2265/KKF Donut run

KKF Donut run
Date of Scene:	24 January 2025
Location:	Campus Gardens
Synopsis:	Hinoiri grabs Rashmi, Sayaka and Usagi on a donut run to Kirakirafantastica... and lets them know about the time loop. And getting dumped. And also about her mentor replacing her. It has been... a week. They decide that some helpful girl time is needed.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Rashmi Terios, Sayaka Miki, Usagi Tsukino

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
It was about seven in the afternoon when Usagi, Rashmi and Sayaka would get a text from Hinoiri.

'Hey. Wanna be a pony for a few hours? My portal home is open, I need some hooves to help make a donut run with and... frankly I need to be more trusting. But there's one condition. You can never, ever tell ANYONE about this portal, unless I say you can. You down'?

Assuming they were okay with it... Well... She'd send them a meeting place, one of the gardens in the school, a bit northern. The school had so, so many gardens that it wasn't exactly a popular one, partially overgrown even, likely only maintained a few times a year. "Hey guys, this way," she'd say, before stepping off the bench and heading deeper into the garden... towards rows of old statues. Many of which had been acquired from other schools across the world... and finally... walking behind one with a big pony statue on top. Putting her hand on, and through, the pillar.

"Remember, don't tell anyone about this. It's my only way home and I don't want anyone finding out..." She'd then head through andf...

On the opposite side, there was... a unicorn. An orange unicorn with Hinoiri's trademark hair. And it was... inside... a... storage room? Filled with crates and other junk? The mirror was propped up against the wall. And the rest of them? Well... They'd find... themselves... a little... different.

Hinoiri would stand there, waiting for them to get a control over themselves. She seemed... a little... off, though.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
To say the text was something of a surprise to Rashmi would be an understatement, given how tight-lipped Hinoiri was in general about 'The Portal.' However, being invited along was pleasure enough that the choice wasn't even really a difficult one.

    << TXT to HINOIRI -- Sure! And of course I won't tell anyone, that's your secret to let people in on. >>

And indeed, the garden in question was *also* an unfamiliar one... But really, between classwork, projects, and personal preference, anything north of the Library and the eastern entrance to the compound is pretty unfamiliar territory.

As Hinoiri leads them to the pony statue, the redhead steals a concerned glance at Sayaka and Usagi, wondering internally if they're noticing the same shift in mood she is, but for the moment she keeps it to herself. She can't help but be delighted that the entrance to Kirakirafantastica is *through a pony statue,* and when it's her turn she slips on through--

--Only to find out on the other side that she is, in fact, a pony. A pony with dark bay fur, a bright, bright red mane, and for reasons known only to Hinoiri, the symbol of a sun projecting rays through fluffy white clouds, high on her right flank.

And, yes, it does take a while for her to get used to having four legs, rather than two... a lot of picking up a hoof, putting it down, marching in place, then reaching out for the nearest small loose thing to spend the next little while trying to figure out exactly how she's holding it.

Being a pony is *weird.*

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Ula, Hinoiri wants us to become ponies", Sayaka announces out of the blue right after reading the redhead's message. A small thud reaches the bluenette's ears when the koi mermaid turns to the magical girl.

"Is this about KiraKiraFantasica?", Ula asks, mouth a bit wider than usual. "Yes, though you can stay behind if you want", Sayaka corrects herself while she writes back. "No, no, let's go! This will be educating", the fairy nods, dropping her satchel from the body. She really doesn't want to lose it in another world.

"That's the spirit! We just have to keep it to ourselves", Sayaka smiles to her mascot, hitting send on the message after a nod of affirmation from the koi mermaid.

<PHONE> Sayaka Miki texts Hinoiri Kirara: Count me in! Ula is coming, but we will both be tight-lipped.

At the appointed time, the two of them are at the garden, and the bluenette has with herself an empty bag for the donuts, as much as she is not sure what using it will be like.

Sayaka looks back to Rashmi, catching the meaning of her gaze, returning an expression that signals she has caught Hinoiri's mood too. Homecoming might be hard, yes.

