Are you an angel?by PRlNCESS CADENCEChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5 (Narrated by Silver Spoon)Chapter 6How it would have endedChapter 1Your hands shake. Your mouth goes dry. Your eyes open so wide that you can practically see the curvature of the earth. This can’t be happening! Christopher H. Blueblood, the only nephew of the princess herself, and the quite possibly the most famous person to ever attend Canterlot Preparatory Academy, is on one knee. In most places, that would be a sign that he would be asking to propose (which would only freak you out more), but at Canterlot Prep, it’s the universal signal that somebody is about to confess their feelings! Is this real life?! What’s going on?! “I’m sorry for having called you out here so suddenly,” he says, bowing for an extra effect of reverence. “I know you probably have other things you need to be taking care of right now, but there’s something that I need to tell you.” Holy crap! Is this guy for real?! Is he actually about to confess?! “You see, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you would be special. Your dazzling blue eyes and perfect lips are merely the cherry on top of the stunning girl you are. I already see that you’re generous, intelligent, kind, and have very high standards you set for yourself. Trust me, I can relate. That’s why I was wondering…” Here it comes! “...if you would do me the honor of dating me, and making me the happiest man alive?” You can feel your eyes falling into the back of your head, nearly falling backwards with your mouth foaming in disbelief. Blueblood has always been the first to take a compliment and the last to give one, yet here he is, throwing his feelings out there into the wind. To be fair, you’re pretty sure that he automatically expects a yes, which under any normal circumstance would be the answer he would get. He didn’t confess to just anyone, though… “Heart, heart, winky face emoji, and send! Hmm? Oh, sorry, love. I was replying to one of my followers. What were you saying?” He just confessed to Vignette Valencia, the most popular girl in school, and your best friend. Blueblood quickly flinches in embarrassment. “I-I was just saying how beautiful you are, and--” “Oh, right. Yes, pretty, smart, friendly, is that basically the gist you were getting at?” “Er… W-well…” Finally, Vignette puts her phone away, folds her arms and looks sternly into Blueblood’s eyes, tilting her head with suspicious eyebrows. “I can see why you’d be interested in me. Not to brag, but I do take the best selfies out of anyone here at school. Plus, I could see myself doubling--no, tripling--my following if I started dating the nephew of the princess.” “So, erm, does that mean you’ll go out with me?” “Mmmm… No. Sorry, I had to think about that one for a minute, but I don’t think that the popularity boost would outweigh the fact that I’d be dating someone who I personally loathe on the inside. No offense, of course.” Blueblood’s jaw drops, but Vignette doesn’t even notice. As soon as the words leave her mouth, she pulls out her phone and turns around, already answering probably 49 new messages while you follow behind her, slack-jawed from everything that just happened. Then, the two of you make it back into the school corridors, walking towards the exit while you hear everyone around you begin to whisper. “Did you see what happened?” “She’s so perfect!” “She’s beautiful, talented, and popular!” “She’s an angel!” As happy as you are that people are saying such nice things about your friend, you can’t help but dig your fingernails into your palms. You’re happy to be friends with Vignette in the first place, and even happier that she views you as her bffbb (best friend forever but better), but the fact that she’s so tuned into her social media that she can’t even hear the people around her drives you a little crazy. You wish that just once someone would say all those nice things about you rather than about Vignette, even though as much as you hate to admit it, there really isn’t anything special about you. This brings you to your current dilemma: how will you ever hope to marry a future billionaire if everyone is busy ogling your best friend?! The two of you turn the corner, making the boys sweat in their Canterlot Prep uniforms. You can see their eyes travelling from her slender legs to her tight skirt all the way up to her perfectly coiffed hair. Those eyes should be looking at you! How are you even supposed to compete?! Well, then again, Canterlot Prep is probably the most competitive school in all of Equestria. Only the elite of the elite can make it into this school. How did you even make it into this place again? Oh, yeah, your mom donated her entire life savings to the school so that you and your sister could have a fresh start in Canterlot after the stuff your sister pulled in Ponyville. Probably not best to bring that up right now. Basically, it’s pretty safe to say that anyone who graduates from this school is going to be successful in life, which means that you only need one boy to notice you so you can have a cushy life where you’ll never have to worry about working! When you first enrolled here, you legitimately thought that all you’d have to do is pass your classes, not eat too many corndogs, and life would just work itself out somehow. Turns out, even after getting accepted into a school with an insanely competitive acceptance rate, you still have more competing to do. “You didn’t mean what you said back there, right?” you ask Vignette while she continues to stare at the screen in her hand. “I mean, you’re not really gonna turn Blueblood down, are you?” “Hmm?” she mumbles, lifting an eyebrow to acknowledge your question but still never turning her attention away from her phone. “Oh, no. He’s not my type. Sure, he may be rich, handsome and famous, but he’s kind of a douche. If I’m going to be taking my attention away from my friends and fans, I’d prefer they were actually fun to be around. Besides, wouldn’t you feel lonely being the third wheel all the time, Anon?” You shrug your shoulders, your cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. “Actually, I was thinking, maybe you could find someone for me. That way, we could go on double dates and stuff.” Suddenly, Vignette freezes with a gasp, holding out her arm to stop you where you stand. “Oh. Em. Gee. I just had the perfect idea!” “You’re going to let me have Blueblood instead?!” Vignette immediately turns towards you with an eyebrow raised judgingly, making your beaming smile suddenly begin to disappear. “What? No way! I’d never do that to my bffbb! I was just thinking that maybe we could go search for some real men somewhere outside of the school! Maybe cross-promote each other’s SnapGab feed, take a couple of selfies in a scenic location as the sun goes down, girl you know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” “...I do?” “Of course you do!” Your friend then begins to walk forward again confidently, her hips swaying with every step she takes. “We basically know all the guys at Canterlot Prep, so why not expand our horizons a little?” You suddenly flinch, practically running to catch up with her as your body shivers anxiously. “Outside of the school?! Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I mean, there are so many good ones here already! Plus, they all seem like they’re going to go on to be really successful later in life.” “Ugh. Really, Anon. You’re worried about how successful your boyfriend will be twelve years from now?” “...Kinda…” As shocked as Vignette seems from her tone, her face portrays a completely different image, her hands combing through her hair while she makes a duck face smile for her camera. Then, after a flash, she pulls her phone back down and begins typing while returning to her conversation. “You need to relax a little, girl! Have some fun! The average relationship for high school students is only one to two years, after all. No need to worry about your future just yet.” “...But that’s just an average, right? There are relationships that last forever, right?” Finally, she pulls her face away from her phone to give you a stern look. “Anon, we are going out today and that is final. Honestly, I’d do just about anything to get your head out of whatever space you’re in right now. You’re totes giving off bad vibes right now.” You cringe at the thought. You were honestly hoping that you’d be able to go home and stuff your face with more corndogs, and just the idea of giving that up to go boyfriend hunting doesn’t sound nearly as fun for you as it does for her. Just then, though, you come up with an excuse that just might be able to get you out of it! “I can’t! I have to pick up my sister from school after this!” “Oh, that’s right. I forgot you have a sister. How come we never talk about her?” “She’s… a handful.” Vignette’s eyes then fall to the way your hands rub your arms uncomfortably, but thankfully she can read the mood enough to know that you’d much rather not go into the details right now. “What was her name again? Comfy Ray or something like that?” “Cozy Glow.” Just saying it out loud makes a shiver run up your spine. “Ah, right. Well, where are you picking her up? Maybe we could stop somewhere on the way there. Trust me, it won’t take more than a few minutes to get some DM’s in our inbox.” You rub the back of your neck. “The park. Really, though, maybe we should forget about--” “Anon, that’s perfect!” Vignette then brings her hand around your shoulders, pulling you in while she looks into the distance as if a movie screen were right in front of the two of you. “Just imagine it! Two cute girls taking selfies together when a couple of boys our age are there to pick up their own little siblings. Then, all of a sudden we need an expert photographer to take a couple pics for our feed--the pictures will probably all come out terrible. Never trust a man’s opinion when it comes to social media photos--but when we tell them that they take flawless snapshots, we get their info and suddenly we have a new side hustle, if you know what I mean. Hey heeyyyy!!” The girl at your side throws in a wink, but you’re still scratching your head, trying to figure out a way to end this whole operation without coming off like a jerk. “So when you say side hustle, you mean we’re flirting with these boys on the side? Wouldn’t that necesitate having boys here that we’re already flirting with?” By the time you finish your sentence, the two of you make it outside the school’s entrance, being hit by violent rays of sunlight that make the luscious gardens of the courtyard seem to glow. The students walking out all keep their heads high and shoulders raised, moving quickly as if they all have somewhere important to be. Even the marble statue out front was crafted by one of the most talented artists in all of Equestria, a donation from one of the many affluent alumni of Canterlot Preparatory Academy. This place is your comfort zone, and Vignette is asking you to take a leap of faith away from it. Yeah, no thanks. “Actually, I think I’m just going to get my sister and head home, if that’s alright.” “That’s fine,” she replies with a shrug. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along, though. Just because you’re not feeling adventurous today doesn’t mean I can’t test out the waters somewhere new.” That’s so like her. She makes it sound like the whole purpose of coming with you is so she can flirt with boys, but you can tell that she’s really just coming along to keep you company in the meantime. She sends you a bright smile, and you can’t help but smile back. Even though you and Vignette don’t seem to share any of the same interests, you’re just happy that she decided to be friends with you. “Sure,” you say with a silent chuckle. “Let’s go.” “Is that a model?” “You should go talk to her!” “No way! You go talk to her!” “What’s an angel doing in a place like this?” You try to hide the grimace on your face. Before you even get to the park, people are already gawking at your friend, who either doesn’t hear all the people admiring her or is just ignoring them for your sake. Probably the latter. The worst part, though, is that there are actually cute boys here like she thought, and even though you want to be happy for your friend, you still feel a little jealous that nobody is talking about you. How are you supposed to have confidence when nobody seems to even realize that you exist when she’s around? By the time you arrive at the playground, school has already been dismissed for the kids at Celestia’s School for Gifted Children. You can see kids running around in their school uniforms, playing on the monkey bars and going down the slides without worrying about how dirty they’ll probably be by the time they get home. Now you just have to scope out the area until you find the little brat that you came here for. “Hey, miss!” You and Vignette then turn your heads to see three boys approaching your friend, each of them with their phones out. “You mind if we take your picture?” the second guy asks. “Don’t worry! We’ll be sure to tag you!” Vignette suddenly turns her eyes in your direction. She’d never just ditch you to take pictures with total strangers, but at the same time, it’s not like you can say no without sounding like a terrible friend. “Go ahead,” you say, waving your hand. “I’m gonna go look for Cozy Glow.” “Don’t worry, Anon. I’ll be back in a flash. Ha! Photo joke!” “Heheh. Yeah.” Then, you’re suddenly alone. She’s off doing exactly what she said she wanted to do, and you’re doing exactly what you said you wanted to do. Why, then, is it making you feel like crap? Why do you feel like you just got punched in the stomach when everything is going according to plan? What does the world possibly have to do to make you happy, just hand you everything you’d ever want? Come on, Anon! What do you want? You sigh heavily, taking a seat on a nearby bench while scoping out the area again. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to scope out a girl with curly blue hair and a light tan bow. Unfortunately, though, you see her talking to some girl about her age, and your anxiety suddenly starts to rise again. Most people would be happy when they see that their little sister is making friends, but if most people had Cozy Glow as a little sister, they’d probably go into panic mode too. Just as you’re about to get up and put a stop to it, though, she looks in your direction and tugs on her new friend’s sleeve, pointing at you energetically. You wave politely, sitting back down while simultaneously trying to look casual. You’re probably doing a terrible job. You need to work on your self-confidence a little bit. “Hey, sis!” Cozy Glow exclaims, dragging her friend along with her. “Guess what! I made a new friend today!” “Oh, really?” you say through gritted teeth, turning your head to the girl at her side. She’s actually extremely pretty for her age, wearing adorable baby blue glasses that look two sizes too big for her underneath her silky, silver hair. She’s small and frail, as if she’s had someone taking care of her her whole life, which wouldn’t be unheard of considering that most kids who go to Cozy Glow’s school eventually make their way to Canterlot Prep. You can tell right off the bat, though, that your sister probably scouted this girl the moment she laid eyes on her, and she’s most likely just using this poor kid to increase her popularity score at school. “Yuh-huh! She was super generous by helping me find my way around this new school. I know I’ve been here for almost two months already, but this school is so much bigger than my last one! I still get lost sometimes…” Lying piece of-- “So this is the sister that I’ve heard so much about?” You practically jump from hearing her voice. It’s got a gentle, soothing tone that carries with it its own blunt bite. She seems genuine enough, but your mind immediately backflips trying to think of all the crazy ways Cozy Glow has tried using your name to manipulate her. “Yep!” you respond as calmly as you can. “That’s me! Cozy Glow’s big sister! Heheh… So, uh… W-what exactly have you heard about me?” “Just that you’re the nicest, sweetest sister in the whole wide world!” your younger half says, giving you those stupid puppydog eyes. Even if you weren’t her sister, you’d know in a second how fake she’s acting, but the eyes of the girl next to her just grow wider in surprise, causing you to shrink nervously. “Wow! She told me you were pretty, but you’re more beautiful than a princess! And you’re kind too? Are you an angel?” What. The. Fudge? Your mouth drops slightly, trying to make words come out, but unable to make any sounds other than baffled chuckles. At first you think this chick is playing some kind of joke on you, like she’s just part of one of Cozy Glow’s schemes to make fun of you, but while you laugh awkwardly, she never once changes her expression. She just looks up at you with those big, purple eyes, waiting for you to pull your head out of your butt and say something coherent. “I… uh…” “Oh, shoot!” Cozy Glow exclaims, pulling her friend’s attention away from you and giving you a second to breathe. “I left my bookbag back by the swings. I’ll be right back!” Then, in a flash of dust, your sister races off the other way, leaving you and the schoolgirl to finish where you left off, and suddenly all that social anxiety comes right back to where it left off. You try to smile at the silver-haired girl, but you can tell that you’re doing a half-grin/half-cringe. What do you even say? Do you talk about yourself? Do you talk about Cozy Glow? While you battle with yourself internally, though, the kid in the glasses breaks into a giggle fit, wiping a tear from her eye while the other hand reaches for her stomach. You tilt a curious eyebrow, but suddenly, you see her break out a smile, the same kind that Cozy Glow has when she’s trying to manipulate someone. “Sorry,” she says once her laughter dies down. “I could tell that you’ve always wanted someone to say that to you. That’s your friend over there, isn’t it? The one getting her picture taken by those three boys?” She points her finger towards Vignette Valencia and her entourage of admirers, making you squint your eyes in suspicion. “How…” you begin, slowly turning your face back towards the schoolgirl. “How did you--” “I know how to read people. Also, you don’t need to worry about me being friends with your sister. I know she’s just trying to use me for popularity. Thanks for worrying about me, though.” Again, you open your mouth to speak, but the words don’t seem to come out. Meanwhile, the girl in front of you grins femininely, projecting the same kind of confidence you’d expect from Vignette Valencia. “Oh! My name’s Silver Spoon, by the way. You’re Anon, right?” You shake your head and come back to reality. “Yeah. Sorry if I seem a little out of it right now. I’m just--” “Surprised that a nine year old was able to figure out everything you’ve been thinking for the past five minutes?” You gulp and nod your head, further solidifying the confident smile on her face. “Cozy Glow should be back any second now, so why don’t you give me your phone number before she finds out?” Your cheeks suddenly turn a bright shade of red. “My… My phone number?” “Yeah. You seem like you’d be an interesting pet project. Plus it sounds like you need someone who you can talk to, since apparently you can’t even tell your friend over there everything you’re thinking about.” You quickly glance over at Vignette again, and she’s so caught up in exchanging her own social media details that she must have forgotten all about you by this point. You don’t want to tell her that she’s right, but if you try and cover it up, you have a feeling she’d just be able to figure you out anyway. Then, doing one more quick look around to make sure that Cozy Glow isn’t nearby, you hastily pull out your phone and hand it to the schoolgirl, who just as rapidly taps her way into your contact list and adds herself into your phonebook. She just barely manages to slide your phone back into your hand by the time that Cozy Glow seems to pop out of nowhere, smiling widely at the two of you. “Hey, you two! Did ya miss me?” “We sure did! Heheheheh.” After seeing your uncomfortable expression, Cozy Glow turns towards Silver Spoon, who shrugs her shoulders apathetically. “O...K? Well, it looks like it’s time for us to get back home before our mom gets mad at the both of us. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, right, Silver Spoon?” “Yup! Bye, Cozy Glow! Bye, Anon!” You and your sister wave goodbye to the silver-haired schoolgirl and turn towards the direction of your house. Normally you’d at least tell Vignette that you were leaving, but she looks like she’s having way too much fun to be bothered right now. Besides, Cozy Glow has a point. Your mom really will be pissed if you aren’t home by four o’clock. “I’m so glad that I’m already making friends at my new school!” your sister says as the two of you walk down the sidewalk together. “Doesn’t Silver Spoon seem nice to you?” Hearing the name again instinctively makes you pull out your phone. You don’t know why, but you find yourself scrolling down to the newly-entered contact information, smiling softly as you see the name that comes up. Suddenly, though, you realize that Cozy Glow will get suspicious and immediately slide your phone back into your skirt pocket. “Y-yeah! I’m glad you’re making friends too.” The words barely come out of your mouth by the time Cozy Glow tilts her head in confusion. “Wait. You are?” Normally, no. Normally you’d be petrified by the idea of your sister trying to manipulate one of her classmates into helping her literally take over a school by binding the headmaster to his office chair and becoming the school’s de facto leader (what happens in Ponyville stays in Ponyville). Silver Spoon, though, is different. Different from everybody… Finally, you look at your sister and give her a big smile. “Yup! C’mon. Mom’s probably wondering where we are already.” Steam fills the air around you, the only sound being a splash as your body falls into a tub of water, reverberating off of the room’s ceramic walls. It feels like so much happened today, even though it didn’t play out that much differently than how a normal day would turn out. You stretch your arms out high, relaxing your back as if it had been tight all day. Maybe you’re just looking for any excuse you can to relax after what’s been another long Monday. Suddenly, though, you hear your phone buzzing from the countertop by the bathtub, glowing a light from its screen that displays one new message. Your eyebrow raises as you pick it up, seeing a surprise text from Vignette Valencia that reads, “OMG, Anon! I’m soooo sorry about ditching you back there! I totes didn’t think I would be that long. I’ll make it up to you with a frappuccino tomorrow morning, K?” You chuckle quietly, slipping both arms out of the tub as you send her a message of your own. “Don’t worry. You’re fine. I can’t wait to hear all about those guys you met today.” Once you hit the send button, though, the tension you were feeling before comes right back to your shoulders. This is so stupid! Why are you feeling stressed all of a sudden? It’s not like having Vignette leave you at the park was something that bothers you… right? You roll your eyes with a sigh, slipping back into the tub with your phone still raised high in the air. Vignette really does deserve all the attention she gets. She works hard, she’s extroverted, she probably spends more time on her makeup than you do on your homework, and she’s genuinely a great person on the inside! Still, though, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t at least a little bit jealous, but that’s not exactly something you can talk with her about. Then a thought suddenly comes into your mind, nearly causing you to drop your phone into the bathwater. You quickly open up your contact list, scrolling down until you see a name that wasn’t there the night before. “Silver Spoon, huh?” you say to yourself aloud. You stare at the name for a good 30 seconds before you shake your head with a giggle. “Maybe messaging her the first day would be a little too fast.” She’d probably ignore you and tell Cozy Glow not to bother her anymore… or would she? Maybe that’s just the anxiety talking. She wouldn’t get upset for you texting her after giving you her number specifically for that reason, right? Wait, why do you have anxiety again? She’s like nine years old. What do you care if she judges you or not? You immediately pull up her number again and pull up the text menu, but right as soon as you’re about to begin writing your message, your thumbs freeze where they are. What exactly do you want to talk to her about? Vignette? Your sister? Her day? Your day? You wistfully move your hand to place your cell phone back onto the countertop beside you, but suddenly, you bring the phone back to your face and type the first thing that comes into your head. “Hey, it’s Anon. Just wanted to text you so you have my number.” Aaaaand send. Finally, you can put your phone back onto the counter and slide yourself nose-deep into the bathtub, getting your well-deserved rest and relaxation. You did your part, you sent the perfect message, and now you get to enjoy-- Bzzzt!! You pull your face out of the water to look back at your phone, surprised that she messaged you back so quickly, but to your surprise, she didn’t message you back. She’s calling you! You immediately stumble forward, fumbling with your phone and catching it right before it can fall into the bathtub. After a quick sigh of relief, you hover your trembling finger over the green answer button, and after a slight hesitation, you swipe the button and slowly bring the device to your ear. “Uh… H-hello?” “I had a feeling I’d be hearing from you today.” A wave of comfort suddenly washes over you upon hearing the soothing, high-pitched voice, and like the bath should have been doing this whole time, you can feel your whole body relax as your arms once again drape over the lip of the tub. “You did?” “Well, part of me thought you’d get too scared and chicken out for the first day, but I knew I’d hear from you sooner or later.” You giggle femininely. “You sure have me figured out, don’t you?” “Well, duh!” The both of you share a laugh until an awkward silence suddenly fills the air of your bathroom. “So… What’s going on?” “Do you mean like ‘What’s up’ or…?” “No,” she replies. “I mean, what’s bothering you? You looked like you needed someone to talk to earlier, and there’s a reason you were thinking of me to send me a message in the first place. It’s obviously not something you can talk about with that friend from earlier.” Your smile begins to disappear. With your chin now resting on the edge of the bathtub, you wait a few moments before you can think of what you can say back. “It’s… nothing, really.” “Come on, Anon. If you can’t tell a grade school kid, who can you tell?” Again, you wait a few moments, trying to think of a way you can ignore the issue until you finally breathe out a defeated sigh. “I guess I’m just jealous.” “Jealous of…?” “Everything! My friend is so pretty and popular! Get this! Today at school, Prince Blueblood actually confessed to her!” “Shut up! You mean Princess Celestia’s nephew?!” “Yeah! Can you believe that?!” “So let me get this straight. Your best friend is dating actual royalty right now?” “Oh, here’s the craziest part. She’s turned him down!” “Are you kidding me?! How can you say no to someone like that?!” “I know, right! I said the same thing!” *Knock, knock* “Sis? Are you talking to someone in there, or are you just going crazy for some reason?” You quickly turn your face to your bathroom door and cover the microphone on your phone. “What do you want, Cozy Glow?” “Mom told me to tell you to hurry up. She says you have homework and she wants to use the bathroom.” You scoff, rolling your eyes. “Fiiine! Tell her I’ll be out in a minute.” The next few moments are filled with silence before you once again hear a high-pitched voice on the other end of your phone. “So I’m guessing it’s about time for you to go?” “Yeah… I’m sorry, Silver Spoon.” “Don’t worry about it. Just text me if you feel like you need anyone to talk to, OK?” A smile once again forms on your face, and without realizing it, you see yourself twirling your hair around with your finger. “OK! I’ll talk to you later, then. B-bye, Silver.” “Good night, Anon.” The next thing you hear is the tone of your phone disconnecting, and for some reason you can’t explain, you find yourself doing a little victory dance in the bathtub. Once you realize what you’re doing, though, you quickly pull the plug and begin drying yourself off. After you get yourself dry enough to where you’re at least not dripping anymore, you use your towel to wipe down the steamy mirror, and what you see surprises you. Have you always smiled like that? You actually look kinda… pretty when you make that face. You roll your eyes at your inner thoughts and get yourself into your pajamas, your towel wrapped around your hair as you make your way out of the bathroom. While you scurry your way to your room, however, you see Cozy Glow’s head sticking out of her own room, giving you a weird look. “Who were you talking to in there?” she asks, to which you shake your head. “Just one of my friends,” you reply with a smug smile, further solidifying your sister’s weird expression. “In the bath?” Then your smile suddenly falls down. “Why? Is that weird?” “For you it is.” “Well…” You break eye contact. “Maybe this is just a new me.” “...OK, you’re weird. Anyway, I just wanted to see what you were doing.” A small chuckle escapes your lips as your pat Cozy Glow on the head condescendingly. “Thank you for checking up on me, little sister. I’m going to my room now, so I’ll talk to you in the morning.” “Fine,” she says, pushing your hand off of her head. “Just don’t play your weird music this late! Some of us actually do our homework around here.” “Heh. Whatever you say.” The sunlight hits down on you so hard that you raise your hand up to keep some of the violent light from burning your eyes. Canterlot is probably the most beautiful place in all of Equestria, getting more sunlight than almost anywhere else, but sometimes, you wish it weren’t quite so bright this early in the morning. You hardly got any sleep for some weird reason last night. You weren’t stressed or distracted or anything. You just kinda laid there, trying to fall asleep for hours with the same thoughts racing through your mind over and over again. Before you can think about it too much, though, you feel a pair of arms suddenly wrap around your waist, making you almost fall forward before you catch your balance just in the knick of time. “Oh, Anon! I’m so sorry about yesterday!” Then, turning your head backwards, you see Vignette pulling your hands off of your waist, holding up two coffees freshly brewed from the nearby cafe. Yes! Caffeine! That’s what you need right now! “You have every right to be mad at me,” she continues as you grab one of the frosted drinks in her hands. “Go ahead. Say it. I’m a terrible friend!” “Sluuuuurrp! Aaahhhhhhhh. You don’t have to be sorry. I’m not mad at you.” “Oh, good! Because I have just got to show you who I met yesterday!” In the next moment, Vignette whips out her phone while the two of you slowly make your way towards class, peering down at the screen in front of you while she goes over the photos in vivid detail. You’re only half-listening/half-drinking-the-coffee-as-fast-as-you-can while she talks all about the boys she met yesterday. Apparently they go to another private school not far from where the two of you attend, and their social media following has some big names that she’s heard of but never had the chance to meet. It’s actually kind of entertaining seeing how enthusiastic she is about the whole thing, making you inadvertently giggle to yourself in amusement. Suddenly, though, she breaks her conversation and looks you in the eye. Shoot. Should you have kept that to yourself? “Weeeeeellll,” she says with a smirk. “Sounds like someone’s in a good mood today. Did something happen yesterday that I don’t know about?” “Not really,” you reply, shaking your head. “I just met someone.” The words scarcely leave your mouth when she covers her mouth with a gasp. “Oh. Em. Gee. Tell me everything!” “It’s nothing! Seriously.” “Hmmmmmmm? It doesn’t soooouuund like nothiiiiiing. Actually, if you ask me, it sounds like somebody has a crush on that certain someone.” You stop smiling. “I have… a what?” Vignette raises an eyebrow. “You... have a crush on someone, Anon.” Again, once the word reaches your mind, you freeze completely, staring forward but not really looking at anything. Your heart starts beating faster, your shaky hands reaching up to your chest, and suddenly, you stop breathing. Then, the image in front of you changes from the hallway to the ceiling, along with a sudden pain hitting your back. “Oh, dear! Anon?! Are you alright, sweetie?!” The aching sensation from the fall doesn’t even bother you anymore. Your mind is too preoccupied with the new thoughts now racing through your mind like a freaking tornado. “I…” you mumble. “I like her?” Chapter 2Why won’t that pain go away? Not the pain in your back from when you fell earlier (although that hurts too, now that you think about it), but the one in your head, which has been eating away at you all day. It’s like all the fabrics that have been molded together to create what you saw as your self-image have been ripped apart, creating a version of you that’s more like a viscous doppelganger than a mirror image. Plus, it hasn’t exactly been easy to get Vignette Valencia to stop asking for details about who this mystery person is. Of course, she respects your boundaries and would never press more than you’d feel comfortable with, but she probably thinks you’re just too shy to fill her in on the details. How the crap are you going to tell her that you developed feelings for your nine year old sister’s friend from school?! You shake your head. You still don’t know that you’ve developed feelings for this girl yet! You’ve spoken to her twice, after all, and both times were cut off before you could really talk to her about anything in detail. Can you really get a crush on someone after having such little interaction with them? Well, now that you think about it, she’s also mysterious, mature, easy to talk to, and those stupid glasses she wears make her just about the cutest girl you’ve ever laid eyes o-- This time you punch yourself in the face. You immediately bring both hands to your nose, trying not to cry while simultaneously checking to see if your nose is bleeding. Then, looking around in all directions with a tear in your eye, you find yourself completely alone and allow yourself to breathe a sigh of relief, hesitantly lowering your hand from your face. Thank goodness no one was around to see that. Maybe that punch was a little too hard, but you needed to do something to get those thoughts out of your head! Vignette was nice enough to let you go by yourself to the park today, despite how curious she’s been to meet this mystery person you mentioned earlier. You’re still not one hundred percent positive that Silver Spoon will be there in the first place, and even if she is, it’s not like you’ll be able to have a normal conversation with her while Cozy Glow is around anyway. Still, though, if Silver Spoon does show up, and if for some reason Cozy Glow decides to leave the two of you alone for a little bit… Don’t hit yourself again, Anon. That last one still hurts. Before you know it, however, you find yourself at the entrance of the park, looking around to see if anyone’s staring at the spot on your face where you punched yourself earlier. For once, you’re relieved that nobody’s paying attention to you and breathe another sigh of relief. Hopefully Cozy Glow will be by herself--or have found a completely new girl to manipulate--so that you can get that other girl out of your head altogether… OK, maybe now that you think about it, finding someone else to manipulate probably isn’t the best option either, but it’s still better than spending another minute thinking about-- “Silver Spoon! Over here!” Horse feathers!! Why does life have to do everything you specifically ask it not to do?! You put on your best nervous smile, trying not to sweat as your sister enters your field of vision, laughing and skipping with her silver-haired friend following behind her. Then, the moment you see her, all the anxiety in your chest disappears, leaving you relaxed, breathing normally, and smiling much more genuinely than you were before. It’s weird. You know you should be feeling way more anxious than you are right now, but you just feel… normal, like you can finally stop pretending. You can finally stop hiding. “Hey, sis!” your sister exclaims once she’s finally within talking distance. “How was school tod--Whoa… What happened to your nose?” You giggle nervously, first glancing at Cozy Glow’s quizzical expression before looking over at Silver Spoon, who tilts her head in curiosity. “Heheh. Funny story about that…” “You aren’t getting bullied, are you?! My teacher at school says that if you’re ever getting picked on, you should always tell someone you can trust.” “I dunno, Cozy Glow,” the other girl says, flashing a smirk. “I don’t know how anyone could pick on Anon. From what you’ve told me, she’s the kindest, friendliest girl in all of Equestria. Who would ever be mean to someone that perfect?” She bats her eyelashes, and whether on purpose or not, it makes the air freeze up in your lungs while your cheeks begin to sizzle. You’d better change the subject quick before you faint from the lack of oxygen. “I, uh… punched myself in the face. SO! We should get going! Mom will get mad if we goof off on the way home, after all.” Just as you reach out to grab your sister’s hand, though, she puts her palms to her hips and raises an eyebrow. “Mom isn’t going to be home until like six o’clock tonight. She’s got that book club for old, grumpy ladies on Tuesdays, remember?” “Yeah,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck, “but she’d still be upset if we didn’t go straight home.” “Oh, she’s always upset. I’m sure she wouldn’t be mad if she knew the reason we took so long was so that I could make more friends.” Wrong! That’s the exact reason why she wants you to head straight home! “Plus, she’ll never know if we don’t tell her! What do you think, Silver Spoon?” You quickly glance at the silver-haired girl, who once again gives you a devilish smirk. “Miss Anon, I know you don’t want to get in trouble, but she really has been waiting all day to talk to some kids from the next class over. Can’t she just stay for a few more minutes? Pleeeeease?” Don’t punch yourself. Don’t punch yourself. Don’t punch yourself. “Well…” You look away with a bashful look on your face, bumping your index fingers together while trying not to blush too hard. “I guess a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt…” “Yes!” Cozy Glow cheers, pumping her fist. “Silver Spoon, you keep Anon company for a little bit. I promise I won’t be too long.” Before her friend can even respond, though, your sister darts off in the other direction, leaving the two of you alone. You start to turn your eyes in her direction, but once you make contact with hers, you immediately look away, sweat dripping down your neck from the jitters in your stomach. You can’t tell why you’re reacting the way you are. She’s just a kid, after all, not much different than yourself. Still, though, whenever you try looking into her big, purple eyes… “Phew,” Silver Spoon sighs. “I thought I’d never get the chance to talk to you. We never really got to finish our conversation last night, after all.” Suddenly, your face snaps to hers, and all the butterflies in your stomach gradually begin to fly away. “Yeah, but I don’t know if there was anything else really worth talking about anyway.” “Sure there is!” Just as soon as you gain the courage to make eye contact with the silver-haired girl, she femininely strolls over to a park bench and sits down, patting the empty space beside her. “You were telling me about your friend, remember?” With a hard gulp, you walk over with much less confidence in your steps, your legs shaking as you fall down next to her. She’s so close that you need to monitor your breathing, just in case she notices how deep each breath is as it goes into your nose. “My friend? Yeah, about that. Maybe I was just overreacting, since an actual prince confessed to her and all.” “And you wished he confessed to you instead?” You look down at your knees. “Yeah, I guess so… Ugh. That’s so stupid! I mean, why would someone like him ever want a girl like me? I’m so embarrassed.” Just as you bury your face into your hands, you feel her soft, delicate fingers trace down your back, sending shivers down your spine that you hope she doesn’t notice. “Honestly, I’d feel a little jealous too. I was kinda the same way back in Ponyville.” You quickly jerk your face away from your hands so you can look at her with a shocked expression. “Wait. You’re from Ponyville too?!” “Mhmm. I moved here last year. My best friend over there was this girl named Diamond Tiara, and she was adored by basically everyone in town. She was so popular that some of the girls even called her the ‘Princess of Ponyville’. I wanted to be happy for her since she was my best friend and all, but deep down, there were times I just wanted to get away from her. Even though people’s eyes were on me all the time, nobody was really looking at me.” “It’s like… we’re invisible.” You see Silver Spoon crack a small smile, and your face freezes up again. “B-but yeah, that’s basically the same way I feel.” “You remember those Barnyard Bargain commercials on TV?” “You mean the one with that girl dressed up as a bunny rabbit?” “That was Diamond Tiara.” “...You’re lying right now.” Silver Spoon giggles. “Nope. Her dad is Filthy Rich, the biggest distributor of zap apple jam in Equestria, so you can imagine why everyone admired her.” “No kidding,” you say, kicking your legs back and forth. “Can you imagine coming from a rich family?” “Would you believe me if I said that next to her, my family was the second-richest in Ponyville?” You turn towards her again, tilting a curious eyebrow. “My parents did business together. My dad had his mining company, and my mom used the materials he found to set up the Ponyville Premiere Jewelers.” Your eyes go wide. Suddenly you look down at the necklace you’re wearing and then look back up at the girl sitting beside you, who sends you another feminine smirk. “Yup,” she continues. “I’d recognize that emblem anywhere. It came from my mom’s shop, didn’t it?” You nod your head slowly until a thought suddenly goes through your mind. “Wait! If things were going so well in Ponyville, why did you move out here?” “My parents saw more opportunities here in Canterlot. Turns out, they were right. Now we’ve got more money than we could spend in a lifetime…” Despite how great her life sounds, though, Silver Spoon’s eyes fall to the floor as she pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. “But compared to the other kids at school, I’m still in someone else’s shadow. Your sister is just using me as a stepping stone until she can move onto the next most popular kid at school.” You hesitate to even ask your next question. “Is that…?” “Yeah… That’s what she’s doing right now.” Your fingers suddenly curve into a fist, clenched tightly on top of your skirt as your face unconsciously turns into a scowl. “Dang that kid…!” you whisper to yourself. “It’s not all bad. At least it means that someone noticed that I wasn’t invisible.” As your eyes turn towards hers once again, you see a girly smile, making your heart flip backwards in your chest. Calm down, Anon! She’s talking about Cozy Glow, not you! Still, though, with the way she’s looking at you, it feels like her eyes are piercing into your thoughts, like she’s telling you that she’s not just talking to you; she’s talking about you. “I… I’m sure there’s more people at school who know you exist than just Cozy Glow…” “Oh, yeah. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still super popular, but I’m not like the most popular girl at school.” “Huh?!” Silver Spoon suddenly wraps her arms around her waist, kicking her legs violently as her laughter resonates throughout the park. You, on the other hand, are trying to figure out whether or not you just found yourself subjugated to part of some huge, elaborate prank that she and Cozy Glow have been plotting since yesterday. Probably the latter. You are kind of naive, after all. “Sorry,” Silver Spoon says, wiping a tear from her eye once her laughter dies down. “I didn’t mean to sound rude there. Your expression was just so priceless! Hahaha!” “Um… I feel like I should probably hide somewhere and never come out now.” The girl beside you shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry. Will you at least stay with me until Cozy Glow comes back? I’m having so much fun with you.” There she goes again! It’s so stupid how easily she can make your heart pound, and you can’t tell if she’s doing it for her own amusement or if she really means what she says. She does have an easy time reading you, after all. You want to keep a healthy emotional distance from her, but at the same time, she’s making it veeerry difficult to do that, especially when she looks up at you with that stupid smile and those stupid glasses! URRRGGHH! “Say,” she begins, pulling your train of thought off of its tracks, “you wanna hang out sometime?” “...H-huh?!” “We probably wouldn’t be able to spend time at your house if Cozy Glow is gonna be there. How about my place next time?” The face you’re making probably looks really stupid right now, but what else can you do?! You didn’t expect her to throw out a request like that! While you take forever to respond, though, Silver Spoon’s grin gradually begins to diminish. “That is… unless you’d rather just stick to meeting up like we are now. It’s OK if you don't wanna hang out with a kid who only knows you through your sister.” “I DO!” Both you and Silver Spoon flinch in unison before you frantically begin waving your hands around, trying to ease the sudden surprise on her face. “I mean, I’d be happy with that, but… don’t you think it would be weird hanging out without Cozy Glow knowing about it?” Silver Spoon tilts her head. “You mean like what we’re doing now?” A small droplet of sweat falls down the side of your face. Even if you didn’t go to her place to hang out, the two of you would still be having secret conversations both at the park and over the phone. Yeah, it’s kind of weird now that you think about it, but at the same time, it would be even weirder to avoid her just because she’s friends with your sister. Besides, the less your sister knows about your life, the fewer headaches she can give you. “I guess you have a point…” you say, timidly scratching your cheek. “Tell you what!” Silver Spoon sits up, straightening her back while looking confidently into your eyes. “Just text me tonight. We can just talk about you some more until you’re ready.” Is… Is she talking down to you? The way she’s speaking makes it sounds like she’s the one doing you the favor by spending time with you, and yet for some weird, crazy reason, it makes you feel better. You can’t tell what’s drawing you to this girl so much… but it’s working. “I…” “There you two are!” Before you can completely blow your cover, you snap your body to attention, wearing the most authentic fake smile you have as Cozy Glow makes it into your field of vision. “I had a lot of fun with Fashion Glance! Hope my sister didn’t drive you crazy while I was gone.” You scowl at your sister, which is quickly interrupted by the soothing sound of Silver Spoon giggling into her hand. “No, it’s fine,” she replies. “Does this mean you two are going to head home now?” Cozy Glow looks up at you for your answer, and you quickly turn your gaze towards Silver Spoon. You may not want to leave her so soon, but there’s no way you’ll be able to continue your conversation with your sister around. Not only would she bug you, but she’d probably try sabotaging your friendship with her in general! “Yeah,” you say in a low, disappointed voice. You hate keeping secrets from the closest member of your family, but what you have is too special for you to let her in just yet. Finally, turning towards your sister with an upbeat smile, you say, “You ready, Cozy? Let’s get going.” *Click!* As soon as the door to your room closes, you drop your bookbag to the floor and fall face-first onto your bed, laying motionless for several moments. What a day. First you find out that you have a crush on a grade school girl, and then you spend the rest of the day trying to hide that from everyone, including yourself! Then that question she asked at the end… Is it really a good idea to hang out with her? If it turns out that you really do like her, and if somebody got the wrong idea, you might end up with a little more than a broken heart. If only you had a stress salad right now. Wait, that reminds you. Have you received any messages from Vignette Valencia since you left school? The second you pull out your phone to check, though, your jaw drops awkwardly, seeing a total of ten new messages, all from the most popular girl of Canterlot Prep. Each message basically says the same thing, just with different words. “How was your date with your future husband today? I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details.” Your eyebrow twitches. Part of you is thinking about ignoring her while the other part is dead set on making up some guy that you can use to quell her curiosity. Then again, if you try making up some guy, she’d never let you breathe without trying to get his social media accounts so she can look him up and see if he’s a good match for you. Just as you think about how to respond, though, she sends message number eleven. “I know it’s late, but do you want to grab a milkshake from Sugarcube Corner? It’ll be my treat! Heart, heart, winky face emoji.” “Ugh…” you moan aloud. “Seriously? I just got home… Dangit. Fine, I’ll go! You’d better not pressure me into telling you about this afternoon, though.” You try pushing yourself up from your bed, but fall down in defeat probably six or seven times, groaning in aggravation that someone is making you get up in the first place. As you wobble like a potato on your way up, though, you can see the door to your room gradually begin to open, revealing a curious blue-haired girl standing in the hallway. “Sis?” she says inquisitively. “Are you OK?” “No. The world is trying to make me move, but I don’t want to.” Cozy Glow giggles, opening up the door completely while you finally manage to at least sit up on your bed. “You sure that’s all? From the sounds you were making, I thought you were getting eaten by a polar bear!” Her comment makes you giggle back. “A polar bear? Why not something that actually lives less than a thousand miles away?” “Because you don’t handle the cold well. You seemed suuuper uncomfortable.” After another soft chuckle, you say, “Sorry if I worried you at all. Don’t worry! If I see one sneak into my room, I’ll make the same noise so you can come in and save me!” “Golly! I’d probably let you get eaten at that point!” The two of you then share a long laugh, your cheeks nearly aching from how much you’re smiling until you see Cozy Glow’s eyes turn away, causing your smile to disappear. “Listen, sis… You wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, wouldja?” “What are you talking about? I’d never--” “I saw you and Silver Spoon talking earlier…” Your eyes go wide, a crater forming in your stomach. “I know I may not have made the best choices back home, but I really wanna make friends at my new school. I just wanna make sure you’re not gonna do anything to sabotage me.” You have no idea what you could even possibly say to something like that. She has the wrong idea about you and Silver Spoon, but you’d be lying if you told her that you weren’t secretly hoping that she’d stop making friends. Could she even call them friends? If she’s just using her sweet, innocent charm to get people to like her while continuing to climb up the social ladder, shouldn’t you be trying to stop her? But it’s different with Silver Spoon! “Sis… You’re taking an awfully long time to reply.” “Huh? Oh! I’m sorry. It’s just…” Finally, steeling your resolve, you look Cozy Glow straight in the eyes and say, “I promise I won’t try to sabotage you.” “Oh, thank goodness!” Suddenly, she rushes into your room and buries her face into your stomach, making you laugh quietly while you run your fingers through her curly blue hair. “You and Silver Spoon looked like you were having a pretty serious conversation back there, so it got me kinda worried.” “No, we were just talking about how we both used to live in Ponyville, but there is something I wanted to ask you.” Cozy Glow pulls her face away from your stomach to look you in the eye, causing you to turn your gaze towards the floor. “If you already have Silver Spoon as your friend… why do you need more? How many friends do you need to have before you’re satisfied?” Your sister stares at you uncomfortably, waiting for a punchline, but when nothing else comes, she tilts an eyebrow and says, “Well, that’s a silly question! It’s like asking how much money you need before you’re satisfied. I get that I don’t need a whole bunch of friends to have a good life, but don’t you think that life is always better when you have more of something?” “I guess… I’m just worried about what you’re going to do once you’ve made friends with everybody.” “You mean like declare myself the Empress of Friendship and try to get everyone at school to help me take over?” “...I maaaaaay have been alluding to something like that.” Cozy Glow groans, sliding her palm down her face in annoyance. “Seriously?! You’re gonna bring that up again? I’m reformed now, sis! You don’t have to worry about me so much anymore!” “If you say so…” As your sister begins to raise a curious eyebrow, you finally pull yourself up to your feet and begin walking towards the door. “I’m heading to Sugarcube Corner. Did you want me to bring you something home?” “No, I’m good,” she replies, making you raise your own curious eyebrow. “Just promise me that I can trust you, OK?” As soon as you reach the doorway, you freeze. Meanwhile, as you’re trying to figure out whether or not you can even answer her truthfully, Cozy Glow waits behind you, probably getting just as anxious as you are. Of course the right answer would be to promise her, but if for some reason you ever needed to betray that trust, would she ever be able to forgive you after that? Would you ever be able to forgive yourself? Finally, you turn around, meeting her nervous frown with a bright smile. “I promise. You can always depend on your big sister to have your back for you.” Cozy Glow sighs, placing a hand to her chest, her face relaxing into a small grin. “Thanks, sis. Now, you go on and have fun with your own friends! You uh… You do have friends, right?” Why were you worried about upsetting her again? “Get out of my room!” You plop down onto your seat with a thud, sighing lazily like you’re going soooo far out of your way to have your friend buy you a milkshake for you. Vignette is, as always, scrolling through her social media feed when you arrive, but even though her eyes are completely glued to the newest fashion trends, you can still tell that her main focus is you right now. Almost the second you sit down, Mr. Cake comes by and sets down two milkshakes in front of you, and even as Vignette reaches to grab her own, her eyes never leave the screen. “Thanks, dear,” she says, bringing the straw up to her lip and taking a big sip. “Mmmmm. Raspberry coconut has always been my favorite. You wanted chocolate, right? I hope you don’t mind me ordering for you. I wanted to make sure it was ready by the time you got here.” “Oh, it’s no problem! Thanks, by the way.” “Oh, don’t thank me yet. This is just an investment, after all.” Suddenly, Vignette puts her phone down and places her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she leans in closer. You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. “So! I can imagine you were in shock this morning after falling down. Don’t worry, girl, it happens to all of us. Now that you’ve had a bit of time to gather your zen again, I want to hear all the deets about this boy you met yesterday!” Yup. Straight to the chase. That’s always been Vignette’s style for as long as you’ve known her. You’d love to talk to her about how you met this girl yesterday and how you had a great time talking with her today, but the best part about Silver Spoon is that you can talk to her about things you can’t talk about with Vignette Valencia. This is just another one of those things. “It’s nobody,” you say, taking a sip of your own drink. “I just got somebody’s number yesterday, and it’s just been nice having someone else to talk to.” Vignette gasps. “Oh. Em. GEEEEEE!! You skipped the social profile and went straight for his number?!” “It really wouldn’t be all that weird if you knew the circumstance…” “So what’s his name?!” Vignette bobs her head side to side, waiting patiently with a smile on her face, but even with a name like Silver Spoon, you know she’d be able to tell you’re talking about a girl. Then that would lead to even more questions you don’t want to answer. Honestly, you knew this onslaught was going to happen, but you thought you’d at least get a milkshake out of the deal rather than wait for it to happen at school the next day. “Heheh,” you mumble, taking another sip while your eyes fall between your knees. “Funny story about that...” “Oops--Hold that thought! I just got a text.” You mentally wipe the sweat from your forehead as Vignette whips out her phone again, tapping the screen at mach speeds that would probably break your thumbs. Once she puts it back down again, though, she giddily cheers in her seat. “Ohhhh, Anon, you’ll never guess who that was! Go ahead and guess. You’ll never get it. You want me to tell you?” “Uh… OK?” “I just got a DM from Feather Bangs!” You expected her to say some name you’ve never heard of, but to your surprise, your jaw finds itself falling just as you’re about to take another sip of your milkshake. “Wait! When you say Feather Bangs, do you mean that Feather Bangs?!” “The one who was just featured on the cover of Canterlot Beat? YES!” Great. Another celebrity talking to Vignette Valencia, and the worst part is that he goes to your school! If he confesses his feelings to her, there’s no way she’ll be able to turn down someone like him! Granted, you thought the same thing about Prince Blueblood, but how can someone turn down two celebrities in one lifetime, let alone in the course of one week?! But wait! If she starts dating him, then she’ll feel so bad about you being alone that she’ll have to set you up with someone, and then your plan to marry a future billionaire will be back in action! Oh, wait. Crap. She still thinks you have the hots for someone who goes to a different school, which is tooootally wrong… right? You’re not quite ready to abandon this plan that you’ve been developing for months all because of some stupid crush, are you? “W-what did he say?” you ask timidly, almost hiding behind your milkshake. “He said that he wants to do a meetup tomorrow and take a couple selfies to cross-promote each other’s profiles! Ooooooooo, isn’t that just fantastique?!” You give her a small, sincere grin. “Yeah. I’m really happy for you, Vignette.” “Happy for me? Girl, don’t go acting like you’re not gonna be there with me tomorrow.” You tilt your head to the side, trying to figure out how you could possibly contribute to two celebrities cross-promoting their social media following. “Uh… I don’t want to sound like I’m being ungrateful or anything, but… why am I going again?” “How else can you BYBB, babe? Maybe being part of this once in a lifetime experience will help you get out of that little introvert shell you’re always hiding in and get your own following going! Just think of how much you could grow from this! I mean, you’re fine as is of course, but as I always say, ‘BY, BB.’” Dangit. That means you have to do more makeup than just your eyeliner tomorrow. Ugggghhhhh--Wait! Hold the mother freaking phone! This could actually work out in your favor! Not just because actually putting effort into your makeup would probably get more guys to notice you in general, but also because if you legitimately started getting a following like Vignette Valencia, your plan to marry a billionaire might actually work! If she helps you get popular, maybe you’ll start having boys confess to you! ...But what about Silver Spoon…? You shake your head, waving off your inner conflict and look into Vignette’s face with determination in your eyes. “I can’t wait!” “Atta girl! Oh, shoot! I came all this way trying to find out more about your love life, but I have so much preparing I have to do now! You won’t mind if we postponed our little vis-à-vis for another time, would you? I promise I’ll totes make it up to you later.” You roll your eyes and giggle quietly. “You’ve done enough for me already.” Plus now she won’t interrogate you about Silver Spoon anymore. “You go and get ready for tomorrow. I’ll see you at school, OK?” “Thanks, girl!” Vignette doesn’t even wait until she’s made it out of her seat to reach over and wrap her arms around you in a big hug. “See you tomorrow at school! Don’t forget to look cute!” You wave goodbye as she rushes out the door, smiling to yourself before taking another sip of your milkshake. As excited as you are about the photoshoot tomorrow, you’re more happy about your friend getting the chance to take her own career to the next level. She really does deserve all the success she has. It’s still a wonder why she decided to be best friends with you, but you’re not exactly going to complain about it. Even when she’s doing something for herself, she always finds a way to make you a part of it, and somehow, your life always ends up better because of her. Still, though, even despite how excited you are to join her in her journey of influence, you’re a little at war with yourself, debating whether you really want to go through with it after all. Of course, on paper, it sounds like the best opportunity you’ve ever had, one that most girls your age would throw someone into traffic for! Not only are you getting to meet the newest face of music and fashion, but you get to take pictures with him and work with him behind the scenes! What kind of stupid girl would even think of blowing off an opportunity like that? But you’ve had so much fun with Silver Spoon recently… Oh, stop it, Anon! You’ve known her for like two days! Even if you do have a crush on her, it’s not like it would be the worst thing in the world if you were to develop feelings for a boy your own age too. In fact, maybe it would even be better this way! Yeah, that’s definitely the best decision you could make. Just forget about her for now and go back to your plan of marrying into a wealthy family where you’ll never have to worry about money or-- “Excuse me, miss.” You immediately blink, turning your face to see a very awkward-looking Mr. Cake peering down at you with a small piece of paper in his hand. “I’ve got the check for you whenever you’re ready.” You blink again, looking down at the paper he’s handing you. Once you see the number written on the bottom of the page, though, your eyes grow wide and your face turns red. “Vignette, you jerk!” For the third time today, you collapse with a *thud* onto whatever is soft enough to catch you without causing you pain from the gravitational impact. In this case, it’s your bed, and it’s doing a very good job of making you want to stay there forever. You know that this is probably about when you should get started on your homework, but you can’t right now. Your bed is holding you hostage, and it won’t let you go without a get-away vehicle and some snacks. *bzzt!