Talking To My Friends.

Princess Twilight woke on a bed of books. She could hear students milling about the library so she knew the school had not closed yet. She looked through the saddle bag Spike packed for her. She found a magic journal, a few quills (no sofas) and two bottles of ink. She made a mental note to commend Spike when she got home.

"Dear Princess Cadance, I have found Sunset and learned much about her," wrote Princess Twilight in her magic journal. "I have a few questions for you. Why does Sunset hate you? How can I help her? Why didn't Celestia follow her through the mirror?"

After a few minutes of waiting words scrawled across the page. "Dear Princess Twilight," wrote back Cadance. "I am glad, but not surprised you want to help Sunset. I don't think you can. Sunset's problems are many and they run deep. You should focus on recovering your crown and leave helping her to me. When Celestia lets me venture through the mirror that is."

"Why do you think you were a bad sister to Sunset?"

"Twilight, that is none of your concern! Your mission is to recover the element of magic."

"I understand."

"Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Does she really hate me?"

Twilight hesitated before writing, "Yes."

"I may know something that can help. Tell her this 'Cadance would be proud to see you have fallen so far'. If she has not changed she will give you your crown back. Please only use those words as a last resort. They will only work if she still loves me."

Twilight quietly said, "Cadance would be proud to see you have fallen so far." The words felt like a weapon on her tongue. She resolved to never say them again.

Two dark marks appeared on the page of the journal. They looked like water marks. Tear stains.

"I will be back soon." Twilight closed her journal and took a deep breath. Her heart was racing, but she reused to let panic set in.

A soft hand rested on Twilight's shoulder. "Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy in an even quieter whisper than usual.

"Yeah." Twilight took another deep breath. "What happened? This was supposed to be a simple retelling of a simple story. What do I do next? How can I make everything better?"

"I don't know. I don't know. And you can't."

"How did you find me?"

"I asked Sunset to use her spyglass to find you. She laughed and told me she would give me her right arm if you were not in the library. I am glad you are here. Not just because I don't know what I would do with her arm. I wanted to invite you to a sleep over. Sunset is coming and I have something planned that may be able to help you get your crown back."

"Thank you. I am out of my depth in this world. I was planning on sleeping in the library."

Princess Twilight fit into Fluttershy's pajamas quite well despite their age difference. The smell of oats wafting out of Fluttershy's kitchen distracted her from her thought about how other people's showers are always weird.

Fluttershy was at the front door with Rainbow Dash.

"Am I the first one here?"

"Not exactly. Twilight came straight here with me after school. Pinkie came by an hour ago to bake."

"Oh. I was hoping Sunset would get here before me."

"You can talk to your number one cheerleader while you wait for her."

Rainbow shifted her weight onto her heels. She looked off in a random direction. "You don't have to call yourself that."

"Am I not your number one cheerleader?"

"I don't know. I have a lot of cheerleaders."

"I will always cheer for you as loudly as I can," Fluttershy assured.

Rainbow sighed. "I know."

Rarity pushed past Rainbow despite having more than enough room to walk around her. "You don't need to be so mean Rainbow."

"She wasn't being mean at all."

"Yes she was. You are simply too naïve to see it."

Sunset sauntered into the house with a frown and a furrowed brow. "Rarity, shut your mouth! I want to have fun and will not tolerate any of your bu-" She remembered where she was. "Fluttershy! So nice of you to have me over."

Rainbow smiled with excitement. She nearly jumped as she said, "Hey Sunset!"

"What?"

Rainbow shrank back. "N-nothing. Just... hey."

Fluttershy lead the girls to her basement. The soft purple carpet reeked of animal urine and baking soda. Four cats, six ferrets, a tea cup pig, and two puppies scurried around the floor. Four aquariums lined the far wall and held hundreds of fish. Floating shelves held two dozen ant farms and insect habitats. She had nine spices of ants, three spices of caterpillars, Seven species of beetles and only one spices of crickets.

Fluttershy noticed Princess Twilight looking at all of the bugs. "Do you want to meet my bees?" she asked. "They are outside. Not outside out side. They are in the greenhouse. Which is outside."

"No thank you. In the pony world bees never liked me much."