On the other side of the mirror, Sayaka has become pale blue, but her hair has instead shifted to a slightly darker hue, matching her eyes. Ula is now a pony as well, albeit with weirdly thin and long legs and dragonfly wings. Her skin retains the koi coloration of her tail, with a brown mane and blue eyes.

The fairy falls with a "ow!" on Sayaka's back, albeit the problem is her flight has never needed to use wings. Sayaka is doing marginally better, slowly testing the ground with one leg at a time.

There is a lot of turning her head back and figuring out how to move her hind legs before she even gets to trying out touching and lifting things. It's not going to be easy, but her optimism is the same as ever.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It's not the norm to get a text from Hinoiri, that's for sure. Maybe once it had been, but these days, though they're cool, they don't really text as much. Admittedly, Usagi is pretty busy with her terrible and adorable little daughter and the evil clown car from the future, and Hinoiri's been busy with her own things, probably, but still - it's a surprise!

So, naturally she reaches out and says of course she'll come, she can keep a secret, what kind of pony will she be -

The questions, for Hinoiri's sanity, stop eventually, and then they're in the garden. It's one of the overgrown ones, and she steps carefully around the plants and bushes, glancing Sayaka and Rashmi's way and gesturing with her eyebrows like hey what's going on -

But then they are at a statue, and she laughs that it's a pony statue that's so cute -

And then Hinoiri walks through. "It's that easy?" She whisper shrieks.

And then Rashmi walks through - and then she walks through. On the otherside, is a peach color poney with her blonde mane in odango and curly twin-tails, her tail flowing with the same wavy-curl. There's an image on her flank, of Sailor Moon's Crystal Star compact - a pink circle with a golden star, and five colored gems at the interconnecting lines of the star, a crescent moon at the center.

She promptly falls on her face, all four limbs splaying. "Wah!" It takes a few minutes to get oriented, her legs wobbling as she tests out her steps. "This is so... weird!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had watched them as they came through and... huh. Earth pony. Okay, that tracked. And she was handling it (mostly) well. However, Ula's... well... "A breezie? Oh, that's cute. Hold on tight to her, Sayaka. One firm gust and she'll be in trouble. Keep your wings over her, and she should be fine."

And then her gaze turned to Usagi and... slow, deep breath. She could do this. WOULD do thi-- Oh. A pegasus too. Huh. Lots of pegasi. That would make things... slowly... harder in some ways. "Gotcha. Okay, try not to fly too fast, or high. I can catch you if needed, but it'll cause some trouble. Now... we're in the castle's storage shed. Security around here will be pretty lax and I know a dozen ways out, but there's... well. Bound to be some ponies running around and if we're too inconspicuous, we'll draw eyes." She started towards the stairs, pushing it open and--

"At the gala? At the gala! I'll meet my prince and he'll find me absolutely breathtaking!"

"At the gala?"

"At the gala!"

"I'll talk to the foreman and get my wrench!"

"At the gala?"

"At the gala!"

Hinoiri froze as she stared at the lawn. And when she turned around, they could see her eyes... twitching. "Good... news... everypony. It looks like the grand marching gala is going on. So... security will be lax, lots of ponies going around. Sneaking out and sneaking in will be easy. Once you feel like walking about... we'll go," she said, turning back around to stare at the door and wait for them.

... The gala. Huh. She remembered going there. amazing. A few years ago, she could have marched up and seen Sora and... She closed her eyes and shook her head. Nope. She wasn't good for that right now.

"... Sorry if I seem a bit... off. Its been a... week." Pause. "Earlier this week I was stuck in a time loop. For like... a few months... possibly years. Kept repeating the same day. So.... there's a lot to go over with everyone. And after repeating the same day a... thousand... or more times... I'm not really keen to keep repeating it over and over. But I owe a lot of people a lot of apologies. I figured having a donut party, and sending a few boxes to Norie, would be the best way to go about it. Or at least to start it. So... thanks. For coming to help. Carrying all of those boxes myself would have been hard. And I figure... well... I need to try trusting my friends more."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Okay. Feet are also hands, but not... visibly. That is... absolutely a thing. Now Rashmi kind of gets all of Hinoiri's early complaints about fingers being weird, but honestly right now she misses them *so much* but still this is pretty cool...

Once the sequence of walking is... more or less down, she signals her readiness.

