Sapphire groaned into the cafeteria table her face rested against while Opal and Quartz shared uncomfortable looks. The café-like setting of their surroundings did little to change their mood as they prepared for the coming disaster.
I can't believe he talked me into this, she thought bitterly as she reluctantly pulled her head away from the table. I mean, seriously! Why the tartarus should we do this in the first place?!
A brief memory of what happened in the forest yesterday flashed through her mind.
Oh...right...
She let out another frustrated groan as she let her head fall back onto the table.
"Are you okay Sapphire?" Opal asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder.
"Kind've," she smiled wearily as she turned her head towards him. "Just wish I was a bitch right now."
Both colts blinked owlishly at her.
"Did I miss something?" Quartz asked, turning towards his friend.
"A better question is did we miss something?" Opal frowned, raising a brow at his newest friend.
Sapphire sighed.
"Let's just say, a friend of Flurry's made us take a look at things a little differently yesterday."
Quartz and Opal tilted their heads in confusion at her non-answer, but a set of hoofsteps caught their attention before they could question her any further. A barely contained groan slipped past Sapphire's muzzle as she looked past her stone-faced sister. As expected, Platinum Scales stood slightly behind Ruby at her left in her usual unreadable presentation. What earned Sapphire's sour response was the pair of glaring fillies standing behind the crimson Unicorn.
Right, she thought, mentally rolling her eyes. Almost forgot about them. Great.
Without saying a word, Ruby stepped away from Platinum's group and took a seat at the sister's left. Sunday and Sherbet quickly moved to Platinum's sides as she took a step towards the table.
"Ruby Strokes said you all wished to see me?" she asked, tone empty of anything beyond professionalism.
"Yeah," Sapphire grumbled. "Kind've."
Platinum's friends stared at her skeptically while the silver filly shifted her gaze towards the two colts of the group. They both shrugged as they waited to see what this was all about.
Ruby cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.
"Today," she started. "We wanted to try getting to know you better."
"Really?" Platinum blinked, a faint trace of surprise slipping past her mask.
Ruby nodded.
"I see," the Pegasus nodded. "I will try to be a good resource to you all, if I can."
It took every ounce of willpower Sapphire had to keep herself from face-hoofing when she heard that. Instead, she let out an exasperated sigh and frowned at Platinum.
"Are you okay?" Platinum asked, staring at the fuming Earth Pony.
"I'll live," she said stiffly.
Remember Sapphire, you need to play nice.
An awkward silence befell the group as they all struggled to find a way to break the ice.
Well, guess I'll get things started, Sapphire thought as she leveled a board frown at the new additions to their party.
"So, got any hobbies?"
"Not particularly," Platinum shrugged. "Between school, martial arts training, and learning the finer points of my family's affairs I am left with very little free time as it is."
Everypony raised a brow at that, while a challenging smile formed on Sapphires muzzle.
"You do martial arts?" the blue Earth Pony asked.
Platinum nodded.
"My parents insisted that I learn one."
"Really?" Sapphire asked, her smirk deepening. "What's your style?"
"Pelting Storm," Platinum replied. "And you?"
"Shattering Echo," Sapphire said proudly. "Learned from one of the four remaining masters in all of Equestria."
"I see," Platinum said, a small smile slipping onto her muzzle. "Perhaps we can have a sparing match some time."
"Hey, I'm game if you are," Sapphire laughed. "Give me a time and place and we'll take it from there."
"I'll see if I can make some room in my schedule for it."
Sunday and Sherbet stared at their friend in shock as they watched the two fillies start to bond. A similar reaction was mirrored by the blue Earth Pony's friends as they watched the interaction. The only pony that didn't look like they were trying to imitate a fish was Ruby. A faint smile graced the scarlet Unicorn's lips as she enjoyed the unexpected turn of events before her.
It looks like I owe Flurry a milkshake tomorrow, she thought as she used her magic to pull out a sketchpad from her saddlebags. Best loss I ever had.
