really cool and understanding guy. Why not just tell him?”
>”I’d like to, I really would, but…”
>As she scoots back further onto her desk, Principal Celestia fixates her eyes on the floor.
>”I just don’t see him taking it well. I hate keeping it from him, especially given his role here. If something happens, he may leap into action without knowing what he’s really getting into. But I’m also afraid that if I keep it from him for to long, it may lead to trust issues in our relationship, if he doesn’t just outright leave because of it, and… Oh, I just don’t know what to do.”
>Your principal seems to drift off into somber thought as she continues to stare down at the floor.
>”Your ‘relationship’?” Inquires Twilight.
>Instantly, Principal Celestia snaps back to attention, an unusually excited grin upon her face.
>”Yes, well, would you look at the time?! I think it’s about time you two got back to class, huh?”
>She quickly slides off her table and ushers the two of you from your chairs.
“Uhh…”
>”Again, thank you ever so much for bringing this to my attention! Keep up the good work keeping everything under control, and make sure you stay out of trouble Twilight!” She cheerily says as she shoves you out of her office.
>”I-I will! But, are you sure everything is okay?”
>”Of course! Now, you two go on and get back to class! Education is just as important as protecting the world from magic, you know! Have a nice day! Enjoy the rally!”
>Not giving you the chance to utter another word, she quickly slams her door shut.
>Huh.
>You’re left alone in the tiny hallway with Twilight, who looks just as confused as you do.
>”That was odd.”
“Yeah. Well… I guess we should go get changed and get back to class then?”
>With a shrug, Twilight turns toward the door out.
>”I guess so… maybe working out some advanced trigonometry will get my mind off of this.”
>She’s probably going to be feeling bad about this for a while.
>With a smile you lay an arm across her shoulder, pulling her close as you step out into the office.
“Try not to let it get to you. What’s important is that everything turned out okay, right?”
>”I suppose so. Sunset, I’m really sor-“
“Shush, Twilight. Everything’s fine, and everything’s going to stay fine. Now, come on.”
>As a smile begins to creep back onto your best friend’s face, you make your way back to the gym, pleasantly optimistic about what the day has in store for you.

----------

-A few hours later…-

>Crowded together in front of the computer screen, it’s bright light contrasts strongly against the dark library.
>On the screen, the trooper’s drill instructor gives the soldiers the okay to begin to exercise.
>Their appointed squad leader rushes to the front and barks his orders. His first fire team steps forward, locking and loading their weapons while the following teams ready themselves.
>As the course’s alarm bell rings, the soldiers rush forward into the live-fire exercise.
>Knowing full well what is coming, you grin and cross your legs in front of you.
>Redheart groans as she shifts in her chair, not at all interested in the movie.
>”Ugh. Why did you have to pick this? It’s just space basic training!”
“Actually, they’re in Canada.”
>”You mean in the movie or just the set?” Cheerilee asks as she shoves a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
“Uh… both? I think. Don’t quote me on that.”
>The fireteam cuts through the course like a knife through butter, obliterating every laser-firing silhouette target while only taking minimal casualties.
>But, just like you remember, everything begins to fall apart as one soldier runs directly in front of his comrade’s line of fire.
>”You’re in my line of fire!” She shouts.
>Her comrade turns to her, lifting the loose helmet up over his eyes.
>”It’s my helmet, it’s all screwed up!”
>”You’re gonna blow the score!” Another recruit shouts.
>His squad leader rushes over to the struggling trainee and they take a knee together.
>”What’s the problem?” He asks, reaching for his soldier’s helmet.
>”This damn thing keeps getting in my way!”
>”Doesn’t something really bad happen here?” 
>As you reach over to snatch up some popcorn from Cheeri’s bowl, you give her a knowing grin.
“Nah, nothing ever goes wrong in Spaceship Soldiers.”
>As the squad leader begins to inspect the helmet, one of the advancing female soldiers turns back to shout one last time.
>”How come whenever something goes wrong, it’s always you?!”
>Just as she finishes her thought, she catches a stun laser from a silhouette to her back, throwing her to the ground.