But one simply is *never prepared* for their first sight of the Grand Marching Gala.

Staring, slack-jawed at the bustle and activity and *perfectly choreographed singing what even the heck--*

Her mouth snaps shut, and she gives her head a shake, one hoof coming up to resettle her glasses on her nose. ...Which point she realizes she still needs glasses, even as a pony.

Huh. That's a thing.

Then Hinoiri gives a summary of what's been happening to her over maybe-years, in one day, and that sounds enough like an existential horrorshow that Rashmi steps up beside Hinoiri, resting a hoof on her shoulder. "...I'm guessing deeper explanations will happen at the party but I *really agree,* you could do with something nice for a change. Sure I'll help, but uh... question."

"...How are we carrying anything? On our heads? Saddlebags? Hold it in our front hooves and sort of smoosh our faces against the ground as we try to walk?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Wings. That was weird. That was what felt weird, on her back. She'd never felt those before, the sensation of extra limbs, and why would she? It wasn't until she's sort of mastered walking that Usagi even realizes she's walking on air, aka, flying, and eeps quietly, bumping into a shelf in the room they're in as she scrambles to get down to the ground.

"Wings? I'm a winged pony?" she hisses quietly to her friends, before trying to shut up real quick, on account of the need to sneak -

Singing. Perfectly coordinated. Choreographed even. All sorts of ponies in fantastical colors and attire, just singing and dancing together as they hustle and bustle through to a fancy event -

"Well, okay then," she murmurs, "I guess we're... pretty lucky? If everyone's going to be around at this party!"

She hops about a little in excitement, not having really meant to, but feeling a little more hoppy and boppy in this body, her wings carrying her up into the air again.

And then Hinoiri is telling them why they're here, and she drops from the sky to her hooves, only slightly thudding, and squishes the lot of them into a hug, since everyone has moved to comfort Hinoiri.

"Hinoiri-chan, that sounds terrible. Of course we can help you out with a donut run! Food from home is always for the best when you've been through it." And if she's surprised (and she is) that Hinoiri doesn't seem to be making plans to permanently return home? She's keeping her mouth shut.

"...can we take pictures? I won't tell anyone, I promised, but, I mean, eventually you might tell people and then I can show them pictures!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Got it!", Sayaka replies to Hinoiri, stopping her walking practice to try and get the hang of her wings instead, moving them around to cover Ula, who has grown a bit paler at the warning. To her credit Sayaka manages to avoid slamming them into Ula. The same can't be said for each wing, which took the brunt of each other's impact quite a few times.

Just as she has gotten used to them, the news of the time loop does great at distracting Sayaka from her learning, and there is a wonky lowering of one of her front hooves, that sends the bluenette's front legs on their knees with a quiet cry of surprise. "Urgh", she laments after slowly getting up. At least Ula had held safely onto Sayaka's wings.

Shaking her head a little, Sayaka picks herself up and turns her mind to the timeloop. "Of course, Hinoiri. A party sounds a great idea, it will be lots of fun", Sayaka agrees, doing her best to follow the others without causing noise.

The Marching Gala... Is that where they play all the music Hinoiri has gotten her? Her mind veers towards finding an occasion to take part and play the piano, but that is really not what they came here for, as much the prospective sounds nice. Nevermind that she is not really confident in her skill as a pianist in this form. "They are really happy, must be really fun", Sayaka observes when the ponies pass by.

"I brought a bag with myself", Sayaka tells Rashmi, even if she hasn't tried to figure out how to figure out how to put things inside yet.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah. I'll... I'll explain what I can, then. It was magic... weirdness. I did some... bad things. Wrong things. On the positive side? I can't use dark energy now. At all. So... that's... a good thing. Even without the geode."

She smiled, but it was... mellow. Not very passionate. Not hurting, just... accepting, in a way. She even hugged back when she was hugged, giving a small nod. "As for carrying, well... I was thinking some of you might be unicorns. I'll uhhhh... you'll mostly just need to carry them on your back. I know some spells for that, it'll help as well. Once we're on the other side, it'll be a lot easier, too."

