The cold wind bit at Twilight’s dusky skin as she pulled her coat tighter together. She squinted through the snow, barely able to see the lights on in the buildings around Ponyville, and it was only midday. The streets were nearly deserted, with only a few other people out in the terrible weather. No one was stopping to talk and any hope of conversation was defeated by the howl of the wind. Finally, she saw Sugarcube Corner just a few feet away, the warm glow coming from the windows a praisable sight. As quickly as she could she pushed into the bakery, the wind jerking the door from her grasp and shutting it with a loud slam, nearly flipping the closed sign to open.
Five others were in the bakery, all huddled around one booth. Twilight gave them a relieved smile as she stomped her feet on the mat in front of the door, riding herself of excess snow, before making her way to the booth. “I’m late, sorry.” She pulled off her heavy coat and laid it over a chair at the next table to dry. “This is the worst winter storm.”
She took the last seat next to a woman with curly pink hair, blue eyes, and a smile big enough to light the room. “Heya, Twily, I’m glad you made it.” She pushed a green mug closer to Twilight. “Here’s your hot chocolate.”
Twilight grinned, grabbing the mug with both hands, savoring the warmth. “Thanks, Pinkie. This is just what I needed.”
“We were getting a bit worried, darling. Fluttershy thought you had managed to lose your way.” The speaker was a woman sitting across from Twilight with beautifully spiral-curled, deep purple hair and a practiced posh lit to her voice. Her gold-rimmed blue eyes met Twilight’s for an instant, and Twilight gave a small nod of understanding.
A woman with light pink hair slouched more, pulling her shoulders up closer to her ears. “It’s just really bad out there. Angel wouldn’t even come out of his burrow, and I promised to make him his favorite salad if he came. Rarity was worried, too.” Her aquamarine eyes flicked back to the other woman, as if trying to prove that it wasn’t an unfounded fear.
A chuckle came from a woman with blonde hair and freckles. “Shucks, I reckon we all were.” She was leaning against the wall of the booth, one of her legs on the ground and another casually laid over Pinkie’s lap. “Honestly, if I hadn’t already been here in town, I would of not been here. As it was, I was a mite afraid to try going back to the farm.”
“It isn’t a long walk for me. It’s longer than it was from the library, of course, but it isn’t long. Spike was going to come, but then Ember sent him a letter, and he locked himself in his room.”
“Yeah, go Spike!” A woman with a crew cut the colors of the rainbow laughed. “He’ll turn into a ladykiller, Twi. Ya better watch him.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Godess, Rainbow, I don’t want to think about that. At his age, I was more interested in Starswirl’s theorems than finding a special someone. I’m not prepared to handle this.” She finally set her mug of hot chocolate down, resting her hands on the table. “He was only eight when we moved here, and now that he’s turning twelve, it’s like a whole other world.”
Leaning over so that she could see Twilight better, Applejack patted her hand. “It’s gonna be alright. Spike’s always been a real good kid, and honestly, if you make sure to talk to him and set guidelines and boundaries, he’ll turn out right as rain. He has a good head on his shoulders. Mostly you’ll just need to remind him of that sometimes.”
Twilight sighed, glancing out the window, where the wind was still howling. “Thanks.”
The group sat in silence for a moment, listening to the footsteps from the living quarters above as the Cake family moved around.
“Does that ever bother you girls?” Twilight asked.
The other five women shared a look before Rarity spoke up. “Sorry, darling, but does what ever bother us?”
“That I’m not as…I’m not as socially adjusted as you all are?” She looked into her mug, not wanting to see the looks on her friends faces. “I can take the truth. I’m sure it is annoying.” Despite her best efforts, she glanced at her friends, all of whom were wearing different expressions.
Rainbow reacted first. “What are you even talking about?” Twilight made the mistake of looking at her, and they locked eyes. Rainbow shifted her shoulders slightly, and Twilight knew the woman wanted to summon her wings. “Like you might be an egghead, Twi, and yeah, sometimes you’re annoying—“
“Goin’ somewhere with that, Dash?” Applejack asked. She shook her head. “Honestly.”
“Um,” a soft voice said. Everyone fell quiet, looking at Fluttershy. “Do I annoy you, Twilight?” Fluttershy raised her eyes to meet Twilight’s taking a deep breath and letting it out, slowly. “I have a hard time socially, too.” Her words were shaky, but she looked at Twilight. “Sometimes I think about talking to anyone and get so nervous that I can’t find my voice.” Rarity placed her hand on Fluttershy’s, giving the woman a smile. Fluttershy took another deep breath. “I know dealing with me can be difficult, and I do what I can to make it as easy as possible, but sometimes I get so anxious that I can’t help it.”
Twilight clutched the cup tightly in her hands as she tried to pull all the warmth from it. She eyes left her friends and looked into the soft brown of the chocolate in her cup. “That’s different. I don’t have –“
A dark brown hand gently took hers. Twilight took a deep breath and looked back up. Her friends all still looked concerned. Pinkie tugged her hand a little and captured her eyes. “Everyone has something about them that makes them different, Twily. If we all acted the same then it wouldn’t be fun. It would be like having five hundred mes – not even I like that idea.” Her thumb brushed the back of Twilight’s hand. “Dash is waaaay too brash for some people, and Rarity and AJ argue all the time over um, ‘proper decorum’. That doesn’t mean they’re annoying. They still love each other, just like we all still love you.”
Twilight’s eyes burned as she nodded. She wasn’t sure what had even brought the question on, but she knew she had been thinking it for some time. She managed to blink back the tears quickly and smile at her friends. “I don’t know what I would ever do without you girls.” She squeezed Pinkie’s hand. “Honestly.”
“I reckon you’d be reading a book somewhere.” Applejack’s comment sent a ripple of giggles though the women at the table, letting everyone relax. “Now, it is game night, so what are we playing?”
As several voices rose, debating on which games deserved to be played and what had been over played and how it always ended up being Pinkie’s choice, Twilight softly smiled to herself.