>As she falls she squeezes her rifles trigger, firing a wild burst into the air. Unfortunately, the burst’s last round manages to find it’s way over to her now vulnerable comrade.
>The round tears clear through his skull, killing him instantly.
>”Oh, Jesus!” Cheeri exclaims.
“Yep. Nothing wrong at all.”
>”Eww. R.I.P. that guy, I guess.” Redheart casually throws out as Cheerilee slaps her hand against your arm.
>Suddenly, the library’s lights burst on, very briefly shocking your eyes.
>”Hey, what the hell? The library’s closed!” Redheart shouts out as she pauses the movie.
>”Shut up! Let me handle this!” Cheeri scolds.
>You turn in your chair, watching as she rises from her seat and steps forth from the bookshelves you’ve made into your impromptu movie theater.
>She stops just at the end of the aisle and turns to face the door.
>”Excuse me, the library is currently… O-oh, Principa-“
>”I’m sorry, what was that about the library, Ms. Cheerilee?”
>Cheerilee takes an uneasy step backswards as Celestia comes into view just in front of her.
>”I-I was just saying that the, uh… the library is closed, at the moment, and-“
>She glances down the aisle at Redheart, the laptop sat upon the book cart, and you.
>She narrows her eyes at you in particular.
>That is not good.
>”Yes, I can see why. But, I don’t recall approving this. I don’t even recall being asked about it.”
>Oh boy, someone’s about to get a big chewing out. Maybe you can do some damage control?
>You hop to your feet and quickly step down the aisle to Celestia. She locks her stern eyes onto yours as you approach.
>She looks kind of stressed. Did something happen?
“Hey, sorry Principal Celestia. It was my idea, and-“
>”Officer Anon, could you wait outside? I’ll have a word with you in a moment.”
“Okay, but-“
>”Now, please.” She demands, turning her eyes too Redheart and Cheerilee. “I need to speak with Ms. Cheerilee and Nurse Redheart about something very important right now.”
>Aw shit.
>You really hope they aren’t about to get fired.
>You glance to Cheerilee, finding worry painted all over her face. Nonetheless, she gives you a nod telling you to leave.
“I, uh… I’ll be outside then.”
>With a hesitant first step, you turn and head out the door.

>You step out into the lonely halls and quietly shut the door behind you.
>With a slight sense of nervousness, you lean up against the walls and wait.
>And wait. And wait. Aaaaaaaand wait…
>Finally, after what was beginning to feel like an eternity, Redheart emerges from the library.
>She gives you a waggish and unusual smile as she rolls her eyes.
“Hey, everything okay?”
>She clicks her tongue as she parts her lips, but the instant she begins to speak, Celestia emerges right behind her, letting the door slam shut.
>Giving her superior a quick glance, Redheart briefly meets your eyes again as she begins to step off down the halls.
>”I’ll see you at the rally.” She confidently says as she strolls by.
>Okay… Guess she’s not in too much trouble, then?
>Celestia approaches, her eyes lingering on Redheart before flicking over to you. With a slight cock to her hips, she rests her hands on the waist of her jeans.
>She remains silent, waiting for you to speak.
“So, uh… Sorry about the movie. It was all my idea, and-“
>”Anon, you don’t need protect your friends. They aren’t in trouble.”
“Oh. Wait, they aren’t?”
>”No,” she says as she steps around you. 
>With a beckoning finger, she urges you to follow.
>And follow her you do, lingering just behind her and to her side as she guides you back to the offices.
>Even with the somewhat serious tone of the conversation, you can’t stop yourself from taking a few inconspicuous peeks at her magnificent cheeks crammed into her jeans.
>Dat ass.
>”Though, they really should be considering what I just caught them doing.”
“So what was that about then?”
>”I, um… Well… I just needed to make some things clear to them. About slacking off like that.”
“…Soooo they are in trouble?”
>”NO, they aren’t in trouble. I just…”
>For a moment she hesitates, shaking her head in frustration, swishing her hair along the back of her pink polo shirt. 
>”Agh, I needed to talk to them about something very important, okay?”
>Okay, somethings up.
“Everything okay, Celestia? You seem kind of agitated.”
>”I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”
>Immediately, alarms begin going off in your head.
