The troublesome troupe were hanging out in Anon's room-house machination. (This tends to be a common theme, when you're the only one with a TV in their 'room'.)

TV, however, was not meant for them at this time. The four of them are currently squeezed on the couch, all in generally sour moods. The couch could comfortably host three; so with four, they were all pretty smushed together, pink flank to blue flank to man-butt to yellow flank.

Instead of watching TV, a trying-to-be-stern Princess Twilight paced in front of the entertainment box, back and forth. They'd been... lacking, in their weekly friendship lessons. Since they'd grown comfortable with each-others company, they hadn't been making suitable reports. Slacking, even. This wouldn't do, and Twilight would nip it in the bud.

Trixie nudges Anon with her elbow, trying to get him to move over. He huffs, shoving his knee further into her space. Starlight rolls her eyes, until Trixie starts leaning back on her, Starlight coughing and looking away. Sunset smacks at whatever part of Anon leans too close into her own space, eager and willing to defend what is hers, even against Anon. The only one who didn't seem bothered by proximity was Starlight, nearly being sat on by Trixie as her and Anon square up for central-couch ownership.

A loudly cleared throat from Twilight snaps everyone back to a quiet attention, silencing the rabble.

"Everypony." Twilight begins.

"Aw, sick." Anon slaps his knees, leaning forward to get up.

"And Human." Twilight adds, throwing him a testy stare.

Anon tsks, un-leaning and crossing his arms.

"Your Monday-Due Friendship reports on your Friendship lessons are... lacking." Twilight explains, trying to take the lighter route of scolding. "Let's read one or two, shall we?"

A soft purple glow lifts a stack of four papers up, equally spreading them out in front of her.

"Last week, I'd asked you to define what Friendship meant to you. Starting with Anon..."

She squints. "It's... Gay."
Twilight looks over the page, finding literally nothing else. She crumples up the paper, tossing it aside.

"Sorry, thought the lesson was 'Define Trixie'. I'll do better next week, teach, promise." Anon teases, catching a smack from the associated seat-competition.

Twilight shakes her head, moving on.
"Starlight. You said... Friendship is a useful tool to ensure that those around you maintain a proper relationship, and move in predictable patterns. Without it, one would need to utilize either methods of... fear, or control, either through the... monopoly of required goods, or invasive magics."

There's a lot more to the page, but Twilight crumples it up. Starlight looks offended.

"What?! I worked hard on that one!" Starlight objects.

"Starlight, Friendship isn't a tool used to manipulate others. Not by Good Ponies, anyway. And you are, a Good Pony?" Twilight states dryly. It wasn't a secret that the three Ponies occupying the Couch were... 'Rehabilitated Villains' that had brought some form of trouble to either Ponyville, or the Elements. It was a bit of an awkward subject, since most of the conflicts were born from insecurity or grudges. Starlight glances away.

"...Right. Sorry." She mutters.

Twilight takes a long breath, pulling out Trixie's paper.
"Trixie. You said... Starlight is Trixie's only friend, and the only one worthy of being Trixie's full-time assistant."

Twilight re-reads the rather short entry, before glancing up. Trixie stares at Twilight, entirely serious and expectantly, while Starlight glances away, blushing.

Anon and Sunset throw Trixie a hefty stink eye. Trixie scoffs.
"What? Trixie was being honest! You are... Friends in Training, to Trixie. Intern Assistants, at best." She says proudly, like it was a nice thing.

"I'm gonna beat her ass." Sunset mutters.

"I'm gonna uninvite this bitch from my Birthday Parties." Anon grumbles.

"Oh, nobody goes to those anyway, Anon." Sunset chides, getting an offended look from Anon.

"Ladies, Ladies." Twilight says, trying to ease the moment. She glances at Anon. "...And Anon. Enough. Please."

The Couch quiets down, and Twilight starts again.
"Trixie. I am... tentatively proud. I'm glad you value Starlight's friendship, and have found where to place your personal Values towards friendship. However... let's try to lean away from burning the relationship of everyone else that might like you?"

Trixie looks confused.
"What do you mean? Trixie was honest."

"Anon, why don't you... explain, how what Trixie said, makes you feel?" Twilight tries, waving to Anon with a hoof.