"... As for pictures... I'll... I'll get a camera in town, okay? We have those here. They're bigger then the ones you're used to, but a camera phone is definitely outside the norm here." Pause. "Though, I'm not sure how well the camera film will travel over dimensions... huh... I don't even know if your phones would come with you. Mine never did."

She started up the steps, out onto the lawn and... "Follow me," she whispered, as she started inching towards the castle walls. "Yeah. The Grand Marching Gala is one of the biggest events of the year. Everypony comes for a chance to see the princess and her... student... an opportunity to shake hooves with the elite of the elite." She rolled her eyes when she said that.

The sun had gone down a while ago, judging by the night, and the lawn was a bustle of activity, as carts were arriving and... "Oh, wow! It's Yuguru Kagayaku!" one pony yelled. "The pony who saved Kirakirafantastica!"

That made Hinoiri pause and glance over at a carriage that had just arrived. At the purple unicorn within.

"Can you believe it? So young and talented, a student of Sovereign Sora herself, imagine how incredible a pony must be for that. Do you think I could get her to sign my hat?"

"Please, she's probably too busy for that, with Sovereign Sora focusing so heavily on her."

To say Hinoiri looked stricken as those ponies talked was... an understatement.

However, it was a clear sign that she had changed, considering she took a slow, deep breath, closed her eyes for a second, before opening them and kept walking. "Come on, there's a secret way out of the castle this way..."

It wouldn't take her long, just a bit of stone tapping...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I mean... yay for discovery," Rashmi says carefully. But she said she did some bad stuff. But it was all over a time loop, so... it never happened? So there were no lasting consequences?

Truly it is the kind of ethical conundrum that would give professional thinkers a nosebleed.

In the end, Rashmi simply determines that... If Hinoiri is the only one truly affected, then it's not on anyone else to judge her what didn't happen after all. The lessons she learned from it are all that matters."

And she follows behind Hinoiri, listening with interest to the brief tour-guide lecture on the meaning of the day... And then the carriage pulls in, its occupant remarked on.

And Rashmi really, really tries not to wince herself inside-out. That might be noticeable. All she can really do, is give her friend another shoulder-pat as she follows behind, a silent gesture of support. They are, after all, here for her, and that means something.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Between Hinoiri's hollow smile at the information she discloses and the sudden announcement of a new pupil for Sora, Sayaka looks with concern at the redhead, and trots closer, before she stops with a brief hesitation. What counts as a hug here? Bring her neck against hers? Use her wings?

Good thing she probably doesn't have to try to console anyone else native here. At least if she is about to do something culturally out of place, Hinoiri would understand her intentions.

It might not be the latter, not all ponies even have wings, but at the same time it's probably the easiest thing they have, so she unfolds a wing over Hinoiri's back. "Good job! I am sure you will have new powers in no time now."

"I can do carrying!", Sayaka smiles. She is definitely not making a joke about having become a beast of burden. Sure if done well, it would bring some levity, but she is betting on that being insensitive.

"There aren't many like me around", Ula peeks at everypony having fun in the festival. "Where do fairies live here?" With magic out in the open, not much reason to hide, after all.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I mean... if you did bad things... but you fixed them, because of a time loop... it means you didn't hurt anyone in a way that they're still uh, dealing with, then you don't...I mean, maybe you want to apologize, but I don't think people will hold it against you." A pause. "Unless its for something you did before the timeloop. Then they might want the apology donuts."

But this is good. This is a good step in moving forward and trying to create peace and demonstrate that she's better, and it would be nice if it weren't full of hollow almost sorrow, you know?

She follows, worrying, keeping an eye on Hinoiri but trying to enjoy this - and then they hear... that.

Well!

"I bet I can carry all kinds of things in my - uh - hooves? While I fly? We'll figure it out! I'm sure it will be totally fine, you'll see Hinoiri-chan."

Distraaaaction!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara shook her head. "Oh. No. I mean, I bucked up some things in the loop, but... I mean I did a lot of bad things outside of the loop. Things I owe people... apologies for. Real apologies. But... I... need some time to recover before I do that," she said softly.