>While relatively inexperienced with women, you know that when a woman says ‘I’m fine’, she never means it.
>At least, that’s what most of the media you’ve consumed has led you to believe.
>And media never lies. Right?
“Are you sure? If something’s wrong, maybe I can… wait, you aren’t mad at me, are you? I mean, I hate to play the cliché clueless boyfrie-“
>Mid-thought, you stop yourself as you suddenly recall your surroundings.
>As Celestia tosses you an annoyed look, you scan the halls for anyone in earshot. 
>Not a soul in sight.
>Phew, that could’ve been bad. Gotta be more careful about that.
>”I’m not mad at you, really. Maybe a little annoyed, but it’s nothing. If you must know, Twilight had an accident in her lab a few hours ago and partially flooded the room.”
>Man, it’s always something with those girls.
>Last week, Pinkie set off that ‘party cannon’ just outside the offices and nearly gave you another heart attack, not to mention the cold sweat and fit of shakes you had for hours afterwards.
>The week before that, Dash somehow set her shoes on fire while she was still wearing them.
>And then Fluttershy snuck in that ferret that got stuck in her hair. Jesus, that was a mess.
>Still can’t believe that little shit was trying to square up with you with his lil’ weasel war dance.
>Now that you think of it, having a ferret around her rabbit kind of seems like a bad idea.
“Oh. Hope that doesn’t cause mold.”
>”Honestly, I’m not too worried about it.”
>Arriving at the office doors, Celestia careless throws the door open and quickly steps inside.
>Following her in, Raven gives you and Celestia a quirky grin, to which you smile and nod back.
“But wouldn’t mold be, like, a huge health violation or something?”
>Celestia shakes her head. She remains silent as she pulls open the door to her office.
>With a pointing nod, she directs you inside. Only after you’ve stepped in does she close the door behind her.
>You hear the very audible click of the door locking.
>She slips past you and slides onto the top of her desk.
>”Yes, but it’s nothing that can’t be handled. I’m more worried about…”
>She pauses as her eyes shift away from yours.
>”Well, it’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“What is?”
>”It’s nothing, really.”
>Oh, bullshit. It’s never nothing around here.
“Well, if it was nothing then you would tell me.”
>She remains silent. 
>You see her rapidly wandering eyes suddenly lock on to a blank spot in the wall, staring as if deep in thought.
>Unbudgingly, you quietly wait for her eyes to find you again. After only a brief wait she turns back to you with a scared look.
>”Fine. If you must know… after you left this morning, I started going through my morning ritual and while I was in the shower, I thought I felt a lump in my chest…”
>Oh.
>Oh, god.
“You thought, or…?”
>”I’m not sure. I think I might just be imagining things, but I can’t get it out of my head.”
>She slides off the desk, meekly cradling her arms as she moves closer to you.
“Celly, you should really go get checked out as soon as possible.”
>”I know, and I will, but… would you mind taking a look for me?”
“I, uh… Not sure I feel qualified for that.”
>”Please?” she asks, taking your hand and pulling it near her chest. “Just for some peace of mind.”
>No real reason to say no, you suppose.
>You can’t help but feel this came completely out of left field, though.
>Then again, you doubt most folks really see cancer coming.
“Yeah, I’ll check for you.”
>Immediately, she seems to take a turn for the better as she throws herself at you for a quick embrace.
>”Thank you, Anon! I thought about asking Luna, but I don’t want to get her worrying.”
>You don’t want to worry your sister about possibly having cancer, so you ask the guy you’ve been dating for a month to check it out instead?
>Turning around, she begins to lift her T-shirt, revealing her pearly skin and her tight, lacey bra, nearly a white as her body.
>Kind of surprised she opted for something so showy given what she’ll be doing today in that stupid sack race thing.
>You know for a fact that she has sports bras, after all.
>Recklessly throwing her top onto her desk, she quickly reaches back to unhook her bra.
>Even from behind her, you see her large breasts spill forth as her bra slips down from her shoulders, teasing your eyes with just a peak of skin from between her arms and body.
“Okay, so… Where should I start?”
>”The left one. I felt it in the left one.”
