Author's Note

I can't do it! I can't do it anymore! Writing in first person... I hate it! I'm sorry! I can't do it! It is going to be in third-person limited from now on. I'm sorry!

Lunchless

"Bye!"said Sunset to Thunder Rose before she left her apartment. She went to the bottom of the stairs and made for the exit to the building. Before she got there, though, the owner of the building stepped out of his office.

"Sunset Shimmer?"she asked.

"Hey, Miss Harshwhinny!"Sunset answered.

"Your rent will be due in thirteen hours. I expect it to be there, post-haste,"she ordered in her drill-sergeant voice.

Sunset fought the urge to salute.

"Yes, Miss Harshwhinny."

"Good. Now I believe you have school. Go on now, chop-chop!"Miss Harshwhinny marched proudly back to her office.

After Miss Harshwhinny's door closed, Sunset raced back up the stairs. She pushed into the room, startling Thunder Rose.

"Where is it... Where is it!"Sunset muttered as she rummaged through her duffel bag.

"What are you looking for?"Thunder asked.

"My wallet. It's time to pay rent,"Sunset answered

"Oh. Here's my half,"Thunder said. After a little searching, she handed me a hundred fifty dollars.

"Yeah... lemme just find my wallet..."Sunset answered.

"Didn't you take that with you when you tried to go for a jog earlier?"

Sunset froze. Then she slapped her forehead.

"Of course!"

She ran to where she had left her hoodie and searched through her pockets. Finally, she found what she had been looking for. She reached in her wallet and pulled out her half of the rent. Then she stared regretfully into her wallet.

"I guess I'm skipping lunch today,"she said.

Sighing, she grabbed her backpack and the rent and raced back down the stairs. She stopped before Miss Harshwhinny's office and walked into the waiting room. There was a dropbox for each of the eighty-four apartments in the building. Sunset pulled out her key to the dropbox and opened it. Then she slipped in the three hundred dollars and locked it again.

"Well..."she thought,"Of to school."

Applejack was digging into a piece of apple pie when Sunset entered the cafeteria. Sunset, instead of going to the lunch line, walked to their table instead.

"Heya, sugarcube!"Applejack said.

"Hey, AJ!"Sunset said.

"No lunch?"Applejack questioned.

"I'm not really very hungry,"Sunset answered sheepishly.

Then, Sunset's stomach growled.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. Why would Sunset lie to her?

"Are ya sure Sunset? 'Cause your stomach seems to disagree."

"Fine... I'm on... a diet!"she defended,"Yeah, a diet! Totally a diet!"

"You're on a diet?"asked Rainbow, who had just sat down at the table,"Why?"

"Yes, darling, excessive dieting can cause health problems,"Rarity added.

"In fact, people have died due to improper and excessive dieting,"said Twilight.

"Well, just... because...,"Sunset attempted to form a whole sentence.

She sighed,"I give up."

"Sugarcube, is this related to that thing you were telling us about this morning?"Applejack asked.

"Yeah, and why were you nearly late this morning? I mean, you're never late! You live too close to school to be late!"said Rainbow

"Oh, darling, that reminds me, wherever do you live? We've known you for ages and I don't even know where you live! How embarrassing!"said Rarity.

Applejack could clearly see how all the questions were putting pressure on Sunset.

"Okay, y'all, one at a time now,"she said.

"Okay, so does this have something to do with what you told us this morning?"Rainbow asked.

Applejack felt a small surge of satisfaction the her question was being answered.

"Yes,"said Sunset in a barely audible voice.

"What is this thing?"Fluttershy asked.

"Well, you see,"began Sunset Shimmer...

Rarity stared in shock at her friend.

"You... you lived in a social housing?"she asked.

"Live, not lived,"said Sunset.

"I suppose that answers my earlier question of where you live,"Rarity replied, her mind racing.

"Oh, the poor dear!"Rarity thought,"You've known her for a while now and you've never asked he where she lived? Bad Rarity! Bad, bad Rarity! I must make her something to show I'm sorry! Maybe a new jacket? No... she seems kind of attached to her old one. Maybe a new costume, like something I made for the Friendship Games? No... I doubt she'd use it. Maybe a bejeweled helmet for her bike? Yes... that seemed the most func-"

"Hello! Earth to Rarity!"Rainbow said, cutting into her thoughts.

"Oh... yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"Nothing. You just blanked out for a while there,"Rainbow said.

Rarity rolled her eyes. Perhaps she should make Rainbow a frilly, pink, "frou-frou" dress, just to get back at her for interrupting her creative process.

"Anyway, why were you late this morning and why are you not eating any lunch even though you're hungry?"Pinkie Pie asked in her usual bouncy manner.

"Oh... I kinda had to pay rent and ran out of money?"Sunset said.

"Rent? I heard it isn't much at social hosings... right?"Rarity asked.

"It's less than most other apartments. The rent for my apartment is three hundred dollars a month. I also have a roommate, so we split it in half. So a hundred fifty each. Just my luck, that I had enough to pay rent. It could have been worse if I had less than a hundred fifty."

"Wait, how could it be worse? I mean you're already skipping lunch and its the best part of the school day!"Rainbow asked, shocked.

"I could be in debt. Better broke than in debt,"Sunset said as though this was something she had rehearsed.

"Well, Sunset Shimmer, in that case, I think you'd better meet with Principal Celestia and me,"said a voice.

Rarity and her friends turned to see Vice-Principal Luna standing right next to their table.

"This way, Sunset Shimmer," she said.

"V-vice Principal Luna?"Sunset asked shakily, her mind racing.

Thoughts like:"How long has she been standing there? How much does she know? Please don't have heard the whole story..."were mere flashes in her mind.

One big one stayed in her mind, though, a slow moving truck next to the many fighter jets.

"What is she going to do with me?"