"Sure." He grunts, shifting to look at Trixie. Trixie tilts her head to look at him, incredulously.

"Trixie. When you say... I'm not your friend, it makes me... want to call you a Fag--" Anon's mouth is promptly shut by Sunsets hoof, already predicting him.

"We'll uh... work on this part of things, later, Twilight." Sunset grins, throwing Anon a dirty look. Anon rolls his eyes.

Twilight shakes her head, while Trixie just looks confused. Starlight is still quiet, Trixie's hoof currently leaned against her leg.

"Alright. And finally, Sunset..." Twilight starts, pulling up the last paper. "I appreciate My friends, And the time they spend with me. Friendship, to me, mAkes me feel... Good. it keeps the bad thoughts away, and spendinG time with the peOple i like, makes me have a good Time. so, i find friendship, equal to happiness." Twilight reads out, nodding in approving surprise.

"I'm glad that at least you took it seriously, Sunset. Though... you may need to work on your grammar." Twilight praises, Sunset blinking a few times.

"I, uh... I forgot to write mine, actually." Sunset admits, sheepishly.

Anon audibly snorts, getting all eyes on him. Sunset smacks his shoulder.
"The fuck did you do this time?"

Twilight throws Sunset a sour stare. "Enough with the hitting, please. And Swearing. Now, why do we assume evil intent? Perhaps, Anon was trying to show... affection, to his friends, by helping write your assignment when you forgot? While I'm not a fan of you missing your reports, it would show... progress?" Twilight tries, but she's having trouble finding a good lesson out of this.

"Can I see it?" Sunset asks. Twilight nods, floating it over to the yellow mare. Sunset takes it in her hoofs, reading it over.

She doesn't see anything the first time. She re-reads it again, noting the poor grammar, the odd capitals...

It clicks, and she groans loudly, crumpling up the paper.
"I'm a Faggot? Really, Anon?"

Anon makes a shocked gasp, before covering Sunsets mouth with his hand.
"Sunset! Language!"

She bites his hand.

He doesn't quite react in the way she was expecting, the two of them sharing an awkward stare.

They cough, Sunset pulling her teeth off, and Anon rescinding his hand.

Trixie glances between the two, confused.

Starlight is looking away, biting a hoof to keep from commenting.

Twilight shakes her head, ignoring the entire thing as she produces four new parchments.
"This week, I'll be expecting you all to handle a Group assignment."

Collective, face-scrunching wince. Boo.

"I want, each of you, to list Three Things that you like about each other person in your friend group -- and Three Things you think they could do better. Understood, everypony? And Anon?" Twilight asks.

A collective quartet of 'Yes, yep, mmhm, and Sure thing Princess Twilight' are said, though not enthusiastically. Content, Twilight leaves them to begin their weeks studies, of each-other, trotting out of Anons room.

Trixie is quick to hop off the couch, Starlight finally taking a breath as the blue pony gets off of her lap.

"Well, this was... trivial. If anyone needs Trixie, she shall be practicing her elite routines, until Sunday Night, where she will panic-answer the entire sheet for Monday Morning." Trixie bluntly announces, heading for the door.

"Fun. Yeah, I'm gonna... go. Do some stuff. Thanks for hosting, Anon." Starlight follows soon after Trixie, leaving Sunset and Anon alone.

The two re-adjust, now claiming equal space on the couch. Sunset has the remote for the TV in her hoof, tapping it on her leg. To actually tackle her assignment early, or to follow Trixie's admirable, slacking path.

She glances over at Anon, expecting him to do the same. Instead, she finds him leant over the Coffee Table, already scribbling something down on his own page.

She tilts her head.
"Didn't expect you to be the get-ahead type." She muses, teasing.

He doesn't take the bait. Sunset raises an eyebrow. He always takes the bait.

Anon finishes scribbling, holding the paper out towards her, looking away. She takes it, giving him a confused look while putting the remote down.

The only section he filled out was under how he felt about her, under 'What she could do better.' Of course, he did, asshole...

"Bite Harder... Next Time." Sunset reads aloud.

Both awkwardly cough, Sunset joining in on glancing away, both hiding a blush.

Author's Note

boooooo