>“Hey, uh, I’m real sorry about this.”
>You glance up at the rear view mirror, catching eyes with the newcomer as she looks up at you, a bit of nervousness showing through the otherwise confident teenager.
>You return your eyes to the road before shooting her a thumbs up, knowing this type of situation all too well.
“Stuff happens,” you say to her, idly turning down the radio while beginning to make a left.
>“Still, sorry to wake you at such an hour and—”
>You cut her off with a raised finger and a quick glance back through the mirror.
“If Adagio likes you enough to get me to do this, then I know you’re either a really good person…”
>You glance right to give Adagio Dazzle a questioning look.
“...Or you owe her some serious money.”
>That gets a tired smile out of the stressed youngin, her face barely illuminated by passing light from dim roadway lights.
>“Yeah, she owes me loads of money,” Adagio chuckles with a lazy hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, “hard drug money, likes of which you can’t imagine.”
>You laugh at that, and so does Adagio's classmate
>You glance back up at the mirror, noting the lazy attire of the late teen. Overfitting t-shirt, shorts, and hair that indicated that she was probably going for some midnight munchies.
“I’m Anonymous, by the way.”
>She looks up with a small, if not weary, smile.
>“Sunset Shimmer.”
>There’s another moment of silence, only to be interrupted by Sunset, a teasing edge to her voice.
>”The Dazzlings speak quite fondly of you, ya know?”
>You can see the place just ahead, one more light.
>“Oh, really now?” you say with a chuckle, though you can’t contain the shit eating smile that goes off towards Adagio, of whom sits in shotgun.
>Said teen turns in her seat to give a look at Sunset, but you’re more than content to end the little conversation while stopping to a dead halt in front of the dormitory.
“Ta-da.”
>Both look at the complex before muttering some solemn words to each other, exiting the car and ending it with a quick embrace.
>She hands Adagio something before waving high at you, and you merely return the gesture with a thumbs up, as you usually default to.
>Sunset stalks off towards the building, though not before Adagio returns to shotgun, though you wait until she buckles up before revving up the engine.
>Now that the company was gone, she rummages through the glovebox for her favorite cd before all but cramming it into the player.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvsgYBDKpOs
>And pump it high she does before rolling down her window, quickly beginning to enjoy the night’s breeze as you drive off into the night.
>The ride is uneventful, though you can’t blame her for being especially quiet, all things considered.
>You stop just shy of the hotel complex, eying the scene and stairwell for any unsavory characters that often plague the place at the hour.
>Somehow, though, there seems to be not a soul in sight.
>Maybe your lucks finally changing?
>It’d certainly be a nice change.
>Especia—
>“Anon.”
>You look right to see Adagio holding a twenty dollar-bill just before you, the weariness obvious on her face despite the look of adamancy now upon it.
>“Shimmy said this was for you,” she says while stifling a yawn, shaking the thing in your face for emphasis.
>You smile weakly at the proffered thing before shooing her away with a hand, unlocking the doors and leaning into your seat.
“Keep it, lord knows you need it more than I do.”
>Her arm doesn’t waver.
“You know I’m right and that you want it.”
>You riffle her hair and pull back with a chuckle as she moves to swat away the hand.
“Trust me, cousin Anon’s got something big planned that’s just around the corner.”
>She eyes you warily, though it’s hard to tell exactly what she’s thinking, as the lighting is poor within the vehicle.
>“You’ve said that before.”
>You stiffen at that and grimace, though you quickly put on a confident face again for the little one.
“And each time things went south, who still came out on top?”
>You nudge her on the side.
>“...We did.”
“What? Sorry, didn’t catch that.”
>“We kinda’ came out on top…”
>“You know I’m hard of hearing, Dizzy!”
>“We came out on top, alright?” she says with a tired giggle, one that you’re sure to further with a rub to her bedhead yet again.
“Damn straight we did, now go get yourself some sleep. You’ve got four hours ‘till you’re supposed to wake the others and gettem’ up.”
>“Alright, alright,” she says while exiting the vehicle, though she stops about halfway while shutting the door to turn to you with a weary smile.
>“Thanks, Non.”
>You give her a weary wave and a small smile in return.
>You wait until you see the door to your apartment on the third floor open and close before driving off into the night, silently praying that you weren’t late to the drop off
>…
>……
>The situation isn’t too bad.
>You’d thought it’d be worse, but it’s alright.
>TOTALLY NOT FINE.
