A light began to seep through into the room as the sun began to rise in the world shining its light through the gap between the curtains leaking light into a bedroom, revealing stashes of books messily strewn around the room covered in scraps of paper that had obviously been used for excessive note-taking. The light rose to reveal a small alarm clock resting on a bedside table of the aspiring scientist Twilight Sparkle or Sci-Twi to her friends. Twilight had only recently managed to find herself a group of friends that she truly felt at a sense of belonging to making her days a little brighter as she learnt to adjust into her new life with them. Her dreams were often filled with the memories she’d fondly created with her newfound friends, like the time Pinkie had burst out of a cake to scare Rarity causing the whole group to erupt in laughter. Twilight although asleep was smiling contently at this memory blissfully unaware it was soon to be cut short as the alarm clock switched to 6:30.
*Beep Beep* … *Beep Beep*
The young scientist groaned at the familiar yet unwelcoming sound diving deeper under her blanket attempting to escape the new sound echoing throughout her room.
*Beep Beep* … *Beep Beep*
A second groan left the girls lips as she slowly uncovered herself sitting up and rubbing her eyes taking in her surroundings of the dark room, a slight glow emanating from her fish tank. She heavily arose from her bed letting her feet find themselves on the carpeted floor beneath them sluggishly dragging them across the floor towards the curtains. As she moved through the darkness she would feel herself knock into objects on the floor as she journeyed to the other side of the room, with a heave of effort she reached her arm up clenching the curtain and in one stroke fully pulled it back. Like a flash, the room erupted into light momentarily blinding the girl instinctively shutting them. Twilight’s eyes slowly began to open giving her sight into the state of her room fully revealing the extent of her book collection scattered around the room from her late night studying, she quickly got to work tidying up her room collecting the piles of books and pieces of clothing found straying around her room and gently put them away remembering to place her books back into the system she had created.
“Sweetie,” a familiar voice called, “Are you up yet breakfast will be served soon.”
“Yes, mother I’ll be down in a minute,” Twilight called back looking at herself in the mirror stunned at how messy her hair was, she let out a yawn grabbing the nearest brush and walked out of her room and towards the smell of food all the while brushing the knots out of her hair. She entered the kitchen and found herself a seat across from her older brother who unlike her looked wide awake and full of energy already fully dressed and ready for the day wearing a smart suit. It was quite fitting for his new role at crystal prep as its headmaster, a role he shares with his fiancé Cadence after the old headmistress Mrs Finch was ousted during the friendship games it only seemed fair for the two vice principals to take over together letting them split the work with Cadence being more focused on loving and leading the students and ensuring they achieve whilst Shining much preferred to be the guardian of the school keeping the students safe and secure.
“Morning sweetie how did you sleep,” Said a calm Twilight Velvet or more commonly known to Twilight as her mother, and to Twilights friends Mrs Sparkle.
“I had a really good dream last night, so I slept great,” she sighed, “I wish it didn’t have to end.”
Velvet could tell her daughter was disappointed. Whatever her she had dreamed; she was fond of it. As curious as she found herself she felt it was better not to provoke the growing teen to save her from embarrassment.
“OOOH was it about your imaginary boyfriend,” her brother Shining Armour began to tease.
“That’s enough Shining,” Velvet gently warned placing down two sets of pancakes for the pair to eat.
Just then a rather rugged man came rushing through the kitchen pinching one of twilights pancakes as he kissed her forehead.
“Sorry everyone I’m running rather late so good luck on your days and we can chat later,” said the man rushing around the kitchen only stopping to kiss his wife on the cheek. This was Twilights father Night Light who despite his panicked state kept a calm composure not showing a sign of worry on his face.
He gave his wife a final kiss as he grabbed his bag leaving for work, “bye honey, bye kids have a good day, I love you.”
“Love you too,” the rest of the family said in unison as they dug deeper into their breakfasts with shining finishing first and getting up to leave himself wishing the remaining family members a good day.
“Your brother is more like his father than he realises,” Velvet said to herself aloud picking twilights attention.
“And I’m like you according to 90% of the population,” Twilight said with a giggle.
“That you are my special daughter,” Velvet smiled back lovingly, “now what was that dream about.”
Twilight stayed quiet for a minute embarrassed at the idea of confessing how she felt. At how nice it was to finally have friends for a change. She took a breath and started to describe the dream her mother warmly smiling at the happiness her daughter was emanating as she recounted it.