Fluttershy giggled. "Bees hate me too."

Sunset looked at her wristwatch. "Gratias lunam et stellas."

Twilight quickly said, "Gratias lunam et stellas."

Rarity gave Twilight a funny look. "Do all ponies say that every time the sun sets?"

Twilight nodded. "All the ponies in Equestria at least. It means thank you moon and stars."

"I know what it means." Rarity scoffed. "Why do you say it?"

Twilight shrugged. "Every pony is taught to appreciate the moon and stars from foal hood. Perhaps it is a form of recompense."

"Is recompense Latin too?" asked Rainbow.

"No. It means to make up for causing someone pain."

"Who lowers the sun in this world?" Twilight asked while looking at the basement's ceiling.

"No one. It lowers it self."

"Then who knows when the sun will rise again?"

Sunset shrugged. "Who cares if the sun will rise again?"

Princess Twilight sat in an old smelly armchair. It was covered with fur and feathers. There was a big crusty hair ball stuck to one of the arm rests. It looked so similar to something Owlicious coughed up she was tempted to search it for bones. The seat was harder than steel, but she was grateful it was dry. The closest thing she had to a throne in the pony world was a chair with a pillow on it. She thought anypony princess or not was too good for this chair.

"Are you comfortable?" asked Fluttershy.

"I am," Twilight lied with a smile.

Fluttershy, Sunset and Rarity sat on a giant grey sofa. Stuffing popped out of claw marks in the fabric. The sofa was somehow dirtier than the chair.

Rainbow sat in a rocking chair in the corner of the room. She was ten feet from everyone else.

Rarity dropped her slippered feet onto the low black coffee table.

Pinkie Pie carried hot oatmeal raisin cookies, custard and hay cakes down the basement stairs. Sunset kicked Raritie's feet off the table so Pinkie could lay out the snacks.

"Thank you for the snacks," Princess Twilight said as she took a big bite out of one of the hay cakes. She spit it onto the floor.

Sunset smiled. "I should have warned you. The hay in this world tastes like straw."

The pig ran over and ate the cake off the floor. Fluttershy didn't seem to mind.

"I was sure I could make it delicious this time," said Pinkie with a frown.

"Don't get down on yourself. Not even Mr. Cake could make that fodder edible."

Rainbow turned on a large old TV with a built in VHS player. "Are we going to watch our mandatory pony princess sleepover movie?" She smiled at Twilight. "We have a tradition of making it twenty minutes in before we start fighting."

"Shouldn't we wait for Applejack?" asked Princess Twilight.

The entire room fell silent. Even the crickets were frozen.

Fluttershy softly said, "Applejack is not coming."

"We are better off without her," declared Rarity. "She is less fun than a bad hair cut."

"What did I tell you about talking!"

Rarity challenged Sunset saying, "I am glad your anti depressants make you into a crowing shrew. I would be wondering all night if you were going to burst into tears at the drop of a hat if you were even slightly pleasant."

"That is not one of the side effects!" Sunset looked to Twilight. "She just wants you to know I am medicated. She thinks needing medicine makes me weak because she is a fuc- She is a backward FUCKING INTOLERABLE BITCH!"

Everyone moved away from Sunset like she was going to start throwing punches. Even Rarity looked scared.

"This is why we avoid each other," muttered Pinkie.

Fluttershy took Sunset by the hand and escorted her upstairs.

Pinkie glared daggers at Rarity. "Why even bother coming if you are going to be like this!"

Rarity took a cookie, bit it, then stabbed the remaining half into the custard. "Be like what Darling?" She took another cookie.

Rainbow started the movie.

Sunset and Fluttershy came back a few minutes later.

They all ignored each other until the movie ended.

Sunset jumped off the sofa. She was squirming the entire movie. "See you tomorrow Fluttershy. Princess."

Fluttershy whispered something to Rarity.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Sunset, I am sorry you hate me."

Pinkie crossed her arms. "Like an unsalted chocolate pretzel you were close but not quite right."

Rarity groaned like a frustrated child. "I am sorry I keep pushing all of you away."

Sunset dropped back onto the sofa.

There was a long silence The animals were loud, but that only drew attention to the fact none of the girls knew what to say.