Forever Alone...

Starcatcher trotted along, sighing as she saw the scenes of every pony cuddling with their special someone before turning to her close friend, Apricot Ember. "Hey Ember..." she asked quietly, passing another couple snuggling under a tree. "Hmm?" The tangerine pony responded, looking to her companion. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a special somepony? I don't mean that I want to dive into a relation ship, but... I'm curious." Star said simply, brushing some stray hairs aside with her hoof. Ember grinned at her buddy. "Oh, all the time! But I like the single life. I'M FREE AND FABULOUS!" she exclaimed, throwing up a hoof as she earned some weird stares from nearby ponies.

They walked a little further before Ember paused. "Hold up. I'm hungry." she said bluntly, hurrying off to Sugar Cube corner. Star giggled quietly, following faithfully after her eccentric and unpredictable friend. The two chose a small table by the corner, and Star sat as Ember went to order their meal. "Apple pie with one scoop of vanilla icecream and a muffin please!" As the plates came up laden with their food, Ember placed the correct bits on the counter before sauntering back to their table.

Sunny Days walked along the streets of Ponyville, stopping at Sugarcube corner.
She wasn't all that hungry, she came to Sugarcube Corner merely for a new story.
Sunny Days sighed.
The life of a newspaper article writer was a lonely one.
And she didn't like it like that.
She wished that someday, she could have a special somepony to cherish and a family of her own.
But that day was far away.
Or so she thought.
___________________

Neon Stripe was begrudgingly walking in Sugarcube corner.
"You're a stallion now, don't just stay inside with your dad, sleeping," he recalled his dad telling him earlier today.
His father was right, though. He desperately needed some other pony, some special somepony, to be there for him.
Other than his owl friends, of course.
Neon Stripe sighed.
His classmates in grade school were right, he did need a life.
___________________________________________

Broken Heart would simply not tolerate this.
Not only was his guidance counselor making him visit Ponyville, she was also making him go out and "meet somepony."
Broken Heart wouldn't dare to simply replace his sweet Cynthia for another pony.
His...long gone Cynthia.
Oh how he hated his wretched guidance counselor.
He sat down at a table, alone watching other pony's pass by.
No pony in their right mind would want to talk to Broken Heart.
And he knew it.
He already had a plan in his head, sit there for a bit and tell his counselor nopony talked to him.

Star smiled sweetly at her friend. "Oh Ember, you know me too well!" she laughed, poking her blueberry muffin gently before crumbling a piece and popping it in her mouth. "Oh, but of course! You're one of my best buds, Star!" the mare replied, scooping some icecream up in a hoof and dotting it on Star's nose, giggling as Star went cross-eyes before wiping it off.

Star grinned at her friend's childish antics, before her attention was alerted by the tinkling of the bell, signalling the arrival of new ponies. There were three of them in quick succession - a mare, a zebra with wings, and a stallion, all looking like they were kind of in the same position. The final to arrive was a downcast pegasus, and Star nudged her friend gently. "Look at them all! They all seem like us - somepony-less." she whispered, pointing to the other four ponies.

Ember glanced up, swallowing her apple pie and wiping her mouth with a hoof. "Oh! You're right! Maybe I should go say hi!" she excitedly replied, a little too loudly. Star nodded. "I think they would like that." Having received her friend approval, Ember stood up and bounded over to the pony who was currently ordering, deciding she would approach her first. "Hiya! My name's Apricot Ember! What's yours?"

