But yeah, aside from all the chocolate going around, she'd never really understood the holiday. It might have something to do with her upbringing, sans Facility. She'd never really been brought up in Equestrian culture despite being born in it.

Actually, to be perfectly honest, Whisper didn't know if she'd been born in Equestria. She was a unicorn pony, and she had a faint memory of her parents, proving that they were both ponies as well. It was a logical assumption, that she'd been born in the primarily pony populated nation, but it wasn't a guarantee.

Well, not that it mattered. The point is, Emerald-and the others who were involved with raising her-never really put much effort into instilling the pony culture into her. She understood Hearth's Warming well enough, considering how historically important it was, but a holiday without any historical importance like Hearts and Hooves Day?

It was why she'd headed down to the library to ask Miss Light if she could help her understand the significance of the overly-pink-holiday.

Miss Light had been laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, while a book hovered in the air nearby. She'd looked at her when she'd entered, and, for a moment, everything seemed perfectly normal.

Then she got this really scary look on her face that Whisper immediately recognized as not being good. For her, specifically.

"Wisp!" Miss Light cheered, scrambling to her hooves, that scary smile still in place, "Your timing couldn't be more perfect!"

"Uhh... what for?" she asked, carefully backing up a few steps when Miss Light approached,

That was... not at all what she was expecting. Her expression must've shown it, since Miss Light turned red,

"You have?" Whisper asked, blinking up at the older mare. She didn't know that Miss Light liked Emerald like that! Wow, either they were really good at hiding it, or she was bad at being able to tell.

"O-oh, well... since we met, I suppose?" she said, looking away, "I... well, I guess it started off as just a physical attraction. Then we started spending more time together, and I got to know him, and... it sort of just... happened?" she said, sounding entirely unsure.

"Okay," she said, accepting the explanation for what it was, "But, why do you need my help? Couldn't ya just ask your friends for help?" she asked. Miss Light turned a slightly darker red, bit her lip, and started scratching her cheek,

"Frankly... yes." Whisper blinked in surprise at that, but didn't comment on it,

"So... why my help?" Miss Light sat down, pressing the hooves on her forelegs together,

"W-well... I figured that, since you're his sister and have been living with him for the majority of his stay here, then, you'd know a lot about the things he likes and dislikes. I-" she bit her lip, "well, I really do like him, but I... don't really know much about his hobbies or personal preferences..."

Whisper just frowned. She... didn't know much about that either. Emerald was a total workaholic. He didn't really have hobbies, apart from training.

"Well... he really likes apples, an' truffles, an'... stuff," she said lamely, scratching her head in thought, "Uh... Big Bro doesn't really have any favourite foods, that I know of. An' he doesn't really have hobbies either..." she trailed off, a faint memory suddenly playing through her head, "... Actually, I think he likes ice skatin'," she said, smirking slightly at the surprised look on Miss Light's face, "We tried it, once, in Canterlot. I wasn't very good at it, but he seemed to have fun," she added.

Miss Light nodded, a notebook, quill, and ink-pot suddenly appearing next to her.

"'Ice-skating'..." she muttered, writing it down, before looking up at Whisper, "That's... not possible right now," she murmured, scribbling something down, "Maybe some other time?"

"Oh! I'm sorry Wisp!" she said, setting the notebook and quill down, "What'd you come by for?"

"Well... Hearts an' Hooves Day is in a couple'a weeks, but I don't... really get it," she admitted, tilting her head, "Why's it so important?" she asked. Miss Light hummed to herself, her horn lighting up,

"Well, Hearts and Hooves Day is a day where everyone all over Equestria can celebrate the idea of love and affection between two or more individuals," she began, her voice taking on a lecturing tone, as an unfamiliar brown book floated next to her, "Specifically, it was designed to celebrate real love, since it was originally put in place due to an incident involving a failed love potion, otherwise known as a love poison."

"A love poison?" Whisper asked, appalled at the concept. Miss Light nodded, flipping the book open,

"That's right. Long ago, though not too long before the time of the Founders of Equestria, there was a prince who'd fallen in love with a princess. Nothing he ever did could catch her eye, so he used his abilities as a potioneer in an attempt to create a love potion with which he could win her heart," she began, "He gave some of this potion to his servants and instructed them to dose both himself and the object of his affections during a royal meeting between the two. His plan worked flawlessly, and both ponies were put under the spell of the love potion."

"If it worked, then why'd you call it a love poison?" Whisper asked. Miss Light smiled,

"That's a good question! You see, the potion worked too well. It caused both individuals to fall in love so deeply that it became obsession. Their kingdoms were forgotten and their royal duties left unattended. At the time, there was a great dragon who'd lived on the land and, for an annual fee, was willing to allow the kingdom to exist in its territory. Because they ignored their duties in favour of each other, the dragon grew angry and, after several attempts to remind them to pay, destroyed their kingdom in a fit of rage. The dragon was merciful, however. While the kingdom lay, burned and broken, the ponies who'd called the kingdom home were left remarkably unharmed. They blamed the destruction of the kingdom on the two affected ponies, and had them locked away. It was only after being separated for an hour that the effects of the potion were nullified, and both returned to their senses, and the truth was revealed."

"But, why's it a poison?" Whisper asked once more. Miss Light rolled her eyes, and smiled,

"Well, potions are defined as alchemical concoctions with a generally beneficial affect. Regular love potions only increase someone's levels of affection for someone else to a slight degree. They are also very easy to detect and ignore as well. Potions also require repeated doses in order to keep, or fully apply, their effects. Poisons, however, usually have malicious effects, and normally only require one dose to work. To stop a potion, you only need to stop taking it for long enough, while a poison often requires an antidote, or anti-poison, though weaker ones can be flushed out of the body naturally. I've heard that that is rather unpleasant, however. There are some exceptions, like the love poison in question, whose somewhat more mystical effects can be stopped in other ways," she said, tapping her chin in thought.

"So... because a fake, obsessive love caused a kingdom to fall, Hearts an' Hooves Day celebrates real love to keep ponies from usin' fake love?" she asked. Miss Light blinked, then nodded,

"Huh," Whisper muttered, "I... guess Hearts an' Hooves Day is kinda important..." Miss Light nodded,

"Yep! Without Hearts and Hooves Day, ponies might not have learned to cherish the concept of love as much as they do now," she said, smiling softly, "Love potions might not be illegal, because of how weak their effects are, but they are heavily frowned upon for anything outside of..." she blushed, "... recreational use."

"I guess that's fair," Whisper said thoughtfully, then frowned, "Is that why everyone at school wants to give cards to Miss Cheerilee?" she asked. Miss Light giggled,

"Well, Hearts and Hooves Day isn't just about romantic love, Wisp," she said, smiling, "It's also about the love between friends, family, and the community around you. Miss Cheerilee works very hard to teach all of you, so your classmates giving her cards on Hearts and Hooves Day is just their way of telling her they love her and to thank her for all her hard work."

"Oh... I guess that makes sense. If it's just for thankin' someone for their work, no wonder Big Bro kept gettin' so many," she said idly.

Not much really happened during that time. Miss Cheerilee had them help her decorate the schoolhouse in lacy, pink ribbons, though. Plus, some of their previous lessons were replaced with arts and crafts, though she doubted any of her classmates particularly minded the break from their daily readings and work. Their homework also had Hearts and Hooves Day themed word problems whenever math came around. Plus they focused a bit more on poetry during those weeks as well.

Then, when school let out the day just before Hearts and Hooves Day, they were assigned a new bit of homework. They had to make and design several cards, with at least one card for someone in the class, and give it to them the next day.

She, of course, sort of just winged the whole thing and made several cards. One for Starlight, Emerald, Miss Light, and, since the memory of her lesson with Miss Light was still somewhat fresh in her head, one for Miss Cheerilee as well. Plus two for her friends.

"Hey Wishp! How'sh yoursh coming along?" Twist asked her the next day. Starlight had dropped her off today, wishing her luck while thanking her for the card. Everything was proceeding perfectly normally, even though she was sure she spotted Miss Light walking away from the school when she and Starlight arrived, covered in some green and brown paint while wearing a bush on her head, and dragging a set of binoculars in the air behind her. She'd looked oddly dejected as well. Like she'd been expecting someone who didn't show up.

Yet, despite that, everything so far seemed normal. Dinky and Twist had immediately taken their spots right next to her in the front row, eagerly talking about their cards.

"Mine's doin' fine," she said, showing the simple, red, heart-shaped card to the other filly, addressed to their teacher, "How 'bout yours?" she asked in return.

"It'sh doing great!" she chirped, showing Whisper the peppermint themed card addressed to, who Whisper assumed to be, both of her parents, "What about you, Dinky?" Twist asked, leaning forward to look around Whisper. Dinky's head shot up from her card, where she was still doodling something with a gray crayon,

Inwardly, Whisper flinched a little at the revelation that both her friends had gotten cards for their parents. Parents that she didn't have.

The thought caused her to smile slightly, but it was later interrupted when Miss Cheerilee called out,

"Okay class! It's time to deliver your cards!" she chirped, looking out excitedly, "Remember to be polite and thank each other!"

