/x/x/x/

“‘Sup, Rares?”

Rarity glanced up from her phone to face the new arrival to the table occupied only by herself. A warm smile crossed her face as she placed the device down.

“Rainbow, hello,” she greeted, nodding slightly. “You're a bit early, which is a good thing. We don't really have much time to chat between ourselves nowadays.”

Rainbow plopped her tray down, whose contents garnered a sour look from the more sophisticated of the pair. “Yeah,” she responded. “We should def hang out more. Practice was different without you yesterday.”

“Terribly sorry about that,” Rarity volleyed, still giving the questionable-looking sandwich an odd look. “Opportunity was knocking, and you know me and how I must answer the door!”

Rainbow nodded before lifting the bun to reveal the... chicken? Shrugging, she started tearing open ketchup packets. “No biggie, we did a song I've been meaning to do. No keyboard part. Not even a bass part, really. And you know, speaking of answering the door, that reminds me...” she plopped the bread on top of the crimson sludge before cracking her knuckles. “Any reason why Twilight didn't stay?”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “I'm curious as to how you came across this information, but yes, her parents were delayed. Nobody was home to look after the dog so I took her home.”

“Ah.” Rainbow nodded firmly before taking a bite of her... ‘food’. She continued, chewing as she spoke. “We got pizza last night. Flash came, said he delivered to her too. So I figured that unless the Princess came over and pretended to be our own resident geek for the night, she didn't stay the night with you.” She finally swallowed after she was done speaking.

“Astute.” Rarity grimaced. “I have no idea how you can bear to eat that... gruel.”

With a first in the air, Rainbow exclaimed, “By the almighty power of ketchup!” She tore open the box of chocolate milk and took a swig. “Also, skipping breakfast doesn't hurt things much. It's not that bad if you're hungry.”

“I... suppose your way makes sense to you, Rainbow. Though it's not a path I’d like to walk.”

“Yeah yeah, eat your granola bars. How’s the squirt?”

“They’re well,” Rarity sighed. “Sweetie’s still sick.”

“That's a shame, hope she gets better soon.” Nom. “How was your blog thing?”

Rarity grinned and her eyes lit up as she reached back to her phone. “Absolutely terrific!” She exclaimed, tapping away furiously. “Twilight really outdid herself. Here, look!”

Rainbow’s eyebrows were indecisive as to whether they should furl together or attempt to climb her forehead while she puzzled over what it was she was looking at. There were just pictures of dresses with prices next to them like any other shopping app, with text involving lots of seamstress jargon the athlete didn't even try to ascribe meaning to.

“It looks like every other shopping app I’ve seen,” she swallowed and took a breath before taking another bite and continuing. “I mean it's cool that it looks all professional and stuff, but I figured she could at least do that in the first place. But it works so hey, good for you.”

Rarity pocketed the phone before turning to face the cafeteria line. She picked out Fluttershy and Sunset near the front, and Pinkie and Applejack near the middle. Twilight was nowhere to be seen. She turned back to Rainbow and watched her take one final bite of her sandwich.

“You at least make much bank?”

Rarity nodded. “Nearly a dozen orders so far since yesterday evening. At this rate I’ll have to start putting an extended backlog and a waiting list. I’m sure to earn enough to pay off my car in no time at all!” She put her hands together as a gleam caught in her eye. “Perhaps soon enough I’ll splurge and get front row seats for the upcoming Coloratura concert!”

“Sweet.” Rainbow swallowed her meal before beginning to snack on her fries. “I don't really like her much, but if she was someone like Megadeth I’d be hella excited.”

Rarity’s eyebrows arched. “Mega death?” She asked, visions of church burnings, goat skulls, bloody crucifixions, upside down pentagrams, and various other forms of sacrilege ran through her head.

“Yeah. You know, Pinkie likes Coloratura and Slipknot. Maybe if I can get her into them or like Killswitch Engage, Drowning Pool, Bullet for my Valentine, Five Finger Death Punch, I’ll go ahead and give a listen to Rara and Songbird and those other pop stars you both listen to. Hey, what's up Fluttershy? Sunset?”

