"... Twilight, wake up!" I awoke to the sound of Spike frantically calling out to me and clawing at the edges of my bed. It was surprisingly difficult to open my eyes this morning. The room itself was still dim and faint trickles of sunlight escaped through the gaps of my bedroom curtains.

"Wha -"

"You're late, Twi!" Spike yelled out with concern clear in his voice and green eyes. I jolted myself up onto my bed in a panic. Spike barked at me suddenly. When I looked down I noticed he had already picked out my clothes for me - they were sprawled out messily across the carpeted floor of my room. He had laid out my dark violet circle skirt on the floor beside my usual striped blue and purple polo shirt.

"Crap, crap, crap..." I practically hurled the sheets off my bed and nearly sent them flying across the room. Spike scurried over to the opposite end of the room and faced away from me as soon as I picked up the first article of clothing I had.

"Didn't you set an alarm on your phone last night?" He questioned to me. My shirt was half on when he asked me I paused as my eyes darted to the cell phone that was now lying face down on the floor. I quickly slid the rest of my shirt on before pulling on the skirt. I stood up and tucked the shirt into my skirt before finally picking up my cell phone. My heart nearly stopped.

3:36:02

"I think I know why..." My face flushed red in embarrassment. When I put my phone close to my ear there was nothing but silence on Sunset's end of the line. I ended the phone call at last and rushed over to my closet to obtain my navy blue shoes and socks. I easily put everything on and dashed back and forth around my room to get my backpack after putting on my glasses.

"No time to put you in my backpack, Spike. You're gonna have to run."

"W-Wait, Twilight -!"

"Let's go!"

Spike and I ran together through the winding staircase down to the first level of my home. As per usual, my parents had already left the house to go to work. There was a fresh plate of pancakes laid out on the kitchen table beside a glass of orange juice. Next to the plate of food was a blue sticky note. I stopped in my tracks causing Spike to slam into the back of my legs.

"Ow..." Spike fell backwards onto the wooden flooring. I immediately walked over to inspect the note that I discovered had been written by my mother:

Good luck on your exams today, honey! You're going to do great! - Mom

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" I cried out in frustration. Spike whimpered in the background. I was clutching onto the note in my hand when I turned over to his direction and noticed him pawing at the front door with a look of worry on his face.

"Come on, Twilight! You're already missing out your first class this morning."

When we finally made it to the front of the school it had already hit 9 'o clock on the dot. I had already missed the first half of homeroom. My phone had been buzzing all morning long since I left my house and I wasn't sure why. I didn't stop to check since I had to stuff Spike inside my backpack first.

It was a surprisingly nice day outside this morning. It had rained last night and the smell of petrichor was still strong in the air. A couple cars and trucks passed by down the street and the sound lingered in the atmosphere. I felt Spike move around in my backpack before he finally poked his entire head out, "Do you think the girls are wondering where you're at?"

"Probably... But I can't wait around or call them to find out just yet." I pushed open the doors to Canterlot High and stepped inside. The cold air instantly hit me when I stepped inside but I brushed it aside as I began to quickly walk over to my first period class - chemistry.

I stepped inside the dark classroom slowly and attempted to remain quiet as I closed the door behind me carefully. Professor Astro was deep into his lecture when the door in front of me suddenly burst open and practically pushed me against the wall loudly as the door collided against me.

"Oh! Sorry about - Hey, Twilight!" Sunset announced loudly. She closed the door and stared apologetically at our professor who dismissed her statement and resumed the lesson. I removed my backpack and noticed Spike looking as if he were in a daze. "Sorry Spike... and Twi."

Sunset reached her hand out toward me. I felt embarrassed but at the same time relieved to see her. I gladly took her hand as she helped me up onto my feet. Sunset smirked at me and eyed me with an amused expression, "I can tell you had a bit of a, um... Bad hair day today."