Wisp immediately used her magic to dig out the two cards from her saddlebag addressed to her friends, plopping them down on their desks without any fanfare whatsoever.

Her friends immediately-likely through a form of telepathy she hadn't learned yet-locked her into a hug from either side, completely squishing her between the two happy fillies.

It was a testament to their friendship that Whisper did not immediately struggle to get free.

"Miss Cheerilee!" Applebloom called, standing up alongside Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, "Is it okay if mah friends an' I go get our card?"

"Yeah! It was too big to carry in with us!" Scootaloo added. Miss Cheerilee blinked at the admission,

"Oh... well alright girls, but be quick about it, okay?" she said. The three fillies all nodded,

"How d'you make a card too big?" Whisper asked, still squished between Twist and Dinky,

"U-um... Twist?" the voice, Whisper faintly recognized it as Snips, asked. Almost as one, the three fillies turned to find the buck-toothed colt fidgeting in place, holding a red card in his magic, "I, uh, Imadethisforyou!" he squeaked, all but shoving the card into Twist's face, before running off.

"Uh... thanksh?" she muttered, turning to look for the embarrassed colt. They were interrupted, once again, by the arrival of another colt,

"Uh... hey, Wisp?" she heard, and she turned to find Featherweight standing awkwardly in front of her desk, "Uh... h-here," he muttered, placing a card onto her desk, before, like Snips, running off.

Whisper blinked and, like Twist, glanced down at the card on her desk. She only managed to stare at it for about a second, before the two fillies-who were still hugging her-tossed their own cards right on top of it,

Only Whisper spotted Rumble discreetly place a card onto Dinky's desk, before he, too, disappeared.

Finally having had enough of the affection, Whisper used her magic to, gently, push the two off of her,

"Okay, that's enough!" she snapped lightly, smirking at the two put out fillies, "Don't gimme that look! I still got cards to give out!" she defended hotly. Dinky nodded,

"Right, me too!" she agreed, hopping out of her seat. Whisper sighed, and glanced at Twist, only to find the nerdy earth filly hoofing out a few cards of her own. Whisper shook her head and smirked, before following their example.

Hopping out of her seat, she grabbed the only other card she had to deliver in the class, and trotted up to Miss Cheerilee,

"Happy Hearts an' Hooves Day!" she chirped, holding out the card in her magic for the teacher to take. Miss Cheerilee smiled,

"Oh, thank you Wisp!" she gushed, gently plucking it from her magic, "I'll cherish it. Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!"

With her task done, Whisper spun back around and trotted back to her seat. Or she would've, if the door to the classroom hadn't suddenly shot open, and a large shadow overtook her world for a moment.

She squeaked slightly as something big and astonishingly light fell on top of her, completely submerging her in darkness. Despite being smothered, she could still hear what was happening on the outside, even if it was slightly muffled,

"""Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Miss Cheerilee!""" three voices chorused. The darkness was suddenly illuminated a moment later, as the face of a worried Miss Cheerilee peeked under the... whatever the thing on top of her was,

"Oh dear, are you okay, Wisp?" she asked, gently pulling the filly out from her prison,

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, turning to find out what had tried and failed to crush her.

She blinked, finding the Crusaders all scrambling to set up an utterly massive paper heart. It was about as tall as Princess Celestia was and was completely covered in glitter, ribbons, and lace, all with horseshoe patterns all over the front, topped off by a red bow.

"It's lovely, girls!" Miss Cheerilee said, "And so... big!" she continued, having to pause for a moment, "Though, you should try to be more careful," she added, placing a hoof on Whisper's head for a moment.

"Well, we jus' wanted ta let ya know that we think you're the best teacher in the whole wide world!" Applebloom said, almost completely ignoring the second half of what Miss Cheerilee said, while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo struggled to keep the heart from falling over again, "And that we think you're super, and that we love ya so so much, an' 'cause we wanted ya ta have the best Hearts an' Hooves Day-!"

"""EVER!""" the three of them chorused, just as the heart fell again, smothering them instead of Whisper this time around.

"By smotherin' someone?" Whisper muttered, though she went unheard as Miss Cheerilee moved to help them like she had with her,

"That's very sweet of you girls. I love it! I really do," she said, smiling down at them. Though her smile fell for a moment as Sweetie Belle got in close, whispering conspiratorially,

"I bet it's nothing compared to the gifts you've gotten from your very special somepony!" she chirped. Miss Cheerilee looked annoyed for a half second, but her expression returned to normal,

"Oh I don't have a special somepony, girls," she said idly, turning away from them.

"""WHAT?!""" the three of them chorused, their faces twisted in confusion. Admittedly, even Whisper was a tad surprised. Miss Cheerilee was a very nice pony. Why would someone like her be single on Hearts and Hooves Day?

"How could a pony and nice and pretty as you be all alone on Hearts and Hooves Day?" she asked. Whisper smirked slightly at the way Miss Cheerilee wilted, before it fell as she spun around,

"It's alright Sweetie Belle," she said, "I have lots of friends and students who care about me," she added, brandishing Whisper's card with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll have an absolutely fantastic Hearts and Hooves Day!" she affirmed, before turning to the rest of the class, "Alright everypony! Who's ready to play 'Pin the Heart on the Pony!'?!"

Whisper stared after Miss Cheerilee for a moment. She hadn't sounded like she was faking it. Miss Cheerilee honestly sounded happy when she spoke.

Her head tilted itself. Miss Cheerilee seemed perfectly fine to not have a special somebody today, but... back in Canterlot, she'd seen plenty of ponies who'd been outright devastated to be alone on Hearts and Hooves Day.

Miss Cheerilee works very hard to teach all of you, so your classmates giving her cards on Hearts and Hooves Day is just their way of telling her they love her and to thank her for all her hard work.

She nodded to herself. Right. Hearts and Hooves Day wasn't just about romantic love, like Miss Light said. It was also about friends, the ones close to you, and other stuff like that.

"If anypony deserves a special somepony, it's Miss Cheerilee!" Applebloom moaned.

"I have an idea!" she said, her smile nearly growing as wide as one of Pinkie's, "Why don't we find Miss Cheerilee a very special somepony?!"

How in the world were they gonna get Miss Cheerilee a special somebody? No adult in town would take them seriously if they asked-except Pinkie-and she doubted that Miss Cheerilee herself would be too happy about it.

Regardless, Whisper already knew there'd be no stopping these three. She sighed and turned away from them, very pointedly ignoring their conversation.

Whatever they were going to do didn't involve her. So she had no reason to say anything.

It's not like anything they would do was going to have any impact on the rest of her day, so best to just ignore it.

Whisper idly trotted down the road. Usually she'd either be with Dinky and Twist or at home by now, but their families had stuff planned for the day together, and she doubted either Emerald or Starlight would be home right now. The ponies around town were certainly lively, though. Couples were wandering about town without a care in world, every bit of affection and care between them out and open for the world to see.

Truthfully, it made Whisper feel a tad uncomfortable, seeing the way everyone acted so openly. Part of her wondered if she felt uncomfortable on a personal level, or if her unease stemmed from being raised by someone like Emerald, whose culture wasn't quite so open.

That aside, she had to admit, it was nice to see all the couples together, in a strange way. Miss Light hadn't been kidding when she said that today was a celebration of love, or whatever.

Though, given the way the Crusaders were stalking about, she wasn't sure how long the relatively peaceful atmosphere would remain.

The filly blinked at the call, pausing. She turned around, finding Miss Light walking up to her with a bright smile that spelled doom.

"I've been following your brother around, trying to figure when would be a good time to try out Plan A." Whisper blinked,

"Plan A!" Miss Light interrupted her, a book and rolled up piece of parchment flying out of her saddlebags, covered in a purple aura, before the parchment unrolled, allowing Whisper to read the contents,

"'Step one: Locate target an' proceed to examine their general mood an' temperament for the day. Step two: Determine best method to approach the target. Step thr-'," she paused, and glanced up at Miss Light, "So... you're just gonna walk up an' talk to 'im?" she asked. Miss Light's eyes narrowed for a moment, before she smiled and nodded,

"I suppose that's one way of putting it!" she chirped, rolling up the parchment in one motion, before the book opened and levitated down to Miss Light's eye level, "This book has plenty of ideas and scenarios I can reference for ideas, but I'm sure Plan A will more than suffice!" she said.

"'Matters of the-" was as far as she got when the book slammed shut and vanished into Miss Light's saddlebag, the mare in question now red as a beet.

"Uh-hehe-you-uh-you don't need to read that!" Miss Light said, laughing nervously. Whisper's eyes narrowed at her,

"O... kay..." she muttered, before relaxing, "So... why'd ya come over here?" she asked. Sensing the topic change, Miss Light jumped at it easily,

"Well..." Miss Light trailed off, before perking up, "I'm pretty nervous, actually, I was hoping you could be there for... motivational support," she said, smiling timidly. Whisper stared at the older pony for a moment, before eventually nodding,

Whisper was left behind almost immediately, the much larger pony's excitement spurring her larger legs on, making the task of keeping up with her much harder. They wove through the crowd easily, though Whisper noted that, in her haste, Miss Light was causing more than one pony around them to stumble slightly, and they, in turn, caused Whisper to stumble in her attempts to avoid them.