***
Platinum stepped into her bedroom with purpose, her eyes calmly taking in her surroundings as her door slowly closed behind her. A massive queen-sized bed with gold colored silk sheets and covers. A small mountain of down pillows owned the head of the bed as the mattress laid in an ornate oak canopy-style bed frame in front of a large window that dominated the wall opposite the door. To her left was an equally extravagant work desk with an ornate crystal mirror hung just above it. The wall opposite it was dominated by a massive wardrobe big enough to hold twenty grown ponies with two large mirrors built into its doors. A gold chandelier hung from the ceiling filling the room with light curtesy of enchanted crystals welded into the metal. The second her bedroom door closed, she let out a tired sigh as her whole body almost sagged to the ground. A ragged groan slipped past her muzzle as she dragged herself across the room towards her bed, her hoofsteps muffled by the blood-red carpet beneath her.
Finally, she thought as she buried her face into her pillow. I thought mother was never going to let me leave the table.
As always, her mother had asked her why it took her so long to return home from school. When she said she was spending time with Ruby and Sapphire, the mare practically held her ransom at the table. For what felt like hours, Platinum was forced to listen to her mother's plans for the two fillies connections once her daughter managed to get in their good graces. Her father wasn't much better, but he at least kept his plans brief and practical in comparison to his wife's bold declarations. She had to practically bite her tongue off when her mother started talking ill of Sunday and Sherbet, but she managed to keep her temper under control. Just like all the other times her mother put down her friends.
Cantankerous old cow! she thought, savagely bitting into her pillow. I hope she rots in Tartarus!
Her wings twitched as her fighting instincts reacted to her rage. If there was anything positive she could say about her "mask" it was that it helped her keep such urges under control, but just barely. Hearing her mother talk about her friends like bank stamps made her blood boil hotter than molten lead. If she didn't need the mare, she'd show her exactly how far along she was in her training.
"Worthless cow," she hissed, spitting out her pillow.
Then, slowly, a smile formed on her muzzle as her thoughts shifted to more pleasant things. Sharing a table with the twins. Talking about martial arts with Sapphire. Her heart pounded like a bass drum with excited fear as she sat surrounded by those she wanted to connect with the most. Had it not been for her mask, she would've done backflips right in the middle of the cafeteria.
"I did it," she giggled. "I'm alined with Ruby and Sapphire! By some miracle, they have decided to add me to their list of connections! I can join the Royal Guard's combat division! I can finally move out from beneath mother's hoof! I can finally be me!"
Now I just need to make sure I don't buck this up.
Her smile wavered as she felt something warm and wet slide down her cheek and hit her hoof. Startled, she wiped her cheek. When she pulled her hoof away she was greeted by the sight of freshly shed tears soaking the appendage.
"Wh-What? Am I crying?" she asked, voice trembling as her smile shrank. "Why am I crying? I'm happy, so why am I crying?"
More tears joined the first as they fell into her pillow. She forced herself onto her haunches as they dotted her pillow and blanket.
"And why can't I make them stop?"
***
Ruby and Sapphire walked through the streets, the normal city racket surrounding them as they quietly contemplated the strangeness of their day.
"Hey sis, is it weird that I want to hang out with Platinum now?" Sapphire asked, face scrunched up in confusion.
"No more then it is that I feel the same," Ruby said, face blank of emotion. "Though I wonder if her friends will accept us quite as willingly."
"No kidding," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "If looks could kill."
"If only," a now familiar female voice said from behind the twins.
With a groan from Sapphire, they stopped and turned to lock eyes with the glaring faces of Sunday and Sherbet.
Oh joy, the twins thought as the two fillies closed in on them.
"I'm gonna cut to the chase," Sunday said, face just inches away from Sapphire's. "What do you two have planned?"
"Huh?" Sapphire asked, backing up a step.
"Don't huh us Slap Fire!" Sherbet barked. "Spill it!"
"What are you two talking about?" Ruby frowned.
"Oh please!" Sunday growled, rolling her eyes. "The two of you have been nothing but awful to Platinum since the start of high school and suddenly you want to be friends with her? Dragon shit! What are you planning?!"
Ruby and Sapphire stared at her, eyes wide with shock as they took in her words. Sapphire was the first to recover as she leveled a harsh glare at the two fillies.
"Do you really think we'd pull that kind of crap? Buck you!"
"What did you say!?" Sunday demanded, righteous fury decorating her features.