Sunny Days watched four other ponies enter Sugarcube corner.
First it was her and two other mares, but then a stallion, another mare, and some hybrid Pegasus Zebra thing walked in.
Another thing she noticed was that they were unaccompanied.
Some more ponies without special someponys just like her.
But Sunny had made up her mind that she would find a super special somepony...or die trying.
Probably die trying.
_____________________

Neon Stripe was surprised at how many ponies were on their own, just like he was.
Going up to the counter, he decided on getting some tea.
He paid the cashier and sat down, hoping somepony would join hi- and then he saw her.
The most beautiful Pegasus he had ever layed eyes on.
Her mane was blue and wavy, like a clear nights sky.
Everything about her just struck Neon in awe.
He needed to muster the strength to go and talk to her.
_____________________________

Broken Heart sighed.
More ponys were coming into Sugarcube corner.
He felt very awkward when he was with ponys, mostly because of the whole "social interaction" ordeal he was supposed to be doing.
Nonetheless, he ignored the other ponies that were coming in, sitting quietly by himself.

Neon Stripe was in a trance-like state.

"Well, pleased to meet you Erigo! You already know my name, but that pony over there is my friend Starcatcher!"

Starcatcher was her name... Starcatcher...
Mustering all his strength, Neon walked toward Starcatcher.
"Hey...my name is Neon, nice to meet you," he tells her.
___________________

Broken Heart sat up and decided to order a coffee.
Coffee was the highlight of any day.
Suddenly, his cat, Hemlock, waked through the door.
"You smart cat!" he exclaims as he picks Hemlock up.

"Yeah, I know..." he said to Starcatcher.
"Darn it, Neon, why did you say that?!" he said to himself.
I-I mean, that's, er, cool," he said.
"Mind if I sit down?"
________________________

Broken Heart got his coffee and sat at his table, drinking his morning brew.
Hemlock the Cat, being her smart self, walked over to the seat across Broken Heart and sat down.
"You want milk, don't you, cat." he said to Hemlock.
Caring for her very dearly, he got up and ordered a hot mug of milk for her.

Ember cheered, and practically dragged Erigo to their table, only to see the pegasus-zebra hybrid standing there. Letting Erigo pick her seat, she settled next to Star in her previous spot. "Star, this is Erigo, and... Uh... Star, who is he?" she asked, focused on the subject of her question. Star to shrugged, just as clueless as she was, and her shyness preventing her from saying anything in the face of two strangers. When it was just ember around, she had no problem at all. Confused as to why she wasn't responding verbally, Ember actually looked at her friend and saw the fear in her eyes. "Oh... You're having a shy episode again, aren't you?" Star nodded furiously, eyes wide. "Ah-huh." Ember nodded, before turning her attention to the other two ponies present. "Hello, my name is Apricot Ember." she said, addressing the zebra pegasus cross. "And I shall be the translator for my friend, who is having a shy attack." the solemness of her tone meaning that she was deadly serious about this.

"Yeah, I know... I-I mean, that's, er, cool. Mind if I sit down?""

Star smiled at him, seeing how nervous he seemed. Facing ember, she signed a couple of words and made a few gestures. "She says... of course you can, and... hello to you Erigo."

"Hello, my name is Apricot Ember, and I shall be the translator for my friend, who is having a shy attack."

"Oh... uhm, nice to meet your acquaintance, Ember, I'm Neon, Neon Stripe," Neon Stripe said.

"She says... of course you can, and... hello to you Erigo."

With a sigh of relief, Neon sat down at the table, feeling a bout of awkwardness coming shortly.
"So... how did you three find your way to Sugarcube corner? Live in the area?" he asked, awkwardly.

Ember laughed at what he said, finding it funny that he hadn't figured it out already. "Of course we do silly! I live down there, and you take a left then a right then 3 lefts and go around the roundabout before you... actually don't worry. Star lives down my way too, and we're actually not that far apart. Which is good, because we're best buds! Right Star?" Star nodded, drawing a small love heart sign in the air with her hooves while smiling fondly at her friend. They were like yin and yang together, Ember's loudness balancing out her own preferred silent approach. Although some people found Ember annoying, Star actually liked the eccentricity and her friend's care free out look on life. It was refreshing to say the least.

Star turned her attention to the other pony. She waved cheerfully, and tugged on Ember's arm before she signed a couple of words. Ember waited patiently for her friend to finish before explaining the meaning. "She says that she hopes you and your sister have had fun, and asks what Trottingham is like. Also, she would like to know what it's like to have a sister."