She blinked when Sayaka gave her a wing hug, before chuckling and giving her a light nuzzle. "See? You're a natural. Even hugging like a pegasus, now. As for breezies? They have their own special dimension they travel through each year, as they scatter magical pollen throughout Kirakirafantastica. It's a pretty major event, we have to control the winds pretty tightly to make sure they don't get hurt and all kinds of things."

Of course, it wouldn't take them long to find the secret tunnel. Even less time to be out and heading towards the town. And...

"Sorry. I'd normally try and give you a full tour, but... yeah. Right now... really wouldn't be the best time. I uhhhh... admittedly... I probably wouldn't have dragged you here, right now. But... well... normally I'd bring... Double Trouble. But... they broke up with me... last night... so... it wasn't... really... I mean. I guess I could have come and gotten all of these by myself..."

"... I just didn't want to," she admitted, a little softly.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Double Trouble broke up with me last night.'

"Oh, *Hinoiri-chan,*" Rashmi says softly, now fully understanding the hollowness with which her friend is acting. As they walk toward town, Rashmi drops back just a bit, to get out of Hinoiri's sightline, and looks to Usagi and Sayaka.

And for just a moment, she is *furious.*

A moment which passes with a long breath in, and another one out. "Well I'm glad you called us, and we're *happy* to help out, Hinoiri-chan," she says, rallying. "Don't worry about the tour, we can try that again some other time. Right now it's donuts, and maybe we can find you some ice cream..."

Another glance thrown to the others, this one more helpless. What power is greater than *ice cream?* Because Bow protocols won't be enough, there needs to be a nuclear option.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Taking time to recover is important," Usagi agrees, and then because Sayaka managed it, she can - hugging Hinoiri too, draping a wing over her and nuzzling in before giving her some space.

They're walking, making their own quiet way through the secret passageway and into the distance from the Marching Gala, and that's when Hinoiri admits -

"Oh, Hinoiri-chan," and it's in perfect time with Rashmi, and she is gripped with sadness, because Hinoiri had obviously and truly liked Double Trouble, which she saw whenever they were together, and that was - that was - she doesn't owe Double Trouble any kind thoughts, because they are not friends, and a part of her thinks crossly that they should become a pair of boots. The rest of her knows Hinoiri wouldn't want that, which is good.

But also?

"I'm glad you didn't come by yourself. We're your friends, and you should be with us right now." This is firm and warm and loving. "You need a sleepover - you know, us, your friends, spending the night with you so you're not alone, and having ice cream, and samosas, and hot curry, so you're never too hot or too cold."

Rashmi's brief, furious gaze is met with Usagi's own fierce anger for her friend, her upset at her suffering.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka gives Hinoiri a wide smile at her clarification. She has really changed a lot, and she can't help but feel proud of how far she has gone. It has definitely been hard for her, but soon enough, she will reap the fruits of her hard work.

"Don't worry, if there has ever been a moment when you can trust in yourself, this is it. It may be hard, but you are doing the right thing, and I am always going to be at your side."

A smirk when Hinoiri calls her a natural. "Maybe I would do a great job if there were a Pegasus PreCard then", she jokes. There probably wasn't, if she had to guess, though.

And then she drops the news. A motion of anger, and a desire to use the Dog PreCard with zero shame, to get answers out of the shapeshifter.

"Don't even joke about it, Hinoiri. I am happy that I am accompanying you on this journey, and even more that you asked us to come with you. If you want to talk, or even just spend time with someone, you can call me even if it's the middle of the night, ok?", she urges her friend.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara smiled as, well... she was greeted with compassion and kindness. As people... didn't take her moment of weakness, her showing her hurt, as a means to make it worse. Instead, they comforted. "I... don't know. I guess it was... kind of... I came home and... well. I knew something was up. They were... crying. And they told me to give them a hug. I did, of course. All their stuff was packed up..."

"... Then when they pulled out of the hug.... they said they... were leaving. That I was 'all sparkle' now. They I deserved 'happiness'. They... left... I tried to stop them... I wanted... to stop them. But... I know you can't. No matter how much you want them to... they... you can't... make someone love you."

"... So they left. And when I followed, they... dusk ported away. Apparently..." A few tears trickled down her face. "It's the reward for... growing up... I guess," she said, reaching a hoof up to wipe some tears away. "It's a terrible reward. F-full failing grade. Wouldn't recommend."