>You look left at your partner, her eyes focused on the hazy figures that steadily approach the alley’s center.
“Last chance to pussy out.”
>She turns her head to look you in the eyes. Her eyes remind you that you’re both already too deep.
>You can hardly suppress a shiver at the situation, your clothing doing seemingly-nothing to prevent the night’s chill from biting hard.
>This’ll all be over right quick, c’mon, Anon, you’ve got this.
>Do this for them.
>They’re counting on you.
>Nodding, you stand tall and readjust your grip on the dufflebag.
>The two figures now make themselves visible in the moonlight.
>They’re two somewhat shorter people who appear to be no older than twenty.
>Still in highschool by the looks of it, as their sense of fashion consists of jackets and jeans.
>Your compatriot gives you a nod.
>These are the right people.
>You slowly creep out from the darkness, yourself being just five feet before them when you finally stop.
“You got the stuff?”
>The lead of the two, one lad with blue hair and a rather lithe build, reaches too quickly for something.
>A growl comes from just behind your left, a wave of comfort rolling over you as you remember that she has your back.
>“Easy now, kiddo.”
>The boy’s eyes light up something fierce, but his friend, one green lass with a yellow do-rag to cover her frayed hair, remains completely calm.
>Slowly, ever so slowly, the lad produces a—
>Holy shit, are those ALL hundreds?
>It’s been years since you’ve seen that much...
>He tosses the thing at you with two fingers, though you can hear him mumble to his mate.
>“Man, you better be right about these guys.”
>You momentarily set down the duffle bag before sifting through the wad of hundred dollar-bills, carefully examining each one to make sure that none are fake.
>Well... Hot damn!
>$3,000.
>
>You can get used to this.
>You pocket the wad and pick up the duffle before opening the thing and gently tossing it to the two.
>Maybe your joy shows through your voice, maybe it doesn’t, but you speak nonetheless.
“It’s well worth the price, you can trust me on that one.”
>Tentatively do the two begin to examine the wares of the bag, each bit of green examined as if it were a jewel.
>Your partner chuckles, giving out a small chuckle before addressing the two youngins.
>“Go ahead, try a nug.”
>The blue-haired lad does just as instructed, but you can’t help but snigger as he shows his pipe as one of those rainbow colored ones.
>You grimace and shake your head at the tool, any semblance of respect you had for this Chad now gone.
“Fuckin’ fag...”
>He takes in a weak hit before proceeding to hack his lungs out, his eyes a light red now as he begins to speak once done with his coughing fit.
>“Oh y-yeah, you were right, Huggey, this shit is lit.”
>She smiles and folds her arm, giving your compatriot a nod.
>“Told ya, man.”
>Picking up the bag, though almost tripping over his own ass, the blue haired Chad and his friend begin to make their way back to their vehicle before driving off into the night. The sound of their engine growing ever farther away is  great a comfort to your ears.
>Silence now reigns king, only the beating of your heart and the sound of breathing emanating from the scene.
>Well, that is up until you choke out a breathless laugh and remove the wad of money from your pocket, tossing it to your compatriot.
“Fucking rich kids, God’s gift to us wee peasant folk!”
>She catches it flawlessly and begins to count it all, a serious demeanor still over her up until the last bill.
>“Best get this back to boss before he gets antsy.”
>You’re already half way back to the car at that point, your heart still racing as you eye any and all potential shadows for potential Fed ambushes.
“On it!”
>
>Thankfully, the ride back to the drop off point is uneventful, the only noise in the car being that of the radio’s music.
>No rock, no country, just some nice jazz with the radio host giving occasional tidbits of information out about the war.
>It’s no more than a half hour drive, realistically, but you’re sure to drive in obscure and random turns to confuse anyone that could possibly be following.
>Paranoia can be a good thing, you know.
>You drive up enough to the dropoff point, one Mexican fast food place that’s open 24/7, and order a well-deserved snack for you and your comrade.
>Of course you pay with the fat stack, the window woman all too happy to see your arrival.
>She makes damn sure to bend over and put that v-neck to work, that’s for damn sure.
>“Have a good one, yew two!”
>You know you can trust the woman, as Boss is one of the most thorough men you’ve met when it comes to background checks, but you can’t help but sweat every time you see her.
>Wait a second, this is the second time you’ve ever seen her.
>Hell’re you talking about, brain?
>This is your first damn night on the job!
>“You good, man?”