Rarity was feeling queasy by the terrifying names Rainbow had listed off. Killing, drowning, bullets, death and punching... absolutely horrid. But hey, whatever Rainbow liked, she liked. Regardless, that conversation was thankfully over by the new arrivals to the table; Fluttershy sat by her oldest friend as Sunset took a seat next to the budding fashionista.

“Hello girls,” she nodded, eyeing their salads with respect.

“Hi Rarity,” Fluttershy greeted with a warm smile that only grew as Rainbow set an arm around her shoulder. “Hi Dashie.”

Sunset merely nodded at the two before leaning in close to Rarity. “Can we talk privately before next class?” She muttered.

“I was actually going to ask you the same thing,” she responded in the same tone. “So of course; can we chat in the restroom? I’ll need to stop by there anyway.”

“Yeah, that's fine. It's about Twilight and I’d prefer if she not overhear us.”

“Oh, that's interesting,” Rarity said as she raised an eyebrow. “I needed to talk about her as well. I'm very worried about her.”

“Me too.”

“Whispering sweet nothings?” Rainbow chimed in, before draining her milk. “I ship it.”

The girls glared at her as she began laughing at their expressions. They glanced at each other and then quickly away, blushing furiously for the same reason. Rainbow was only teasing but she hit dangerously close to home.

“Stop trying to turn everyone gay, Rainbow,” Fluttershy gently scolded, but with a smile on her face. “Aren't you and Twilight enough?”

“Nope.” Rainbow grinned as she carried her tray to a garbage can. “I'm gonna hang with Pinkie and AJ in the line for a bit, plus I’m still hungry anyway. Be right back!”

Sunset had returned to her meal by then, already having forgotten the brief embarrassment and exchanging light conversation with Fluttershy. Rarity, however, was still dwelling on what Rainbow said. Sunset was nice and all, and definitely very cute, but not only was she a horse anyway, she wasn't the person that Rarity really wanted. No, that honor belonged to-

“Is Twilight okay?” Fluttershy asked, disrupting that train of thought.

Sunset froze, forkful of lettuce halfway to her mouth. She slipped her gaze to Rarity and back before leaning up and finishing the bite. Chewing slowly, she frantically began putting together a believable explanation that wouldn’t spark any anxiety. Luckily before her brain exploded, Rarity chimed in.

“So you heard our little conversation?” She asked. “I forgot that you have sensitive hearing, especially the day after your attacks.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I'm just worried is all. She's not in any danger, is she?”

“Oh no,” Rarity assuaged. “No danger at all. It's more of a personal issue than anything else, just something that concerns the three of us. A private matter, I’m sure you understand.”

“Oh yes, I do.” She took a small bite of her salad before putting another forkful into her bulky yellow backpack. “I must just be being paranoid right now. But something seems wrong with her, like she’s just... always scared. She spaces out a lot, too. I hope that whatever this is is just a little thing.”

“I'm sure that it is,” Rarity affirmed. “But it involves matters that the three of us wish to keep quiet. I’ll explain what directly concerns me afterwards if it helps settle your own anxieties.”

“Yeah, it’s nothing big, but it is important and I also REALLY need to use the restroom so we can talk about it there.” Sunset was speaking quickly and had apparently already finished her own food in the short time since Rarity had looked. Sunset’s face looked grim, which unsettled Rarity’s stomach.

“Of course,” she replied, keeping her own face neutral and impassive. “We’ll be right back, darling.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I'll see you two in a minute then.”

Sunset walked quickly over to bin her trash and snap turned to the hallway. Rarity picked up her own pace, worry building with every one of Sunset’s quick, resolute strides. Once they were around the corner, Sunset slowed considerably and rested her hands on her knees.

“Sunset?” Rarity inquired. “Is Twilight actually in danger?”

