The Totally Tubular and Tremendously Tenacious and Turbulent Transplanted Teen

by Sparkle Fire

Chapter 5: The Very Thought of You [part 1]

Fall Formal Week; September 26 and 30, 1988

I think I’ve made a decision on who will be accompanying me to the Fall Formal, and I’m confident that I did it right. The girl (or mare) is a beautiful, charming lady with a long, flowing mane and dreamy pale-green eyes. She’s got an exquisite physique; she possesses a feminine mystique that attracts stallions (and men alike) like a magnet. Her warm personality and sunny disposition has drawn me to her like a sailor towards a rock, and I can’t imagine any others taking her place.

Given the choice between the three of them, I truly believe that Lemony Gems encapsulates all these traits by demonstrable fact. All it took was the thought of her soft coat against my skin as I tousled her mane, slow dancing, and I was hooked. I truly can’t imagine going to Fall Formal with anypony but her; she's more than the sum of her parts and then some. As we dance, our hearts may as well beat as one, and I, for one, don’t give a damn who anyone else says; my soul has taken the reins. I choose her!
...
He got off the taxi cab on a chilly Monday morning in a confident state of mind, anticipating Gems’s reaction when he would tell her the news. He rushed straight for homeroom and waited patiently, fidgeting in his seat at times, for her arrival.

As she walked in, his heart skipped a beat, and he let out a stammer. Gems stopped where she was.

“Are you okay, bud?” she said.

Ryder took two seconds to collect himself and kick his brains into gear. “Yep.”

“Sooooo… is there something you’d like to tell me?” Here we go again.

“I’d like to tell you something important… I don’t want to say it in front of everypony, so can you come back here with me please.”

She followed him to the nook in the back corner of Mrs. Violet’s room. He waited for another few seconds, took a deep breath to calm himself, and let it out.

He put his lips to her ear, and whispered: “Would you like to go to Fall Formal with me?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had to stand there for at least a minute to digest it, her eyes bulging out. When she realised that he was basically saying yes, she couldn’t contain herself anymore.

She let out a squeak of delight and feverishly wrapped her hooves around him, claiming him for herself as tears swelled in her eyes.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you…” she muttered quietly between her hurried breaths.

She then had him pinned down on the beanbag chair as she began to slowly kiss his face - both of his cheeks, his forehead, and an especially passionate one on his lips - while she used her magic to direct his hands to her back, moving them in a back-and-forth motion as their heartbeats synchronised.

He could feel his hands moving lower; she managed to reach the dock of her tail without him flinching. His hands moved lower still under her magical manipulation, swirling his fingers in a small circular pattern on her flank, feeling every subtle curve, investigating and exploring every inch of her body…

When suddenly, his hands grabbed a bit too tightly on the posterior side of her flank, causing her to arch her back and let out a guttural moan. Mrs. Violet cleared her throat and glanced sternly in their direction. Their breaths were still coming out in shallow bursts as they descended to Earth.

Ryder shook his head in utter disbelief. “BLIMEY!”

The entire class broke out in a spontaneous fit of childish, uncontrolled laughter, with some even rolling around on the floor. His cheeks heated up and his insides turned. He could have died of embarrassment at that moment and passed without saying any last words.

As for the mare atop her, she didn’t give the slightest damn about who was around and what they saw - only that she had her Ryder, and that was the end of it.

Eventually, after soaking up all the ridicule, the two returned to their seats, with Ryder still sporting a searing blush on his face.

“I’ll see you Friday!” Lemony Gems called out.

“Oh, we will!” the rest of the class retorted before Ryder had a chance to say anything in reply, falling into another fit of laughter for a minute afterwards.

Ryder didn’t give the slightest damn about it, either.
...
In the caf that day, there were still some snickerings about the event from anypony who was still willing to listen. He could still hear faint accounts of the event as he walked through.

At his usual table, it was different. Let's listen in now.

