//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Little Talks // Story: Bury the Hatchet // by SapphireStar98 //------------------------------// The doors to Sugarcube Corner slowly opened as Starbreeze and Sunset headed inside, taking in the sweet smells of smoothies and fresh-made pastries that filled the cafe. The entire place seemed to glow with a welcoming aura as the duo headed further inside, trying to find who they were looking for. Starbreeze made an attempt to avoid eye contact with the numerous annoyed glances from other students she noticed when she strode through the door, searching for Pinkie with renewed determination to get away from the moths around her. “Hey, Starbreeze, Sunset! Over here!” A voice sounded from the other side of the cafe, drawing the girl’s gazes to Pinkie as well as a few unwanted glares from a few students around them. Pinkie took a huge drink from her milkshake as she motioned for the girls to come over and sit down; a girl with lighter pink hair sitting next to her shrunk at Sunset’s presence as she approached. All Sunset did was look away and sigh, annoyed at her reaction as she sat down next to Starbreeze. “Looks like you two are the third ones here!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pointing a thumb at Fluttershy. She squeaked, shrinking back again slightly before whispering, “H-Hello…” Pinkie leaned back in her chair, an irritated look crossing her face. “I’m pretty sure I remember asking Rainbow and Applejack to come by, but they said they had stuff to do. Bunch of party poopers…” “I’m guessing that means that Rarity can make it, right?” Sunset questioned, looking less than enthused from what Starbreeze noticed. Pinkie looked up, nodding enthusiastically in response when she heard what was said. Sunset slouched in her chair at the response, trying her best to not let herself leave the table. “Lovely.” The words, muttered through clenched teeth, gave Starbreeze more than a clue as to how Sunset felt. Glancing around, she motioned for Sunset to follow her as she took a small wallet out of her backpack before standing up. Sunset eventually followed as Starbreeze looked around the room again, a nervous tic she realized she was developing and one that had to be snuffed out as soon as possible. Even though she desperately wanted to, she still couldn’t hide how anxious she felt. As they reached the counter and relayed their orders to the kind woman behind it, Sunset leaned to Starbreeze, whispering, “Are you doing alright? I noticed you looked a little freaked out when we walked in here…” She would've loved to say that she was doing fine, but…she just couldn’t bring herself to lie, even if the response could’ve been a simple ‘yes’. “Not really, no,” she began, taking a deep breath before continuing, successfully calming her frayed nerves for the time being. “I just feel like-” “Like everyone’s staring us down? Judging us for being in the same space as them? Yeah, I figured that’s what was bothering you.” “I…I wish Autumn came here with me,” Starbreeze slipped out, looking down at her feet and cursing herself out internally for not keeping the fact hidden away. “Well…” Sunset began, taking hold of the bags and drinks that were sat on the counter a moment ago as Starbreeze produced some money from her wallet, setting it on the counter as Sunset continued. “I’m sure she didn’t do this for no reason at all. I think she really does trust you enough to know that you’d be okay without her for an hour or two, don’t you think?” “Y-Yeah, but-” Starbreeze stammered, about to retort before stopping herself. She’s probably right. Maybe Autumn did this knowing I’d be okay? Not that I like admitting it, but…she might of been right after all. She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the sound of a bag being opened to her right. Sunset stood beside her, a smirk slowly forming on her face as she looked inside the beige bag to find a few sweet-smelling pastries that laid inside. “Geez, how many chocolate turnovers did you buy?” Sunset asked before noticing the bag was snatched away from her by Starbreeze, whose cheeks were now an impressive shade of red from embarrassment. “S-Shut up…I like chocolate, okay?” She muttered as they eventually made their way back to the table. At that moment, Starbreeze turned her head to notice the doors on the other side of the cafe open up, revealing a girl with gorgeous purple hair, a light blue blouse and purple skirt with matching boots. Making her way to the table they sat at, Starbreeze noticed her eyes were a beautiful azure shade. “I’m so sorry I’m late, darling,” she apologized to Pinkie, who simply shrugged before shooting a warm smile the girl’s way after removing a straw from her mouth. “I was quite busy