"... But.. but yeah... I think... a sleepover... sounds pretty nice."

As they approached the main city, the sounds of ponies singing about the gala could be heard. "Yeah... that stuff never really stops, heh. Don't worry. As long as yo don't interact with the singers, you won't get sucked in."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"So they asked you... to comfort them... about breaking up with you?" Usagi asks, and she's grinding her teeth, working hard to control her voice so all the anger doesn't leak out. But the gall. The Lion, the Witch, and the Audacity of that Bitch (gn). "Hinoiri-chan..."

And she reaches out, puts a hoof on Hinoiri's shoulder to try and stop her, and then looks her right in the eye.

"You didn't deserve that. You don't deserve that. It's not a reward, for sparkling, or growing up, or anything like that. That... was just some nonsense they made up to justify to themself that they were going to hurt you."

Full Failing Grade. 0/10. No good faith granted.

"A sleepover is exactly what we'll do. Ice cream, samosas, curry, and all the anpan we can stuff ourselves with."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Absolutely zero out of ten," Rashmi says gently. "Worst Yipe review ever. But they were right about one thing; you *do* deserve happiness... And you *absolutely* did not deserve that," she says, nodding after Usagi. "And that's the last I will say about my thoughts on it, because we're trying to be quiet and I would attract *so much attention.*"

Letting out a long, slow sigh, she smiles at Sayaka and Usagi, glad that between the three of them, Hinoiri won't want for support in what is likely going to be one of her worst days for a long time.

"So... singing in Kirikirifantastica is just, like... an everyday thing? Any single person could break out into a Gilbert & Sullivan number?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka isn't admittedly feeling much calmer towards Double Trouble. She is in full agreement with Usagi. The gall to break up with Hinoiri and then ask for comfort. No, not just break up, disappear off of the face of the Earth (probably literally given the Dusk Zone) with 0 warning.

Another wing hug is given to her friend, this one even tighter that the other one. "I don't know what kind of 'happiness' they had in mind when they did that, but, the truth is, they failed you, Hinoiri. Even when you were full of dark energy, you have never been like that with me, and I really did try your patience at times."

Sayaka isn't sure she isn't about to get fire powers again by how she is feeling towards Double Trouble. "We are going to make it a great sleepover, Hinoiri. Be prepared to drown under a mountain of all that, and all the sweets I can feasibly make."

Is there anything else she can think about? Maybe, they aren't going to do it right this evening probably, so they have a bit more time to program the event.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah. Honestly... not that surprised. They really did like drama. I just... you know. I thought... I didn't think they'd leave me. Heck, us dating was their idea. They just kind of... claimed me one day. Said they wanted me all to themselves. They uhhh... were almost as bad as breakups as me," she said with a small, nervous chuckle. "Sorry, Sayaka." Still... it did make her feel happy to know that Sayaka thought she hadn't been the worst girlfriend at the time. And she accepted that hug gladly. "Thanks. I... think that sounds wonderful. I think the best part, though, will be having my friends there. Heh."

As for the singing... "Oh, yeah. Like, it's weird, though. Sometimes you'll catch the second half of a song and you won't even know what the buck you're singing. And you'll sing and ponies all over will like... not even notice. I once sang right next to Sora about lighting a diplomats gown on fire and she didn't say a word."

... It was debatable on if Sora HAD heard it, or just kept her mouth shut.

As they made their way into Pastry Pattie's, well... She ordered a small four donut box, before tossing over a lot of bits for like... thirteen more boxes. Then held the donuts out to them. "Here. Try one. They'll blow your mind."

It... it was like eating all of the best parts of purification. And all of the best parts of a hug. And a pony. And friendship. It was magic.

It was like if Makoto had made donuts out of the universes BEST ingredients, without anything possibly wrong with them.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
And when Hinoiri said those words, that the best part will be her friends, Rashmi genuinely, truly smiled. Because that, more than anything, showed that whatever Hinoiri had done during the endless yesterday... She took away the most important lessons. Which meant that she would truly, eventually, be all right. "That usually is the best part," Rashmi says, nodding with the certainty of having once been friendship-disadvantaged.