"... and then we were all laughing our guts out, and there's Ryder and Gems, in the back, going at it!" Cheerilee happily boasted, to which Shining, Gaffer, and several other colts in the immediate vicinity collapsed in laughter.

"What's up?" Ryder took his seat.

"Oh, nothing huge, just you grabbing Gems's behind in Homeroom!"

"Please don't bring that up again," Ryder said, the horrific memory coming back.

"Okay, we won't say anything."

"We were just talking about what we're wearing to the dance Friday. Gems was just wondering what she was going to wear," Diamond Rose said, helping her friend pick out a dress from an array of fashion magazines.

"And we need your input," Bonbon said. "Come here." She beckoned him over with a nod of her head. "She decided that she was going to wear something red, but she can't pin down the right one."

A quick look at one of the open magazines gave him the answer.

"This first one's out of the East Ender's. Whaddaya think?"

Dress A flowed over the body like a red curtain, falling down over the flank like a waterfall, graceful and elegant, with a hint of titillation to capture the attention.

Ryder examined it carefully.

"I have just one issue with it." He pointed to the model's flank. "It's got some arse on it."

A few of them gasped in surprise, some of the colts at the other end of the table laughed and chuckled under their breaths, and it was set aside.

Bonbon had to collect her breath so she could continue.

"Here's the second one. It's out of the Canterlot Fashion Factory."

Dress B was constructed of silk chiffon ruffles made to look like a blooming rose, complete with a shoulder strap to hold the entire piece up, with a cream-colored sash and a pearl headdress to accent the whole thing; red roses garnished the dress to fully bring forth its dazzling magnificence.

"It reminds me of what a Spanish flamenco dancer would wear," he remarked.

"What's a flamenco?" Cheerilee asked.

"Some sort of dance... it originates from Spain, that's where it comes from."

"Have you actually been to Spain?"

"No, I haven't," he replied, accompanied with some snickers from the other end of the table.

The last magazine was pulled out.

"From Manehattan..."

Dress C was a dress of youthful innocence - a modest cut of red polyester adorned with yellow inlays to resemble a ripe strawberry, complemented with strawberry booties and leaves to place in the mane and tail.

"She looks like a strawberry patch girl. A bit cute, now that I think about it."

"Neat. Now on to costs, and you may want to put your thinking cap on," Bonbon continued.

"Costs..." Ryder repeated.

"These dresses can be easily bought at department stores, but you're looking at a price range of between 200 and 500 bits if we do that, since they're all designer made."

"Now you've confused me..." He cringed at the word bits. "You mean Cosararan pounds?"

"No... I'm talking about Equestrian bits, dummy," Bonbon shot back. "You know what they are?" Ryder said nothing, since he's used the pound all his life.

"Back to business now... if we go to Fashion Factory today after school today, and get the fancy rose dress, for example, that would set you back a good 450 bits; at East Ender's, the dress they have is a good 600-700 bits."

"Pffft, big deal. I bet that there's one just like that for thirty-five pounds at a corner store, and the bling to match it, ten pounds!"

"But it's Fall Formal! In Canterlot, for sun's sake! Nopony goes to Fall Formal looking poor!" (And what's with the pounds again?!)

"I'm fucking poor!"

"You live in a fucking penthouse!"

"At least I have my fucking closet!"

"You and that fucking closet again!"

"Fuck the motherfucking closet!"

As the insults and obscenities practically strung themselves together in a constant barrage of sound, Bonbon flipped over a lunch tray in a fit of rage in the heat of the moment, causing food to splatter in that general area, some of it ending up in Lemony Gems's mane.

She made a beeline for the washrooms almost immediately. Bonbon simply looked on, uneasy.

"Well there you go, ya dumbass. You just scared off my date!"

Ryder sat down opposite Lyra as Bonbon bolted after Gems.

"What happened, buddy?" Lyra began.

