>A full nights rest was not granted to you.
>Each time you fell asleep, you would wake up.
>As a result, by the time Rest has come to wake you, you’re feeling like shit.
>”Eri, time to get up.”
“I know it is.”
>”You didn’t sleep? Why didn’t you tell me?”
>You sigh.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to bother you.”
>”Seriously, I told you can ask me for help.”
“I don’t need your help all the time Rest, I’m not useless.” You throw back.
>Feeling awful you turn to her.
>She looks a little hurt.
“I’m sorry, I’m just tired, I didn’t mean to lash out. Please don’t hate me.”
>Though you say that, her expression doesn’t change much.
>’Told you she would start to get tired of you.’
>Fuck off.
>”It’s okay, I don’t hate you. Maybe you should sleep in.”
“No, really. I’ll be fine, I promise. I need to get through this day without falling apart.”
>She raises an eyebrow.
>”You’re sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a cold bath, that will help.”
>She nods and leaves you alone to your thoughts, you’re left to wonder how today will go.
>Poorly.
>You’ve gained most of your strength back, and so you make your way to the bathroom.
>Even with the bath, it feels like you’re dying.
>You can tell with how you look in the mirror.
>Like a corpse.
>Breakfast doesn’t go much better, you can hardly eat.
>As you stare at your food, you hear Rest clear her throat.
>You look up to see her giving you a look of sympathy.
>”Can you try to eat half, for me?”
“Yeah, I can.”
>You manage to somehow do it, but you feel like you’re going to be sick.
>Pushing away your bowl, you get up and head towards the living room.
>Rest doesn’t try to stop you.
>Sitting down on the couch, you lean back, close your eyes for a moment, and try to gather yourself.
>Can feel tears threatening to burst, but you hold them back.
>You have to be strong, you can get through this.

>”Eri?”
>You to turn to Rest who is standing next to the couch looking at you with curiosity.
“I can make it Rest. You’re here, so I’m not alone.”
>”Its just that its been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”
>She is referring to when you two first met, at the hospital.
“I’m nervous, but I have to do this.”
>”I don’t blame you, I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
>On cue there is a knock at the front door.
>Show time.
>You sit up, and wait while Rest leads Connie in.
>The two take the same places as yesterday.
>Your heart races a little, so you try to breath to slow it down.
>Turning to Connie, you see she is worse for wear as well.
>For once, she isn’t as put together.
>Then again, after hearing her confession yesterday, you’re not that surprised.
>She offers up a smile.
>>”I’m ready to start this whenever you are Eri.”
>You hope you are as well.
“Yeah. Let’s start from when we first met and go from there.”
>>”Okay. That’s fine by me.”
“I was picked on a lot, because I looked and acted different from the other foals. So I was alone for awhile, that changed when you moved into town.”
>>”I remember, we had just moved from Canterlot. Father had landed a big contract here, and mother continued to compose music. She had sent me out of the house to get out of her mane.” She smiles a little. “I had found my way into the park and saw you for the first time. You were under a tree, with some other foals standing around you.”
“They had taken my book, and were teasing me. They said I looked like I came out of the Everfree forest and should go back there.” You frown a little. “I tried to get my book back, but they pushed me to the ground. You saved me then.”
>Connie nods.
>>”I charged in and shoved one of them. Told them to back off and leave you alone or else I’d pummel them all into dirt.”

“You scared them so bad, it helped you were always bigger than me.”
>Her smile broadens.
>>”Yeah, I thought they were going to gang up and attack me, but I was shocked that they ran away. Mother was so upset later when one of the foal’s parents came and told on me. I thought I’d never hear the end of it.”
>You feel yourself smile.
“It was always like that, always running to my rescue.”
>>”It did get us in trouble a lot, but it was worth it.”
>All things come to an end though.
>You sigh.
“That was until you got your cutiemark at the talent show.” You expression falls a bit. “Then it all changed.”
>>”We were still friends, we still played with one another.”
“You got new friends, and started to ignore me.”
>>”While I did get new friends, I didn’t ignore you. I couldn’t be around everypony at once Eri. It wasn’t just you.”
>You shoot back.
“We were best friends, of course we needed to be around one another. That’s how it goes”
>>”You’re making it sound like I abandoned you.”
“You did. I was the last in our class to get a cutiemark, it took a whole year, more and more foals picked on me. You weren’t there to defend me.”
>She looks a bit angry, but stops for a moment to close her eyes and breath.
>Reopening them, she starts again.
>>”I admit it, I failed to defend you from that. I couldn’t be around all the time though, you were asking the impossible of me.”
“That’s not all, you and your new friends started to play pranks on me. Started to tease me.”
>>”I did not tease you, I did play some pranks with them, but they were harmless.”
>You feel your anger start to rise.
“And you think that it didn’t bother me? You didn’t think how it felt to see my best friend turn on me? Did you? Did you?!”
>She tenses up and tries to reply, but you cut her off.