"You heard me," she growled. "Now buck off!"
"Not until you tell us why you suddenly give a damn about Platinum," Sherbet growled. "She has enough to deal with already. The last thing she needs are a bunch of plot heads making things worse."
All the anger fell out of Sapphire's features as her thoughts drifted back to what happened in the caves the day before.
"We want to help her," Sapphire sighed, a sad smile gracing her muzzle.
Ruby nodded.
Sunday and Sherbet glared at the twins.
"I don't believe you," Sherbet growled.
"That's fine," Ruby shrugged. "We still want to and we will do what we can, regardless of whether or not we have your support."
With that, they turned away from the distrustful fillies and went on their way. They barely took five steps before a call from Sunday made the stop.
"Wait, please," she said, tone almost pleading.
The twins turned their heads towards the pair.
"L-Look, my dad's shop isn't far from here," she said, eyes staring at the ground. "I-If you guys are serious, lets see if we can figure something out."
"Sounds like a plan," Ruby said, turning to face the pair. "But why the sudden change of heart?"
"We'll tell you at the shop," Sherbet frowned. "It's a bit more private."
"If you say so," Sapphire shrugged, turning around to face Sherbet.
With that, they followed them down the street presumably towards Sunday's father's ice cream parlor.
***
The Frozen Crystal was one of the best ice cream parlors in The Empire and a massive tourist attraction for anypony who came to visit. The three story crystal building was made from a single massive piece of amethyst, right down to the furniture and appliances within. Said appliances were enchanted to function like their mechanical counterparts with mana-charged crystals functioning as lights above each table. The resulting atmosphere was very calm and intimate for a place that many came to for a simple scoop of ice cream. Perfect for those who wanted to unwind after a long day at school or work.
"So," Sapphire started, staring over her cherry shake at the pair sitting across from her and her sister. "What did you want to talk about?"
Sunday sighed as she stared into her namesake, a heavy frown marring her features like a scar.
"What do you guys know about Platinum?" she asked somberly.
"Not much," Ruby said, taking a sip of her blueberry shake. "We know that she comes from money and has a complicated home life."
"And that she has the social skills of a sea sponge," Sapphire said bluntly, earning her three glares from her table mates.
"What?" she said defensively. "She does!"
Ruby groaned while Sunday and Sherbet let out dejected sighs.
""Complicated" isn't how I'd describe it," Sherbet frowned, staring at her shaved ice like it had insulted her.
"What do ya mean?" Sapphire asked.
The pair were silent for a few seconds, seemingly picking their words. Finally, Sunday sighed and spoke.
"Her folks have a really warped view of things. The first day of High school, Platinum approached us and asked us to show her what dad's kitchen looked like. We didn't think that much about it and agreed. We weren't friends with her yet, but there was something about her that made us worry."
"Turns out it was a good call," Sherbet frowned. "When we brought her to the kitchen, she wanted us to lock her in the freezer."
"WHAT?!" the twins exclaimed, jaws dropped and eyes wide.
Sunday nodded, face solemn as she continued where her friend left off.
"Obviously, we didn't do it, but then she started to break down. It was horrible. One minute she was like a blank slate and the next she was balling her eyes out. We managed to calm her down, but when she stopped wailing she started apologizing."
"For what?" Ruby asked, a hint of concern on her face.
"For being weak," Sherbet frowned, practically spitting the words out like a poison. "Her words, not mine."
Sunday looked like she just bit into a lemon as she nodded.
"Apparently," Sunday added. "She started to get chest pains, but the doctors couldn't find any physical causes for them. They eventually figured out that they were emotional and when her mom found out she was a total bitch about it."
"How?" Sapphire asked, her tone calm in spite of the rage growing in her heart.
Sunday and Sherbet's hooves trembled with rage as another heavy silence fell upon the group.Then, with burning eyes Sunday said words that were laced with more venom then a cobra's bite.
"She said that Platinum had no right to feel that way. That those pains were a sign of weakness and the weak had no place in the world. Since Platinum couldn't stop the pains, she tried to do the next best thing. We eventually talked her out of it by hiring her to be our math tutor and she's been our friend ever since."