"Ohh, Bonbomb and I got into a fight, she flipped a tray, some shit landed in Gemmy's hair... She's in the washroom now, trying to repair the damage."

"What caused the argument?"

"She said something about the cost of one of the dresses, I said something about it being expensive, and it went downhill from there, pretty much."

"Are you going to make amends anytime soon?"

"That'll be later. I'm thinking of something right now," Ryder shrugged.

I'll show that pig, he thought vengefully, I'll fucking show her. I don't need fancy clothes or any of that schoolboy bullshit to look good... I know a place where they have nice stuff for cheap - the place where I jammed my closet full of shit - and they accept Cosararan pounds. I'm gonna look good for under a hundred, under fifty even!
...
Home Ec, later that day, was a bit different.

The class was testing out various recipes for cupcakes to sell at Fall Formal - chocolate ones, red velvet ones, carrot cake ones, you name it - when a small grumbling stirred, ostensibly about the intense argument during lunch... either that or the Homeroom 'incident'.

"He did!" "Aww... did he really?" "Gems is so lucky!"

Hold up...

"Gems is so lucky?" Ryder said to himself.

As soon as they heard that quip, a loud, deafening cheer ripped through the room, and a few fillies even jumped up and down and ran up to him, embracing him.

"You're such a hottie," a rambunctious Cheerilee declared. "Lemony Gems so lucky to have you!"

"Is she willing to share him?!" Berry Punch shouted.

"I don't think that can be arranged at the moment," Cheerilee shot back.

After that remark, the mares that had jumped his bones began to back off and return to their stations to clean up.

Sara approached him soon after the class had settled down.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"The hugging, the mugging, or the totally obvious?" he asked.

"It's about everything I've been hearing about you. First, you were shagging Gems. Then you got in a fight and threw a tray, with some of the stuff landing in her hair..."

"Let me make things clear," he said with a hint of finality. "Bonbon and I got into a big argument about the dress that Gems wanted. I said it was a mite too expensive, and it went downhill from there, with Bonbon flipping the tray, not me. Everypony simply tacked the blame on me since I'm with Gems now... Bonbon had to track her down after a bit of spaghetti landed in her hair.

"Next, I did NOT do the dirty with Gems. She was moving my hands onto her butt - I did not do that myself!"

"But you did grab her dirty regions, though..."

"I didn't even touch those bits!"

"Okay, no need to yell."

The conversation paused for a few seconds.

"I'm guessing that Gems is your date?"

"Yep," Ryder said hurriedly as the bell rang for dismissal. Now, it was on to the break room; he would be meeting up with Shining so they could make a shopping list for this evening. He was also to bring the magazine cutouts for all the dresses so Ryder's attire would match up.

And once he returned from helping Mrs. Violet grade and file papers for nearly an hour, there he was, as promised, with cutouts in hand.

Ryder sat down next to him on the two-abreast recliner. "I see you have the dresses."

"I do," Shining said, taking out the photos (with Ryder's comments scribbled on them with a marker). "I also looked through the clothiers' magazine that they have, and I think that this red sportcoat could suit the color of all three dresses without you looking too dingy."

He had a look. "Looks nice. Anything else that goes with it?"

"That's the jacket with a matching pair of suit pants. If you add a white dress shirt to go along with it, it tones down the red a bit."

"I'm listening."

"Complete with this £3 black tie, and you should be set."

"Perfect!" exclaimed Ryder, "...but you're sure that's all there is?"

Shining realised this almost immediately. "Oh, wait... you have to wear shoes." Looking in the back of the same magazine, he laid eyes on the perfect pair of black spats. "These should be good," he said, pointing them out.

"Nice..." Ryder complimented. "You've got a good eye, you know that?"

"Yes, I know, my mom says that all the time."

"But you know what'd pull the whole stinkin' outfit together?"

Shining listened as Ryder flipped to the headwear section. "A fedora!"

"Don't you already have one at home?"