“Well you know how at crystal prep I was sort of singled out and picked on and just hated it there and then there were the friendship games where we played against Canterlot high and all the girls were so much nicer. I made friends with them so quickly so I asked you if I could move school and we went through that whole little episode about me being too good for it.” Twilight took a deep breath after the sudden burst of words. “Well… I’m still friends with them and I was just dreaming about how nice it is to finally have friends and be accepted, so I just dreamed about us having a sleepover and having fun.”
Velvet took a moment still smiling to think of how she should appropriately respond to her daughter, “You know a simple dream like that could become a reality, I’ve already said you should invite them all over for dinner sometime so we can all meet them.”
“I don’t know mother they’re amazing and I know they don’t judge me for who I am and going to crystal prep but we’re kinda rich and I don’t want them treating me different because of it, I don’t want to lose what I got, and they just think I’m some stuck up posh girl,” Twilight shuddered with worry in her tone and watery eyes.
“Oh sweetheart,” Velvet took twilight into a close embrace wrapping her arms around her, “your friends won’t judge you for where you live and your background if these people are your friends they like you for you.”
Twilight sniffled a little composing herself, “you’re right, you’re right, I just don’t want them thinking I’m just as snooty as the others from Crystal prep.”
“They won’t don’t you worry, now you’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry up and go get ready.”
Velvet wiped away the last few tears away from twilights face and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve before lifting her chin and sending her upstairs.
Twilight stopped in the doorway before heading upstairs and turned back to look at her mother, “Thank you mom, I love you.”
“I love you too,” Velvet said with a smile using her hands as a pushing movement urging her on her way.
Twilight simply smiled and headed upstairs straight into the bathroom; she checked the time to see she still had a good hour left till she needed to leave one of the quirks of going to a nearer school that didn’t require the bus. She gently grabbed her toothbrush, applied the toothpaste and started brushing her teeth. She looked at herself in the large bathroom mirror, seeing herself smile at the things her mother had said along with the knowledge that in an hour she’ll be reunited with her friends after a weekend that lasted a weekend too soon in twilights opinion. The more time she got with her new friends the better. She finished brushing her teeth and splashed some water against her face reaching for a towel and dabbing herself dry. She took one last look in the mirror before heading down the hall towards her bedroom she got changed into her usual outfit of a purple skirt and pink top and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Taking advantage of the spare time she had left to read a few more pages of her book.
Just then her phone began a to vibrate and a bubbly ringtone started to ring throughout her room, Twilight picked her phone up of her desk to reveal a photo of her and Pinkie Pie. Twilight without any hesitation answered the phone eager to speak to her friend after the few days of solitude.
“Hey Hey HEEEEEEY, I’m gonna be at school like super early and I'm gonna need my best friends to keep me company can I count on you Sci Twi the amazing to be there,” started an overactive pinkie pie.
Twilight laughed into the phone replied with a grin, “of course I can be there I’ll just get my things together and start heading to school.”
“SUPER DUPER,” cried Pinkie, “See you soon."
“I’ll see you soon pinkie I promise.”
Twilight hit the end call button finishing the conversation and began rummaging her shelves for her most important books. After an attempt to cram a few too many into her backpack and struggling to force the zipper shut she slowly put her arms through the straps pulling them tight to make sure it was secure and headed downstairs where her mother was sat in the living space reading the latest fashion and flowers magazine. It wasn’t that her mother cared much for vanity, but she still took pride in how she presented herself and the appearance of her home. Twilight stood awkwardly in the doorway, her hands behind her back she stood silent for a few seconds before moving into the room and taking a seat on the other couch across from her mother.
What felt like hours went by as Twilight sat there wondering when the right time to begin talking to her mother was after all it would be rude to interrupt her while she was in the middle of a page she thought to herself not quite realising the extent of which she sat staring at her from the other side of the book.
“Twilight you're burning a hole in my face, do you need something?” Velvet asked raising an eyebrow and lowering the magazine enough to peer over the top of it.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you I just needed to ask if you could drop me off at school early”.
“Is there a particular reason why, like are you maybe meeting someone or need to get some work done?” Velvet provoked with a smirk hidden behind the magazine.
“Yeah I'm meeting my friends like Pinkie and whoever else comes,” Twilight answered using the thought of her friends to gain some confidence in the social situation.
“Pinkie… Pinkie” Velvet pondered aloud, “Is that the one who gave you that cake for being a new friend that you brought back home and tasted simply divine.”
“That’s the one Mom,” Twilight giggled at the memory even though the cake was intended for herself, her mother made sure as hell she shared at least half of it with her.
“You know I'm kinda disappointed, you’ve made all these new friends but still no sign of a boyfriend,” Velvet was purposely teasing at this point she didn’t mind the fact her daughter hadn’t got into dating yet, but she still enjoyed seeing twilight blush whenever the concept of love was brought up.