"Oh! Hey Emerald, I did not see you there!" Miss Light suddenly called from somewhere ahead of her, sounding not at all convincing.

"Is that right, Sparky?" she heard Emerald respond, his voice muffled slightly by the sounds of crowd's hooves around her. She grunted slightly when she bumped into someone's leg, but her ears twitched when she heard Miss Light speak,

"It's a lovely day today, would you not agree?" she asked. Was it just her, or did Miss Light sound like she was reading off of a script?

"Oh! What are you drinking?" Miss Light asked, her voice sounding a little more genuine. She couldn't see it, but Whisper was sure her older brother was giving Miss Light one of those 'There is definitely something wrong with you, but I won't press it until I know it's an issue and not you just being odd' looks. She'd seen him use it a lot. Usually with Pinkie.

"Some of this punch Berry was selling. I was thirsty so I figured 'why not?' and bought some. It doesn't really fit my tastes, though. Want it?" he asked. Whisper grunted slightly, having to squeeze through the gap between two ponies, but she was getting close enough that she could spot the familiar pair of purple and green bodies of her brother and tutor through the gaps of the crowd.

Honestly, Whisper hadn't realized just how many ponies were out today until now!

"Sure! That sounds lovely!" Miss Light said, and Whisper wasn't sure that the word 'lovely' should've been used right then, but by that point she had finally managed to worm her way out of the crowd. She'd barely managed to walk up to them, when the sound of buzzing caught their attention.

"Is that-?" Emerald asked, only to suddenly step to the side as three familiar fillies on a scooter and wagon came rushing through. Scootaloo put on the brakes, turning roughly to the side. Unfortunately, this particular maneuver sent Applebloom tumbling out of the attached wagon, roughly colliding into Miss Light's legs, sweeping them out from under her, which knocked some books and parchment loose from her saddlebags.

That wasn't the only thing, however. Whisper's eyes trailed the mug of punch that Miss Light had happily taken, watching as it flipped, end over end in the air, before coming down straight on Emerald's head, completely soaking his mane and most of his upper body,

"Oh my gosh, Emerald! I'm so sorry!" Miss Light suddenly said, scrambling to her hooves.

Miss Light looked around, likely for something to help dry him off, until the Crusaders spoke,

"Are you alright, Mr. Emerald?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking up at him nervously while Applebloom asked the same of Miss Light. He only grunted again,

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sweetie Belle," he said, "Is there something you three need?" he asked, eyeing them somewhat warily,

"Uh, we were jus' wonderin' if ya had any plans for Hearts an' Hooves Day?" Applebloom asked, carefully climbing back into the wagon. He only blinked,

"No reason!" Sweetie Belle chirped, just before Scootaloo suddenly turned and sped off.

"Well, it was... nice seeing ya, Sparky. I'm gonna head home and take a shower before I get all sticky. Later," he said, turning around and walking off. Miss Light reached out a hoof, for a moment, and looked like she wanted to say something. In the end, however, nothing came out, and she was left standing there.

Her mouth closed and her hoof dropped after a moment. She sighed and plopped onto the ground, right next to Whisper.

Whisper frowned slightly, glancing off in the direction the Crusaders left in, before turning back to Miss Light. She placed a hoof on one of her legs, patting it comfortingly,

"It's okay, Miss Light," she said, "You'll... get 'im next time?" she said, not quite sure if that was the right thing to say. Miss Light looked at her, and smiled after a moment,

"Yeah... I guess you're right, Wisp," she said, gently patting Whisper on the head, before standing, "Alright! Time for Plan B!" she announced, levitating a scroll and the book whose title Miss Light kept out of sight,

"Plan... B?" Whisper asked hesitantly, taking a small step away from the elder unicorn,

"Yep!" she chirped, eyes roaming through the book rapidly, "I just need to talk to Pinkie and the Cakes for it to work," she said, glancing over at the scroll, "I'll come and get you when it's ready, okay?" she asked.

Why do I get the feelin' today isn't gonna go right? she asked herself. The sound of buzzing preceded the arrival of the Crusaders once again, prompting Whisper to curse herself.

Whisper growled to herself, her magic making easy work of setting up this picnic. She didn't know why the Crusaders needed this thing, but her own curiosity overwrote the 'No' she'd just been about to give them.

They'd dragged her to the park and asked her to set up this picnic under the gazebo, while they ran off to do... whatever it was they tended to do. She figured that, whatever this whole thing was, it had to do either with them getting their cutie marks or Miss Cheerilee's lack of a special someone, given their reaction earlier in the day.

Both possibilities promised some form of entertainment for the foreseeable future, a reasoning that only compounded with her curiosity, prompting her to say 'Yes'.

In the case of the latter, Whisper couldn't help but wonder what poor fool the Crusaders had deemed lucky/unfortunate enough to be in the center of their little scheme.

As if summoned by the thought, the three fillies in question appeared over the hill, running towards her position at full tilt, all of them holding wide, twinkling smiles on their faces.

"They're on their way!" Scootaloo said, practically vibrating in place, "This is gonna be perfect!" she said,

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed, "And with this picnic, there's no way they won't ask each other to be their special somepony!"

Whisper's brow rose. They were really confident in this plan of theirs, weren't they?

"So who're you plannin' to get Miss Cheerilee to ask out?" she asked. She was honestly curious. What poor fool had agreed to-or been tricked-into going along with whatever little machinations the three had concocted?

The way the three of them suddenly froze and turned to look at her didn't exactly fill her with confidence, however.

"Hello girls!" Miss Cheerilee's voice cut through the awkward silence with ease, the cheerful mare trotting right up to the group with a smile on her face, "And hello to you too, Wisp," she greeted upon seeing the bespectacled filly.

"Hey, Miss Cheerilee," she responded, not taking her eyes off the stiff looking fillies.

"So, girls," Miss Cheerilee began, looking around almost eagerly, "You said you needed help identifying a tree around the gazebo, right?" she asked,

"Uh, yeah!" Scootaloo said, pointing off to the side. While she did that, Applebloom rushed towards her and started to push her away,

"Ya gotta get goin'!" she said, giving Whisper a firm push, sending the other filly stumbling forward, "Befer he gets here!" Whisper huffed,

"Alright, I'm here. What was it you three needed help with?" the familiar voice of Emerald called. He came from the opposite direction Miss Cheerilee had. Before she could say anything, a furious glare aimed straight at Applebloom, the yellow filly tackled her, knocking both of them into a bush not far away while Sweetie Belle ran up to her brother.

"What the-why's my brother-?!" she tried snapping, only for Applebloom to stuff a hoof in her mouth,

"Shh!" Applebloom hissed, "The girls an' I went 'round town lookin' fer somepony fer Miss Cheerilee! The only ones we could find in town who were single were mah brother an' yers!" she said, glancing back, her head poking out of the bush slightly, "Sorry 'bout not tellin' ya, but we really think that Mr. Emerald would be a nice colt fer Miss Cheerilee!" she defended.

Whisper glared up at her, her horn igniting. A simple burst of telekinesis sent Applebloom rolling off of her with a yelp, and she sat up, glare turning vicious.

"What makes ya think that's okay?!" she snapped, "Ya can't just go around choosin' somebody to date Miss Cheerilee like that!"

"But she deserves a special somepony! Yer only sayin' that cuz it's yer brother!" Applebloom snapped back, "Mah brother's too shy ta ask anypony out, but Mr. Emerald ain't shy at all!"

"That's what the picnic's fer, duh!" Applebloom retorted. Whisper growled, but was interrupted before she could say anything by the arrival of the other two 'matchmakers', who knocked her to the ground when they jumped into the bush.

"Okay, everything's going according to plan!" Sweetie Belle gushed quietly, looking through the gap in the bush they'd just jumped through. Scootaloo and Applebloom joined her immediately, not giving much thought to the filly they had inadvertently sat on.

Whisper growled from her position against the ground, her horn igniting, before it sputtered out, a hiss of pain escaping her throat.

Ow! They hit my horn when they landed on me! she whined silently, bringing up a hoof to rub at her injured horn. She adjusted her glasses, and turned her head to yell at them, but caught sight of what they were looking at through a second gap through the bush.

Emerald and Miss Cheerilee were talking to each other, though whatever they were saying was too far away for her to hear. A moment passed, before they both nodded, and they turned, walking away without looking back.

"OH COME ON!" Sweetie Belle shouted, only to be forcefully brought back down by the other two, sending them all sprawling to the ground, freeing Whisper from their weight.

Without so much as a second thought, the once-trapped-filly sprung up from the ground, jumped out of the bush, and ran away.

-----

Whisper panted slightly as she reached town. The park wasn't too far away from town, but she wasn't exactly built for long-distance sprinting like that. Something she would have to fix one day if she wanted to join the guard like her brother when she was older.

Those fillies were crazy. She'd known that already, but it was always nice to have further confirmation.

"Wisp, there you are! I've been looking for you!" Miss Light's voice interrupted her thoughts, breaking through her moment of calm like a raging whirlwind. She looked up, finding the purple mare beaming at her, "Plan B is ready to go!"

