//------------------------------// // Love With a Twist // Story: Stories of the Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders // by Prince Luna //------------------------------// Diamond Tiara leaned over to Shiner and whispered "pssst" in his ear. Shiner tried to ignore her, but that wasn't like him. He tried again as Diamond Tiara continued trying to get his attention. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head, then opened his eyes and continued writing. He felt a tap on his hooves and saw a piece of paper slide under his head. He read it, written by Diamond Tiara. It said 'what's the answer to number three?' Shiner sighed and subtly moved his answer sheet over to the mare whilst the teacher wasn't looking. Diamond Tiara inaudibly giggled to herself, copied the answer, then the next one, then the one after that and so on until she had caught up with him and quickly moved the paper back to the pegasus and winked with a fake smile. Shiner returned an honest smile and was about to carry on with his work, but then the bell rang, much to his annoyance. The history teacher, a grey earth pony with jet-black pointy hair, told the students to promptly pack up, except for Scribble Dibble, who he had a bone to pick with (but as usual, he was just trying to humiliate poor Scribble Dibble for no reason.) As the other ponies began to make their way to the classroom, Shiner had just one question to ask Diamond Tiara. "How, by the end of the lesson, were you only on question three?" he asked with a chuckle, to show he wasn't being mean. Diamond Tiara feinted a sigh and looked to Shiner with her usual forged sad eyes, "I'm just no good at history. Oh, why did I pick it for Pony GCSEs? Plus Mr.Baker is...well...to be honest, really horrible. I barely learn anything from him." Shiner nodded, "I can see that, but I've seen you do well before, you don't really need my help, Diamond." "I guess," she sighed again, "oh! Do you have my maths homework?" Shiner nodded and reached into his bag, passing a large, heavy textbook and notebook to Diamond Tiara. "Thanks again!" Diamond Tiara smiled and trotted away. Before he could make a move himself, Shiner heard Scootaloo's voice from round a corner, "and what was all that about?" *** Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders, GO! We're on an adventure, we're on a quest, to find out what we do the best. Our cutie marks are what we seek, we'll push our selves every day of the week! Cutie Mark Crusaders! Cutie Mark Crusaders! Apple Bloom's the handy one, give her work in a minute it is done. Sweetie Belle, she just loves to sing, she wrote this song, it has her ring. Scootaloo is rad and cool, try her stunts and you'll look like a fool. But then Shiner already has his mark but, he'll help us catch our cutie marks! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusa~ders! There's no limit to what we will try! No matter how many rules we will defy, WE WILL GET OUR CUTIE MARKS IN TIME! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders! Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders YEAH! *** "Oh...you mean Diamond Tiara? She was just-" "Asking for your help with homework?" Scootaloo sighed. "Yeah...she struggles with her classwork..." Shiner hastily replied. Scootaloo shook her head, "she's using you, Shiner. Using you to do all her work." Shiner stayed silent for a moment, but the two pegasi then heard a small cough. Looking to their right, they saw an amber coated pony with a scruffy turquoise mane and tail and a snail cutie mark. Snails. He was nervously stood in a corner, his thick hooves shaking as his mouth wobbled. Scootaloo looked to the unicorn colt and smiled. "Oh, hey Snails!" she greeted him. "H-hi, Scootaloo...Shiner..." he mumbled and stepped forward a little. "Is there something wrong?" Shiner asked. Snails got over his shaking hooves and approached the two, "no, nothing wrong. Just wanted to ask you something." "Fire away!" Scootaloo laughed. The unicorn took a sweep of his head to check nopony was around, "you guys are pretty....coupley...lovey dovey, eh?" Shiner and Scootaloo looked to each other, giggled, and nodded to Snails, gesturing for him to continue. "So yeah, I was wondering...there's somepony I kinda like, but...I'm scared to ask her out," Snails gulped air to try and continue his statement, "could you guys...I don't know, somehow...make me less nervous? Or something? Man, this is dumb of me..." Scootaloo let out a loud 'awww' and giggled, brushing her head against Snail's neck, "aww that's so sweet, Snails! Who's the lucky mare?" Snails stood stuttering, then another pony burst through the doors, a short and plump ginger unicorn with an opal coat and a cutie mark of scissors. He bounced up to Snails and nudged him hard in the chest with the edge of his hoof. "Hey Snails, you got Scootaloo to hook you up with Twist yet or not? It's lunchtime and I'm hungry!" he whined, then looked at the three mid-conversation. By now, Snails' face was redder than an apple from Sweet Apple Acres. He turned to Snails and glared. "Oh right, yeah, Twist," Shiner giggled. Scootaloo joined in his laugh, "oh come on, Snails, everypony knows you like her!" "T-then why did you ask!?" "Just wanted to make sure," Scootaloo sniggered, then shook her head, "but really, you need help talking to her?" "No, not talking to her. He can do that just fine, he's just too wimpy to ask out the chick," Snips snorted. "Stay outta this, Snips, you've been no help to me!" Snails roared in reply. Deadly locked eye to eye for a moment, the two unicorns unanimously decided to keep out of one another's business and Snips galloped away to have his lunch. Shiner trotted to Snails and resting a wing on his body. Shiner spoke in a consoling voice. "It's alright, just ignore him. Has he really been that