* Or a message from your phone. With your hair dangling over your face, you lazily lift yourself up and pull your phone off of your nightstand, unlocking the screen to see who the new message is from. You expect it to be Vignette Valencia apologizing for rushing off without paying the bill like she said she would, but the name on display makes your breath catch in your chest. “Hey, Anon. Got a minute?” You tilt an eyebrow as you curiously text back, “Yeah! What’s up?” Then, just a few mere seconds after sending your message, your phone begins to vibrate, although this time, the entire screen is glowing. “Incoming call from Silver Spoon,” it says. As stupid as it sounds in your head, you’re kind of hesitant to answer her. You just promised yourself a half-hour ago that you’d forget about this girl and focus on keeping your feelings reserved for someone at Canterlot Prep. Still, though, even despite how firm your resolve was earlier, you see your thumb slowly moving towards the answer button, and before you realize what you’re doing, it’s already slid to the other side of the screen. Shoot! What do you do now? You can’t just hang up on her. That’d be totes rude! Crap. Now Vignette Valencia is starting to rub off on you. Hopefully that doesn’t become a thing. You’re already awkward enough as it is. “Uhh… hello? Is anybody there?” “H-h-hi, Silver Spoon!” you mutter, pulling the phone to your ear out of reflex. Your hand is still shaking a little, but somehow, hearing her voice has at least calmed down your heart a smidgen. “Did you need anything?” “Not really. I was just kinda bored. Diamond Tiara has ballet classes right now, and since our conversation got cut off earlier, I thought I’d see what you’re up to.” Suddenly, your body stops shaking entirely. Just hearing that she wanted to talk to you for no reason in particular makes the tension in your muscles disappear altogether. With a smile on your face, you pull your hair behind your ear, lean back on your bed and pull a pillow into your chest, getting cozy like you’d normally do for one of your longer phone calls. “Really? You wanted to talk to me? What about Cozy Glow? I’m sure she’d like to hear from you right now.” “Cozy Glow? I don’t have her number.” “Oh…” Your smile begins to fade a little, realizing that a conversation you were hoping to last a little bit longer might come to a halt already. “Did you want me to give it to you? I don’t think she’d mind.” “That’s alright. I don’t think she’d get much from talking to me right now anyway.” Yes! You pump a fist in victory before realizing that you’re celebrating one of your little sister’s friends wanting to spend time with you more than her. That’s probably mean, now that you think about it. “So what about your other friends?” you ask, slapping your hand to your forehead as soon as the words come out of your mouth. “I mean, I’m sure there are other kids your age who’d probably be way more fun to talk to than me, don’t you think?” “Mmmm, not really. I’ll get to see them at school tomorrow, so I’d rather talk to you right now.” Your cheeks begin to blush a bright pink, and even though you want to smile, you feel like your face would break if you moved it at all. “So what are you up to?” “Well, I should probably be doing my homework right now…” “Nah. You can do that later. Let’s talk about when you can come over. How does Saturday sound to you? That way you can come by without Cozy Glow getting suspicious.” But that’s so far away! “Yeah,” you reply. “I think Saturday works for me, but do you think Cozy Glow should come along?” “You can bring her if you want. If she finds out you’re coming, it would be weird not to invite her, but I don’t think we’d have as much fun as if it were just you and me.” Everything she says makes you blush! Seriously, has anyone beside Vignette Valencia ever made you feel this important before?! “By the way, Anon, there’s something I wanted to tell you.” You gulp. “Y-yeah?” “You need to quit worrying, already! I promise I have friends at school, and I promise that Cozy Glow is one of them. You don’t need to feel weird about talking to me anymore.” You pull your knees into your pillow and hug it tighter. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I guess I’ve just had a lot going through my mind recently.” “Like what?” Like how my heart beats faster whenever I think about you. “Like how today my friend invited me to take pictures with her and some guy named Feather Bangs tomorrow.” “Feather Bangs?! You mean the one who was just on the cover of Canterlot Beat?!” “I know, right?! Can you believe it?!” “Wow. I can see why you’d have a lot on your mind. Are you nervous at all?” You place a finger to your bottom lip, your eyes travelling up to the ceiling. “Now that I think about it, not really. I get that he’s supposed to be super famous and all, but this is really meant to be more about my friend than me. I’m probably going to be the one behind the camera for most of the pictures.” “Is this the same friend that just had Prince Blueblood confess to her?” “Yeah. Can you believe that? First she gets an actual, living prince to confess his feelings for her, then she has probably the second-most famous guy at Canterlot Prep DM her, telling her that he wants to start a business relationship with her! Why can’t those kinds of things happen to girls like us?” “I dunno, Anon. It seems like you’re hanging around the right crowd. Maybe being popular just runs in your family.” Suddenly, the smile you had on turns into a grimace as you inadvertently grit your teeth. “There’s no way I’m anything like Cozy Glow.” “I know. That’s what I like about you.” Sssshhhhhoooooooooooot! Just when you got your heartbeat under control again, she goes and makes your whole chest tingle! There has to be some way to fight off these emotions she’s making you feel so that you can go back to focusing on Canterlot Prep students again, but even if there is a way to stop feeling these things… is that really what you want? “Anon, do you not like your sister?” The question makes your whole body jerk in reflex. You’re about to blurt out how crazy that idea is, but at the same time, you realize not just how badly you’ve probably been talking about her, but also how many mean things you’ve thought about her recently. “It’s not that I don’t like her. I really do love my little sister, but... we haven’t always gotten along.” “Let me guess. It has something to do with Ponyville, doesn’t it?” You take a minute before you reply. “I’d rather not talk about it.” “Then let’s talk about TV dramas!” The comment makes you crack a half-smile, falling onto your side as you hug your pillow tighter. “You’re into dramas?” “Duh! Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, The OC.” “Weird. I expected all of those TV shows to have horse puns in the name somewhere.” “Why?” “...You know, I’m not sure why.” Suddenly, you hear the voice on the other end begin to giggle, and it makes your heart beat so hard that you don’t even feel how wide you’re smiling right now. “You’re so weird, Anon.” And now you’re laughing right along with her. It feels like it lasts forever, but maybe that’s just because time doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Your mind has blocked out literally all of your surroundings except for the sound of Silver Spoon’s voice. As you talk to her, you don’t feel so nervous anymore, like you can just say anything you’re thinking about without worrying about whether it’s stupid or not. You feel… safe, like no matter what happens, you’ll be OK, and suddenly, all the homework you have becomes a distant memory. Before you realize what’s going on, your heart is filled up with Silver Spoon. And the rest of the world disappears entirely. Author's Note A newcomer approaches... Chapter 3Your hands shake. Your mouth goes dry. Your eyes open so wide that you can practically see the curvature of the earth. OK, maybe it’s not that big a deal, but it’s still pretty freaking terrifying knowing that this time you’re not just standing in front of a celebrity; you’re shaking hands with him! Feather Bangs, the hottest new face in fashion and music, is looking straight into your eyes, flashing his pearly whites while your knees buckle together, hopefully in a way he doesn’t notice. You probably look ridiculous right now, but hopefully he understands that you’re usually just in the background while Vignette Valencia takes care of all the public relations. Speaking of which! “Feather, this is my bffbb Anon,” she says, pulling out a mirror and doing some last minute makeup touches. “She’s still pretty shy, but I’m trying to help her grow into a beautiful social butterfly.” “Well, she’s certainly already got the beautiful part taken care of. Ha ha.” This would be a really awkward time to faint, but when he’s smiling at you and complimenting you and still shaking your hand--Oh, sweet Celestia! Hopefully your palms don’t get all sweaty! Fortunately, though, he pulls his hand away from your grip, turning his dreamy smile towards Vignette Valencia so that you can turn into a pile of mush on the floor. “Speaking of which, I was thinking we could use the courtyard for some good lighting,” Vignette continues, snapping her makeup kit closed. “Maybe add Clarendon as the main filter, Reyes if we accidentally catch an off blemish and keep Nashville on reserve in case we take one that’ll spark some curiosity in how close we are behind closed doors.” Feather Bangs slides his hands in his pockets with a chuckle, rolling his shoulders back with his head held high. “Talkin’ shop already? Girl, I was hopin’ that you, me and your friend here could take this time to possibly get a little more acquainted first. That is, unless you’d rather not have us taking pictures with the sunset in the background. Ha ha.” Wait. Did he say her friend? Are you that friend? Does that mean that Feather Bangs wants to actually communicate with you rather than spending the whole afternoon just with Vignette?! Shoot! Even after spending a good hour doing your makeup this morning, you still feel underprepared knowing that you’re face to face with the second-biggest celebrity at Canterlot Prep! “As much as I love the enthusiasm,” Vignette begins, showing off her own beautiful smile, “I sadly can’t stay too long. Anon needs to pick up her sister from school in a little bit, and I was hoping she could be here to be an unbiased third party.” Suddenly, Feather Bangs turns towards you, grinning handsomely and making the hair on your neck stick up. “I--” you stutter with a gulp. “I can probably take a day off just this once. Sh-she knows her way home, after all.” “Anon, honey, are you sure? I don’t want you to ignore your own responsibilities all because of a couple selfies.” While it’s true your mom will be mad if she finds out that you abandoned Cozy Glow, you know that your sister wouldn’t exactly go blabbing if she got the opportunity to go home unsupervised. Hopefully she doesn’t get into any trouble on the way, though… Lifting up your head with a semi-confident expression, you say, “Yeah! It’s fine. I’ll text her right now and let her know to head home without me.” Pulling your phone from your skirt pocket, you hesitantly begin typing out your message, praying that you won’t end up regretting this decision later. This is Vignette’s big day, after all, and you’re sure as heck not going to ruin that by letting her put your needs in front of her own like she always does! “You must be quite the responsible young lady for your parents to put your sister in those very delicate hands of yours everyday.” You immediately shriek, slapping your hand to your mouth almost as soon as the sound comes out. Turning your head to the side, you see Feather Bangs right behind you, practically whispering in your ear in his charming, soothing voice. “N-not really,” you say, hiding your phone behind your back like you’re somehow embarrassed to be texting your little sister. “My mom just doesn’t like doing it s-since her school is on my way home anyway…” “Don’t be so quick to sell yourself short now, girl. I’m sure you protect her from all kinds of dangers everyday. Now the only question is if you’ve got someone watchin’ over you too. I wouldn’t want anyone puttin’ a single scratch on that... angelic skin of yours. Ha ha.” “...Vignette? Help!” You slowly begin backing away, holding up your hands as a shield between you and Feather Bangs. It’s not that you don’t appreciate what he’s saying--in fact, it’s kinda making you blush a little--but hearing that kind of talk from someone twelve leagues above you in the social hierarchy is a little more than you can handle right now. “Oh, shoot!” Vignette says, opening up her bookbag and rummaging through it with aggravation in her voice. “Sorry, Feather, but it looks like I left my selfie stick back home. I only live a hop, skip and a jump away. You wouldn’t mind waiting for me while I go get that, would you?” “You’re leaving us alone so you can get a stick?!” you exclaim a little more loudly than you originally anticipated. Both Feather Bangs and Vignette Valencia turn their heads towards you with an eyebrow raised, causing your whole face to burn a bright red as you anxiously giggle, rubbing the back of your neck. “I mean, I’ll keep Feather Bangs company while you’re gone.” “No prob, girl,” the boy responds, flipping his magnificent hair. “It’ll allow more time for your friend and me to get a little more… acquainted. Ha ha.” ‘Please come back soon, Vignette.’ Sadly, Vignette doesn’t waste a moment racing away from the school as fast as she can, and now you’re stuck standing like a mannequin while some cute, famous pretty-boy is standing behind you. What do you normally do with your hands again? For that matter, what do you normally do with your face? Do you normally smile? That doesn’t sound like you, but it would be weird not to smile right now, right? While you place your fingers to your cheeks, though, trying to find something you can do without looking like a painting, Feather Bangs walks towards a nearby bench in the school corridors. “Ahh,” he sighs, falling down comfortably and swinging one leg over his knee. “Why don’t you come take a seat, girl? You look tense.” “Anon.” The pretty-boy raises an eyebrow before you realize that you should probably clarify. “M-my name is Anon.” “Mine’s Feather Bangs, but I know a girl as lovely as you probably ain’t got time for all those long syllables, so you can just call me Feather.” “...O… K?” This whole situation is so weird and unnatural, like you’re a ballerina in the middle of a rock concert or a gamer surrounded by people who aren’t 2-dimensional fictional characters. It’s not that Feather Bangs is a bad guy, but your self-esteem isn’t quite ready to have a one-on-one conversation with him quite yet, especially when your best friend’s reputation is on the line! Still, though, doing your best to wave off your inner demons, you slowly, quietly take one step after another until you arrive at the bench next to him, sitting down as quickly as you can and staring at whatever is straight in front of you. “Anon?” You reflexively turn your head to make eye contact, and as soon as you see his beautiful smile, your cheeks blush a bright pink. “Y-yes?” “Are you… feeling OK?” His eyes then turn to the side of your face, and following his gaze, you notice that you’re making a fist, getting ready to punch yourself in the face. It’s a nervous habit. It helps you to stop overthinking things, but probably not the best thing to do in public. “Yeah!” you respond, trying to play it off like you were really just trying to comb your hand through your hair. “Sorry, F-Feather. I guess I’m just a little nervous without Vignette here.” “Girl--I mean--Anon, you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. I’m just a regular guy, only with nice hair. Ha ha.” The comment makes you inadvertently giggle, causing you to bring your hand to your mouth just in case you look weird doing it. “But you and Vignette seem pretty tight. You two best friends?” You look down at your feet, kicking your legs back and forth. “Yeah, basically since I moved here. I don’t know what she saw in me, but I’m really happy that she decided to be friends with me. I’d be so lost here without her.” “You a transfer student?” “Yeah, from Ponyville. My family had to move kind of abruptly, so I was a little worried it would take me a while to adjust to the new school.” Feather Bangs chuckles, swinging his arms behind his head like a pillow. “Same thing happened to me, if you’d believe it.” You quickly lean forward, turning your face towards him with an eyebrow raised. “Hang on. Are you a transfer student here too?” “Fo sho, girl. I came from this backwater place you ain’t even heard of where everybody was basically the same. We all had the same talents, nobody was more special than anyone else, and even though we was smilin’ all the time, deep down, we all knew that there had to be more to life than trying not to outshine everybody else.” Jeez. You thought you had a rough backstory? ...Yeah, your backstory sucks too. “My sister manipulated her classmates into tying up her school’s headmaster to a chair so she could take over the school.” Feather Bangs immediately whips his neck towards you with a stunned look on his face. “Wait, what?” “Yeah. She didn’t use rope, either. She used chains. Like, where does a grade schooler even get chains? What kind of kid agrees with her that that would even be a good idea? I get that she’s good at persuasion and everything, but--” “Wait, hang on. What was she hoping would happen? Like, she takes over the school, and then what? She doesn’t need to do her homework anymore?” “I have no freaking clue! She said she wanted to be the Empress of Friendship!” Feather Bangs continues to look at you with a quizzical expression until finally, he breaks into emphatic laughter, holding his arms around his stomach with tears beginning to stream down his face. At first you open your mouth in offense, but after seeing him completely fall over in hilarity, you find yourself holding back your own chuckles before you join him in a crazy laughing fit. “Alright,” he says, chuckling one more time. “I think you win that one. I can see why you’d wanna transfer after that.” “Yeah. She says that she’s changed since then, that she’s ‘reformed’ now, but can someone really change that quickly just because of some change in scenery?” “You tell me.” You tilt your head in confusion, but Feather Bangs just smiles in response. “You tellin’ me that you ain’t changed since you moved here?” You put a finger to your lip, trying to think of whether or not anything’s really different about you since you came to Canterlot. Sure, you’ve made friends with Vignette--who’s done plenty to help get you out of your comfort zone--but other than that, are you any different of a person since you first moved here? Not really. You shake your head and say, “Not that I can think of. Maybe a little, but Cozy Glow would have to do a complete 180 for me to stop being worried. Whenever I see her at school, I feel like she’s up to the same tricks she was doing before: making friends, using one friend to meet someone else, spreading her influence as far as she can… and dropping them once they’ve filled their purpose.” You try not to think about it, but your mind immediately goes to Silver Spoon. Has Cozy Glow already gotten everything she’s needed from her by this point? Now that she’s moving up the social ladder as far as she can go, does this mean that you won’t get to see Silver Spoon after school anymore? “No offense, but I think you’re wrong.” You quickly turn your eyes towards Feather Bangs, who once again flashes his pearly whites with the utmost confidence. “I know at least for me, I was so scared coming here where I didn’t know anybody. The only thing I knew was that I wanted this place to be different from the last place, but I never expected to change so much in such a short amount of time. It’s only been two years since I came here, but I am who I am today because I got a fresh new start in a new place. Maybe your sister’s the same.” You roll your eyes and slouch forward, putting your chin in your hands with your elbows on your knees. “You don’t know my sister.” “But I know you.” Once the words leave his mouth, your eyes discreetly turn in his direction with a hint of curiosity. “At least… I’d like to.” “...Feather Bangs…?” “Hey heeeyyyy!” You flinch instinctively, sitting up straight with a nervous look on your face the second Vignette’s voice enters your ears. In the next moment, you see her entering your field of view, leaning forward to catch her breath with a selfie stick in her hand. You have no idea what you’re supposed to be feeling nervous about, but just knowing that she’s here makes you cautious to continue your conversation any further. “Sorry for the wait,” she continues. “Totes worth it for these fab pics we’re gonna take, though. You two have your cameras ready?” “Oh,” you suddenly exclaim, holding up your hands. “No, I don’t need to be in any pictures! I mean, this whole thing was meant to be for you guys, right?” “Come on, Anon,” Feather Bags replies, placing his hand on your shoulder, making your whole body tense up. “Ain’t no reason you can’t be in a few shots too. You’ve got SnapGab, don’t you?” “Yeah, but…” Before you can go on any further, though, Vignette waves a finger with her other hand on her hip. “Ah, ah, ahhh! We’ve both decided. You’re gonna take pictures with us and that. Is. Final.” Well… Can’t say you didn’t see something like this happening. Vignette holds out her hands to help you back up to your feet, giving you a big grin, just like the boy next to you. Even though you knew that you were going to be in at least a few pictures, however (which is why you spent so much time on your hair and makeup this morning anyway), you didn’t expect to be in more than a couple. Based on how many pictures Vignette normally takes for her social media profiles, you’d be surprised if she took fewer than a hundred today, and she wants you to be in them? With Feather Bangs?! “Are you really sure about this?” You don’t even bother to see how they react, instead turning your eyes down to your shoes with your hand rubbing up and down your elbow. “I mean… You two are so famous already. I’m still a nobody…” Suddenly, you feel a hand on your shoulder, and in the next moment, you feel a completely different hand on your other shoulder. Once again, you lift your head to see both of them smiling at you. “Then I guess it’s time we change that,” Vignette says gently. “Yeah, girl,” Feather adds. “Once the world sees who you are, they won’t be able to get enough of you.” How… How can people be so nice to you?! What did you even do to deserve people like this in your life?! You want to deny their offer, just because you’ve done nothing worthy of being popular or successful like them, but you know they’d just make you do it anyway. Instead, you hold back a tear and nod your head, making them smile even wider. Once again, you find yourself thankful to have Vignette as a friend. Whatever you do in your life, the one thing you know for sure is that you’ll never do anything that will ever, ever hurt her... Hopefully… You open your front door as quietly as you can, tiptoeing through the entrance and slowly closing it shut without making a single sound. Then, as you silently begin removing your shoes, you see the one person enter the hallway who you were reeeeeally hoping you could avoid right now. “Uhh… Hi, mom. I’m home!” “And just where do you think you’ve been, young lady?!” You flinch from the piercing voice echoing in your ears. You can’t really say that you didn’t see this coming from a mile away, though. “You know, funny story! I met a boy today, and you know how that goes sometimes, right mom? You know what I mean, mom? Why are you looking at me like that, mom?” With a low groan, however, your mother pinches the bridge of her nose, making you bite your lip as you wonder whether you should run away now or later. “Anon, do you really not understand that when I tell you to pick up your sister and come straight home, that includes whether or not you meet any boys?” “...You wanna see the pictures we took? I promise they look really good!” Again, she folds her arms with a sigh, giving you that disappointed look that you hope doesn’t last long. “You’re lucky she came home with a friend today. Otherwise you’d probably be grounded right now.” Your ears suddenly perk up. “A friend?! Who?!” The woman in front of you, though, raises a curious eyebrow. “She’s upstairs playing with Cozy Glow right now. I don’t know why it matters, but you’re more than welcome to go see for yourself.” “Thanks, mom! Bye, mom!” You then race up the stairs as fast as you can, not only to avoid possibly (probably) getting your butt whooped, but also to get a certain crazy notion out of your head. Cozy Glow has tons of friends. It can’t really be her… can it? Once you reach the top of the stairs and open up the door to her room, though, your eyes widen and your heart stops. “Heyyyy! You’re supposed to knock first, you know!” Sitting there in her room is a girl with beautiful silver hair, large, cyan glasses, a small, fragile frame, and big, purple eyes looking up at you with curiosity. Once she sees you, though, her bewildered face begins to soften into a smile, causing your heart to melt inside your chest. Oh, and there’s also your sister, but she doesn’t look surprised as much as annoyed. “Anon? Hey! Are you listening?” “Hueh?” Finally, you realize that Cozy Glow has been trying to get your attention this whole time, making Silver Spoon giggle quietly. Why does that sound make your heart throb so much…? “O-oh! Sorry, Cozy Glow. I just heard that you had a friend over and wanted to see who it was.” “Ugh. I told you, sis! I’m reformed now! You don’t have to worry about me so much anymore!” You turn your head one more time towards Silver Spoon, who looks more than pleased to take over the conversation from here. “Maybe she should stay and play with us, just so we can prove that she has nothing to worry about.” ““WHAT?!”” you and Cozy Glow exclaim in unison. “No way jose, Silver Spoon,” Cozy says. “This room is off limits to smelly high-schoolers.” “B-besides,” you add quickly, “I don’t want to interrupt your tea party.” Suddenly, your sister looks up at you with one eyebrow furrowed angrily. “Tea party?! That’s it! Get in here, Anon! We’re gonna teach you how to play Truth Cards.” You scrunch your mouth to the side of your face, still hesitant about joining the two of them in whatever they’re doing, but once Silver Spoon pats the floor beside her, you quickly fall to your knees like a dog. In the next moment, Cozy Glow shuffles a deck of cards in her hand and fans them out so that each one is visible, displaying them in front of you and her friend. “Alright, Anon. Pick out whichever one you want.” You nod your head and pick out the one that looks closest to the middle, followed by Silver Spoon, who grabs one further to the right. Then, once you’ve both picked out your cards, Cozy Glow hands the deck to Silver Spoon, who then shuffles them herself and fans them out for Cozy Glow, who picks her own card seemingly at random. “Ready, girls?” You look over at the girl next to you to see if there’s anything you’re missing, but after she nods her head, you quickly nod yours as well. “OK! Let’s see what you got!” Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon then turn over their cards, revealing a three of clubs and a nine of spades respectively. Once you turn over your own card, though, the others gawk at what you picked out. “Wow!” Silver exclaims. “Good job, Anon!” “A queen already?! Seriously?!” You look back and forth between Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon with a question mark hovering over your head. “What? What does that mean?” “It means you have the highest-value card,” your sister explains. “The one with the highest card gets to ask a personal question to the person with the lowest card, which in this case would be…” She doesn’t even need to finish her sentence. Once you look at the cards again, you see Silver Spoon’s eyes look up at you with a small smirk emerging on her face. You suddenly understand why the game is called “Truth Cards,” and now that things are starting to click, you feel a lump growing in your throat. Meanwhile, her smile continues to grow wider, and just trying to think of a personal question that isn’t too personal is starting to make your hands shake. “Go ahead, Anon. You can ask me anything.” Oh crap oh crap oh crap!! Why is there so much pressure all of a sudden?! Don’t overthink this, Anon! Just ask her anything! “What…” you mumble, taking a big gulp before continuing. “What color is your… uh…” As you try thinking of something, Cozy Glow puts her hand over her mouth and whispers in your ear, “Underwear! Say underwear!” “T-toothbrush?” Your younger half slaps her hand to her face, shaking her head while Silver Spoon chuckles softly, making your cheeks burn in embarrassment. “My toothbrush? Pink. I guess that’s technically something I’ve never told anyone before.” “Probably because it’s so lame!” Cozy Glow says annoyedly. “OK, let’s try this again, but next time, do a good question!” Once again, Cozy Glow shuffles her deck of cards, fans them out and allows you and Silver Spoon to grab cards at random. Then, once she’s finished, Silver Spoon grabs the deck and repeats the process for her to pick out her own card. Once you see the card you picked out, you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you probably won’t be the one asking the question this time, but that’s when your air catches in your chest at what that probably means instead. “Round 2! Let’s see what you’ve got!” Cozy Glow then flips over a seven of diamonds, followed by Silver Spoon flipping over the ace of spades. You want to feel relieved that you avoided being the center of attention, but once you show the others what card you got, they begin to cackle deviantly. “A five, huh? Sorry, sis. Guess you lose this round.” You can’t tell who would be worse to get a question from, Silver Spoon or your sister. On the one hand, Cozy Glow would probably ask you the most personal, most embarrassing questions that the human brain could possibly conceive. On the other, though, your heart starts to beat even faster when you think of what kind of things Silver Spoon could ask you. Would they be personal? Would they be embarrassing? Would they change her opinion of you…? “Now, what could I possibly ask Anon?” Silver Spoon asks, placing her finger on her lip with a devilish chuckle. “Oh, I know! Have you ever kissed anyone before?” Your eyes go wide, your cheeks burn up, and all the while, your sister falls onto her back laughing at your expense. “Good one, Silver! Well, sis? You gotta answer the question, and remember, no fibbing!” “Er… uh… Well, you see…” You bump your index fingers together, looking down at the carpet with a gulp. “Oh! I think I hear mom calling. I’ll be right back.” “Oh, no you don’t!” Right as you pull yourself up to your legs, Cozy Glow immediately latches onto your wrist, nearly pulling you arm out of its socket as you hastily try making your way out of her bedroom. “You knew what the rules were when you agreed to play!” “No, I didn’t!” “Same difference!” Then, you feel your muscles begin to give out. Just as you were about to use all the adrenaline in your veins to rush out of Cozy Glow’s room, you hear Silver Spoon begin to crack up, quietly at first until she falls backwards, kicking her legs wildly. It doesn’t matter whether or not she’s laughing at your expense. Suddenly, you want to stay there for as long as you can, just so you can continue to hear her soft, beautiful voice. You don’t understand how she could possibly have this much power over you, yet for whatever reason, it’s working out in her favor. Finally, kneeling back onto the floor again, you rub the back of your head and smile along with her. “No,” you say, “I still haven’t kissed anyone yet. Kinda weird for someone my age, isn’t it?” “Are you serious?! HA!” Now Cozy Glow’s the one rolling around laughing, yet somehow, you don’t feel the same gentle reaction when she does it. Silver Spoon, though, composes herself enough to pull herself off the floor, covering her mouth and shaking her head after getting out a couple last-minute giggles. “I don’t think it’s weird, Anon. It just means you’re waiting for someone special, right?” “Pssh,” Cozy Glow scoffs, pulling herself back into a sitting position. “I think she’s just too scared to kiss anyone. Really, Anon. Are you telling me that at seventeen years old, you still haven’t met anyone special yet?” ‘Well, duh. Making sure you stay out of trouble basically prevents me from forming lasting relationships with people.’ Before you can make any snarky comments, though, you see Silver Spoon grabbing onto her knees, tilting her head with curiosity to the question. She’s wearing that cute, innocent smile again, and now your cheeks are burning so much that there’s no way you can say anything mean or sarcastic. You have to be strong, though! You can’t let Silver Spoon find out! Just thinking it, though, basically solidifies what you were afraid of admitting this whole time. You really do like this girl… and it terrifies the crap out of you... “No, Cozy Glow… I still haven’t found anyone special yet…” The words sting like poison as they leave your mouth, making you externally cringe from having to lie to the one girl you want to impress. Then, turning away altogether, you pull yourself back up to your feet, trying not to look directly into her face, which quickly transforms into confusion. If you stay there much longer, though, you know that she’s just going to find out sooner or later. If Silver Spoon were to realize just how much you think about her… you might never be able to see her again... “Sorry, girls,” you say, already moving towards the door. “I have a lot of homework to do.” “Huh? Since when do you do your homework?” “I… didn’t say anything wrong, did I?” You pivot on your heels, reflexively looking into Silver Spoon’s eyes, which are now starting to quiver in doubt. You want nothing more than to rush over and pull her into a big hug, stroking your fingers through her hair while telling her that there’s nothing she could possibly do wrong. You know you can’t do that, though. Instead, you gulp, holding your emotions in your gut so that you can give her a big, fake smile. “Of course not. I just have a test coming up, and I need to do as much studying as I can.” Silver Spoon’s eyebrows continue to point upwards in concern--even though you’re pretty sure that you just did the best acting job in the history of all of Equestria--but regardless, she nods her head. Cozy Glow, meanwhile, shrugs her shoulders indifferently. “Whatever you say, sis. Remember to knock next time, though! You scared the bejeebers out of me earlier!” You nod in Cozy Glow’s direction before turning your attention towards Silver Spoon, hesitantly waiting for her permission to leave. Then, after she gives you a small smile that makes all the butterflies in your chest disappear, she nods her head too, finally giving you the opportunity to release the tension in your stomach. You still don’t quite get how she can rattle your brain and soothe your heart at the same time, but the more time you spend thinking about it, the more awkward it’ll be to leave. Without wasting another moment, you walk out of Cozy Glow’s room and close the door behind you, sliding your back against the hallway wall and breathing out a long sigh of relief. That was a close call, way too close for comfort, but if you’d stayed there much longer, there’s no doubt that Silver Spoon would have caught on that you-- *bzzt!* Suddenly, you slap your hand to your mouth right as you’re about to make an embarrassing high-pitched noise that they’d probably be able to hear from the other side of the door. After waiting a second to make sure that nobody is going to come out and catch you looking suspicious, you quietly inch along the wall to your bedroom and softly shut the door behind you. Then, pulling your phone out of your pocket, you flop onto your bed and quickly start scrolling through your notifications. Of course, not to your surprise, you see one new message from Vignette Valencia. “Hey, girl! The pics we took turned out FLAWLESS! OMG, you look so cute in all of them! I just published mine on all my platforms, and you wouldn’t believe the following I’m getting! You need to upload yours too if you wanna start getting your own following. It’d be kinda selfish of Feather and me to get famous and leave you behind, after all.” You silently chuckle to yourself, texting back about how you don’t need any fame until suddenly, she sends you another message… and your eyebrow raises in curiosity. “Listen, Anon. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about… It’s Feather Bangs. After you left, he and I decided to stay and chat some more, and, well… I’m not sure how I should say this, but…” … “I… I think I fell in love with him, Anon. I don’t think I’ve ever had feelings this strong for anyone in my entire life. Ohhhh, I probably sound so impulsive right now. Text me back, ASAP! xoxo” Wow. Vignette finally found someone she likes?! You knew she wouldn’t be able to resist both of Canterlot Prep’s most famous boys, but now that she’s actually found someone, it’s actually kinda exciting! You quickly begin typing a message to respond with how happy you are for her, but halfway into your message, you get another message, and your thumbs stop moving altogether. “Hey, sorry if I made things a little weird back there. It was worth it, though. You look so cute when you’re flustered like that. Lol!” How do people normally breathe? You normally do it so easily, but after seeing Silver Spoon’s message, you suddenly forget how your respiratory system is supposed to work. Are you supposed to use your nose or mouth? Or both at the same time? Wait, can you breathe through both at the same time? Shoot! You’re supposed to be texting Vignette right now! Coming back to your senses, you pull up your friend’s message again and reply, “That’s awesome! Are you gonna see him again tomorrow?” Once you hit the send button, it only takes a matter of seconds before Vignette texts you back. “You know it! I’m actually super nervous, though. We were planning to meet up a little later after school tomorrow. Could you do me a favor and come hang out with us after you drop off your little sister? It would mean so much to me!” Her message makes you smile. “Of course I’ll be there! You can count on me! Heart, heart, winky face emoji.” Almost immediately, your phone buzzes again. “Thanks, Anon! You’re the best! Don’t worry, we’ll find someone for you too!” You roll your eyes and flip onto your back. As fun as it sounds going on double dates with Vignette and Feather Bangs, for some weird reason, the idea of dating someone from Canterlot Prep doesn’t give you the same rush as it used to. You know that it doesn’t make logical sense, considering that your long-term plans haven’t changed at all recently, but somehow, you’d be happy if things just stayed as they are now. Then, just as you’re about to put your phone away, you feel your phone buzz again, making you lift a curious eyebrow as you bring it back up to your face, and suddenly, your chest begins to burn. “You’re not actually doing your homework, are you?” Does she know?! Did she somehow find out the real reason why you left? No way. That’s impossible. Just play it cool, Anon. Don’t blow your cover. “Yeah, I am! Trigonometry, actually. When do these teachers think I’ll ever need to figure out the angle of a right triangle inside a circle?” … *bzzt!* “Pics or it’s not true.” Did she just call you out?! Crap. That means you’re actually going to have to get started on your homework after all. At least, that’s what you initially think, but after lifting your torso halfway off of your bed, you fall back down, giving up immediately. “Aren’t you hanging out with Cozy Glow right now? What are you doing texting me?” … *bzzt!* “Did you not want me to text you?” ‘Of course I do! I want to talk to you more than anything else in the world right now! I want to tell you about everything I’m feeling, everything I’m thinking about, everything that’s going on in my life. I’m just afraid you’ll find out…’ You shake your head and begin typing out your message for real. “I guess so long as she isn’t getting ignored it’s fine.” “Then let’s play Truth Cards some more! Lol!” Your face immediately turns red, but somehow, you’re still smiling. Even though you’re embarrassed and self-conscious, you aren’t nervous. Just so long as she doesn’t find out about you or your feelings, you should be fine talking to her as much as you want, so please Silver Spoon, for the love of Celestia… ‘...Don’t find out.’ Author's Note Did any of you actually try breathing from your nose and mouth at the same time? Chapter 4“Here ya go, Anon! Say ‘aaaah'!” How did this end up happening? What cruel trick by God, Celestia or whatever deity rules over this place arranged this exact chain of events? Oh, yeah. After you left school and got to the park where you normally pick up your sister everyday, her friend mentioned a little detail that basically fried your brain. “You know what? I don’t live that far away from you guys, so why don’t I walk home with the both of you!” Plus--oh, and this is the best part--like five minutes into your walk, Cozy Glow managed to find an ice cream stand on the opposite side of the street! At first you tried telling her that you didn’t have the money to pay for three people, but then her friend Silver Spoon offered to pay for you! You couldn’t just let a nine year old pay for your food! You had no choice but to wind up in this situation… right? Still, though, when the three of you got completely different flavors (mostly because Cozy Glow got this gross mint kind and Silver Spoon got a flavor you legitimately couldn’t afford), you didn’t realize that something like this would happen. Now, your cheeks are blushing a bright red, your eyes are wide again, and your jaw is slowly dropping as Silver Spoon smiles that gentle grin that you’ve come to adore. Then, as you weakly give into your cravings, your eyes begin to close and your mouth opens just a little bit wider. Finally, you feel the cold touch of a plastic spoon hitting the top of your tongue, and as you gently bring your lips around it while Silver Spoon gradually pulls it out of your mouth, you finally experience the sweet, decadent taste of butter pecan against your tastebuds. You pull a strand of hair behind your ear, your neck shivering as your brain freezes in more ways than one. It’s the most satisfying, most mind-numbing sensation on the planet, but you can’t help the feeling of guilt in your chest. “Sis, what are you making that face for? I don’t wanna sound rude, but you’re kinda creeping me out right now.” Suddenly, your eyes shoot wide open, nearly causing you to choke on the ice cream in your throat. You then instinctively cover your mouth and turn towards Silver Spoon to see her reaction, but she’s just covering her mouth while she giggles loudly at your expense. How can a human girl have such a beautiful laugh…? “So I’m guessing you enjoyed it?” Silver Spoon asks once you finally stop coughing. “Y-yeah!” you reply, trying to sound natural despite your obvious overenthusiasm. Seriously, why do you suck so bad at acting normal?! “I know! Why don’t you try some too, Cozy Glow!” Your blue-haired sister looks up and down the utensil in Silver Spoon’s hand before grimacing in disgust. “Ew. Gross. Not when your mouth has already been on it.” You tilt an eyebrow. Why would something like that matter when the two of you are sisters? Besides, it’s not like Silver Spoon minds-- Before you can even complete your thought, though, your eyes widen and your neck slowly turns towards the girl in the glasses. Then, your heart thumps violently in your chest as you see Silver Spoon pull her ponytail behind her shoulder and leisurely slide the utensil into her mouth, pulling it back out with a wink that makes your head just about pop. Is she doing this on purpose?! No way. She’s just teasing you, right? But, does that mean she knows?! She can’t, right?! There’s no way she could know… that you’ve secretly fallen in love with her. Then, breaking you away from your thoughts, Cozy Glow pushes herself off of the bench where the three of you are sitting and throws her paper cup and spoon away. As you look down at your own cup, though, you see that you’ve barely made a dent in your ice cream, which is now beginning to drip onto your skirt. “Bwaahh!” “Finished yet, Silver Spoon? I don’t mean to rush you, but it looks like I gotta get Anon home so we can wash her up.” “No, you’re good! Let me just have one more bite.” You then see Silver Spoon scooping up one last bite of ice cream, popping it into her mouth and sighing happily while kicking her legs back and forth in joy. Once you see her look back up at you, though, seeing her glasses falling halfway down her nose, your mouth goes dry and your chest tightens up. Literally everything about this situation is totally normal, but for some reason, it’s making your entire body heat up. “You ready, Anon?” Snap back to reality! “Oh! Yeah!” You then pull yourself up to your feet so fast that your blood barely manages to keep up with gravity. Even with your circulation still trying to make it up to your head, though, your face has managed to remain a deep crimson, burning so hot that it’s probably the real cause behind your melting ice cream. “Oh, by the way,” Silver Spoon says once the three of you begin walking towards your homes again. “Didn’t you say that you had something you were planning on doing later today, Anon?” “Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I’m meeting up with Vignette Valencia and her new boyfriend today because she’s too afraid to spend any time alone with him quite yet.” The silver-haired girl gasps, placing her fingers over her mouth in astonishment. “You mean she’s dating Feather Bangs? Already?!” “Well, they’re not dating just yet, but she’s fallen for him pretty hard.” “Oh, I get it. You’re just there to be the extra push he needs to fall head over heels for her?” “Weeeell, more like just for moral support. You know how Vignette can be sometimes.” Cozy Glow then tilts her head, looking up at you with suspicion all over her face. “Huh? She does? How does Silver Spoon know so much about your personal life? You barely even talk to me about it.” Your jaw drops as a lightning bolt strikes in your mind, along with the sound of plates shattering and literally every other catastrophic event that could possibly occur. By the time you finally manage to turn your face towards your sister, her suspicious expression has only solidified, making your teeth chatter anxiously. Should you tell her that you and Silver Spoon have been texting each other after school? Maybe you could play it off like a coincidence! Vignette was with you the day you met, after all! “Silver Spoon knows about Vignette because--” “Because me and Anon talk about her over the phone.” ‘Gaaaaaaahhhh! Silver Spoon! What are you doing?!’ Cozy Glow, though, folds her arms with her cheek puffed out. “Really? You two talk over the phone? Come on, Silver Spoon! You really think I’m silly enough to fall for a trick like that? Actually, now that I think about it, Anon probably just thinks you actually listen to her boring friendship stories. No offense, sis.” Your mouth gapes in anger, but as the three of you walk, Silver Spoon slows down just enough to give you a smug shrug that Cozy Glow won’t be able to notice. Actually, now that you think about it, maybe she made the right choice after all. If your sister winds up finding out about the two of you later, at least you can legitimately tell her that you’ve tried being honest with her already. Even if Cozy Glow does find out about you and Silver Spoon, though, it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong in the first place. Would it really be that weird if the two of you just so happened to share a mutual friend? “Besides,” she continues, “don’t you think it would be super weird if you and my sister were friends?” ...You’re so happy you decided to keep everything a secret from her now. Silver Spoon, though, chuckles and shakes her head, swishing her ponytail from shoulder to shoulder. “I don’t think so. You’re friends with lots of people, after all, so why would it be weird if your sister was friends with lots of people too?” “Well, that may be true…” As the three of you continue walking, Cozy Glow puts her thumb to her lip, thinking pensively. “I guess it’s just weird for me to imagine Anon being anything other than a social outcast.” “I’m right here, Cozy Glow! I can hear everything you’re saying!” “Am I wrong, though?” “...Did you not hear the part where I mentioned that I’m hanging out with two of the most popular kids at school after this?!” Your sister doesn’t even seem to hear your rebuttal, instead turning toward her friend and ignoring you completely. “I guess you may have a point, Silver Spoon. If you do decide to be friends with Anon, I’m just happy knowing that she’ll be taken care of.” You grit your teeth in annoyance, but Silver Spoon giggles, subtly turning her glance in your direction. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll take good care of her.” *badump!* Before you can even respond, however, you walk face-first into a light pole, immediately grabbing onto your nose, which is probably bleeding at this point. Then, pulling your hand away to see the damage while holding back tears, you see that the only thing damaged is your pride, allowing you to sigh a breath of relief. “Jeez, sis. Watch where you’re going.” “Maybe I should stop distracting her,” Silver Spoon says, obviously trying not to laugh at your pain. “My house is this way anyway. I’ll see you two tomorrow, right?” “Yup! Don’t forget, you still have to introduce me to Emerald Green tomorrow!” “Don’t worry, I will. Bye, Cozy Glow! Bye, Anon!” The three of you wave goodbye, and in the next moment, she’s already turned the corner, making you somehow feel both relief and a twinge of emptiness. Even though your heart was pounding anxiously the entire time she was there, you couldn’t stop smiling, which gradually got harder to hide the more time you spent together. In fact, even now, you feel yourself grinning like a lunatic despite your nose probably being bent at a weird angle, but when you look down at Cozy Glow, you see her staring at the ground, the smile she was wearing just a second ago having disappeared completely. Before you can ask her what’s wrong, though, she slowly reaches for your hand and begins walking down the sidewalk again, tugging you along with her. “I’m sorry I said all those mean things,” she says quietly. “I guess I just want to sound more popular than I really am.” You raise an eyebrow. “Huh? How come?” A few seconds pass before she speaks again, her gaze still trapped on the concrete a few feet in front of her. “You know, I don’t really care all that much about meeting Emerald Green. If I can be friends with her friends, though, then that means that me and Silver Spoon’ll be even better friends, right?” You tilt your head in curiosity. “Yeah? I guess so. Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?” Again, she waits to answer the question, but when she does, she finally looks into your eyes. “I think I finally understand what friendship is.” Her statement makes the corners of your lips turn towards your cheeks. You still have no idea what she’s talking about, but this is the first time you’ve ever heard her talk about friends as anything other than a tool! “That’s great, Cozy Glow! But, uh… just so we’re on the same page… you wanna tell me what that is, exactly?” “Yeah... All this time, I’ve always thought that everyone thought the same as me, like everything was one big game where you’re trying to be the one on top all the time and you’re just using everyone else to get there. I just thought I was better at it than everyone else.” “That does make sense…” A little twisted, but it still makes sense, especially in a school setting where popularity is practically everything that matters. As weird as it is, though, you can see why she’d think that pretty much everyone would have the same thought process as her. “B-but just so we’re clear, you don’t think that anymore, right?” “Maybe… After meeting Silver Spoon, and seeing how nice she is to you, even though there’s no way she could get anything from you, it made me wonder if I was in the wrong this whole time! She’s super pretty, she has lots of friends, and she’s got basically everything she could ever ask for, but she still goes out of her way to spend time with you and me! I’m gonna be honest with you, sis. I was actually lying when I said I was reformed.” “...You don’t say…” “But you know what? I’ve actually had a lot of fun spending time with the three of us after school! Don’t quote me on this; I could still end up changing my mind later, but maybe I’m just now starting to put things together. Maybe I can still be happy just living a normal life like everyone else, even if that means I’m not the most important person in all of Canterlot.” And you thought you had self-esteem issues? Still, though, it sounds like your sister’s finally getting a grasp on how to function in society like a normal person, which would bring a smile to any big sister’s face. Not only that, but now that she’s starting to see Silver Spoon as a friend rather than a tool, maybe that means that days like this where the three of you can hang out together will happen more often. You then give Cozy Glow the biggest grin you can, squeezing onto her hand to transmit some of your joy into her, but still, she continues to frown, looking down at her shoes as she walks. “I just hope that I don’t change too much and end up losing everybody.” Suddenly, your smirk disappears. “Hey, Cozy?” You stop walking out of nowhere, leaving your sister with an eyebrow raised as she turns in your direction. Once she sees your face, though, you’re already eye level, squatting down wearing another big smile. “You remember when you were younger and I used to give you piggyback rides everywhere?” “Yeeeeeaaaahhhh? Why?” “Well, we aren’t too far from home. Why don’t you hop on and I’ll take you the rest of the way there?” The blue-haired girl looks like she’s about to decline your offer, but she knows as well as you do that you’re not always going to be this nice to her. Then, rolling her eyes, she says, “Fiiine. Just warn me if you’re about to drop me.” As she gets onto your back, wrapping her arms around your collar, you immediately regret the decision, realizing how heavy she’s gotten relative to how little you’ve grown. Still, though, once the initial pain is over and you’ve pulled yourself back up to your feet, everything else seems to disappear other than the sound of her laughter. How long has it been since you’ve made Cozy Glow laugh like that? After all the time you’ve spent worrying or complaining about her, how much time have you spent actually trying to make her happy? Then, you take your first step back towards your home, and all the weight on your shoulders disappears in the sound of your sister’s joy. ‘Don’t worry, Cozy Glow. From now on, I’m gonna be the best big sister ever. I promise.’ “Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, craaaap!! I’m the worst best friend ever!” By the time you make it into Sugarcube Corner, you’re sweating profusely, heaving in deep, heavy breaths while you lean your hand against a neighboring wall. You barely manage to see Vignette’s annoyed-yet-concerned expression through the corner of your eye with your face and entire upper body parallel to the floor below. Luckily Feather Bangs isn’t here yet, but that’s actually pretty surprising considering the fact that you arrived no less than thirty minutes late. “So… sorry… came… fast… could…” “Calm down, girl,” she responds, carrying you by the armpits and lowering you onto a nearby stool. “You know me, always thinking five steps ahead. I had a feeling something like this would happen, which is why I made sure to give us one hour before Feather Bangs got here, just to take care of any last minute deets.” You immediately raise your head with your eyebrows furrowed. “What?! So he’s not even gonna show up for another half hour?” “Which means we’re going to have way less time to work on our makeup than I thought. Here, let me take care of your eyeliner. Look up at me real quick.” Admittedly, you’re happy that you can get your makeup done here rather than doing it before you left just to have it all running down your face with sweat by the time you arrived. Even better, though, is the fact Vignette Valencia isn’t totally upset with you for showing up late, even though she did mislead you on the actual start time. “So what were you up to that got you so distracted, girl?” she continues. “Was it that boy I’ve heard so much about? I bet it was.” “Actually…” The real story is that after that piggyback ride you gave Cozy Glow, you were so tired that you immediately fell asleep the moment you walked inside, but she probably doesn’t need to know all the details. “...I was just really tired. It wasn’t until you called that I actually realized what time it was.” “Ahhhh, I see. You did sound like you just woke up when I spoke with you earlier. Look this way for me.” You then turn your head so that Vignette can do your makeup from another angle. You’re still a little peeved that you’re going to have to spend the next thirty minutes doing each other’s makeup, but the important part is that everything turned out OK. “So… Feather Bangs, huh?” “Oh. Em. Gee! You have no idea. It feels like everything that happened yesterday was a total dream! I’m going to sound silly saying this, but I’m gonna say it anyway. When I woke up this morning, I had to check my texts just to make sure that it actually happened, and the messages were still there! I mean, yes, he’s so hot that I want to eat my morning breakfast off of his lips, only without the morning breakfast, but he actually gets me! We actually have things in common!” “Yeah,” you respond, looking down despite Vignette still working on your eyes. “I’m sorry that I don’t really share much of the same interests as you.” Vignette then pulls her pencil away and puts her hands to her hips. “Anon, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” “Yeah, I know, but still…” It doesn’t change the fact that you don’t really provide much to the friendship, other than right now, but if she and Feather Bangs hit it off, what does that mean for your friendship then? “I think we’re basically done with your eyeliner anyway. Your mascara’s already looking good, so why don’t we just do your eyebrows real quick?” You again adjust your face into a proper position while Vignette pulls out another utensil and begins sculpting her canvas. “Besides, you’ve got your own boy toy you’re playing with already, don’t you? I still haven’t heard a single thing about him yet! Girl, can I at least get his name or something?” You’re about to shake your head as vehemently as humanly possible, but thankfully, once she asks the question, your whole body freezes up. At least you can rest easy knowing that Feather Bangs isn’t going to walk in and see you with a fake unibrow. On your forehead. Oh! Speaking of which! “He--He’s here! Already?! I--Oh--You--Maybe--G-get down! Before he sees us!” Vignette suddenly pulls her utensil away and pushes your head below the back of a nearby booth, scouting over the chair like she’s on a reconnaissance mission. You hope you don’t have unmatched eyebrows, but more importantly, you’re kind of surprised that she’s acting this way when she was the one who invited him in the first place. “What are you waiting for?” you whisper loudly. “Go talk to him!” “He’s twenty minutes early! I thought I’d planned for everything, but I didn’t think he was this much of a gentleman!” “...That’s good, though, right?” “Not in this specific situation! Ohhh, I still haven’t prepped my feminine voice for when I laugh at all of his jokes yet! Ha-haaaah. Hahaaa? How did that one sound?” “Get out there, will you?!” You then push Vignette Valencia out of the booth that the two of you are hiding in, leaving her staring straight at Feather Bangs’s delicious hair with a question mark hanging over her head. Immediately, her face turns a shade of red as bright as the noonday sun, still frozen in place while Feather Bangs waves as if oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. Once the initial shock wears off, though, she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, trying desperately to make eye contact, but only managing to bring her eyes up to her right shoulder. “Hey, girl. I’m lovin’ that makeup today. Really brings out those… rosy cheeks of yours. Ha ha.” You can see her trying to pull her mouth up into a grin, possibly even trying to laugh along with him, but instead her lips shake uncontrollably until she completely buries her face into her hands. “Nevermind. I can’t do this!” Holy crap! You’ve never seen her so self-conscious before! You then rush out of your booth, reaching your arm around Vignette’s shoulders while she nearly breaks into tears in her hands. Feather Bangs, meanwhile, has his head tilted in confusion--which you probably expected at this point--at least until you see him grin as if the girl he’s on a date with isn’t practically sobbing from embarrassment. “Hey, Anon!” he says cheerfully. “I didn’t know you’d be here too.” “Honestly, I was expecting to duck out after a little bit, but it looks like I might be here for a while.” Finally, Vignette pulls her face out of her palms, and the moment her eyes meet the boy in front of her, he immediately closes the gap between them, taking her hands into his own as he looks down at her with a gentle smile. “Hey, now, girl. Let’s get you settled into one of these booths here. You can tell me all about what’s goin’ on, and then we can replace those hands with my shoulder. Ha ha.” Feather Bangs then motions towards the booth where the two of you were just hiding, which is where you steadily lead your friend again as she gradually gets ahold of her emotions again. You’re pretty sure she mumbles, “Marry me,” at one point, but thankfully it’s just barely quiet enough for Feather Bangs not to notice. Or, if he does notice, at least he’s enough of a gentleman not to bring it up in front of her. Once the three of you get seated, though, Mr. Cake turns the corner and greets you with a notepad in his hand, but once he sees how uncollected Vignette is, his smile immediately turns into a grimace. “Is uh… Is this a bad time?” “No!” Vignette exclaims. “Now is the perfect time! I’d like a caramel macchiato frappuccino with extra whipped cream! P-please.” Mr. Cake then turns towards you and motions with his eyes whether or not he should take the order, but you just shrug, leaving him with a cringe on his face as he jots down her request. “You betcha! One caramel macchiato frappuccino with extra whipped cream. Er… Decaf, I’m guessing?” “No, extra caffeine.” “...Oh, boy.” Mr. Cake bites into his bottom lip anxiously as he writes down the rest. Then he turns his head up and looks back up at you, trying his best to smile despite knowing how badly Vignette is going to end up making her anxiety even worse after a double shot of espresso. “And for you, miss?” “Oh, I don’t care. A chocolate milkshake?” He probably doesn’t mean for you to notice, but you can see him quickly wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, like somehow you just saved him from a giant headache that he’d end up having to deal with later. “A crowd favorite! And for you, sir?” “I’ll have what she’s having.” Mr. Cake smiles, bringing his pencil down to his notepad, but just as he’s about to start writing, he quickly looks back up to exchange looks between you and Vignette Valencia, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “Er… Could you clarify which ‘she’ for me, sir?” Feather Bangs’s smile disappears. When you look over Vignette’s shoulder to see what the hold up is, you see him wincing in confusion, like his confidence has all of a sudden disappeared out of nowhere. “The chocolate milkshake,” he finally responds. “Sorry, boss, but coffee ain’t really my thing.” You can see Mr. Cake discreetly looking in Vignette’s direction as she shrinks in her chair from the corner of your eyes, but regardless, he writes down the order and flips over the top of the notepad, beaming happily at the three of you. “Perfect! I’ll have those right out!” Then, he departs, and once again, you’re sitting next to Vignette Valencia as she stares down at her lap, her face still red from everything that’s happened so far this afternoon. “So!” you quickly say before anything awkward can come from this situation. “I didn’t really get the chance to learn a whole lot about you yesterday, Feather. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?” Feather Bangs tilts an eyebrow, motioning towards your friend (who’s still staring at her lap with her cheeks sizzling), but you send him a look so serious that he literally flinches from the impact. There’s no way you’re about to let him make this any more awkward than it already is! “Me?” he says confidently, flipping his hair. “I mean, besides the fact that I can juggle, I’m just a regular guy.” “Hahaaaah!” You and Feather Bangs suddenly turn your attention towards Vignette, who shrinks into her shoulders again. “Sorry. Carry on, love.” “Uhhh... *Ahem* So, right now, I’m just trying to get through school with all the stuff I’ve got goin’ on on the side. I started writin’ poetry a while back, and before I knew it, I was startin’ to tour across Equestria as a pop singer! It came outta nowhere! Then while that was goin’ on, I picked up SnapGab to connect with my fans, and all of a sudden, my following was so big that I got on the cover of Canterlot Beat! It still feels like a dream.” You can see Vignette starting to perk up a little bit, her eyes leaving her lap and her nervous frown loosening up to a more natural, relaxed position. Perfect! Keep this up, Feather Bangs! “Wow!” you exclaim. “How do you manage to do all that? I barely have enough time to tie my shoes in the morning.” “Naw, girl. It ain’t like that. You’ve got a sister you take care of, right?” Vignette suddenly gives you a suspicious eyebrow, making your own face turn bright red as you look down at your lap. “I’m an only child, so I don’t really have anything to do when I finally get home. I guess I just picked up all this other stuff because sometimes, when you’re by yourself all the time, you just get a little… lonely.” You then turn your face towards his again, and his gentle, green eyes are looking right back at yours. You can feel your muscles begin to loosen, like you can really talk with him, connect with him without worrying how popular he is… but this isn’t about you right now! You can practically feel knives piercing into your neck from Vignette’s gaze, making the hair on your body stand on edge with your muscles tensing up again. “H-hey! You know what?! Vignette is an only child too! Aren’t you, Vignette Valencia?” “O-oh! Well, I wouldn’t really say that. I view my following like a family. D-don’t you, Feather?” Finally, Feather Bangs smiles at her, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief, slouching in your seat and disappearing into the background so that Vignette can continue the conversation from here. Hopefully you can just wait for your milkshake and step in if any more awkward moments pop up again, but based on how well the day before apparently went when Vignette and Feather Bangs were alone together, you doubt you’ll need to spend much time intervening in her date anymore. “Yeah, I do, but friends are important too. I mean, I’d be nowhere without my fans or following, but without my friends, I don’t know how I’d be able to hold myself together. Hey, Anon, didn’t you say that your sister was having trouble making too many friends?” “Hmm?” Your ears perk up, causing you to inadvertently sit back up. “Oh! That reminds me! You know how she said she was reformed and all, right?” “Fo sho, girl. Does that mean you finally believe her now?” “No, and I was right not to. She told me today that she was lying about being reformed in the first place. But! I think she’s finally starting to come around to the idea that maybe she can be happy just by being friends with someone without any ulterior motives!” Feather Bangs immediately starts laughing, and before you know it, you’re laughing right along with him. You’re not sure what’s so funny, but it’s nice just being able to relax and blow off some built-up stress. “Ha-HAAA!!” Oh, crap. You’re ruining her date. “B-but anyway, Feather! Uhh… What kind of filters do you like using?” Feather Bangs raises an eyebrow, which you honestly don’t find surprising in the slightest, but at the same time, you need to find some way to bring this conversation back to something that he and Vignette have in common before you ruin the night completely! Before he can answer, though, Mr. Cake comes by at the worst possible moment, carrying a tray with all three of your drinks, setting them down on the table in front of you. “Here you go!” he says with a smile, despite your glare that you hope communicates how terrible his timing is. “Just tell me if you three need anything else!” “Th-thanks, Mr. Cake,” you reply, bringing the straw to your mouth and slouching in your seat again. Even though you’re not looking anywhere near Vignette, you can tell that she’s either angry or depressed, but the last thing you want to do is turn your head and find out. You just want to sit there and disappear into the background. For the rest of the night, you don’t speak. Whenever Feather Bangs tries to speak to you, you just flat out ignore him. Fortunately, he can tell after a couple of minutes that you don’t feel like talking anymore, but by this point, the damage has already been done. Vignette never really recovers from how awkward the start of the night was, and when it eventually comes time for the three of you to go home, nobody even says goodbye to each other. No plans of meeting up again, no second chances. You’ll have to make things right with Vignette later, but as of right now, you just wanna go to bed and forget that today even happened… “Oh, my gosh! Is this really happening?!” Two days have passed, and now it’s finally time! You have to slap your cheeks just to make sure you’re not dreaming, but after a week of looking forward to it, the day has finally come! You’re actually at Silver Spoon’s house on a Saturday afternoon!! You spent practically the whole morning doing your hair and picking out the right outfit, especially since this is the first time Silver Spoon is going to see you outside of a school uniform. You actually tried telling Cozy Glow that you were going to her friend’s house to play, but the second you tried bringing it up to her, she threw a pillow at you and told you to get out of her room. It can’t be helped, then, right? Your conscience should be totally clear to spend time with whoever you want, especially if they’re someone who you’ve already made plans with! Even that being the case, though, you can’t seem to bring yourself to ring the freaking doorbell. While you stand there cowering on her doorstep as a neighbor stares at you awkwardly from across the street, however, you feel a cold drip of sweat begin to slowly fall down your neck. Immediately, you lift your arm and put your nose to your armpit, double-checking to make sure you put on deodorant this morning, and thankfully, to your relief, you smell the delicate scent of your daffodil deodorant. “Ahhhhh. Perfect.” *Creeeeeak* ‘...You have got to be freaking kidding me right now…’ “Uhh… Anon? Why are you sniffing your armpits?” She just had to pick now to walk outside. The smart thing to do in this specific situation would be to put your arm down like a normal person, but as soon as Silver Spoon opens the door, your whole body freezes in shock. Rather than the dark blue sailor outfit you’re used to seeing her wear, she’s dressed in a pink skirt and silver tanktop with her hair pulled out of her braids, now dangling loosely over her shoulders. As a result, your eyes grow wide with your cheeks burning at over a bajillion degrees fahrenheit, causing the girl in front of you to giggle quietly as she opens the door even further. “Once you’re done smelling yourself, you’re welcome to come in if you’d like.” Immediately, you put your arms down and bow your head humbly. “Th-thank you for letting me into your home!” Once you raise your head, though, you see her leaning against the door, smiling that same adorable smile as always. It’s got a smug attitude to it, yet it’s not cocky, like you can tell that she’s genuinely just happy to be spending time with you. Finally, you lift up your head like a normal person and walk through the front door, but when you do, you immediately take a step backwards, gaping at the house that Silver Spoon lives in. “This… This is…” Or rather, the mansion that Silver Spoon lives in. There’s no way to sugarcoat it; this is the house of a bourgeois! There’s a koi pond in front of the spiraling marble staircase that leads to the second floor, or rather, in front of one of the marble staircases that leads to the second floor. In front of the other is a beautiful grand piano, right next to the hallway which leads to a giant living area, surrounded by mahogany shelves and expensive paintings. Even the scent as soon as you walk through the door smells like blooming flowers and fresh-cut grass on a refreshing spring day. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon closes the door and twirls in front of you, placing her hands behind her back as she says, “Welcome in! Make yourself at home!” How can you make yourself at home in a place like this, though?! Your family can barely pay the bills to keep a roof over your head, but it looks like Silver Spoon’s family has people pay them to keep their roof over their heads! Luckily, though, before you can make yourself look any more out of place than you already are, the silver-haired girl grabs you by the hand and leads you up one of the spiraling stairs. “Come on, Anon! Let’s go to my room!” “Eh? B-but shouldn’t I introduce myself to your parents first?” By the time the words come out, she’s already led you halfway to the second story. “Nope!” she continues. “My parents are usually gone all day and don’t come back until dinner time. Hey! I bet they’d let you stay for dinner if you wanted!” “I-I don’t know if that’s such a good idea!” If you’re still there by the time her parents get home, you can just imagine the questions they’re going to have for you when they first lay eyes on you. ‘How do you know my daughter?’ ‘Do you have a criminal record?’ ‘Any last words before I call out the attack hounds?’ You’re probably just exaggerating that last one in your head a little bit, but that still doesn’t change the fact that you don’t want to find out exactly what their reaction will be when they get home! Finally, though, you reach her bedroom, and once she opens the double doors, you’re left gawking yet again at how grandiose the layout is. She has a king-sized bed covered in pillows, her sheets are made of pure white silk, her window stretches all the way to the ceiling, covered by her fancy velvet drapes, and her walk-in closet is probably bigger than your entire room back at home! Silver Spoon, though, doesn’t seem to notice how blown away you are just to have the luxury of being in her presence as she flops backwards onto her bed with a satisfied sigh. “S-sorry I didn’t bring Cozy Glow with me,” you say reflexively. “I tried to tell her, but…” Silver Spoon then sits up and blinks in confusion. “That’s OK! I get to see her at school all the time, but we never get the chance to hang out just the two of us!” “Yeah,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck with an awkward chuckle. “I guess that’s true, but still…” “Anon, you need more self-confidence. You know what’s funny? I would think you’d be full of it after knowing as many celebrities as you do!” Finally, you set down your purse and join Silver Spoon on her bed, taking a seat next to her as she adjusts herself into a cross-legged position. “Honestly, I think it’s because I hang out with so many important people that I get so self-conscious.” Silver Spoon continues to stare wide-eyed, leaving you with an awkward silence that you feel compelled to fill. “What I’m saying is, being around people like Vignette Valencia, Feather Bangs, and even you... Sometimes it’s just difficult knowing that I’m just not like you guys.” The younger girl then reaches for a pillow, shoving it between her knees and chest as she leans in closer. “Do you feel uncomfortable being with me?” “N-no! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just…” “Just…?” “I’m…” You take a minute trying to come up with the right words to say, but you can’t think of anything other than what’s really on your mind. “I’m not as important as you guys! You come from a rich family, Feather Bangs is a famous pop star, Vignette Valencia is one of the biggest influencers in Canterlot…” “Anon…” Suddenly, you find yourself flinching at the touch of Silver Spoon’s small, delicate fingers falling onto your shoulder. They’re so soft. So feminine… “You really don’t need to feel like that, especially when you’re with me! I promise that even if my parents make a whole bunch of money, that doesn’t mean I’m any better than you are.” Then, without thinking, you place your hand on top of hers, interweaving your fingers together. Even when you start to come back to your senses, the feeling soothes your heart so much that you don’t bother letting go. You then close your eyes, gripping her hand tighter and bringing it closer to your chest, and even though you can’t see her, the way she rubs your palm with her thumb makes you believe she’s smiling back. “Silver Spoon, how are you so grown up?” Again, the soft feeling in your heart makes you so oblivious to what’s going on that you don’t even realize that she’s scooching herself even closer, combing her spare hand gently through your hair. “It’s just my special talent, I suppose,” she continues, leaning her head onto your shoulder. “When my father first gave me the pendant you see me wear everyday, he told me that it meant that I was supposed to be the face of this family now. I don’t have any siblings--probably just because my parents are so busy that they barely have time for the one they have already--but that just means that I’m basically the heir to two different family corporations.” With your eyes still closed, you nuzzle your face into her hair, taking in the intoxicating scent of her cream-flavored shampoo. “It sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate already.” “Kinda,” she continues, now running the tips of her nails against the small of your back, sending shivers down your spine. “Most kids my age get to have slumber parties or go to the movies on weekends, but my parents always have fancy dinner parties that they make me go to. Then when I’m there, it’s always ‘Keep your head up!’ ‘Don’t slouch!’ ‘Remember that you’re a representative of our family, so you need to act like it!’ I know my parents say that all this work I’m doing right now is so that we can have a good life, but sometimes I just wish that I could be like the other kids for a change.” “Gosh… I barely even do my homework. I can’t imagine having that much responsibility already.” “It’s not all bad. I’ve learned how to read people really well after going to so many parties and basically just being a quiet observer. This lady is smiling really wide, which means that she’s hiding from everyone that she’s about to have a divorce. That man is laughing really loud, so he’s definitely just trying to get this other person to sign his contract. Then when it comes to the kids at school, they’re even easier to read. This girl likes this boy, but he has a crush on the teacher.” Finally, her nails stop tracing against your back, and the two of you just hold each other around the waist with your fingers still linked together and her head still resting on your shoulder. Then, with your eyes closed and a smile on your face, you quietly say, “I guess that explains how you knew me so well when we first met.” You can feel her laugh quietly against your arm. “Oh, you were the easiest to figure out. The only reason you were at the park in the first place was to pick up your sister, but you still had this face like you were lonely for some reason. Then, after one quick look, I saw another girl wearing your school uniform talking to a bunch of cute boys. I kinda felt sorry for you.” Suddenly, though, you let go of her hand, pull your arm away from her waist and gently guide her head off of your shoulder, looking into her surprised eyes with an almost devastated expression. “Is… Is that the only reason you talked to me in the first place?” Again, however, the school girl laughs softly, shaking her head as if your surprise is just one big, funny joke. Then, when she looks into your eyes again, you notice the most beautifully sincere grin you’ve ever seen, and just like that, your heart softens up again. “No, Anon. It’s not like that. Honestly, I think you’d laugh at me if I told you the real reason.” Silver Spoon then looks away, making you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean? Why did you decide to talk to me that day? Why did you give me your number? Why have you been acting so close with me?” “I guess… Gosh, this is hard to say…” You then see her cheeks begin to blush, causing you to gulp down a lump that suddenly appears in your throat. “I guess it was just love at first sight.” And in that moment, your heart stops beating. Your eyes go wide, but you’re no longer breathing. You want to say something, but the words won’t come out. Then all of a sudden, you stand up and shout, “H-Hold on a second! What are you saying?!” Finally, she looks into your eyes, her face now redder than ever. “I know, I’m just a stupid little girl with a crush, but… it’s true.” Then, she stands up in front of you, the cool breeze from outside her window blowing past her drapes and brushing through her shiny, silver hair, and with her beautiful purple eyes looking straight at you with all the confidence she can muster, she says something that makes time stand still. “I love you.” Chapter 5 (Narrated by Silver Spoon)Chapter 5: Narrated by Silver Spoon. ♡♡♡ I was doing everything I could not to completely break down in front of her. After experiencing the feeling of my head on her shoulder and her arm wrapped around my waist, I ended up saying those words on impulse, especially after she asked me such a sudden question out of nowhere. It wasn’t like I didn’t mean what I said; honestly, I’d been doing everything I could to keep the words inside the whole time, but it was never my intention to bring her to my home just to tell her my secret, especially after having just met her so recently! Still, I couldn’t believe she thought the only reason I ever talked to her was because I felt sorry for her. That was one of the things that had made me fall for her so easily, though: she always thought that everyone around her was so much better than she was, like she was lucky just to share two words with anyone who paid attention to her. Ever since the day I met her, she treated me like I was some sort of princess, some kind of angel that was so high on a pedestal that I was out of her reach. She made me feel so important, which was why this moment hurt more than probably anything I’d ever felt in my life. “I love you.” I said those words without thinking, but I guess that’s what most people do when they say those words for the first time. They just throw it out there and hope that the person on the other end feels the same way. With me, though, it was different. Even if she saw me as this princess who was leagues above her in social standing, I was still a kid, a little girl eight years younger than she was. I had made myself as vulnerable as humanly possible, telling her my deepest secret, putting my emotions on a silver platter and setting it on her lap, yet instead of answering back like I hoped she would, she just sat there with a confused look on her face. ‘Don’t cry,’ I told myself over and over. ‘Daddy taught you to always be strong in front of other people. Even if you want to fall to your knees and gush your eyes out, put on a brave face and it’ll all be over soon.’ Still, though, as I waited for her reply, keeping my trembling lips curled into a shaky smile that I tried desperately to control, her eyes only widened further, making my lungs practically cave in on themselves. What was I thinking? Why did I say something so stupid to a girl so much older than me? She probably thought I was some crazy, clingy weirdo, especially considering the fact that we were both girls! “Silver Spoon, I--” “I don’t think I need to say this, but you’d better not tell anyone!” I said before she could reply with anything else, placing my finger to her lips and making her eyebrows reach towards her hairline. “Especially not Cozy Glow! Could you imagine the kinds of things the kids at school would say? It’d get back to my parents in no time, and then I’d never be allowed to hang out with you again!” Anon then quietly nodded her head, allowing my smile to gently relax for the first time since I’d made that stupid confession. My heart was still breaking on the inside, but at least if things could just stay the way they were, I couldn’t ask for anything else. She didn’t have to return the feelings I had for her. She just needed to stay the way she was, letting me love her from afar. The moment my finger fell from her lips, however, she didn’t waste a second opening them back up, grabbing my hands as she inhaled a quick breath that made my nerves stand on edge. “Do you promise?!” I tilted my head to the side in curiosity. “Huh? Promise what?” “Do…” Suddenly, her eyes fell to her lap, her cheeks glowing a rosy pink. She was so dang cute, but I had to do everything I could not to let my own face blush, which was especially hard now that her fingers were intertwined with mine. “Do you promise that you’re not just teasing me again? You promise you actually meant what you said?” Her question made me instinctively flinch, catching me off guard just like she always did. Was she just checking to see if I was some crazy stalker girl, or did she… actually feel the same way about me as I felt about her? The whole time I’d known her, I’d always thought that she was just humoring me because I was her younger sister’s friend, but was it possible that after all this time, she was really spending time with me because the feeling was mutual? I shook my head in disbelief. After all that bragging I’d just done about how easily I could read people--herself in particular--I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what was going on inside her head. “Well, duh it was true,” I replied, trying to sound confident despite the feeling of a hoard of butterflies setting themselves free in my stomach. “I mean, don’t get me wrong--I love teasing you--but I’m not about to lie about something that huge just to see your reaction. You gotta admit, though, the face you made after I said it was pretty funny.” I then pulled my hand away from hers so I could giggle loudly into my palms, hoping that it would hide how nervous I was on the inside. My hope was that she would make another funny face and move the conversation onto something else, but she still looked into my eyes with that same burning urgency, making my heart beat at twice its normal speed. Had I really messed up that badly? Did I ruin everything?! Then, just as my fake smile was about to collapse on itself, allowing the floodgates to open up and reveal my shattered heart, I saw her head literally pop, steam now sizzling from the top of her skull. My eyes squinted curiously, but before I could figure out what had happened, her body collapsed backwards onto my bed, drool pouring from her mouth as she laid there unconsciously. “Huh?! Anon?! What happened? Wake up!” “Uuuuugggghhhhh…” she responded, weakly lifting herself up again with her eyes still spinning. “Sorry. I think my brain exploded.” My head tilted in curiosity again, and before I knew how to respond, I found myself laughing again, only this time it was real laughter, making my sides hurt from how hard they suddenly had to work. That was what I loved about Anon. No matter how sad, angry or scared I was before, I knew that as soon as I had the chance to talk with her, I would always end up smiling. “You know, I’m sure my daddy could get you a good doctor if you think you need an MRI.” “Ugh. How do you know what an MRI even is?” “Medical dramas,” I replied with as joyous a tone as I could, bouncing on the soles of my feet with my hands behind my back. I couldn’t help but notice that even though I was still trying to give her a big smile to hide how self-conscious I was, I didn’t feel like I was acting anymore. Whenever I talked with her, she gave me the confidence I needed to keep smiling, and the more time we spent talking, the less I needed to fake my confidence. Suddenly, Anon smiled with me, making my chest flutter from realizing again just how beautiful her happy face was. “Silver Spoon… You’re amazing, you know that?” “Well, duh! I doubt you’d hang out with me if I wasn’t.” “That’s not true!” Then, before I could react, Anon grabbed me by the arms and brought our faces closer together. My eyes suddenly went wide with my cheeks burning at the temperature of the sun, but despite how uncomfortable the situation was, she didn’t seem to realize how much my lips were quivering. “I can’t imagine there ever being a time when I wouldn’t want to hang out with you!” My mouth hung open slightly, my eyebrow raised as I tried thinking of a way to respond. I tried to reason whether or not there was some way that I could just be misinterpreting things, but as far as I could tell, she could have really been saying what I thought she was saying… and suddenly... the tears started to break free. “Dang it, Anon!” I shouted, pulling my arms out of her hands and looking away to try and hide my crying face. “Don’t you realize how embarrassing this is for me?!” “H-huh? ACK! I’m sorry! I didn’t--I mean, I couldn’t--Gaaaaahh! I’m sorry, Silver Spoon! Please forgive me!” Anon then dipped her eyes down towards her knees, pleading with her hands over her head for forgiveness, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. I didn’t want an apology! I just wanted to know how she felt about me! “I’ll forgive you, but would you please just stop being awkward for a second and give me your answer?” I could see out the corner of my eye Anon lifting her head up curiously towards me, but there was no way I could face her now. In fact, the pressure had built up so much that I immediately squeezed my eyes closed after asking the question, probably coming off as the biggest scaredy cat in Canterlot, but I just couldn’t look anymore. I just wanted this whole thing to be over and done with already! Silence followed for an uncomfortably long time as I stood there with my eyes closed, holding my arms while trying to keep the tears behind my eyelids. I could hear Anon’s breath leaving her mouth like she was trying to speak, but other than a few quiet gasps, the room around us was completely silent. My head was swirling with all the different possibilities of why it could have been taking so long, continuing the spiral of anxiety that made it even harder to maintain my composure. Was she trying to find a way to turn me down without hurting my feelings… or was she really having this hard of a time saying the same thing that I told her? “Silver Spoon…?” Finally, my eyes opened as my body turned towards her. “Yes, Ano--?” Before I could answer, though, my face was buried in her chest, making my eyes go wide as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, burying her face against her sleeves. The two of us then waited for several seconds in another agonizing silence, making my heart race anxiously again, but the sounds that came next didn’t do me any favors in slowing down my heartbeat. While I stood there with Anon’s arms gripping me with all of her strength, I suddenly felt something wet touch my cheek, and in the next moment, I heard the most heartbreaking wail of my life. Without thinking, I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, holding onto her with as much force as she held me, making her sobs continue to grow louder. “S-Silver Spoon...” “Yes, Anon?” “I’m sorry if I made things awkward for you. I’m just so happy that I don’t know what to do! I… I…” She paused momentarily, sniffling weakly before crying again. Then, looking into my eyes with the most beautiful crying face I’d ever seen, she finally said the one thing that would change both of our lives forever. “I love you too, Silver Spoon! I love you so mu-hu-huuuuch!” I stood there in silence for another few moments as I attempted to let the words sink in, but even though I had clearly heard what she said, the message wouldn’t register. There was no way that the girl I loved… actually liked me back, was there? But she said it! She said it back! For the first time in my life, I actually had requited love, and the entire idea was so foreign that when I could finally believe that it actually happened in real life… all I could do was hold her close and let out all the emotions that I’d been trying to hold in this whole time. “Anon… I love you.” I nestled my cheeks into her arm. “I love you too.” She ran her fingers through my hair. “I love you.” I smelled the delicate scent of her shampoo. “I love you too.” She wrapped her hand around my waist. “I love you.” I gripped my hand around her shoulder. “I love you too.” She placed my head into the crook of her neck. Before I realized it, our tears had stopped, and the two of us were just sitting on my bed with stupid, girly grins while Anon combed her fingers through my hair, my head resting on her shoulder with my arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Then, when I finally had the strength to look up at her face again, I saw her peer down at me with poofy, red eyes, which I undoubtedly mirrored with my own. It was so silly, like this whole time I had been worrying about nothing all along, and once again, all the nerves came back rushing out, only this time in a different way than before. It started out small, but before I could think to hold it in, I was suddenly cracking up from all the relieved stress, leaving the two of us laughing so hard that our eyes once again began to water down our cheeks. I knew that it was stupid, that there was nothing funny about this situation, but at least I knew that I was safe to let it all out, so long as I was with the girl beside me. Anon, the girl I loved more than anything else in the whole world, and if I was right… “Oh! By the way!” Anon’s smile suddenly shifted, tilting her head as she looked down at me with a curious expression on her face. “Does this mean I’m your girlfriend now?” Again, her eyes went wide as she sat in silence, looking at my face while somehow appearing like she wasn’t thinking at all, a glob of saliva dripping down her lip. After waiting a few seconds for her response, though, I silently waved in front of her face, causing her to suddenly break from her trance and rub her head while groaning in discomfort. “Sorry, Silver Spoon. I just felt this pressure in my head all of a sudden.” “Please don’t tell me it’s going to pop again!!” “Yeah, I’ll be fine, but…” Once she stopped rubbing her scalp, however, she looked back down at her knees, bumping her index fingers together while her cheeks blushed a bright red. “Are… Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, you did tell me not to tell anyone about it.” “Well, yeah, because I thought you were gonna reject me.” Finally, she made eye contact again, but now her eyebrows were furrowed, giving me what I could only describe as the most astonished face in her arsenal. “Me? Reject you?! There’s no way I could ever do something like that! I mean, you’re so pretty and mature and thoughtful--” “And nine years old… and a girl...” Now I was the one to look away, twiddling my thumbs as I tried to forget about how nervous I was confessing my feelings to her. “I was so scared that you’d start looking at me different after I told you. I know you see me as this super grown up girl that doesn’t get rattled by anything, but… I was trying so hard not to cry.” Several seconds passed where neither of us said anything, neither of us moved. We just took the next minute to process everything that had happened while I tapped my foot anxiously on the floor, praying that I hadn’t made a mistake even when she’d told me that she liked me back. That anxiety, though, suddenly flew away like a leaf in the wind the moment she wrapped her arms around me again, making my whole face burn red. “I know that you’re a girl, and I know you’re in elementary school,” she began, making me gulp in reflex, “but… maybe I even like that about you.” I then turned my head to see her face to face, tilting my eyebrow in curiosity. “But what about when I grow up? It’s gonna happen someday you know.” “I know! I just… Aaaaggghh!” As my eyes blinked confusedly, Anon ruffled through her hair while groaning in aggravation. “It’s hard for me to explain it, but…” Again, she looked me in the eye. “I like you for you! As long as you’re the same kind, mature, brave, confident girl ten years in the future as you are now, I don’t think I’d be able not to love you! Yes, I like that you’re a girl, and also that you’re a grade schooler…” She took a second to try to shake away the redness in her cheeks. “B-but I only like those things because they make up who you are! I know other people might get the wrong idea about us, but…” Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her hands tight in her lap as she took a long, deep breath. “Can we be girlfriends, please?!” She was shaking so much that it was hard to believe we weren’t sitting on ice cubes, yet never in my life had I felt such a warmth as I did in that moment. I wanted to answer yes, of course, but there was no way for me to say it with words that conveyed just how much joy was fluttering in my heart. So instead of answering, I laid my head on her shoulder, making her jump in surprise with a sudden shriek while I let the butterflies calm down inside me. As expected, however, the butterflies only flapped harder the longer I stayed there, making the grin on my face grow so wide that my cheeks actually hurt from smiling. I wished that Anon could just hear my answer telepathically, like she would know my answer without me having to break from this peaceful state of pure bliss, and to my genuine surprise, she answered by gently resting her head on top of mine and placing her hand on my palm, intertwining our fingers together. For minutes, neither one of us spoke. Instead, the two of us sat in silence, holding the hand of the girl who mattered more to us than anything in the whole world, and with our fingers locked tight together, we silently said to each other what we were both saying within our hearts. “I’m so happy, and I love you so much.” “Silver Spoon, we need to talk.” I suddenly stopped running to turn around and face a girl with curly blue hair, her arms folded with an eyebrow lifted in confusion, an expression which I quickly mirrored. I thought that she would have been happy to play cops and robbers with Emerald Green, a girl that she’d asked me to introduce her to a few days ago, but as Emerald and I chased after each other while making exaggerated shooting noises, Cozy Glow was barely jogging, doing more observation than actually joining in on the fun. “Sure,” I said hesitantly. “Sorry, Emerald Green. We’ll be right back.” Our classmate with shiny green hair then nodded with a smile, giving Cozy Glow the permission she needed to grab me by the arm, leading me to a park bench where she forcefully sat me down. At first I thought that maybe she’d heard that her sister and I had started dating over the weekend, but if that were really the case, she would have called me out on it earlier rather than waiting until after school to talk with me about it. Plus, even considering how thin-skinned Anon was, I sincerely doubted that she’d spill the beans so quickly, especially to her younger sister. “You know something?” the blue-haired girl asked. “You’ve been acting weird all day today.” “I have? Like how?” “I dunno! You’re just happy. Like suuuuper happy.” I quickly breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling femininely to hide my self-consciousness. “Yeah, I had a good weekend is all. Is it really that surprising for you to see me this happy, though?” Cozy Glow shrugged. “I guess so. You’re just usually so grown-up and serious all the time, but today you’ve been acting--I dunno--like a kid?” The comment made me roll my eyes and shake my head with another soft giggle. “Maybe you’re just now starting to notice another side of me that you haven’t seen yet.” “Wait! There are sides of you I haven’t seen yet?! What even happened over the weekend?” I couldn’t help but smile, not only because the question reminded me of how much fun I’d had on Saturday, but also because I’d been waiting all day for this exact moment. “Oh, nothing. I just fell in love is all.” Cozy Glow’s jaw suddenly dropped in the funniest way possible, making me squeeze my lips together to keep myself from inadvertently laughing in her face. Of course, I didn’t want to tease one of my best friends--let alone my girlfriend’s sister--but I’d been dying to tell somebody about my new relationship. I’d already told my friend Diamond Tiara about it over the phone earlier, but the experience was so much more fun when the person I was talking to actually knew the girl I fell in love with, even if I couldn’t tell her all the little details. “What the jeepers?! With who?! I wanna hear!” “Sorry, Cozy,” I replied, putting my finger over my lips. “That’s a secret.” “WHAAAAAT?!?!?!” I immediately flinched, along with seemingly everyone at the park as they looked over with inquisitive expressions. Once Cozy Glow got the chance to look around and see everyone’s faces, though, she quickly coughed into her hand and completely flipped personalities. “I mean, golly Silver Spoon! That’s no fair. I just wanna hear more about my friend’s personal life is all.” Of course she did. It’d kill me if I found out that Diamond Tiara fell in love with someone and wouldn’t tell me any of the details, but this wasn’t exactly something I could talk about so openly. I knew that I was being kind of a snob for bringing it up and leaving her out of the loop, but I felt like my chest was going to explode if I didn’t talk about it at least a little bit. “I’ll tell you what!” I said, jumping off of the park bench. “I’ll walk home with you and your sister today, and we can talk about all the boys that you like.” Cozy Glow made a gag sound as she began to stand up. “Sorry, Silver Spoon, but I don’t think I’m ready to start thinking about boys just yet. You can walk home with me and Anon if you want to, though. I think I see her coming up right now, actually.” My cheeks suddenly turned a bright scarlet. I’d always been a little nervous about seeing her, but now that we were actually dating, seeing her brought with it completely new forms of stress and exhilaration. At least… it did… but then I saw her peeking past the brick wall that bordered the park and immediately hiding the moment she saw us looking at her. Then, all of the nerves disappeared out of nowhere, not only because she was the biggest dork in the world, but also because at that moment, I remembered how easily she could shake away any of the nerves that I felt whenever she was around. I never had to impress her, act a certain way or worry about messing up. She did all that for me, which gave me the perfect opportunity just to be myself. “Ugh. What is she doing now?” Cozy Glow grumbled with her hands on her hips. “Hang on a sec, Silver Spoon. I’ll go get her real quick.” “Actually, no,” I replied, blocking her with my hand as a sadistic smile crept up on my lips. “I’ll go get her for us.” Cozy Glow’s eyebrow tilted in confusion, but after giving me permission with a nod, I quietly started walking in the opposite direction, making Cozy Glow’s expression even more dumbfounded. She’d find out soon enough, though. As I made my way around the corner of the wall bordering the park, I stealthily sneaked my way closer to where Anon was standing, who was predictably still peeking around the other corner, unaware that I was right behind her. Then, taking the biggest, quietest steps I could, I closed the distance between the two of us, peering over her shoulder as she frantically began searching for where I had run off to. “Whatcha looking for?” “KYAAAHH!!” By the time Anon’s feet had touched the ground after jumping probably six feet in the air, she turned around with her hand on her chest, heaving deep breaths while I fell onto my back, holding onto my sides and rolling around in hilarity. Once the initial shock wore off, though, she breathed out one last sigh and began to smile while I pulled myself off of the ground, getting out a few last chuckles before she inevitably got the chance to scold me. “Are you trying to kill me?!” she asked, trying to force a serious expression despite her lips curling upwards into a smile. “Hi, honey!” Before she could even process what I said, though, I stood up on my tippy toes and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, making her jaw drop and her body freeze. “Oh, by the way, your sister said we could walk home again today. I hope that’s OK with you.” Anon, however, didn’t even look at me. She was probably suffering from shock right now and couldn’t comprehend anything other than the feeling of her hand pressed up against her cheek. Then, once she finally remembered how to blink again, she peered down at my smile and immediately began to shake nervously. “Y-yeah! That’s fine! That’s more than fine! It’s great, actually! I, uh… Whew, I’m really out of breath for some reason.” “Don’t worry. You’re always like that.” “Huh?!” Just as I was about to laugh again, though, Cozy Glow made her way over to where we were, giving the two of us a hardened glare while she stood menacingly with her hands on her hips. “How long were the two of you planning on keeping me waiting? C’mon, sis. I wanna go home and do something that’s actually fun.” Anon quickly gulped and nodded her head, turning robotically towards the direction of her home and beginning to walk forward with stiffness in her legs. Cozy Glow then turned towards me like I could answer what was making Anon act so weird, but I just shrugged my shoulders with a smug grin. Sure, I may have known what was going on, but Cozy Glow should have known too. This was just Anon being Anon, and I loved that about her. “So, did you get the chance to talk to that Emerald Green girl that you mentioned the other day?” Anon asked as Cozy Glow began to walk ahead of us. “Yeah, she’s super nice, actually. She says that she’s gonna bring in makeup and some magazines to help me learn about fashion this week.” “But… What about all the times when I volunteered to teach you about makeup?” “Huh? Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. No offense, sis, but I’m not so sure you’re as cut out for that kind of stuff as she is.” Anon’s jaw dropped in offense, but Cozy Glow was too far ahead of us to notice, an opportunity that I wasn’t about to let slip. “Come on, Cozy Glow! At least let me teach you a little--EEP!” Suddenly, Anon clasped her hand to her mouth, silencing as much of her sudden outburst as she could. While her left hand covered her lips, though, I had already subtly grabbed hold of her right hand, interlocking our fingers together and causing half of her body to freeze up altogether. Fortunately, Cozy Glow didn’t seem to notice as she continued to walk forward without even glancing backwards in our direction. Once the initial shock had ended, though, Anon quietly leaned down to my ear and whispered, “S-Silver Spoon! Don’t you think now is a bad time?” “What’s the matter?” I responded with an arrogant smirk. “Afraid your palms will get sweaty?” “That… wasn’t on my mind until this moment, but yes, that too.” “Just a little longer.” Before she could say anything else to ruin the mood, though, I wrapped my other hand around her arm and pulled myself as close to her side as I could, nuzzling my face into the warmth of her school uniform. “I’ve missed you.” Anon’s face remained hesitant at first, but after taking a few seconds to cool down from the initial shock, her expression gradually softened into a small smile. “You know, it’s only been two days since we saw each other, and we’ve spent the past two nights talking over the phone.” “I know, but it’s not enough.” I hated myself for being as clingy as I was, but at the same time, being with Anon made me happier than anything else I could think of. I couldn’t just pretend like being with her wasn’t a big deal for me when it really was the highlight of my day. “Just give me until we get to the next street and I’ll let go.” I had to admit, I was at least expecting her to act a little more embarrassed, but to my surprise, she reached across her body and patted me gently on the head, once again releasing the butterflies in my chest. It was weird how Cozy Glow didn’t turn around once, especially since we were all so abnormally quiet. If it meant that Anon and I could stay how we were, though, I was going to appreciate every last second of it for as long as I could. Yet all good things must come to an end. “You know something?” the girl in front of us asked, causing us to break from each other’s bodies aside from our hands. “I just realized that Anon has been acting especially weird lately.” This time, our hands jolted back to our sides as fast as they could, just in time for when Cozy Glow turned around with a curious stare. “W-w-w-w-weird?” Anon said, making me slap my hand to my face in embarrassment. “W-what do you mean weird?” “That! Like that! I mean, you’re always weird--don’t get me wrong--but ever since Saturday, you’ve barely said two words to me! You’ve basically been locked up in your room all weekend, and you’ve been extra jumpy since this morning.” Oh, crud. That was when I sent her that “Good morning, girlfriend!” message with a picture of me kissing the camera. Looks like that came back to bite me, and it probably meant that I would have to calm down on how much I teased her. As much as I wanted the two of us to be a happy, lovey-dovey couple, we weren’t exactly ready to publicize it to the world quite yet, especially on Anon’s end. “I… er…” “Anon’s in her last year of high school, right?” I asked before Anon could say something stupid and embarras the both of us. “Honestly, I’d be surprised if she wasn’t cooped up in her room all day.” The girl at my side quietly mouthed a silent thank you, but Cozy Glow immediately started cracking up. “You know what, Silver Spoon? You’re a good friend. You always say so many good things about my sister, even though we both know that she’s not studying.” I could hear Anon growl in frustration, but at the same time, it wasn’t like Cozy Glow was wrong. I would know. “Are…” I began, not sure whether or not the question I wanted to ask was particularly appropriate. “Are you two not very close?” Suddenly, the two of them turned away from each other, both of their faces grimacing and making me immediately regret bringing it up. “It’s not like we’re not close,” Cozy Glow said hesitantly. “It’s just…” “No, Silver Spoon’s right. We haven’t gotten along recently, and I think that’s mostly my fault.” Suddenly, Cozy Glow looked up at her older sister, who in turn stared down at her feet. “I’ve been giving you too much grief because of your past, so I can understand why you wouldn’t want to talk to me about your life. I know you’ve changed, now though, so… Would it be OK if the two of us start over again? As sisters?” The younger sister switched confused looks between me and Anon, her jaw trying to figure out whether it should say something or just hang down in shock. After a few seconds of letting her words sink in, though, she turned her face back towards the street in front of us, folding her arms with a pout. “I guess… it was a little mean for me to kick you out of my room the other day. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I let you come in and talk with me every once in a while.” Anon’s face suddenly lit up into the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen, but that expression quickly changed once Cozy Glow turned around and spoke again. “Oh, speaking of which! What did you need when you came into my room on Saturday, anyway?” “GACK! I, uh…” Anon then turned towards me again with her hands pleading for me to save her, but I just shrugged my shoulders. She would have to save herself on this one. “I was going to ask you… Oh! I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me to the swimming pool!” I immediately slapped my hand to my face and shook my head with embarrassment while Cozy Glow tilted her head to the side. “The swimming pool? In autumn?” “...I really wanted to swim, heheh… heh…” “...Uh… Then I’m glad you got to swim? Silver Spoon, you don’t need to listen to my sister being weird anymore. You live over that way, don’t you?” I quickly turned my head, realizing that we’d arrived at the fork in the road that separated the directions to our homes. I then turned my face towards Anon’s to show her my disappointed frown, but she looked like she just had her heart broken, practically to the point of tears as her lips quivered uncontrollably. I was probably going to end up calling unnecessary attention to us by doing this, but at the same time, it was our first time walking home together as a couple! I wanted to at least get the chance to give her a proper goodbye! “Hey, Cozy Glow?” I said. “Do you mind if I talk with Anon alone for one quick second?” Cozy Glow, as expected, raised a curious eyebrow, but relented nonetheless. “Sure, if you want. I’m just gonna keep walking if that’s OK with you guys. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” “Yep! Bye, Cozyyy!” My friend then waved goodbye and turned towards the direction of her home again, walking away and giving Anon and me a minute just to ourselves. The moment she was out of sight, though, I immediately wrapped my arms around my girlfriend’s stomach, pulling her into the tightest hug I could give her and causing her to jump in surprise. “Wah!” “Hey, Anon?” The girl in my arms then looked down at my face, giving me the opportunity to stare into her beautiful eyes. “I’m not doing anything to make you uncomfortable, am I?” “What?! Of course not! I--” “Anoooooooon?” “I, er…” She took a second to think before changing her expression to give me a sympathetic smile, which basically told me everything I needed to know. “It’s not that it makes me uncomfortable, exactly, but I feel like we might be moving a little fast? Urk. I don’t know.” Her answer made my smile disappear slightly, even despite how happy I was that she could at least be honest with me. I couldn’t deny that I saw something like this coming, but I was still glad that I was able to get it all out of my system early on. I would still have plenty of time to tease her, after all, but I’d probably have to start rotating between days where I could call her by pet names and send her embarrassing text messages. “That’s fine,” I mumbled, “but only on one condition!” “Hmm? What is it?” A devilish grin emerged on my face. “I want one kiss right now to last me until you’re ready.” Suddenly, all the color drained from her face, her eyes going into the back of her head to the point where I was afraid she might fall over and die. Luckily, though, she quickly snapped back to life with her normal skin tone back to normal, albeit now with her whole body shaking nervously. “A k-k-kiss?! You know I can’t do that! I mean, do you really think it’s a good idea to--” Before she could continue getting any more flustered, however, I pressed my finger to her lips, making her eyes go wide as her mouth went silent. Then, once her body had stopped shivering, I slowly pulled my finger off of her mouth, closed my eyes, and gently brought it to my own lips, kissing it gently for as long as I could. Even if it wasn’t the same, it would be enough to last me for as long as I needed. “There!” I said happily, opening my eyes and giving her a smile. “I’ll take our relationship as slow as you need, but just remember…” Before I finished my sentence, though, I quickly skipped down the road to my house, giggling loudly as I went. Then, right before I was out of earshot, I turned around and loudly shouted, “One day, I’ll kiss you for real!” Again, Anon’s face turned that familiar shade of pink, which was all I needed to see before turning towards my house again and skipping home with a smile on my face. Chapter 6You kick your legs and bob your head side to side, grinning from ear to ear and humming like someone who’s blissfully unaware of any of the tragedies of life. Vignette Valencia, on the other hand, is almost your polar opposite, burying her face into her arms and moaning in aggravation in the seat across from you. You don’t mean to be this blissfully unaware when your best friend is still obviously depressed about the other day, but it’s not like you’d be able to hide it if you tried, not after the day you’ve had today. “Ugh… Shut up, Anon.” “S-sorry,” you say, quickly putting your hands in your lap and keeping yourself as still as you possibly can. How long does she expect you to stay like this, though? You understand that she’s had a tough week, but you just had the best weekend of your entire life, and this afternoon… You can’t put it into words, but even if you could, it would never fully describe how cute Silver Spoon acted around you today. Finally, Vignette raises her face from her arms and shakes her head. “No, that was my bad. I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on you just because I completely blew it with Feather Bangs the other day.” “He still hasn’t texted you back yet?” “Oh, he has.” Despite how comforting Vignette’s words seem on the surface, though, her tone comes off as more pissed off than relieved as she pulls out her phone, scrolling through her messages. “Here’s what I said: ‘Hey, Feather! Sorry if I acted kind of weird the other day.’ You know what he sends back? ‘It’s OK.’ That’s it?! That’s all he has to say?!” You cringe slightly as Vignette’s voice grows in volume. “Well, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure how I’d respond to that either. Maybe you just caught him at a bad time?” Vignette immediately holds up her finger as her aggravation continues to rise. “Oh, that’s not all! ‘Have you gained any new followers since we did our little collab?’ See? That’s the perfect conversation-starter, but you know what he sends back? ‘Yeah, a couple.’ UURRRGGGHH!!!” “I’ve got your milkshakes!” Mr. Cake says, rounding the corner and immediately taking a step back once he sees Vignette’s outburst. Then, switching looks between the two of you (but mostly looking at you, as if you can protect him somehow), he quietly mumbles, “I… came at the wrong time again, didn’t I?” “GIVE ME THAT!” Suddenly, Vignette snatches her milkshake out of Mr. Cake’s hands, causing both you and the shop owner to reflexively flinch as your friend lowers her head and begins angrily sucking at her straw. Once she looks up and sees the expression on both of your faces, though, she reaches into her phone case, pulls out a large bill and slams it against Mr. Cake’s belly, making him grunt in discomfort. “Keep the change.” Mr. Cake quickly fumbles around with the paper money, trying to catch it before it floats to the ground, and once he gets a good grasp on it, he nods his head with an awkward smile, places your milkshake in front of you and darts away so fast that dust billows up behind him. Before you dig into your own frozen treat, though, you give Vignette a stern look, but she’s far too absorbed in getting a sugar rush to even glance over in your direction. “Vignette? Are you alright?” Finally, she pulls her lips off of her straw, swallows the remnants in her mouth and releases a soft, high-pitched belch. You have to ignore the jealousy you feel knowing that even Vignette’s burps are cute somehow, just so you can continue giving her a concerned stare that you hope she notices. “Alright? You want to know if I’m alright?! It’s not like you would notice.” Suddenly, your eyebrows furrow. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?!” “You see?! The whole time you were here, Feather Bangs was all over you, but you didn’t even notice one single time!” You recoil in surprise, blinking hard while you try to remember the details of what happened the other day. “Wait… what?! That’s ridiculous!” Vignette, however, rolls her eyes, groaning in aggravation as she folds her arms and falls back into her seat. “Hmm. Ridiculous. OK. Why don’t you send Feather Bangs a message right now? Go ahead and say anything you’d like. Let’s just see how long it takes him to respond.” You balk at the request. You’d much rather not play Vignette’s mind games when she’s obviously not thinking clearly, but at the same time, if it’ll pull her out of her delusions and shut her up for a second, maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. “OK,” you reply with a haughty smirk. “How about this? ‘Hey, Feather Bangs. It’s Anon. What are you up to right now?’ Aaaaand send.” You immediately put your phone down, giving your friend the cockiest grin at your disposal, but Vignette, meanwhile, just raises an eyebrow with a grin of her own before once again bringing her straw back up to her glossy pink lips. It’s hard for you to imagine Vignette ever acting like such a brat before now. Sure, she’s never had a crush on anyone for as long as you’ve known her, and to play devil’s advocate, she did just have one of the most awkward dates of her life... Still, though! That’s no reason for her to take out her frustrations on you! You’ll show her. Feather Bangs is probably just going to glance over your message, and even if he does end up messaging you back, it’s not like it’ll be any time soon. In fact, supposing that he really does send you a reply--which he won’t--it’ll probably just be a one- or two-word response just like he’s been sending Vignette. Yup. She’s gonna look like such a dumb-- *Bzzt!* ...You have got to be freaking kidding right now… You bite down on your lip, refusing to bring your eyes down to check on your phone, but Vignette just shrugs her shoulders, switching glances between you and the device on the table. “Go ahead,” she says, taking another sip. You furrow your eyebrows again, scrunching your mouth to the side of your face. It’s probably Silver Spoon. Or Cozy Glow. Or your mom. There are plenty of people who could be texting you right now! There’s no way it’s actually--Piece of crap. It’s really from Feather Bangs. You look into Vignette’s eyes once again, this time with much less confidence in your face, but your friend is busy slurping on her drink, leaning her cheek against her knuckle with her elbow on the table. Finally, you pick up your phone and clear your throat before hesitantly reading the message aloud. “‘H-hey, Anon! I was just thinking about you, actually. I’m just writing some new lyrics, but I’m good if you wanted to chillax a little. Ha ha.’ Oh, sweet Celestia…” Suddenly, Vignette slips her lips off of her straw and slowly pulls herself up to a standing position, avoiding eye contact with you the entire time. “I think I’m done here.” “Hang on a sec!” Vignette does as you say, freezing where she stands and looking more towards the direction of the table than your actual face. “Look, I promise I don’t have a crush on Feather Bangs!” “Of course not. You have someone else who you’re in love with, but for some reason, you still don’t feel the need to share any of the details about that with your BFFBB now, do you?” Your eyes go wide, but Vignette doesn’t move. She’s still frozen in the same position, still looking in your direction while avoiding direct eye contact. You can see her long fingernails begin to poke into her palm as her fists unintentionally clench and shake. You can see her chest rising slightly higher with each breath, and even though she’s trying to hide it, her lower lip is slowly beginning to tremble. “I…” Is now the right time to tell her about Silver Spoon? Vignette is your best friend, after all. She’s done so much for you… but can you really bring it up when she’s like this? If you thought she’d react badly when she was calm, how would she react when she’s already practically in tears? If you told her right now that the person you fell in love with is a nine year old girl… would she ever speak to you again? “I…” you mutter, dropping your eyes down to your lap. “I… I can’t…” “...Goodbye, Anon.” You don’t stop her. Instead, you just watch her walk away through your peripheral vision, too humiliated to lift your eyes away from your legs. Of course you want to grab her before she leaves things off on such a sour note, but that would mean talking about something you’re not ready to talk about yet. Even though this may be your business and nobody else’s, Vignette trusts you with everything, and you’re choosing not to confide in her when she needs a friend more than ever. You wait patiently for her to walk away, listening to her footsteps gradually diminish in the distance until finally, you hear the bell above the door ring, followed by the sound of the latch closing behind her. Finally, you lift your hands to your face, trying to hide from the rest of the restaurant just how much you’re crying. Today was going so well. Why did it have to end like this? … ...No! Then, wiping a tear with your wrist, you quickly grab your cell phone again and begin typing out a new message, glaring daggers at the screen as if it were somehow the cause behind all your pain. “Feather Bangs, is there a time we can meet up? I wanted to talk with you about something.” Once you hit send, you toss your phone back onto the table in front of you, tapping your finger anxiously as you await his response. Of course, it isn’t Feather Bangs’s fault that you and Vignette are fighting, and it’s ultimately his decision about what kind of relationship he wants with her. Even still, you need to prove that he doesn’t have feelings for you, and when that gets cleared up, maybe it’ll at least help Vignette Valencia calm down a little bit. *Bzzt!* What did he say?! What did he say?! “Fo sho, girl. Just hit me up whenever you wanna shoot the breeze. Ha ha.” ‘Tomorrow? No, that would be too soon. Vignette needs some time to herself. Shoot. That means that school is gonna be super awkward in the meantime, doesn’t it?’ You shake your head to clear your mind as much as possible, then type out, “I’ll let you know when I’m free. Thanks.” Aaaaand send again! Once again, you toss your phone onto the table and lean back in your seat, stretching your arms as if you just solved all of your problems with one message. You know better than that, though. Vignette isn’t just mad about this Feather Bangs thing, but hopefully once you get some solid evidence that this is all one big misunderstanding, she’ll at least ease up enough to where she can feel comfortable talking to you again. Eventually, you’re going to have to tell her about Silver Spoon. You just hope that when you do, she won’t react like she did today. After a few minutes of sulking, though, you see your milkshake beginning to drip along the side of your glass cup, covering the tabletop in chocolatey brown fluids. “Waaaah! Shoot…” You then immediately race to grab some napkins before it spills over the edge and accidentally sends that girl with the gray skin and blonde hair to the emergency room. You’re going to make this right… somehow… “Sis, there’s not enough room on this bed for all three of us! You have to sit on the floor!” You look down at the floor with a frown, turning your head back towards Cozy Glow, who responds with a stern stare, her hands on her hips. It’s not like leaving the bed would be the worst thing in the world, but you were kinda hoping you’d get to sit next to your girlfriend since she came to specifically visit you in the first place. Of course, Cozy Glow doesn’t know that part, though. When Silver Spoon asked to come over, she was asking your sister, but this was something you’d planned with her the night before when the two of you were talking on the phone until way past her bedtime. Before you finally give into Cozy Glow’s demands, however, you lift your finger with a desperate expression on your face. “Couldn’t you just sit on my lap? You used to do it all the time when you were younger!” “Maybe when I was five, but I'm not a baby anymore! Now, you be a good sister and--” “I’ll sit on her lap.” Both you and Cozy Glow jerk your heads towards the girl sitting in between you, although Cozy Glow probably doesn’t have the same terrified look in her eyes that you do. The silver-haired girl looks at the both of you with the same expression, but you can tell that her sadistic smile is just her little way of telling you that she feels like messing with you right now. You should probably get on the floor right now, right? It would be weird if you humored her… ...buuuuuuut theoretically speaking, if she did sit on your lap, then that would mean you’d have no choice but to wrap your arms around her slender waist, wouldn’t it? What if she slipped off? She could get a concussion! You’d really be doing her a favor by holding her as close to your heart as humanly possible, maybe even leaning her back to smell the heavenly aroma of her spring-scented shampoo. You would be a bad sister if you didn’t do that for her friend! Wait, why are you having this internal conflict again? This is your room! “Cozy Glow, quit being a baby!” you say right as soon as Silver Spoon begins to lift herself up, catching her off guard and causing her to freeze in surprise. “There’s plenty of room for the three of us. We’re just gonna be a little bit smooshed together.” “Yeah, that’s what it means when there’s no room,” your sister retorts. “I’m not about to ask Silver Spoon to sit on the floor, and since she came over to see me, I don’t know why I’d be the one sitting on the floor.” “Right… To see you… Heheh…” Just as you begin tapping your index fingers together bashfully, however, Cozy Glow rolls her eyes, grabbing Silver Spoon by the wrist. “You know what? Maybe we should play in my room instead. Anon is being weird again.” “Actually…” Cozy Glow suddenly stops where she stands, looking back at Silver Spoon with a confused eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you were gonna play over at Ruby Pinch’s house today?” “Oh, poop! You’re right! I can’t believe I forgot! Sorry, Silver Spoon, but it looks like I might not be able to hang out today after all.” The girl in the glasses, however, shakes her head, looking back at your sister with a genuine smile. “It’s OK! I can just wait for you to come back. You won’t be too long, will you?” Once the idea comes out of her mouth, Cozy Glow takes a step back in surprise, squinting her eyes suspiciously. “I dunno. I might be. Are you sure you don’t just wanna come back some other time?” Again, Silver Spoon shakes her head. “I can wait! How about this? Why don’t you send me a message in an hour, and if it turns out that you’re gonna be there for a while, then I can just go home and we’ll play some other time!” “OK? But what are you gonna do until then?” “Annoy Anon.” Gaaaaah! She said it! You’re about to interject before Cozy Glow can misinterpret the situation, but the moment her eyes descend upon you, your body freezes in shock, your tongue binding to the bottom of your jaw. “You sure about that? Seems to me like she’d just be the one annoying you.” “I’ll be fine,” Silver Spoon replies with a giggle, gently pushing her friend on the back. “Now, you go have fun! I’ll be here when you get back.” Again, Cozy Glow tilts her head in surprise, but she continues walking out of your room nonetheless, waving goodbye to the two of you as she walks away. “OK, I guess. See you later.” Your sister scarcely makes it out of your bedroom by the time the door closes behind her, and almost immediately, Silver Spoon exhales a deep sigh and jumps backwards onto your bed again, leaning back to where her head is resting on your lap while looking up at you with a huge grin on her face. “Phew. I’m so glad I set that playdate up for today. You really need to work on your poker face, by the way.” Wait, she orchestrated that whole thing?! Before you can even begin to question how far in advance she thinks about things like this, though, her smile fades. “You’re hiding something.” She’s right. You really do need to work on your poker face. “What’s going on, Anon?” “It’s…” you start, rubbing your elbow while avoiding eye contact. “It’s nothing, really. Just some stuff going on with a friend of mine.” “Oh?” Silver Spoon lifts herself up, leaning her back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees. “Tell me about it.” When you and Silver Spoon talked about her coming over (which was apparently orchestrated days in advance), you hadn’t exactly anticipated this turning into a confession session. Actually, what you really wanted more than anything was an excuse to forget about your friend problems and just relax a little, but apparently there’s no way to do that without Silver Spoon worrying about you. Besides, it’s been a while since the two of you had a real heart to heart conversation. “My friend Vignette Valencia. She’s still upset about the whole Feather Bangs thing, and now I feel like I don’t know what to say to even her anymore.” Silver Spoon rocks to her side, placing her head on the crook of your shoulder. “What do you want to tell her?” “I want to tell her that she has nothing to worry about! Yeah, she kinda blew it last time, but once she stops being so dang nervous around him, he’ll finally see what a beautiful, smart, selfless, interesting girl she is! That’s why I’m gonna talk to this guy and give her a second chance!” Silver Spoon waits a few moments before speaking, running her nails up and down your arm before squeezing it tight. “You know that won’t work, right?” You furrow your eyebrows in shock, but Silver Spoon doesn’t show the least bit of remorse for what she said. “Well, I’m at least gonna try!” “Love isn’t as simple as that. Neither one of them should have to force a connection. If Vignette can’t act natural with him right now, she shouldn’t need to pressure herself to feel comfortable around him. How do you expect Feather Bangs to fall in love with her when not even Vignette believes that she’s good enough for him?” You hate that she’s probably right, but you can’t just admit defeat already. “Still, though…” “There’s more, isn’t there?” “...Yeah…” Can you really tell her the next part, though? You’re not sure how you can phrase what’s been bothering you more than anything else without coming off as some huge jerk, but once again, Silver Spoon hugs your arm, looking up at you with her beautiful eyes and adorable glasses. “Tell me.” “I…” You gulp. “I’m... afraid... of telling Vignette about you...” “Hm?” Dang it. This is harder than you thought. “You see, part of the reason Vignette is mad at me is because I’m not telling her any of the details about our relationship, and I think she might be wondering if I secretly have a thing for Feather Bangs too.” Silver Spoon lifts an eyebrow. “Do you?” “No! I couldn’t! I’d never--” Your outburst just seems to make your girlfriend even more suspicious, but then, after clearing your throat, you lift your shoulders up confidently and look straight into Silver Spoon’s deep, purple eyes. “Even if Vignette didn’t have a crush on Feather Bangs, the only person I like right now is you! That’ll never change!” Silver Spoon giggles, brushing her cheek against your arm. “You’re sweet. You’re naive, but still sweet.” You look away, your cheeks blushing a bright red as your voice descends into a whisper. “Come on, Silver Spoon. Can’t you be serious for a minute? I’m really worried about what’s going to happen between me and Vignette.” “Oh, really?” Silver Spoon chuckles femininely, but by the time you look over to see what’s so funny, her hands are sliding up to your shoulders, her face suddenly within just a few inches of yours. You slowly back away, swallowing hard as your heartbeat picks up, but never once do your eyes leave hers. “Sounds like what you’re really worried about is her finding out about me.” “Y-yeah, well…” The more you hesitate, the closer Silver Spoon gets, backing up until your back hits the wall behind you with the girl you like suddenly trapping you in. “If you’re not gonna tell anybody about us, maybe I should.” Her whispering voice has gotten even quieter, despite how much clearer her teeth enunciate every word. Every syllable she speaks suddenly sends tingles throughout your skin, making you shake wildly while trying to look away from her fluttering eyelashes and tiny lips. “Silver Spoon? Please tell me you’re just teasing me right now.” Now you’re whispering too, your chest rising even higher while you try to fight off her overwhelming charm. “I could tell you that, but I don’t think you want me to.” You have no idea what you want anymore. You keep telling yourself that what you really want is to push her away from you so that you can go back to having a mature conversation, but the goosebumps along your neck are telling you otherwise. She’s so close that the hairs on your body are starting to stick up, but your body is too frozen to put any distance between the two of you, especially since she’s got you backed up like this. In fact, if anything, you’re trying not to bring your face in any closer. Besides, if your face got any closer to hers, that would mean… You quickly close your eyes to battle her adorable face as much as you can and turn your chin to the side. “Y-y-you can’t!” “Just imagine if your sister found out about us.” Just the thought of Cozy Glow learning that you’re dating her best friend makes your eyes go wide, but the second they open up again, they’re once again pulled into Silver Spoon’s gravitational pull. She suddenly begins to giggle softly, and again, you’re trying to fight off the invisible force tugging at the back of your head, bringing the two of you closer… and closer... Then, you feel Silver Spoon’s finger at the base of your chin just as you’re about to turn away again, keeping your face centered with no path to escape. You’re begging your brain to close your eyes, desperately trying to find any way to escape the allure of her irises, but you’re frozen solid aside from the vehement shaking in your shoulders. You dig your nails into your thighs, praying that it’ll break the spell, but nothing seems to be working. Instead, you’re stuck as her victim, following wherever she guides you. Your chin moves forward. You’re so close you can feel her breath against your neck. Why can’t you escape? Celestia, why are you letting this happen? Then, out of reflex alone, your eyes begin to slowly close. Your lips begin to part. Your last conscious thoughts are begging something to save you, but your hastening heartbeat quickly drowns those thoughts out. You’ve become a lifeless husk, betrayed by your overflowing emotions. Finally, everything fades to black as-- *Creeeeak!* Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap! Both you and Silver Spoon jump, slamming your backs to the wall as fast as you can just as the door to your bedroom begins to open. If you thought your heart was pumping before, it’s practically breaking your rib cage now, sending so much adrenaline everywhere that you’re one shock away from fainting. Or dying. In fact, you’re so embarrassed you could practically die right now. Then, looking over at Silver Spoon, you see something you didn’t think was possible. Her face is just as red as yours, her chest rising and falling at the exact same speed. Is it really possible? Does the Silver Spoon actually get embarrassed? Oh, you are definitely going to use that to your advantage later on if you don’t die here. “What’s the big idea?!” Then, adding one more question mark to what has already been a confusing chain of events, the one to enter through the door is your little sister, slamming the door behind her with her hands on her hips. Is she mad? What did she see? Why is she back so soon? You quickly look over at Silver Spoon, but even as she tries to play cool by crossing her legs and lifting her shoulders back, there’s no way she can hide how red her cheeks are or how much her hands are shaking. “What do you mean?” you ask hesitantly, awkwardly laughing like that would somehow make this situation not weird. “I mean, what’s the big deal inviting me over to your house just to cancel when I’m halfway there! Ruby Pinch said that her mom was going out and that she couldn’t have friends over, but you’d think she’d let me know about that before I started walking over! Ugh. Anyway, what were you two doing while I was gone?” “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………….” “Isn’t it obvious?” Silver Spoon retorts, chuckling with confidence. “We were talking about boys.” Cozy Glow gasps in amazement, similar to what you’re doing on the inside as your lungs try to function properly again. To be fair, she’s not technically lying. She’s just leaving out the part where the two of you almost k-- “Wow!” your sister exclaims. “You’re so grown up, Silver Spoon! Although, I don’t really know if you’d get any good advice from my sister. She’s not the best at the whole love thing.” Just as you point your finger at her in preparation to tell her off, though, she quickly folds her arms in confusion. “Wait. Are you saying there’s someone you like?” Silver Spoon, however, shrugs her shoulders, speaking to Cozy Glow despite sending you a subtle wink. “Maybe.” “Really?! Come on! Let’s go to my room and talk about it some more!” Then, grabbing your girlfriend by the wrist, your sister immediately pulls Silver Spoon away, leading her out the door before either of you can get two words in. Right before she follows Cozy Glow out the door, however, she looks back at you and smiles, not like in the teasing way that she’s done before, but rather in a genuine way that reminds you what her personality is really like. Yes, she may bully you whenever she gets the chance, but deep down, she’s still probably more mature than you are. She’d never push you past your comfort zone, and at the end of the day, you know that she’s still someone you can confide in with all your secrets. Even after she threatened to tell Cozy Glow about the relationship between the two of you, you know she’d never do it without your permission. Still, though, you can’t help but put your fingers to your lips, revisiting that moment over and over again in your mind. If you thought you couldn’t tell Vignette about Silver Spoon before, you’re definitely not ready to tell her about her now. Then, shaking your head, you pull out your phone, scrolling through your messages until you come up to the one from the other day. If you can’t tell Vignette about Silver Spoon, then now’s the time to set things right with Feather Bangs. Even if he doesn’t end up falling in love with her, you have to prove once and for all that he doesn’t like you like that. “Hey, Feather! Are you free after school tomorrow? I think it’s time we had that talk.” You barely have to wait two minutes, staring at your phone in aggravation when you feel your phone vibrating, making your blood race as you pull up the boy’s message. “Yeah, girl. I’ll meet you out by the courtyard and the two of us can acquaint ourselves more formally. Ha ha.” You’re not really sure what that means, but it has to be good. Come this time tomorrow, Vignette Valencia will no longer hate your guts. Come this time tomorrow, you’re gonna have your friend back again. Another awkward day of school where Vignette Valencia ignores you the whole day passes by, making you even more anxious about this whole meetup with the boy she likes. What if she just happens to pass by and see the two of you together? Was this really a big mistake? You could have just sent him a text message or DM, either one of which would have worked just as well as actually meeting him face-to-face. “Hey, this may sound stupid, but do you like me?” That’s all you’d have to write! Then he could send you a yes or no answer which you could show Vignette Valencia, and then, supposing all variables remain constant, the two of you could theoretically go back to normal! Maybe it’s not too late to call the whole thing off after all. Just as soon as you pull out your phone and begin typing, though, you see Vignette Valencia walking through the school corridors with some of her other friends. Then, once her eyes casually glance to the side to make contact with yours, she stops where she stands, almost like she has to comprehend this totally normal coincidence. Hesitantly, you lift your hand to wave at her, doing your best to smile even though you’re really just trying not to accidentally cringe from how awkward this situation is. Unfortunately for you, though, she doesn’t get the chance to wave back. “‘Sup, girl? A little birdie told me that you were lookin’ for someone you could… confide in at a deeper level. Ha ha.” Suddenly, you turn around, just to see Feather Bangs’s pearly whites flashing you a smile at the worst possible time, and if he were somehow looking for a way to make things even worse, he’s holding a flower in his fingers, leaning against a wall and wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. Immediately, you turn on your heels again to see Vignette Valencia’s reaction, but by the time you face her, she’s already halfway down the hallway, scowling and biting down on her lower lip. You raise your hand to stop her, but even if she could see you with her back turned, there’s no way she’d listen to you now. Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the. Worst. Possible. Thing. With a defeated sigh, you drop your hand back down to your side, hanging your head and entire upper body in despair as you turn towards Feather Bangs again, who is now cringing awkwardly while scratching at the back of his head. “Should I… come back some other time?” His question makes you instinctively growl, grabbing him by the wrist and leading him into the school corridors. “You! Sit! Now!” Feather Bangs stumbles comedically as you drag him into the hallway, inviting stares from the girls around you which you try to ignore. Then, flinging him to the bench where the two of you had your first discussion, you take the seat next to him, glaring daggers into the poor boy’s trembling eyes. “Anon? You alright, girl?” “No! I’m not alright, as a matter of fact!” As the girls around you begin to chatter more loudly, you pull your attention away from Feather Bangs to give them the dirtiest look in your arsenal, making most of them either stop talking or walk away altogether. Once you look back at Feather Bangs, though, you see that both his shoulders and jaw are trembling, calming you down enough to at least realize how overly aggressive you’re acting right now. “Did… I do something wrong?” Finally, you breathe out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose and shaking your head, staying silent for a few moments to allow your aggravation to gradually subside. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve just got a lot going on right now.” “You… wanna talk about it?” Yes, you want to talk about it. That was the entire purpose of bringing him out here in the first place! Still, though, you can’t talk to Feather Bangs in the mental state you’re in right now, so rather than answering him, you lean back on the bench, staring up at the ceiling above you. “I want to, but… Ugh… I don’t even know where to start anymore…” Feather Bangs waits a few moments to allow yourself to cool off a little bit more before saying, “This has got somethin’ to do with your friend Vignette, don’t it?” You pull your face down and look at the boy with stars in your eyes. “Yes! Thank you! You understand!” “Not really.” Dang it. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. “I just think it’s kinda strange that you’re talkin’ to me about this instead of her, and as cocky as I might seem on the outside, I don’t think you wanted to talk to me to confess your feelings.” The comment makes you chuckle softly, rolling your eyes to try to get that image out of your head. “Yeah, but… it’s something along those lines.” Feather Bangs begins to blush, which only makes your next question even harder to force out. “This is probably gonna sound weird, and when I say weird, I mean like borderline creepy, but I promise I’m not like some kind of crazy stalker or anything!” “Anon?” As soon as Feather Bangs pulls you back to reality, you cringe at how awkward you probably sounded right there. “I promise I ain’t gonna think of you any differently than I do now. Unless you do tell me you’re a crazy stalker, in which case, no offense, but I’m gonna run away.” You giggle quietly and shake your head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… Wow, this is harder to get out than I thought it would be. Umm… Whew, how do I do this?” Suddenly, though, Feather Bangs grabs you by the palm, making your eyes immediately dart to your hands before slowly turning back up to his heavenly smile and gorgeous eyes. If any of the girls at school are looking right now, they’re probably planning on what method they’re going to use to kill you, making you jerk your hands away before anyone else gets the wrong idea about you. “Anon?” His voice has descended into a gentle whisper, making you gulp a hard lump down your throat. “Whatever’s goin’ on, you can tell me. You just gotta trust me.” You sigh defeatedly. “You’re right. It’s just… hard to say…” Just as he opens his mouth to comfort you some more, however, you quickly lift your shoulders and exclaim, “Feather Bangs, do you have a crush on me?” Crap. Oh, crap! You actually said it! Forget what he said about not judging you! He probably thinks you’re insane! Just look at him! He’s laughing at you right now! That’s it. Your social life is over. Gone. Forever. Now you’re going to be known throughout the school as that weirdo girl who thought that the cutest boy at the school had a crush on her. Narcissist much? You might as well just leave and jump into a flaming vat of-- “Yeah.” You blink. “W-what?” “Yeah, I like you.” You want to blink again, but your eyes are too busy in the corner of your head, trying to come up with some mathematical method to formulate how you can even interpret this chain of events. You were so sure that he was just going to laugh it off and tell you that you weren’t his type, but did he just say that he actually has a crush on you? Don’t punch yourself, Anon. You can do that later when nobody’s looking. “I don’t get it,” you say, shaking your head. “I mean, Vignette Valencia is so much better than me in basically every way femininely possible! How could anyone like me over her?!” Feather Bangs chuckles. “Vignette’s cool and all. I like her as a friend and a business partner and all that, but there just ain’t that spark, you know?” You raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “But why? Why do you like me over her?” Finally, Feather Bangs stops laughing and gives you a serious, sincere smile. “You mean besides the fact that you’re the most beautiful young lady Canterlot has to offer?” You scowl at his remark. You blush, but you still scowl. “I guess maybe it’s ‘cause you’re just like me.” “...Me? Just like you…?” You say it sarcastically, but Feather Bangs either doesn’t notice or ignores your tone completely. “Fo sho, girl! You came here from someplace else, not knowin’ nobody once you got here, carryin’ along all this baggage, and now you’re just tryin’ to get a new start and survive outside your comfort zone. I gotta tell you, girl, when you’re a famous pop star, most of the girls you meet are all the same. They come from this rich background, they’ve lived here their whole life, and they’ve had their future basically planned for ‘em from the start. You and me, we ain’t like that.” “But neither is Vignette! And if you just gave her a chance, I think you’d start to see that too!” Suddenly, Feather Bangs’s smile begins to fade, not into anything angry or upset, but rather just a small, simple frown. “Again, Vignette’s cool and all, but she’s just not for me. I’ve got plenty of pretty girls who like me for my music, my popularity, my hair--” He flips his bangs for added effect. “--but I can’t talk to any of ‘em. Look at us, Anon. We’re havin’ a real conversation without tryin’ to impress each other. I get that you might feel bad about me havin’ feelings for you when your best friend has feelings for me, but what I want most is a girl I can open up to, someone who looks at me for me and not my social media following. Even if you don’t like me back, I like how I can just talk to you about whatever.” You wait a few seconds before speaking again. “When you two first met, though, it sounded like the both of you really hit it off! What happened?” Feather Bangs looks away, tapping his foot on the ground and sighing deeply, shaking his head. “It always starts out like that. They have no problem at first, but eventually, they start to get weird around me. You saw what happened when we went to that milkshake place. I couldn’t talk to her! Which is why I had to make conversation with you, just to try and help her calm down a little and remember that I’m just a regular guy like her. She had nothing to worry about.” “Does that mean she has no chance?” Finally, Feather Bangs looks you in the eye again, lifting an eyebrow with a subtle smirk. “I guess that means I have no chance with you, then, don’t it?” You wait a minute to respond, then exhale out your nose, looking down at your lap while slowly nodding your head. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Feather.” “No sweat, girl. It’s not like this is my first rejection, after all.” You tilt your head, a small smirk suddenly appearing on your own face. “Really? Who else has rejected you?” “Girl, you would not believe how crazy I was for this girl back in my old town. Her name was Sugar Belle, right? And I was doin’ all kinds of crazy things to get her to like me. You know I actually learned to juggle for her?” The comment makes you laugh femininely into your hands. “You can juggle?” “You got any balls right now? Lemme show you.” “Oh, right, because I totally carry those around school with me, just for occasions like these.” The two of you then begin cracking up, holding onto your stomach as your laughter fills the empty school corridors. Finally, you let yourself relax a little, allowing yourself to calm down after the tumultuous rollercoaster of emotions that the day has brought with it. Just as you’re about to add another witty comment to the conversation, though, you feel a buzz in your pocket, momentarily pulling you out of your headspace. “Hang on, Feather. I got a text.” Once you read it, though, your eyes go wide. Your heart stops beating. Your brain starts racing. You quickly lift your head, looking around in every direction until suddenly, you see someone standing at the end of the hallway with a cell phone shaking in her hand, tears streaming down her face. By the time your mouth opens, though, she runs away as fast as she can, and even though it’s faint, you can hear the sounds of sobs fading as she dashes away. You quickly jump to your feet, but there’s nothing you can do now. Even if you chased after her, what would you tell her? Would you even be able to catch up with her at this point? Would she even talk to you? Your hands begin to shake, and with all of the emotions flooding through your body at once, you fall back down to the bench behind you, breathing deep, heavy breaths, too traumatized to even cry. Feather Bangs, meanwhile, places a hand on your shoulder, leaning in with a face of concern. “Anon? You alright?” Of course not, but it’s not like you can say why. You can’t say anything, even if you wanted to. All you can do is stare down at the message she sent you, reading it over and over and over and over. This can’t be happening. There’s no way… And finally, you drop your phone, bawling into your hands while Feather Bangs places his arms around you, holding you close while your emotions pour out uncontrollably. “I can’t do this anymore, Anon. Our friendship is over. I’m sorry.” How it would have endedThis story has been cancelled. Everything that comes next is a legitimate spoiler for how the story would have ended. If you want to hold out hope that the story will be continued in the future, I wouldn’t recommend reading the next section, but I sincerely doubt that I will ever finish. After Vignette tells Anon that she doesn’t want to be friends anymore, Anon tells Cozy Glow about Feather Bangs but keeps Vignette a secret from Cozy Glow and instead brings all of her problems to Silver Spoon, leaving out the part where Feather Bangs confessed his feelings to her. Anon and Silver Spoon have a cute little dating scene, and then Anon comes home to find that Cozy Glow wants to talk. Cozy Glow reaffirms the question she asked earlier about how Anon would never do anything to hurt her, and then Cozy Glow announces that she has a crush on Silver Spoon, still unaware that Silver Spoon is currently dating Anon. After that, Anon starts to feel conflicted and begins hiding her feelings from Silver Spoon. Then, when Silver Spoon asks Cozy Glow if everything is alright with Anon, Cozy Glow lets her know that Feather Bangs confessed his feelings to her. While Silver Spoon is still in shock, Cozy Glow confesses her feelings and is told, “I’ll need some time to think about it.” Then, when Silver Spoon returns to Anon, both of them are suddenly feeling very awkward, neither one telling the other what they know. Silver Spoon, however, feels like the only reason that Anon is dating her is because she feels sorry for her and that Anon would be much happier dating Feather Bangs. Finally, Silver Spoon tells Anon about Cozy Glow’s confession and announces that she’d rather date her sister instead. The two break up. Fast-forward to three weeks later. Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon have been dating, and Anon hasn’t been picking up her little sister from school. When Anon comes home, she goes straight to her room and stays there until school the next day. Then, once she realizes she’s at the end of her rope, she contacts Vignette Valencia and tells her to meet her at Sugarcube Corner. Vignette is still hard-hearted at first, but once she sees Anon break down in front of her, they decide to put their fight behind them and make up. Anon explains that the reason she didn’t tell Vignette about her crush earlier was because Silver Spoon was really a nine year old girl. Vignette tells Anon that she understands and doesn’t judge her for hiding it from her. Anon, now filled with sudden confidence, tries to convince herself that she still has a chance with Silver Spoon and pulls her phone out to message her, but Vignette stops Anon at the last second and says, “I know you love her, but it’s over. It’s time to move on.” Change perspectives to Silver Spoon. After a play date with Cozy Glow, Silver Spoon calls her friend Diamond Tiara. She tells DT about all the things that have been going on and how she still loves Anon. Diamond Tiara calls Silver Spoon an idiot for rushing into breaking up without asking Anon first. Silver Spoon asks what she should do, and Diamond Tiara tells her to be a good girlfriend to Cozy Glow for now. Later, Cozy Glow mentions that she wants to talk with Anon. She tells her that Silver Spoon has been acting weird since the two of them started dating and asks if Anon has any advice. Anon realizes that this means she might have a shot with Silver Spoon after all, but puts her sister first and says, “Keep trying. Do your best.” Once Cozy Glow leaves, though, Anon begins to wonder if she made the right choice. That’s when Anon realizes that she isn’t doing her best either, and even if it ends up hurting her sister, the one thing she promised she would never do, she has to tell Silver Spoon the truth and give herself one last chance. The next day, Anon waits by the park to pick up her sister from school just to find out Cozy Glow isn't there. She then gets a message from Cozy Glow saying that she went over to Silver Spoon’s house and immediately starts running as fast as she can. Finally, once she arrives at Silver Spoon’s house, she apologizes to Cozy Glow and proclaims her love for Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon cries tears of joy and tells Anon that she loves her back. Cozy Glow, meanwhile, cries about how they’ll never go back to normal and that she screwed everything up when she confessed to Silver Spoon, but Silver Spoon tells her that no matter what, she’ll always be Cozy Glow’s friend. As hurt as Cozy Glow is to lose her girlfriend, she inherently knows that she was much happier back when it was the three of them. Fast forward nine years later. Anon is in a wedding dress with her sister in a brides maid outfit. Cozy Glow brags about how she was the one to introduce the two of them in the first place. Then, Silver Spoon walks down the aisle and the two of them share their first kiss. “See?” Silver Spoon says. “I told you I’d kiss you for real one day.” Thank you to everyone who supported me in writing this story. I’m sorry that this was the best I could do.