with a simply eye-catching dress that I’ve been working on lately, and I didn’t realize I was going to be late until a few minutes ago!” She continued, taking notice of both Sunset and Starbreeze’s presence while giving a small wave. “And, um…who might you be, darling?” Before she could respond, Pinkie answered as she wrapped an arm across her shoulders. “Her name’s Starbreeze, Rarity! She’s one of the new girls that moved here from Crystal Prep with her friend Autumn!” “Oh, of course!” She said, seeming to remember something as her eyes widened. “I do seem to remember someone moving in not too long after the Fall Formal, correct?” “U-Uh…yeah, that was us,” Starbreeze responded, not sure what else to do except take a bite out of the turnover that sat in front of her. “Well, it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, darling!” Rarity proclaimed as she took a seat next to Pinkie. “You too, Rarity,” Starbreeze murmured as she noticed Sunset slouching in her chair again, taking a sip of her smoothie. “U-Um…Rarity?” Fluttershy whispered, barely catching the girl’s attention. “Yes, Fluttershy? What is it?” “I, um…” She began as she at up in her chair a little. “I remember saying to Autumn that I would introduce her to you, but-” “Wait, you met Autumn already?” Starbreeze interrupted, eyes wide as the words left Fluttershy’s mouth. “U-Um…yes, I did,” Fluttershy mentioned in the same tone of voice she held prior. “She seemed kind of nervous to talk to me, but she was really kind…she even said what I was drawing in my sketchbook was really well done, so…” “Didn’t know you picked up art at all,” Sunset said as all the pictures she saw in Starbreeze’s sketchbook rushed through her mind, as well as a few less-than-pleasant memories of what she did to the painfully shy girl. “That’s…nice.” “Whoa, I didn’t know you could draw, Fluttershy! That’s so cool!” Pinkie exclaimed, taking another swig of her milkshake as Fluttershy gave a warm smile in response. Rarity smiled as she spoke up to shake Sunset from her thoughts. “That was awfully kind of her to say, but…what did you want to speak to me about before, Fluttershy?” She said, smiling again when Sunset looked up from the table. She just rolled her eyes as Fluttershy continued. Don’t really know why she’s being nice to me…whatever. I’ll have all the time in the world to beat myself up when I get home. “O-Oh! That’s right…Autumn said she wanted to know if she could stop by your boutique to pick up some new clothes, from what I remember…” Fluttershy said. Rarity perked up, eyes widening with excitement at Fluttershy’s words. “Oh, that sounds absolutely lovely!” She said, smiling with joy present in her eyes as she leaned closer to Fluttershy. “So, tell me, did she come up with a time when she could stop by?” “I-I don’t think she did, Rarity…sorry about that.” “Oh.” The fashionista's shoulders slumped, her eyes narrowed in disappointment to complement the gesture. “That’s a shame…I would be available any time this week if she wanted to peruse what I have to offer…” “Figures she’d forget something like that,” Starbreeze spoke up, drawing Rarity’s eyes toward her. “I mean, if Autumn didn’t say anything, then I might as well,” she continued, sitting back in her chair with crossed arms. “What about Wednesday? I’m guessing that would give you enough time to get ready, and-” “That’s perfect, darling!” Rarity exclaimed, interrupting Starbreeze from her train of thought. “I promise you, I’ll have such a fabulous selection by the time Wednesday comes around that you’d be shopping for a very long time!” She said, punctuated by a small giggle from her building excitement. All Starbreeze could do was laugh a little at the girl’s visible eagerness, looking down at her phone to notice that forty-five minutes had passed in the blink of an eye. A text from Autumn presented itself at the top of the screen, causing Starbreeze to smile as she began to tune the ensuing chatter from the other girls out of her mind. The only thing she cared to notice was a very bored-looking Sunset Shimmer. ‘You OK?’ The text read. Starbreeze warmly smiled as she began to think of a response soon after reading Autumn’s simple text, keeping Sunset’s disinterested expression in the back of her mind as a simple idea began to form. She held up her phone’s camera in the direction of the girls a moment afterwards, attempting to keep herself in the frame; one after another, each girl smiled, some much wider than others or with peace signs to compliment them, as Starbreeze went to snap a photo, beginning to type underneath the picture as she prepared to send it. ‘Yeah, I’m okay.’ There was a momentary pause before another bright tone sounded from Starbreeze’s phone, causing her to check what the text said. The corners of her mouth lifted again as her eyes quickly scanned the message, eyes softening. ‘Good.’ “Okay, let’s get going,” Starbreeze said, pocketing her phone after sending another text to Autumn that she was on her way home; Sunset followed along after she began to walk away from the doors of Sugarcube Corner. The streets seemed to glow from the setting sun’s light as leaves were swirled around by a light breeze across the sidewalk. Sunset and Starbreeze, after saying their goodbyes to the girls, left the cafe, heading in the general direction of Autumn’s house. “I thought I saw you buying something else before we left…” Sunset mentioned, noticing a slight blush creeping up on Starbreeze’s face. “You bought three more of those turnovers, didn’t you?” “N-no...” Starbreeze weakly denied, followed by equally weak laughter. “I-I just…I…yeah. I did,” she conceded as her shoulders slumped. Sunset’s eyes narrowed into slits as her mouth widened smugly to accompany them. One look at her face from Starbreeze and she began to smile herself, feebly attempting to hold back laughter. “Okay, okay...I might like them a little too much…” “No shit, Sherlock.” Sunset replied, trying to hold back bursting into laughter again. She cleared her throat before continuing, noticing that Starbreeze began to glance at her feet as she walked. “S-so, uh...how’d the rest of your day go? Y’know, after I left and everything, and besides meeting Pinkie…” “It was…okay? Honestly, aside from the near-constant stares I got from some people, it wasn’t anything to write home about,” she said as Sunset realized they were heading towards some rather fancy housing near the edge of the city. “Kinda figured,” Sunset replied, glancing at Starbreeze’s sullen expression that she held for a few moments. “Although, it looks like you have something on your mind other than that.” “Oh?” She looked up quickly, cobalt eyes attempting to make vanish all prior traces of sadness as a weak giggle escaped her lips, punctuated by a nonchalant wave of her hand. “I-It’s nothing, I promise.” Sunset sighed, not knowing what else to say. “Suit yourself.” If she doesn’t want to talk to me, then that’s her problem. Not like I should force her to, anyways… “By the way, what the heck does your house even look like?” she questioned, unsure of which house to stop at as Starbreeze glanced at each one that they passed. Yep, definitely don’t know where I’m at; probably some ritzy part of the city I’ve never been to, judging from the sizes of these houses. It would be awfully nice if Starbreeze spoke up about the place at all, but I guess I just have to keep following her. I’m sure we’ll get there eventually. Starbreeze chuckled as her eyes continued to scan each house they passed by, apparently taking in the scenery around her as Sunset trailed behind, still unsure what to make of the area around her. Clearly it was out of her league, as loathe as she was to admit it, but she never would've thought that Starbreeze’s friend was that rich, right? “Okay, here we are!” Starbreeze exclaimed, causing Sunset to glance up at the house she stood in front of. Although her house had a similar structure than that of the others that stood next to it, it seemed to stand out in major ways from what Sunset saw. A pale blue coat of paint covered the perimeter of the house, shining nicely from the setting sun’s rays. Organized flowerbeds filled with both red and white carnations flanked the stairs leading up to the front door, with every other step being decorated with red chrysanthemums in small flower pots. The whole house seemed to glow with an aura of calmness that the other houses didn’t feel like they had. “Nice place,” Sunset muttered, admiring the scenery a bit more before continuing. “Heck of a lot better than I could afford…” “Hey, stranger. Nice to see you here.” A voice sounded from the front steps, drawing the girl’s eyes toward the source. Autumn, eyes trained on Sunset, closed the door behind her before sitting down on a small cushioned chair near the door. She motioned for Starbreeze and Sunset to come up the stairs closer to her with a small wave of her hand. As they did, Starbreeze said quietly, “Well, there is one thing I wanted to ask you.” She stopped, facing her at the top of the staircase while her worried cobalt gaze fixed onto Sunset. She crossed her arms, sighing. Whatever she wanted to ask couldn’t be that bad; Sunset figured she could hear the girl out before she headed back home. “What?” Starbreeze glanced down at her feet for a moment before looking back up. “What happened at Canterlot High that…that everybody seems to hate you for?” Sunset froze, replaying the familiar events at a breakneck pace. Teal eyes bordered in black stood out the most of