"So... you plan on doin'... what again?" Whisper asked, glancing up at her elder, still confused. Miss Light smiled down at her, gently setting down the book she was reading on the counter, conveniently keeping the title out of her sight the entire time,

"I asked the Cakes to empty out Sugarcube Corner for me, where I plan on surprising Emerald with the history of Hearts and Hooves Day! He'll be so fascinated by the subject, he'll be more susceptible to being asked out!" she gushed, her hooves clenched determinedly under her chin. Mr. and Mrs. Cake eyed Miss Light sympathetically as they passed behind her, but otherwise didn't say a word, walking into the kitchen.

"Okay," Whisper said, frowning, "So, why am I here?" she asked, glancing around the currently empty bakery,

"Pinkie's already gone around asking everyone to stay away for a bit, so I was hoping you could get Emerald and bring him here," Miss Light explained,

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, suddenly popping her head out of the kitchen window, "I told everypony there's a super-duper-special-secret party for Emerald and Twilight!" she said, then disappeared back through the window.

The sounds of clinking pots and pans filtered out from the kitchen, but Miss Light seemed to ignore it,

"I know I'm being selfish in asking you and everyone else for help, Wisp, but... well..." she swallowed, and sighed, pulling out a roll of parchment, "I need to practice while you go and get him."

"Our conversation, of course!" Miss Light said, her eyes scanning over it already, "I've written down a comprehensive list of topics I can use to keep him from getting bored and leaving, as well as predicted responses! Plus, 'The ability to maintain a good conversation is key in a relationship!'," she said, as if reciting something, before nodding to herself and looking back at Whisper, "He'll be so impressed by my ability to converse, that he'll just have to say yes!"

Judging by the looks Mr. and Mrs. Cake were sending her from the kitchen, she wasn't wrong.

-----

She sighed, glancing around, searching for any sign of that familiar green stallion. Whisper had no way of knowing where he'd be at this time, especially since he didn't celebrate this holiday. Emerald hadn't needed to work today, since the Cakes had given him the day off-for reasons unknown-meaning that he could honestly be doing anything.

Putting a hoof against her chest in an attempt to calm the sudden pounding her heart, she glared angrily at her elder brother, who only smirked down at her.

"No, it was pretty funny," he disagreed, then glanced around for a moment, "Hmm? You here all by yourself?" he asked, brow rising, "I'd've figured you'd be spending time with those friends of yours," he added, then tilted his head, "Which reminds me, you should introduce me to them, sometime."

"Fair," he said, glancing off into the air, "... Is there anything you'd like to do, Wisp? I'm sure Starlight wouldn't mind tagging along if we asked," he pointed out. Whisper smiled, but shook her head,

"No, but thanks!" she said, but froze for a moment, and glanced at Sugarcube Corner, "... Actually, can we get somethin' from the bakery?" she asked. Emerald's brow quirked and, for a moment, it felt like he was looking right through her.

She let out a subtle sigh, and followed her elder brother through the bakery's door.

The bell rung above them, prompting Miss Light, who was still the only one in sight, aside from Mr. Cake at the counter, to turn in her seat. She visibly perked up,

"Oh Emerald!" she said, "I did not expect to see you here today. What a crazy coincidence, huh?" she asked brightly, if a tad stiffly. Emerald glanced around for a moment, but answered regardless,

"I guess so," he said, sparing a final glance at Whisper, before he moved forward, "Business is pretty slow," he noted, looking right at Mr. Cake, who laughed,

"Funny. I'd've figured that today, of all days, would be... very busy. Did anything... happen?" he asked, not even bothering to hide his suspicions. Mr. Cake swallowed nervously,

"Nope! Nothing at all!" he said, smiling a visibly strained smile, before he suddenly perked up, "Oh? What was that dear? You need my help? Of course! I'll be right there!" he said, before bolting into the kitchen with all the grace of a three-legged sprinter.

"So, what brings you, of all ponies, here, Sparky?" he asked. Miss Light smiled, and waved around,

"Oh, I was just getting into the spirit of things," she said, using her magic to lift up the familiar book she'd read to Whisper not long ago, "I've been reading up on the history of Hearts and Hooves Day, you know?"

"Yep!" she chirped, sounding happier than before. Whisper grimaced, however, having spotted the unrolled parchment laying on the seat next to her, which she noticed Miss Light glance at every now and again.

"It's quite interesting, you know?" she asked, the book in front of her magically flipping through its pages, "Would you like to hear about it?"

"Sure. Why not?" Emerald responded, leaning forward to rest his head on his clasped hooves. Miss Light smiled brightly, and cleared her throat,

"Well, for starters the story begins a long time before the time of the Founders of Equestria, and in that time, there was a prince and a princess of different parts of the land. The prince fell deeply in love with the princess, but no matter what he tried, he could never get her to notice him. So, he decided to make-" the bell above the door suddenly rung again, "a love potion-"

Whisper didn't have time to do anything when three familiar blurs suddenly shot passed her, sending her spinning to the floor, and stopped in front of Miss Light,

"Did you say a 'love potion'?" Sweetie Belle asked eagerly, looking up at Miss Light with shining eyes. Miss Light froze, sparing glances between Emerald and the Crusaders.

Knowing Miss Light, she probably wanted to start a lesson on the history of Hearts and Hooves Day for Sweetie Belle like she had with herself, but was torn between that and her 'plan' to ask out Emerald.

Whisper suddenly froze, and leveled a stare at the Crusaders, noting, idly, that Emerald was doing the same.

"Um... y-yes! I did!" Miss Light finally said, still glancing between the four of them, "You see, Hearts and Hooves Day was founded because of this love potion," she said, turning to the book for a moment, "um... it-it even has the recipe, if you can believe it!" she added eagerly.

"Wow, that sounds super interesting!" Scootaloo suddenly said, smiling widely,

"Do you think we could borrow that book for a little while?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently. Miss Light blinked,

"Oh!... Umm..." she stared for a moment, before smiling, and levitated the book down to the younger unicorn, "I-I'd love to let you borrow it, but, um... th-this is the library's copy and I don't have the register to let you check it out here, so-"

"Yeah, can we?" Sweetie added. Miss Light sputtered, eyes dancing between them and Emerald,

"U-uh, I-I'd love too, but, um, I-I was-I, you see, E-Emerald and I were talking, and-"

"It's fine, Sparky," Emerald suddenly said, standing up from his seat, "You can give me the history lesson some other time," he said, walking over to the counter, where Mr. Cake had finally been replaced by his wife, "I was just going to order something for me and Wisp before heading out anyways," he said. Miss Light opened her mouth to speak-likely a protest of some kind-but was stopped when the Crusaders all latched onto her, and began to drag her away,

The pleading expression Miss Light threw her made Whisper feel somewhat guilty, but she was through the door before anything could be done. Whisper thought about running after and stopping them, for several reasons, but chose not to, instead turning around to order something with Emerald.

It was just a love potion, after all, she reminded herself. And she remembered Miss Light's lesson about how weak and generally ineffective they were. With that in mind, how much trouble could those three really bring with it?

That feeling in the back of her head just refused to go away. No matter what she did or thought about, it remained there, taunting her with the idea that she'd forgotten. Not just something, but something important.

It was about the love potion, she just knew it was. What else could it be, after all? The Crusaders had gotten in stuck in their heads that Emerald and Miss Cheerilee would be a good couple together and-

Right there, contrasting everything she thought she'd known about the world, was Miss Cheerilee and Emerald. They were walking together. That, alone, wouldn't have been too strange, if a little out of place, but the wide, dare she say it, dopey smiles on their faces were more than she could handle.

They were standing almost too close to each other, coats just shy brushing against one another. Any closer and they would be brushing, something Emerald would only ever do with someone he really cared about.

Still, Miss Cheerilee seemed to try to close that distance, and Emerald never seemed against it, yet he always drifted just out of reach, though the look on his face never strayed, like he wasn't even aware of it.

They were talking as well, but whatever they were saying was too low for her to hear, but it was always followed by one of them giggling-Emerald giggling was a scary sight to witness, by the way-and sometimes accompanied by one nuzzling the other.

She watched, transfixed, as the two made their way through town, looking exactly the image of a loving couple on Hearts and Hooves Day.

"What the fuck...?" she muttered under her breath, utterly dumbfounded, "B-but... how? Big Bro an' Miss Cheerilee...? That-that doesn't-but, what about-?" she shook her head, "No... they didn't... but, love potions don't work like that..." she muttered. She frowned, but didn't give it much thought.

She was right. Love potions didn't work like that. The most likely case was that they were just humoring the Crusaders. They'd been really adamant about them going out, after all, and Miss Cheerilee was nice enough to play along. Plus, she doubted Emerald would care enough to decline, even if he was putting more effort into it than he should've. Maybe... he secretly liked pranks? He did really enjoy sneaking up on everyone...

Despite her confusion, she kept on going until she finally reached the library, poking her head through the door. She found Miss Light looking through the book she didn't want her reading again. There was a strong look of concentration on her face this time, and, right beside her, a quill was rapidly scratching something onto an unfurled piece of parchment that reached the floor.