"I do, but it's a different color. I'm talking about a black fedora, with a red ribbon around it to go along with the whole red scheme."

"Sweet!" Shining and Ryder high-fived, shuffling about in the seat.

"So it's settled then. This is all we're getting."

"I'll make a list at home, then I'll meet you over there."

"Alright... see you at 5:30, then?"

"5:30..." The pair went about their business shortly after, and the bell rang for final dismissal.
...
Ryder fixed himself a salad with some vegetables on the side as soon as he got home. He crammed the whole thing into his face, ran upstairs, put on his favorite flat cap, and took £50 with him in his jean pocket. He was to meet Shining at the Haberdashery, a clothiers' primarily catering to men (stallions and colts included), to buy the Fall Formal items that they had mutually agreed on.

"Hey, you're here already," Shining called. "Let's go on inside."

Their first stop was the hat rack. The black fedora that they had picked out from the magazine was cheap, but the band could be easily swapped out depending on the occasion; it costed £1.99 (two bits). Check that off.

The black spats came next. Normally, when a local came here, the shoes the customer bought would have to fit around the hoof, which would be measured two times so the shoes would fit after the correct mathematical calcluations were made for the specific wearer.

Today, that would be different. The shoes that Ryder would be wearing were most likely imported across the border from one of Cosarara's tax-free ports.

His pair, an especially snazzy piece which fitted his feet nicely, set him back £24.67 (roughly 30 bits).

"Just so y'know, I only brought fifty quid with me, so I'll have to keep this whole thing on the cheap side," Ryder kindly let his counterpart know.

Shining became slightly cross as he let out a sigh.

In the suit department, an incredibly helpful young stallion offered to take Ryder's measurements - shoulder, chest, waist, legs, the whole nine yards - and compare them to what was in stock.

"I'm looking for something red," Ryder said.

"This is the dress his date will be wearing," Shining said as he passed the employee a picture of the curvy red dress that Lemony Gems would don at Fall Formal.

He nodded. "I'll see what we can do."

He directed the pair to the undershirt section, where Ryder picked out a white dress shirt to go under the suit. It wasn't too tight or too loose; the bulk of it was just enough to keep the jacket from constricting him.

Shining retrieved the same black tie from the magazine, a smooth silky one, that would offset the red of the suit as well as add to the overall appeal. It took four attempts for Ryder to tie the damn thing correctly without choking or screwing up the knot.

Next, Ryder slid on the spats so the pants could be measured. The pair that fit his exact specifications was a shade darker than he imagined; therefore, the jacket would have to be the same shade of red in order for the whole ensemble to match.

Lastly, the jacket... After crunching the numbers, Ryder managed a 38 short. Luckily for him, it was precisely the same color as the pants. With the shopping list all crossed out, it was time to check out.

The cashier rang up the entire thing, costs coming out to
£92.85
175 BITS

Ryder stared at the register, flabbergasted as he imagined Bonbon laughing hysterically and rolling on the floor.

"Ha ha, you shouldn't have been so cheap!"

He bolted out of the place immediately at the mere thought of it, running at a breakneck pace for home. Rushing up the stairs, he went through the front door and dug three £20 bills out of his stash and made a run for it.

However, Kimberly took notice.

“Whoa there, buddy. Where do you think you’re going?”

In rapid and hurried breaths, Ryder exclaimed, “No time… I’ll explain… when I get home…”

Daddy was always like this when a bill was due, Kimberly recalled. He would be flipping over chairs and couches to find money just for the rent…

I’m surprised that he taught Ryder well in that regard.
... ... ...
Sept. 30, 1988

Ryder, after a recharging nap, stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen, following the delectable scent that wafted through the flat.

On the stove, a pot of pasta was bubbling, with a large bowl of salad alongside it on the counter. On the island opposite, a dish of lasagna was letting off excess steam, adding to the pungent aroma.

"I didn't expect to see you in here so soon," Kimberly said, surprised at her brother's stealthy entrance. "I could really use some help with the table settings."