“I don't know,” she answered. “But we shouldn't talk about it yet. It might concern the stuff that happened at the end of the Friendship Games.”

Rarity put her hand to her mouth. Not Midnight!

Before she could ask a follow up question, the pair found themselves interrupted.

“Rare?” asked a high pitched southern drawl.

She turned to face Applejack’s younger sister, Applebloom. Rarity could probably make a very accurate educated guess as to what she was going to ask about.

“They're fine,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Sweetie Belle is still sick but I made her tea and chicken soup this morning, and Scootaloo promised to make sure she drank it all.”

“Okay, good,” Applebloom said as she sighed in relief. “I miss ‘em. It ain't the same when they're gone, it just ain't.”

“I know that. And they miss you as well. I would by all means let you come over to visit them, but you know your grandmother’s immune system.”

The middle schooler sighed. “I know, I don't want her to get sick too, least not ‘cuz of me. But I’m glad to know they ain't worse.”

“No, no, in fact Sweetie is getting much better. She was able to talk a little this morning.”

“Really?” She cried, stars in her eyes. “That's great! Thanks for letting me know, Rarity, it really means a lot.”

“Of course,” she nodded in response. “Anyway I’d love to stay and chat but right now we,” motioning to the ever-patient Sunset, “Really have to use the bathroom, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Right, I won't keep y'all waiting. Bye Rarity, bye Sunset!” She turned and walked back into the cafeteria, a spring in her step.

Rarity sighed and turned to Sunset. “Let's go,” she intoned as the girls strode quickly to the girl’s bathroom.

Once inside, Sunset pulled her hair together in her hand and bent down to look under the stalls. They were all empty.

“Is everything all right?” Rarity asked after she got the thumbs up. “Midnight hasn't returned, has she?”

Sunset sighed. “I don't know.” She turned around and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and legs. “Today in psychology I glanced over at her notebook. There was a little doodle of Midnight in one corner.”

“In her notes?”

Sunset nodded. “I thought that was weird in and of itself but, I mean, it's psychology. She hates soft science so that might explain that. But she was acting weird... Fluttershy said she looked scared. When I put my hand on her back, that's exactly the look her face made. Fear.”

Rarity made a fist and rested it over her mouth. “...but what could she have to be afraid of?”

“And that's another thing,” Sunset continued. “The reason I came to talk to you about this is because today Twilight told me that she was acting weird because she was cramping up, which is one thing, but also that she had a really emotional talk with you last night.”

“Well, she did,” Rarity said. “She mentioned that she was afraid we would feel uncomfortable if she looks at us while we’re... well...”

“While we’re what?”

Rarity took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. “Well, for lack of a better term, when she glances at us in a lustful manner.”

“Really?” Sunset asked, disbelief coloring her voice. “She thinks we’re gonna have a problem with her thinking that we’re hot?”

“That's what I picked up. That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I told her that was ridiculous and that she doesn't need to worry about that because she doesn't objectify us like straight guys would do. I also said that it's good for my own confidence and that it's okay for her to have the feelings she has for us.”

“Right... I mean, when we were all at the beach house, she was definitely ogling us out of the corner of her eyes, but I didn't feel weirded out about it, especially since Rainbow sometimes does the same thing. And I kinda get the confidence boost thing, that's why I took those pictures for you for your blog, and that's really worked to help me be okay with this body when I’m here. But does she really think we’ll judge her for her attractions?”

“I believe so... and...” Rarity bit her lip. “Well, about the blog...”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, stepping forward from the wall. “Yeah?”

Rarity wrung her hands together. “The other thing that I needed to talk to you about was... well, I think she may have seen it.”

“WHAT!?”

“I'm not entirely sure of it!” Rarity placated, taking Sunset’s balled fists into her own hands. “I only think that she might have!”

“I thought you said that nobody I know would ever see it! That the only people who would ever see it or say anything about it were complete strangers who didn't know anything about who I was!”

“I did say that!” Rarity cried. “But I was only out of the room for a moment, there wasn't nearly enough time for her to have seen any of the pictures of you if she even saw it in the first place!”

