Twilight frantically changed into her Honed Tech uniform and nearly tripped on her way down the stairs. "Ack!" she yelped as she quickly regained her footing. She then made a mad dash for the kitchen to prepare her meal for her break.

As she entered the kitchen, she saw Spike. "Hey, Twilight, what's-"

Twilight cut Spike off as she ran around, getting her food. "Hey-Spike-sorry-I-can't-talk-right-now-I'm-going-to-be-late-for-work-if-I-stop-for-even-a-second-I-promise-I'll-spend-time-with-you-tomorrow!"

Spike tilted his head and blinked, but got the gist of what Twilight said. "Okay. See you later then!"

Oh, I so wish I had Rainbow Dash's super speed now! Twilight thought as she continued packing food. "Okay, that should be enough." Then, at a speed that surprised even herself, Twilight made a mental checklist of her inventory. Uniform, check. Wallet, check. House keys, check. Car keys, check. Lunch for break, check. Sanity...screw it. She laughed at herself a little, then bolted for the garage.

She was already cutting it close as it is. Hoping to whatever gods there might be out there that she'll make it to work on time, she started her car's engine. She dared not look at the time, she was already freaked out. Resisting all urges to floor it, Twilight slowly backed out of the garage.

As she left her house's driveway, her anxiety increased. In the hopes it would calm her down, Twilight put the local fine arts station. She calmed down only a little bit, but her stress still remained. She sighed. I don't want to be...TARDY! she thought, a shiver crawling up her spine. Okay, Twilight. Calm down. she thought to herself. Freaking out won't get you there faster...neither will this red light! GAAAAH!

Twilight anxiously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, staring at the red light intently. Come on, come on, come on! The light finally turned green, and Twilight nearly floored it. Suddenly realizing what she was about to do, Twilight restrained herself and went at an acceptable speed.

Damn my adherence to the rules! At this rate I'd almost rather be caught speeding than late for work! Wait, being caught speeding is far worse than being late for work. GAH! Why do I drive myself insane like this? Twilight giggled at her unintentional pun, calming herself down a little more.

About halfway to the mall, Twilight make the grave mistake of looking at the clock on her car. "Oh, craaaap!" Drastic times call for drastic measures! In her desperation, Twilight went 4 miles per hour above the speed limit. Droplets of sweat beaded down her forehead as she looked for police cars on either side of her. Great, now I'm making myself paranoid! After a few minutes, Twilight shrugged. "Might as well go for broke." she thought aloud. She switched from the fine arts station to her portable music device. When she had the chance, she scrolled through her playlist. Finding the right tune, she turned up the volume. As the tune started, she nodded her head to the beat, patiently waiting for the really energetic part. Once it dropped, Twilight screamed to give herself an extra boost of adrenaline. For once in her life, she defied all the rules to which she held so dear.

Letting the energy flow through her, she put the petal to the medal, stopping only when necessary. She held in her energy during her stops and let loose when it was safe to go forward. She was still freaking out internally as both her anxiety and her adrenaline battled it out for supremacy and control over her actions. It was the most exhilarating feeling she ever had in her life. She was enjoying every minute of it. If I don't go through some kind of afterglow when this is over, I'll be very dissapointed! she thought as she continued on her way to work.

She made it to the mall, adrenaline still flowing through her veins. She watched for cars on each side, just to be safe. She ran into the mall, where it was nearly packed with people. I should have known there'd be tons of people here! she thought, then looked at her phone. She breathed a massive sigh of relief. Whew. I'm going to make in time after all...no afterglow though. That sucks. On the bright side, I don't think any police saw me.

Now that she was sure she wouldn't be late, she calmed all the way down. She checked her phone again, realizing she missed some text messages.

Hey guys!- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Sunset, darling! How are you feeling?- Sent by Rarity

Still kinda crappy.- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Think you'll have enough energy to take me on?- Sent by Rainbow Dash

Bring your "A" Game.- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Which comfort animal(s) would you like me to bring?- Sent by Fluttershy

Surprise me.- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Fight the good fight, SunShim!- Sent by Pinkie Pie

Thanks for the support, Pinkie!- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Twilight smiled and sent a text.

It's good to hear from you!- Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Twilight slowly walked her way to the Honed Tech store in the mall, when her phone buzzed again.

I can't wait to hear about your date with Timber!- Sent by Sunset Shimmer

Twilight blushed. Why does everyone insist on calling it a date? We're just...hanging out! Holding hands... Twilight snapped herself out of it and almost got into a panic again. "No! I've come too far to let daydreaming be the cause of lateness!"

Twilight waded through the crowds of people. Some faces she recognized, others she didn't. She almost did a double-take at one point. She could have sworn she saw her old schoolmates Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet out of the corner of her eye. That would have to wait for another time. She needed to get to work as fast as she could, not wanting to take chances even with some spare time!

Twilight finally arrived at the Honed Tech store, out of breath and gasping for air. Once she caught her breath, she punched in and cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this!" she said, and dove straight in.

Author's Note

The tune Twilight listened to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeNxuLAk0mE

The energetic part: 1:48 (But I wouldn't recommend skipping forward, the buildup makes it worth it!)