all, as much as she didn’t want them to. Her mind reeled to formulate a decent response as she tried to distract herself from the flood of horrible memories; when she couldn’t come up with one, all she did was sigh again, finally regaining her composure. “Starbreeze…I don’t think you’re ready,” she stated with a serious tone etched into her voice. “Not ready for what?” Autumn questioned, standing beside Starbreeze with similarly crossed arms. “You’re not ready to hear the truth. The both of you,” she retorted harsher than would've liked, turning around to face the way she came. “But…” she continued, turning her head slightly toward the duo. “I’ll tell you when I think we’re all ready. I…I promise.” “That’s fine, if a little vague…suit yourself,” Autumn responded, earning a chuckle and a wave from Sunset as she slowly walked away, leaving the girls to ponder on what she meant. “I guess that’s all we can do, huh?” Starbreeze asked, watching Sunset as she left her line of sight. “Wait? Yeah…it kinda sucks, but I guess you’re right.” Autumn chuckled. “I’m sure Sunset will come around eventually…” she said, shrugging slightly. She led Starbreeze inside after opening the door, noticing that her mother wasn’t home yet; she checked the clock on the wall close to the door, seeing that it was only five o’clock. Not too much of a surprise that she wasn’t here, considering her line of work. After heading to the kitchen and setting the bag of chocolate turnovers on a nearby counter, Starbreeze noticed that Autumn was facing her, leaning her arms on the counter across from her with a smug grin. “So,” Autumn asked. “How many turnovers did you end up buying?” Starbreeze held back a chuckle while taking one out of the bag. “Shut up, Autumn.” “Whatever you say, Starry,” she replied, shrugging as a chuckle escaped her mouth. Silence took hold of the room as Starbreeze took a bite of the delicious pastry in her hand to prevent herself from retorting, looking up when Autumn began to speak up again. “So, uh…you alright? You look like you have something on your mind,” she questioned. Starbreeze’s response was to take her friend’s hand and led her upstairs with her turnover still in her mouth, Autumn letting out a surprised squeak at the sudden movement that was rather unlike her. Starbreeze could only hope that the blush that creeped on her cheeks was one that Autumn didn’t notice as her bedroom door came into view. After all, she had to get her mind back on track to what she really wanted to talk about. I can deal with these weird feelings later. Right now, talking about my parents seems a little more important. With the door finally closed behind them, Starbreeze decided to finish the delicious turnover, motioning for Autumn to sit in a nearby bean-bag chair in what used to be the house’s guest room. Transformed into something more suited to Starbreeze’s tastes, the room was decorated with star-shaped lights strung on the walls and two sky blue bean-bag chairs in one corner, along with deep blue bedsheets and blankets dotted with pale yellow stars. A stuffed, white and purple dog sat in the corner of the bed with its beady eyes staring up at the ceiling, the one thing she wanted to take from her former home the most. The room felt like a pocket dimension compared to the rest of the house, and Starbreeze was rather grateful she was allowed to shop for most of the room’s decor after she decided to live with Autumn full-time. “So,” Autumn spoke up as Starbreeze sat on the edge of her bed. “What’s up? I’m guessing it’s something pretty important if you brought me up here.” Starbreeze sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest. Her voice, muffled as her head rested against her knees, was quiet, yet it was loud enough so Autumn could just barely make out what she said. “I…” She paused. “My parents are on my mind again.” “Oh...really?” Sympathy tinged Autumn’s voice, noticing Starbreeze’s shift in position to make herself more comfortable. Standing up, she moved to sit next to her friend on the edge of the bed. After clearing her throat, she began to speak again. “I think I lost track...it was a couple months ago, right? When you came to us, I mean.” “Two-and-a-half months,” Starbreeze muttered. “I can’t believe it’s been that long since I decided to leave my mother,” she finished, glancing at a calendar on the wall with crossed-out days leading up to a circle on the first day of school’s date. “Do you ever regret it?” Autumn questioned, looking down at her with softening eyes. Starbreeze covered her forehead with her arm, fixing her gaze on a small blue lantern hooked into the ceiling. “No, not necessarily,” she murmured, pausing a bit to gather her thoughts. “But…I miss her…kind of. I miss what I had with her