“Fuck, Rarity!” Sunset shouted as she tore out of her grip. “What if she did? What if she loses respect for me over this? I don't want to lose her friendship...”

“You won't! If anything she’d judge me over this, and if she feels guilty about looking at us with our clothes on, she’ll certainly feel a lot worse about herself than she would any of us. And I can delete them if you want me to.”

“Please do that!” Sunset pleaded, wrapping her arms around Rarity. “If we need to help her out with Midnight, I can’t worry about feeling violated. I don't want to resent her and drive her away... not to anypony else, not again.”

“It's okay, Sunset,” Rarity cooed as she stroked her back. “You've told me about what happened with your Celestia, remember? How your desire for power got in the way of the relationship you wanted with your mentor?”

“Yeah...” she sniffed, holding Rarity tighter. “I can't lose anypony else.”

“You won't lose Twilight,” Rarity promised. “This is a different situation. Back then you weren't thinking clearly, and pursued power for selfish purposes. But that isn't you anymore! Now, all you want to do is to keep your friendships where they are. You're a good person... a good pony. No matter what form you take, there is so much good in you.”

Sunset was openly sobbing by then, and deepened her hug. “Thank you, Rarity...”

“But of course. And Twilight is a good person too. She isn't going to judge either of us if she even saw your photographs in the first place. She saw me posting to it yesterday and thought I was just lingerie shopping, and I’m sure she’ll believe me if I tell her it's just for aesthetics if she even asks me about it in the first place. But she’s like Fluttershy when it comes to nude women, and I know it won't be a problem in the long run.”

“I sure hope not...” Sunset pulled away and wiped her eyes. “You promise you'll delete the pictures of me?”

“As soon as I get home today. Cross my heart and hope to fly,”

In unison, and while making the matching gesture, “Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“I appreciate that, Rarity.”

“I'm a woman of my word. Now, do you have any ideas when it comes to this Midnight issue?”

Sunset nodded. “I have an outline of a plan, but I need to talk to a few friends first.”

“You mean-”

“Yup. Who better to talk about magic than the Princess of it, and her own faithful student?”

“You simply must tell me!” Rarity glanced to the nearest stall. “Hold on, I actually do need to use this room,” she said as she made her way inside.

“Okay, well, I figure I could see about taking our Twilight through the mirror under pretenses of hanging out with Starlight and her other self to get her out of this funk that she’s been in recently.”

“Good, I like it already. But how would you bring up magical studies?”

“I'm glad you asked!” Sunset cried, triumphantly smirking. “Now, you know Pinkie’s sister Maud? She’s one of Starlight’s best friends. She's also a geologist, one of the smartest ponies when it comes to rocks in all of Equestria. I figured that maybe she would be interested in seeing the geodes.”

“Oh, then when they discuss magical artifacts you would bring up the issue of Midnight?”

Sunset bit her lip. “Well, no. The last thing I wanna do is make our Twilight feel self-conscious. I'm not gonna bring that up directly. Instead, I’m gonna see if I can have Princess Twilight or even Starlight run a magic decontamination field. That way, if we do have a Midnight problem, we’ll have five of the strongest unicorns in Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, and a reformed scion of chaos on our side.”

“Ah... that certainly seems like good odds. But I’m confused. Who are the five unicorns? I'm only counting two, you and Starlight.”

Sunset facepalmed. “Right. Thanks, by the way. So yeah, there's me and Starlight, and I know the Princess is an alicorn but I count her as a unicorn because she’s a magic user, and there's Fizzlepop Berrytwist-”

Rarity burst out laughing as she flushed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, we ponies sure have silly names. But she used to go by Tempest Shadow and she managed to overpower Celestia, Luna, and Cadance with a broken horn, and she almost got Twilight too. And there's also Star Swirl the Bearded, who’s only the greatest wizard in all of history. So yeah, if there is a Midnight problem, we’ll blast her out of Equestria and fix Twilight.”