“How the fuck did you think that it didn’t? You knew how often I was bullied, don’t you remember all the times I cried to you?”
>>”Eri, I-”
“No! Shut up! You listen, you wanted to fix this, so you’re going to hear me unload all this fucking baggage on you.”
>You can feel your heart breaking again, and the dam behind your eyes finally gives.
“Being called ugly, blank flank, or freak! Every, damn, time, it hurt so much. Like a knife being stabbed in my heart over and over again. It never stopped, it never stopped! It felt like you were avoiding me. I hated it, you were my friend damn it!”
>You’re a sobbing mess now, and Rest tries to pull you in, but you push her back.
“No, I’m not done yet! The worst thing you ever did, was after I got my cutiemark. At the next fucking talent show.” Trying to catch your breath again, you push through. “You had seen my poetry, you knew how much it meant to me. I don’t know why I had believed you, but I did. You tricked me into reading it at that show.”
>Connie interrupts you.
>>”Because it is good! You couldn’t see it, it wasn’t a trick, or a lie. I was trying to convince you to share that with other ponies. I thought it would help you make friends, I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
>You shoot up and give the best look of death into that her.
“LIAR!”
>>”I’m not lying!”
“You always believed your other friends, even when I tried to tell you, and you knew what was going to happen! Or did you conveniently forget about that too?”
>>”I didn’t always defend them! I often argued with them! I never would want to do that to you!”
>The memory finally unfolds fresh into the open.
“Of course you did! I read my poetry on stage and before I could finish, a bucket of red paint poured all over, covering me completely. My book was ruined, my whole life was ruined that day!”

>The tears are making it hard to see.
>>”I didn’t know that they had set it up! I never knew, I hated them for what they did to you! I never spoke to them after that day!”
“Then why?! Why is it when I looked around, I saw you laughing, like the rest of them!”
>>”I wasn’t laughing, I was shocked! I tried to get to you, don’t you remember?!”
“Liar! I saw you standing there, I ran as fast as I could home, and shut myself in my room!”
>Finally spent, you collapse in a heap of misery.
>After all these years, it’s all out.
>>”I kept trying to talk to you everyday after, but your mother wouldn’t let me see you.”
“Because you did this to me!”
>>”ERI! I swear to you right now, if I really did that, then why did I come back to you?! Why?!”
“You just wanted to hurt me again!”
>>”For fucks sake, I never wanted to hurt you! I can see now I was a terrible friend, I should’ve been better!” Connie starts to cry. “I wasn’t better, I didn’t see you were hurting. I know I failed you. That’s why I’m here now. I want to be friends again, don’t you understand that Eri?”
“I understand alright. You came back when you fell, not when I fell! Not when I needed you, but when you needed me!”
>>”I’m sorry, I have no excuses. Friends are supposed to be there for one another. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when it all happened. But, I’m here now.”
>’She’s lying you know.’
>What if she isn’t?
>’Are you really going to trust her? She could’ve came back sooner.’
“Then why now, why not sooner?”
>Connie starts to sob.
>>”I’m selfish, is that what you wanted to hear?”
>Yes, yes you did.
“I’ve always wanted the truth from you. You might be here now, but that doesn’t make things right.”