"Um, Miss Light?" she called. Miss Light yelped, the quill shooting into the air,

"Wisp!" Miss Light scolded, turning to look at her, "You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that!" Whisper snickered, hoof held against her mouth.

"Sorry, Miss Light," she apologized, moving further into the room, the door closing shut behind her, "I was just wonderin'... ya remember that book the Crusader's wanted?" she asked. Miss Light perked up slightly,

"Yes," she said, "The Tale of Hearts and Hooves Day. Why?" she asked, looking worried, "Did they lose it?!" Whisper deadpanned at her tutor,

"No," she said flatly, "They didn't lose it," she sighed, "It's just... I feel like I'm forgettin' somethin' about that story. The love potion made 'em go crazy, right?" she asked. Miss Light nodded,

"That's right. The love potion ended up being, what we now call, a love poison rather than a potion."

"Didn't you say the recipe was in the book you gave 'em, though?" she asked, frowning, "Ain't that kinda dangerous, just havin' that recipe in a public book?" Miss Light shook her head,

"It's fine, Wisp. The love poison only worked like that because neither pony in the story were aware of its full affects," she said, smiling, "Love potions are generally weak and easy to overcome, especially if you're aware of it. Even the strongest love potion in the world is little more than a minor stimulant in that case, and only slightly more effective if you are not aware. It's a property found in the love poison as well. If a pony is aware of the potion and its affects, it's easy to ignore for the allotted time. Unlike regular love potions, however, both parties are required to drink it for it to work. This unique property actually makes it easier to avoid, since, if somebody wanted to use it to make someone fall for them, the fact that its description, affects, and cure are all listed in the book, it would prevent the poison from working on the brewer, and, by extension, the unwitting drinker. For those reasons, it's considered safe to have in a public book," she explained.

Whisper nodded. That made sense, in a convoluted kind of way. Knowing about it reduces the effects, since you'd be fully aware of what it does and be prepared for it.

Though, if someone weren't aware, then they might think the affection is natural. Though, Whisper wasn't sure how much it raised affection by, so... it would probably be really easy to figure out if it just happens for someone you don't know all that well or don't like. Plus, they'd having to keep dosing them, and, at some point, it would probably be super suspicious if they kept giving them drinks, depending on how often they needed to take it.

Well, at the very least, she could completely relax now. Even if the Crusaders had managed to slip Emerald and Miss Cheerilee the love poison, Emerald was sure to know about it, considering how dangerous it could be.

He would know about it. He had to. Even if he didn't know much, if anything, about Hearts and Hooves Day, the love poison was a dangerous sounding poison, so, surely, he'd be aware of its existence...

The idea that Emerald might not be aware of the love poison's existence haunted her. If he did know about it, then they were safe, but if he didn't, then she would, somehow, have to devise a way to separate the two of them for an hour.

No, no, no no no, he... he totally knows about the love poison. It's Big Bro, after all...

Well, she'd find out sooner or later. Miss Light had finished writing down 'Plan C', and was ready to act on it. Unlike the previous two, this plan involved getting him completely alone-though Whisper was still asked to be there for moral support-by asking him to help her out with something at the library. After that, it was... mostly the same. She'd attempt to establish some common ground-following some guideline Whisper was sure was in that book she wasn't allowed to read-before asking him out.

Whisper glanced over at Miss Light, who appeared to be growing increasingly nervous as they walked, finding no sign of Emerald anywhere as they did so.

"Oh... where is he?" Miss Light muttered, looking around, "Hearts and Hooves Day is over halfway over..."

Whisper swallowed the lump in her throat. Not finding her brother was beginning to take a toll on her as well, considering the idea that her brother had well and truly been poisoned by a trio of fillies who were meddling in something they really shouldn't have been meddling in.

It was as they were passing Sugarcube Corner that Whisper's fears proved to be true.

"Twilight!" Mr. Cake's voice yelled as he burst through the doors, practically falling over himself as he ran towards them, "Twilight, you have to come quick! There's something seriously wrong!" he spluttered, sweating slightly. Miss Light blinked,

"What?" she asked, her nerves vanishing, "What's going on? Did something happen to Pinkie? Or the twins?" she continued, eyes widening. Whisper watched on in worry, even as Mr. Cake shook his head,

"No it's-well, uh-" he bit his lip, glancing back at the bakery, "You have to see it for yourself!"

Sharing a glance with Whisper, the three ponies immediately made their way to the door. Whisper swallowed, a million thoughts racing through her mind, each battling for a place at the front of her mind.

Miss Light was clearly having the same issue, as dozens of different expressions flickered over her face.

Worry, fear, concern, anger, determination, nervousness. That and many more were reflected in her eyes as they approached.

It was horrifying. A scene played out straight from a horror novel, in her opinion. An impossibility made reality.

He and Miss Cheerilee were sitting at one of the bakery's tables-they were the only occupants, strangely enough-a milkshake sitting on the table between them. They were constantly pushing it back and forth between each other, 'No you''s exchanged with every push.

"E-Emerald?" Miss Light stammered, staring wide-eyed at the scene before them, "Wh-what are you doing?"

Emerald didn't so much as glance at her. Miss Light swallowed and stepped forward,

"E-Emerald?" she asked again, voice wavering. She leaned forward, bringing herself only a scant few inches away from his face, carefully staring at him, as if looking for something. He didn't so much as glance at her, his eyes steadfastly focused on Miss Cheerilee's.

Miss Light reached out with a hoof, gently cupping his chin. She froze for a moment, but when he didn't react, she began pulling, twisting his head to the side.

"Em-?" she was cut off by a quick hoof to the chest, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her to the ground.

"Miss Light!" Whisper shouted, rushing forward. Miss Light clutched at her chest for a moment, coughing, but she waved Whisper off,

"I-it's okay, Wisp," she coughed, getting to her hooves shakily. Despite her words, she was staring at Emerald as though seeing him for the first time. She swallowed, a shaky hoof reaching up to brush against the spot he'd struck. Her jaw clenched, her legs stiffened, and her eyes-watered. Her breathing started picking up suddenly, before she forcefully calmed it down, shaking her head.

Whisper watched, worriedly, as Miss Light mumbled to herself, eyes darting around the room frantically. She was just about to reach a hoof out when the bell above the door rang.

They walked into the bakery, nervously. She could see the book they'd borrowed from Miss Light resting on Sweetie Belle's back.

"You!" she snarled, stomping towards them, "You did this!" she snapped, pointing at the poisoned duo, "You are gonna help us fix this, or so help me I'll-!"

"Wisp!" Miss Light said sharply, cutting off her threat. Whisper spun around, staring angrily at the older pony, who remained unfazed, her gaze locked onto the three trembling fillies, "Did... did you girls give these two the love poison?" she asked calmly, completely ignoring Whisper's death glare at this point. The three of them shared a glance and, for a moment, Whisper thought they'd try to deny it.

Fortunately-or unfortunately in Whisper's case, as she really wanted to hit something-they had enough sense to nod.

"Yeah, we just wanted to give Miss Cheerilee a good Hearts and Hooves Day," Sweetie Belle said, "She's a really nice pony who deserves a special somepony!" she defended. Miss Light's lips thinned, nearly turning white from how hard they were pressing together,

"Girls," she began, her tone demanding their full attention, "while your reasons might be good, what you did is wrong," she intoned, "You only wanted to help out Cheerilee, I understand, but did any of you think, even for a second, about what she actually wanted?" she asked, eyes narrowing, "And if she did want a special somepony, do you really think she'd want to force someone into loving her, against their will?" she asked.

The three of them were already hanging their heads when she started speaking, but by the end of it they were practically laying on the floor.

"I'm sure you never meant for anything like... that-" she pointed at the two forced-lovebirds, who were now nibbling on a cherry together, "to happen. But not only did you push what you all wanted onto Miss Cheerilee, you also forced someone else into this. Think about how that must feel to these two," she said, turning to look at them, almost shaking, either from worry or rage, Whisper didn't know.

"W-we're sorry Twilight," Applebloom said, only for Miss Light to shake her head,

"Don't apologize to me. You'll apologize to Emerald and Cheerilee when we've snapped them out of it," she said.

"Well..." Sweetie Belle said suddenly, lowering the book into her hooves, "the book says all we have to do is keep them from looking into each other's eyes for an hour, and the curse'll be broken," she supplied. Miss Light nodded,

"That's correct," she said, but frowned, her brows creasing, "It won't be easy though. According to the story, it was only broken when the prince and princess were locked in the dungeon for an hour. We... don't have a dungeon in town," she muttered, "I don't even think Ponyville has a jail, crime is so uncommon..."

"Emerald would prolly break out anyways," Whisper muttered, staring at her cursed elder sibling, "He's done it before."

"Right," Miss Light said, not even looking bothered at the information, before she sighed, "We're... gonna need help with this..."

Whisper watched, with open amusement, as the three fillies responsible were chewed out by their older sisters/role model.

Whisper smiled as every word caused the three of them to flinch, further dropping their heads. Each time one of them tried looking away, they ended up catching her eye, hastily glancing away at the sight of her wicked grin.

