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Orientation1,165 words
Piece By Piece1,534 words
Sleep1,004 words
Tearing Down2,227 words
Upheaval1,709 words
Big News639 words
Playback1,765 words
Thankful724 words
Guest1,250 words
Hearth's Warming1,240 words
Sign-ups1,013 words
Tour635 words
Pity717 words
Sunset's Redemption1,616 words
The Last Formal1,421 words
Performance1,312 words
Search813 words
In Her Shoes1,136 words
Bloom858 words
Test Lap1,068 words
Spring Fling1,267 words
Counterpart1,206 words
Breaking The News1,025 words
Packing779 words
Stream A Little Stream337 words
We'll Always Be Wondercolts Forever1,918 words
Ending 1: Wizardess1,031 words
Ending 2: Sunrise2,665 words

Thankful

Sunset walked through her apartment door, a small book in her hands. She dropped her backpack next to her desk before sitting down in her chair, pushing the keyboard and mouse up and out of the way as she set the book down, opening the cover, revealing that the first page, along with the rest of the pages, as blank, ready for ink.

'If you're finding yourself particularly thoughtful, it never hurts to write your thoughts down. Going back to reflect on past thoughts, and who you used to be, weeks, months, or even years later, can really show you how you change and grow as a pony, show you how far you've come, and give you new perspectives that you may not have in the here and now.'

Princess Celestia had told her that when she had presented her with the magical book that allowed them to instantly communicate over great distances, but also encouraged her to keep other, more private journals should she wish to. She had a long four-day weekend ahead for Harvest Day, so she decided she was going to try just that. But as she grabbed a pen out of the mug in the corner of the desk, she wasn't quite sure how to start out. A sudden vibrating in her pocket further distracted her mind from the journal's first blank page.

She reached down into the left pocket of her jeans, and came out with her phone. Pressing the power button, the screen turned on, and she saw the incoming text message.

Applejack
Harvest Day plans?

Sunset picked up the phone, glancing back to her fridge before entering a reply.

Nothing special, really. Figured I'd put together a simple salad or something.

Sunset hadn't even set the phone down before the three periods moved across the left side of the screen, signifying a message in-progress.

Applejack:
No, that won't do at all. There's always a seat open at our table. What do you say?

Sunset's heart skipped a beat. It had been just about a month and a half since the Fall Formal, and these friendly invitations had never ceased to bring her pause. She hadn't been able to imagine school without these five for weeks now, and part of her didn't feel quite right because she hadn't yet figured out a way to show her appreciation for all of this kindness she had been shown.

In a moment of clarity, she tried to imagine what Princess Celestia would say to her if she were to ask her such a question.

'Probably something along the lines of, just go along for the ride. Go along with whatever they invite you to.' She thought to herself.

It wasn't like she had been craving any alone time. She had plenty after school and usually one day of the weekend. She had plenty of time to practice as well as listen to the five of them in their new band. When it came to her song she had been working on, it was coming along slowly but surely. Some of the lyrics needed work, but small progress was made nearly every time she sat down with her guitar, though there were times she could do nothing else but attempt to sleep on it.

Harvest Day was one of the observed holidays over on this side that didn't have an equivalent in Equestria. Being thankful for what you have, appreciating the harvest... That seemed to be bundled in to celebrating friendships and the founding of Equestria that the Hearth's Warming holiday represented. There was usually nothing before that and after Nightmare Night, which was one of the dances that she decided not to attend a few weeks back. She figured she wouldn't be quite welcome, along with her friends or not.

She also wondered momentarily if she would be entirely welcome in Applejack's home. She knew the farmer would do everything she could to make her feel so, but she was also aware that the farmer's younger sister Apple Bloom was also among the countless students that were still avoiding her at school.

She had a feeling AJ wouldn't have asked if that hadn't already come to mind. She pressed a button, calling up the keybad on her screen, and typed in a reply.