Chapter 1Your hands shake. Your mouth goes dry. Your eyes open so wide that you can practically see the curvature of the earth. This can’t be happening! Christopher H. Blueblood, the only nephew of the princess herself, and the quite possibly the most famous person to ever attend Canterlot Preparatory Academy, is on one knee. In most places, that would be a sign that he would be asking to propose (which would only freak you out more), but at Canterlot Prep, it’s the universal signal that somebody is about to confess their feelings! Is this real life?! What’s going on?! “I’m sorry for having called you out here so suddenly,” he says, bowing for an extra effect of reverence. “I know you probably have other things you need to be taking care of right now, but there’s something that I need to tell you.” Holy crap! Is this guy for real?! Is he actually about to confess?! “You see, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you would be special. Your dazzling blue eyes and perfect lips are merely the cherry on top of the stunning girl you are. I already see that you’re generous, intelligent, kind, and have very high standards you set for yourself. Trust me, I can relate. That’s why I was wondering…” Here it comes! “...if you would do me the honor of dating me, and making me the happiest man alive?” You can feel your eyes falling into the back of your head, nearly falling backwards with your mouth foaming in disbelief. Blueblood has always been the first to take a compliment and the last to give one, yet here he is, throwing his feelings out there into the wind. To be fair, you’re pretty sure that he automatically expects a yes, which under any normal circumstance would be the answer he would get. He didn’t confess to just anyone, though… “Heart, heart, winky face emoji, and send! Hmm? Oh, sorry, love. I was replying to one of my followers. What were you saying?” He just confessed to Vignette Valencia, the most popular girl in school, and your best friend. Blueblood quickly flinches in embarrassment. “I-I was just saying how beautiful you are, and--” “Oh, right. Yes, pretty, smart, friendly, is that basically the gist you were getting at?” “Er… W-well…” Finally, Vignette puts her phone away, folds her arms and looks sternly into Blueblood’s eyes, tilting her head with suspicious eyebrows. “I can see why you’d be interested in me. Not to brag, but I do take the best selfies out of anyone here at school. Plus, I could see myself doubling--no, tripling--my following if I started dating the nephew of the princess.” “So, erm, does that mean you’ll go out with me?” “Mmmm… No. Sorry, I had to think about that one for a minute, but I don’t think that the popularity boost would outweigh the fact that I’d be dating someone who I personally loathe on the inside. No offense, of course.” Blueblood’s jaw drops, but Vignette doesn’t even notice. As soon as the words leave her mouth, she pulls out her phone and turns around, already answering probably 49 new messages while you follow behind her, slack-jawed from everything that just happened. Then, the two of you make it back into the school corridors, walking towards the exit while you hear everyone around you begin to whisper. “Did you see what happened?” “She’s so perfect!” “She’s beautiful, talented, and popular!” “She’s an angel!” As happy as you are that people are saying such nice things about your friend, you can’t help but dig your fingernails into your palms. You’re happy to be friends with Vignette in the first place, and even happier that she views you as her bffbb (best friend forever but better), but the fact that she’s so tuned into her social media that she can’t even hear the people around her drives you a little crazy. You wish that just once someone would say all those nice things about you rather than about Vignette, even though as much as you hate to admit it, there really isn’t anything special about you. This brings you to your current dilemma: how will you ever hope to marry a future billionaire if everyone is busy ogling your best friend?! The two of you turn the corner, making the boys sweat in their Canterlot Prep uniforms. You can see their eyes travelling from her slender legs to her tight skirt all the way up to her perfectly coiffed hair. Those eyes should be looking at you! How are you even supposed to compete?! Well, then again, Canterlot Prep is probably the most competitive school in all of Equestria. Only the elite of the elite can make it into this school. How did you even make it into this place again? Oh, yeah, your mom donated her entire life savings to the school so that you and your sister could have a fresh start in Canterlot after the stuff your sister pulled in Ponyville. Probably not best to bring that up right now. Basically, it’s pretty safe to say that anyone who graduates from this school is going to be successful in life, which means that you only need one boy to notice you so you can have a cushy life where you’ll never have to worry about working! When you first enrolled here, you legitimately thought that all you’d have to do is pass your classes, not eat too many corndogs, and life would just work itself out somehow. Turns out, even after getting accepted into a school with an insanely competitive acceptance rate, you still have more competing to do. “You didn’t mean what you said back there, right?” you ask Vignette while she continues to stare at the screen in her hand. “I mean, you’re not really gonna turn Blueblood down, are you?” “Hmm?” she mumbles, lifting an eyebrow to acknowledge your question but still never turning her attention away from her phone. “Oh, no. He’s not my type. Sure, he may be rich, handsome and famous, but he’s kind of a douche. If I’m going to be taking my attention away from my friends and fans, I’d prefer they were actually fun to be around. Besides, wouldn’t you feel lonely being the third wheel all the time, Anon?” You shrug your shoulders, your cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. “Actually, I was thinking, maybe you could find someone for me. That way, we could go on double dates and stuff.” Suddenly, Vignette freezes with a gasp, holding out her arm to stop you where you stand. “Oh. Em. Gee. I just had the perfect idea!” “You’re going to let me have Blueblood instead?!” Vignette immediately turns towards you with an eyebrow raised judgingly, making your beaming smile suddenly begin to disappear. “What? No way! I’d never do that to my bffbb! I was just thinking that maybe we could go search for some real men somewhere outside of the school! Maybe cross-promote each other’s SnapGab feed, take a couple of selfies in a scenic location as the sun goes down, girl you know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” “...I do?” “Of course you do!” Your friend then begins to walk forward again confidently, her hips swaying with every step she takes. “We basically know all the guys at Canterlot Prep, so why not expand our horizons a little?” You suddenly flinch, practically running to catch up with her as your body shivers anxiously. “Outside of the school?! Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I mean, there are so many good ones here already! Plus, they all seem like they’re going to go on to be really successful later in life.” “Ugh. Really, Anon. You’re worried about how successful your boyfriend will be twelve years from now?” “...Kinda…” As shocked as Vignette seems from her tone, her face portrays a completely different image, her hands combing through her hair while she makes a duck face smile for her camera. Then, after a flash, she pulls her phone back down and begins typing while returning to her conversation. “You need to relax a little, girl! Have some fun! The average relationship for high school students is only one to two years, after all. No need to worry about your future just yet.” “...But that’s just an average, right? There are relationships that last forever, right?” Finally, she pulls her face away from her phone to give you a stern look. “Anon, we are going out today and that is final. Honestly, I’d do just about anything to get your head out of whatever space you’re in right now. You’re totes giving off bad vibes right now.” You cringe at the thought. You were honestly hoping that you’d be able to go home and stuff your face with more corndogs, and just the idea of giving that up to go boyfriend hunting doesn’t sound nearly as fun for you as it does for her. Just then, though, you come up with an excuse that just might be able to get you out of it! “I can’t! I have to pick up my sister from school after this!” “Oh, that’s right. I forgot you have a sister. How come we never talk about her?” “She’s… a handful.” Vignette’s eyes then fall to the way your hands rub your arms uncomfortably, but thankfully she can read the mood enough to know that you’d much rather not go into the details right now. “What was her name again? Comfy Ray or something like that?” “Cozy Glow.” Just saying it out loud makes a shiver run up your spine. “Ah, right. Well, where are you picking her up? Maybe we could stop somewhere on the way there. Trust me, it won’t take more than a few minutes to get some DM’s in our inbox.” You rub the back of your neck. “The park. Really, though, maybe we should forget about--” “Anon, that’s perfect!” Vignette then brings her hand around your shoulders, pulling you in while she looks into the distance as if a movie screen were right in front of the two of you. “Just imagine it! Two cute girls taking selfies together when a couple of boys our age are there to pick up their own little siblings. Then, all of a sudden we need an expert photographer to take a couple pics for our feed--the pictures will probably all come out terrible. Never trust a man’s opinion when it comes to social media photos--but when we tell them that they take flawless snapshots, we get their info and suddenly we have a new side hustle, if you know what I mean. Hey heeyyyy!!” The girl at your side throws in a wink, but you’re still scratching your head, trying to figure out a way to end this whole operation without coming off like a jerk. “So when you say side hustle, you mean we’re flirting with these boys on the side? Wouldn’t that necesitate having boys here that we’re already flirting with?” By the time you finish your sentence, the two of you make it outside the school’s entrance, being hit by violent rays of sunlight that make the luscious gardens of the courtyard seem to glow. The students walking out all keep their heads high and shoulders raised, moving quickly as if they all have somewhere important to be. Even the marble statue out front was crafted by one of the most talented artists in all of Equestria, a donation from one of the many affluent alumni of Canterlot Preparatory Academy. This place is your comfort zone, and Vignette is asking you to take a leap of faith away from it. Yeah, no thanks. “Actually, I think I’m just going to get my sister and head home, if that’s alright.” “That’s fine,” she replies with a shrug. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along, though. Just because you’re not feeling adventurous today doesn’t mean I can’t test out the waters somewhere new.” That’s so like her. She makes it sound like the whole purpose of coming with you is so she can flirt with boys, but you can tell that she’s really just coming along to keep you company in the meantime. She sends you a bright smile, and you can’t help but smile back. Even though you and Vignette don’t seem to share any of the same interests, you’re just happy that she decided to be friends with you. “Sure,” you say with a silent chuckle. “Let’s go.” “Is that a model?” “You should go talk to her!” “No way! You go talk to her!” “What’s an angel doing in a place like this?” You try to hide the grimace on your face. Before you even get to the park, people are already gawking at your friend, who either doesn’t hear all the people admiring her or is just ignoring them for your sake. Probably the latter. The worst part, though, is that there are actually cute boys here like she thought, and even though you want to be happy for your friend, you still feel a little jealous that nobody is talking about you. How are you supposed to have confidence when nobody seems to even realize that you exist when she’s around? By the time you arrive at the playground, school has already been dismissed for the kids at Celestia’s School for Gifted Children. You can see kids running around in their school uniforms, playing on the monkey bars and going down the slides without worrying about how dirty they’ll probably be by the time they get home. Now you just have to scope out the area until you find the little brat that you came here for. “Hey, miss!” You and Vignette then turn your heads to see three boys approaching your friend, each of them with their phones out. “You mind if we take your picture?” the second guy asks. “Don’t worry! We’ll be sure to tag you!” Vignette suddenly turns her eyes in your direction. She’d never just ditch you to take pictures with total strangers, but at the same time, it’s not like you can say no without sounding like a terrible friend. “Go ahead,” you say, waving your hand. “I’m gonna go look for Cozy Glow.” “Don’t worry, Anon. I’ll be back in a flash. Ha! Photo joke!” “Heheh. Yeah.” Then, you’re suddenly alone. She’s off doing exactly what she said she wanted to do, and you’re doing exactly what you said you wanted to do. Why, then, is it making you feel like crap? Why do you feel like you just got punched in the stomach when everything is going according to plan? What does the world possibly have to do to make you happy, just hand you everything you’d ever want? Come on, Anon! What do you want? You sigh heavily, taking a seat on a nearby bench while scoping out the area again. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to scope out a girl with curly blue hair and a light tan bow. Unfortunately, though, you see her talking to some girl about her age, and your anxiety suddenly starts to rise again. Most people would be happy when they see that their little sister is making friends, but if most people had Cozy Glow as a little sister, they’d probably go into panic mode too. Just as you’re about to get up and put a stop to it, though, she looks in your direction and tugs on her new friend’s sleeve, pointing at you energetically. You wave politely, sitting back down while simultaneously trying to look casual. You’re probably doing a terrible job. You need to work on your self-confidence a little bit. “Hey, sis!” Cozy Glow exclaims, dragging her friend along with her. “Guess what! I made a new friend today!” “Oh, really?” you say through gritted teeth, turning your head to the girl at her side. She’s actually extremely pretty for her age, wearing adorable baby blue glasses that look two sizes too big for her underneath her silky, silver hair. She’s small and frail, as if she’s had someone taking care of her her whole life, which wouldn’t be unheard of considering that most kids who go to Cozy Glow’s school eventually make their way to Canterlot Prep. You can tell right off the bat, though, that your sister probably scouted this girl the moment she laid eyes on her, and she’s most likely just using this poor kid to increase her popularity score at school. “Yuh-huh! She was super generous by helping me find my way around this new school. I know I’ve been here for almost two months already, but this school is so much bigger than my last one! I still get lost sometimes…” Lying piece of-- “So this is the sister that I’ve heard so much about?” You practically jump from hearing her voice. It’s got a gentle, soothing tone that carries with it its own blunt bite. She seems genuine enough, but your mind immediately backflips trying to think of all the crazy ways Cozy Glow has tried using your name to manipulate her. “Yep!” you respond as calmly as you can. “That’s me! Cozy Glow’s big sister! Heheh… So, uh… W-what exactly have you heard about me?” “Just that you’re the nicest, sweetest sister in the whole wide world!” your younger half says, giving you those stupid puppydog eyes. Even if you weren’t her sister, you’d know in a second how fake she’s acting, but the eyes of the girl next to her just grow wider in surprise, causing you to shrink nervously. “Wow! She told me you were pretty, but you’re more beautiful than a princess! And you’re kind too? Are you an angel?” What. The. Fudge? Your mouth drops slightly, trying to make words come out, but unable to make any sounds other than baffled chuckles. At first you think this chick is playing some kind of joke on you, like she’s just part of one of Cozy Glow’s schemes to make fun of you, but while you laugh awkwardly, she never once changes her expression. She just looks up at you with those big, purple eyes, waiting for you to pull your head out of your butt and say something coherent. “I… uh…” “Oh, shoot!” Cozy Glow exclaims, pulling her friend’s attention away from you and giving you a second to breathe. “I left my bookbag back by the swings. I’ll be right back!” Then, in a flash of dust, your sister races off the other way, leaving you and the schoolgirl to finish where you left off, and suddenly all that social anxiety comes right back to where it left off. You try to smile at the silver-haired girl, but you can tell that you’re doing a half-grin/half-cringe. What do you even say? Do you talk about yourself? Do you talk about Cozy Glow? While you battle with yourself internally, though, the kid in the glasses breaks into a giggle fit, wiping a tear from her eye while the other hand reaches for her stomach. You tilt a curious eyebrow, but suddenly, you see her break out a smile, the same kind that Cozy Glow has when she’s trying to manipulate someone. “Sorry,” she says once her laughter dies down. “I could tell that you’ve always wanted someone to say that to you. That’s your friend over there, isn’t it? The one getting her picture taken by those three boys?” She points her finger towards Vignette Valencia and her entourage of admirers, making you squint your eyes in suspicion. “How…” you begin, slowly turning your face back towards the schoolgirl. “How did you--” “I know how to read people. Also, you don’t need to worry about me being friends with your sister. I know she’s just trying to use me for popularity. Thanks for worrying about me, though.” Again, you open your mouth to speak, but the words don’t seem to come out. Meanwhile, the girl in front of you grins femininely, projecting the same kind of confidence you’d expect from Vignette Valencia. “Oh! My name’s Silver Spoon, by the way. You’re Anon, right?” You shake your head and come back to reality. “Yeah. Sorry if I seem a little out of it right now. I’m just--” “Surprised that a nine year old was able to figure out everything you’ve been thinking for the past five minutes?” You gulp and nod your head, further solidifying the confident smile on her face. “Cozy Glow should be back any second now, so why don’t you give me your phone number before she finds out?” Your cheeks suddenly turn a bright shade of red. “My… My phone number?” “Yeah. You seem like you’d be an interesting pet project. Plus it sounds like you need someone who you can talk to, since apparently you can’t even tell your friend over there everything you’re thinking about.” You quickly glance over at Vignette again, and she’s so caught up in exchanging her own social media details that she must have forgotten all about you by this point. You don’t want to tell her that she’s right, but if you try and cover it up, you have a feeling she’d just be able to figure you out anyway. Then, doing one more quick look around to make sure that Cozy Glow isn’t nearby, you hastily pull out your phone and hand it to the schoolgirl, who just as rapidly taps her way into your contact list and adds herself into your phonebook. She just barely manages to slide your phone back into your hand by the time that Cozy Glow seems to pop out of nowhere, smiling widely at the two of you. “Hey, you two! Did ya miss me?” “We sure did! Heheheheh.” After seeing your uncomfortable expression, Cozy Glow turns towards Silver Spoon, who shrugs her shoulders apathetically. “O...K? Well, it looks like it’s time for us to get back home before our mom gets mad at the both of us. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, right, Silver Spoon?” “Yup! Bye, Cozy Glow! Bye, Anon!” You and your sister wave goodbye to the silver-haired schoolgirl and turn towards the direction of your house. Normally you’d at least tell Vignette that you were leaving, but she looks like she’s having way too much fun to be bothered right now. Besides, Cozy Glow has a point. Your mom really will be pissed if you aren’t home by four o’clock. “I’m so glad that I’m already making friends at my new school!” your sister says as the two of you walk down the sidewalk together. “Doesn’t Silver Spoon seem nice to you?” Hearing the name again instinctively makes you pull out your phone. You don’t know why, but you find yourself scrolling down to the newly-entered contact information, smiling softly as you see the name that comes up. Suddenly, though, you realize that Cozy Glow will get suspicious and immediately slide your phone back into your skirt pocket. “Y-yeah! I’m glad you’re making friends too.” The words barely come out of your mouth by the time Cozy Glow tilts her head in confusion. “Wait. You are?” Normally, no. Normally you’d be petrified by the idea of your sister trying to manipulate one of her classmates into helping her literally take over a school by binding the headmaster to his office chair and becoming the school’s de facto leader (what happens in Ponyville stays in Ponyville). Silver Spoon, though, is different. Different from everybody… Finally, you look at your sister and give her a big smile. “Yup! C’mon. Mom’s probably wondering where we are already.” Steam fills the air around you, the only sound being a splash as your body falls into a tub of water, reverberating off of the room’s ceramic walls. It feels like so much happened today, even though it didn’t play out that much differently than how a normal day would turn out. You stretch your arms out high, relaxing your back as if it had been tight all day. Maybe you’re just looking for any excuse you can to relax after what’s been another long Monday. Suddenly, though, you hear your phone buzzing from the countertop by the bathtub, glowing a light from its screen that displays one new message. Your eyebrow raises as you pick it up, seeing a surprise text from Vignette Valencia that reads, “OMG, Anon! I’m soooo sorry about ditching you back there! I totes didn’t think I would be that long. I’ll make it up to you with a frappuccino tomorrow morning, K?” You chuckle quietly, slipping both arms out of the tub as you send her a message of your own. “Don’t worry. You’re fine. I can’t wait to hear all about those guys you met today.” Once you hit the send button, though, the tension you were feeling before comes right back to your shoulders. This is so stupid! Why are you feeling stressed all of a sudden? It’s not like having Vignette leave you at the park was something that bothers you… right? You roll your eyes with a sigh, slipping back into the tub with your phone still raised high in the air. Vignette really does deserve all the attention she gets. She works hard, she’s extroverted, she probably spends more time on her makeup than you do on your homework, and she’s genuinely a great person on the inside! Still, though, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t at least a little bit jealous, but that’s not exactly something you can talk with her about. Then a thought suddenly comes into your mind, nearly causing you to drop your phone into the bathwater. You quickly open up your contact list, scrolling down until you see a name that wasn’t there the night before. “Silver Spoon, huh?” you say to yourself aloud. You stare at the name for a good 30 seconds before you shake your head with a giggle. “Maybe messaging her the first day would be a little too fast.” She’d probably ignore you and tell Cozy Glow not to bother her anymore… or would she? Maybe that’s just the anxiety talking. She wouldn’t get upset for you texting her after giving you her number specifically for that reason, right? Wait, why do you have anxiety again? She’s like nine years old. What do you care if she judges you or not? You immediately pull up her number again and pull up the text menu, but right as soon as you’re about to begin writing your message, your thumbs freeze where they are. What exactly do you want to talk to her about? Vignette? Your sister? Her day? Your day? You wistfully move your hand to place your cell phone back onto the countertop beside you, but suddenly, you bring the phone back to your face and type the first thing that comes into your head. “Hey, it’s Anon. Just wanted to text you so you have my number.” Aaaaand send. Finally, you can put your phone back onto the counter and slide yourself nose-deep into the bathtub, getting your well-deserved rest and relaxation. You did your part, you sent the perfect message, and now you get to enjoy-- Bzzzt!! You pull your face out of the water to look back at your phone, surprised that she messaged you back so quickly, but to your surprise, she didn’t message you back. She’s calling you! You immediately stumble forward, fumbling with your phone and catching it right before it can fall into the bathtub. After a quick sigh of relief, you hover your trembling finger over the green answer button, and after a slight hesitation, you swipe the button and slowly bring the device to your ear. “Uh… H-hello?” “I had a feeling I’d be hearing from you today.” A wave of comfort suddenly washes over you upon hearing the soothing, high-pitched voice, and like the bath should have been doing this whole time, you can feel your whole body relax as your arms once again drape over the lip of the tub. “You did?” “Well, part of me thought you’d get too scared and chicken out for the first day, but I knew I’d hear from you sooner or later.” You giggle femininely. “You sure have me figured out, don’t you?” “Well, duh!” The both of you share a laugh until an awkward silence suddenly fills the air of your bathroom. “So… What’s going on?” “Do you mean like ‘What’s up’ or…?” “No,” she replies. “I mean, what’s bothering you? You looked like you needed someone to talk to earlier, and there’s a reason you were thinking of me to send me a message in the first place. It’s obviously not something you can talk about with that friend from earlier.” Your smile begins to disappear. With your chin now resting on the edge of the bathtub, you wait a few moments before you can think of what you can say back. “It’s… nothing, really.” “Come on, Anon. If you can’t tell a grade school kid, who can you tell?” Again, you wait a few moments, trying to think of a way you can ignore the issue until you finally breathe out a defeated sigh. “I guess I’m just jealous.” “Jealous of…?” “Everything! My friend is so pretty and popular! Get this! Today at school, Prince Blueblood actually confessed to her!” “Shut up! You mean Princess Celestia’s nephew?!” “Yeah! Can you believe that?!” “So let me get this straight. Your best friend is dating actual royalty right now?” “Oh, here’s the craziest part. She’s turned him down!” “Are you kidding me?! How can you say no to someone like that?!” “I know, right! I said the same thing!” *Knock, knock* “Sis? Are you talking to someone in there, or are you just going crazy for some reason?” You quickly turn your face to your bathroom door and cover the microphone on your phone. “What do you want, Cozy Glow?” “Mom told me to tell you to hurry up. She says you have homework and she wants to use the bathroom.” You scoff, rolling your eyes. “Fiiine! Tell her I’ll be out in a minute.” The next few moments are filled with silence before you once again hear a high-pitched voice on the other end of your phone. “So I’m guessing it’s about time for you to go?” “Yeah… I’m sorry, Silver Spoon.” “Don’t worry about it. Just text me if you feel like you need anyone to talk to, OK?” A smile once again forms on your face, and without realizing it, you see yourself twirling your hair around with your finger. “OK! I’ll talk to you later, then. B-bye, Silver.” “Good night, Anon.” The next thing you hear is the tone of your phone disconnecting, and for some reason you can’t explain, you find yourself doing a little victory dance in the bathtub. Once you realize what you’re doing, though, you quickly pull the plug and begin drying yourself off. After you get yourself dry enough to where you’re at least not dripping anymore, you use your towel to wipe down the steamy mirror, and what you see surprises you. Have you always smiled like that? You actually look kinda… pretty when you make that face. You roll your eyes at your inner thoughts and get yourself into your pajamas, your towel wrapped around your hair as you make your way out of the bathroom. While you scurry your way to your room, however, you see Cozy Glow’s head sticking out of her own room, giving you a weird look. “Who were you talking to in there?” she asks, to which you shake your head. “Just one of my friends,” you reply with a smug smile, further solidifying your sister’s weird expression. “In the bath?” Then your smile suddenly falls down. “Why? Is that weird?” “For you it is.” “Well…” You break eye contact. “Maybe this is just a new me.” “...OK, you’re weird. Anyway, I just wanted to see what you were doing.” A small chuckle escapes your lips as your pat Cozy Glow on the head condescendingly. “Thank you for checking up on me, little sister. I’m going to my room now, so I’ll talk to you in the morning.” “Fine,” she says, pushing your hand off of her head. “Just don’t play your weird music this late! Some of us actually do our homework around here.” “Heh. Whatever you say.” The sunlight hits down on you so hard that you raise your hand up to keep some of the violent light from burning your eyes. Canterlot is probably the most beautiful place in all of Equestria, getting more sunlight than almost anywhere else, but sometimes, you wish it weren’t quite so bright this early in the morning. You hardly got any sleep for some weird reason last night. You weren’t stressed or distracted or anything. You just kinda laid there, trying to fall asleep for hours with the same thoughts racing through your mind over and over again. Before you can think about it too much, though, you feel a pair of arms suddenly wrap around your waist, making you almost fall forward before you catch your balance just in the knick of time. “Oh, Anon! I’m so sorry about yesterday!” Then, turning your head backwards, you see Vignette pulling your hands off of your waist, holding up two coffees freshly brewed from the nearby cafe. Yes! Caffeine! That’s what you need right now! “You have every right to be mad at me,” she continues as you grab one of the frosted drinks in her hands. “Go ahead. Say it. I’m a terrible friend!” “Sluuuuurrp! Aaahhhhhhhh. You don’t have to be sorry. I’m not mad at you.” “Oh, good! Because I have just got to show you who I met yesterday!” In the next moment, Vignette whips out her phone while the two of you slowly make your way towards class, peering down at the screen in front of you while she goes over the photos in vivid detail. You’re only half-listening/half-drinking-the-coffee-as-fast-as-you-can while she talks all about the boys she met yesterday. Apparently they go to another private school not far from where the two of you attend, and their social media following has some big names that she’s heard of but never had the chance to meet. It’s actually kind of entertaining seeing how enthusiastic she is about the whole thing, making you inadvertently giggle to yourself in amusement. Suddenly, though, she breaks her conversation and looks you in the eye. Shoot. Should you have kept that to yourself? “Weeeeeellll,” she says with a smirk. “Sounds like someone’s in a good mood today. Did something happen yesterday that I don’t know about?” “Not really,” you reply, shaking your head. “I just met someone.” The words scarcely leave your mouth when she covers her mouth with a gasp. “Oh. Em. Gee. Tell me everything!” “It’s nothing! Seriously.” “Hmmmmmmm? It doesn’t soooouuund like nothiiiiiing. Actually, if you ask me, it sounds like somebody has a crush on that certain someone.” You stop smiling. “I have… a what?” Vignette raises an eyebrow. “You... have a crush on someone, Anon.” Again, once the word reaches your mind, you freeze completely, staring forward but not really looking at anything. Your heart starts beating faster, your shaky hands reaching up to your chest, and suddenly, you stop breathing. Then, the image in front of you changes from the hallway to the ceiling, along with a sudden pain hitting your back. “Oh, dear! Anon?! Are you alright, sweetie?!” The aching sensation from the fall doesn’t even bother you anymore. Your mind is too preoccupied with the new thoughts now racing through your mind like a freaking tornado. “I…” you mumble. “I like her?”
Chapter 2Why won’t that pain go away? Not the pain in your back from when you fell earlier (although that hurts too, now that you think about it), but the one in your head, which has been eating away at you all day. It’s like all the fabrics that have been molded together to create what you saw as your self-image have been ripped apart, creating a version of you that’s more like a viscous doppelganger than a mirror image. Plus, it hasn’t exactly been easy to get Vignette Valencia to stop asking for details about who this mystery person is. Of course, she respects your boundaries and would never press more than you’d feel comfortable with, but she probably thinks you’re just too shy to fill her in on the details. How the crap are you going to tell her that you developed feelings for your nine year old sister’s friend from school?! You shake your head. You still don’t know that you’ve developed feelings for this girl yet! You’ve spoken to her twice, after all, and both times were cut off before you could really talk to her about anything in detail. Can you really get a crush on someone after having such little interaction with them? Well, now that you think about it, she’s also mysterious, mature, easy to talk to, and those stupid glasses she wears make her just about the cutest girl you’ve ever laid eyes o-- This time you punch yourself in the face. You immediately bring both hands to your nose, trying not to cry while simultaneously checking to see if your nose is bleeding. Then, looking around in all directions with a tear in your eye, you find yourself completely alone and allow yourself to breathe a sigh of relief, hesitantly lowering your hand from your face. Thank goodness no one was around to see that. Maybe that punch was a little too hard, but you needed to do something to get those thoughts out of your head! Vignette was nice enough to let you go by yourself to the park today, despite how curious she’s been to meet this mystery person you mentioned earlier. You’re still not one hundred percent positive that Silver Spoon will be there in the first place, and even if she is, it’s not like you’ll be able to have a normal conversation with her while Cozy Glow is around anyway. Still, though, if Silver Spoon does show up, and if for some reason Cozy Glow decides to leave the two of you alone for a little bit… Don’t hit yourself again, Anon. That last one still hurts. Before you know it, however, you find yourself at the entrance of the park, looking around to see if anyone’s staring at the spot on your face where you punched yourself earlier. For once, you’re relieved that nobody’s paying attention to you and breathe another sigh of relief. Hopefully Cozy Glow will be by herself--or have found a completely new girl to manipulate--so that you can get that other girl out of your head altogether… OK, maybe now that you think about it, finding someone else to manipulate probably isn’t the best option either, but it’s still better than spending another minute thinking about-- “Silver Spoon! Over here!” Horse feathers!! Why does life have to do everything you specifically ask it not to do?! You put on your best nervous smile, trying not to sweat as your sister enters your field of vision, laughing and skipping with her silver-haired friend following behind her. Then, the moment you see her, all the anxiety in your chest disappears, leaving you relaxed, breathing normally, and smiling much more genuinely than you were before. It’s weird. You know you should be feeling way more anxious than you are right now, but you just feel… normal, like you can finally stop pretending. You can finally stop hiding. “Hey, sis!” your sister exclaims once she’s finally within talking distance. “How was school tod--Whoa… What happened to your nose?” You giggle nervously, first glancing at Cozy Glow’s quizzical expression before looking over at Silver Spoon, who tilts her head in curiosity. “Heheh. Funny story about that…” “You aren’t getting bullied, are you?! My teacher at school says that if you’re ever getting picked on, you should always tell someone you can trust.” “I dunno, Cozy Glow,” the other girl says, flashing a smirk. “I don’t know how anyone could pick on Anon. From what you’ve told me, she’s the kindest, friendliest girl in all of Equestria. Who would ever be mean to someone that perfect?” She bats her eyelashes, and whether on purpose or not, it makes the air freeze up in your lungs while your cheeks begin to sizzle. You’d better change the subject quick before you faint from the lack of oxygen. “I, uh… punched myself in the face. SO! We should get going! Mom will get mad if we goof off on the way home, after all.” Just as you reach out to grab your sister’s hand, though, she puts her palms to her hips and raises an eyebrow. “Mom isn’t going to be home until like six o’clock tonight. She’s got that book club for old, grumpy ladies on Tuesdays, remember?” “Yeah,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck, “but she’d still be upset if we didn’t go straight home.” “Oh, she’s always upset. I’m sure she wouldn’t be mad if she knew the reason we took so long was so that I could make more friends.” Wrong! That’s the exact reason why she wants you to head straight home! “Plus, she’ll never know if we don’t tell her! What do you think, Silver Spoon?” You quickly glance at the silver-haired girl, who once again gives you a devilish smirk. “Miss Anon, I know you don’t want to get in trouble, but she really has been waiting all day to talk to some kids from the next class over. Can’t she just stay for a few more minutes? Pleeeeease?” Don’t punch yourself. Don’t punch yourself. Don’t punch yourself. “Well…” You look away with a bashful look on your face, bumping your index fingers together while trying not to blush too hard. “I guess a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt…” “Yes!” Cozy Glow cheers, pumping her fist. “Silver Spoon, you keep Anon company for a little bit. I promise I won’t be too long.” Before her friend can even respond, though, your sister darts off in the other direction, leaving the two of you alone. You start to turn your eyes in her direction, but once you make contact with hers, you immediately look away, sweat dripping down your neck from the jitters in your stomach. You can’t tell why you’re reacting the way you are. She’s just a kid, after all, not much different than yourself. Still, though, whenever you try looking into her big, purple eyes… “Phew,” Silver Spoon sighs. “I thought I’d never get the chance to talk to you. We never really got to finish our conversation last night, after all.” Suddenly, your face snaps to hers, and all the butterflies in your stomach gradually begin to fly away. “Yeah, but I don’t know if there was anything else really worth talking about anyway.” “Sure there is!” Just as soon as you gain the courage to make eye contact with the silver-haired girl, she femininely strolls over to a park bench and sits down, patting the empty space beside her. “You were telling me about your friend, remember?” With a hard gulp, you walk over with much less confidence in your steps, your legs shaking as you fall down next to her. She’s so close that you need to monitor your breathing, just in case she notices how deep each breath is as it goes into your nose. “My friend? Yeah, about that. Maybe I was just overreacting, since an actual prince confessed to her and all.” “And you wished he confessed to you instead?” You look down at your knees. “Yeah, I guess so… Ugh. That’s so stupid! I mean, why would someone like him ever want a girl like me? I’m so embarrassed.” Just as you bury your face into your hands, you feel her soft, delicate fingers trace down your back, sending shivers down your spine that you hope she doesn’t notice. “Honestly, I’d feel a little jealous too. I was kinda the same way back in Ponyville.” You quickly jerk your face away from your hands so you can look at her with a shocked expression. “Wait. You’re from Ponyville too?!” “Mhmm. I moved here last year. My best friend over there was this girl named Diamond Tiara, and she was adored by basically everyone in town. She was so popular that some of the girls even called her the ‘Princess of Ponyville’. I wanted to be happy for her since she was my best friend and all, but deep down, there were times I just wanted to get away from her. Even though people’s eyes were on me all the time, nobody was really looking at me.” “It’s like… we’re invisible.” You see Silver Spoon crack a small smile, and your face freezes up again. “B-but yeah, that’s basically the same way I feel.” “You remember those Barnyard Bargain commercials on TV?” “You mean the one with that girl dressed up as a bunny rabbit?” “That was Diamond Tiara.” “...You’re lying right now.” Silver Spoon giggles. “Nope. Her dad is Filthy Rich, the biggest distributor of zap apple jam in Equestria, so you can imagine why everyone admired her.” “No kidding,” you say, kicking your legs back and forth. “Can you imagine coming from a rich family?” “Would you believe me if I said that next to her, my family was the second-richest in Ponyville?” You turn towards her again, tilting a curious eyebrow. “My parents did business together. My dad had his mining company, and my mom used the materials he found to set up the Ponyville Premiere Jewelers.” Your eyes go wide. Suddenly you look down at the necklace you’re wearing and then look back up at the girl sitting beside you, who sends you another feminine smirk. “Yup,” she continues. “I’d recognize that emblem anywhere. It came from my mom’s shop, didn’t it?” You nod your head slowly until a thought suddenly goes through your mind. “Wait! If things were going so well in Ponyville, why did you move out here?” “My parents saw more opportunities here in Canterlot. Turns out, they were right. Now we’ve got more money than we could spend in a lifetime…” Despite how great her life sounds, though, Silver Spoon’s eyes fall to the floor as she pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. “But compared to the other kids at school, I’m still in someone else’s shadow. Your sister is just using me as a stepping stone until she can move onto the next most popular kid at school.” You hesitate to even ask your next question. “Is that…?” “Yeah… That’s what she’s doing right now.” Your fingers suddenly curve into a fist, clenched tightly on top of your skirt as your face unconsciously turns into a scowl. “Dang that kid…!” you whisper to yourself. “It’s not all bad. At least it means that someone noticed that I wasn’t invisible.” As your eyes turn towards hers once again, you see a girly smile, making your heart flip backwards in your chest. Calm down, Anon! She’s talking about Cozy Glow, not you! Still, though, with the way she’s looking at you, it feels like her eyes are piercing into your thoughts, like she’s telling you that she’s not just talking to you; she’s talking about you. “I… I’m sure there’s more people at school who know you exist than just Cozy Glow…” “Oh, yeah. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still super popular, but I’m not like the most popular girl at school.” “Huh?!” Silver Spoon suddenly wraps her arms around her waist, kicking her legs violently as her laughter resonates throughout the park. You, on the other hand, are trying to figure out whether or not you just found yourself subjugated to part of some huge, elaborate prank that she and Cozy Glow have been plotting since yesterday. Probably the latter. You are kind of naive, after all. “Sorry,” Silver Spoon says, wiping a tear from her eye once her laughter dies down. “I didn’t mean to sound rude there. Your expression was just so priceless! Hahaha!” “Um… I feel like I should probably hide somewhere and never come out now.” The girl beside you shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry. Will you at least stay with me until Cozy Glow comes back? I’m having so much fun with you.” There she goes again! It’s so stupid how easily she can make your heart pound, and you can’t tell if she’s doing it for her own amusement or if she really means what she says. She does have an easy time reading you, after all. You want to keep a healthy emotional distance from her, but at the same time, she’s making it veeerry difficult to do that, especially when she looks up at you with that stupid smile and those stupid glasses! URRRGGHH! “Say,” she begins, pulling your train of thought off of its tracks, “you wanna hang out sometime?” “...H-huh?!” “We probably wouldn’t be able to spend time at your house if Cozy Glow is gonna be there. How about my place next time?” The face you’re making probably looks really stupid right now, but what else can you do?! You didn’t expect her to throw out a request like that! While you take forever to respond, though, Silver Spoon’s grin gradually begins to diminish. “That is… unless you’d rather just stick to meeting up like we are now. It’s OK if you don't wanna hang out with a kid who only knows you through your sister.” “I DO!” Both you and Silver Spoon flinch in unison before you frantically begin waving your hands around, trying to ease the sudden surprise on her face. “I mean, I’d be happy with that, but… don’t you think it would be weird hanging out without Cozy Glow knowing about it?” Silver Spoon tilts her head. “You mean like what we’re doing now?” A small droplet of sweat falls down the side of your face. Even if you didn’t go to her place to hang out, the two of you would still be having secret conversations both at the park and over the phone. Yeah, it’s kind of weird now that you think about it, but at the same time, it would be even weirder to avoid her just because she’s friends with your sister. Besides, the less your sister knows about your life, the fewer headaches she can give you. “I guess you have a point…” you say, timidly scratching your cheek. “Tell you what!” Silver Spoon sits up, straightening her back while looking confidently into your eyes. “Just text me tonight. We can just talk about you some more until you’re ready.” Is… Is she talking down to you? The way she’s speaking makes it sounds like she’s the one doing you the favor by spending time with you, and yet for some weird, crazy reason, it makes you feel better. You can’t tell what’s drawing you to this girl so much… but it’s working. “I…” “There you two are!” Before you can completely blow your cover, you snap your body to attention, wearing the most authentic fake smile you have as Cozy Glow makes it into your field of vision. “I had a lot of fun with Fashion Glance! Hope my sister didn’t drive you crazy while I was gone.” You scowl at your sister, which is quickly interrupted by the soothing sound of Silver Spoon giggling into her hand. “No, it’s fine,” she replies. “Does this mean you two are going to head home now?” Cozy Glow looks up at you for your answer, and you quickly turn your gaze towards Silver Spoon. You may not want to leave her so soon, but there’s no way you’ll be able to continue your conversation with your sister around. Not only would she bug you, but she’d probably try sabotaging your friendship with her in general! “Yeah,” you say in a low, disappointed voice. You hate keeping secrets from the closest member of your family, but what you have is too special for you to let her in just yet. Finally, turning towards your sister with an upbeat smile, you say, “You ready, Cozy? Let’s get going.” *Click!* As soon as the door to your room closes, you drop your bookbag to the floor and fall face-first onto your bed, laying motionless for several moments. What a day. First you find out that you have a crush on a grade school girl, and then you spend the rest of the day trying to hide that from everyone, including yourself! Then that question she asked at the end… Is it really a good idea to hang out with her? If it turns out that you really do like her, and if somebody got the wrong idea, you might end up with a little more than a broken heart. If only you had a stress salad right now. Wait, that reminds you. Have you received any messages from Vignette Valencia since you left school? The second you pull out your phone to check, though, your jaw drops awkwardly, seeing a total of ten new messages, all from the most popular girl of Canterlot Prep. Each message basically says the same thing, just with different words. “How was your date with your future husband today? I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details.” Your eyebrow twitches. Part of you is thinking about ignoring her while the other part is dead set on making up some guy that you can use to quell her curiosity. Then again, if you try making up some guy, she’d never let you breathe without trying to get his social media accounts so she can look him up and see if he’s a good match for you. Just as you think about how to respond, though, she sends message number eleven. “I know it’s late, but do you want to grab a milkshake from Sugarcube Corner? It’ll be my treat! Heart, heart, winky face emoji.” “Ugh…” you moan aloud. “Seriously? I just got home… Dangit. Fine, I’ll go! You’d better not pressure me into telling you about this afternoon, though.” You try pushing yourself up from your bed, but fall down in defeat probably six or seven times, groaning in aggravation that someone is making you get up in the first place. As you wobble like a potato on your way up, though, you can see the door to your room gradually begin to open, revealing a curious blue-haired girl standing in the hallway. “Sis?” she says inquisitively. “Are you OK?” “No. The world is trying to make me move, but I don’t want to.” Cozy Glow giggles, opening up the door completely while you finally manage to at least sit up on your bed. “You sure that’s all? From the sounds you were making, I thought you were getting eaten by a polar bear!” Her comment makes you giggle back. “A polar bear? Why not something that actually lives less than a thousand miles away?” “Because you don’t handle the cold well. You seemed suuuper uncomfortable.” After another soft chuckle, you say, “Sorry if I worried you at all. Don’t worry! If I see one sneak into my room, I’ll make the same noise so you can come in and save me!” “Golly! I’d probably let you get eaten at that point!” The two of you then share a long laugh, your cheeks nearly aching from how much you’re smiling until you see Cozy Glow’s eyes turn away, causing your smile to disappear. “Listen, sis… You wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, wouldja?” “What are you talking about? I’d never--” “I saw you and Silver Spoon talking earlier…” Your eyes go wide, a crater forming in your stomach. “I know I may not have made the best choices back home, but I really wanna make friends at my new school. I just wanna make sure you’re not gonna do anything to sabotage me.” You have no idea what you could even possibly say to something like that. She has the wrong idea about you and Silver Spoon, but you’d be lying if you told her that you weren’t secretly hoping that she’d stop making friends. Could she even call them friends? If she’s just using her sweet, innocent charm to get people to like her while continuing to climb up the social ladder, shouldn’t you be trying to stop her? But it’s different with Silver Spoon! “Sis… You’re taking an awfully long time to reply.” “Huh? Oh! I’m sorry. It’s just…” Finally, steeling your resolve, you look Cozy Glow straight in the eyes and say, “I promise I won’t try to sabotage you.” “Oh, thank goodness!” Suddenly, she rushes into your room and buries her face into your stomach, making you laugh quietly while you run your fingers through her curly blue hair. “You and Silver Spoon looked like you were having a pretty serious conversation back there, so it got me kinda worried.” “No, we were just talking about how we both used to live in Ponyville, but there is something I wanted to ask you.” Cozy Glow pulls her face away from your stomach to look you in the eye, causing you to turn your gaze towards the floor. “If you already have Silver Spoon as your friend… why do you need more? How many friends do you need to have before you’re satisfied?” Your sister stares at you uncomfortably, waiting for a punchline, but when nothing else comes, she tilts an eyebrow and says, “Well, that’s a silly question! It’s like asking how much money you need before you’re satisfied. I get that I don’t need a whole bunch of friends to have a good life, but don’t you think that life is always better when you have more of something?” “I guess… I’m just worried about what you’re going to do once you’ve made friends with everybody.” “You mean like declare myself the Empress of Friendship and try to get everyone at school to help me take over?” “...I maaaaaay have been alluding to something like that.” Cozy Glow groans, sliding her palm down her face in annoyance. “Seriously?! You’re gonna bring that up again? I’m reformed now, sis! You don’t have to worry about me so much anymore!” “If you say so…” As your sister begins to raise a curious eyebrow, you finally pull yourself up to your feet and begin walking towards the door. “I’m heading to Sugarcube Corner. Did you want me to bring you something home?” “No, I’m good,” she replies, making you raise your own curious eyebrow. “Just promise me that I can trust you, OK?” As soon as you reach the doorway, you freeze. Meanwhile, as you’re trying to figure out whether or not you can even answer her truthfully, Cozy Glow waits behind you, probably getting just as anxious as you are. Of course the right answer would be to promise her, but if for some reason you ever needed to betray that trust, would she ever be able to forgive you after that? Would you ever be able to forgive yourself? Finally, you turn around, meeting her nervous frown with a bright smile. “I promise. You can always depend on your big sister to have your back for you.” Cozy Glow sighs, placing a hand to her chest, her face relaxing into a small grin. “Thanks, sis. Now, you go on and have fun with your own friends! You uh… You do have friends, right?” Why were you worried about upsetting her again? “Get out of my room!” You plop down onto your seat with a thud, sighing lazily like you’re going soooo far out of your way to have your friend buy you a milkshake for you. Vignette is, as always, scrolling through her social media feed when you arrive, but even though her eyes are completely glued to the newest fashion trends, you can still tell that her main focus is you right now. Almost the second you sit down, Mr. Cake comes by and sets down two milkshakes in front of you, and even as Vignette reaches to grab her own, her eyes never leave the screen. “Thanks, dear,” she says, bringing the straw up to her lip and taking a big sip. “Mmmmm. Raspberry coconut has always been my favorite. You wanted chocolate, right? I hope you don’t mind me ordering for you. I wanted to make sure it was ready by the time you got here.” “Oh, it’s no problem! Thanks, by the way.” “Oh, don’t thank me yet. This is just an investment, after all.” Suddenly, Vignette puts her phone down and places her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she leans in closer. You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. “So! I can imagine you were in shock this morning after falling down. Don’t worry, girl, it happens to all of us. Now that you’ve had a bit of time to gather your zen again, I want to hear all the deets about this boy you met yesterday!” Yup. Straight to the chase. That’s always been Vignette’s style for as long as you’ve known her. You’d love to talk to her about how you met this girl yesterday and how you had a great time talking with her today, but the best part about Silver Spoon is that you can talk to her about things you can’t talk about with Vignette Valencia. This is just another one of those things. “It’s nobody,” you say, taking a sip of your own drink. “I just got somebody’s number yesterday, and it’s just been nice having someone else to talk to.” Vignette gasps. “Oh. Em. GEEEEEE!! You skipped the social profile and went straight for his number?!” “It really wouldn’t be all that weird if you knew the circumstance…” “So what’s his name?!” Vignette bobs her head side to side, waiting patiently with a smile on her face, but even with a name like Silver Spoon, you know she’d be able to tell you’re talking about a girl. Then that would lead to even more questions you don’t want to answer. Honestly, you knew this onslaught was going to happen, but you thought you’d at least get a milkshake out of the deal rather than wait for it to happen at school the next day. “Heheh,” you mumble, taking another sip while your eyes fall between your knees. “Funny story about that...” “Oops--Hold that thought! I just got a text.” You mentally wipe the sweat from your forehead as Vignette whips out her phone again, tapping the screen at mach speeds that would probably break your thumbs. Once she puts it back down again, though, she giddily cheers in her seat. “Ohhhh, Anon, you’ll never guess who that was! Go ahead and guess. You’ll never get it. You want me to tell you?” “Uh… OK?” “I just got a DM from Feather Bangs!” You expected her to say some name you’ve never heard of, but to your surprise, your jaw finds itself falling just as you’re about to take another sip of your milkshake. “Wait! When you say Feather Bangs, do you mean that Feather Bangs?!” “The one who was just featured on the cover of Canterlot Beat? YES!” Great. Another celebrity talking to Vignette Valencia, and the worst part is that he goes to your school! If he confesses his feelings to her, there’s no way she’ll be able to turn down someone like him! Granted, you thought the same thing about Prince Blueblood, but how can someone turn down two celebrities in one lifetime, let alone in the course of one week?! But wait! If she starts dating him, then she’ll feel so bad about you being alone that she’ll have to set you up with someone, and then your plan to marry a future billionaire will be back in action! Oh, wait. Crap. She still thinks you have the hots for someone who goes to a different school, which is tooootally wrong… right? You’re not quite ready to abandon this plan that you’ve been developing for months all because of some stupid crush, are you? “W-what did he say?” you ask timidly, almost hiding behind your milkshake. “He said that he wants to do a meetup tomorrow and take a couple selfies to cross-promote each other’s profiles! Ooooooooo, isn’t that just fantastique?!” You give her a small, sincere grin. “Yeah. I’m really happy for you, Vignette.” “Happy for me? Girl, don’t go acting like you’re not gonna be there with me tomorrow.” You tilt your head to the side, trying to figure out how you could possibly contribute to two celebrities cross-promoting their social media following. “Uh… I don’t want to sound like I’m being ungrateful or anything, but… why am I going again?” “How else can you BYBB, babe? Maybe being part of this once in a lifetime experience will help you get out of that little introvert shell you’re always hiding in and get your own following going! Just think of how much you could grow from this! I mean, you’re fine as is of course, but as I always say, ‘BY, BB.’” Dangit. That means you have to do more makeup than just your eyeliner tomorrow. Ugggghhhhh--Wait! Hold the mother freaking phone! This could actually work out in your favor! Not just because actually putting effort into your makeup would probably get more guys to notice you in general, but also because if you legitimately started getting a following like Vignette Valencia, your plan to marry a billionaire might actually work! If she helps you get popular, maybe you’ll start having boys confess to you! ...But what about Silver Spoon…? You shake your head, waving off your inner conflict and look into Vignette’s face with determination in your eyes. “I can’t wait!” “Atta girl! Oh, shoot! I came all this way trying to find out more about your love life, but I have so much preparing I have to do now! You won’t mind if we postponed our little vis-à-vis for another time, would you? I promise I’ll totes make it up to you later.” You roll your eyes and giggle quietly. “You’ve done enough for me already.” Plus now she won’t interrogate you about Silver Spoon anymore. “You go and get ready for tomorrow. I’ll see you at school, OK?” “Thanks, girl!” Vignette doesn’t even wait until she’s made it out of her seat to reach over and wrap her arms around you in a big hug. “See you tomorrow at school! Don’t forget to look cute!” You wave goodbye as she rushes out the door, smiling to yourself before taking another sip of your milkshake. As excited as you are about the photoshoot tomorrow, you’re more happy about your friend getting the chance to take her own career to the next level. She really does deserve all the success she has. It’s still a wonder why she decided to be best friends with you, but you’re not exactly going to complain about it. Even when she’s doing something for herself, she always finds a way to make you a part of it, and somehow, your life always ends up better because of her. Still, though, even despite how excited you are to join her in her journey of influence, you’re a little at war with yourself, debating whether you really want to go through with it after all. Of course, on paper, it sounds like the best opportunity you’ve ever had, one that most girls your age would throw someone into traffic for! Not only are you getting to meet the newest face of music and fashion, but you get to take pictures with him and work with him behind the scenes! What kind of stupid girl would even think of blowing off an opportunity like that? But you’ve had so much fun with Silver Spoon recently… Oh, stop it, Anon! You’ve known her for like two days! Even if you do have a crush on her, it’s not like it would be the worst thing in the world if you were to develop feelings for a boy your own age too. In fact, maybe it would even be better this way! Yeah, that’s definitely the best decision you could make. Just forget about her for now and go back to your plan of marrying into a wealthy family where you’ll never have to worry about money or-- “Excuse me, miss.” You immediately blink, turning your face to see a very awkward-looking Mr. Cake peering down at you with a small piece of paper in his hand. “I’ve got the check for you whenever you’re ready.” You blink again, looking down at the paper he’s handing you. Once you see the number written on the bottom of the page, though, your eyes grow wide and your face turns red. “Vignette, you jerk!” For the third time today, you collapse with a *thud* onto whatever is soft enough to catch you without causing you pain from the gravitational impact. In this case, it’s your bed, and it’s doing a very good job of making you want to stay there forever. You know that this is probably about when you should get started on your homework, but you can’t right now. Your bed is holding you hostage, and it won’t let you go without a get-away vehicle and some snacks. *bzzt!* Or a message from your phone. With your hair dangling over your face, you lazily lift yourself up and pull your phone off of your nightstand, unlocking the screen to see who the new message is from. You expect it to be Vignette Valencia apologizing for rushing off without paying the bill like she said she would, but the name on display makes your breath catch in your chest. “Hey, Anon. Got a minute?” You tilt an eyebrow as you curiously text back, “Yeah! What’s up?” Then, just a few mere seconds after sending your message, your phone begins to vibrate, although this time, the entire screen is glowing. “Incoming call from Silver Spoon,” it says. As stupid as it sounds in your head, you’re kind of hesitant to answer her. You just promised yourself a half-hour ago that you’d forget about this girl and focus on keeping your feelings reserved for someone at Canterlot Prep. Still, though, even despite how firm your resolve was earlier, you see your thumb slowly moving towards the answer button, and before you realize what you’re doing, it’s already slid to the other side of the screen. Shoot! What do you do now? You can’t just hang up on her. That’d be totes rude! Crap. Now Vignette Valencia is starting to rub off on you. Hopefully that doesn’t become a thing. You’re already awkward enough as it is. “Uhh… hello? Is anybody there?” “H-h-hi, Silver Spoon!” you mutter, pulling the phone to your ear out of reflex. Your hand is still shaking a little, but somehow, hearing her voice has at least calmed down your heart a smidgen. “Did you need anything?” “Not really. I was just kinda bored. Diamond Tiara has ballet classes right now, and since our conversation got cut off earlier, I thought I’d see what you’re up to.” Suddenly, your body stops shaking entirely. Just hearing that she wanted to talk to you for no reason in particular makes the tension in your muscles disappear altogether. With a smile on your face, you pull your hair behind your ear, lean back on your bed and pull a pillow into your chest, getting cozy like you’d normally do for one of your longer phone calls. “Really? You wanted to talk to me? What about Cozy Glow? I’m sure she’d like to hear from you right now.” “Cozy Glow? I don’t have her number.” “Oh…” Your smile begins to fade a little, realizing that a conversation you were hoping to last a little bit longer might come to a halt already. “Did you want me to give it to you? I don’t think she’d mind.” “That’s alright. I don’t think she’d get much from talking to me right now anyway.” Yes! You pump a fist in victory before realizing that you’re celebrating one of your little sister’s friends wanting to spend time with you more than her. That’s probably mean, now that you think about it. “So what about your other friends?” you ask, slapping your hand to your forehead as soon as the words come out of your mouth. “I mean, I’m sure there are other kids your age who’d probably be way more fun to talk to than me, don’t you think?” “Mmmm, not really. I’ll get to see them at school tomorrow, so I’d rather talk to you right now.” Your cheeks begin to blush a bright pink, and even though you want to smile, you feel like your face would break if you moved it at all. “So what are you up to?” “Well, I should probably be doing my homework right now…” “Nah. You can do that later. Let’s talk about when you can come over. How does Saturday sound to you? That way you can come by without Cozy Glow getting suspicious.” But that’s so far away! “Yeah,” you reply. “I think Saturday works for me, but do you think Cozy Glow should come along?” “You can bring her if you want. If she finds out you’re coming, it would be weird not to invite her, but I don’t think we’d have as much fun as if it were just you and me.” Everything she says makes you blush! Seriously, has anyone beside Vignette Valencia ever made you feel this important before?! “By the way, Anon, there’s something I wanted to tell you.” You gulp. “Y-yeah?” “You need to quit worrying, already! I promise I have friends at school, and I promise that Cozy Glow is one of them. You don’t need to feel weird about talking to me anymore.” You pull your knees into your pillow and hug it tighter. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I guess I’ve just had a lot going through my mind recently.” “Like what?” Like how my heart beats faster whenever I think about you. “Like how today my friend invited me to take pictures with her and some guy named Feather Bangs tomorrow.” “Feather Bangs?! You mean the one who was just on the cover of Canterlot Beat?!” “I know, right?! Can you believe it?!” “Wow. I can see why you’d have a lot on your mind. Are you nervous at all?” You place a finger to your bottom lip, your eyes travelling up to the ceiling. “Now that I think about it, not really. I get that he’s supposed to be super famous and all, but this is really meant to be more about my friend than me. I’m probably going to be the one behind the camera for most of the pictures.” “Is this the same friend that just had Prince Blueblood confess to her?” “Yeah. Can you believe that? First she gets an actual, living prince to confess his feelings for her, then she has probably the second-most famous guy at Canterlot Prep DM her, telling her that he wants to start a business relationship with her! Why can’t those kinds of things happen to girls like us?” “I dunno, Anon. It seems like you’re hanging around the right crowd. Maybe being popular just runs in your family.” Suddenly, the smile you had on turns into a grimace as you inadvertently grit your teeth. “There’s no way I’m anything like Cozy Glow.” “I know. That’s what I like about you.” Sssshhhhhoooooooooooot! Just when you got your heartbeat under control again, she goes and makes your whole chest tingle! There has to be some way to fight off these emotions she’s making you feel so that you can go back to focusing on Canterlot Prep students again, but even if there is a way to stop feeling these things… is that really what you want? “Anon, do you not like your sister?” The question makes your whole body jerk in reflex. You’re about to blurt out how crazy that idea is, but at the same time, you realize not just how badly you’ve probably been talking about her, but also how many mean things you’ve thought about her recently. “It’s not that I don’t like her. I really do love my little sister, but... we haven’t always gotten along.” “Let me guess. It has something to do with Ponyville, doesn’t it?” You take a minute before you reply. “I’d rather not talk about it.” “Then let’s talk about TV dramas!” The comment makes you crack a half-smile, falling onto your side as you hug your pillow tighter. “You’re into dramas?” “Duh! Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, The OC.” “Weird. I expected all of those TV shows to have horse puns in the name somewhere.” “Why?” “...You know, I’m not sure why.” Suddenly, you hear the voice on the other end begin to giggle, and it makes your heart beat so hard that you don’t even feel how wide you’re smiling right now. “You’re so weird, Anon.” And now you’re laughing right along with her. It feels like it lasts forever, but maybe that’s just because time doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Your mind has blocked out literally all of your surroundings except for the sound of Silver Spoon’s voice. As you talk to her, you don’t feel so nervous anymore, like you can just say anything you’re thinking about without worrying about whether it’s stupid or not. You feel… safe, like no matter what happens, you’ll be OK, and suddenly, all the homework you have becomes a distant memory. Before you realize what’s going on, your heart is filled up with Silver Spoon. And the rest of the world disappears entirely. Author's Note A newcomer approaches...