"Which ones are we using?"

"The red set," she replied, "...with the wine glasses - y'know, the ones with the fancy stems - to go along with it."

"How many do we need?"

"I'd say eight," she reasoned.

"Eight table settings?"

Just then, there came a loud knock at the door.

"Here's why," Kimberly exclaimed. She opened the door to allow Danny, Liam, Sam, Bill, and Harry inside, much to Ryder's surprise.

Many heartfelt greetings were exchanged.

"How's the mine been treating ya, Danny?"

"I was promoted to foreman last week," he declared proudly.

"That's great." He turned to Liam. "How're you getting along with the lumber workers, big bro?"

"Well, some of them still give me shit, but they usually get reprimanded for it the next day after that, since I've become so important."

"Nice!"

"I also get to start working the big saw next week."

"That'll be fun," Ryder said. "Just be careful to not cut your fingers off..." he warned, making Liam chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured his younger brother. "There'll be two or three other mares standing right next to me, making sure that doesn't happen..."

"Do they talk to you?"

"During coffee breaks, yes." The pair broke into laughter.

"Alright then."

Ryder's attention then turned to Bill. “What’s up, Little Billy?”

“Not much - just scored a bunch of job interviews,” he replied boastfully.

“Sweet…” Ryder said, in awe. “Where you working?”

“I’m doing a job interview with Big Creek High School next week, then two interviews in Patriot Creek after that, and then a big factory near Kirby.”

“Good luck with that! I’m sure you’ll do great.”

He walked over to Sammy, who was chatting with Kim over the sink.

“How’re you doing, Sammy-boy?”

“I’m a bit stressed out at the moment, but other than that, I’m doin’ just fine,” replied Sammy.

“Why is that?” Ryder inquired.

“Ponyville has this annual thing called ‘Running of the Leaves’, which apparently is like a marathon. The department have been working our collective arse off to get this whole thing set up. I’ve just now been allowed a bit of a break, and because of all this, I’ll be catching the first train back into town tomorrow.”

“Ain’t that a shame,” Ryder sympathised with him. “My homework is almost always like that. There’s always something that has to be done.”

“I feel you, mate!”

Leaving Sam to continue his conversation with Kim, Ryder approached Harry.

"And how is the traveler doing this fine day?"

"Great... we just closed a deal with St. John's Bay. They're agreeing to build a warehouse down there exclusively for our stuff, and it gets shipped straight to the market."

"That's awesome," Ryder said. "The coffee shop where I work at gets its coffee beans shipped out of Port Royal and across the dam from all over the world. It's quite convenient for us."

"Huh. You don't know how long it took for us to get that warehouse approved," Harry smirked. "I had to go over there at least ten times to negotiate all that."

"I bet it was worth it, signing the papers and junk."

"Indeed, it was," Harry said, pulling Ryder aside. "...look at what I have."

He pulled out a bottle of very fine French vintage. "Twenty cases a week, shipped up to Ponyville market... you and Kim might like this, so I brought a bottle up here."

Château de L’Échanson 1969… translating from French as “This is some really fucking expensive shit”...

“How much do old wines go for here? And be honest about it,” Ryder asked. unable to contain his giddiness.

“Usually for over 100 quid.”

“Over 100 quid!” Ryder repeated. “If this is true, then we’re in for a fucking treat.”

“Now, now, Ryder, don’t get too excited,” Harry said in an attempt to bring his younger counterpart back to earth.

"You'll never guess what we had to sit through," Ryder changed the subject.

"What happened?"

"The head principal gave us a big lecture about drugs yesterday."

"Well, that's going to have to be brought up at some point," Harry dismissed. "Did he talk about anything else?"

"Besides not giving birth in the ladies washrooms... as far as I can tell, that's the only big rule."

"He's that loose about it?"