Ruby and Sapphire sat in stunned silence for a moment as they struggled to process what they had just heard. Then, Sapphire's mane bristled like the spines on a porcupine as a look of pure hate marred her face.
"Let. Me. At. Em," she hissed.
"Easy sis," Ruby said, tone calm in spite of the trembling hoof she placed on the blue Earth Pony's shoulder.
As Sapphire struggled to rein in her temper, Ruby shifted her attention back towards the pair.
"Why has nopony done anything about this?"
"Her dad knows the law like Slap-er, Sapphire knows her way around a chisel," Sunday spat, looking sheepish for a second in the face of her momentary slip. "It's hard to build a case against him and his wife can make things hard on ponies financially so long as she doesn't step too far outside the law. Their really good at guarding their flanks, unfortunately."
"Damn," Ruby hissed.
"Maybe you could get Princess Flurry Heart to do something?" Sherbet asked, tone hopeful.
The twins shook their heads, much to the filly's disappointment.
"Flurry's not old enough to give orders," Ruby explained. "And even if she could, she can't take a foal away from their parents without fallowing the laws of the land."
"Buck," Sherbet quietly snapped, lowering her head in defeat.
"Is there nothing we can do?" Sunday asked, staring at the table. "I hate seeing her in so much pain all of the time!"
Another heavy silence formed on the table, but a light tore through it as a plan started to form in Ruby's head.
Ruby smiled, then said, "There are a few things actually."
"What?!" Sunday and Sherbet asked, desperation plain on their faces.
"First, I will need seven sheets of paper and every pen, pensile, marker, and color of paint you can find. Next, Sapphire is going to need a few pieces of amethyst, the bigger the better."
"I think I can manage that," Sunday said. "Dad keeps a few spare pieces in the back for repairs."
"I can get the other stuff," Sherbet smiled. "My mom runs a crafts store and is always testing out new products."
"Perfect," Ruby smiled.
"What are you planning, sis?" Sapphire asked, a crooked smile gracing her muzzle.
Ruby's smile widened as she said, "We are going to make those pains go away."
***
Gold blocked another frontal strike from her student just before the filly vanished. A faint smile graced the older mare's muzzle as she observed her student's movements. They were still wild, but held a light elegance to them as she tried to slip past Gold's defenses. She also noticed how different the Pegasus' smile had become, now lacking battle madness as genuine happiness crept to the surface. A warmth filled her heart at the sight as she started to fear that Platinum's heart had been damaged too far to mend. After two hours of training, Gold called it an evening and let Platinum wind down as she leveled out her breathing. Once the teen stopped panting, she approached her student and leveled a knowing smile at her.
"Did something good happen recently?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Platinum beamed, wiping her sweat-soaked mane out of her face. "Ruby and Sapphire decided to make me a connection! Can you believe it?"
Gold inwardly recoiled at her student's choice of words. She knew how Bit Coin's teachings damaged her student's view of the world. It was one of the reasons Princess Cadence allowed her to train and keep an eye on the filly. It killed her that she couldn't do anything more for her student, but even a lieutenant is bound by the law. Instead, she became a shoulder Platinum could cry on and a voice of reason when the need arose.
"That's great," Gold smiled.
"Yeah!" Platinum grinned, practically bouncing in place. "Now I need to figure out how to be a good resource. Any suggestions?"
Gold's smile wavered at the mention of the word "resource" as she put a hoof on her student's shoulder.
"If you genuinely want to be good to them, then the answer is simple."
"And it is?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Don't do anything."
"Huh?" Platinum blinked.
Gold let out a sad chuckle at the confused look on Platinum's face as she continued.
"Let things happen when they do. Help them when they need it and let them help you when you need it. But most importantly, be real."
Platinum gawked at the last statement, fear slowly creeping into her eyes as she backed up.
"I-I don't know if I can do that," she stammered. "W-W-What if they don't like me, the real me? I-I don't want to mess this up, Gold."
"You won't," Gold smiled, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "But they need to meet you, not your mask. Will you let them?"
For a moment the two stood in silence, confident orange eyes locked with trembling teal ones as the younger mare waged a war with herself. Then she turned her gaze to the ground as she timidly said something that made a faint smile form on her teacher's lips.
"I-I'll try."