She couldn't help it. It was just so wonderful to see these idiots get exactly what they deserved for poisoning her older brother!

"Girls, you can punish the Crusaders later!" Miss Light said, dragging everyone's attention over to her, "First, we need to figure out a way to separate Emerald and Cheerilee for a full, uninterrupted, hour."

After leaving Sugarcube Corner-where Miss Cheerilee and Emerald were still arguing over who should take the first sip of their likely melted milkshake-the five of them-Miss Light, herself, and the Crusaders-gathered the rest of her friends before migrating over to the library, where Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow scolded the three fillies.

"Yer right, Twi," Applejack said, sighing, before throwing her younger sister a sour look, "But don't think yer off the hook jus' yet, Applebloom. Big Mac an' Granny are gonna hear 'bout this," she said, causing Applebloom to pale.

"Indeed," Rarity added, "I'm sure Mother and Father would want to hear about this as well. We'll discuss your punishment when they next visit." Sweetie Belle's white coat hid her paling quite well, but the dilating of her eyes gave away her sudden fear.

"Lucky you, Squirt," Rainbow said, frowning at the cowering pegasus, who spared a confused glance up at her, "I can't exactly punish you, since I'm not family. But I'm sure Emerald, your cousin, would wanna talk to your mom and dad when he's fixed."

"So... what should we do?" Fluttershy asked, looking between the other girls, "I don't think we should... force them apart," she said, "Even if they're under a spell, it just wouldn't feel right..."

"Yeah, Fluttershy's got a point," Rainbow agreed, her face twisting, "Cheerilee's a nice mare, and Emerald's... a friend. I don't think I'd be able to just... hold 'em down against their will, or something."

"Well, if it helps 'em, I don' mind usin' a rope ta keep 'em down," Applejack said, "Though, Emerald could probably jus' burn it, ta be fair."

"We'll have to distract them instead, I'd imagine," Rarity supplied, hoof placed delicately against her chin, "Rather than force them apart, we'll have to get them to willingly part, and simply keep them distracted for the full hour."

"Ooh! I have an idea!" Pinkie chirped, eagerly raising her hoof into the air, "What if we tell them there's a party-?!"

"What exactly would we distract them with?" Miss Light asked, completely ignoring Pinkie, eyes furrowed in thought, "It would have to be something they'd think is important enough to distract from the other. With the poison in affect, that... won't be easy."

"-we could celebrate something really special! Like, like, a birthday! Ooh! Or maybe a birth day! Ooh, how about-?!"

"Maybe we could fake a monster attack?" Rainbow suggested, smirking, "I mean, fighting monsters is pretty important. Emerald would totally go for that!"

"And what's gonna stop Cheerilee from runnin' right after 'im?" Applejack asked.

"You could tie her up?" Fluttershy tried adding, though her voice was lost under Pinkie's ramblings,

"-a funeral! Those are super serious! Or maybe a cutecinera! Ooh, ooh, I know-!"

"What about a wedding?" Sweetie Belle's voice somehow cut through the throng of voices. As one, the six mares turned to her, looking stunned, causing Sweetie to shrink, "I-I mean... they think they love each other, right?" she asked, "So... um... w-wouldn't they really wanna get married?"

"U-uh, yeah!" Scootaloo agreed, "Aren't there, like, those magazines for ponies who wanna get married, and stuff? There's a lotta stuff in those, so..."

"Yeah, don't some weddin's take a super long time ta set up?" Applebloom asked, "Like... they gotta get the dress, an'-an' the rings an'... other stuff..." she trailed off, looking nervous.

"A... wedding?" Rarity repeated, nodding slightly, "Yes... that could work. I could have Cheerilee trying on dresses or Emerald trying suits at the Boutique for quite some time," she said.

"And Cheerilee would need a dress..." Miss Light added, then frowned, "But... he's not a pony, it's possible he doesn't know much about our weddings..." she perked up a bit, "I could try to teach him about them. It might be able to stall him for a few minutes, before he goes for the rings... Though, neither of them are unicorns, so a ring isn't-"

"Ooh! I could help him get the ring!" Pinkie volunteered, cutting her off as she thrust a hoof in the air, "I know tons of stuff about rocks! I could totally keep him busy!"

"Well... I suppose it doesn't matter what he gets, since there won't actually be a wedding..." she muttered, before shaking her head, "Anything else?"

"I might be able ta stall Emerald fer a few minutes if he gets away," Applejack said, smirking, "He might be a mite stronger than me, but I doubt he's ever had a good ol' fashioned bout of Apple Family wrestlin'."

"I can head off and tell the Mayor and that jeweler about this," Rainbow offered, jerking her hoof towards the window, "Probably make this whole thing take longer if they help us stall," she pointed out.

"Good idea, Rainbow," Miss Light said, then turned to everyone, "Alright girls, we've got a plan. We'll all head back to the bakery and convince Cheerilee and Emerald to get m-married," she flushed at the word, but frowned as well, before shaking her head, "After that, Pinkie, Applejack, and I will go with Emerald to stall. Fluttershy and Rarity can head to the Boutique with Cheerilee to keep her busy, while Rainbow goes off to talk to the Mayor and the jeweler-"

"His name is Gem Finder," Rarity suddenly supplied. Miss Light stared at her, causing Rarity to blush, "That... wasn't necessary. My apologies..." she muttered. Miss Light turned back to the group,

"Rainbow will talk to Mayor Mare and Gem Finder-" her teeth ground together in annoyance, but she relaxed, "before heading back to help Rarity and Fluttershy. Does everyone agree?" she asked, earning a round of nods,

"I'll tell ya what yer doin'!" Applejack snapped, causing her little sister to flinch, "You three are gonna head on home an' wait fer us so we can talk 'bout your punishments, that's what yer gonna do!" she said, cutting off any objections,

"As for you, Wisp..." Miss Light began, only to trail off, "well, knowing Emerald, I'm sure he wouldn't mind you helping us..." she muttered, before sighing, rubbing the back of her head, "Why don't you... check up on us?" she offered, "Make sure everything's going according to plan and keeping on schedule, that kind of thing," she said. Whisper frowned, but eventually nodded,

Walking into a room, only to find her brother-normally calm, cool, collected, and speaking in a perfectly normal voice-engaging in vomit-inducing baby-talk with her teacher.

They were still sitting at that table, though the milkshake was found laying on the ground about two feet away. With it gone, the two of them were just... staring at each other. It was, frankly, kinda creepy.

"Over an hour," Mr. Cake deadpanned, his face pressed against the counter. He lifted his head, causing a sound not unlike tearing velcro, "Nothing I've done has fixed this," he added, staring at them with dead eyes, "Honestly, if I wasn't so sure something was wrong, I'd've thought they were on their honeymoon."

"Don't worry, Mr. Cake!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing forward, "They're just acting all funny 'cause they drank a love potion!"

"Poison, Pinkie," Miss Light interjected, "A love poison, not a love potion."

"They'll be fine," Applejack reassured him, smiling faintly, "Long as we can get 'em away from each other fer an hour, at least."

"Like this," Miss Light said, before boldly walking over to their table, plastering a painfully fake smile that they were sure to miss in their current state, "Wow! The two of you seem to be doing great!" she said. Miss Cheerilee smiled, leaning,

"I have a special somepony!" she gushed dreamily, eyes practically twinkling. Even from here, Whisper managed to spot a faint pinkish-purple glow coming from her eyes as she spoke.

"And I have a very special somepony!" he gushed in return, leaning forward to rub his nose against hers.

Whisper swallowed slightly as she watched Miss Light's face contort at the display, her horn emitting very ominous looking sparks.

"Gee!" she spoke through clenched teeth, "With the way you two are acting, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up getting married!"

Like a cannon firing, the word seemed to trigger something in the duo's head, both going ramrod straight in their chairs,

""Married?!"" they chorused, before sighing and leaning forward once more, placing their heads in their hooves, sighing dreamily, ""Married...""

"Of course," she continued, her magic enveloping Emerald as she dragged him away, while Rarity's did the same to Miss Cheerilee, "if the two of you are going to get married, I'm sure Emerald will need to learn more about how we Equestrians do it," she said, turning to look at the frantically struggling stallion, his hooves reaching out towards Miss Cheerilee, who was doing the same, "You want to learn about the right rings and flowers to get, like a good husband-" the word was spat venomously, "... don't you?" she asked.

"And, of course, the bride will have to have the most marvelous dress imaginable, no?" Rarity asked, her voice straining slightly as she focused on restraining the struggling Cheerilee.

Similar to the earlier words, it seemed what Miss Light and Rarity said triggered something in their poison-addled minds, both individuals going still.

With renewed vigor, both individuals started struggling, but their focus was no longer directed at the other. Miss Light sighed, pushing through the door with her temporary charge, Rarity and hers not far behind.

-----

Whisper grunted, pounding one of her hooves into the back of Emerald's head as his attention wavered, bringing it back to the lesson he was semi-unwillingly taking part in.

"Pay attention, Emerald," Miss Light said airily, tapping her blackboard with the ruler she held in her magic, "The sooner you learn this, the sooner you'll be out getting your shmoopie, huggle bunny-" she grimaced, as if the words physically hurt to speak, "that ring."