before, you know? Even if most of the good moments were drowning in apparent manipulation, they were still…nice.” “...Yeah, I get it. What your mother decided to do was awful, but I can understand still missing her even when you have my mom around.” Autumn mentioned, noticing Starbreeze’s subtle melancholic shift in her expression. She decided to change the conversation’s course for her sake; she would never forgive herself if she made Starbreeze shed even a single tear. “What about your dad?” The words seemed to linger in the air for a few seconds before Starbreeze sighed, removing her arm from her forehead to glance into Autumn’s emerald eyes. “Honestly, if he reached out to me some time in the future, I don’t really know how I’d feel. I mean, I miss him too, don’t get me wrong, but he just has a bad habit of being so…” “Stubborn? Pig-headed? Unobservant until the last possible second?” Autumn listed, extending a finger for each description. “Yeah, pretty much.” “Doesn’t really help that he didn’t realize what your mother was doing until you left the both of them for me.” Another sigh escaped Starbreeze’s lips, feeling like more of a reflexive response than anything else. “I don’t think he was too angry about it though,” she mentioned, flipping herself over on her right side and bringing her knees up to her chest. “I mean, he was distraught, that much was for certain, but at least he didn’t aim his anger towards me.” “I think it's time to start trying put the past behind you, Starbreeze,” Autumn spoke firmly after a few moments of silence. “Autumn…what do you mean?” “What do you think I mean, you dork?” Autumn said, a smug grin crossing her face before being replaced with a warmer smile. “Now that we're going to CHS and we’re making some new friends…this fresh start might be exactly what you need, and I honestly think this whole ordeal ended up doing you more good than harm.” “Maybe in the grand scheme of things, sure…” Starbreeze muttered incredulously with her eyes turned away from Autumn, beginning to focus on the stars that dotted her comforter. “I mean it, you know. Even if things didn’t turn out too well at Crystal Prep, it still made us realize that we deserved better than the crap that was getting thrown at us for all those years.” “I think I still remember when some of the students stood up for us every now and then…” Starbreeze murmured as she sat up, resting her head on her knees as they were brought back up to her chest. It was a vain attempt to remember one good thing about the academy, to be sure, but it was better than nothing. “Wasn’t too often, but I think I remember this one girl…glasses, purple hair…” Autumn mentioned, moving to lie on her back with her eyes trained on the ceiling. “Sugarcoat?” “No, it wasn’t her…she was the one that always told us to try and stand up for ourselves more in that deadpan tone of hers, remember?” “I think that was mostly aimed at me, though…” Starbreeze muttered to herself. After a moment, Autumn quickly sat up, causing Starbreeze to flinch. “Ah, whatever! Can’t remember her name, but anyways…” Autumn wrapped her arms tightly around Starbreeze, causing her to quickly turn her head away as she felt her cheeks begin to burn at the sudden contact. “I’m proud of you, Starbreeze. You know that, right?” She muttered into her friend’s shoulder. “Y-Yeah…” Starbreeze stammered back. Unsure of how to respond, she let her mind wander as warmth enveloped her body. The sound of a door unlocking and a serene voice filling the hallway downstairs drew Autumn towards the source soon after, releasing Starbreeze from her embrace as she waved at her. A smile crossed her face before she left calling to her mother as she closed the door behind her. Starbreeze was finally alone with only her thoughts to keep her company, something she was all too familiar with but wasn’t averse to. At least it was somewhere she felt safe. That was the least she could ask for. Maybe Autumn’s right, she thought, taking a mechanical pencil and a small sketchbook from her bag, flipping to an empty page as her mind continued to wander. This whole thing with my parents is something I can get through, even if I can’t get them off my mind half the time. School is a bit of a different story though, isn’t it? And these weird feelings I keep getting…I’ll deal with them later. Romance isn’t exactly my strong suit. The familiar click of the pencil brought her into a different frame of mind, focusing on an image she’d imagined far too many times. Her heart felt like it was about to sprout wings and burst from her chest as she remembered Autumn’s embrace from earlier, motivating her to begin. “Art, on the other hand?” She heard the words spill from her mouth in a whisper. “That’s something I’m good at…kind of.”