//------------------------------//
// Big Sign Up 
// Story: True Friendship 
// by BlazingAngel 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5


Big Sign Up


Ace knock on the principle office door and wait for an answer.

"Come in." says a voice.

Ace open the door and close its before walk toward the principle desk.

"May I help you?" says Principle Celestia, pouring out coffee on a cup.

Before Ace says anything, Principle Celestia hold up a finger for him to wait and take a sip from her coffee.

"Let me guess," she began, "another complaint about toilet in the boy`s bathroom failing to work. I`ll send Janitor Howard to fix it."

"umm, no," says Ace, looking around the room, "I`m here to ask for a missing item."

"Well, what is this missing item you`re looking for?" Principle Celestia asked him.

"A pink crystal that was lost the other day." said Ace.

"A pink crystal?" said Principle Celestia.

"Yes." said Ace, wondering is he in trouble.

"Let me see. I remember seeing it this morning." Principle Celestia thought for a moment.

Now she know what Ace is talking about.

"Vice-Principle Luna put it on a medal."

"A medal? Let me see."

"It certainly not available for public view."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked.

Principle Celestia replied to him, "There will be a major event at Canter lot High in the next three days. Only boys are allow to enter. I`m sure you can. Are you signing up for it?"

"umm… no." said Ace, looking at the calendar. It will happen on Friday.

"Well, that a bummer. Is there anything else you need to ask me?" said Principle Celestia.

"No, ma`am." said Ace.

"Well. I guess you need to head on back to class then." said the principle, sitting down and drinking more coffee.

"Thank you." said Ace and leave the office.

Great, Ace thought as he turned down the hallway as the bell ring.

Now, I`ll have to find another way to get the crystal back. Ace wonder if Red get lucky than he is.

The minute after Ace leaves the front office and walked down the hallway, Red walked up to the door and knock.

"Come in." said Principle Celestia.

Red open the door and walk in.

When he stepped up to the desk, Principle Celestia said to him, "At least you can could close the door the moment you walk in."

"Oh, sorry." says Red, closing the door.

After closing the door and back at the desk, Red said, "Hi, I`m just stopping by to see if you guys have anything, like a award for the Canter lot Annual Finest Leader Awards."

"Oh, yes," says Principle Celestia, drinking her cup of coffee, "We did changed it a bit. What do you want to know about it?"

" Um, I like to ask to explain what its look like?"

"Well, it have red and blue ribbon, a cross and a pink crystal in the middle of it. Our earlier design of the award is kind of lousy. But it was saved when Janitor Howard found the crystal last night. The event will began this Friday." said Principle Celestia, looking at the calendar.

"May I see it?" asked Red, wondering.

"Absolutely not!" says Principle Celestia, alarmed.

"Don`t worry, it not like I`m going to take it. I just need a full picture of it." said Red.

Principle Celestia thought for a moment, nodded and reach for a drawer next to her. She open it and take out a box. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a key and unlock the box and take out a medal.

She walked over to Red for him to take a good look at it. Red saw a ribbons attached to a cross with a crystal attached to the middle of the cross. It look like a Medal of Honor back home, he thought, still looking at the medal.

"Anything surprised you?" Principle Celestia asked, noticing Red eyes is wide.

"Umm… No." Red replied.

While Principle Celestia was putting away the medal, Red thought to himself, That pink crystal on the cross sure looked like the one Ace stolen back at the castle. Beside, I just can`t tell Principle Celestia that crystal is actually the Element of Harmony, she won`t believe me. And, I can`t tell her why I`m here, it for security reason. I don`t want Ace to find out what I`m up to or he`ll put Twilight, Spike and the other at risk. I don`t want to take the medal, I`m not a bad guy, that all.

Then, he got an idea.

"Is the sign up is still opened?" he asked.

"Why, yes." says Principle Celestia, "anyone who like to be part of the event can sign up today. But it only for boys. So far, we got three contestants: Lighting Wind, Mercury Burnside and Douglas."

That good, Red thought, Ace didn`t sign up.

"I`ll like to take part of the event." said Red.

"My, I didn`t know you want to sign up so badly." says Principle Celestia, "Well, is you want to join, you need to go to the event administrator. I believe her name is Pinkie Pie. Now, if I were you, I would start getting people vote for me now. And, I haven`t get your name."

"The name is Red." said Red, feeling tired of saying the same sentence.

"And," he added, "thank you for telling me about the event."

"Anytime, Red and good luck on your voting." said Principle Celestia, shaking hand with Red.

"Thank you." says Red and leave the room, forgetting to close the door again.

I`m sure she`ll get that, he thought, walking down the hallway into a groups of students. Then,he remember something. Drat!, he thought, I could`ve tell Pinkie Pie about the sign up earlier.

When Red mind drifted off, he turn right and ended up in the dead end.

"Great." he said to himself, "One minute I walked out of the office and the next thing you know, ended up getting lost."

Then, a shadow loomed over him. Red turned and take a step back. It was Ace.

"So, you come after me, didn`t you?" he asked, dramatically.

"Yeah and you sounded stupid when you talked like that." said Red.

"I know right?" says Ace, "Anyway, what you been up to beside chasing me around."

"Oh, you know things." says Red, "Beside, how did you find me?"

"Oh, I was over there, watching some guys hitting each other on the girls bathroom door. It was pretty funny and then I saw you. So, I came over here." He said looking behind him.

"Oh," said Red. Then he asked, "I found the crystal at the Principle office. How did you lose it?"

Then Ace explain to him, "I was in the library the other night and when I was coming to my hideout, it slipped out of my pocket and the janitor found it."

"You have a hideout? Here? In school?" said Red, beginning to laugh.

"Hey, it the only place people don`t goes to." said Ace, furious.

"Where is this hideout of your anyway?" Red asked.

"I`m not telling you!" says Ace, frowning, "Don`t you have something else to do with your girlfriend?"

This make Red stop laughing and his face went beam red.

"For Christ`s sake, I don`t have a girlfriend!"

He felt Ace is challenging him. Then, Ace said, "Was it that purple-skinned chick or that animal-loving girl? T can tell you have a girlfriend because you`re blushing."

Red face turn red. "What up with you? I told you I don`t have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, sure." says Ace, "Well, I got to get going. Tell the other I said Hi."

Then, he run down the hallway and disappeared.

Red shook his head. He felt he lost the battle. Ace always win when they talked about themselves. But Red felt comfortable when as it turn out Ace lost the Element of Harmony.

Now, I can get my five dollar back, Red thought, I hope Twilight didn`t lose it.