"It's a liberal school, everyone up there's loose," Ryder giggled. "I can imagine the student council asking to hold a dance benefit, and the teachers basically saying 'Okay, just don't burn the place down, don't smoke dope...' and calling it a day...

"You're free to express your opinion, do as you like... It's a very nice experience."

"And I'm assuming your classmates are open to inter-species relations, yes?" Harry asked about Ryder's choice of mate.

"You're just scratching the surface, mate..." he shuddered. "When they found out that I was taking Lemony Gems, I swear to god, they went absolutely crazy. They're all obsessed with me... apparently Cosararan expats are a thing here."

"From your perspective, I don't see why that's not true!" Harry and Ryder doubled over in laughter.

As soon as they came to their senses, another loud knock echoed throughout the top-level
flat. Kim cracked the door to snatch a peek at Lemony Gems, the fair maiden that would accompany Ryder to the Fall Formal, carrying a large saddlebag.

Kim immediately rushed over to Ryder and broke his conversation with Harry, whispering "Your date's here... why don't you go meet her at the door."

Ryder quickly tiptoed toward the door, heart pounding out of his chest with anticipation. He made contact with the door handle, breathing already out of control. He turned it...

...and ever so slowly, he parted the door, revealing the cute unicorn mare in all of her beauty. His heart skipped a beat.

Instantly, the mare followed him inside. She pushed him up against the wall, voraciously kissing his face, his throat, and his lips, while Ryder responded with a frenzied passionate kiss on the lips as he ran his fingers through her mane...

...in full view of his brother and Kimberly, who just happened to have her Polaroid camera right there, snapping a picture. Gotcha.

Ryder froze where he was, and his face became a tomato. Lemony Gems uttered her first words since stepping into the house. "... Aww, sweetie, you're blushing."

He kissed her on the forehead.

"You mind if I can put my bag somewhere?"

"You can take it upstairs and set it down. Follow me."

"Don't make me an aunt!" Kimberly called out as the two ascended the stairs.

Gems set her assortment of caboodles at the foot of Ryder's bed.

"This bed looks nice for jumping," she declared. "...and can you not mess with my stuff? My dress, my makeup, all my stuff's in there."

"I won't touch it."

"Good. Can you join me on your bed? It feels really great."

"For jumping?"

"No, silly! I wanna cuddle." Ryder blushed again. Once he calmed down, he hopped on and snuggled close to his partner, draping his left arm over her body. He purred with delight at the feel of Gems's coat, which felt like a soft pillow against him.

"Your body feels amazing," he complimented.

"Thanks, honey bunny." She kissed him on the lips again. "But I don't want to get too into it, because we have a dance to get to."

"Right..." Ryder promptly leaped off the bed and ran down the stairs, Gems chasing after him.

Dinner was ready. Once every plate was full with salad and spaghetti, Harry pulled out the bottle of L'Échanson from earlier, while Kimberly picked up a bottle opener.

She pulled the cork out and smelled the contents of the bottle. Pouring it out in glasses for everybody, including Gems, she noticed the darker, rustier color as well as it having an older appeal while not being at all spoiled rotten or bitter.

Ryder and Gems took their seats at the table, each having a mound of spaghetti piled in front of them. Harry brought the wine glasses over.

"I propose a toast..." Harry started, and all glasses were raised in the air.

"...to warm, sweet, and passionate love, regardless of any barriers or divides."

"Cheers!" The whole group affirmed this. Gems pecked Ryder's cheek afterward.

Dinner went by without any major difficulty, with all the pasta eaten up and a few portions of lasagna left over. The bottle of wine was capped off and placed on the counter.

"Why don't you put on your stuff and come down here so we can take pictures?" Kim suggested, and the two scampered upstairs.

Gems dug into her bag while Ryder went towards the bathroom.