>Just the left one? No particular spot? 
>Oh, whatever. Just check, you ass.
>Taking position just behind her, you rest your right hand on her shoulder as you reach around with your left.
>As flesh comes flesh, she elicits a quiet, breathy gasp.
>Palming her heavy pillow, you slowly and methodically probe and grope around, feeling for anything unusual.
 >You try your best to not enjoy this.
>She tries to hold back a low, brief groan as a calloused finger slips over her perky nipple; it does not go unnoticed by you.
>You continue your search as Celestia’s breathing steadily rises. Ever so slightly she begins to lean back until she is all but resting in your arms.
>Your suspicions, among other things, begin to become aroused.
>You cover every inch of her titillating flesh and, much to Celestia’s apparent delight, even double check just to be sure; but you find no lump.
“I think you’re good, Celly. I didn’t feel anything unusual.”
>Just as you pull your hand away, it’s snatched up and put right back in place over her hard nipple.
>”A-are you sure? Maybe just one more check…”
“I’m sure, honey. I checked twice.”
>”Oh, you know what?” She asks, fully leaning back against you.
>With her head just below yours, you nose is flooded with sweet scent of her hair.
>”I think I might’ve been wrong, maybe it was in my right breast after all. Do you think you could check that one, too?” Celestia requests with unusual haste.
>Without waiting a second, she pulls your other hand to her right breast, forcing you to palm it in the same manner.
>If your bullshit detector wasn’t already screaming full force, it certainly is now.
>She’s trying to distract you, to cover something up.
>Or maybe she’s just horny and wants to try out some stupid porno-tier roleplay or something?
>Whatever. You’re pretty certain it’s not actually cancer, which means you don’t have to feel bad for having an erection.
>But, just to humor her, you go ahead and closely ‘inspect’ every inch of her breasts once more.
>You really take your time this go around, paying particularly close attention to her areola as you grope and knead her heavenly mounds.
>Again, no lumps; but you weren’t really looking this time anyway.
>Craning your head past her shoulder, you can just barely see her face; eyes shut and mouth agape, lost in ecstasy from your fondling.
>She must REALLY be hurting for a man’s touch, huh?
>As you begin to rub and softly twist her nipples between your finger tips to the sounds of her soft moans, you whisper into her ear.
“You know, it’s kind of messed up to lie about cancer.”
>Her eyes shoot open as she jerks her head around, causing her breasts to jiggle in your grasp.
>”Lie? I didn’t- Ah~!”
>She moans and writhes in your arms as you tug and pinch at her teats.
“I mean, I guess I’m not complaining too much, but it’s still kind of messed up.”
>With another tweak to her sensitive flesh and she throws her rear into your groin.
>You push your hard rod into her large, supple cheeks and she instantly begins to grind against you in instinctual lust.
>You know you really shouldn’t be doing this, especially here of all places. 
>That you should stop and save this for when the two of you get home.
>But just for once, you really want the voice of reason to just go away for a little bit.
>”I-I can explain!”
>You decide that you don’t really care anymore.
>You’d rather focus on this, and where this is going.
>With one final tug, you release one of her breasts as your hand begins to venture south, over her soft and smooth stomach to her waistline.
>Her hands reach over for your head, pulling your lips to hers for a passionate kiss as your fingers pick at the button of her tight jeans. 
>With just a little toying the button comes undone. Left without help, her zipper stands no chance against you.
>Now with nothing holding them up, you easily guide her pants down her legs, revealing a most titillating sight.
>Once again, in place of the suspected sporty underwear you find a very thin and lacey white thong covering her most sensual bits.
>Seeing that tiny stretch of cloth disappear between her ample alabaster cheeks only further stirs the rising lust within you.
>With a playful shove, you push her closer to the desk and bend her over. 
>Through the nearly transparent material, you spy her moistened lips. Thoroughly dampened, streaks of liquid run down her thighs, glistening in the light.
>Looking back at you hungerly, she sways her rear side to side, provoking the tiniest jiggle.
>”I’ve been a naughty girl, Officer Anon…”
>Well, it’s a good thing you know exactly what to do with naughty girls.
