It was a usual day at Canterlot High, or at least as usual as things were in this school, and all the students were in the cafeteria. A certain bespectacled purple skinned girl with a ponytail was sitting in the cafeteria with her six friends, the first true friends she had ever made, the Rainbooms. Next to her sat her best friend Sunset Shimmer, the pony-turned-human from the Equestrian dimension, the one who had first introduced to friendship (after a somewhat rough start). Their other friends were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. The group were currently discussing their next show. At least most of them were.
Sunset was staring into space, her mind elsewhere. Ever since her reformation thanks to Princess Twilight, she and her new friends had been spreading the magic of friendship in this world, and along the way had reformed a few other formerly bad or misguided people. However, she had recently started to wonder something. Why did Equestrian magic keep showing up? Why did these disturbances keep happening? And in the process of constantly thinking about Equestria, she had started to feel a little homesick. Since she wasn’t actually human, she didn’t really know where to go after graduation. She hadn’t mentioned this to her friends, because she didn’t want to worry them.
Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by a finger snap. “Oh, sorry Rainbow. What were you saying?”
“I said what would you think about performing for the New Years party?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea.” Sunset replied, staring into space again.
“Something on your mind there, Sunset?” asked Applejack.
“Oh, uh.. nothing much.”
“Come on, Sunset.” said Pinkie, appearing right behind her and getting rather close. “You’re thinking about something.” Everyone knew that Pinkie always somehow knew when they had deep thoughts, so Sunset decided to tell them.
“Girls, have you ever thought about the future?”
“Oh, lots of times!” Pinkie started rambling “Like whenever I’m planning a party, or we’re all planning a party, or practicing for a performance-“
“I meant when you grow up. After we graduate.” Sunset clarified. That got all the girls’ attention.
“I don’t even need to think about it. I’m gonna be the best sports player in the world!” proclaimed Rainbow, to which the others (sans Pinkie) all rolled their eyes playfully.
“I’ll probably still be living off the farm with the rest of my fam.” commented Applejack.
“I will create my own fashion line!” declared Rarity.
“I’m not totally sure yet, but I definitely want to work somewhere with animals.” said Fluttershy.
“I want to work at a bakery!” piped Pinkie. “Full time!”
“You know the bakery workers are only supposed to make the treats, right?” said Applejack.
“That doesn’t mean they can’t sample!”
“Well, I’m going to try and-“
“Get a PHD in every science and your own official personal lab?” Sunset interrupted Twilight with a smirk.
“Oh. I’ve said it before, huh?”
“Only a few dozen times whenever we’re studying.”
“But I didn’t say every form of science! Just chemistry! And a few others …” Twilight said, rubbing her arm and smiling sheepishly “What about you, Sunset?”
Sunset’s smirk faded. “Frankly, I have no idea. There’s a lot of different job options out there to choose from, and I’m not even an actual human anyway. What can someone like me do in this world? Is there even a place for me?”
“Of course there is. I’m sure you’ll find something.” commented Applejack, to which the others all agreed.
“But what if I have to run out of work?”
“What?”
“What if I have to suddenly leave unannounced to go and deal with a magic disturbance?” Sunset elaborated to a confused Rainbow. “It would get time in big trouble with my boss. Speaking of which, have we ever stopped to wonder WHY magic keeps showing up here?” That got the girls thinking.
“You don’t think it’s our necklaces?” suggested Fluttershy.
“If it was the necklaces, there would just the magic following us everywhere we went. It can’t be that.” Rarity replied.
“Rare, magic IS following us everywhere” retorted Applejack.
“I meant that all of it would be drawn to us.”
“Ah.”
“Well, somehow we’ve gotta figure out why it keeps happening and how to make it stop once and for all.” Twilight determined. The girls continued to chat until the bell rang for the next class.
As the group were getting up and walking to the cafeteria door amongst the crowds of their fellow students, one of them deliberately kept to the back, as far away from them as possible, all the way to his next class, which was with Fluttershy. He then sat across the room, never even making eye contact with her for the whole period. The final two periods he didn’t have with any of the Rainbooms, so he returned to his normal behavior. When the final bell for the day rang, he blended into the crowd, went to his locker, grabbed his stuff, and made his way out the front door while still making sure to dodge the seven girls, especially two of them, as best he could. He reached his car, got in, and drove off, not giving them a backwards glance.