--Lunch--

I sat down at the table, the one we always ate at, the one that bore the names of every single Outcast to ever be part of the group carved into the solid teak. My mouth was twisted into a frown under my gas mask. "Damn it. I've been trying for two hours to get that Red Tear guy to stop being a loner." I mumbled, planting my head firmly on the wood where my name was.

"Maybe you just need to leave him alone and see if he comes to us of his own accord." Vagabond replied, adjusting her glasses. "Some ponies just prefer to be on their own."

I glanced up at her through the lenses, still scowling. "Yes, but he needs us. I can tell. He seemed angry, but I could tell he was just lonely. And what is Rule 5?"

"We stick together, no matter what?" Manga piped up. "That doesn't exactly fit the situation."

"That's Rule 4, Manga." I muttered, head still pressed onto the table. "Rule 5 is that we help those who need a place to belong."

He nodded his head as I raised mine off the wood. "We have to go talk to him."

Vagabond raised an eyebrow. "I told you to leave him alone. If he was outright hostile, he doesn't want other ponies around him." I started off towards Red Tear anyway, but was jerked back by Vagabond's magic catching hold of my coat. "I said no." she said bluntly. "And no means no."

"Dammit, Vagabond!" I shouted, attempting to squirm out of her telekinetic grasp. "Let me go!" She reluctantly obliged, and I promptly darted over to the lone pegasus who sat at an empty table, plucking absentmindedly at a guitar with his feathers.

"Hey, it's m-" he cut me off with a punch.

"Go the hell away. I want to be left by myself." he growled. "I won't join your silly little group. Not when I know you'll just laugh at me behind my back."

"Implying we have ulterior motives. I'm offended, Tear," I replied in a tone that was both honest and sarcastic.

"Wounded, even?" he said, a scowl crossing his features.

"Hurt." I turned away, then craned my head back and tilted my mask up. "At least spend this lunch period with us at the table. You'll see that we aren't like other ponies." I paused, then added, "Oh, and bring your guitar."

"Ugh..." he groaned, "Fine. I'll sit with you guys today." He folded his guitar under his wing and followed me back to the table. His eyes scanned the names that had been gouged into the planks. Red Tear looked up and made the connections.

"Welcome to the table, Red." I said, gesturing to the Outcasts with a wide sweeping motion. "This is our domain. This is our home away from home. We'd be proud to call you one of us, if you so choose."

He growled. "Keep asking and I'll leave right now." he muttered angrily.

I backed away. "Chill out. I'll stop asking." Tear and I took our seats. He continued to mouth the names of everypony who'd ever been an Outcast.

"Lot of ponies here." he murmured.

"Yeah. Hey, wait, who are these two?" I asked Turntable, gesturing to a pair of names I'd never noticed before. "Brass Heartbeat? Twisted Reed? Who are they, and how come I've never seen them here?

"They graduated recently." Turntable replied, "But they're still here. They're Octavia's TAs. They're usually in the band room."

My train of thought was derailed by the sound of somepony plucking at their guitar, and I turned to see Red holding his guitar with his wings as he played some chords and tuned it. I raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn to do that?" I asked.

"This?" he queried, strumming.

"No, playing with your wings." I clarified.

"My music teacher, Six-String." he replied, causing me to almost leap off of the bench.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. SIX-STRING'S your music teacher?" I cried.

"Yeah. Or, was, anyway. I finished my lessons a few years ago back in Canterlot."

I swear my jaw felt like it hit the ground when he said that. "We need you in the band."

He shot me an angry look and growled "No."

"We already have a guitarist, Jack." Vagabond said. "We don't need two. Not when Six-String is perfectly capable."

I turned to apologize to Tear, but he'd up and left.

"Well, looks like that failed spectacularly." I grumbled, hitting my head on the table again. "One potential Outcast, nixed. He's not coming back. And it's my fault, isn't it?"

The bell rang, snapping me out of my state of self-depreciation and back to reality.