>>”I know that doesn’t fix what happened. I can see that now. I can never undo my mistakes. I’m so sorry, for everything.”
>Feeling a hoof on your wither, you turn to see Rest with a look of sympathy.
>Slowing your breathing, you try to bring yourself under control.
>Gathering yourself once more, you stand up.
>Looking back at Connie, you see her crying still with mascara running down her face.
“I accept your apology, but that doesn’t make us friends, not yet.”
>She looks hopeful.
“That still doesn’t answer everything. You kept saying that you tried to reach me with letters.”
>>”That’s right I did, I tried for years, but you never answered me.”
“Fine, assuming the post office can’t do their job right, then why didn’t you try any other method.”
>She straightens herself up a moment before answering.
>>”I let my work get in control of my life, I never tried anything else. But, I have sent letters to other ponies before and got responses, so I figured you were ignoring me.” She sighs. “That’s not true, I guess deep down I knew you hated me. I just didn’t want to believe it.”
>You probably would’ve ignored her.
“Yeah, I did hate you. I was convinced you pushed me down a dark path. I’m still fucked up, I know that. I don’t know if I will ever recover. Even after hearing what you have said today, I’m not sure how to go about this.”
>Her eyes light up, and she composes herself.
>>”How about we spend the day together? Get to know one another once more?”
“You want to spend the day, with me? What about Rest?” You say and nod towards her.
>>”She can join us of course, after all, she is your friend. It would only be right if I included her as well” She smiles.
>You look back at Rest.
>“I don’t mind really, if it helps you out, you know I’m completely for it.”

>>”Then it’s settled, give me some time to plan it out.” She slouches for a moment. “Oh, I almost forgot, I have to leave in three days. I’ll make this work, I can promise that.”
>Speaking of the time, you look over to the nearby clock.
>6:31 pm.
>Noticing where you’re looking, Connie looks over and see the time.
>>”Suppose I should be leaving.”
>As she gets up and starts to leave, she stops and turns to you.
>>”Eri, I know we are not friends yet, but could I get a hug?”
>Really now?
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s just a hug.”
>Before you can move, she wraps her forelegs around you in a tight embrace.
>You freeze up at the unexpected swiftness.
>>”Thank you.” She whispers gently before pulling back with a smile.
“Yo-you too.”
>Connie lets go and leaves.
>Feeling stunned, Rest grabs your attention.
>”Eri?”
>You look back to her.
“Yeah? Oh, sorry, just a bit much.”
>She raises an eyebrow.
>”A bit? I told you had strength within you. I was tempted to cut in several times, but now I’m glad I didn’t. You did so well.”
>Feeling a blush come on, you stumble your words.
“No, that’s, I mean, I guess?”
>She pats your head with a smile.
>”I mean it, you did very well. So, are you hungry?”
>A part of you is, but you don’t want to test if you can hold it down.
“No, not really. I’m still kinda feeling like my stomach has flipped upside down.”
>”Oh, okay, well I’m going to go make a sandwich.”
“Alright, I’ll just sit for a little bit, get my head back.”
>She leaves you, so you sit on the couch and start to think.
>Will this all help you? Rest says it might.
>’Doubt that.’
>Seriously, right here, right now?
>’Even before Connie came back, you were cutting yourself.’
>Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stop. I haven’t done it since.
>’Since Connie came back, but, what is going to happen when she leaves? When Rest leaves? They both can’t be around forever.’

>I’ll get through it, Rest is my friend.
>’You say that, but do you really know?’
>Of course I do.
>’She comes over to check on you, she almost never talks about herself. You know more about Connie’s past than Rest’s.’
>I, I guess that’s true.
>That doesn’t mean she is hiding anything though.
>’You’re just another patient to her. Once she thinks you’re better, she will leave you alone.’
>That’s not true.
>’Watch, and you will see.’
>No!
>”Eri?”
>You yelp and turn to see Rest standing in the doorway looking concerned.
>”Thinking again?”
“Yeah, sorry, I’m still really tired.”
>”I was thinking, if you don’t mind, but I may have a solution to help you sleep tonight.”
>This should be interesting.
“Sure, if you think it will help, I’m all for it.”
>”I could sleep next to you, that way if you have a nightmare, I’d be right there.”
>Your cheeks start to burn, but you push those thoughts out of your mind.
>She is your friend, she isn’t trying to take advantage of you.
“Sounds good, I hope it does help.”
>You hope tonight, your dreams do not plague you, but you have a bad feeling regardless.