Chapter 3Your hands shake. Your mouth goes dry. Your eyes open so wide that you can practically see the curvature of the earth. OK, maybe it’s not that big a deal, but it’s still pretty freaking terrifying knowing that this time you’re not just standing in front of a celebrity; you’re shaking hands with him! Feather Bangs, the hottest new face in fashion and music, is looking straight into your eyes, flashing his pearly whites while your knees buckle together, hopefully in a way he doesn’t notice. You probably look ridiculous right now, but hopefully he understands that you’re usually just in the background while Vignette Valencia takes care of all the public relations. Speaking of which! “Feather, this is my bffbb Anon,” she says, pulling out a mirror and doing some last minute makeup touches. “She’s still pretty shy, but I’m trying to help her grow into a beautiful social butterfly.” “Well, she’s certainly already got the beautiful part taken care of. Ha ha.” This would be a really awkward time to faint, but when he’s smiling at you and complimenting you and still shaking your hand--Oh, sweet Celestia! Hopefully your palms don’t get all sweaty! Fortunately, though, he pulls his hand away from your grip, turning his dreamy smile towards Vignette Valencia so that you can turn into a pile of mush on the floor. “Speaking of which, I was thinking we could use the courtyard for some good lighting,” Vignette continues, snapping her makeup kit closed. “Maybe add Clarendon as the main filter, Reyes if we accidentally catch an off blemish and keep Nashville on reserve in case we take one that’ll spark some curiosity in how close we are behind closed doors.” Feather Bangs slides his hands in his pockets with a chuckle, rolling his shoulders back with his head held high. “Talkin’ shop already? Girl, I was hopin’ that you, me and your friend here could take this time to possibly get a little more acquainted first. That is, unless you’d rather not have us taking pictures with the sunset in the background. Ha ha.” Wait. Did he say her friend? Are you that friend? Does that mean that Feather Bangs wants to actually communicate with you rather than spending the whole afternoon just with Vignette?! Shoot! Even after spending a good hour doing your makeup this morning, you still feel underprepared knowing that you’re face to face with the second-biggest celebrity at Canterlot Prep! “As much as I love the enthusiasm,” Vignette begins, showing off her own beautiful smile, “I sadly can’t stay too long. Anon needs to pick up her sister from school in a little bit, and I was hoping she could be here to be an unbiased third party.” Suddenly, Feather Bangs turns towards you, grinning handsomely and making the hair on your neck stick up. “I--” you stutter with a gulp. “I can probably take a day off just this once. Sh-she knows her way home, after all.” “Anon, honey, are you sure? I don’t want you to ignore your own responsibilities all because of a couple selfies.” While it’s true your mom will be mad if she finds out that you abandoned Cozy Glow, you know that your sister wouldn’t exactly go blabbing if she got the opportunity to go home unsupervised. Hopefully she doesn’t get into any trouble on the way, though… Lifting up your head with a semi-confident expression, you say, “Yeah! It’s fine. I’ll text her right now and let her know to head home without me.” Pulling your phone from your skirt pocket, you hesitantly begin typing out your message, praying that you won’t end up regretting this decision later. This is Vignette’s big day, after all, and you’re sure as heck not going to ruin that by letting her put your needs in front of her own like she always does! “You must be quite the responsible young lady for your parents to put your sister in those very delicate hands of yours everyday.” You immediately shriek, slapping your hand to your mouth almost as soon as the sound comes out. Turning your head to the side, you see Feather Bangs right behind you, practically whispering in your ear in his charming, soothing voice. “N-not really,” you say, hiding your phone behind your back like you’re somehow embarrassed to be texting your little sister. “My mom just doesn’t like doing it s-since her school is on my way home anyway…” “Don’t be so quick to sell yourself short now, girl. I’m sure you protect her from all kinds of dangers everyday. Now the only question is if you’ve got someone watchin’ over you too. I wouldn’t want anyone puttin’ a single scratch on that... angelic skin of yours. Ha ha.” “...Vignette? Help!” You slowly begin backing away, holding up your hands as a shield between you and Feather Bangs. It’s not that you don’t appreciate what he’s saying--in fact, it’s kinda making you blush a little--but hearing that kind of talk from someone twelve leagues above you in the social hierarchy is a little more than you can handle right now. “Oh, shoot!” Vignette says, opening up her bookbag and rummaging through it with aggravation in her voice. “Sorry, Feather, but it looks like I left my selfie stick back home. I only live a hop, skip and a jump away. You wouldn’t mind waiting for me while I go get that, would you?” “You’re leaving us alone so you can get a stick?!” you exclaim a little more loudly than you originally anticipated. Both Feather Bangs and Vignette Valencia turn their heads towards you with an eyebrow raised, causing your whole face to burn a bright red as you anxiously giggle, rubbing the back of your neck. “I mean, I’ll keep Feather Bangs company while you’re gone.” “No prob, girl,” the boy responds, flipping his magnificent hair. “It’ll allow more time for your friend and me to get a little more… acquainted. Ha ha.” ‘Please come back soon, Vignette.’ Sadly, Vignette doesn’t waste a moment racing away from the school as fast as she can, and now you’re stuck standing like a mannequin while some cute, famous pretty-boy is standing behind you. What do you normally do with your hands again? For that matter, what do you normally do with your face? Do you normally smile? That doesn’t sound like you, but it would be weird not to smile right now, right? While you place your fingers to your cheeks, though, trying to find something you can do without looking like a painting, Feather Bangs walks towards a nearby bench in the school corridors. “Ahh,” he sighs, falling down comfortably and swinging one leg over his knee. “Why don’t you come take a seat, girl? You look tense.” “Anon.” The pretty-boy raises an eyebrow before you realize that you should probably clarify. “M-my name is Anon.” “Mine’s Feather Bangs, but I know a girl as lovely as you probably ain’t got time for all those long syllables, so you can just call me Feather.” “...O… K?” This whole situation is so weird and unnatural, like you’re a ballerina in the middle of a rock concert or a gamer surrounded by people who aren’t 2-dimensional fictional characters. It’s not that Feather Bangs is a bad guy, but your self-esteem isn’t quite ready to have a one-on-one conversation with him quite yet, especially when your best friend’s reputation is on the line! Still, though, doing your best to wave off your inner demons, you slowly, quietly take one step after another until you arrive at the bench next to him, sitting down as quickly as you can and staring at whatever is straight in front of you. “Anon?” You reflexively turn your head to make eye contact, and as soon as you see his beautiful smile, your cheeks blush a bright pink. “Y-yes?” “Are you… feeling OK?” His eyes then turn to the side of your face, and following his gaze, you notice that you’re making a fist, getting ready to punch yourself in the face. It’s a nervous habit. It helps you to stop overthinking things, but probably not the best thing to do in public. “Yeah!” you respond, trying to play it off like you were really just trying to comb your hand through your hair. “Sorry, F-Feather. I guess I’m just a little nervous without Vignette here.” “Girl--I mean--Anon, you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. I’m just a regular guy, only with nice hair. Ha ha.” The comment makes you inadvertently giggle, causing you to bring your hand to your mouth just in case you look weird doing it. “But you and Vignette seem pretty tight. You two best friends?” You look down at your feet, kicking your legs back and forth. “Yeah, basically since I moved here. I don’t know what she saw in me, but I’m really happy that she decided to be friends with me. I’d be so lost here without her.” “You a transfer student?” “Yeah, from Ponyville. My family had to move kind of abruptly, so I was a little worried it would take me a while to adjust to the new school.” Feather Bangs chuckles, swinging his arms behind his head like a pillow. “Same thing happened to me, if you’d believe it.” You quickly lean forward, turning your face towards him with an eyebrow raised. “Hang on. Are you a transfer student here too?” “Fo sho, girl. I came from this backwater place you ain’t even heard of where everybody was basically the same. We all had the same talents, nobody was more special than anyone else, and even though we was smilin’ all the time, deep down, we all knew that there had to be more to life than trying not to outshine everybody else.” Jeez. You thought you had a rough backstory? ...Yeah, your backstory sucks too. “My sister manipulated her classmates into tying up her school’s headmaster to a chair so she could take over the school.” Feather Bangs immediately whips his neck towards you with a stunned look on his face. “Wait, what?” “Yeah. She didn’t use rope, either. She used chains. Like, where does a grade schooler even get chains? What kind of kid agrees with her that that would even be a good idea? I get that she’s good at persuasion and everything, but--” “Wait, hang on. What was she hoping would happen? Like, she takes over the school, and then what? She doesn’t need to do her homework anymore?” “I have no freaking clue! She said she wanted to be the Empress of Friendship!” Feather Bangs continues to look at you with a quizzical expression until finally, he breaks into emphatic laughter, holding his arms around his stomach with tears beginning to stream down his face. At first you open your mouth in offense, but after seeing him completely fall over in hilarity, you find yourself holding back your own chuckles before you join him in a crazy laughing fit. “Alright,” he says, chuckling one more time. “I think you win that one. I can see why you’d wanna transfer after that.” “Yeah. She says that she’s changed since then, that she’s ‘reformed’ now, but can someone really change that quickly just because of some change in scenery?” “You tell me.” You tilt your head in confusion, but Feather Bangs just smiles in response. “You tellin’ me that you ain’t changed since you moved here?” You put a finger to your lip, trying to think of whether or not anything’s really different about you since you came to Canterlot. Sure, you’ve made friends with Vignette--who’s done plenty to help get you out of your comfort zone--but other than that, are you any different of a person since you first moved here? Not really. You shake your head and say, “Not that I can think of. Maybe a little, but Cozy Glow would have to do a complete 180 for me to stop being worried. Whenever I see her at school, I feel like she’s up to the same tricks she was doing before: making friends, using one friend to meet someone else, spreading her influence as far as she can… and dropping them once they’ve filled their purpose.” You try not to think about it, but your mind immediately goes to Silver Spoon. Has Cozy Glow already gotten everything she’s needed from her by this point? Now that she’s moving up the social ladder as far as she can go, does this mean that you won’t get to see Silver Spoon after school anymore? “No offense, but I think you’re wrong.” You quickly turn your eyes towards Feather Bangs, who once again flashes his pearly whites with the utmost confidence. “I know at least for me, I was so scared coming here where I didn’t know anybody. The only thing I knew was that I wanted this place to be different from the last place, but I never expected to change so much in such a short amount of time. It’s only been two years since I came here, but I am who I am today because I got a fresh new start in a new place. Maybe your sister’s the same.” You roll your eyes and slouch forward, putting your chin in your hands with your elbows on your knees. “You don’t know my sister.” “But I know you.” Once the words leave his mouth, your eyes discreetly turn in his direction with a hint of curiosity. “At least… I’d like to.” “...Feather Bangs…?” “Hey heeeyyyy!” You flinch instinctively, sitting up straight with a nervous look on your face the second Vignette’s voice enters your ears. In the next moment, you see her entering your field of view, leaning forward to catch her breath with a selfie stick in her hand. You have no idea what you’re supposed to be feeling nervous about, but just knowing that she’s here makes you cautious to continue your conversation any further. “Sorry for the wait,” she continues. “Totes worth it for these fab pics we’re gonna take, though. You two have your cameras ready?” “Oh,” you suddenly exclaim, holding up your hands. “No, I don’t need to be in any pictures! I mean, this whole thing was meant to be for you guys, right?” “Come on, Anon,” Feather Bags replies, placing his hand on your shoulder, making your whole body tense up. “Ain’t no reason you can’t be in a few shots too. You’ve got SnapGab, don’t you?” “Yeah, but…” Before you can go on any further, though, Vignette waves a finger with her other hand on her hip. “Ah, ah, ahhh! We’ve both decided. You’re gonna take pictures with us and that. Is. Final.” Well… Can’t say you didn’t see something like this happening. Vignette holds out her hands to help you back up to your feet, giving you a big grin, just like the boy next to you. Even though you knew that you were going to be in at least a few pictures, however (which is why you spent so much time on your hair and makeup this morning anyway), you didn’t expect to be in more than a couple. Based on how many pictures Vignette normally takes for her social media profiles, you’d be surprised if she took fewer than a hundred today, and she wants you to be in them? With Feather Bangs?! “Are you really sure about this?” You don’t even bother to see how they react, instead turning your eyes down to your shoes with your hand rubbing up and down your elbow. “I mean… You two are so famous already. I’m still a nobody…” Suddenly, you feel a hand on your shoulder, and in the next moment, you feel a completely different hand on your other shoulder. Once again, you lift your head to see both of them smiling at you. “Then I guess it’s time we change that,” Vignette says gently. “Yeah, girl,” Feather adds. “Once the world sees who you are, they won’t be able to get enough of you.” How… How can people be so nice to you?! What did you even do to deserve people like this in your life?! You want to deny their offer, just because you’ve done nothing worthy of being popular or successful like them, but you know they’d just make you do it anyway. Instead, you hold back a tear and nod your head, making them smile even wider. Once again, you find yourself thankful to have Vignette as a friend. Whatever you do in your life, the one thing you know for sure is that you’ll never do anything that will ever, ever hurt her... Hopefully… You open your front door as quietly as you can, tiptoeing through the entrance and slowly closing it shut without making a single sound. Then, as you silently begin removing your shoes, you see the one person enter the hallway who you were reeeeeally hoping you could avoid right now. “Uhh… Hi, mom. I’m home!” “And just where do you think you’ve been, young lady?!” You flinch from the piercing voice echoing in your ears. You can’t really say that you didn’t see this coming from a mile away, though. “You know, funny story! I met a boy today, and you know how that goes sometimes, right mom? You know what I mean, mom? Why are you looking at me like that, mom?” With a low groan, however, your mother pinches the bridge of her nose, making you bite your lip as you wonder whether you should run away now or later. “Anon, do you really not understand that when I tell you to pick up your sister and come straight home, that includes whether or not you meet any boys?” “...You wanna see the pictures we took? I promise they look really good!” Again, she folds her arms with a sigh, giving you that disappointed look that you hope doesn’t last long. “You’re lucky she came home with a friend today. Otherwise you’d probably be grounded right now.” Your ears suddenly perk up. “A friend?! Who?!” The woman in front of you, though, raises a curious eyebrow. “She’s upstairs playing with Cozy Glow right now. I don’t know why it matters, but you’re more than welcome to go see for yourself.” “Thanks, mom! Bye, mom!” You then race up the stairs as fast as you can, not only to avoid possibly (probably) getting your butt whooped, but also to get a certain crazy notion out of your head. Cozy Glow has tons of friends. It can’t really be her… can it? Once you reach the top of the stairs and open up the door to her room, though, your eyes widen and your heart stops. “Heyyyy! You’re supposed to knock first, you know!” Sitting there in her room is a girl with beautiful silver hair, large, cyan glasses, a small, fragile frame, and big, purple eyes looking up at you with curiosity. Once she sees you, though, her bewildered face begins to soften into a smile, causing your heart to melt inside your chest. Oh, and there’s also your sister, but she doesn’t look surprised as much as annoyed. “Anon? Hey! Are you listening?” “Hueh?” Finally, you realize that Cozy Glow has been trying to get your attention this whole time, making Silver Spoon giggle quietly. Why does that sound make your heart throb so much…? “O-oh! Sorry, Cozy Glow. I just heard that you had a friend over and wanted to see who it was.” “Ugh. I told you, sis! I’m reformed now! You don’t have to worry about me so much anymore!” You turn your head one more time towards Silver Spoon, who looks more than pleased to take over the conversation from here. “Maybe she should stay and play with us, just so we can prove that she has nothing to worry about.” ““WHAT?!”” you and Cozy Glow exclaim in unison. “No way jose, Silver Spoon,” Cozy says. “This room is off limits to smelly high-schoolers.” “B-besides,” you add quickly, “I don’t want to interrupt your tea party.” Suddenly, your sister looks up at you with one eyebrow furrowed angrily. “Tea party?! That’s it! Get in here, Anon! We’re gonna teach you how to play Truth Cards.” You scrunch your mouth to the side of your face, still hesitant about joining the two of them in whatever they’re doing, but once Silver Spoon pats the floor beside her, you quickly fall to your knees like a dog. In the next moment, Cozy Glow shuffles a deck of cards in her hand and fans them out so that each one is visible, displaying them in front of you and her friend. “Alright, Anon. Pick out whichever one you want.” You nod your head and pick out the one that looks closest to the middle, followed by Silver Spoon, who grabs one further to the right. Then, once you’ve both picked out your cards, Cozy Glow hands the deck to Silver Spoon, who then shuffles them herself and fans them out for Cozy Glow, who picks her own card seemingly at random. “Ready, girls?” You look over at the girl next to you to see if there’s anything you’re missing, but after she nods her head, you quickly nod yours as well. “OK! Let’s see what you got!” Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon then turn over their cards, revealing a three of clubs and a nine of spades respectively. Once you turn over your own card, though, the others gawk at what you picked out. “Wow!” Silver exclaims. “Good job, Anon!” “A queen already?! Seriously?!” You look back and forth between Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon with a question mark hovering over your head. “What? What does that mean?” “It means you have the highest-value card,” your sister explains. “The one with the highest card gets to ask a personal question to the person with the lowest card, which in this case would be…” She doesn’t even need to finish her sentence. Once you look at the cards again, you see Silver Spoon’s eyes look up at you with a small smirk emerging on her face. You suddenly understand why the game is called “Truth Cards,” and now that things are starting to click, you feel a lump growing in your throat. Meanwhile, her smile continues to grow wider, and just trying to think of a personal question that isn’t too personal is starting to make your hands shake. “Go ahead, Anon. You can ask me anything.” Oh crap oh crap oh crap!! Why is there so much pressure all of a sudden?! Don’t overthink this, Anon! Just ask her anything! “What…” you mumble, taking a big gulp before continuing. “What color is your… uh…” As you try thinking of something, Cozy Glow puts her hand over her mouth and whispers in your ear, “Underwear! Say underwear!” “T-toothbrush?” Your younger half slaps her hand to her face, shaking her head while Silver Spoon chuckles softly, making your cheeks burn in embarrassment. “My toothbrush? Pink. I guess that’s technically something I’ve never told anyone before.” “Probably because it’s so lame!” Cozy Glow says annoyedly. “OK, let’s try this again, but next time, do a good question!” Once again, Cozy Glow shuffles her deck of cards, fans them out and allows you and Silver Spoon to grab cards at random. Then, once she’s finished, Silver Spoon grabs the deck and repeats the process for her to pick out her own card. Once you see the card you picked out, you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you probably won’t be the one asking the question this time, but that’s when your air catches in your chest at what that probably means instead. “Round 2! Let’s see what you’ve got!” Cozy Glow then flips over a seven of diamonds, followed by Silver Spoon flipping over the ace of spades. You want to feel relieved that you avoided being the center of attention, but once you show the others what card you got, they begin to cackle deviantly. “A five, huh? Sorry, sis. Guess you lose this round.” You can’t tell who would be worse to get a question from, Silver Spoon or your sister. On the one hand, Cozy Glow would probably ask you the most personal, most embarrassing questions that the human brain could possibly conceive. On the other, though, your heart starts to beat even faster when you think of what kind of things Silver Spoon could ask you. Would they be personal? Would they be embarrassing? Would they change her opinion of you…? “Now, what could I possibly ask Anon?” Silver Spoon asks, placing her finger on her lip with a devilish chuckle. “Oh, I know! Have you ever kissed anyone before?” Your eyes go wide, your cheeks burn up, and all the while, your sister falls onto her back laughing at your expense. “Good one, Silver! Well, sis? You gotta answer the question, and remember, no fibbing!” “Er… uh… Well, you see…” You bump your index fingers together, looking down at the carpet with a gulp. “Oh! I think I hear mom calling. I’ll be right back.” “Oh, no you don’t!” Right as you pull yourself up to your legs, Cozy Glow immediately latches onto your wrist, nearly pulling you arm out of its socket as you hastily try making your way out of her bedroom. “You knew what the rules were when you agreed to play!” “No, I didn’t!” “Same difference!” Then, you feel your muscles begin to give out. Just as you were about to use all the adrenaline in your veins to rush out of Cozy Glow’s room, you hear Silver Spoon begin to crack up, quietly at first until she falls backwards, kicking her legs wildly. It doesn’t matter whether or not she’s laughing at your expense. Suddenly, you want to stay there for as long as you can, just so you can continue to hear her soft, beautiful voice. You don’t understand how she could possibly have this much power over you, yet for whatever reason, it’s working out in her favor. Finally, kneeling back onto the floor again, you rub the back of your head and smile along with her. “No,” you say, “I still haven’t kissed anyone yet. Kinda weird for someone my age, isn’t it?” “Are you serious?! HA!” Now Cozy Glow’s the one rolling around laughing, yet somehow, you don’t feel the same gentle reaction when she does it. Silver Spoon, though, composes herself enough to pull herself off the floor, covering her mouth and shaking her head after getting out a couple last-minute giggles. “I don’t think it’s weird, Anon. It just means you’re waiting for someone special, right?” “Pssh,” Cozy Glow scoffs, pulling herself back into a sitting position. “I think she’s just too scared to kiss anyone. Really, Anon. Are you telling me that at seventeen years old, you still haven’t met anyone special yet?” ‘Well, duh. Making sure you stay out of trouble basically prevents me from forming lasting relationships with people.’ Before you can make any snarky comments, though, you see Silver Spoon grabbing onto her knees, tilting her head with curiosity to the question. She’s wearing that cute, innocent smile again, and now your cheeks are burning so much that there’s no way you can say anything mean or sarcastic. You have to be strong, though! You can’t let Silver Spoon find out! Just thinking it, though, basically solidifies what you were afraid of admitting this whole time. You really do like this girl… and it terrifies the crap out of you... “No, Cozy Glow… I still haven’t found anyone special yet…” The words sting like poison as they leave your mouth, making you externally cringe from having to lie to the one girl you want to impress. Then, turning away altogether, you pull yourself back up to your feet, trying not to look directly into her face, which quickly transforms into confusion. If you stay there much longer, though, you know that she’s just going to find out sooner or later. If Silver Spoon were to realize just how much you think about her… you might never be able to see her again... “Sorry, girls,” you say, already moving towards the door. “I have a lot of homework to do.” “Huh? Since when do you do your homework?” “I… didn’t say anything wrong, did I?” You pivot on your heels, reflexively looking into Silver Spoon’s eyes, which are now starting to quiver in doubt. You want nothing more than to rush over and pull her into a big hug, stroking your fingers through her hair while telling her that there’s nothing she could possibly do wrong. You know you can’t do that, though. Instead, you gulp, holding your emotions in your gut so that you can give her a big, fake smile. “Of course not. I just have a test coming up, and I need to do as much studying as I can.” Silver Spoon’s eyebrows continue to point upwards in concern--even though you’re pretty sure that you just did the best acting job in the history of all of Equestria--but regardless, she nods her head. Cozy Glow, meanwhile, shrugs her shoulders indifferently. “Whatever you say, sis. Remember to knock next time, though! You scared the bejeebers out of me earlier!” You nod in Cozy Glow’s direction before turning your attention towards Silver Spoon, hesitantly waiting for her permission to leave. Then, after she gives you a small smile that makes all the butterflies in your chest disappear, she nods her head too, finally giving you the opportunity to release the tension in your stomach. You still don’t quite get how she can rattle your brain and soothe your heart at the same time, but the more time you spend thinking about it, the more awkward it’ll be to leave. Without wasting another moment, you walk out of Cozy Glow’s room and close the door behind you, sliding your back against the hallway wall and breathing out a long sigh of relief. That was a close call, way too close for comfort, but if you’d stayed there much longer, there’s no doubt that Silver Spoon would have caught on that you-- *bzzt!* Suddenly, you slap your hand to your mouth right as you’re about to make an embarrassing high-pitched noise that they’d probably be able to hear from the other side of the door. After waiting a second to make sure that nobody is going to come out and catch you looking suspicious, you quietly inch along the wall to your bedroom and softly shut the door behind you. Then, pulling your phone out of your pocket, you flop onto your bed and quickly start scrolling through your notifications. Of course, not to your surprise, you see one new message from Vignette Valencia. “Hey, girl! The pics we took turned out FLAWLESS! OMG, you look so cute in all of them! I just published mine on all my platforms, and you wouldn’t believe the following I’m getting! You need to upload yours too if you wanna start getting your own following. It’d be kinda selfish of Feather and me to get famous and leave you behind, after all.” You silently chuckle to yourself, texting back about how you don’t need any fame until suddenly, she sends you another message… and your eyebrow raises in curiosity. “Listen, Anon. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about… It’s Feather Bangs. After you left, he and I decided to stay and chat some more, and, well… I’m not sure how I should say this, but…” … “I… I think I fell in love with him, Anon. I don’t think I’ve ever had feelings this strong for anyone in my entire life. Ohhhh, I probably sound so impulsive right now. Text me back, ASAP! xoxo” Wow. Vignette finally found someone she likes?! You knew she wouldn’t be able to resist both of Canterlot Prep’s most famous boys, but now that she’s actually found someone, it’s actually kinda exciting! You quickly begin typing a message to respond with how happy you are for her, but halfway into your message, you get another message, and your thumbs stop moving altogether. “Hey, sorry if I made things a little weird back there. It was worth it, though. You look so cute when you’re flustered like that. Lol!” How do people normally breathe? You normally do it so easily, but after seeing Silver Spoon’s message, you suddenly forget how your respiratory system is supposed to work. Are you supposed to use your nose or mouth? Or both at the same time? Wait, can you breathe through both at the same time? Shoot! You’re supposed to be texting Vignette right now! Coming back to your senses, you pull up your friend’s message again and reply, “That’s awesome! Are you gonna see him again tomorrow?” Once you hit the send button, it only takes a matter of seconds before Vignette texts you back. “You know it! I’m actually super nervous, though. We were planning to meet up a little later after school tomorrow. Could you do me a favor and come hang out with us after you drop off your little sister? It would mean so much to me!” Her message makes you smile. “Of course I’ll be there! You can count on me! Heart, heart, winky face emoji.” Almost immediately, your phone buzzes again. “Thanks, Anon! You’re the best! Don’t worry, we’ll find someone for you too!” You roll your eyes and flip onto your back. As fun as it sounds going on double dates with Vignette and Feather Bangs, for some weird reason, the idea of dating someone from Canterlot Prep doesn’t give you the same rush as it used to. You know that it doesn’t make logical sense, considering that your long-term plans haven’t changed at all recently, but somehow, you’d be happy if things just stayed as they are now. Then, just as you’re about to put your phone away, you feel your phone buzz again, making you lift a curious eyebrow as you bring it back up to your face, and suddenly, your chest begins to burn. “You’re not actually doing your homework, are you?” Does she know?! Did she somehow find out the real reason why you left? No way. That’s impossible. Just play it cool, Anon. Don’t blow your cover. “Yeah, I am! Trigonometry, actually. When do these teachers think I’ll ever need to figure out the angle of a right triangle inside a circle?” … *bzzt!* “Pics or it’s not true.” Did she just call you out?! Crap. That means you’re actually going to have to get started on your homework after all. At least, that’s what you initially think, but after lifting your torso halfway off of your bed, you fall back down, giving up immediately. “Aren’t you hanging out with Cozy Glow right now? What are you doing texting me?” … *bzzt!* “Did you not want me to text you?” ‘Of course I do! I want to talk to you more than anything else in the world right now! I want to tell you about everything I’m feeling, everything I’m thinking about, everything that’s going on in my life. I’m just afraid you’ll find out…’ You shake your head and begin typing out your message for real. “I guess so long as she isn’t getting ignored it’s fine.” “Then let’s play Truth Cards some more! Lol!” Your face immediately turns red, but somehow, you’re still smiling. Even though you’re embarrassed and self-conscious, you aren’t nervous. Just so long as she doesn’t find out about you or your feelings, you should be fine talking to her as much as you want, so please Silver Spoon, for the love of Celestia… ‘...Don’t find out.’ Author's Note Did any of you actually try breathing from your nose and mouth at the same time?
