High School, Where Friendship Kinda Sucks

Chapter 3
This is even suckier

Twilight got to school the next morning and was instantly surprised by the fact that Rarity came over to her, and asked for her phone number.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, darling, but you're so much easier to talk to then my other, um, friends."

Twilight raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"We had one conversation that lasted about three minutes, and I'm already easier to talk to than all of your 'um, friends'?"

Rarity began wringing her hands together.

"Well-"

"That's really sad. I thought you were the most popular girl in school, but you don't even have real friends, not considering me."

Rarity pouted.

"I thought you were easy to talk to?"

"You thought wrong. Besides, I'm supposed to find out who I'm tutoring today."

And then Twilight thought of a brilliant plan.

"Unless you want come with me?"

Rarity bit her lip, her eyes following Trenderhoof, who was waiting for her nearby.

"Well..."

"Just tell him your tutoring for extra-credit. Besides, you need a break from your entourage, right?"

"Hmm... Alright. I'll be right back."

And that's how Rarity joined Twilight on her trip to Mr. Shores classroom.

Mr. Shores turned in his chair when he heard the door open.

He smiled at both of them.

"Twilight, I see you've brought, mmmm, Rarity, was it?"

Rarity held out her hand for him to shake, and smiled brightly.

"Yes, sir. I wanted to volunteer for tutoring as well."

"How incredibly generous of you!"

Something inside of Twilight clicked, but she brushed it off.

"Well, I don't have anyone who particularly needs tutoring right now, so how about you just tag along with Twilight for first period? After all, it will be easier to tutor during the class for Twilight, as she seemed to be bored out of her mind after the first five minutes."

He laughed heartily.

"I'll write a note to your first period teacher, who is...?"

"Miss. Heartstrings, sir, Music."

Mr. Shores nodded, and quickly jotted something down on a scrap of paper.

"Hand her this if she says anything. Applejack should be here soon."

Rarity noticeably paled.

"Applejack......?"

The door swung open and Applejack walked in, but suddenly stopped.

"Rarity?!"

Mr. Shores smiled, misinterpreting the situation.

"Oh, good! You know each other! Y'all can head down to room 1F, it isn't used much. Have fun!"

And then he pushed them out the door, and slammed it behind them.

The walk to room 1F was a short one, but a silent one. Every once in a while Rarity glanced at Applejack only to blush and look away.

Twilight groaned.

"You guys are gonna have to tell me what's going on here, or I think I'm going to die of high blood pressure from all tension you guys are creating."

The two girls looked each other in the eyes for the first time in months, but quickly looked away.

"Me and Rarity-"

"Rarity and I."

"Right. Uh, Rarity and Ah-"

"Rarity and I. No wonder you need tutoring,"

Applejack shot her a glare and looked back down at Twilight.

"Rarity and I used to be friends, until she called me an inbred hick behind mah back!"

Rarity scoffed.

"I did not! You called me a prissy, self-centred brat!"

Applejack faked a gasp.

"What a surprise! Rarity is making me seem like the bad guy! Again!"

"You know, I'd actually listen to you if you didn't have such a southern drawl! You spoke normally five seconds ago!"

"Are you saying mah accent's fake? Listen to yourself!"

Twilight put herself in between the two.

"You both need to shut up! We're here to help Applejack get better at... Well, everything!"

"Hey!"

Twilight ignored her.

"Not bicker like little kids! Now say sorry!"

Rarity snorted with disgust.

"Not until she apologises first!"

"You started it!"

"Guys! Just apologise together. Jesus. I'll count. One."

Applejack sighed.

"Two. Three."

"Sorry."

Rarity smiled triumphantly.

"Then I'm sorry too. Now let's teach you proper grammar."

"What do you mean, you can't read it?!"

"Ah mean, ah can't read it!"

Twilight had begun to notice something with Applejack.

Big words appeared to confuse her.

"Then what do you think it says?"

"Ah dunno. It just looks like squiggles on paper."

Rarity sighed.

"It says 'importance'. "

"Oh... Ah think Ah see it now..."

Rarity pursed her lips.

"Twilight, can I talk to you for a second. Over there? In the corner."

"Sure. Just give me a second."

She patted Applejack on the back and followed Rarity to the corner.

"What?"

Rarity looked to make sure Applejack wasn't listening.

"Do you watch Glee*, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed.

"That's what you wanted to ask me? Yes, I do, occasionally."

Rarity nodded.

"And have you seen the episode where Ryder has...?"

Twilight realised what Rarity meant.

She looked over at Applejack.

"Do you think she has...?"

Rarity nodded.

"I'm completely sure of it. I'm just surprised no one noticed before."

"...... Does this make you Marley?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Do you think we should tell her?"

"No, we need to do what they do in Glee and tell Finn."

"So who's Finn in this world?"

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"Are you guys done over there? 'Cos we need to get this done soon."

"Okay, Finn is Spike! Finn is Spike! We're just finished, darling!"

Spike looked at Twilight, completely confused.

"Soooooo..... What you're telling me is, Applejack may or may not have-"

"Shh!"

Spike nodded slowly.

"Riiight.... So... Why did you come to me about this?"

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Because I didn't know what to do. Duh."

"Uh-huh. Did you consider going to Principal Celestia about it?"

Twilight grinned sheepishly.

"Heh, heh..."

"I'll take that as a no. I'll see you at lunch."

And then he was gone. Twilight watched him comb his hand through his short mohawk as he walked away.

"He's so hot. And sarcastic."

Twilight knocked on Principal Celestia's door way unsurely. What if Applejack was just really stupid? What if she was wrong? What if-

"Oh! Twilight, great to see you, come in!"

Twilight soon found herself sitting in the same wooden chair while Principal Celestia made tea.

She soon set down two cups on saucers and smiled warmly at Twilight.

"Is there something you needed to talk about?"

Twilight looked nervously at the floor.

"Well, yes... I believe one of my fri- fellow classmates has, well, dyslexia."

Celestia almost spat out her tea.

But she didn't, because that would be waste of tea.

"Who, might I ask?"

"Umm, Applejack, miss..."

Celestia leaned back in her chair.

"It would make sense. Are you sure, though?"

"I'll be honest with you, miss. At first I thought Applejack was just an idiot. But then, while I was tutoring her, she couldn't read a word, and then she said it just looked like squiggly lines on the page. I honestly believe she has some form of dyslexia."

Celestia sipped at her tea thoughtfully. And then at Twilight's tea thoughtfully too, because she wasn't drinking it.

"I'll get an expert in on Friday. Until then I expect you to continue tutoring her, if you'd like to."

"I'd love to miss."