Rarity now had a somber expression as she exited the stall and moved to wash her hands. “She got three Princesses... well, that's the last time that I judge someone based on their name. But I have a question, actually. Star Swirl the Bearded. Is he your dimension’s version of the Starswirl who discovered the atom?”

“Uh...” Sunset frantically ran her mind through all of the human history she could remember and drew a major blank. “I honestly couldn't tell you.”

Rarity hit the hand drier. “I don't blame you if you don't. It isn't like that's been instilled in you since kindergarten like it has for the rest of us. It's just a shame that history of science is a mandatory subject here because it means you don't get perfect marks like you deserve.”

She shrugged in response. “Nah, the only one who deserves perfect grades is Twilight. I could totally do better if I wanted to but on the other hoof- er, I mean, hand- I’d rather spend time with Fluttershy. Especially when Tree is over, if you know what I mean..”

“Oh my... well, I think I can agree with you. I don't know how I even touched the stuff back then, but I’m glad that you two enjoy it. Shall we return to the cafeteria?”

Sunset nodded. “Of course. I'm gonna talk to Twilight, and... then I'm gonna talk to Twilight.”

Rarity giggled as the two pushed their way out the door. “That’s never going to stop being confusing, is it?”

The response was muted by the door swinging closed, and the bathroom sat silent and for the most part unoccupied. Two thumps hit the ground, and the leftmost stall door slowly swung open.

Out stepped Twilight Sparkle, mascara running down her cheeks. She sniffled, before using the wad of toilet paper in her hand to wipe away the dark smudgy smears on her face as best as she could. She glared at the mirror, at the pitiful girl she saw through the reflective glass.

“They betrayed your trust...”

“...shut up.”

“I’m only pointing out the obvious. Sunny blabs about the private conversation you had with her, judges you on being jumpy, and pries into your business.”

Twilight glowered at the reflection of the demon in the mirror, unable to say anything in response. She was right, after all.

“And then Rarity runs her mouth about something you told her in confidence. Not that that’s even a big deal, because Sunny already knows that you stare at her when she’s wearing a bikini. And did you see her reaction when she thought you saw her pictures?”

“Rarity is worried about me!” Twilight snapped. “She just wants to make sure I’m okay!”

“What about Sunset?”

Twilight punched the sink with her good hand before hissing through her teeth, whining and cradling her now-bruising knuckles.

“You know I’m right, too... Especially now that you know it’s actually her. By the way, punching solid ceramic isn’t a good idea for mortals. Idiot.”

“What do you want!?” Twilight cried, facing the monster. “I already heard everything they said! I already feel like shit enough! I made her cry even though I love her, even though she already has enough problems as is! I understand her, and why she made those pictures, and...” She turned back and set her forehead on the wall, beginning to weep some more. “...and I betrayed her trust.”

Midnight strolled over and started stroking Twilight’s back as she cried. “It’s okay, she’s going to delete those pictures tonight, and then you’ll never have to worry about them again...” She let go and pulled herself up so she was sitting on the lip of the next sink over. “Well, as long as you never let her use her geode to read your mind and see what you did to them. But hey, you’ll be all good in the short term.”

Twilight’s eyes snapped open and she took a step back in shock. She didn’t even think about that until just now, now that Sunset talked about her plan. Which in and of itself involved a whole host of things she couldn’t think about yet. The next time Sunset used her geode for whatever reason and read her mind, she could see everything, if she was subconsciously fearing it. Only reason she didn’t piece together her secret was because there was no reason to think it was even a possibility. But this? This was a nightmare waiting to happen!

“Oh, come now, she doesn’t even like using that anymore. Only reason she’d bring it up would be going to see the Princess. It’s just unfortunate she’ll use false pretenses and lie about caring about you so she can drag you over and kill me.”

“If she didn’t care about me she wouldn’t try to get rid of you.”

