//------------------------------//
// The Calm 
// Story: Breaking Through The Clouds 
// by Flightless 
//------------------------------//

As they walked through the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres, Sugar Rush got more worried about her twin sister, Cloudy Skies. Cloudy cringed periodically, listening to her thoughts continue to berate her. Sugar was about to stop when they heard the daughter of Sweetie Belle and Button Mash call to them.
"Hey, guys! What are you here for?" Pixel called to them with a friendly smile on her face. 
Cloudy responded, failing at hiding her sadness, "Just here to see the Zap Apples, then Api told us that you were here at the clubhouse.." She trailed off.
The twins continued forward and started up the slanted walkway to the entrance of the refurbished clubhouse, Sugar lightly pulled Pixel inside the clubhouse. The faint smell of paint revealed that Api, Pixel, and Echo must have repainted the clubhouse recently. A quick look around told her that she was correct. The inside of the teenagers' sanctuary, the walls were coated with a light, pale yellow. The accents around the room were the same paleness of a light purple, while the ceiling had the Cutie Mark Crusaders logo surrounded by a pale pink.
"It looks like the Easter-" Sugar started, side tracked from the main topic of conversation.
"-Bunny got his holidays mixed up." Cloudy finished, also side tracked.
"Hey! I like it, thank you very much." Pixel stated, sticking her tongue out at the twins, then continuing, "So, what's the real reason you two are here?"
The twins both looked at the orange and purple haired girl, both of them being put back on topic. Suddenly, Cloudy's head dropped to stare at the ground, her thoughts coming back to her. Seeing this, Pixel put everything together and engulfed her gray haired friend in a warm, comforting embrace. 
"You're letting things get to you, again, aren't you? How long has it been since it started back up?" Pixel said softly to Cloudy, who was holding back her tears.
"Almost a month. Sugar's been helping, but it's been getting worse everytime it gets better. I'm not as pretty as you two, and-" She was cut off by a sob as tears started to flow from her hazel eyes, "-And I'm a klutz! All I do is ruin everything, I wish I could make the clumsiness go away.."
Sugar joined in the embrace, comforting her sister. Her and Pixel letting Cloudy get everything that's been built up inside out. They could tell these thoughts have been eating away at Sky. The crying teenager was letting everything go, from hearing others at school call her a klutz constantly, to the thoughts that haunt her mind when it should be at peace. Her tears continued flowing, and soon it was hard to understand her due to her sobbing. Her twin and Pixel just kept the embrace, letting Cloudy know she had friends and family there for her, and that they were always there for her. 
"You're not in the alone, sis. We're here for you to, okie dokie lokie?" Sugar looked her twin in the eyes, smiling warmly. Pixel nodded, confirming Sky wasn't by herself in this battle. 
"Okie dokie lokie." Cloudy had a soft smile on her face, looking back at Sugar, while wiping away her own tears. "Thank you. Both of you."
"Now," Pixel clapped her hands together, "Who wants to go get some milkshakes? We'll have a milkshake race." She smiled at the twins.
Cloudy simply nodded, while Sugar grinned as she turned around to leave. Pixel followed the twins, all three of them starting to talk to one another. Soon, they leave the wood line and start through Sweet Apple Acres, as a redheaded girl runs up to them.
"Hey, girls!" Api calls to the three, "Where y'all headed to?"
"Oh, hi, Api! We're off to-" Sugar says back.
"-Get milkshakes. Wanna come with?" Cloudy finishes, happier than when she arrived.
"Thank Celestia! I need a break anyway." Api turned towards her cousins, "June! Del! I'm going to Sugarcube Corner with the others for milkshakes! Be back later!"
With that, the four teenagers walked through Ponyville, talking, laughing, and making silly faces. Though the latter was mostly Pixel, the others, even Cloudy, joined in on making silly faces every so often. Soon, they made it to the destination of sweets. The twins walked through the entrance first, calling to their mother.
"Moooom! We're home!" Sugar called out into the sweets shop.
An energetic, pink haired woman quickly appeared behind the group, throwing her arms around Pixel and Api. The teenagers jumped and turned at the sound of Pinkie's loud greeting.
"Welcome back, sweeties! Hello to you, Api. And hello to you, Pixel. You girls want anything?" Pinkie asked happily.
"Milkshakes, please!" All four teenagers said in unison.
And in a cloud of pink dust, the twins' mother was gone to the kitchen, whipping up the thick, delicious milkshakes each of the four wanted. As the teens sat in a booth on one side of the store, Pinkie brought all of them their orders. Each of the four looked at each other in amazement that none of them ordered, but they all got exactly what they wanted. After a moment, a stare down between the four ensued.
"Milkshake Race! One, two, three, go!" They all yelled in unison.
As they all slurped their beverage of choice, they continued to stare one another down. Soon, Cloudy ripped her mouth from her straw, gasping for air.
"Hah! I wi-ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" She started to yell in pain, "Brainfreeze!"
One by one, they all endured the same fate. Pixel after Cloudy, followed by Sugar, then Api. As the wrath of the ice cold concoctions racked their brains, all four found themselves either on the floor or draped across the booth's seats. Cloudy slowly picked herself up from the floor, and grabbed Pixel's hand to pull her to her feet. As the day went on, the four stayed together until it was already dark. Slowly the twins walked up the stairs to their respective bedrooms, told each other goodnight, and slowly drifted to sleep.