She, Miss Light-dragging Emerald along-Applejack, and Pinkie Pie made it to the library, where she set up a stool for Emerald to sit on, and a blackboard for her to write on. For some reason, Miss Light had placed a pair of square glasses on her nose and tied her mane into a bun. Whisper didn't know why, but if it helped her get into character and stall him longer, then it was fine.

Though, when Miss Light had taken her place by the blackboard and stared at Emerald, who had gotten into his seat, her face had turned bright red, and a dollop of blood had leaked from her nose.

While she was dealing with... whatever that had been, Applejack took her position, standing by the door in case Emerald made a break for it, while Pinkie was... not in the room, for some reason.

Whisper looked around, but was unable to spot the pink pony after a minute. Eventually she just pushed the thought to the side.

Miss Light smacked the board with her ruler, where 'COMMON WEDDING KNOWLEDGE' was written, snapping both hers and Emerald's attention back to the board.

"Now-" she growled, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Equestrian weddings are often large affairs where friends and family of both the bride and groom attend. The ceremony itself is usually hosted by an ordained minister, though for smaller towns like Ponyville, the Mayor is usually the one to do so. There have been times, however, where Princess Celestia herself has performed the ceremony. It is a... well known secret that she likes weddings," Miss Light admitted, turning a faint red, "..." she cleared her throat, "S-sometime during the event, most weddings have entertainment planned for the guests, along with food and drinks being provided for all. It could be a band, or games, or something similar-"

Miss Light stared at him, the ruler making not-very-good cracking sounds as it bent in her grasp. She smacked it against the board,

"... The ring, or other piece of jewelry since rings are more of a unicorn tradition, are presented to your significant other, accompanied by asking for their hoof in marriage. Presenting the ring, or whatever, is most often done in a romantic setting, whether that be alone or in public does not matter. As I was-"

"As I was saying-" she snarled, causing him to go silent, "... As I was saying, most weddings have pre-planned entertainment for the guests, as well as food and drink. These all normally follow a set theme the wedding has, though one is not required. These all may be influenced by the venue chosen to have the wedding in. Choosing the venue is a process that takes some time, and is important for many reasons-"

Whisper tuned Miss Light out at this point, her attention now thoroughly rotten and dried up.

She hopped from her little stool where she'd monitored Emerald, and walked over to Applejack,

"I'm gonna go check on Rarity an' Fluttershy," she said. Applejack tipped her hat to her, stepping aside,

White wedding dresses of varying styles, patterns, and complexity were littering the floor of the Boutique, or were tossed haphazardly over various bits of furniture, and, in one case, stuffed into the cushions of the couch.

Rarity was standing over by a large changing curtain-where Whisper could faintly see Miss Cheerilee's outline frantically shifting about-holding several more dresses in her magic, a strained smile on her face.

"Oh, well, yes," Fluttershy said, appearing through a nearby door, pushing a rack filled with more dresses into the room, "Well... sort of..." she amended, glancing around at all the strewn about dresses.

"I've had my fair share of brides coming through here-" Rarity said as she approached them, speaking low enough so that Miss Cheerilee couldn't hear, "but very few of them have ever been this... picky," she grimaced slightly, "Not that there's anything wrong with a mare being picky about her wedding dress, it is a very special occasion after all, but most brides have found and decided on a dress before the thirtieth one!" she almost snapped, but reigned in her temper admirably.

"Now Rarity, we want Cheerilee to be picky," Fluttershy gently reminded her. Rarity nodded, but still looked somewhat put out,

"I know, darling, but I can't help but feel a tad insulted," she said, turning to glance at the poisoned pony, who, even now, was still tossing dresses aside, "Nearly fifty dresses in less than thirty minutes, and she hasn't liked one of them!"

"Okay, the mayor and jeweler are in," Rainbow Dash announced, waltzing in the room, "So, what'd I miss?" she asked, glancing around.

"Oh, nothing much really," Rarity said, sarcastically, "Just the desecration of my entire wedding inventory."

"You have an entire wedding inventory?" Rainbow asked. Rarity only tilted her head,

"... Somehow, I'm not surprised," Rainbow muttered, rubbing one of her eyes, "So, what's the plan?" she asked.

"Yeah, what is the plan?" Whisper agreed, frowning, "Unless you have several hundred more wedding dresses, then you can't keep Miss Cheerilee here. Unless you hold her down with magic, or something." Rarity sighed,

"Yes, that is a rather large problem. I'm afraid this particular rack is my last set," she said, fondly caressing one of the dresses on the rack Fluttershy brought in, before Miss Cheerilee's hoof snatched the rack away from her.

"Why don't ya just offer to make a custom dress, then?" Rainbow suggested, watching Miss Cheerilee tear through the dresses, eyeing her like a rabid animal, "I mean, when you were making my, uh... you know..." she trailed off, looking uncomfortable, "Y-yeah, when you were making that thing, I had to stick around for several hours to tell you what to do. You only need to stall for less than one at this point."

"Rainbow's right! You could ask Cheerilee to model her own dress. She won't be able to leave while you do that!" she gushed. Rarity hummed, rubbing her chin with a hoof,

"Hmm... yes, that would certainly take up quite a bit of time..." she then grimaced, "But however shall I get her to stay still for it?" she asked.

"I... appreciate the suggestions, but perhaps something else?" she asked. Rainbow shrugged,

"Fluttershy's idea might work," Whisper said, "Miss Cheerilee might be actin' crazy, but if ya phrase it right she'd prob'ly do just 'bout anythin' if it meant gettin' to her 'wedding' faster," she pointed out. Rarity sighed, bit nodded,

"Yes, I suppose that is true..." she muttered, looking thoughtful, but traces of doubt still remained, "Even so, I'm not sure-"

Her words were cut off when a small pile of white fabric suddenly landed on her head, falling to the ground and hanging from her horn.

"I need the perfect dress for my schmoopie-poo!" Miss Cheerilee announced, looking around the room worriedly, her eyes alight with panic.

Contrary to Miss Cheerilee's eyes, Rarity's eyes were now burning with something much darker than Whisper thought was possible for her. Her head lifted, the wedding dresses hanging off her horn and muzzle slipping to the ground.

"Oh, Cheerilee!~" she sang, her voice sickeningly sweet, "How about I make a very special dress for you?~" Miss Cheerilee turned to her, frowning,

"Stand over there," Rarity suddenly ordered, pointing over to a small pedestal in front of some mirrors, "Now."

Likely sensing the dark undertones in her voice, Miss Cheerilee obediently walked over to the stand, while needles, thread, and white fabric came to life, swirling through the air around her as Rarity walked over.

"Now-" she began, snaking a measuring tape around Miss Cheerilee's stomach, pulling it taunt enough to earn a grunt from the teacher, "we'll have to take your measurements, first, before we move onto anything else," she said, as the measuring tape started contorting around Miss Cheerilee's body, occasionally snapping against her body thanks to how fast it was moving.

"Ow. Ow. Ow! Ow!" Miss Cheerilee grunted. Rarity smiled, pulling the measuring tape away, holding up the threaded needle and fabric,

"Excellent!" she gushed, carefully placing the fabric against Miss Cheerilee, before not-too-carefully jabbing her with the needle.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry, darling," Rarity apologized, smiling faintly, "I'm simply so excited for yours and Emerald's wedding that I'm positively shaking! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up nicking you a few more times after this..."

"Yeesh, remind me to never tick her off," Rainbow muttered, wincing along with every one of Miss Cheerilee's pained yelps.

"Yeah..." Whisper muttered, carefully taking steps backward until she was near the door, "I'm just gonna... goooo..." she said, slipping out the door.

She carefully made her way down the street, trying very hard not to think about Rarity's vindictive tort-er-quality service.

Whisper sighed, her mind frantically going over their plan. Separating Miss Cheerilee and Emerald had been easier than expected, and the trip to the library and Boutique had taken, roughly, five minutes. Miss Light had taken a further eight minutes to both get into character and begin her 'lesson' with Emerald reluctantly listening in. The trip over to the Boutique hadn't taken long, maybe three minutes, and the small talk and planning session she'd had there took several more minutes.

That meant they'd managed to keep the two of them apart for roughly twenty minutes as of right now.

"Hey, Wisp!" the familiar accented voice of Applejack called, prompting Whisper to look around. It took her a moment, but she eventually spotted the farm mare standing in front of, what was obviously, the town jeweler's shop, "Good timin', we jus' got here," she added, gesturing for her to follow.

Following the older pony's lead, Whisper rushed over to the shop-idly glancing at the sign, which read 'Gem Finder's Jewels and Appraisals'-before slipping inside, followed by Applejack.

What she found inside was about what she was expecting. Pinkie Pie was animatedly talking to Emerald about whatever gem she was holding, either unaware or uncaring of how intensely his gaze was locked onto the red jewel in her hooves .

Miss Light was standing off to the side, staring at Pinkie as though seeing her for the first time.

"Uh... Miss Light?" she called, cautiously taking a few steps towards her. Miss Light blinked, then shook her head,

"Oh, uh, hey Wisp," she said, still sounding dazed as she turned to her, "Um..." she shook her head again, more vigorously, "How are the others doing with Cheerilee?" she asked.