“Are you really that naive?” Midnight taunted. “She just doesn’t want you to use me to hurt her or her real friends. You wonder why they all shy away from you. Why Pinkie Pie doesn’t hug you anymore. Why Rainbow dodges your messages. Why Sunset will only deal with you if there are countless powerful magic users in the vicinity. You remember what she told you about the lightning rod principle.”

Twilight thought back to one of Sunset’s many discussions of Equestrian magic. It was pretty much impossible to purge evil magic out of a host unless they had enough magical prowess in the first place to allow magic into the body through the horn. Pegasi and earth ponies allegedly didn’t have the problem as they didn’t use magic other than tapping into nature. But unicorns needed to channel the magic out of their horn, and if they weren’t strong enough and well versed in spells enough to allow for a controlled burst of magic...

“...I would explode.”

Midnight nodded. “Does it make sense now? She wants you gone.”

Twilight shook her head to either side. “No!” She adamantly stated. “That’s not true! She’s my friend and she doesn’t mean me any ill will.”

“Maybe not now. But imagine when she finds out you masturbated to her.”

Twilight said nothing, but ran her pained hand under the cold water. Midnight had a point. When faced with the possibility that she saw the photographs, she panicked and cried and pleaded with Rarity to delete them. She said she felt violated just knowing somebody looked at them, so if she learned somebody she knew had pleasured themself to them... that might be game over.

“But...” she muttered to herself. “If she read my mind she’d see all the things that you made me do...” she glanced around the bathroom to see that Midnight was gone. “She’d know about you. She’d know it was all your fault! She’d understand!”

...

Would she though?

Deciding to drop the subject for the time being, as the lunch period was nearly over, Twilight turned the tap off and flexed her fingers. She didn’t hit that hard, and they didn’t hurt very much. They just looked a lot worse than they felt, but only if you could tell it was there. Luckily the purple bruising blended in well with her skin. She’d just have to avoid rapping them on anything, which was fine as she was already avoiding bumping her wrist anyway. That pain was a lot more intense anyway.

The door opened and in walked a familiar face.

A monotone “Hello.” greeted Twilight as she gently waved at Pinkie Pie’s older sister.

Satisfied that the intellectually stimulating conversation was over, Maud merely nodded before walking to one of the stalls.

Twilight turned back to face the mirror. Her face was clear of black streaks, but her eyes were a bit red and puffy. Surely she could blame that on the period cramps she was most certainly not having this week. The problem then became how not to reveal her hand to Rarity and Sunset and hide the fact that she’d been eavesdropping, however unintentionally.

On one hand she could make something up about how she had to stop by some other teacher’s room to discuss homework, but she doubted they would buy that. Especially Applejack. No go, Twilight was a terrible liar. The second best plan would be to say that she had been in the bathroom the whole time, but was in the fetal position on the toilet crying- which was already true. But she could blame that on the cramps as well.

Since telling the truth about her whereabouts was the best course of action, the next step would be to figure out how she would have avoided overhearing her friends’ conversation. She glanced at her purse, silently praying to The Creator that she had earbuds today. Luckily she did, and with a sigh of relief, Twilight began quickly untangling them. Once they were fully straight, she stuck the jack into her phone and one bud into her ear. She wrapped the other one around the other ear, and turned her head to either side, analyzing through the mirror whether it looked natural.

Perfect. Now to decide on a song. She flipped open the phone and scrolled over to the music app. There really wasn’t much to choose from, just gothic piano ballads, symphonic metal, folk punk, lo-fi hip hop, baroque pop, and plenty of staples of classical music. If she were on her period and cramping up enough to cry, she would probably be listening to something gentle at a very loud volume, so her thumb lead the cursor into the piano folder.

Since it was about 30 minutes into the lunch period, she did some quick calculations with the time of each track and clicked on one that was a half hour into one of the albums listed. Oh, Hello! A favorite. With one look over herself, Twilight ensured that she looked pretty pathetic and in pain. Pulling the hood of Rainbow’s jacket over head to complete the grungy aesthetic, she turned and set off out of the bathroom.