>Your compatriots voice startles you enough to jump and bash your head against the car’s ceiling, much to your chagrin.
>You rub the newfound bruse for several moments before turning to look at her.
“Yeah, ten outta ten.”
>“Then maybe you could, I don’t know, drive the fuck forward? I’m starving like an Auschwitz survivor over here!”
>Eh?
“Fuckin’ oven-lover.”
>You still drive forward nonetheless, knowing too well how she reacts to being screwed with.
>She sniggers before leaning back in her seat with feet on the dash and hand resting on her stomach.
>“Man, wish I was a Jew, free college, money…”
>She scratches his chin for a moment, biting her lips while before looking up at the ceiling for counseling.
>“More money…”
>She shrugs and is quiet after that..
>The food arrives a moment later, your compatriot already shoving stuff in her mouth before you’ve properly parked the car.
>As you look down at your meal, however, you can’t help but smile.
>Thank God that Boss is such a benevolent soul.
>He owns the damn place and gives his boys free meals after such ventures, and boy do you like the idea of free shit.
>...Well, it’s technically free, but you get the point.
>Both of you eat in relative silence, save for the soothing jazz and sounds of hasty eating, though your heart is still beating at an uncomfortably fast rate
>“Hey, Anon, this is just like I told you, huh?”
>She gestures out towards the vast nothingness that is space.
>”Easy work, great pay, medical care should we get banged up…”
>She scoots closer to you in the car, gesticulating wildly as she does so.
>“Sky’s the limit, man. You’ve been nothing but perfect during your background check and initiation, stick by my side and we’ll be boss’ right hand men in no time flat!”
>She reaches over your shoulder and pulls you into a side hug, never ceasing her chuckling or gesturing out towards the bright stars above.
>She’s always wanted this, ever since she first mentioned it all those months ago while you were celebrating graduation.
>God, it seems like years ago.
>You silently pray that Gilda knows what she’s getting you both into.
>...
>......
>It’s hard to imagine that it was only just five hours ago, paranoia still taking hold of you even now.
>Surely, though, if they had a beat on you, they’d jump on it instead of waiting this long?
>But what if they’re waiting to trail you back to the source?
>You’re interrupted from your thoughts when the sound of opening doors emanates from all sides.
>You panic for a moment, eyes going wide as you jump up—  
>Oh, wait.
>It’s just the girls.
>Relaxing, you take a moment to take a little sip from your flask
>Seems Sonata got shotgun.
>Sweet.
>She plays the least-shitty music.
>You ready up the rear-view mirror upon the other two, but you notice just how much baggage there is under your eyes.
>Well shit.
>Maybe you should’ve bought some coffee?
>Eh, who’re you kidding, that’s a luxury you can’t really afford at the moment.
“Sleep alright?” you question the group as a whole as you wait for them to buckle up.
Two tired grimaces meet your eyes before there comes a high-pitched yawn from beside you.
>“Preeeetty good, Mousey!”
>She yawns before leaning back in her seat…
>’Mousey’.
>Little Sonata had more than a bit of trouble pronouncing your name in her earlier years, back when her parents were still alive and well, and so she just decided to call you the next closest thing one day.
>It stuck.
>Her eyes snap onto yours.
>”What about you, sleep well?”
>Your brow furrows at that, but you don’t decide to call her out on the obvious mistake.
>Instead you look over towards Adagio and Aria, of whom share equal measures of confusion and mild annoyance.
>”What? C’mon, what’d I say?”
>All of your stares flick onto her, a silence overtaking the car…
>Her eyes go wide before a slight blush overtakes her cheeks.
>“Oh, uh, sorry, still sleepy!”
>You yawn at that before shrugging it off.
>Noticing that Aria has finally buckled up, you finally put the car into motion, beginning the daily commute to school.
“Glad to see at least one’a ya’ got a good night’s rest,” you say with a tired chuckle, “God knows that ya’ need more rest.”
>There comes a grumble from directly behind you.
>“What’s that supposed to mean?” questions Aria.
>There’s a sudden hiss from the speakers, to which you glance over and see Sonata fiddling with the buttons and dials.
>She has no idea what she’s doing, evident by the glee on her face.
>Beyond that, though, you can instantly recognize the song that’s barely coming out.
>Channeling the inner jackass, you begin to nod furiously while grabbing the volume dial and swinging it to the right.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMWWBigvbkY
“Means I can see bags under your eyes, Diggy!”
>Giving a little whoop, you begin to chuckle while doing a little jig in your seat.