“Well I um, guess um, MOM,” Twilight tried to say as she felt herself shrinking in the spotlight of the conversation.
“I'm teasing darling I'm teasing, can’t expect me to see you having all this fun with your friends and me not to take a slice a cake if you’ll pardon the pun,” Velvet giggled turning over to the next page.
“So about going early,” Twilight asked beginning to regain her confidence.
“Yes, yes it's fine when do you need to leave.”
“Anytime now I guess.”
Velvet folded the corner of the page she was on so as to not lose her place and closed the magazine leaving it on the coffee table and getting up.
“Make sure you wear your coat, today sweetie, there’s a chill in the air now that winter is nearing.”
The pair got up and prepared to go out the door with twilight collecting her bag and coat while her mother gathered the keys for the car the pair of them rendezvousing by the front door once they were ready.
“All set yet mom?” Twilight asked as her mother who was currently digging through a box in the cupboard under the stairs.
“Here we are you’ll need these,” Velvet remarked taking out and wrapping a green scarf around Twilights neck and placing a red bobble hat on top of her head, “we’ll need to get you a matching set this weekend, not that you look silly it’s just not perfect.” Velvet chuckled a little as she headed outside Twilight following closely behind only separating to head around and get into the passenger side as her mother got into the drivers.
Pinkie had woken up without the aid of her alarm clock that morning and had quickly thrown herself out of bed, gathering up all her things for the day ahead including stuffing a few pieces of candy into hidey holes within her hair so she could have a snack or two during lessons. She in pinkie fashion got dressed energetically accidentally putting her tee on the wrong way causing a spout of laughter to erupt from her lips as she corrected the mistake.
“What are you laughing about sister,” came a monotoned voice as the door began to creak open.
“My shirt was on the wrong way around my dearest most humorous sister."
“I’m not the funny one. Boulder comes up with all the jokes, I just tell them for him."
“Well give my compliments to the rock,” Pinkie joyously replied before bouncing past Maud and down the stairs towards the kitchen raiding her personal stash of breakfast cupcakes and stuffing her lunch cupcakes into a box in her bag. The party girl dropped her bag by the door and dived onto a seat in the lounge thinking of a method to pass the time when Maud walked into the room, her brow slightly furrowed in a way that anyone with an untrained eye would be unable to see. This wasn’t her usual flat expression, of course, Pinkie knew her sister and she knew this expression well something was wrong, and it was a sister’s job to get to the bottom of it.
“You okay Maud you seem down,” a worried Pinkie Pie asked leaning over the arm of the couch in a very odd way that if the laws of gravity applied to the energetic girl would lead her to find her face colliding with the floor, but this was Pinkie.
“You know those minerals that were delivered yesterday evening while we were eating dinner, well I can’t seem to remember where I put them down, any ideas,” Maud asked still showing little to no sign of worry despite her true concerns.
“Yesterday… yesterday,” Pinkie pondered for a moment when gravity decided it was time to turn on causing her to fall, slumped on the floor with her legs still on the couch. “Oh yeah, you put them on top of the fridge for safe keeping."
Maud slowly walked to the fridge sliding a chair from the table up against it and stepping up onto it effortlessly “You were right Pinkie I had put them here, thank you."
Maud retrieved the glass case of various minerals wrapping it in bubble wrap and placed it inside a box for safe keeping. She looked over at her sister still slumped on the floor giggling and moved over towards her helping her up to her feet and dusting her off.
“Thank you again, I could have gotten into quite a bit of trouble at work if I’d lost those,” while her voice and face didn’t show it Pinkie had a way of detecting how appreciative Maud really was throwing her arms around her pulling her into a hug.
“It’s okey-dokey Maud you know I wouldn’t want my bestest sister getting into any trouble."
Maud returned the hug giving the faintest of smiles before breaking apart and getting herself some breakfast, in this free moment Pinkie dived back onto the couch almost crushing her bag of sugary treats and pulling out her phone to call some of her favourite people. In particular a Miss Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, with her intentions being to get them bot to agree to come to school earlier that day in order for them to hang out. Once she had done phoning the duo she placed her phone back into her pocket and watched as Maud began gathering her usual things for school like her coat and bag however this time she was also taking the box of minerals which came as no surprise considering her older sister worked over at the museum specifically in the geology exhibit as her extensive knowledge of rocks and minerals could easily outclass Twilights knowledge on most things. Maud didn’t like the brag and boast in fact as far as anyone could tell Maud didn’t like anything other than rocks, and she seemed happy with that. She even had a pet rock called boulder but for as long as they had been living together Pinkie had doubts about her sister and whether she was truly happy with just herself and her rocks.
