Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 35th cycle. Now cycle 36!

Had the idea for this cycle back in July or August where I thought it'd be interesting to do a set inspired by tarot cards. My initial research then directed me to the cards of the Major Arcana, of which there were 22, so I combined two, which got me to 21, making this a cycle-long set of stories. Then I did more research, to find out about each of those cards, and what they can represent. Now I need to point out that it's a more or less basic approach. I don't go into the reverse meaning or other things, just this part. ** If you would like the document of info I've collected and based myself on, let me know and I'll send it, since it covers the next three weeks' worth of stories. ** Lastly, in connection to the first card, 'The Fool', and the journey through those other cards, this entire cycle will feature, in lead or supporting form, one Brittany S. Pierce...

"Just Like the Others"
aka 'Wheel of Fortune'
Quinn, Santana, Brittany

They met up as they all came through into the halls of McKinley, and while one of them had gone through this experience before, the other two had the faces to match their awkward discomfort. They had chosen this, all of them had, when they had decided to quit the Cheerios, knew that leaving behind the uniform was going to be part of the deal, but to present themselves, in their own clothes, was… different. Quinn had opted for a dress, as she would. Santana, for her part, had gone with pants, making a clear break from her days upon days of skirts. Brittany had built her entire outfit that day around a hat…

"What if they don't recognize us?" Brittany was asking Santana when Quinn approached them.

"They'll do fine," Santana promised her, just as she saw the third girl arrive. "I woke up this morning and when I had to actually decide what to wear, I almost had a nervous breakdown." Quinn chuckled.

"I put on my uniform this morning, but then I saw this," she showed her palm to Quinn, who saw the words 'no uniform, wear what you want' in what she recognized to be Santana's handwriting. Quinn was surprised this hadn't turned into some kind of catastrophe.

"Have either of you seen Coach Sylvester yet?" Santana asked then, more serious. The two blondes shared a look.

"I think it's probably best we steer clear for a few days," Quinn bowed her head, and Brittany quietly agreed. "Come on," she moved back and Brittany closed her locker, following Quinn with Santana.

They were still a striking sight to take in as they made their way down the hall, side by side, though there was something about the uniforms that only made that power stand out even more. Now that uniform was gone, leaving only the girls that had been hidden under them. This had been their choice, to emerge after the coach had gone and taken one too many steps. They could take a lot, and without a doubt they had taken much more than their fair share while under Sue Sylvester's cast-iron wing, but finally it was just time… to take their own path. Maybe at some point they would come back to her; it was hard to ever leave that world behind, like a pom pom addiction.

But they had been Cheerios for some time now, with what seemed like an endless supply of uniforms and very little if any other clothes of their own… everywhere they went, whatever they did, just skirts and sneakers and pony tails. They weren't girls, they were Cheerios. That was how they were seen, part of that whole, a collective. A lot of people didn't know their names, probably didn't care to. They were Cheerios and that was enough.

Under it all though, where it mattered, they were still themselves, their reality, their personality, their whole being. It was easy to disappear under the disguise, to accept that they belonged in that unit and to adopt whatever traits that came with it. That was their privilege, and what would be expected, right?

Now that was all gone, and they could be as calm and collected about the whole thing as they wished to, but they knew they were about to find out something, as they emerged now, decommissioned Cheerios. Would they get to hang on to the ease of life they'd been able to experience, or would they get shunned, shoved to the side like any other member of the student body? Would they remain at the top or feel the bite of those ice cold Slushies?

Would their insecurities be unveiled, no longer masked by the flip of a skirt, the turn of a smile?

It wouldn't stay this way, they knew. Right then, everything was new, untested. Eventually they'd know, and then life would go on. They'd continue to go to classes, go to Glee Club, and so on. It wasn't like they were entering a haunted house full of mystery and of the unknown, except at that moment, in some ways, it was… Expectation versus reality, plagued with wondering… They were the new kids; most of them had never known them this way, and if they did then it had been so long ago that they didn't remember… and they had changed so much since then anyway.

"Should we introduce ourselves?" Brittany asked as they neared class.

They did turn heads, that was to be expected. The reaction was usually the same. They would look up, catch sight of them, and then they would do a bit of a double take, connecting the faces but being thrown by not finding them in the usual ponytail and uniform. Some would turn to a friend and whisper, then the other person would look up as well.

In the end, this was always how it was going to be, life going on, more fodder for the gossip machine. What had happened? Why were they not Cheerios anymore? Had they quit, or were they kicked out? What sort of secret scandal could have happened for them to be turned into this? All of it was kept hushed, though whispers had a way to carry and catch the ear every once in a while. The suggestions were nothing new under these circumstances, though they were harder to ignore in some cases. But they would ignore them, they would play like they didn't care… that was the best and easiest way to make it all go away as soon as possible.

And just like that, life went on. The new order was established. Their innermost selves, the ones that wouldn't change, they were exposed now… The uniform wouldn't hide them anymore. The choice was up to them, to embrace the light or to scope out another shadow to hide into.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!