Technically speaking, listening to music during the day was against school policy, as was wearing a hood indoors. But granted, as long as you did well academically and behaviorally, Celestia and Luna granted pardons to minor infractions when they happened in the halls outside of class, especially during free periods like lunch. A minor pang in the stomach reminded Twilight that she hadn’t eaten a proper meal in... a while. That didn’t matter, she would eat at Pinkie’s party after the day was over.

Wait... oh no! She’d have to go to Pinkie’s party with bruised knuckles and freshly scarred wrists. Well, hopefully she didn’t need to take the jacket off. Rainbow seemed pretty okay with her keeping it but there was always the possibility that she’d want it back. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it though, and worry about the now. The now was, of course, keeping a straight face as she lied to all of her friends.

Stepping into the cafeteria, she spotted them immediately. Rainbow was excitedly telling a story which kept Rarity’s rapt attention, Pinkie was draped over Applejack while wearing her hat, Sunset was sitting on the table with her legs on the chair, and Fluttershy was feeding whatever animal she had in her bag today. They seemed like such a complete unit... there wasn’t even anywhere to sit to be included in the rough circle they made! Losing confidence, she thought about just turning back around and hiding in the bathroom listening to sad music until the lunch hour was over.

Before she could do that, though, Pinkie made eye contact and began excitedly waving as the rest of the six turned to face her, smiles crossing all of their faces. Twilight mentally waved away all of the negativity and simply opted to sit with her friends. They’d make room for her.

“Twi Twi!” Pinkie cried. “I was worried we wouldn’t see you today for lunch!”

“You certainly had us worried when we came to see you were still gone,” Rarity added, moving in for a hug, which was returned in kind. “Where were you?”

“You’re never just gone,” Rainbow remarked. “Well, maybe the bathroom.”

“Nope,” Sunset denied, nodding. “Rarity and I were just there.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, feigning ignorance. “I was as well...” Keep it cool, Twilight.

“They went a while ago but came back a few minutes ago.” Fluttershy glanced between her best friend, her roommate, and Twilight. “Why didn’t you see each other?”

“I...” she gulped before glancing briefly at Applejack before turning her attention to the interrogators. The lights suddenly seemed brighter and she was overcome with the desire to remove her jacket. Her heartbeat increased in intensity as a single bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. “I was in one of the stalls, sitting with my knees up and listening to music while I was waiting for my painkillers to die down.” A brief moment of silence went around before she pulled the earbud out, now on a song that wasn’t exactly her favorite on the record.

Applejack’s eyes briefly narrowed before she shrugged and took a bite of her food, and Twilight felt her stress melt away as Rarity began speaking again.

“Well, that’s... certainly a coincidence.” She sounded thoroughly unconvinced.

“Yeah, it’s a small world.” Sunset believed it almost as much as Rarity did. Almost.

“It’s just a bathroom, guys,” Rainbow piped in. “We’ve all gotta use it. Especially when we’re bleeding more than on a Cannibal Corpse album cover.”

Rarity slammed a hand down on the table. “Do you listen to any bands whose names don’t have to do with death, blood, or eating people!?”

“...Sepultura?”

Rarity sighed and placed her head on the table.

“What?” Rainbow asked, glancing around the table. “You asked!”

Pinkie giggled. “Silly Dashie, that’s Spanish for ‘grave’!”

Rainbow slowly hid her face in her hands as the rest of the table began laughing at her monolinguistic faux pas. Twilight included.

They were unfortunately cut off by the bell signifying that lunch was over. The teenagers all said their goodbyes as they all began to walk their separate ways out of the cafeteria. Twilight didn’t mind not eating, though her stomach was quite angry at her for it. Instead, she was glad she managed to successfully convince at least some of her friends. It wasn’t the ones she wanted to convince but they wouldn’t push it. Besides, all she would have to do is feign surprise when Sunset eventually asked her to go to Equestria. Easy peasy!

“Wait, Twi Twi!”