“Maud are you happy?” Pinkie asked, worry staining her face.
“I’m thrilled Pinkie, can’t you tell, we’ve finally got the last missing rocks for the mineral shelves at the exhibit,” replied Maud giving no indication that she was feeling an emotion besides her word.
“I just mean I'm happiest when around you and my friends so I'm wondering if you might need more friends,” Pinkie winced at how she’d accidentally insulted her sister with her wording.
“I’m fine Pinkie, besides you know I made friends with Lily Valley as we are both in the gardening club at school I do the rocks she does the flowers, why do you ask me this so often Pinkie do you not believe me when I tell you.”
It was true that Pinkie had asked this question a few times already in the past month and from how Pinkie felt it was likely to continue.
“I’m sorry Maud I just worry about you being lonely,” Pinkie hesitated her hair starting to fall flat.
“it’s okay I know you are just showing you care, oh and I have work after school so don’t worry if I'm not home straight away.” She took Pinkie in for a hug her face still flatlined empty of all emotion. Pinkie didn’t mind she could feel her sisters’ emotions and felt relieved that she hadn’t caused any harm lifting her mood back to its crazy way.
“OH MY GOSH, I forgot I promised Twilight and Sunset that I would be at school early come on Maud we are going to be late,” Pinkie started to lose her cool letting her energetic side take control again picking up her things and practically dragging Maud out the door.
“I’ll meet you at school Pinkie I want to take these minerals to the museum before school to make sure I don’t damage them. so I’ll see you there.” With that Maud took off walking at a slow speed leaving through the gate and heading in the direction of the museum. Pinkie stood in the silence watching Maud head off in the other direction to the way she was going. Once her mind was brought back to her friends she remembered her destination, Canterlot high as she stepped closer and closer to the school the reality of the situation started to kick in. Pinkie was alone, she couldn’t stand being alone.
Across the other side of town in an apartment block, a bacon haired girl was still fast asleep having slept through both the alarm and the backup alarm, when her phone suddenly began to buzz as if by fate and a shed load of luck. Pinkie Pie was calling. The sound caused the girl to shoot up sitting back dazed and confused, scanning around her room for the source of the noise when the phone chimed again vibrating her bedside table. She picked it up and accepted not checking who it was from and placed it to her ear.
“HEEEY SUNSET WHATCHA DOIN,” Came to an excited cry from down the phone taking Sunset by surprise momentarily deafening her.
“Huh. what. Who? Pinkie that you?” replied a still half asleep Sunset who’s room was still plunged in darkness besides a small glow coming from the phone adding strain to her eyes.
“Well, of course, it's me could you not tell it was one of your most bestest friends from her voice alone how shameful, any who I'm super bored and going to school early so I can meet twilight you should come like puuhlease,” Pinkie replied waking Sunset more and more with each word.
“Twilight will be there? This early?” Sunset replied answering the question once again with a question.
“Yeah, Twilight is already on her way slowpoke so ya gotta hurry or you might miss us,” A tone of seriousness beginning growing with traces of silliness woven between.
Sunset let out a yawn, “yeah yeah I’ll get up and get ready I mean what time is it.” Her eyes drifting across the room towards the clock above on the opposite side of her apartment. “8 AM,” Sunset shouted throwing her covers off herself “I’ve got like 10 minutes before I gotta leave we’ll have to see if I'm there see ya Pinks ill meet you at school.”
“Alright Sunset ya sleepy head, now be there or be square.”
Pinkie cheerily ended the call with a laugh causing sunset to feel a warm feeling inside herself, either because Pinkie had saved her from oversleeping and dealing with vice principal Luna’s wrath or because she just enjoyed her friends company, either way, Sunset had a new mission and that was to fit half an hour into 10 minutes. She shot up out of the bed and dashed down the steps of the raised platform that held her bed and went down into the lower space heading into the bathroom to tidy herself up as best she could before coming back into the main room and opening her wardrobe looking in to see the vast number of clothes she’d gathered all following the similar trend of a rocker/punk vibe. She pulled out a pair of ripped jeans, a plain top and a leather jacket she’d want to wear, she picked the usual one with a sun cresting the back of it while putting it on she glanced around to check her apartment was tidy just in case she brought any of her friends over after school. She scoped around seeing the one-room apartment with the raised bed sitting above her study area which besides a few misplaced books looked presentable enough, with that side checked she scanned her eyes over to the other side of the room seeing her couch and tv along with her guitar and amp. It wasn’t much but it was home, and Sunset liked it that way grabbing an apple and the bag she’d prepared last night and heading out the door with the hope of being able to meet her friends on time.