The three of them had a way of taking up more space than three ponies should.
RoseGold spotted LavenderGrey first - she usually did - and changed course without breaking stride, ShowStopper and LimeLight falling into step beside her like they'd rehearsed it. Maybe they had. More likely it was just that they were used to this by now and it was just reflex to follow each other on a dime.
"Oh, it's her," RoseGold announced, to nopony in particular. "The unicorn."
She said it the way you'd say the problem.
"Must be nice," LimeLight said, bright and cheerful, the way she said everything. "Just wiggling your horn at stuff instead of actually doing anything. Very impressive. Really."
"I bet she thinks we're beneath her," ShowStopper added, looking LavenderGrey over with the particular boredom of someone who has already decided. "Earth ponies are too much work to bother with, right? When you can just - " she waved a hoof vaguely, "magic your way through everything."
LavenderGrey kept her eyes down as they laughed openly at her. She didn't use her magic. She barely used it at all, actually, for reasons that had nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with not being noticed. But explaining that wouldn't help. Nothing she said would help. She'd learned that.
She just had to wait them out.
"Hey."
River stepped in front of her. Not dramatic about it. Just - there, suddenly, between her and them, his little notebook still tucked under one leg like he'd been in the middle of something when he decided this needed handling.
RoseGold blinked. "What?"
"You're doing the thing again," he said flatly. "Cut it out."
"We're just talking," LimeLight said, the picture of innocence.
"Sure." He didn't move.
There was a beat where it could have gone a few different ways. Then RoseGold made a noise like this was all very beneath her, flipped her curls, and walked away. ShowStopper followed without a word. LimeLight lingered just long enough to give River a smirk and a look that promised this wasn't over, and then she was gone too.
Lavender let out a breath she hadn't meant to hold.
"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly.
"I know," River said, and opened his notebook back up. "There was a stag beetle on that fence post over there. Do you want to see?"
She did, actually.