My face instantly heated up. I rushed over to the nearest reflective surface in the room and found that Sunset Shimmer was correct. My violet hair was tangled and poking out in every direction. I hadn't even fixed it in the morning! It was as if I walked through a tornado on my way to school. Spike was kind enough to help me find my extra hairbrush and gave it to me with the handle in his mouth. I silently thanked him and took a seat on my desk at last. Sunset sat down beside me. Her desk was cluttered as usual.

"Hey... I've - We've been trying to call you all morning. Thought something bad must have happened since you never showed up to our usual morning hangout," Sunset whispered to me. Her eyes were locked onto the professor, but her mind was set on me.

"Oh... Well, I kind of missed my alarm and woke up pretty late."

"Sorry." Sunset chuckled. She slid her hands into the pockets of her charcoal pullover... Something she only ever wore if she was running late to school. I finished brushing my hair and eyed Sunset with a sly smile on my lips. When she finally caught me staring she rolled her eyes. "Hey... It's different when I'm the one running late to school."

"Mhmm... Sure."

"... Now that the review is over - everyone clear your desks. It's exam time." A quick look of terror flashed on Sunset's face. I giggled and patiently waited for Professor Astro to finish handing out our exams face down on our desks. Sunset was still struggling to put her messy pile of handouts back into her backpack when he finally reached her. Instead of waiting, he put two exams face down in front of me and jerked his head to Sunset's direction with a light chuckle. Once Sunset had cleared her desk, I gave her the exam sheet.

"And... Begin."

The questions themselves were far too easy - for me, at least. I had finished the exam only ten minutes after we were told to begin. Sunset was still struggling on the third question when I looked over at her. Her face was twisted in focus. Her tongue stuck out each time she was getting closer to the answer. When she did, she smiled and went onto the next topic. Cute.

"Finished already, Miss Sparkle?" Professor Astro asked me in a hush. I was startled by the abrupt question but nodded in response. He fixed his glasses and grabbed my exam sheet. I waited patiently as he graded my test. My eyes immediately darted over to my right and watched as Sunset continued to struggle on her test. "Perfect score, as always..."

Professor Astro patted me lightly on the back with a smile etched onto his face. He took the test with him as he resumed walking around the classroom. I sighed in relief and looked down at my feet where I caught Spike pawing at my shoelaces again. A light chuckle escaped my lips at the sight.

The rest of the class period flew by quicker than I anticipated. Sunset finally finished her exam and handed it in with a doubtful look in her face. We slung our backpacks over our shoulders and continued onto our next class together.

"I was about to ask how you think you did on your test, but I may have overheard Professor Astro comment on that already," Sunset said to me with a chuckle. I grinned, but it went away the second I noticed her demeanor falter.

"That bad, huh?"

"Ugh... I don't normally slack off this much in school... But I'm just hoping I did decent enough," she sighed and slid her hands into the pockets of her charcoal pullover. We chatted for a few moments together in the crowded halls until finally -

"Hey guys!" Pinkie Pie skipped over to us with Rainbow Dash in tow. Pinkie was wearing her usual preppy attire. Her neon pink hair was up in a ponytail - a hairstyle she only ever wore whenever she had to go to work after school. She was wearing a white long-sleeve crop top with a little blue balloon embroidered on the center. Pinkie was also wearing a bright pink circle skirt with a pair of pastel pink Converse.

"Nnnngh... I'm way too tired for this, Pinks." Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance. She was obviously sleep deprived. Her rainbow hair was down to her waist. She was wearing a blue and white muscle shirt with our school's team name on the front and back. Her black skinny jeans were torn at the knees, but rolled up over her navy blue and white sneakers. Her ruby eyes looked back and forth between Sunset and I, "Hey guys..."

"Geez, what's up with you today?" Sunset asked teasingly. Rainbow smirked and straightened up.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sorry to change the subject - but are any of you guys working after school?" Pinkie interjected with a large smile on her face. Rainbow rolled her eyes in annoyance. Sunset merely sighed. When Pinkie's icy blue eyes looked at me, she stuck her tongue out playfully. "You don't count. Sorry, Twi!"