Chapter 4“Here ya go, Anon! Say ‘aaaah'!” How did this end up happening? What cruel trick by God, Celestia or whatever deity rules over this place arranged this exact chain of events? Oh, yeah. After you left school and got to the park where you normally pick up your sister everyday, her friend mentioned a little detail that basically fried your brain. “You know what? I don’t live that far away from you guys, so why don’t I walk home with the both of you!” Plus--oh, and this is the best part--like five minutes into your walk, Cozy Glow managed to find an ice cream stand on the opposite side of the street! At first you tried telling her that you didn’t have the money to pay for three people, but then her friend Silver Spoon offered to pay for you! You couldn’t just let a nine year old pay for your food! You had no choice but to wind up in this situation… right? Still, though, when the three of you got completely different flavors (mostly because Cozy Glow got this gross mint kind and Silver Spoon got a flavor you legitimately couldn’t afford), you didn’t realize that something like this would happen. Now, your cheeks are blushing a bright red, your eyes are wide again, and your jaw is slowly dropping as Silver Spoon smiles that gentle grin that you’ve come to adore. Then, as you weakly give into your cravings, your eyes begin to close and your mouth opens just a little bit wider. Finally, you feel the cold touch of a plastic spoon hitting the top of your tongue, and as you gently bring your lips around it while Silver Spoon gradually pulls it out of your mouth, you finally experience the sweet, decadent taste of butter pecan against your tastebuds. You pull a strand of hair behind your ear, your neck shivering as your brain freezes in more ways than one. It’s the most satisfying, most mind-numbing sensation on the planet, but you can’t help the feeling of guilt in your chest. “Sis, what are you making that face for? I don’t wanna sound rude, but you’re kinda creeping me out right now.” Suddenly, your eyes shoot wide open, nearly causing you to choke on the ice cream in your throat. You then instinctively cover your mouth and turn towards Silver Spoon to see her reaction, but she’s just covering her mouth while she giggles loudly at your expense. How can a human girl have such a beautiful laugh…? “So I’m guessing you enjoyed it?” Silver Spoon asks once you finally stop coughing. “Y-yeah!” you reply, trying to sound natural despite your obvious overenthusiasm. Seriously, why do you suck so bad at acting normal?! “I know! Why don’t you try some too, Cozy Glow!” Your blue-haired sister looks up and down the utensil in Silver Spoon’s hand before grimacing in disgust. “Ew. Gross. Not when your mouth has already been on it.” You tilt an eyebrow. Why would something like that matter when the two of you are sisters? Besides, it’s not like Silver Spoon minds-- Before you can even complete your thought, though, your eyes widen and your neck slowly turns towards the girl in the glasses. Then, your heart thumps violently in your chest as you see Silver Spoon pull her ponytail behind her shoulder and leisurely slide the utensil into her mouth, pulling it back out with a wink that makes your head just about pop. Is she doing this on purpose?! No way. She’s just teasing you, right? But, does that mean she knows?! She can’t, right?! There’s no way she could know… that you’ve secretly fallen in love with her. Then, breaking you away from your thoughts, Cozy Glow pushes herself off of the bench where the three of you are sitting and throws her paper cup and spoon away. As you look down at your own cup, though, you see that you’ve barely made a dent in your ice cream, which is now beginning to drip onto your skirt. “Bwaahh!” “Finished yet, Silver Spoon? I don’t mean to rush you, but it looks like I gotta get Anon home so we can wash her up.” “No, you’re good! Let me just have one more bite.” You then see Silver Spoon scooping up one last bite of ice cream, popping it into her mouth and sighing happily while kicking her legs back and forth in joy. Once you see her look back up at you, though, seeing her glasses falling halfway down her nose, your mouth goes dry and your chest tightens up. Literally everything about this situation is totally normal, but for some reason, it’s making your entire body heat up. “You ready, Anon?” Snap back to reality! “Oh! Yeah!” You then pull yourself up to your feet so fast that your blood barely manages to keep up with gravity. Even with your circulation still trying to make it up to your head, though, your face has managed to remain a deep crimson, burning so hot that it’s probably the real cause behind your melting ice cream. “Oh, by the way,” Silver Spoon says once the three of you begin walking towards your homes again. “Didn’t you say that you had something you were planning on doing later today, Anon?” “Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I’m meeting up with Vignette Valencia and her new boyfriend today because she’s too afraid to spend any time alone with him quite yet.” The silver-haired girl gasps, placing her fingers over her mouth in astonishment. “You mean she’s dating Feather Bangs? Already?!” “Well, they’re not dating just yet, but she’s fallen for him pretty hard.” “Oh, I get it. You’re just there to be the extra push he needs to fall head over heels for her?” “Weeeell, more like just for moral support. You know how Vignette can be sometimes.” Cozy Glow then tilts her head, looking up at you with suspicion all over her face. “Huh? She does? How does Silver Spoon know so much about your personal life? You barely even talk to me about it.” Your jaw drops as a lightning bolt strikes in your mind, along with the sound of plates shattering and literally every other catastrophic event that could possibly occur. By the time you finally manage to turn your face towards your sister, her suspicious expression has only solidified, making your teeth chatter anxiously. Should you tell her that you and Silver Spoon have been texting each other after school? Maybe you could play it off like a coincidence! Vignette was with you the day you met, after all! “Silver Spoon knows about Vignette because--” “Because me and Anon talk about her over the phone.” ‘Gaaaaaaahhhh! Silver Spoon! What are you doing?!’ Cozy Glow, though, folds her arms with her cheek puffed out. “Really? You two talk over the phone? Come on, Silver Spoon! You really think I’m silly enough to fall for a trick like that? Actually, now that I think about it, Anon probably just thinks you actually listen to her boring friendship stories. No offense, sis.” Your mouth gapes in anger, but as the three of you walk, Silver Spoon slows down just enough to give you a smug shrug that Cozy Glow won’t be able to notice. Actually, now that you think about it, maybe she made the right choice after all. If your sister winds up finding out about the two of you later, at least you can legitimately tell her that you’ve tried being honest with her already. Even if Cozy Glow does find out about you and Silver Spoon, though, it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong in the first place. Would it really be that weird if the two of you just so happened to share a mutual friend? “Besides,” she continues, “don’t you think it would be super weird if you and my sister were friends?” ...You’re so happy you decided to keep everything a secret from her now. Silver Spoon, though, chuckles and shakes her head, swishing her ponytail from shoulder to shoulder. “I don’t think so. You’re friends with lots of people, after all, so why would it be weird if your sister was friends with lots of people too?” “Well, that may be true…” As the three of you continue walking, Cozy Glow puts her thumb to her lip, thinking pensively. “I guess it’s just weird for me to imagine Anon being anything other than a social outcast.” “I’m right here, Cozy Glow! I can hear everything you’re saying!” “Am I wrong, though?” “...Did you not hear the part where I mentioned that I’m hanging out with two of the most popular kids at school after this?!” Your sister doesn’t even seem to hear your rebuttal, instead turning toward her friend and ignoring you completely. “I guess you may have a point, Silver Spoon. If you do decide to be friends with Anon, I’m just happy knowing that she’ll be taken care of.” You grit your teeth in annoyance, but Silver Spoon giggles, subtly turning her glance in your direction. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll take good care of her.” *badump!* Before you can even respond, however, you walk face-first into a light pole, immediately grabbing onto your nose, which is probably bleeding at this point. Then, pulling your hand away to see the damage while holding back tears, you see that the only thing damaged is your pride, allowing you to sigh a breath of relief. “Jeez, sis. Watch where you’re going.” “Maybe I should stop distracting her,” Silver Spoon says, obviously trying not to laugh at your pain. “My house is this way anyway. I’ll see you two tomorrow, right?” “Yup! Don’t forget, you still have to introduce me to Emerald Green tomorrow!” “Don’t worry, I will. Bye, Cozy Glow! Bye, Anon!” The three of you wave goodbye, and in the next moment, she’s already turned the corner, making you somehow feel both relief and a twinge of emptiness. Even though your heart was pounding anxiously the entire time she was there, you couldn’t stop smiling, which gradually got harder to hide the more time you spent together. In fact, even now, you feel yourself grinning like a lunatic despite your nose probably being bent at a weird angle, but when you look down at Cozy Glow, you see her staring at the ground, the smile she was wearing just a second ago having disappeared completely. Before you can ask her what’s wrong, though, she slowly reaches for your hand and begins walking down the sidewalk again, tugging you along with her. “I’m sorry I said all those mean things,” she says quietly. “I guess I just want to sound more popular than I really am.” You raise an eyebrow. “Huh? How come?” A few seconds pass before she speaks again, her gaze still trapped on the concrete a few feet in front of her. “You know, I don’t really care all that much about meeting Emerald Green. If I can be friends with her friends, though, then that means that me and Silver Spoon’ll be even better friends, right?” You tilt your head in curiosity. “Yeah? I guess so. Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?” Again, she waits to answer the question, but when she does, she finally looks into your eyes. “I think I finally understand what friendship is.” Her statement makes the corners of your lips turn towards your cheeks. You still have no idea what she’s talking about, but this is the first time you’ve ever heard her talk about friends as anything other than a tool! “That’s great, Cozy Glow! But, uh… just so we’re on the same page… you wanna tell me what that is, exactly?” “Yeah... All this time, I’ve always thought that everyone thought the same as me, like everything was one big game where you’re trying to be the one on top all the time and you’re just using everyone else to get there. I just thought I was better at it than everyone else.” “That does make sense…” A little twisted, but it still makes sense, especially in a school setting where popularity is practically everything that matters. As weird as it is, though, you can see why she’d think that pretty much everyone would have the same thought process as her. “B-but just so we’re clear, you don’t think that anymore, right?” “Maybe… After meeting Silver Spoon, and seeing how nice she is to you, even though there’s no way she could get anything from you, it made me wonder if I was in the wrong this whole time! She’s super pretty, she has lots of friends, and she’s got basically everything she could ever ask for, but she still goes out of her way to spend time with you and me! I’m gonna be honest with you, sis. I was actually lying when I said I was reformed.” “...You don’t say…” “But you know what? I’ve actually had a lot of fun spending time with the three of us after school! Don’t quote me on this; I could still end up changing my mind later, but maybe I’m just now starting to put things together. Maybe I can still be happy just living a normal life like everyone else, even if that means I’m not the most important person in all of Canterlot.” And you thought you had self-esteem issues? Still, though, it sounds like your sister’s finally getting a grasp on how to function in society like a normal person, which would bring a smile to any big sister’s face. Not only that, but now that she’s starting to see Silver Spoon as a friend rather than a tool, maybe that means that days like this where the three of you can hang out together will happen more often. You then give Cozy Glow the biggest grin you can, squeezing onto her hand to transmit some of your joy into her, but still, she continues to frown, looking down at her shoes as she walks. “I just hope that I don’t change too much and end up losing everybody.” Suddenly, your smirk disappears. “Hey, Cozy?” You stop walking out of nowhere, leaving your sister with an eyebrow raised as she turns in your direction. Once she sees your face, though, you’re already eye level, squatting down wearing another big smile. “You remember when you were younger and I used to give you piggyback rides everywhere?” “Yeeeeeaaaahhhh? Why?” “Well, we aren’t too far from home. Why don’t you hop on and I’ll take you the rest of the way there?” The blue-haired girl looks like she’s about to decline your offer, but she knows as well as you do that you’re not always going to be this nice to her. Then, rolling her eyes, she says, “Fiiine. Just warn me if you’re about to drop me.” As she gets onto your back, wrapping her arms around your collar, you immediately regret the decision, realizing how heavy she’s gotten relative to how little you’ve grown. Still, though, once the initial pain is over and you’ve pulled yourself back up to your feet, everything else seems to disappear other than the sound of her laughter. How long has it been since you’ve made Cozy Glow laugh like that? After all the time you’ve spent worrying or complaining about her, how much time have you spent actually trying to make her happy? Then, you take your first step back towards your home, and all the weight on your shoulders disappears in the sound of your sister’s joy. ‘Don’t worry, Cozy Glow. From now on, I’m gonna be the best big sister ever. I promise.’ “Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, craaaap!! I’m the worst best friend ever!” By the time you make it into Sugarcube Corner, you’re sweating profusely, heaving in deep, heavy breaths while you lean your hand against a neighboring wall. You barely manage to see Vignette’s annoyed-yet-concerned expression through the corner of your eye with your face and entire upper body parallel to the floor below. Luckily Feather Bangs isn’t here yet, but that’s actually pretty surprising considering the fact that you arrived no less than thirty minutes late. “So… sorry… came… fast… could…” “Calm down, girl,” she responds, carrying you by the armpits and lowering you onto a nearby stool. “You know me, always thinking five steps ahead. I had a feeling something like this would happen, which is why I made sure to give us one hour before Feather Bangs got here, just to take care of any last minute deets.” You immediately raise your head with your eyebrows furrowed. “What?! So he’s not even gonna show up for another half hour?” “Which means we’re going to have way less time to work on our makeup than I thought. Here, let me take care of your eyeliner. Look up at me real quick.” Admittedly, you’re happy that you can get your makeup done here rather than doing it before you left just to have it all running down your face with sweat by the time you arrived. Even better, though, is the fact Vignette Valencia isn’t totally upset with you for showing up late, even though she did mislead you on the actual start time. “So what were you up to that got you so distracted, girl?” she continues. “Was it that boy I’ve heard so much about? I bet it was.” “Actually…” The real story is that after that piggyback ride you gave Cozy Glow, you were so tired that you immediately fell asleep the moment you walked inside, but she probably doesn’t need to know all the details. “...I was just really tired. It wasn’t until you called that I actually realized what time it was.” “Ahhhh, I see. You did sound like you just woke up when I spoke with you earlier. Look this way for me.” You then turn your head so that Vignette can do your makeup from another angle. You’re still a little peeved that you’re going to have to spend the next thirty minutes doing each other’s makeup, but the important part is that everything turned out OK. “So… Feather Bangs, huh?” “Oh. Em. Gee! You have no idea. It feels like everything that happened yesterday was a total dream! I’m going to sound silly saying this, but I’m gonna say it anyway. When I woke up this morning, I had to check my texts just to make sure that it actually happened, and the messages were still there! I mean, yes, he’s so hot that I want to eat my morning breakfast off of his lips, only without the morning breakfast, but he actually gets me! We actually have things in common!” “Yeah,” you respond, looking down despite Vignette still working on your eyes. “I’m sorry that I don’t really share much of the same interests as you.” Vignette then pulls her pencil away and puts her hands to her hips. “Anon, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” “Yeah, I know, but still…” It doesn’t change the fact that you don’t really provide much to the friendship, other than right now, but if she and Feather Bangs hit it off, what does that mean for your friendship then? “I think we’re basically done with your eyeliner anyway. Your mascara’s already looking good, so why don’t we just do your eyebrows real quick?” You again adjust your face into a proper position while Vignette pulls out another utensil and begins sculpting her canvas. “Besides, you’ve got your own boy toy you’re playing with already, don’t you? I still haven’t heard a single thing about him yet! Girl, can I at least get his name or something?” You’re about to shake your head as vehemently as humanly possible, but thankfully, once she asks the question, your whole body freezes up. At least you can rest easy knowing that Feather Bangs isn’t going to walk in and see you with a fake unibrow. On your forehead. Oh! Speaking of which! “He--He’s here! Already?! I--Oh--You--Maybe--G-get down! Before he sees us!” Vignette suddenly pulls her utensil away and pushes your head below the back of a nearby booth, scouting over the chair like she’s on a reconnaissance mission. You hope you don’t have unmatched eyebrows, but more importantly, you’re kind of surprised that she’s acting this way when she was the one who invited him in the first place. “What are you waiting for?” you whisper loudly. “Go talk to him!” “He’s twenty minutes early! I thought I’d planned for everything, but I didn’t think he was this much of a gentleman!” “...That’s good, though, right?” “Not in this specific situation! Ohhh, I still haven’t prepped my feminine voice for when I laugh at all of his jokes yet! Ha-haaaah. Hahaaa? How did that one sound?” “Get out there, will you?!” You then push Vignette Valencia out of the booth that the two of you are hiding in, leaving her staring straight at Feather Bangs’s delicious hair with a question mark hanging over her head. Immediately, her face turns a shade of red as bright as the noonday sun, still frozen in place while Feather Bangs waves as if oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. Once the initial shock wears off, though, she pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, trying desperately to make eye contact, but only managing to bring her eyes up to her right shoulder. “Hey, girl. I’m lovin’ that makeup today. Really brings out those… rosy cheeks of yours. Ha ha.” You can see her trying to pull her mouth up into a grin, possibly even trying to laugh along with him, but instead her lips shake uncontrollably until she completely buries her face into her hands. “Nevermind. I can’t do this!” Holy crap! You’ve never seen her so self-conscious before! You then rush out of your booth, reaching your arm around Vignette’s shoulders while she nearly breaks into tears in her hands. Feather Bangs, meanwhile, has his head tilted in confusion--which you probably expected at this point--at least until you see him grin as if the girl he’s on a date with isn’t practically sobbing from embarrassment. “Hey, Anon!” he says cheerfully. “I didn’t know you’d be here too.” “Honestly, I was expecting to duck out after a little bit, but it looks like I might be here for a while.” Finally, Vignette pulls her face out of her palms, and the moment her eyes meet the boy in front of her, he immediately closes the gap between them, taking her hands into his own as he looks down at her with a gentle smile. “Hey, now, girl. Let’s get you settled into one of these booths here. You can tell me all about what’s goin’ on, and then we can replace those hands with my shoulder. Ha ha.” Feather Bangs then motions towards the booth where the two of you were just hiding, which is where you steadily lead your friend again as she gradually gets ahold of her emotions again. You’re pretty sure she mumbles, “Marry me,” at one point, but thankfully it’s just barely quiet enough for Feather Bangs not to notice. Or, if he does notice, at least he’s enough of a gentleman not to bring it up in front of her. Once the three of you get seated, though, Mr. Cake turns the corner and greets you with a notepad in his hand, but once he sees how uncollected Vignette is, his smile immediately turns into a grimace. “Is uh… Is this a bad time?” “No!” Vignette exclaims. “Now is the perfect time! I’d like a caramel macchiato frappuccino with extra whipped cream! P-please.” Mr. Cake then turns towards you and motions with his eyes whether or not he should take the order, but you just shrug, leaving him with a cringe on his face as he jots down her request. “You betcha! One caramel macchiato frappuccino with extra whipped cream. Er… Decaf, I’m guessing?” “No, extra caffeine.” “...Oh, boy.” Mr. Cake bites into his bottom lip anxiously as he writes down the rest. Then he turns his head up and looks back up at you, trying his best to smile despite knowing how badly Vignette is going to end up making her anxiety even worse after a double shot of espresso. “And for you, miss?” “Oh, I don’t care. A chocolate milkshake?” He probably doesn’t mean for you to notice, but you can see him quickly wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, like somehow you just saved him from a giant headache that he’d end up having to deal with later. “A crowd favorite! And for you, sir?” “I’ll have what she’s having.” Mr. Cake smiles, bringing his pencil down to his notepad, but just as he’s about to start writing, he quickly looks back up to exchange looks between you and Vignette Valencia, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “Er… Could you clarify which ‘she’ for me, sir?” Feather Bangs’s smile disappears. When you look over Vignette’s shoulder to see what the hold up is, you see him wincing in confusion, like his confidence has all of a sudden disappeared out of nowhere. “The chocolate milkshake,” he finally responds. “Sorry, boss, but coffee ain’t really my thing.” You can see Mr. Cake discreetly looking in Vignette’s direction as she shrinks in her chair from the corner of your eyes, but regardless, he writes down the order and flips over the top of the notepad, beaming happily at the three of you. “Perfect! I’ll have those right out!” Then, he departs, and once again, you’re sitting next to Vignette Valencia as she stares down at her lap, her face still red from everything that’s happened so far this afternoon. “So!” you quickly say before anything awkward can come from this situation. “I didn’t really get the chance to learn a whole lot about you yesterday, Feather. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?” Feather Bangs tilts an eyebrow, motioning towards your friend (who’s still staring at her lap with her cheeks sizzling), but you send him a look so serious that he literally flinches from the impact. There’s no way you’re about to let him make this any more awkward than it already is! “Me?” he says confidently, flipping his hair. “I mean, besides the fact that I can juggle, I’m just a regular guy.” “Hahaaaah!” You and Feather Bangs suddenly turn your attention towards Vignette, who shrinks into her shoulders again. “Sorry. Carry on, love.” “Uhhh... *Ahem* So, right now, I’m just trying to get through school with all the stuff I’ve got goin’ on on the side. I started writin’ poetry a while back, and before I knew it, I was startin’ to tour across Equestria as a pop singer! It came outta nowhere! Then while that was goin’ on, I picked up SnapGab to connect with my fans, and all of a sudden, my following was so big that I got on the cover of Canterlot Beat! It still feels like a dream.” You can see Vignette starting to perk up a little bit, her eyes leaving her lap and her nervous frown loosening up to a more natural, relaxed position. Perfect! Keep this up, Feather Bangs! “Wow!” you exclaim. “How do you manage to do all that? I barely have enough time to tie my shoes in the morning.” “Naw, girl. It ain’t like that. You’ve got a sister you take care of, right?” Vignette suddenly gives you a suspicious eyebrow, making your own face turn bright red as you look down at your lap. “I’m an only child, so I don’t really have anything to do when I finally get home. I guess I just picked up all this other stuff because sometimes, when you’re by yourself all the time, you just get a little… lonely.” You then turn your face towards his again, and his gentle, green eyes are looking right back at yours. You can feel your muscles begin to loosen, like you can really talk with him, connect with him without worrying how popular he is… but this isn’t about you right now! You can practically feel knives piercing into your neck from Vignette’s gaze, making the hair on your body stand on edge with your muscles tensing up again. “H-hey! You know what?! Vignette is an only child too! Aren’t you, Vignette Valencia?” “O-oh! Well, I wouldn’t really say that. I view my following like a family. D-don’t you, Feather?” Finally, Feather Bangs smiles at her, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief, slouching in your seat and disappearing into the background so that Vignette can continue the conversation from here. Hopefully you can just wait for your milkshake and step in if any more awkward moments pop up again, but based on how well the day before apparently went when Vignette and Feather Bangs were alone together, you doubt you’ll need to spend much time intervening in her date anymore. “Yeah, I do, but friends are important too. I mean, I’d be nowhere without my fans or following, but without my friends, I don’t know how I’d be able to hold myself together. Hey, Anon, didn’t you say that your sister was having trouble making too many friends?” “Hmm?” Your ears perk up, causing you to inadvertently sit back up. “Oh! That reminds me! You know how she said she was reformed and all, right?” “Fo sho, girl. Does that mean you finally believe her now?” “No, and I was right not to. She told me today that she was lying about being reformed in the first place. But! I think she’s finally starting to come around to the idea that maybe she can be happy just by being friends with someone without any ulterior motives!” Feather Bangs immediately starts laughing, and before you know it, you’re laughing right along with him. You’re not sure what’s so funny, but it’s nice just being able to relax and blow off some built-up stress. “Ha-HAAA!!” Oh, crap. You’re ruining her date. “B-but anyway, Feather! Uhh… What kind of filters do you like using?” Feather Bangs raises an eyebrow, which you honestly don’t find surprising in the slightest, but at the same time, you need to find some way to bring this conversation back to something that he and Vignette have in common before you ruin the night completely! Before he can answer, though, Mr. Cake comes by at the worst possible moment, carrying a tray with all three of your drinks, setting them down on the table in front of you. “Here you go!” he says with a smile, despite your glare that you hope communicates how terrible his timing is. “Just tell me if you three need anything else!” “Th-thanks, Mr. Cake,” you reply, bringing the straw to your mouth and slouching in your seat again. Even though you’re not looking anywhere near Vignette, you can tell that she’s either angry or depressed, but the last thing you want to do is turn your head and find out. You just want to sit there and disappear into the background. For the rest of the night, you don’t speak. Whenever Feather Bangs tries to speak to you, you just flat out ignore him. Fortunately, he can tell after a couple of minutes that you don’t feel like talking anymore, but by this point, the damage has already been done. Vignette never really recovers from how awkward the start of the night was, and when it eventually comes time for the three of you to go home, nobody even says goodbye to each other. No plans of meeting up again, no second chances. You’ll have to make things right with Vignette later, but as of right now, you just wanna go to bed and forget that today even happened… “Oh, my gosh! Is this really happening?!” Two days have passed, and now it’s finally time! You have to slap your cheeks just to make sure you’re not dreaming, but after a week of looking forward to it, the day has finally come! You’re actually at Silver Spoon’s house on a Saturday afternoon!! You spent practically the whole morning doing your hair and picking out the right outfit, especially since this is the first time Silver Spoon is going to see you outside of a school uniform. You actually tried telling Cozy Glow that you were going to her friend’s house to play, but the second you tried bringing it up to her, she threw a pillow at you and told you to get out of her room. It can’t be helped, then, right? Your conscience should be totally clear to spend time with whoever you want, especially if they’re someone who you’ve already made plans with! Even that being the case, though, you can’t seem to bring yourself to ring the freaking doorbell. While you stand there cowering on her doorstep as a neighbor stares at you awkwardly from across the street, however, you feel a cold drip of sweat begin to slowly fall down your neck. Immediately, you lift your arm and put your nose to your armpit, double-checking to make sure you put on deodorant this morning, and thankfully, to your relief, you smell the delicate scent of your daffodil deodorant. “Ahhhhh. Perfect.” *Creeeeeak* ‘...You have got to be freaking kidding me right now…’ “Uhh… Anon? Why are you sniffing your armpits?” She just had to pick now to walk outside. The smart thing to do in this specific situation would be to put your arm down like a normal person, but as soon as Silver Spoon opens the door, your whole body freezes in shock. Rather than the dark blue sailor outfit you’re used to seeing her wear, she’s dressed in a pink skirt and silver tanktop with her hair pulled out of her braids, now dangling loosely over her shoulders. As a result, your eyes grow wide with your cheeks burning at over a bajillion degrees fahrenheit, causing the girl in front of you to giggle quietly as she opens the door even further. “Once you’re done smelling yourself, you’re welcome to come in if you’d like.” Immediately, you put your arms down and bow your head humbly. “Th-thank you for letting me into your home!” Once you raise your head, though, you see her leaning against the door, smiling that same adorable smile as always. It’s got a smug attitude to it, yet it’s not cocky, like you can tell that she’s genuinely just happy to be spending time with you. Finally, you lift up your head like a normal person and walk through the front door, but when you do, you immediately take a step backwards, gaping at the house that Silver Spoon lives in. “This… This is…” Or rather, the mansion that Silver Spoon lives in. There’s no way to sugarcoat it; this is the house of a bourgeois! There’s a koi pond in front of the spiraling marble staircase that leads to the second floor, or rather, in front of one of the marble staircases that leads to the second floor. In front of the other is a beautiful grand piano, right next to the hallway which leads to a giant living area, surrounded by mahogany shelves and expensive paintings. Even the scent as soon as you walk through the door smells like blooming flowers and fresh-cut grass on a refreshing spring day. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon closes the door and twirls in front of you, placing her hands behind her back as she says, “Welcome in! Make yourself at home!” How can you make yourself at home in a place like this, though?! Your family can barely pay the bills to keep a roof over your head, but it looks like Silver Spoon’s family has people pay them to keep their roof over their heads! Luckily, though, before you can make yourself look any more out of place than you already are, the silver-haired girl grabs you by the hand and leads you up one of the spiraling stairs. “Come on, Anon! Let’s go to my room!” “Eh? B-but shouldn’t I introduce myself to your parents first?” By the time the words come out, she’s already led you halfway to the second story. “Nope!” she continues. “My parents are usually gone all day and don’t come back until dinner time. Hey! I bet they’d let you stay for dinner if you wanted!” “I-I don’t know if that’s such a good idea!” If you’re still there by the time her parents get home, you can just imagine the questions they’re going to have for you when they first lay eyes on you. ‘How do you know my daughter?’ ‘Do you have a criminal record?’ ‘Any last words before I call out the attack hounds?’ You’re probably just exaggerating that last one in your head a little bit, but that still doesn’t change the fact that you don’t want to find out exactly what their reaction will be when they get home! Finally, though, you reach her bedroom, and once she opens the double doors, you’re left gawking yet again at how grandiose the layout is. She has a king-sized bed covered in pillows, her sheets are made of pure white silk, her window stretches all the way to the ceiling, covered by her fancy velvet drapes, and her walk-in closet is probably bigger than your entire room back at home! Silver Spoon, though, doesn’t seem to notice how blown away you are just to have the luxury of being in her presence as she flops backwards onto her bed with a satisfied sigh. “S-sorry I didn’t bring Cozy Glow with me,” you say reflexively. “I tried to tell her, but…” Silver Spoon then sits up and blinks in confusion. “That’s OK! I get to see her at school all the time, but we never get the chance to hang out just the two of us!” “Yeah,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck with an awkward chuckle. “I guess that’s true, but still…” “Anon, you need more self-confidence. You know what’s funny? I would think you’d be full of it after knowing as many celebrities as you do!” Finally, you set down your purse and join Silver Spoon on her bed, taking a seat next to her as she adjusts herself into a cross-legged position. “Honestly, I think it’s because I hang out with so many important people that I get so self-conscious.” Silver Spoon continues to stare wide-eyed, leaving you with an awkward silence that you feel compelled to fill. “What I’m saying is, being around people like Vignette Valencia, Feather Bangs, and even you... Sometimes it’s just difficult knowing that I’m just not like you guys.” The younger girl then reaches for a pillow, shoving it between her knees and chest as she leans in closer. “Do you feel uncomfortable being with me?” “N-no! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just…” “Just…?” “I’m…” You take a minute trying to come up with the right words to say, but you can’t think of anything other than what’s really on your mind. “I’m not as important as you guys! You come from a rich family, Feather Bangs is a famous pop star, Vignette Valencia is one of the biggest influencers in Canterlot…” “Anon…” Suddenly, you find yourself flinching at the touch of Silver Spoon’s small, delicate fingers falling onto your shoulder. They’re so soft. So feminine… “You really don’t need to feel like that, especially when you’re with me! I promise that even if my parents make a whole bunch of money, that doesn’t mean I’m any better than you are.” Then, without thinking, you place your hand on top of hers, interweaving your fingers together. Even when you start to come back to your senses, the feeling soothes your heart so much that you don’t bother letting go. You then close your eyes, gripping her hand tighter and bringing it closer to your chest, and even though you can’t see her, the way she rubs your palm with her thumb makes you believe she’s smiling back. “Silver Spoon, how are you so grown up?” Again, the soft feeling in your heart makes you so oblivious to what’s going on that you don’t even realize that she’s scooching herself even closer, combing her spare hand gently through your hair. “It’s just my special talent, I suppose,” she continues, leaning her head onto your shoulder. “When my father first gave me the pendant you see me wear everyday, he told me that it meant that I was supposed to be the face of this family now. I don’t have any siblings--probably just because my parents are so busy that they barely have time for the one they have already--but that just means that I’m basically the heir to two different family corporations.” With your eyes still closed, you nuzzle your face into her hair, taking in the intoxicating scent of her cream-flavored shampoo. “It sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate already.” “Kinda,” she continues, now running the tips of her nails against the small of your back, sending shivers down your spine. “Most kids my age get to have slumber parties or go to the movies on weekends, but my parents always have fancy dinner parties that they make me go to. Then when I’m there, it’s always ‘Keep your head up!’ ‘Don’t slouch!’ ‘Remember that you’re a representative of our family, so you need to act like it!’ I know my parents say that all this work I’m doing right now is so that we can have a good life, but sometimes I just wish that I could be like the other kids for a change.” “Gosh… I barely even do my homework. I can’t imagine having that much responsibility already.” “It’s not all bad. I’ve learned how to read people really well after going to so many parties and basically just being a quiet observer. This lady is smiling really wide, which means that she’s hiding from everyone that she’s about to have a divorce. That man is laughing really loud, so he’s definitely just trying to get this other person to sign his contract. Then when it comes to the kids at school, they’re even easier to read. This girl likes this boy, but he has a crush on the teacher.” Finally, her nails stop tracing against your back, and the two of you just hold each other around the waist with your fingers still linked together and her head still resting on your shoulder. Then, with your eyes closed and a smile on your face, you quietly say, “I guess that explains how you knew me so well when we first met.” You can feel her laugh quietly against your arm. “Oh, you were the easiest to figure out. The only reason you were at the park in the first place was to pick up your sister, but you still had this face like you were lonely for some reason. Then, after one quick look, I saw another girl wearing your school uniform talking to a bunch of cute boys. I kinda felt sorry for you.” Suddenly, though, you let go of her hand, pull your arm away from her waist and gently guide her head off of your shoulder, looking into her surprised eyes with an almost devastated expression. “Is… Is that the only reason you talked to me in the first place?” Again, however, the school girl laughs softly, shaking her head as if your surprise is just one big, funny joke. Then, when she looks into your eyes again, you notice the most beautifully sincere grin you’ve ever seen, and just like that, your heart softens up again. “No, Anon. It’s not like that. Honestly, I think you’d laugh at me if I told you the real reason.” Silver Spoon then looks away, making you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean? Why did you decide to talk to me that day? Why did you give me your number? Why have you been acting so close with me?” “I guess… Gosh, this is hard to say…” You then see her cheeks begin to blush, causing you to gulp down a lump that suddenly appears in your throat. “I guess it was just love at first sight.” And in that moment, your heart stops beating. Your eyes go wide, but you’re no longer breathing. You want to say something, but the words won’t come out. Then all of a sudden, you stand up and shout, “H-Hold on a second! What are you saying?!” Finally, she looks into your eyes, her face now redder than ever. “I know, I’m just a stupid little girl with a crush, but… it’s true.” Then, she stands up in front of you, the cool breeze from outside her window blowing past her drapes and brushing through her shiny, silver hair, and with her beautiful purple eyes looking straight at you with all the confidence she can muster, she says something that makes time stand still. “I love you.”
Chapter 5 (Narrated by Silver Spoon)Chapter 5: Narrated by Silver Spoon. ♡♡♡ I was doing everything I could not to completely break down in front of her. After experiencing the feeling of my head on her shoulder and her arm wrapped around my waist, I ended up saying those words on impulse, especially after she asked me such a sudden question out of nowhere. It wasn’t like I didn’t mean what I said; honestly, I’d been doing everything I could to keep the words inside the whole time, but it was never my intention to bring her to my home just to tell her my secret, especially after having just met her so recently! Still, I couldn’t believe she thought the only reason I ever talked to her was because I felt sorry for her. That was one of the things that had made me fall for her so easily, though: she always thought that everyone around her was so much better than she was, like she was lucky just to share two words with anyone who paid attention to her. Ever since the day I met her, she treated me like I was some sort of princess, some kind of angel that was so high on a pedestal that I was out of her reach. She made me feel so important, which was why this moment hurt more than probably anything I’d ever felt in my life. “I love you.” I said those words without thinking, but I guess that’s what most people do when they say those words for the first time. They just throw it out there and hope that the person on the other end feels the same way. With me, though, it was different. Even if she saw me as this princess who was leagues above her in social standing, I was still a kid, a little girl eight years younger than she was. I had made myself as vulnerable as humanly possible, telling her my deepest secret, putting my emotions on a silver platter and setting it on her lap, yet instead of answering back like I hoped she would, she just sat there with a confused look on her face. ‘Don’t cry,’ I told myself over and over. ‘Daddy taught you to always be strong in front of other people. Even if you want to fall to your knees and gush your eyes out, put on a brave face and it’ll all be over soon.’ Still, though, as I waited for her reply, keeping my trembling lips curled into a shaky smile that I tried desperately to control, her eyes only widened further, making my lungs practically cave in on themselves. What was I thinking? Why did I say something so stupid to a girl so much older than me? She probably thought I was some crazy, clingy weirdo, especially considering the fact that we were both girls! “Silver Spoon, I--” “I don’t think I need to say this, but you’d better not tell anyone!” I said before she could reply with anything else, placing my finger to her lips and making her eyebrows reach towards her hairline. “Especially not Cozy Glow! Could you imagine the kinds of things the kids at school would say? It’d get back to my parents in no time, and then I’d never be allowed to hang out with you again!” Anon then quietly nodded her head, allowing my smile to gently relax for the first time since I’d made that stupid confession. My heart was still breaking on the inside, but at least if things could just stay the way they were, I couldn’t ask for anything else. She didn’t have to return the feelings I had for her. She just needed to stay the way she was, letting me love her from afar. The moment my finger fell from her lips, however, she didn’t waste a second opening them back up, grabbing my hands as she inhaled a quick breath that made my nerves stand on edge. “Do you promise?!” I tilted my head to the side in curiosity. “Huh? Promise what?” “Do…” Suddenly, her eyes fell to her lap, her cheeks glowing a rosy pink. She was so dang cute, but I had to do everything I could not to let my own face blush, which was especially hard now that her fingers were intertwined with mine. “Do you promise that you’re not just teasing me again? You promise you actually meant what you said?” Her question made me instinctively flinch, catching me off guard just like she always did. Was she just checking to see if I was some crazy stalker girl, or did she… actually feel the same way about me as I felt about her? The whole time I’d known her, I’d always thought that she was just humoring me because I was her younger sister’s friend, but was it possible that after all this time, she was really spending time with me because the feeling was mutual? I shook my head in disbelief. After all that bragging I’d just done about how easily I could read people--herself in particular--I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what was going on inside her head. “Well, duh it was true,” I replied, trying to sound confident despite the feeling of a hoard of butterflies setting themselves free in my stomach. “I mean, don’t get me wrong--I love teasing you--but I’m not about to lie about something that huge just to see your reaction. You gotta admit, though, the face you made after I said it was pretty funny.” I then pulled my hand away from hers so I could giggle loudly into my palms, hoping that it would hide how nervous I was on the inside. My hope was that she would make another funny face and move the conversation onto something else, but she still looked into my eyes with that same burning urgency, making my heart beat at twice its normal speed. Had I really messed up that badly? Did I ruin everything?! Then, just as my fake smile was about to collapse on itself, allowing the floodgates to open up and reveal my shattered heart, I saw her head literally pop, steam now sizzling from the top of her skull. My eyes squinted curiously, but before I could figure out what had happened, her body collapsed backwards onto my bed, drool pouring from her mouth as she laid there unconsciously. “Huh?! Anon?! What happened? Wake up!” “Uuuuugggghhhhh…” she responded, weakly lifting herself up again with her eyes still spinning. “Sorry. I think my brain exploded.” My head tilted in curiosity again, and before I knew how to respond, I found myself laughing again, only this time it was real laughter, making my sides hurt from how hard they suddenly had to work. That was what I loved about Anon. No matter how sad, angry or scared I was before, I knew that as soon as I had the chance to talk with her, I would always end up smiling. “You know, I’m sure my daddy could get you a good doctor if you think you need an MRI.” “Ugh. How do you know what an MRI even is?” “Medical dramas,” I replied with as joyous a tone as I could, bouncing on the soles of my feet with my hands behind my back. I couldn’t help but notice that even though I was still trying to give her a big smile to hide how self-conscious I was, I didn’t feel like I was acting anymore. Whenever I talked with her, she gave me the confidence I needed to keep smiling, and the more time we spent talking, the less I needed to fake my confidence. Suddenly, Anon smiled with me, making my chest flutter from realizing again just how beautiful her happy face was. “Silver Spoon… You’re amazing, you know that?” “Well, duh! I doubt you’d hang out with me if I wasn’t.” “That’s not true!” Then, before I could react, Anon grabbed me by the arms and brought our faces closer together. My eyes suddenly went wide with my cheeks burning at the temperature of the sun, but despite how uncomfortable the situation was, she didn’t seem to realize how much my lips were quivering. “I can’t imagine there ever being a time when I wouldn’t want to hang out with you!” My mouth hung open slightly, my eyebrow raised as I tried thinking of a way to respond. I tried to reason whether or not there was some way that I could just be misinterpreting things, but as far as I could tell, she could have really been saying what I thought she was saying… and suddenly... the tears started to break free. “Dang it, Anon!” I shouted, pulling my arms out of her hands and looking away to try and hide my crying face. “Don’t you realize how embarrassing this is for me?!” “H-huh? ACK! I’m sorry! I didn’t--I mean, I couldn’t--Gaaaaahh! I’m sorry, Silver Spoon! Please forgive me!” Anon then dipped her eyes down towards her knees, pleading with her hands over her head for forgiveness, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. I didn’t want an apology! I just wanted to know how she felt about me! “I’ll forgive you, but would you please just stop being awkward for a second and give me your answer?” I could see out the corner of my eye Anon lifting her head up curiously towards me, but there was no way I could face her now. In fact, the pressure had built up so much that I immediately squeezed my eyes closed after asking the question, probably coming off as the biggest scaredy cat in Canterlot, but I just couldn’t look anymore. I just wanted this whole thing to be over and done with already! Silence followed for an uncomfortably long time as I stood there with my eyes closed, holding my arms while trying to keep the tears behind my eyelids. I could hear Anon’s breath leaving her mouth like she was trying to speak, but other than a few quiet gasps, the room around us was completely silent. My head was swirling with all the different possibilities of why it could have been taking so long, continuing the spiral of anxiety that made it even harder to maintain my composure. Was she trying to find a way to turn me down without hurting my feelings… or was she really having this hard of a time saying the same thing that I told her? “Silver Spoon…?” Finally, my eyes opened as my body turned towards her. “Yes, Ano--?” Before I could answer, though, my face was buried in her chest, making my eyes go wide as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, burying her face against her sleeves. The two of us then waited for several seconds in another agonizing silence, making my heart race anxiously again, but the sounds that came next didn’t do me any favors in slowing down my heartbeat. While I stood there with Anon’s arms gripping me with all of her strength, I suddenly felt something wet touch my cheek, and in the next moment, I heard the most heartbreaking wail of my life. Without thinking, I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, holding onto her with as much force as she held me, making her sobs continue to grow louder. “S-Silver Spoon...” “Yes, Anon?” “I’m sorry if I made things awkward for you. I’m just so happy that I don’t know what to do! I… I…” She paused momentarily, sniffling weakly before crying again. Then, looking into my eyes with the most beautiful crying face I’d ever seen, she finally said the one thing that would change both of our lives forever. “I love you too, Silver Spoon! I love you so mu-hu-huuuuch!” I stood there in silence for another few moments as I attempted to let the words sink in, but even though I had clearly heard what she said, the message wouldn’t register. There was no way that the girl I loved… actually liked me back, was there? But she said it! She said it back! For the first time in my life, I actually had requited love, and the entire idea was so foreign that when I could finally believe that it actually happened in real life… all I could do was hold her close and let out all the emotions that I’d been trying to hold in this whole time. “Anon… I love you.” I nestled my cheeks into her arm. “I love you too.” She ran her fingers through my hair. “I love you.” I smelled the delicate scent of her shampoo. “I love you too.” She wrapped her hand around my waist. “I love you.” I gripped my hand around her shoulder. “I love you too.” She placed my head into the crook of her neck. Before I realized it, our tears had stopped, and the two of us were just sitting on my bed with stupid, girly grins while Anon combed her fingers through my hair, my head resting on her shoulder with my arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Then, when I finally had the strength to look up at her face again, I saw her peer down at me with poofy, red eyes, which I undoubtedly mirrored with my own. It was so silly, like this whole time I had been worrying about nothing all along, and once again, all the nerves came back rushing out, only this time in a different way than before. It started out small, but before I could think to hold it in, I was suddenly cracking up from all the relieved stress, leaving the two of us laughing so hard that our eyes once again began to water down our cheeks. I knew that it was stupid, that there was nothing funny about this situation, but at least I knew that I was safe to let it all out, so long as I was with the girl beside me. Anon, the girl I loved more than anything else in the whole world, and if I was right… “Oh! By the way!” Anon’s smile suddenly shifted, tilting her head as she looked down at me with a curious expression on her face. “Does this mean I’m your girlfriend now?” Again, her eyes went wide as she sat in silence, looking at my face while somehow appearing like she wasn’t thinking at all, a glob of saliva dripping down her lip. After waiting a few seconds for her response, though, I silently waved in front of her face, causing her to suddenly break from her trance and rub her head while groaning in discomfort. “Sorry, Silver Spoon. I just felt this pressure in my head all of a sudden.” “Please don’t tell me it’s going to pop again!!” “Yeah, I’ll be fine, but…” Once she stopped rubbing her scalp, however, she looked back down at her knees, bumping her index fingers together while her cheeks blushed a bright red. “Are… Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, you did tell me not to tell anyone about it.” “Well, yeah, because I thought you were gonna reject me.” Finally, she made eye contact again, but now her eyebrows were furrowed, giving me what I could only describe as the most astonished face in her arsenal. “Me? Reject you?! There’s no way I could ever do something like that! I mean, you’re so pretty and mature and thoughtful--” “And nine years old… and a girl...” Now I was the one to look away, twiddling my thumbs as I tried to forget about how nervous I was confessing my feelings to her. “I was so scared that you’d start looking at me different after I told you. I know you see me as this super grown up girl that doesn’t get rattled by anything, but… I was trying so hard not to cry.” Several seconds passed where neither of us said anything, neither of us moved. We just took the next minute to process everything that had happened while I tapped my foot anxiously on the floor, praying that I hadn’t made a mistake even when she’d told me that she liked me back. That anxiety, though, suddenly flew away like a leaf in the wind the moment she wrapped her arms around me again, making my whole face burn red. “I know that you’re a girl, and I know you’re in elementary school,” she began, making me gulp in reflex, “but… maybe I even like that about you.” I then turned my head to see her face to face, tilting my eyebrow in curiosity. “But what about when I grow up? It’s gonna happen someday you know.” “I know! I just… Aaaaggghh!” As my eyes blinked confusedly, Anon ruffled through her hair while groaning in aggravation. “It’s hard for me to explain it, but…” Again, she looked me in the eye. “I like you for you! As long as you’re the same kind, mature, brave, confident girl ten years in the future as you are now, I don’t think I’d be able not to love you! Yes, I like that you’re a girl, and also that you’re a grade schooler…” She took a second to try to shake away the redness in her cheeks. “B-but I only like those things because they make up who you are! I know other people might get the wrong idea about us, but…” Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her hands tight in her lap as she took a long, deep breath. “Can we be girlfriends, please?!” She was shaking so much that it was hard to believe we weren’t sitting on ice cubes, yet never in my life had I felt such a warmth as I did in that moment. I wanted to answer yes, of course, but there was no way for me to say it with words that conveyed just how much joy was fluttering in my heart. So instead of answering, I laid my head on her shoulder, making her jump in surprise with a sudden shriek while I let the butterflies calm down inside me. As expected, however, the butterflies only flapped harder the longer I stayed there, making the grin on my face grow so wide that my cheeks actually hurt from smiling. I wished that Anon could just hear my answer telepathically, like she would know my answer without me having to break from this peaceful state of pure bliss, and to my genuine surprise, she answered by gently resting her head on top of mine and placing her hand on my palm, intertwining our fingers together. For minutes, neither one of us spoke. Instead, the two of us sat in silence, holding the hand of the girl who mattered more to us than anything in the whole world, and with our fingers locked tight together, we silently said to each other what we were both saying within our hearts. “I’m so happy, and I love you so much.” “Silver Spoon, we need to talk.” I suddenly stopped running to turn around and face a girl with curly blue hair, her arms folded with an eyebrow lifted in confusion, an expression which I quickly mirrored. I thought that she would have been happy to play cops and robbers with Emerald Green, a girl that she’d asked me to introduce her to a few days ago, but as Emerald and I chased after each other while making exaggerated shooting noises, Cozy Glow was barely jogging, doing more observation than actually joining in on the fun. “Sure,” I said hesitantly. “Sorry, Emerald Green. We’ll be right back.” Our classmate with shiny green hair then nodded with a smile, giving Cozy Glow the permission she needed to grab me by the arm, leading me to a park bench where she forcefully sat me down. At first I thought that maybe she’d heard that her sister and I had started dating over the weekend, but if that were really the case, she would have called me out on it earlier rather than waiting until after school to talk with me about it. Plus, even considering how thin-skinned Anon was, I sincerely doubted that she’d spill the beans so quickly, especially to her younger sister. “You know something?” the blue-haired girl asked. “You’ve been acting weird all day today.” “I have? Like how?” “I dunno! You’re just happy. Like suuuuper happy.” I quickly breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling femininely to hide my self-consciousness. “Yeah, I had a good weekend is all. Is it really that surprising for you to see me this happy, though?” Cozy Glow shrugged. “I guess so. You’re just usually so grown-up and serious all the time, but today you’ve been acting--I dunno--like a kid?” The comment made me roll my eyes and shake my head with another soft giggle. “Maybe you’re just now starting to notice another side of me that you haven’t seen yet.” “Wait! There are sides of you I haven’t seen yet?! What even happened over the weekend?” I couldn’t help but smile, not only because the question reminded me of how much fun I’d had on Saturday, but also because I’d been waiting all day for this exact moment. “Oh, nothing. I just fell in love is all.” Cozy Glow’s jaw suddenly dropped in the funniest way possible, making me squeeze my lips together to keep myself from inadvertently laughing in her face. Of course, I didn’t want to tease one of my best friends--let alone my girlfriend’s sister--but I’d been dying to tell somebody about my new relationship. I’d already told my friend Diamond Tiara about it over the phone earlier, but the experience was so much more fun when the person I was talking to actually knew the girl I fell in love with, even if I couldn’t tell her all the little details. “What the jeepers?! With who?! I wanna hear!” “Sorry, Cozy,” I replied, putting my finger over my lips. “That’s a secret.” “WHAAAAAT?!?!?!” I immediately flinched, along with seemingly everyone at the park as they looked over with inquisitive expressions. Once Cozy Glow got the chance to look around and see everyone’s faces, though, she quickly coughed into her hand and completely flipped personalities. “I mean, golly Silver Spoon! That’s no fair. I just wanna hear more about my friend’s personal life is all.” Of course she did. It’d kill me if I found out that Diamond Tiara fell in love with someone and wouldn’t tell me any of the details, but this wasn’t exactly something I could talk about so openly. I knew that I was being kind of a snob for bringing it up and leaving her out of the loop, but I felt like my chest was going to explode if I didn’t talk about it at least a little bit. “I’ll tell you what!” I said, jumping off of the park bench. “I’ll walk home with you and your sister today, and we can talk about all the boys that you like.” Cozy Glow made a gag sound as she began to stand up. “Sorry, Silver Spoon, but I don’t think I’m ready to start thinking about boys just yet. You can walk home with me and Anon if you want to, though. I think I see her coming up right now, actually.” My cheeks suddenly turned a bright scarlet. I’d always been a little nervous about seeing her, but now that we were actually dating, seeing her brought with it completely new forms of stress and exhilaration. At least… it did… but then I saw her peeking past the brick wall that bordered the park and immediately hiding the moment she saw us looking at her. Then, all of the nerves disappeared out of nowhere, not only because she was the biggest dork in the world, but also because at that moment, I remembered how easily she could shake away any of the nerves that I felt whenever she was around. I never had to impress her, act a certain way or worry about messing up. She did all that for me, which gave me the perfect opportunity just to be myself. “Ugh. What is she doing now?” Cozy Glow grumbled with her hands on her hips. “Hang on a sec, Silver Spoon. I’ll go get her real quick.” “Actually, no,” I replied, blocking her with my hand as a sadistic smile crept up on my lips. “I’ll go get her for us.” Cozy Glow’s eyebrow tilted in confusion, but after giving me permission with a nod, I quietly started walking in the opposite direction, making Cozy Glow’s expression even more dumbfounded. She’d find out soon enough, though. As I made my way around the corner of the wall bordering the park, I stealthily sneaked my way closer to where Anon was standing, who was predictably still peeking around the other corner, unaware that I was right behind her. Then, taking the biggest, quietest steps I could, I closed the distance between the two of us, peering over her shoulder as she frantically began searching for where I had run off to. “Whatcha looking for?” “KYAAAHH!!” By the time Anon’s feet had touched the ground after jumping probably six feet in the air, she turned around with her hand on her chest, heaving deep breaths while I fell onto my back, holding onto my sides and rolling around in hilarity. Once the initial shock wore off, though, she breathed out one last sigh and began to smile while I pulled myself off of the ground, getting out a few last chuckles before she inevitably got the chance to scold me. “Are you trying to kill me?!” she asked, trying to force a serious expression despite her lips curling upwards into a smile. “Hi, honey!” Before she could even process what I said, though, I stood up on my tippy toes and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, making her jaw drop and her body freeze. “Oh, by the way, your sister said we could walk home again today. I hope that’s OK with you.” Anon, however, didn’t even look at me. She was probably suffering from shock right now and couldn’t comprehend anything other than the feeling of her hand pressed up against her cheek. Then, once she finally remembered how to blink again, she peered down at my smile and immediately began to shake nervously. “Y-yeah! That’s fine! That’s more than fine! It’s great, actually! I, uh… Whew, I’m really out of breath for some reason.” “Don’t worry. You’re always like that.” “Huh?!” Just as I was about to laugh again, though, Cozy Glow made her way over to where we were, giving the two of us a hardened glare while she stood menacingly with her hands on her hips. “How long were the two of you planning on keeping me waiting? C’mon, sis. I wanna go home and do something that’s actually fun.” Anon quickly gulped and nodded her head, turning robotically towards the direction of her home and beginning to walk forward with stiffness in her legs. Cozy Glow then turned towards me like I could answer what was making Anon act so weird, but I just shrugged my shoulders with a smug grin. Sure, I may have known what was going on, but Cozy Glow should have known too. This was just Anon being Anon, and I loved that about her. “So, did you get the chance to talk to that Emerald Green girl that you mentioned the other day?” Anon asked as Cozy Glow began to walk ahead of us. “Yeah, she’s super nice, actually. She says that she’s gonna bring in makeup and some magazines to help me learn about fashion this week.” “But… What about all the times when I volunteered to teach you about makeup?” “Huh? Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. No offense, sis, but I’m not so sure you’re as cut out for that kind of stuff as she is.” Anon’s jaw dropped in offense, but Cozy Glow was too far ahead of us to notice, an opportunity that I wasn’t about to let slip. “Come on, Cozy Glow! At least let me teach you a little--EEP!” Suddenly, Anon clasped her hand to her mouth, silencing as much of her sudden outburst as she could. While her left hand covered her lips, though, I had already subtly grabbed hold of her right hand, interlocking our fingers together and causing half of her body to freeze up altogether. Fortunately, Cozy Glow didn’t seem to notice as she continued to walk forward without even glancing backwards in our direction. Once the initial shock had ended, though, Anon quietly leaned down to my ear and whispered, “S-Silver Spoon! Don’t you think now is a bad time?” “What’s the matter?” I responded with an arrogant smirk. “Afraid your palms will get sweaty?” “That… wasn’t on my mind until this moment, but yes, that too.” “Just a little longer.” Before she could say anything else to ruin the mood, though, I wrapped my other hand around her arm and pulled myself as close to her side as I could, nuzzling my face into the warmth of her school uniform. “I’ve missed you.” Anon’s face remained hesitant at first, but after taking a few seconds to cool down from the initial shock, her expression gradually softened into a small smile. “You know, it’s only been two days since we saw each other, and we’ve spent the past two nights talking over the phone.” “I know, but it’s not enough.” I hated myself for being as clingy as I was, but at the same time, being with Anon made me happier than anything else I could think of. I couldn’t just pretend like being with her wasn’t a big deal for me when it really was the highlight of my day. “Just give me until we get to the next street and I’ll let go.” I had to admit, I was at least expecting her to act a little more embarrassed, but to my surprise, she reached across her body and patted me gently on the head, once again releasing the butterflies in my chest. It was weird how Cozy Glow didn’t turn around once, especially since we were all so abnormally quiet. If it meant that Anon and I could stay how we were, though, I was going to appreciate every last second of it for as long as I could. Yet all good things must come to an end. “You know something?” the girl in front of us asked, causing us to break from each other’s bodies aside from our hands. “I just realized that Anon has been acting especially weird lately.” This time, our hands jolted back to our sides as fast as they could, just in time for when Cozy Glow turned around with a curious stare. “W-w-w-w-weird?” Anon said, making me slap my hand to my face in embarrassment. “W-what do you mean weird?” “That! Like that! I mean, you’re always weird--don’t get me wrong--but ever since Saturday, you’ve barely said two words to me! You’ve basically been locked up in your room all weekend, and you’ve been extra jumpy since this morning.” Oh, crud. That was when I sent her that “Good morning, girlfriend!” message with a picture of me kissing the camera. Looks like that came back to bite me, and it probably meant that I would have to calm down on how much I teased her. As much as I wanted the two of us to be a happy, lovey-dovey couple, we weren’t exactly ready to publicize it to the world quite yet, especially on Anon’s end. “I… er…” “Anon’s in her last year of high school, right?” I asked before Anon could say something stupid and embarras the both of us. “Honestly, I’d be surprised if she wasn’t cooped up in her room all day.” The girl at my side quietly mouthed a silent thank you, but Cozy Glow immediately started cracking up. “You know what, Silver Spoon? You’re a good friend. You always say so many good things about my sister, even though we both know that she’s not studying.” I could hear Anon growl in frustration, but at the same time, it wasn’t like Cozy Glow was wrong. I would know. “Are…” I began, not sure whether or not the question I wanted to ask was particularly appropriate. “Are you two not very close?” Suddenly, the two of them turned away from each other, both of their faces grimacing and making me immediately regret bringing it up. “It’s not like we’re not close,” Cozy Glow said hesitantly. “It’s just…” “No, Silver Spoon’s right. We haven’t gotten along recently, and I think that’s mostly my fault.” Suddenly, Cozy Glow looked up at her older sister, who in turn stared down at her feet. “I’ve been giving you too much grief because of your past, so I can understand why you wouldn’t want to talk to me about your life. I know you’ve changed, now though, so… Would it be OK if the two of us start over again? As sisters?” The younger sister switched confused looks between me and Anon, her jaw trying to figure out whether it should say something or just hang down in shock. After a few seconds of letting her words sink in, though, she turned her face back towards the street in front of us, folding her arms with a pout. “I guess… it was a little mean for me to kick you out of my room the other day. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I let you come in and talk with me every once in a while.” Anon’s face suddenly lit up into the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen, but that expression quickly changed once Cozy Glow turned around and spoke again. “Oh, speaking of which! What did you need when you came into my room on Saturday, anyway?” “GACK! I, uh…” Anon then turned towards me again with her hands pleading for me to save her, but I just shrugged my shoulders. She would have to save herself on this one. “I was going to ask you… Oh! I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me to the swimming pool!” I immediately slapped my hand to my face and shook my head with embarrassment while Cozy Glow tilted her head to the side. “The swimming pool? In autumn?” “...I really wanted to swim, heheh… heh…” “...Uh… Then I’m glad you got to swim? Silver Spoon, you don’t need to listen to my sister being weird anymore. You live over that way, don’t you?” I quickly turned my head, realizing that we’d arrived at the fork in the road that separated the directions to our homes. I then turned my face towards Anon’s to show her my disappointed frown, but she looked like she just had her heart broken, practically to the point of tears as her lips quivered uncontrollably. I was probably going to end up calling unnecessary attention to us by doing this, but at the same time, it was our first time walking home together as a couple! I wanted to at least get the chance to give her a proper goodbye! “Hey, Cozy Glow?” I said. “Do you mind if I talk with Anon alone for one quick second?” Cozy Glow, as expected, raised a curious eyebrow, but relented nonetheless. “Sure, if you want. I’m just gonna keep walking if that’s OK with you guys. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” “Yep! Bye, Cozyyy!” My friend then waved goodbye and turned towards the direction of her home again, walking away and giving Anon and me a minute just to ourselves. The moment she was out of sight, though, I immediately wrapped my arms around my girlfriend’s stomach, pulling her into the tightest hug I could give her and causing her to jump in surprise. “Wah!” “Hey, Anon?” The girl in my arms then looked down at my face, giving me the opportunity to stare into her beautiful eyes. “I’m not doing anything to make you uncomfortable, am I?” “What?! Of course not! I--” “Anoooooooon?” “I, er…” She took a second to think before changing her expression to give me a sympathetic smile, which basically told me everything I needed to know. “It’s not that it makes me uncomfortable, exactly, but I feel like we might be moving a little fast? Urk. I don’t know.” Her answer made my smile disappear slightly, even despite how happy I was that she could at least be honest with me. I couldn’t deny that I saw something like this coming, but I was still glad that I was able to get it all out of my system early on. I would still have plenty of time to tease her, after all, but I’d probably have to start rotating between days where I could call her by pet names and send her embarrassing text messages. “That’s fine,” I mumbled, “but only on one condition!” “Hmm? What is it?” A devilish grin emerged on my face. “I want one kiss right now to last me until you’re ready.” Suddenly, all the color drained from her face, her eyes going into the back of her head to the point where I was afraid she might fall over and die. Luckily, though, she quickly snapped back to life with her normal skin tone back to normal, albeit now with her whole body shaking nervously. “A k-k-kiss?! You know I can’t do that! I mean, do you really think it’s a good idea to--” Before she could continue getting any more flustered, however, I pressed my finger to her lips, making her eyes go wide as her mouth went silent. Then, once her body had stopped shivering, I slowly pulled my finger off of her mouth, closed my eyes, and gently brought it to my own lips, kissing it gently for as long as I could. Even if it wasn’t the same, it would be enough to last me for as long as I needed. “There!” I said happily, opening my eyes and giving her a smile. “I’ll take our relationship as slow as you need, but just remember…” Before I finished my sentence, though, I quickly skipped down the road to my house, giggling loudly as I went. Then, right before I was out of earshot, I turned around and loudly shouted, “One day, I’ll kiss you for real!” Again, Anon’s face turned that familiar shade of pink, which was all I needed to see before turning towards my house again and skipping home with a smile on my face.