Neon Stripe was being awkward.
He wasn't all that used to pony interaction, seeing that owls are his one true joy in life, and usually conversed with them.
He decided to see how it was done first, and stopped talking to listen to the ponies around him.

Ember frowned at the mare's sudden drop off of sentence, her curiousity nagging away at her. "You? What did you do? Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" she chanted, but it was obvious that she was only kidding and teasing a bit because of the impish grin on her face. Star nudged her friend, and gave her a stern, disapproving look, even though a slight smile was dancing across her lips. She mouthed the words 'If she doesn't want to tell you, don't make her', but in reality, she wanted to know as well. Ember pouted like a filly, folding her hooves and leaning back in her chair while trying to stop her usual demeanor from bursting out of it's shell.

((Sorry Sunny, it's been a lot more than 3 days (10 days to be exact) And I've reminded you on 3 occasions. I'm skipping you))

Erigo's wings were shaking like leaves in a strong wind now. Ember clearly wanted to know why and wouldn't let it off so easy. Sighing, she decides to roll the dice. "It was Hearts and Hooves Day. all the fillies were going after the colts." She started. "Except me...." She poked the table with her hoof as she tried to build the strength to say something.

"I did have a crush, but... I uh..." She really wanted to just say it, but her mind was having second guesses. "I, uh... I had a crush on... another filly." she said in a shaky voice. "I-is, that okay?" Erigo lowered in her seat a little as she finished, bracing for any potential negativity.

There was a silence for a couple of moments, before Ember burst out into loud laughter, clutching her sides as she laughed and laughed and laughed. Star rolled her eyes, before nudging her friend and shaking her head sternly. "Oh. Right." Ember said, snapping back to reality before clearing her throat. "I'm sorry for laughing at you. It's just... Why would you have to ask if it's ok? I have no problem with it. Do you Star?" Star shrugged, shaking her head in response to Ember's question. "See? Neither of us care. You shouldn't be ashamed of the way you are." she said, reaching over the table and placing a hoof on Erigo's shoulder and smiling at her reassuringly.

(( it may only be an hour into the third day, but I waited three times longer than I should have last time. Sunny Days has been skipped again.))

As Ember laughed, Erigo sunk lower into her chair. she was sure she was laughing at her. She knew it, she shouldn't have said that. nopony likes the mare who-

"I'm sorry for laughing at you. It's just... Why would you have to ask if it's ok? I have no problem with it. Do you Star? See? Neither of us care. You shouldn't be ashamed of the way you are."

Erigo sat up a little as Ember placed her hoof on Erigo's shoulder. "R-Really?" She said with a hint of hope. "I'm sorry. There are plenty of ponies out there who have said some hurtful things to me about this." She said, trailing off. Hurtful was an understatement. as a filly, she got nothing but grief about it. She had refuge in the fact that her family was accepting of how she was, but the other foals at school weren't nearly as accepting.

((This is the last time I'll wait))

"Psh, they obviously don't know the real you Who wouldn't like you?" Ember said, dismissing the bullies with a wave of her hoof. Star nodded, smiling at Erigo. "They... They shouldn't have been so judgemental." she whispered, finally drawing up the courage to speak.

"Just because your different doesn't mean that you're weird! I mean, just look at me!" Ember chirruped, proudly sweeping her arms wide. This motion earned a couple of weird stares from the ponies around, but if Ember noticed, she showed no signs of discomfort. Star grinned at her friend. "J-Just try not to let it get to you. Ponies will accept, and haters going to hate!" Star laughed, quietly, but still loud enough to be audible.

Ember grinned. "No problemo, Erigo! Hey, that rhymed!" she giggled, leaning back on her chair. "ProblemO? ErigO?" she asked after a short pause, just making sure that everyone got it. Star face-hoofed. "Ember, what did I say about explaining the joke?" she asked, slowly returning to her normal volume.