And Hinoiri's description of an average moment here is... mind-boggling. "Wait, so... *are* there people who can't sing well, here? Or does the magic make up for it or do I *actually* have to worry bout putting a hoof wrong and assaulting everyone's ears?"

At which point she's offered a donut... And of *course* Rashmi would be excited to try food from another world! Half of it disappears immediately with the first bite.

Then she just... sort of stands there, staring off into the middle distance. For once, she chews slowly, far too much, as if having to swallow her bite would make the experience end.

"...they should've sent a poet..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Yeah, I'm not the worst at singing but I don't know that I'd be that great... like, do they judge you if you aren't good at singing?"

Generally, Usagi doesn't have shame, but well, who wouldn't be a bit nervous at the thought of performing publicly, entirely at the whim of ambient magic? Seems a bit risky...

Hinoiri's mane is ruffled by one of Usagi's wings, and she smiles impishly at the other girl - other filly? - for a second. "Hey, that's the right attitude, you know? Everything's okay, with your friends by your side."

And then they are in the donut shop, and she watches as Hinoiri orders boxes and boxes and boxes of donuts, and they do smell amazing - and when she's offered one, the whole thing is shoved into her mouth with all the enthusiasm a certain pink-coated, pink-maned Earth Pony would demonstrate.

"Oooh," she sighs, stars in her eyes, a symphony in her mouth. She's gonna be a minute.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka shakes her head at the apology. She did just say Hinoiri did much better with her than Double Trouble did with her. "Prepare to look forward to the sleepover then. I know I am", she says brightly and warmly. It was really something special to hear Hinoiri say those words.

Ula is taken aback by the sheer dedication the ponies here have to songs. It would definitely be a huge challenge to the last notes if the mermaid kingdoms and KiraKiraFantastica were to enter a competition together. Would a clear victor even be possible?

Keeping the choice of subjects Hinoiri gave for that one song aside. Maybe that was indeed ignored.

When Sayaka tries out that donut, she feels like her wings are going to take off any instant now. The kind of thing that would have been able to give joy even in the worst situation. She actually feels so happy she starts crying copious tears of joy.

"This is... I don't think I have ever tasted something so good. Here come over Ula, there isn't a strong wind." To which the fairy did as Sayaka said and quickly brought a piece over to her refuge under Sayaka's wing. "Amazing, Hinoiri. This is really sublime."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help grinning and giving a nod. "I don't know, never heard many bad singers. I guess it can happen, but it's not a common occurance. I wouldn't worry too much, you can usually feel it when it's coming and maybe suppress it. Riventon did it, once, when we..." She trailed off a few times and sighed. "I'm going to need to apologize to Sora about that one, later..." she mumbled. She was just... going to not focus on it.

Watching them enjoy the donuts, however, brought a smile to her face. As well as Pastry Patty. The unicorn mare nodded happily. "That's why I do it. Your order will be up soon," she said before disappearing into the back.

Hinoiri slowly chewed her donut and then sighed, sitting at the table. "I've... well... got the three of you. So I should probably let you know. During the ummmm... loop... we did do some things. I realized that you all have been trying to help me a lot and I've... really learned a lot of the long lessons."

"... I also... kind of realized... what Sora did to me... yeah... it was... kind of bucked up. I bucked things up, bad. But she... also... did... and it's a lot more complex than I realized. Also... lashing out... didn't do any good. Certainly didn't make me feel better..."

"... I also learned that... the lot of you people... even as I bucked up, repeatedly, always offered a hand out to me. So... thank you. For everything. I wouldn't be here if not for you."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
What? Hinoiri is talking! Resist the donutty bliss, important things are happening!

Rapidly shaking her head to bring her awareness back down to Dirt, she looks up at Hinoiri... then fixes her glasses, to be able to look properly. After that, a brilliant smile blooms on her face. "Oh I am *so glad* to hear you say that, Hinoiri-chan," she says. "You are so, so welcome. For all of it. Especially the frustrating parts." Moving to take up another spot at the table, she sets her half-a-donut onto a napkin... and just picks delicious *pieces* off the donut, the better to draw out the whole experience.