>Pulling back your hand, you deliver a swift, open-palmed slap to her ass, resounding with a meaty whack.
>”Aaahh-mmph~!” She cries out loud, clapping a hand over her mouth to muffle her pleasured moans.
>Your member, now at critical mass, pushes uncomfortably at your zipper.
>It’s time to get comfortable, and really get the fun started.
>You quickly claw at the Velcro of your vest, desperate to get it off.
>Just as you go to pull the armor off of you, you hear the doorknob shake. You and your lover whip around, wide-eyed and helpless.
>The knob shakes again as someone on the other side pushes against the wooden barricade. 
>You thank god that it doesn’t give.
>That’s right! Celestia locked the door!
>”Sister? Are you in there?”
>God damn it, Luna!
>”Shit!” Celestia whispers under her breath. “Y-yes, just one minute!”
>She throws herself up from over the desk and shimmies her jeans back up to her waist before turning towards you.
>Immediately, you find your eyes drawn down to her breasts.
>Heavy and full with just the slightest hint of sag from their weight, and perfectly sized areo-
>Celestia snaps her fingers in your face, demanding your attention back as she snatches up her bra and covers herself up.
>”Act natural! Pretend we we’re talking about us!” She mutters at you.
“But, but what about-“
>”Later!”
>”It was just brought to my attention by Mr. Scruffy that there was a bit of an incident in the science labs. I was hoping you could elaborate on that.”
>As she hurriedly slips her shirt back over her head, she eyes the door as she drifts into thought.
>”Yes, of course! Just one moment!” Celestia shouts back before turning to you again. ”Never mind! Stay in here until we leave. Understand?”
>You reply with a simple nod in the affirmative.
>”Good. Do I look okay?”
>God, do you want to just ruin her right now.
“Your hair’s kind of messy.”
>Lacking any mirror on hand, she tries to blindly straighten out her hair with her hands. 
>It makes very little difference.
>For a split-second, she reaches for the door before hesitating. Grabbing you by the collar of your vest, she pulls you away from the door and into a deep, loving kiss.
>As the kiss breaks, she leans up to whisper into your ear.
>”Now, be a good little boy and I promise I’ll take care of everything for you later.”
>She delivers one more sweet peck of a kiss to your lips before pulling away.
>She rushes over to the door, unlocks it, and winks at you before slipping out and closing it behind her.
>”Well, you certainly took your time. Why was the door locked? Is something the matter?”
>You creep to the door and put your ear against it.
>”No, no! I just… I wanted to be alone for a little bit.”
>”Hmm. I’m sure. Are you sure you weren’t playing with yourse-“
>”Luna! Hush!” Celestia exclaims. “You swore you’d never mention that again!”
>You hear Luna’s laughter as another door shuts. Then, nothing.
>You wait a few moments just to be safe. Once you’re sure the coast is clear, you creep back to your office.
>You resist the urge to slam your door behind you, but instead throw yourself onto the couch you stole from the teacher’s lounge.
>As your frustration continues to grow, you cross your arms and pout like a petulant child.
“This is bullshit!”
>You were so close!
>Yeah, there’s always later, but there was something really exciting about that…
>Doing it right there in her office, where you know you shouldn’t, where you know you could be caught.
>Thinking about it just makes you want it more.
>You shift and lie down on the soft couch.
>Fucking Luna. You can’t believe she just cock-blocked you.
>You roll your head over, staring down at the armrest you’re instead using for your feet.
>You remember how mad she was when this couch just happened to disappear from the lounge and reappear in your office.
>Naturally, she didn’t believe you when you lied about not knowing.
>But, no one can quite figure out how you got it in here through that tiny hallway, or how they can get it back out.
>It’s like everyone around here as only ever used moving companies. You just gotta twist that shit.
>It’s yours for now, though. And laying here, thinking about it puts some nasty thoughts into your head.
>You’ll make sure that Luna pays for this transgression.
>As an evil grin crosses your face, you suddenly feel like you forgot about something.
>Something important. Peculiar. Something involving Celestia…
>…
>Aw, fuck it. It’s probably nothing.

Continued in part three: https://pastebin.com/hNawZqe7