Clickety – clack.

Susie had gone back to her daily routine at the Haltmann Works Company. Typing records and reading business emails, it felt peaceful. Working felt relaxing to her, it made her feel productive. She had just finished her set of reports earlier than normal when she realized, "What now?".

Besides working, Susie didn't really have anything else to do. Monitoring progress and handling administration work for the company was all she had going for her. Ever since she became secretary, it became part of her everyday life.

The clock chimed in at 5pm, disturbing the somewhat silence of the office. She didn't have much free time anyways. Packing her belongings, she left for her quarters not far away from here. A card swipe later, she was in her apartment room. It was never much to begin with, only containing the basics of furniture (aside from the plushies on her bed).

Lying on her bed, her sights drifted towards to the outside sky. She always had an interest in stars, planets, celestial bodies alike. Susie couldn't help but admire the scene before her. Pointing constellations after another, she could feel her eyes shut themselves. Not long after, she was sound asleep; dreaming of stars.

The next day was like any other day, Susie was back at her office. The papers couldn't sort themselves after all. Performance reports, check. Daily business emails, check. The clock chimed yet again, signalling her leave.

The day after was like any other day, Susie was again back at her office. The company still needed her after all. Utility reports, check. New gadget proposals, check. As always, the clock rang again at 5pm, marking the end of her shift.

She woke up again, like any other day. Letting her thoughts gather, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Thinking to herself, she told herself that today would be like any other day. The screen lit up and a calendar notification. Her birthday was… today? Well, today was an off day so she could use the free time.

Leaning on to her chair, she thought to herself about interesting things she could do. She could always sing her karaoke song or go shopping, although both seem to look rather dull at the moment. "When was the last time I did something fun…" she muttered out with a thoughtful expression.

The day was still early so she could give it some thought. Her days were consisted mostly of work. Bored, she looked at her messages. Birthday wishes were sent to her, it cheered her up somewhat. Susie typed up a quick thank you message and simply left it at that.

"Back to thinking what I should be doing now…"

Her mind would always come back to work. Proposals, reports, emails; she tried to get rid of these thoughts. Recounting her days, the only things she remembered doing were basic tasks. Her days had become repetitive, causing her sense of time to be warped.

"I-I need to lay down."

And lay down she did. Susie proceeded to fall flat to her bed. It was the only place she wanted to be in right now. She just wanted a place to clear her mind of things and maybe think about her current situation.

She counted the days she had spent idly working wondering "…when did life get so boring?". Her mind was a mess trying to figure out when it had started. Truthfully, the only days that she was fond of were the days of Void Termina. She looked back on those days with nostalgia, fighting a greater evil with Pinkie and everyone else. The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. She felt empty, compared to the Susie that was fighting Void Termina with the so-called Star Allies. Finding herself missing her companions more and more, she found the root of the problem.

Susie was lonely.

She took a pillow under her head and held it tightly in her arms. When did her loneliness get this bad? She couldn't even count how many friends she had with a hand, considering she only had 2 fingers. Susie really only had one person she spent most of her time with, Max Profit Haltmann, her father. She hated the man, hated him for what he had become. Deep inside, she knew. She knew that he died because of her. She caused this, she made the man lose his sanity trying to find her, her god damn daughter.

She did this to herself.

SHE did this.

Star Dream erased her father.

She was the reason why he lost himself to Star Dream.

SHE was why he died in the first place.

SHE KILLED HER OWN F—

Susie opened her eyes, her face planted in the damp pillow she had embraced. It seemed to already be night time, the moonlight rays shining through her window. Face wet with tears, she opened her phone. Her contacts were filled with people, new and old. She couldn't show Pinkie her face, she had a reputation to uphold. Scrolling through the many people, Susie picked a few that she could 'trust', kept it short and simple and asked them to meet tomorrow night after her shift.

The blue light had faded away from her phone, leaving Susie to gaze upon her own tired expression. She placed the phone back at the nightstand, leaving her to stare at the star sprinkled sky outside of her window. Staring at the night sky, she felt envious. The stars shine ever so brightly, yet it would always be out of her reach. The same stars would watch over everyone, indifferent to herself. No one was watching her, judging her, criticizing her. She felt like she could release the pent-up stress, not upholding any more appearances.

She cried.

All the frustration.

All the guilt.

All the feelings of loss.

She cried them all away as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of stars once again…