Chapter 6You kick your legs and bob your head side to side, grinning from ear to ear and humming like someone who’s blissfully unaware of any of the tragedies of life. Vignette Valencia, on the other hand, is almost your polar opposite, burying her face into her arms and moaning in aggravation in the seat across from you. You don’t mean to be this blissfully unaware when your best friend is still obviously depressed about the other day, but it’s not like you’d be able to hide it if you tried, not after the day you’ve had today. “Ugh… Shut up, Anon.” “S-sorry,” you say, quickly putting your hands in your lap and keeping yourself as still as you possibly can. How long does she expect you to stay like this, though? You understand that she’s had a tough week, but you just had the best weekend of your entire life, and this afternoon… You can’t put it into words, but even if you could, it would never fully describe how cute Silver Spoon acted around you today. Finally, Vignette raises her face from her arms and shakes her head. “No, that was my bad. I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on you just because I completely blew it with Feather Bangs the other day.” “He still hasn’t texted you back yet?” “Oh, he has.” Despite how comforting Vignette’s words seem on the surface, though, her tone comes off as more pissed off than relieved as she pulls out her phone, scrolling through her messages. “Here’s what I said: ‘Hey, Feather! Sorry if I acted kind of weird the other day.’ You know what he sends back? ‘It’s OK.’ That’s it?! That’s all he has to say?!” You cringe slightly as Vignette’s voice grows in volume. “Well, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure how I’d respond to that either. Maybe you just caught him at a bad time?” Vignette immediately holds up her finger as her aggravation continues to rise. “Oh, that’s not all! ‘Have you gained any new followers since we did our little collab?’ See? That’s the perfect conversation-starter, but you know what he sends back? ‘Yeah, a couple.’ UURRRGGGHH!!!” “I’ve got your milkshakes!” Mr. Cake says, rounding the corner and immediately taking a step back once he sees Vignette’s outburst. Then, switching looks between the two of you (but mostly looking at you, as if you can protect him somehow), he quietly mumbles, “I… came at the wrong time again, didn’t I?” “GIVE ME THAT!” Suddenly, Vignette snatches her milkshake out of Mr. Cake’s hands, causing both you and the shop owner to reflexively flinch as your friend lowers her head and begins angrily sucking at her straw. Once she looks up and sees the expression on both of your faces, though, she reaches into her phone case, pulls out a large bill and slams it against Mr. Cake’s belly, making him grunt in discomfort. “Keep the change.” Mr. Cake quickly fumbles around with the paper money, trying to catch it before it floats to the ground, and once he gets a good grasp on it, he nods his head with an awkward smile, places your milkshake in front of you and darts away so fast that dust billows up behind him. Before you dig into your own frozen treat, though, you give Vignette a stern look, but she’s far too absorbed in getting a sugar rush to even glance over in your direction. “Vignette? Are you alright?” Finally, she pulls her lips off of her straw, swallows the remnants in her mouth and releases a soft, high-pitched belch. You have to ignore the jealousy you feel knowing that even Vignette’s burps are cute somehow, just so you can continue giving her a concerned stare that you hope she notices. “Alright? You want to know if I’m alright?! It’s not like you would notice.” Suddenly, your eyebrows furrow. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?!” “You see?! The whole time you were here, Feather Bangs was all over you, but you didn’t even notice one single time!” You recoil in surprise, blinking hard while you try to remember the details of what happened the other day. “Wait… what?! That’s ridiculous!” Vignette, however, rolls her eyes, groaning in aggravation as she folds her arms and falls back into her seat. “Hmm. Ridiculous. OK. Why don’t you send Feather Bangs a message right now? Go ahead and say anything you’d like. Let’s just see how long it takes him to respond.” You balk at the request. You’d much rather not play Vignette’s mind games when she’s obviously not thinking clearly, but at the same time, if it’ll pull her out of her delusions and shut her up for a second, maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. “OK,” you reply with a haughty smirk. “How about this? ‘Hey, Feather Bangs. It’s Anon. What are you up to right now?’ Aaaaand send.” You immediately put your phone down, giving your friend the cockiest grin at your disposal, but Vignette, meanwhile, just raises an eyebrow with a grin of her own before once again bringing her straw back up to her glossy pink lips. It’s hard for you to imagine Vignette ever acting like such a brat before now. Sure, she’s never had a crush on anyone for as long as you’ve known her, and to play devil’s advocate, she did just have one of the most awkward dates of her life... Still, though! That’s no reason for her to take out her frustrations on you! You’ll show her. Feather Bangs is probably just going to glance over your message, and even if he does end up messaging you back, it’s not like it’ll be any time soon. In fact, supposing that he really does send you a reply--which he won’t--it’ll probably just be a one- or two-word response just like he’s been sending Vignette. Yup. She’s gonna look like such a dumb-- *Bzzt!* ...You have got to be freaking kidding right now… You bite down on your lip, refusing to bring your eyes down to check on your phone, but Vignette just shrugs her shoulders, switching glances between you and the device on the table. “Go ahead,” she says, taking another sip. You furrow your eyebrows again, scrunching your mouth to the side of your face. It’s probably Silver Spoon. Or Cozy Glow. Or your mom. There are plenty of people who could be texting you right now! There’s no way it’s actually--Piece of crap. It’s really from Feather Bangs. You look into Vignette’s eyes once again, this time with much less confidence in your face, but your friend is busy slurping on her drink, leaning her cheek against her knuckle with her elbow on the table. Finally, you pick up your phone and clear your throat before hesitantly reading the message aloud. “‘H-hey, Anon! I was just thinking about you, actually. I’m just writing some new lyrics, but I’m good if you wanted to chillax a little. Ha ha.’ Oh, sweet Celestia…” Suddenly, Vignette slips her lips off of her straw and slowly pulls herself up to a standing position, avoiding eye contact with you the entire time. “I think I’m done here.” “Hang on a sec!” Vignette does as you say, freezing where she stands and looking more towards the direction of the table than your actual face. “Look, I promise I don’t have a crush on Feather Bangs!” “Of course not. You have someone else who you’re in love with, but for some reason, you still don’t feel the need to share any of the details about that with your BFFBB now, do you?” Your eyes go wide, but Vignette doesn’t move. She’s still frozen in the same position, still looking in your direction while avoiding direct eye contact. You can see her long fingernails begin to poke into her palm as her fists unintentionally clench and shake. You can see her chest rising slightly higher with each breath, and even though she’s trying to hide it, her lower lip is slowly beginning to tremble. “I…” Is now the right time to tell her about Silver Spoon? Vignette is your best friend, after all. She’s done so much for you… but can you really bring it up when she’s like this? If you thought she’d react badly when she was calm, how would she react when she’s already practically in tears? If you told her right now that the person you fell in love with is a nine year old girl… would she ever speak to you again? “I…” you mutter, dropping your eyes down to your lap. “I… I can’t…” “...Goodbye, Anon.” You don’t stop her. Instead, you just watch her walk away through your peripheral vision, too humiliated to lift your eyes away from your legs. Of course you want to grab her before she leaves things off on such a sour note, but that would mean talking about something you’re not ready to talk about yet. Even though this may be your business and nobody else’s, Vignette trusts you with everything, and you’re choosing not to confide in her when she needs a friend more than ever. You wait patiently for her to walk away, listening to her footsteps gradually diminish in the distance until finally, you hear the bell above the door ring, followed by the sound of the latch closing behind her. Finally, you lift your hands to your face, trying to hide from the rest of the restaurant just how much you’re crying. Today was going so well. Why did it have to end like this? … ...No! Then, wiping a tear with your wrist, you quickly grab your cell phone again and begin typing out a new message, glaring daggers at the screen as if it were somehow the cause behind all your pain. “Feather Bangs, is there a time we can meet up? I wanted to talk with you about something.” Once you hit send, you toss your phone back onto the table in front of you, tapping your finger anxiously as you await his response. Of course, it isn’t Feather Bangs’s fault that you and Vignette are fighting, and it’s ultimately his decision about what kind of relationship he wants with her. Even still, you need to prove that he doesn’t have feelings for you, and when that gets cleared up, maybe it’ll at least help Vignette Valencia calm down a little bit. *Bzzt!* What did he say?! What did he say?! “Fo sho, girl. Just hit me up whenever you wanna shoot the breeze. Ha ha.” ‘Tomorrow? No, that would be too soon. Vignette needs some time to herself. Shoot. That means that school is gonna be super awkward in the meantime, doesn’t it?’ You shake your head to clear your mind as much as possible, then type out, “I’ll let you know when I’m free. Thanks.” Aaaaand send again! Once again, you toss your phone onto the table and lean back in your seat, stretching your arms as if you just solved all of your problems with one message. You know better than that, though. Vignette isn’t just mad about this Feather Bangs thing, but hopefully once you get some solid evidence that this is all one big misunderstanding, she’ll at least ease up enough to where she can feel comfortable talking to you again. Eventually, you’re going to have to tell her about Silver Spoon. You just hope that when you do, she won’t react like she did today. After a few minutes of sulking, though, you see your milkshake beginning to drip along the side of your glass cup, covering the tabletop in chocolatey brown fluids. “Waaaah! Shoot…” You then immediately race to grab some napkins before it spills over the edge and accidentally sends that girl with the gray skin and blonde hair to the emergency room. You’re going to make this right… somehow… “Sis, there’s not enough room on this bed for all three of us! You have to sit on the floor!” You look down at the floor with a frown, turning your head back towards Cozy Glow, who responds with a stern stare, her hands on her hips. It’s not like leaving the bed would be the worst thing in the world, but you were kinda hoping you’d get to sit next to your girlfriend since she came to specifically visit you in the first place. Of course, Cozy Glow doesn’t know that part, though. When Silver Spoon asked to come over, she was asking your sister, but this was something you’d planned with her the night before when the two of you were talking on the phone until way past her bedtime. Before you finally give into Cozy Glow’s demands, however, you lift your finger with a desperate expression on your face. “Couldn’t you just sit on my lap? You used to do it all the time when you were younger!” “Maybe when I was five, but I'm not a baby anymore! Now, you be a good sister and--” “I’ll sit on her lap.” Both you and Cozy Glow jerk your heads towards the girl sitting in between you, although Cozy Glow probably doesn’t have the same terrified look in her eyes that you do. The silver-haired girl looks at the both of you with the same expression, but you can tell that her sadistic smile is just her little way of telling you that she feels like messing with you right now. You should probably get on the floor right now, right? It would be weird if you humored her… ...buuuuuuut theoretically speaking, if she did sit on your lap, then that would mean you’d have no choice but to wrap your arms around her slender waist, wouldn’t it? What if she slipped off? She could get a concussion! You’d really be doing her a favor by holding her as close to your heart as humanly possible, maybe even leaning her back to smell the heavenly aroma of her spring-scented shampoo. You would be a bad sister if you didn’t do that for her friend! Wait, why are you having this internal conflict again? This is your room! “Cozy Glow, quit being a baby!” you say right as soon as Silver Spoon begins to lift herself up, catching her off guard and causing her to freeze in surprise. “There’s plenty of room for the three of us. We’re just gonna be a little bit smooshed together.” “Yeah, that’s what it means when there’s no room,” your sister retorts. “I’m not about to ask Silver Spoon to sit on the floor, and since she came over to see me, I don’t know why I’d be the one sitting on the floor.” “Right… To see you… Heheh…” Just as you begin tapping your index fingers together bashfully, however, Cozy Glow rolls her eyes, grabbing Silver Spoon by the wrist. “You know what? Maybe we should play in my room instead. Anon is being weird again.” “Actually…” Cozy Glow suddenly stops where she stands, looking back at Silver Spoon with a confused eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you were gonna play over at Ruby Pinch’s house today?” “Oh, poop! You’re right! I can’t believe I forgot! Sorry, Silver Spoon, but it looks like I might not be able to hang out today after all.” The girl in the glasses, however, shakes her head, looking back at your sister with a genuine smile. “It’s OK! I can just wait for you to come back. You won’t be too long, will you?” Once the idea comes out of her mouth, Cozy Glow takes a step back in surprise, squinting her eyes suspiciously. “I dunno. I might be. Are you sure you don’t just wanna come back some other time?” Again, Silver Spoon shakes her head. “I can wait! How about this? Why don’t you send me a message in an hour, and if it turns out that you’re gonna be there for a while, then I can just go home and we’ll play some other time!” “OK? But what are you gonna do until then?” “Annoy Anon.” Gaaaaah! She said it! You’re about to interject before Cozy Glow can misinterpret the situation, but the moment her eyes descend upon you, your body freezes in shock, your tongue binding to the bottom of your jaw. “You sure about that? Seems to me like she’d just be the one annoying you.” “I’ll be fine,” Silver Spoon replies with a giggle, gently pushing her friend on the back. “Now, you go have fun! I’ll be here when you get back.” Again, Cozy Glow tilts her head in surprise, but she continues walking out of your room nonetheless, waving goodbye to the two of you as she walks away. “OK, I guess. See you later.” Your sister scarcely makes it out of your bedroom by the time the door closes behind her, and almost immediately, Silver Spoon exhales a deep sigh and jumps backwards onto your bed again, leaning back to where her head is resting on your lap while looking up at you with a huge grin on her face. “Phew. I’m so glad I set that playdate up for today. You really need to work on your poker face, by the way.” Wait, she orchestrated that whole thing?! Before you can even begin to question how far in advance she thinks about things like this, though, her smile fades. “You’re hiding something.” She’s right. You really do need to work on your poker face. “What’s going on, Anon?” “It’s…” you start, rubbing your elbow while avoiding eye contact. “It’s nothing, really. Just some stuff going on with a friend of mine.” “Oh?” Silver Spoon lifts herself up, leaning her back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees. “Tell me about it.” When you and Silver Spoon talked about her coming over (which was apparently orchestrated days in advance), you hadn’t exactly anticipated this turning into a confession session. Actually, what you really wanted more than anything was an excuse to forget about your friend problems and just relax a little, but apparently there’s no way to do that without Silver Spoon worrying about you. Besides, it’s been a while since the two of you had a real heart to heart conversation. “My friend Vignette Valencia. She’s still upset about the whole Feather Bangs thing, and now I feel like I don’t know what to say to even her anymore.” Silver Spoon rocks to her side, placing her head on the crook of your shoulder. “What do you want to tell her?” “I want to tell her that she has nothing to worry about! Yeah, she kinda blew it last time, but once she stops being so dang nervous around him, he’ll finally see what a beautiful, smart, selfless, interesting girl she is! That’s why I’m gonna talk to this guy and give her a second chance!” Silver Spoon waits a few moments before speaking, running her nails up and down your arm before squeezing it tight. “You know that won’t work, right?” You furrow your eyebrows in shock, but Silver Spoon doesn’t show the least bit of remorse for what she said. “Well, I’m at least gonna try!” “Love isn’t as simple as that. Neither one of them should have to force a connection. If Vignette can’t act natural with him right now, she shouldn’t need to pressure herself to feel comfortable around him. How do you expect Feather Bangs to fall in love with her when not even Vignette believes that she’s good enough for him?” You hate that she’s probably right, but you can’t just admit defeat already. “Still, though…” “There’s more, isn’t there?” “...Yeah…” Can you really tell her the next part, though? You’re not sure how you can phrase what’s been bothering you more than anything else without coming off as some huge jerk, but once again, Silver Spoon hugs your arm, looking up at you with her beautiful eyes and adorable glasses. “Tell me.” “I…” You gulp. “I’m... afraid... of telling Vignette about you...” “Hm?” Dang it. This is harder than you thought. “You see, part of the reason Vignette is mad at me is because I’m not telling her any of the details about our relationship, and I think she might be wondering if I secretly have a thing for Feather Bangs too.” Silver Spoon lifts an eyebrow. “Do you?” “No! I couldn’t! I’d never--” Your outburst just seems to make your girlfriend even more suspicious, but then, after clearing your throat, you lift your shoulders up confidently and look straight into Silver Spoon’s deep, purple eyes. “Even if Vignette didn’t have a crush on Feather Bangs, the only person I like right now is you! That’ll never change!” Silver Spoon giggles, brushing her cheek against your arm. “You’re sweet. You’re naive, but still sweet.” You look away, your cheeks blushing a bright red as your voice descends into a whisper. “Come on, Silver Spoon. Can’t you be serious for a minute? I’m really worried about what’s going to happen between me and Vignette.” “Oh, really?” Silver Spoon chuckles femininely, but by the time you look over to see what’s so funny, her hands are sliding up to your shoulders, her face suddenly within just a few inches of yours. You slowly back away, swallowing hard as your heartbeat picks up, but never once do your eyes leave hers. “Sounds like what you’re really worried about is her finding out about me.” “Y-yeah, well…” The more you hesitate, the closer Silver Spoon gets, backing up until your back hits the wall behind you with the girl you like suddenly trapping you in. “If you’re not gonna tell anybody about us, maybe I should.” Her whispering voice has gotten even quieter, despite how much clearer her teeth enunciate every word. Every syllable she speaks suddenly sends tingles throughout your skin, making you shake wildly while trying to look away from her fluttering eyelashes and tiny lips. “Silver Spoon? Please tell me you’re just teasing me right now.” Now you’re whispering too, your chest rising even higher while you try to fight off her overwhelming charm. “I could tell you that, but I don’t think you want me to.” You have no idea what you want anymore. You keep telling yourself that what you really want is to push her away from you so that you can go back to having a mature conversation, but the goosebumps along your neck are telling you otherwise. She’s so close that the hairs on your body are starting to stick up, but your body is too frozen to put any distance between the two of you, especially since she’s got you backed up like this. In fact, if anything, you’re trying not to bring your face in any closer. Besides, if your face got any closer to hers, that would mean… You quickly close your eyes to battle her adorable face as much as you can and turn your chin to the side. “Y-y-you can’t!” “Just imagine if your sister found out about us.” Just the thought of Cozy Glow learning that you’re dating her best friend makes your eyes go wide, but the second they open up again, they’re once again pulled into Silver Spoon’s gravitational pull. She suddenly begins to giggle softly, and again, you’re trying to fight off the invisible force tugging at the back of your head, bringing the two of you closer… and closer... Then, you feel Silver Spoon’s finger at the base of your chin just as you’re about to turn away again, keeping your face centered with no path to escape. You’re begging your brain to close your eyes, desperately trying to find any way to escape the allure of her irises, but you’re frozen solid aside from the vehement shaking in your shoulders. You dig your nails into your thighs, praying that it’ll break the spell, but nothing seems to be working. Instead, you’re stuck as her victim, following wherever she guides you. Your chin moves forward. You’re so close you can feel her breath against your neck. Why can’t you escape? Celestia, why are you letting this happen? Then, out of reflex alone, your eyes begin to slowly close. Your lips begin to part. Your last conscious thoughts are begging something to save you, but your hastening heartbeat quickly drowns those thoughts out. You’ve become a lifeless husk, betrayed by your overflowing emotions. Finally, everything fades to black as-- *Creeeeak!* Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap! Both you and Silver Spoon jump, slamming your backs to the wall as fast as you can just as the door to your bedroom begins to open. If you thought your heart was pumping before, it’s practically breaking your rib cage now, sending so much adrenaline everywhere that you’re one shock away from fainting. Or dying. In fact, you’re so embarrassed you could practically die right now. Then, looking over at Silver Spoon, you see something you didn’t think was possible. Her face is just as red as yours, her chest rising and falling at the exact same speed. Is it really possible? Does the Silver Spoon actually get embarrassed? Oh, you are definitely going to use that to your advantage later on if you don’t die here. “What’s the big idea?!” Then, adding one more question mark to what has already been a confusing chain of events, the one to enter through the door is your little sister, slamming the door behind her with her hands on her hips. Is she mad? What did she see? Why is she back so soon? You quickly look over at Silver Spoon, but even as she tries to play cool by crossing her legs and lifting her shoulders back, there’s no way she can hide how red her cheeks are or how much her hands are shaking. “What do you mean?” you ask hesitantly, awkwardly laughing like that would somehow make this situation not weird. “I mean, what’s the big deal inviting me over to your house just to cancel when I’m halfway there! Ruby Pinch said that her mom was going out and that she couldn’t have friends over, but you’d think she’d let me know about that before I started walking over! Ugh. Anyway, what were you two doing while I was gone?” “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………….” “Isn’t it obvious?” Silver Spoon retorts, chuckling with confidence. “We were talking about boys.” Cozy Glow gasps in amazement, similar to what you’re doing on the inside as your lungs try to function properly again. To be fair, she’s not technically lying. She’s just leaving out the part where the two of you almost k-- “Wow!” your sister exclaims. “You’re so grown up, Silver Spoon! Although, I don’t really know if you’d get any good advice from my sister. She’s not the best at the whole love thing.” Just as you point your finger at her in preparation to tell her off, though, she quickly folds her arms in confusion. “Wait. Are you saying there’s someone you like?” Silver Spoon, however, shrugs her shoulders, speaking to Cozy Glow despite sending you a subtle wink. “Maybe.” “Really?! Come on! Let’s go to my room and talk about it some more!” Then, grabbing your girlfriend by the wrist, your sister immediately pulls Silver Spoon away, leading her out the door before either of you can get two words in. Right before she follows Cozy Glow out the door, however, she looks back at you and smiles, not like in the teasing way that she’s done before, but rather in a genuine way that reminds you what her personality is really like. Yes, she may bully you whenever she gets the chance, but deep down, she’s still probably more mature than you are. She’d never push you past your comfort zone, and at the end of the day, you know that she’s still someone you can confide in with all your secrets. Even after she threatened to tell Cozy Glow about the relationship between the two of you, you know she’d never do it without your permission. Still, though, you can’t help but put your fingers to your lips, revisiting that moment over and over again in your mind. If you thought you couldn’t tell Vignette about Silver Spoon before, you’re definitely not ready to tell her about her now. Then, shaking your head, you pull out your phone, scrolling through your messages until you come up to the one from the other day. If you can’t tell Vignette about Silver Spoon, then now’s the time to set things right with Feather Bangs. Even if he doesn’t end up falling in love with her, you have to prove once and for all that he doesn’t like you like that. “Hey, Feather! Are you free after school tomorrow? I think it’s time we had that talk.” You barely have to wait two minutes, staring at your phone in aggravation when you feel your phone vibrating, making your blood race as you pull up the boy’s message. “Yeah, girl. I’ll meet you out by the courtyard and the two of us can acquaint ourselves more formally. Ha ha.” You’re not really sure what that means, but it has to be good. Come this time tomorrow, Vignette Valencia will no longer hate your guts. Come this time tomorrow, you’re gonna have your friend back again. Another awkward day of school where Vignette Valencia ignores you the whole day passes by, making you even more anxious about this whole meetup with the boy she likes. What if she just happens to pass by and see the two of you together? Was this really a big mistake? You could have just sent him a text message or DM, either one of which would have worked just as well as actually meeting him face-to-face. “Hey, this may sound stupid, but do you like me?” That’s all you’d have to write! Then he could send you a yes or no answer which you could show Vignette Valencia, and then, supposing all variables remain constant, the two of you could theoretically go back to normal! Maybe it’s not too late to call the whole thing off after all. Just as soon as you pull out your phone and begin typing, though, you see Vignette Valencia walking through the school corridors with some of her other friends. Then, once her eyes casually glance to the side to make contact with yours, she stops where she stands, almost like she has to comprehend this totally normal coincidence. Hesitantly, you lift your hand to wave at her, doing your best to smile even though you’re really just trying not to accidentally cringe from how awkward this situation is. Unfortunately for you, though, she doesn’t get the chance to wave back. “‘Sup, girl? A little birdie told me that you were lookin’ for someone you could… confide in at a deeper level. Ha ha.” Suddenly, you turn around, just to see Feather Bangs’s pearly whites flashing you a smile at the worst possible time, and if he were somehow looking for a way to make things even worse, he’s holding a flower in his fingers, leaning against a wall and wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. Immediately, you turn on your heels again to see Vignette Valencia’s reaction, but by the time you face her, she’s already halfway down the hallway, scowling and biting down on her lower lip. You raise your hand to stop her, but even if she could see you with her back turned, there’s no way she’d listen to you now. Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the. Worst. Possible. Thing. With a defeated sigh, you drop your hand back down to your side, hanging your head and entire upper body in despair as you turn towards Feather Bangs again, who is now cringing awkwardly while scratching at the back of his head. “Should I… come back some other time?” His question makes you instinctively growl, grabbing him by the wrist and leading him into the school corridors. “You! Sit! Now!” Feather Bangs stumbles comedically as you drag him into the hallway, inviting stares from the girls around you which you try to ignore. Then, flinging him to the bench where the two of you had your first discussion, you take the seat next to him, glaring daggers into the poor boy’s trembling eyes. “Anon? You alright, girl?” “No! I’m not alright, as a matter of fact!” As the girls around you begin to chatter more loudly, you pull your attention away from Feather Bangs to give them the dirtiest look in your arsenal, making most of them either stop talking or walk away altogether. Once you look back at Feather Bangs, though, you see that both his shoulders and jaw are trembling, calming you down enough to at least realize how overly aggressive you’re acting right now. “Did… I do something wrong?” Finally, you breathe out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose and shaking your head, staying silent for a few moments to allow your aggravation to gradually subside. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve just got a lot going on right now.” “You… wanna talk about it?” Yes, you want to talk about it. That was the entire purpose of bringing him out here in the first place! Still, though, you can’t talk to Feather Bangs in the mental state you’re in right now, so rather than answering him, you lean back on the bench, staring up at the ceiling above you. “I want to, but… Ugh… I don’t even know where to start anymore…” Feather Bangs waits a few moments to allow yourself to cool off a little bit more before saying, “This has got somethin’ to do with your friend Vignette, don’t it?” You pull your face down and look at the boy with stars in your eyes. “Yes! Thank you! You understand!” “Not really.” Dang it. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. “I just think it’s kinda strange that you’re talkin’ to me about this instead of her, and as cocky as I might seem on the outside, I don’t think you wanted to talk to me to confess your feelings.” The comment makes you chuckle softly, rolling your eyes to try to get that image out of your head. “Yeah, but… it’s something along those lines.” Feather Bangs begins to blush, which only makes your next question even harder to force out. “This is probably gonna sound weird, and when I say weird, I mean like borderline creepy, but I promise I’m not like some kind of crazy stalker or anything!” “Anon?” As soon as Feather Bangs pulls you back to reality, you cringe at how awkward you probably sounded right there. “I promise I ain’t gonna think of you any differently than I do now. Unless you do tell me you’re a crazy stalker, in which case, no offense, but I’m gonna run away.” You giggle quietly and shake your head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… Wow, this is harder to get out than I thought it would be. Umm… Whew, how do I do this?” Suddenly, though, Feather Bangs grabs you by the palm, making your eyes immediately dart to your hands before slowly turning back up to his heavenly smile and gorgeous eyes. If any of the girls at school are looking right now, they’re probably planning on what method they’re going to use to kill you, making you jerk your hands away before anyone else gets the wrong idea about you. “Anon?” His voice has descended into a gentle whisper, making you gulp a hard lump down your throat. “Whatever’s goin’ on, you can tell me. You just gotta trust me.” You sigh defeatedly. “You’re right. It’s just… hard to say…” Just as he opens his mouth to comfort you some more, however, you quickly lift your shoulders and exclaim, “Feather Bangs, do you have a crush on me?” Crap. Oh, crap! You actually said it! Forget what he said about not judging you! He probably thinks you’re insane! Just look at him! He’s laughing at you right now! That’s it. Your social life is over. Gone. Forever. Now you’re going to be known throughout the school as that weirdo girl who thought that the cutest boy at the school had a crush on her. Narcissist much? You might as well just leave and jump into a flaming vat of-- “Yeah.” You blink. “W-what?” “Yeah, I like you.” You want to blink again, but your eyes are too busy in the corner of your head, trying to come up with some mathematical method to formulate how you can even interpret this chain of events. You were so sure that he was just going to laugh it off and tell you that you weren’t his type, but did he just say that he actually has a crush on you? Don’t punch yourself, Anon. You can do that later when nobody’s looking. “I don’t get it,” you say, shaking your head. “I mean, Vignette Valencia is so much better than me in basically every way femininely possible! How could anyone like me over her?!” Feather Bangs chuckles. “Vignette’s cool and all. I like her as a friend and a business partner and all that, but there just ain’t that spark, you know?” You raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “But why? Why do you like me over her?” Finally, Feather Bangs stops laughing and gives you a serious, sincere smile. “You mean besides the fact that you’re the most beautiful young lady Canterlot has to offer?” You scowl at his remark. You blush, but you still scowl. “I guess maybe it’s ‘cause you’re just like me.” “...Me? Just like you…?” You say it sarcastically, but Feather Bangs either doesn’t notice or ignores your tone completely. “Fo sho, girl! You came here from someplace else, not knowin’ nobody once you got here, carryin’ along all this baggage, and now you’re just tryin’ to get a new start and survive outside your comfort zone. I gotta tell you, girl, when you’re a famous pop star, most of the girls you meet are all the same. They come from this rich background, they’ve lived here their whole life, and they’ve had their future basically planned for ‘em from the start. You and me, we ain’t like that.” “But neither is Vignette! And if you just gave her a chance, I think you’d start to see that too!” Suddenly, Feather Bangs’s smile begins to fade, not into anything angry or upset, but rather just a small, simple frown. “Again, Vignette’s cool and all, but she’s just not for me. I’ve got plenty of pretty girls who like me for my music, my popularity, my hair--” He flips his bangs for added effect. “--but I can’t talk to any of ‘em. Look at us, Anon. We’re havin’ a real conversation without tryin’ to impress each other. I get that you might feel bad about me havin’ feelings for you when your best friend has feelings for me, but what I want most is a girl I can open up to, someone who looks at me for me and not my social media following. Even if you don’t like me back, I like how I can just talk to you about whatever.” You wait a few seconds before speaking again. “When you two first met, though, it sounded like the both of you really hit it off! What happened?” Feather Bangs looks away, tapping his foot on the ground and sighing deeply, shaking his head. “It always starts out like that. They have no problem at first, but eventually, they start to get weird around me. You saw what happened when we went to that milkshake place. I couldn’t talk to her! Which is why I had to make conversation with you, just to try and help her calm down a little and remember that I’m just a regular guy like her. She had nothing to worry about.” “Does that mean she has no chance?” Finally, Feather Bangs looks you in the eye again, lifting an eyebrow with a subtle smirk. “I guess that means I have no chance with you, then, don’t it?” You wait a minute to respond, then exhale out your nose, looking down at your lap while slowly nodding your head. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Feather.” “No sweat, girl. It’s not like this is my first rejection, after all.” You tilt your head, a small smirk suddenly appearing on your own face. “Really? Who else has rejected you?” “Girl, you would not believe how crazy I was for this girl back in my old town. Her name was Sugar Belle, right? And I was doin’ all kinds of crazy things to get her to like me. You know I actually learned to juggle for her?” The comment makes you laugh femininely into your hands. “You can juggle?” “You got any balls right now? Lemme show you.” “Oh, right, because I totally carry those around school with me, just for occasions like these.” The two of you then begin cracking up, holding onto your stomach as your laughter fills the empty school corridors. Finally, you let yourself relax a little, allowing yourself to calm down after the tumultuous rollercoaster of emotions that the day has brought with it. Just as you’re about to add another witty comment to the conversation, though, you feel a buzz in your pocket, momentarily pulling you out of your headspace. “Hang on, Feather. I got a text.” Once you read it, though, your eyes go wide. Your heart stops beating. Your brain starts racing. You quickly lift your head, looking around in every direction until suddenly, you see someone standing at the end of the hallway with a cell phone shaking in her hand, tears streaming down her face. By the time your mouth opens, though, she runs away as fast as she can, and even though it’s faint, you can hear the sounds of sobs fading as she dashes away. You quickly jump to your feet, but there’s nothing you can do now. Even if you chased after her, what would you tell her? Would you even be able to catch up with her at this point? Would she even talk to you? Your hands begin to shake, and with all of the emotions flooding through your body at once, you fall back down to the bench behind you, breathing deep, heavy breaths, too traumatized to even cry. Feather Bangs, meanwhile, places a hand on your shoulder, leaning in with a face of concern. “Anon? You alright?” Of course not, but it’s not like you can say why. You can’t say anything, even if you wanted to. All you can do is stare down at the message she sent you, reading it over and over and over and over. This can’t be happening. There’s no way… And finally, you drop your phone, bawling into your hands while Feather Bangs places his arms around you, holding you close while your emotions pour out uncontrollably. “I can’t do this anymore, Anon. Our friendship is over. I’m sorry.”
How it would have endedThis story has been cancelled. Everything that comes next is a legitimate spoiler for how the story would have ended. If you want to hold out hope that the story will be continued in the future, I wouldn’t recommend reading the next section, but I sincerely doubt that I will ever finish. After Vignette tells Anon that she doesn’t want to be friends anymore, Anon tells Cozy Glow about Feather Bangs but keeps Vignette a secret from Cozy Glow and instead brings all of her problems to Silver Spoon, leaving out the part where Feather Bangs confessed his feelings to her. Anon and Silver Spoon have a cute little dating scene, and then Anon comes home to find that Cozy Glow wants to talk. Cozy Glow reaffirms the question she asked earlier about how Anon would never do anything to hurt her, and then Cozy Glow announces that she has a crush on Silver Spoon, still unaware that Silver Spoon is currently dating Anon. After that, Anon starts to feel conflicted and begins hiding her feelings from Silver Spoon. Then, when Silver Spoon asks Cozy Glow if everything is alright with Anon, Cozy Glow lets her know that Feather Bangs confessed his feelings to her. While Silver Spoon is still in shock, Cozy Glow confesses her feelings and is told, “I’ll need some time to think about it.” Then, when Silver Spoon returns to Anon, both of them are suddenly feeling very awkward, neither one telling the other what they know. Silver Spoon, however, feels like the only reason that Anon is dating her is because she feels sorry for her and that Anon would be much happier dating Feather Bangs. Finally, Silver Spoon tells Anon about Cozy Glow’s confession and announces that she’d rather date her sister instead. The two break up. Fast-forward to three weeks later. Cozy Glow and Silver Spoon have been dating, and Anon hasn’t been picking up her little sister from school. When Anon comes home, she goes straight to her room and stays there until school the next day. Then, once she realizes she’s at the end of her rope, she contacts Vignette Valencia and tells her to meet her at Sugarcube Corner. Vignette is still hard-hearted at first, but once she sees Anon break down in front of her, they decide to put their fight behind them and make up. Anon explains that the reason she didn’t tell Vignette about her crush earlier was because Silver Spoon was really a nine year old girl. Vignette tells Anon that she understands and doesn’t judge her for hiding it from her. Anon, now filled with sudden confidence, tries to convince herself that she still has a chance with Silver Spoon and pulls her phone out to message her, but Vignette stops Anon at the last second and says, “I know you love her, but it’s over. It’s time to move on.” Change perspectives to Silver Spoon. After a play date with Cozy Glow, Silver Spoon calls her friend Diamond Tiara. She tells DT about all the things that have been going on and how she still loves Anon. Diamond Tiara calls Silver Spoon an idiot for rushing into breaking up without asking Anon first. Silver Spoon asks what she should do, and Diamond Tiara tells her to be a good girlfriend to Cozy Glow for now. Later, Cozy Glow mentions that she wants to talk with Anon. She tells her that Silver Spoon has been acting weird since the two of them started dating and asks if Anon has any advice. Anon realizes that this means she might have a shot with Silver Spoon after all, but puts her sister first and says, “Keep trying. Do your best.” Once Cozy Glow leaves, though, Anon begins to wonder if she made the right choice. That’s when Anon realizes that she isn’t doing her best either, and even if it ends up hurting her sister, the one thing she promised she would never do, she has to tell Silver Spoon the truth and give herself one last chance. The next day, Anon waits by the park to pick up her sister from school just to find out Cozy Glow isn't there. She then gets a message from Cozy Glow saying that she went over to Silver Spoon’s house and immediately starts running as fast as she can. Finally, once she arrives at Silver Spoon’s house, she apologizes to Cozy Glow and proclaims her love for Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon cries tears of joy and tells Anon that she loves her back. Cozy Glow, meanwhile, cries about how they’ll never go back to normal and that she screwed everything up when she confessed to Silver Spoon, but Silver Spoon tells her that no matter what, she’ll always be Cozy Glow’s friend. As hurt as Cozy Glow is to lose her girlfriend, she inherently knows that she was much happier back when it was the three of them. Fast forward nine years later. Anon is in a wedding dress with her sister in a brides maid outfit. Cozy Glow brags about how she was the one to introduce the two of them in the first place. Then, Silver Spoon walks down the aisle and the two of them share their first kiss. “See?” Silver Spoon says. “I told you I’d kiss you for real one day.” Thank you to everyone who supported me in writing this story. I’m sorry that this was the best I could do.