"Sometimes it was hard... but most of it was really easy, honestly. You needed friends for *so long,* it was hard to see what they were even for."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The donut is magical, blissful, a miracle of texture and taste and scent and Usagi regrets eating the entire donut if only because she never wants to swallow.

So she just leans against Hinoiri, patting her back, nodding warmly.

She's gonna have to swallow this donut and then she will go to a world without these donuts and there are things she's had that were this good, sure, but even the Buddha would want for worldly desires if he tasted this donut -

She finishes eating it. There might be some tears over that fact.

"Hinoiri-chan, I'm really glad you feel that way," she manages to say, and she means it fully. "About us, but also about you, and about Sora, and just - life. You know? It's worth it. We're here. Other people will be there too."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka smiles a bit nervously, feeling mostly relieved that she can in fact suppress it. Considering that she is in the same boat as Usagi, she doesn't really want to test it out. At the same time, the Mermaid PreCard does improve her singing, although not as much as the Idol PreCard, so maybe becoming a pony is too the key to singing well!?

Though, Hinoiri has gotten back to talking about her experiences with the loops so Sayaka uses a hoof to dry the tears out of her eyes and forces herself out of her bliss (Ula however is still deep in it).

"Of course, Hinoiri, and I want to keep doing it again and again and again, as much as you ever need it. You are my dear friend, remember that, ok?", Sayaka pokes her in the arm with a hoof, lightly.

"And with how much Sora was weighing on you, I am really glad to hear you are past that part."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara grinned as the others ate their donuts and... yeah. She was going to add a few more boxes to the list. And hearing the others so excited, so happy... it was nice. "Yeah. Friends... friends were something I really wish I had. And, ummm... since I know it's likely going to come up. I... knew about Sora's new student. Didn't know her name, but did know she was a... thing. I'm... well. I'm not happy about it. But I can't really change it. Sora... forgot about me, a long, long time ago. And it's time for me to move on."

"... Additionally, I'm getting you each a box of a dozen donuts each. But aside from the four boxes for Norie, the rest have to be for the party. No matter how delicious they are."

"I've heard that one before!" Pastry Patty called from the back room.

"... I can be strong. So... thank you."

Of course, getting into the castle actually... wasn't as hard as one might expect. And they'd learn... Hinoiri really WAS good with her magic. As she probably could have carried all of the donuts herself. As she'd had to cast a spell to lighten them, and hide them... And make carrying them easier...

Of course, once on the other side? Back in reality? She'd have... well... No magic then. So she'd definitely need ALL of their help getting them back to her apartment then.

... Her mostly empty apartment... that had an empty bed, and a lot... of... emptyness... now... As one person had vanished from it.

She'd send one text out, of course, before focusing back on them. 'Hey, Riventon. I've got some boxes of donuts for Norie. Swing by my room tomorrow morning and put them to good use.'

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Seeing Hinoiri's profiency in *this* world's magic really... *really* puts a lot of Earth behavior into perspective. It's something Rashmi would comment to Usagi about, later. 'What would it be like to fall into a world where your eyes didn't work right, you kept hearing a sheep meowing around the corner, and all of your favorite foods tasted like they were made with carrots? That feels like the closest I can come to why Hinoiri-chan went for Dark Energy in the first place.'

But at the moment, she has a friend to help, and to distract from their own troubles, and the moment they walked back into the apartment... Rashmi's face set in grim determination.

"C'mon, Hinoiri-chan," she said. "I can hold onto the donuts for now, let's go to the best venue for your donut party, so you can see what you're working with. Also you deserve a *good* reward for lerning all the right lessons, and the Shed is it."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
The fact that Hinoiri really could have carried all the donuts herself, at least on this side of the portal, really doesn't matter. Sayaka is gonna be around whether Hinoiri needs a physical or morale lifting. And she thinks that when back to Earth... all four of them might have to help each other make sure the donuts survive for the party on the way back to the dorms.

She is going to be focusing a lot on what awaits Hinoiri in her dorm room. If she had her way, honestly, Hinoiri wouldn't spend one more night in there. It's not like her own dorm room lacked the space either.

Back on Earth, Sayaka would comment on the fact that visiting Hinoiri's world had been an incredible experience, one she had been glad to accompany Hinoiri on.