"Heh, it's all right... Though I have been trying to apply to that new coffee shop they recently built. It's only about a three minute walk from the mall Sunset and Rainbow work at," I replied. Sunset raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Wow... No offense, but I expected you to apply for NASA or a library at least," Sunset responded jokingly with a sly smile. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her.

"None taken - and apparently only people unqualified and unfit to work at a book store are hired around here," my voice fell as my tone grew agitated. I bit my lower lip, "But anyways... I'm pretty great at memorizing stuff, and doing mathematics... Plus, I've always wanted to learn how to make coffee with those fancy machines. So I figured, 'why not try it out?'"

"You'll get the job, Twi!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily. I couldn't help but return her enthusiasm with a laugh. Pinkie grew still suddenly and whispered loudly, "Even though I don't really know which coffee shop you're talking about."

"'Rosie's.' A simple, but wondrous name..."

Sunset muttered something under her breath with a small smile. Whatever it was, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash both raised their brows in surprise. Sunset smiled to herself, "That's pretty good... I hope you get the job, Twi. Anyways, I have to get to class or else I'll be marked late twice this week. See you later, guys!"

Sunset waved at us before disappearing into the steady stream of students. Rainbow suddenly slung an arm over my shoulder as Pinkie skipped alongside us both.

"'Just like yours.' Classic." Rainbow Dash snorted in laughter as Pinkie joined in with her own fit of giggles. I stared over at them in confusion.

"I'm lost... What are you two talking about?" I asked. The duo in front of me brushed my question aside and both rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, nothing... Well, I'll see you two later. Got basketball practice right now." Rainbow Dash waved goodbye to us both briefly before using her super speed - as always - to get to the gymnasium. A multicolored blur appeared then faded into the air as quickly as she left, leaving me alone with Pinkie Pie.

"Sooooooo... I need to get this out of the way... What's the deal with you and Timber Spruce and Sunset Shimmer?" Pinkie asked me suddenly. Her voice went into a hush when she said Sunset's name. She looked around the halls in an exaggerated fashion and continued to skip beside me. I nearly froze in place. How could I have forgotten about Timber Spruce again?

"I'm a horrible person..." I sighed and rubbed the sides of my head with my fingers. Pinkie pouted at me in response to what I said. My eyes widened, realizing that Pinkie hated when her friends talked down about themselves, "Not in general! Just... Timber and I aren't official official... He hasn't asked me yet, and I haven't asked him. I admit, I do in a way have feelings for him -"

"But you're just confused about it because you obviously have a way bigger crush on Sunset than on him - but you're also afraid to 'ruin' the friendship you have with Sunset if she found out. Though, I'm pretty sure that Sunset feels the same exact way, but with Flash instead of Timber," Pinkie interrupted with a raised eyebrow. My jaw nearly dropped open. Pinkie giggled and shrugged, "Just a hunch."

"R-Right... But what did you say about Flash?"

"I'll tell you all about it later, Twilight! Pinkie Promise!" Pinkie winked at me and skipped over to her next class. By this point, the halls had already emptied. I sighed and continued on down the hallway. Spike suddenly popped his head out of my backpack again, frightening me.

"Listen, Twi... I know it might not be my place to say, but don't you think it's a little bad that you're liking Sunset while you're liking another guy?" Spike asked me, his voice dripping with concern. I looked down at the floor as I continued walking and tried to think of a response.

"Yes... I think it's bad. Which is why I'm going to ask Rarity for some 'dating' advice... Assuming she's not going to be busy later." I heard Spike chuckle.

"Good luck with that... Especially the whole 'dating' advice thing." I stopped in my tracks to consider the outcome...

"You know what? Maybe I'll ask someone else."