She turned to face a pink blur that stopped just slightly shy of ramming into her at full speed. Willing her pulse to return to normal, Twilight blinked at her friend.

“Y... yes?” She squeaked out.

“You’re coming to the anniversary party after school, right?” Pinkie asked. “You don’t have to do anything or go anywhere or have any obligations after school or later tonight, right?”

“Of course, Pinkie,” she promised. “Yesterday was just a fluke because Rarity needed me, so today I’m all yours.”

“Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered before beginning to dance in place.

Twilight glanced nervously around at all the students giving her weird looks, and tried to block them out. “Hey, uh... Pinkie... people are starting to stare... please stop.”

“But I’m so happy!” She pouted. “Can we dance at the party?”

Twilight inaudibly sighed as her thoughts drifted to her wrists. Pinkie was typically a very energetic and grabby dancer. Twilight hoped that in the wake of Pinkie’s recent decrease in supplying close physical contact of any kind, this wouldn’t be a problem if the request to dance came in.

“Sure.”

“YEET!” Pinkie shouted, pumping her fists victoriously into the air. “Well, I’ll see you then. Remember, music room right after school ends, got it?”

Twilight nodded, lips pursed.

“Coolio, later gator!” And with that Pinkie skipped off down the hallway to her next class, art.

After just a few more moments, the hallway began to clear out, leaving Twilight alone with the lines of lockers. Sighing, she strode down the floor and dragged her fingers along the cool metal. It was a small comfort she awarded herself in her solitude, as she thought back to the bathroom.

“Playground school bell rings again...” she gently sang to herself, not particularly paying attention to how far she walked. She stepped through a T intersection and resumed the pitter-patter of the dance her hand played on the walls.

“Rain clouds come to play again...”

Twilight cursed the depressing song stuck in her head as she approached where she knew her own locker was. She was still entirely alone in the hall, almost as alone as she felt for the better part of the past few weeks. Or would it be the worse part?

“Has no one told you she's not breathing?”

The teen absentmindedly fiddled with the combination lock eleven from the gap, knowing it was hers without having to see it. The ocean waves of despair crashing around her, suffocating her, pressing in on her chest, all served to keep her unfocused on anything but the song.

“Hello...”

Through sheer muscle memory, Twilight got her door opened. She slipped her bag off the hook and over her shoulder and stared melancholically at the photographs on magnets within. Pictures of her with her friends, smiling and laughing. The echoes of those memories rang through her mind, but offered none of the warmth she could barely remember having felt before.

“I'm your mind...

She rested her fingers over one in particular. In frame was Pinkie, who had been in the process of taking a selfie that included the whole group. Rainbow and Applejack were yelling at the television, Rarity was braiding Fluttershy’s hair as Fluttershy was rubbing Winona’s belly, and Twilight herself was cuddling Sunset in her sleep on the couch.

Her body ached to feel her closest friend in her arms again.

“...giving you someone to talk to...”

But alas, it was not to be. Not again. Not anymore. Darkness began to envelop the locker’s contents as she closed it. The bell rang as she sighed again. She was going to be late for class. Shrugging, she made no effort to hurry back. Late was late... might as well take the scenic route.

She popped her earbud back in and clicked play.

/x/x/x/

Author's Note

Hi I'm back. I've been busy. Got fired, been job hunting. Got a girlfriend. Dealt with drama. Found out a friend of mine has been molesting his stepdaughter. Former friend now. Ate a strong hash brownie and then had a panic attack. Very very busy couple of months for me here. But! Better Nate than lever. ALSO I just watched all of the Equestria Girls specials and the legit Season 8 episodes that have been out so far and I've got very big plans for my fics. This one in particular. Sad and depressing plans, actually. As you can probably tell. I've been having issues of my own but that's neither here nor there. Point is, I'm back to writing (hopefully for a while), and so I just really hope that y'all like what I'm doing here, and I wanna thank everyone for their patience and support. It really means a lot to me, because I love doing this. So thank you <3 and in return, have some feels.