bad?" Snails nodded, "he's just hornblocked me every time I speak to her. I really need to be on my own when I do; but I just don't have the courage." "The thing to do is," Scootaloo also trotted to Snails' other side, "be yourself, act natural. I know that may be hard to hear. But I sure know it's worked for me," she smiled at Shiner. "Don't be afraid of rejection, Snails. Think of the positives," Shiner explained. "Okay, be myself, positives..." Snails confirmed "So, you gonna ask her out today?" Shiner asked. Snails looked around, "maybe...I dunno...yeah, alright! I'll do it! After pony science I'll ask her!" Ge said with a slightly out-of-character burst of courage. *** Just afterwards, up at the school field, Shiner and Scootaloo joined Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for lunch. "Took y'guys long enough," Apple Bloom laughed as they sat down. "Sorry, got caught up with Snails," Scootaloo explained, bringing a lunchbox from her saddlebags. "What'd he want?" Sweetie Belle asked. "He wanted help on gathering the courage to ask Twist out, in the mean time it looks like Snips and him fell out," Shiner said. The other two nodded, "so he's finally asking her out? 'Bout time. When's he gonna tie the knot?" "They're not getting married..." Sweetie Belle whispered. "After pony science, he wants me and Shiner to hang around nearby," Scootaloo once again did the explaining. Shiner then bolted up, "oh yeah! I forgot something in history class, I'll be right back," he then galloped towards the classroom he had just left. Scootaloo made sure he had gone far enough for him not to hear her, then spoke to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "have you guys notices Diamond Tiara's...manipulation over Shiner lately?" "Yeah, actually," Sweetie Belle commented, "he's been doing a lot of her work recently." "Now that'cha mention it, Ah did see him an' her talkin' in maths class this mornin'. Looked like he was givin' her answers," Apple Bloom added. Scootaloo nodded at this new information, "we need to get to the bottom of this...eventually." *** On the last period that day was pony science class. Shiner, Scootaloo, Snips, Snails and Diamond Tiara all shared this class together. Towards the middle of the lesson, when Chemist Carpenter had given the ponies their work, Scootaloo spotted Diamond Tiara trotting towards her table where Shiner was sat. "Hey, Shiner! You gotta see this!" She quickly commented, whisking the colt away before Diamond could work her ways and get him to do her work. She brought him to a table at the side of the room, eagerly grinning at what was on it. Shiner was quite confused. "It's a...bunsen burner...?" "I know! Pretty cool isn't it?" Scootaloo said, still cheesily grinning. Diamond Tiara sensed she would not get to Shiner with Scootaloo there. Scootaloo turned to face her and the two shared an angry growl before the couple returned to their seats. For the whole lesson, it had seemed that Snips kept looking towards Snails, but looked away when the unicorn looked back, grumbling into his school work. For the whole lesson, Snails had been nervously chatting with Twist, giving her answers even if she didn't need them or just complimenting whatever she did. A lot of this made her giggle, especially when Snails told her what a good job she did writing the letter 'h'. Soon, the bell rang and Snails' heart leapt out of his body. As the ponies excitedly galloped out the door to get the train home, he asked Twist to stay outside until everypony had gone. Scootaloo and Shiner stood round the corner, even witnessing Snips peeking through the door every few seconds. "So...Twist...we're really good friends right?" Snails began. "Of course, Snails!" Twist merilly replied. "Have you ever thought of...I don't know...what I'm trying to say is...do you want to...maybe...take it...further? Our friendship...like, not that it could get better! That is, I mean...!" his words became jumbled and uneasy. Twist laughed and blushed, "you mean you want to be more than just friends." Snails squeaked, "yes," he whispered. Twist intantly leapt to Snails' side and brushed herself against him, "of course, Snails! I've liked you for ages, I'm so happy you finally asked me!" Snails smiled and rested his head on hers, then heard hoofsteps behind him. He turned and saw Snips looking towards him a few meters away. "Oh, come on, man! What do you want?" Snails sighed. "To say sorry, Snails," Snips said, "I realise I may not have been the best and most reliable friend to you and I really thought I'd hurt your chances with Twist, I didn't want that at all!" He sighed, "will you forgive me?" Twist and Snails came closer to the sad, pudgey unicorn, "of course, Snips, you're my best friend after all!" Snails accepted his apology. The three then walked together towards the train station, "so are you guys gonna make out or what?" Snips cheekily laughed. "We've been going out for like one minute, Snips! Shuddup!" Snails shouted. "No you shut up!" Snips replied. "No you, eh?" "You!" "YOU!" This continued for a while, with Twist uncontrollably laughing the whole time. *** Finally, onboard the train home, Sweetie Belle announced to her fellow crusaders that she had news. With her magic, from her saddlebag, she brought out two pieces of paper and set them on the table. "And what is it?" Apple Bloom asked. "A letter from Princess Cadence and Shining Armor! Plus another from school." she replied, holding them with her hoof. "What do they say?" Shiner asked. Scootaloo snatched them from Sweetie Belle and quickly skimmed them both, "They're happy for us to interview them! We've got the day off school tomorrow to visit them!" she exclaimed with glee. "You know what this means?" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PRINCE AND PRINCESS INTERVEWERS! YAY!" the four shouted.