Life has a funny way of throwing out curve balls. One moment, you are perfectly fine, the next is utter confusion. It could be from anything, or from anywhere. A letter could come in today, saying that your submission to the patent office was accepted, or it could be that your brother is MIA. Sadly, the envelope of those two letters, are often similar. basic, government lowest bidder contracts. This also represents the oddities life throws you. What may seem to be naught but disaster, could lead to unparalleled success. Life is less what is given, and more what you make of it.
One such curve ball happened on what was to be a normal day. No tests, no labs, no essays due. A perfectly normal day at Canterlot high school. Twilight however, observed something strange. Her normally overactive friend, Pinkie pie was rather muted. Her hair slid down her back, rather than twisting outwards. Her face, normally brightened by her smile seemed overcast by her eyes, deep in concentration. As someone who considers herself a scientist, Twilight followed the basic method. She asked herself a question. Why is pinkie acting so strangely?
Once she had her question, she continued with the process, and did research. Where could she do said research? No books were written on Pinkie Pie, so she did the next thing, she talked to people who knew her. She chatted with AJ, conversed with Rairity, spoke to Fluttershy, but found little to help her. None of them told her anything of value. It was as if they couldn't see the symptoms she described! Finally she meet up with the final peer to talk with, Rainbow Dash.
What Rainbow had told her, was interesting. Today was an annually bad day for Pinkie. She told Twilight to just back off, and let Pinkie have her space. She told Twilight to just be extra friendly if Pinkie came over. To which twilight was further confused. did this mean she was no longer accepted at the groups lunch table? Or did it mean that Pinkie would sit elsewhere?
Her initial research done, she constructed her hypothesis. Her only truly relevant information was that Pinkie's seemingly bad mood is an annual event, and that the seating arrangement may change during lunch period. To her, this was a failing in of itself. To be unable to research a topic to her content, before testing her hypothesis.
When lunch did come, she continued with her method, and began constructing an experiment. The first step was to properly record any information given. To that end, she began erecting several cameras pointed at locations she had observed Pinkie at previously. While setting up the cameras, she saw something else. Pinkie Pie was being hugged by some upperclassman, and instantly return to the Pinkie you know. Her smile radiating the lunch room, her hair proofing into the guy's face.
The highly overactive, energetic friend, the very life, no avatar, of the party, was the one being hugged. This was Big. She realized she needed to ask a new question to properly answer her earlier one. Thankfully this was well established whiten the scientific method, or else she may have risked some hyperventilation. Who was this guy hugging Pinkie?
With her new question, she proceeded to investigate. She questioned her friend she assumed would be most knowledgeable about the students. Well, the second most knowledgeable, Twilight was investigating Pinkie after all. She asked Rarity about the upperclassman. Giving her a basic description of his green eyes, short black hair, and peripherally nerdy t-shirt. Rarity however, was a limited source, only being able to supply a first name: Alex.
Thankfully for Twilight, another of her friends overhead the conversation. That friend being Fluttershy. Fluttershy was able to tell her that Alex had spent quite some time volunteering at the animal shelter in the last few years. In fact, if Twilight was slightly more socially aware, she would've realized that Fluttershy had a crush on him. This led to Twilight thinking that it was simply a kind person who knew Pinkie. Well, no one who is kind, and knows Pinkie can avoid becoming her friend.
But her next source, almost led her to strike out her previous thoughts. Rainbow Dash recognized her description of Alex, and immediately scowled. Calling him a traitor and a turncoat. Shocked, Twilight asked for more information. Rainbow Dash told Twilight of Alex's betrayal. Alex was a year ahead of the group, and lived near her. Freshman year they would often race to school in the morning, apart of her track and field training.
But when track and field actually started, he didn't join, and the school came in second place. If he had joined, then they could've won! After some further prompting from Twilight, Rainbow Dash elaborated with a fact that surprised her. During their almost daily races, he was often the winner. In fact, he was where she learned that performance isn't as important as dedication. It was something he would tell her, in one way or another, after winning the race.
This stopped her from disregarding her previous analysis. His status as traitor only exists due to rainbow Dash's extremely competitive nature. After all, not everyone is as sporty as she is. It is just something she doesn't like to admit. Especially when she sees their potential in the sports. Much like how Twilight herself feels disappointed in people who despite their intelligence, act rather, well dumb. She sees nothing but wasted potential, wasted time. But with this came a revitalization. A moment of self reflection.
All of her observations had led to thinking of herself as a bad friend. Instead of being a good friend, ask asking Pinkie what was wrong, or simply trying to cheer her up, Twilight spent all morning, investigating. Wouldn't a true friend simply walk up to her and give a friend a hug? Isn't that what she should've done? Is that what this experiment has taught her?
Twilight did learn. She learned that sometimes, it just doesn't matter why, you just be there. You just give a friend the hug they need. Because a true friend, cares. A true friend will stand with their friends. No matter what they face they will face it together, and be all the stronger for it. No matter how bad your day is, a friend will make it better. Not by any set amount, as friends cannot be defined as simple variables. But it is true, friends make everything better. A true, true friend, will help a friend in need.