“Take note from little Berry over here.”
>You point over the head of Sonata, of whom is bobbing her head to the song, a large smile on her face as she watches you.
“Notice the distinct lack of grouch ass in her behavior, the hopeful smile on her face, the lack of apathy, all in one convenient bundle!”
>Sonata beams under the praise, somewhat jumping in her seat, but the reaction from the back…
>Well, it’s about as much as you expected, but less than you hoped.
>Two annoyed stares, completely devoid of mirth, stare into the mirror back at you.
>Though, just as you turn back to go at the green light, you feel a foot kick the back of your seat, followed by a brief snigger by Aria.
>Normally you’d tell her to sit like a normal person, but it’s rare to hear her laugh, so you let it slide.
>Adagio’s voice follows suit.
>”Well maybe we’d be more cheerful if we had some good music playing.”
>”This is good music!”
>Aria’s teasing voice soon rings out.
>”Is not.”
>”Is too!”
>”Is not..”
>You chuckle at the scene, the two soon silencing themselves in favor of digging through their backpacks.
>Soon pulling up to a red light, you let your eyes wander right.
>Seems Sonata’s reviewing some notes…
>No, wait, that’s some sort of formal paper.
“Forget to write a paper or something?”
>She looks up to you, a wide smile on her face.
>”Eyup!”
>You… you didn’t actually expect that to be the case.
“Uh… least tell me that it’s not due today?”
>She shakes her head, smile never breaking.
>”Nah, Mousey, we got this! It’s duel Friday!”
>You raise a brow at her.
“Sonata, it’s Thursday.”
>Her smile fades slightly at that.
>”Oh, uh, yeah… I know that.”
>She nods.
>”Yeah, totally knew that, just checking if you knew, Mousey!”
>You eye her for a moment longer before putting the vehicle into motion.
“And how much’ve you gotten done?”
>There’s a moment of silence in the car before Sonata answers you.
>”Uh, half?”
“Hmmm, think you got this without having me preread your stuff again?”
>C’mon, say yes…
>You’ve got a six hour break between your shift at the diner, and, dear God, do you need that slee—
>”I mean, if you could, that’d be really, reeeally helpful!”
>Son of a bitch.
>You go to groan, but the hopeful smile that Sonata sends your way is enough to force all regret out of you.
“Yeah, no problem, I’ll help.”
>All three begin to pull out their notebooks, searching for the correct work, and begin to tear out the selected pages.
>Sonata has a neat little stack on her lap before long.
>When you finally reach the Canterlot High parking lot does Sonata gently place the papers on your lap before flashing you that smile that reminds you of why you keep going.
>“Thanks, Anon, you’re the best!”
>She hands you the stack of papers before the three hop out, her hand shooting up and all but having a seizure above her head.
>You return the wave and silently groan as the three soon fade into the obscurity of your rear-view mirror.
>Man, Aunt Melody and Uncle Stahl better be putting in some damn good words for you up there.
>...
>......
>You’re a bit pressed for time, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re without any luck in your day.
>Between moving back from the insufferable kitchen and the gruff customers do you have the rare instance of someone actually leaving a tip!
>Hell, they’re even so nice as to leave it in forms of cents!
>…
>Assholes.
>If life has taught you anything, it’s that the world is 99% assholes and 1% slightly less putrid assholes, but only just.
>Just as you’re about to take the order for a regular old couple that shows around here, of which never tips, there comes a vibration from your right pocket.
>You don’t even need to check it to remember the alarm that you set.
>Time to pick up the girls.
>With that do you check out for your lunch break, not forgetting to light one up as you pop into the driver’s seat.
>Funny how close CHS is to your work.
>You arrive at the usual spot before two minutes: one grassy field just south of the campus.
>You toss the fag as soon as you see them, opening your window and letting the air blow out the stench as you pull the car into a halt.
>...Seems the girls have company this time round.
>You can’t help but smile at that.
>Last night was the first time you’ve actually seen a friend of any of the girls.
>Feels good to see them making some progress at your alma mater.
>The girls, however, are so so enthralled in conversation that none of them notice your presence until a few minutes after.
>“Hey, Anon,” Adagio says while turning to you, “did’ja get my text?”
>...Course.
>Course the fuck not.
>You never check your phone.
>Pulling the thing out, you skim over her message.
'Hey Anon, is it okay if Sunset stays the night with us? She wants to help us with the paper and all that stuff.'