In there, Ryder stripped off all his street clothes and kicked them into one pile by the door, behind the toilet. First, he put on a clean pair of underpants and slid his pants on. Next, he buttoned up his shirt, fixing the collar as well. Several attempts were made to tie the tie, which he eventually managed to master. The jacket, hat, and shoes went on after that.

Another once-over and he was ready.

Lemony Gems, after organising the contents of her bag onto Ryder’s bed, put on her dress, which flowed down her figure and onto the floor like a crimson curtain, parting next to her flank in the hopes that her Ryder-bug would notice her shapely posterior. She slid on a pair of purple stockings to complement it. She brushed some glittery hair styling product into her mane to give it a glossy look. Lastly, a thin layer of blush was applied to her face, with a bit of mascara on the eyelashes plus one coat of pink eyeshadow to bring everything together.

She sneaked a bit of chocolate lipstick into her purse for kissing Ryder, and she was ready to go as well.

They both met at the bottom of the stairs, stunning the whole family.

“You two look beautiful,” Kim complimented, Polaroid in hand, as she snapped another picture.

“Thanks,” Lemony Gems said. “Can I see that?”

“You sure can.”

The camera spit out a sheet of instant-film; the happy couple’s picture was proudly printed onto it, soon to appear in all its glory. Gems set it on the counter to develop on its own before going out onto the balcony for more pictures.

It was a small bit chilly outside, with a strong wind from the south, which made for some cute touchy-feely shots. Kim came right behind them with the camera.

For the first set of pictures, Gems put her front hooves round Ryder’s neck and looked intently into his eyes. She then pulled him close to her body as she kissed his full, plump lips. Ryder reciprocated by dragging one hand through her mane while teasing her withers with the other, leaving the pair with a sizable amount of swapped spit as their lips momentarily parted.

“Wow, that was a nice set… three very nice pictures,” Kimberly interrupted.

“Wanna head inside, smooch on the couch?”

“Sure.” Kim followed them inside to the large couch in the living room. Ryder plopped down on the end cushion and Lemony Gems sat atop his legs. Kim snapped another photo.

She took out her chocolate lipstick, which had been sitting in her purse, and applied a liberal amount. “I was going to save this for the dance, but now I’ve got an idea…”

She crawled over Ryder’s body and gave his cheek a quick smooch. Snap.

Ryder’s response this time around was to peck her on the cheek again, but this time, he slid his hand into her dress and caressed her bare flank while they kissed again. Kim snapped two more pictures of the passionate scene unfolding before her.

“Okay, I think that’s enough mucking about,” Kim said. “My cartridge is almost out.”

The two jumped up off the couch. Gems closed up her lipstick and sealed it in her purse. They walked out into the kitchen, standing side by side, in the only “serious” photo of the lot.

“Widen those smiles!” Kim said as she snapped the pic.

“That will do.”

“What time is it now? I’m sure the dance will be starting soon,” said Ryder.

“It is…” Gems glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. “...almost six-thirty. We have to be there by eight, so if we get there by seven-thirty, we should be fine.”

“So that’s the plan then?”

“Yep.”

In the meantime, the bottle of wine from earlier was thoroughly drained, and Ryder made out with Gems in Kim’s bedroom.

The two eventually clambered towards the elevator, slightly drunk with lipstick marks and wet spots all over, with Kim and camera in tow.

The elevator squealed and moaned as it made its way down (partly the reason why Ryder prefers the stairs), stopping on the ground floor. They made their way outside, with Gems particularly drawing a lot of attention.

Outside on the walk, a chariot was ready to carry the two off. Kim took a picture with them standing in front of it, and another with them inside the carriage. A few bystanders looked at them, recognising the human who was about to set off in that very carriage.

Kim snapped a final photo as the carriage set off for Canterlot Academy.

“And now I’m out of instant-film...”

Author's Note:

**Decided to split this next chapter up into two parts; GDocs is giving me some issues b/c of the size.

I'm experimenting with 1P in the second half! Sparkle Fire is competent author, I promise. I haven't given up on this one yet!