Sugarcoat pushed open the door to the second floor bathroom in Crystal Prep Academy. It was a hidden little gem nestled past a janitor's closet near the art room. Hardly any other students knew of its existence, so it was her own little bastion of solitude.

Before she could even find a stall, however, her sense of tranquility was shattered by the sound of quiet sobs coming from inside.

Sugarcoat let out a long sigh and crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the tile floor. She briefly considered her options, but it was too late to go elsewhere at this point. "You know, it's going to be a lot harder for me to take a dump if I have to listen to your crying."

There was a brief pause, followed by a few sniffles before a familiar voice mumbled, "I'm sorry. I'll go."

The door opened, and Twilight Sparkle stepped out, her head low, her eyes red, and her nose runny.

"I'm, uh," Twilight started, looking up and meeting Sugarcoat's gaze before she sniffed and lowered her eyes once more. "Sorry."

Sugarcoat pursed her lips. It'd be easy enough to just let the girl walk away, but... "Crying in the bathroom won't solve anything you know."

"Sor--" Twilight stopped before she apologized again and clenched her fists. "Of course it won't solve anything. Everyone in this school hates me. I can't change that. All I can do is get out of here as soon as I can."

"I don't hate you," Sugarcoat said, rolling her eyes.

Twilight blinked and adjusted her glasses. "Then why are you always saying such mean things to me?"

Sugarcoat leaned against the sink. "I speak from the heart."

"Then why?" Twilight growled through clenched teeth. "Maybe that works for you, but then why is everyone else always giving me such a hard time?"

"Because you come off as an arrogant know-it-all who thinks she's better than us and can't be bothered to lower herself to interact with us mere mortals."

Twilight took a step back, her mouth falling open. "I... but I don't think that at all! I just want to learn!"

Sugarcoat turned around, stretching her arms behind her back. "I didn't say I believed it, but that's definitely the impression people have of you."

"Then... how do I change it?" Twilight brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sick of it. I'm sick of this place."

"I don't know." Her stomach gurgled, but Sugarcoat ignored it as best she could. "It's probably too late. You've snubbed a ton of people who have tried to reach out to you in the past, myself included. You're always lost in your own world. Old habits die hard. But who cares, anyway? It's just high school. We'll both be out of here soon enough. Tough it out, Sparkle."

Twilight took a deep breath and stood taller. "So the same thing I've been doing. I guess you have a point. I can handle it. I have to."

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Twilight turned to go.

Sugarcoat let out a sigh of relief, and pushed open an empty stall. This was all way too much effort to go through for an empty bathroom.

"Sugarcoat," Twilight said as she paused near the door. "Thanks. And, um, I'm sorry if I snubbed you in the past."

"Sparkle, if you don't leave here in the next fifteen seconds you will severely regret your decision."

"Sorry!"

Sugarcoat let out a long sigh as she heard the bathroom door close. "You're welcome," she muttered under her breath.