"They're doin' fine. Rarity's gonna make Miss Cheerilee a custom dress to keep her occupied," she said, choosing to omit the designer's sudden cruelty. Miss Light nodded,

"That's good," she said, sighing, "Everything's going according to plan, then." Whisper nodded, but frowned when she noticed Miss Light's attention slowly return to Pinkie and Emerald.

"Everything's fine, Wisp," she said, frowning, "I just..." she licked her lips, "I know Pinkie said she knew a lot about rocks and gems but... I wasn't expecting this," she said, gesturing over at them.

"-scratched pretty easily, so you don't wanna wear it all the time! Oooh, is that moonstone?!"

"I would've expected this kind of knowledge to come from Rarity," Miss Light said, sounding exasperated, almost, "but not Pinkie."

"She's jus' full'o surprises," Applejack said, chuckling, before she shook her head, "But this'un ain't too bad. She werked on a rock farm 'er entire life, 'member? 'Course she'd know all this!"

"I know," Miss Light said, grimacing, "it's just... hard to imagine a pony like Pinkie working on a farm. I just can't help but think she was born with cookie trays and baking sheets in hoof, instead of rocks and dirt," she said, smirking faintly. Applejack snorted,

"Jus' goes ta show, there's a lot we still gotta learn 'bout each other," she said, smiling. Miss Light nodded,

"Diamonds are super pretty, but they're kinda brittle, even if they don't really scratch, so you gotta be careful!" Pinkie continued explaining, Gem Finder-at least she assumed the the gray and blue earth stallion behind the counter was Gem Finder-helpfully providing a gem to match whatever it was she was describing.

Whisper listened to Pinkie's strangely educational ramblings for a while, until Gem Finder eventually ran out of jewels for them to look at, and excused himself to go 'check in the back'. While he was doing this, Emerald stayed by the counter, peering through the glass, eyes locking onto each and every piece of jewelry he could see.

"Uh... I'm kinda outta stuff to talk about," she admitted sheepishly. Miss Light just smiled,

"That's fine, Pinkie. That was amazing!" she gushed, staring at Pinkie appreciatively, "I never knew you knew so much about gemology!" Pinkie scoffed, and waved her off,

"Oh please! My big sister Maud knows way more stuff! She's studying to get her rocktorate in geology!" she said, smiling brightly. Miss Light blinked,

"Well, all that talk'o yers managed ta get us another fifteen minutes!" Applejack said, jerking a hoof to point out the window, where the Ponyville Clock Tower could be seen, "Jus' twenty-five left!"

"Awesome!" Whisper chirped, smiling brightly, "Miss Cheerilee an' Big Bro'll be cured in no time!" she said. Miss Light chuckled, gently ruffling her mane,

"That's right! It's the final stretch girls!" she said, turning back to the counter, "Not much longer lef-where'd he go?" she suddenly cut herself off.

Whisper whirled around, eyes raking around the store, only to find no sign of the green stallion.

"Uh oh..." she said, pointing at a small stack of bits on the counter, which just so happened to be placed over an empty pillow where a pair of wedding bands had just been, "I think he bought something..." she muttered.

"Talk 'bout it later!" Applejack snapped, charging for the door, "We gotta catch up ta 'im!"

Once outside, the four of them glanced around, before Pinkie spotted him practically skipping down towards the Boutique, ponies all but scrambling out of his path. Evidently, she wasn't the only one weirded out by it.

"... Right," Miss Light muttered. She came to a stop, suddenly, her horn sparking to life.

Emerald skipped along the road, seeming quite happy, though he let out a surprised grunt when he failed to return to the ground after a particularly strong skip.

Whisper sighed, staring up at her older brother. His eyes were still firmly locked onto the distant Boutique, and his ears soon began twitching as well. Moments later, he began to struggle.

A dreadful feeling started to creep into her chest, though she couldn't figure out why. Until Miss Light started grunting behind her, at least. At that, she spun around.

Beads of sweat were beginning to trail down Miss Light's head. Her eyes were screwed shut, and a wordless grunt was escaping from her clenched teeth. The aura around her horn suddenly flickered, before shorting out with a bright flash,

Whisper's worries weren't over, however, as Emerald landed, kicking up dirt and rocks.

"On it!" the farm-mare responded immediately, already charging towards the stallion. After landing, Emerald had nearly buckled like Miss Light, but he'd managed to recover much faster. Despite that, he was busy rubbing his head, as if to clear a headache. This, combined with the poison, left him open to an attack that, in any other situation, probably wouldn't have worked.

As it was, he was completely blindsided when Applejack rammed into him, taking them both to the ground.

As they hit the ground, a little blue box was sent flying into the air, where it then landed in front of Pinkie. She picked it up and opened it, gasping,

"I've got the rings!" she shouted, holding them into the air like a prize pulled from a chest,

"Run, Pinkie! I don't know how long I c'n-gah!" Applejack grunted as a green elbow struck her jaw,

"No!" Emerald shouted, leaping away, only for Applejack to lunge and grapple his back legs, sending him back to the ground, "Those are my huggle-snuggle-bun-eeh!" he was cut off, somewhat, when Applejack jumped forward, slamming onto his back.

"Pinkie!" she shouted again. The party mare nodded, gave a salute, before rushing off in the direction opposite the Boutique.

"Are you alright?" she asked, using her head to help the older unicorn to her hooves. Miss Light grunted, rubbing the spot just beneath her horn,

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Wisp," she said, wincing as her horn flickered, but produced nothing other than sparks, "My magic just overloaded. He's... stronger than I thought," she muttered, glancing over at the wrestling duo. Whisper nodded, doing the same.

She turned just in time to hear Emerald's growl, before Applejack was suddenly launched into the air,

As Applejack fell, Emerald jumped back to his hooves, staring off in the direction Pinkie went. He glanced backward, towards the Boutique, then back again. After a moment of what seemed to be intense deliberation, he growled and ran off after Pinkie's still retreating form.

"She'll be fine," Miss Light said, staring after them, "She managed to keep up with Rainbow while we set up her surprise party last year. She should be able to keep away from him for a while."

"I sure hope so," Applejack muttered, rubbing a spot on her head while casting her gaze around, "Where's mah hat?"

"Maybe we should go see how the others are doin'?" Whisper suggested, ignoring Applejack's grumbling as she looked around. Miss Light nodded,

"Right. Pinkie will be fine playing keep away for, what?" she glanced over at a nearby clock, "Fifteen minutes? That should be fine. Let's go."

When the three of them got to the Carousel Boutique, everything seemed perfectly normal.

Yes, the windows were shut, and the curtains pulled tighter than usual, and, sure, the sounds of struggling from within were a little off-putting, but, aside from that, perfectly normal.

Miss Light and Applejack spared a nervous glance at each other as Whisper strode forward, not even bothering to knock as she pushed through the door.

The inside of the Boutique was, somehow, even messier than when she left earlier. She openly gawked at the sight. Large strips of fabric, bits of furniture, and even several shards of a broken mirror were laying, scattered across the floor.

"Oh, hello Whisper. Is everything going well with Emerald?" Rarity's voice calmly asked from her right. Whisper turned, eyes bugging out and jaw dropping at what greeted them.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were all huddled up, backs against a large pile of furniture. Chairs, couches, ponyquinns-was that her bed?!-and even a large table, were all pressed against a door which, judging by the occasional jolt, kept a frantic Miss Cheerilee at bay.

"Now now, a young lady such as yourself should not debase herself with such a display," Rarity gently scolded, as if she wasn't holding back a demented earth pony with a pile containing what might be every piece of furniture in her house.

"Is everything alr-oh my goodness!" Miss Light gasped, walking inside from behind her,

"What's wroo-oooohhhh..." Applejack trailed off, peeking inside, "... How long ya'll been holdin' her back like that?"

"Ten minutes," Rainbow growled, a jolt of the pile causing her to lose her balance.

"Did you lock him in a room like we did?" Rainbow asked, smirking. Miss Light chuckled nervously,

"WHAT?!" Rarity shrieked, startling the entire room. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. She coughed into a hoof, "Ahem, I mean... what?"

"He ran off when we looked away fer a second. He, er... he bought the weddin' bands an' ran off," Applejack began with a sigh, "We managed ta get the bands away from 'im, an' Pinkie's runnin' 'round with 'im hot on 'er tail."

"What happened to the custom dress?" Whisper asked when they lapsed into silence. Rarity grimaced,

"Cheerilee didn't like it," Rainbow said, snickering under her breath, "Practically ripped the thing off trying to run away!" Miss Light's brow furrowed,

"Why, I'm perfectly dandy!" Rarity somehow growled with a smile, "I'm not at all incensed at the fact that not only were every single one of my dresses discarded like trash, but that even my most heartfelt attempt at a special, custom order was ripped to shreds like common parchment!" she snapped, breathing heavily. She forcibly calmed her breathing, and gave them a pretty smile, "Why do you ask, dear?"

"Um, how long do we have left?" Fluttershy asked, "I, uh, I'm not really comfortable keeping Cheerilee trapped like this for too much longer," she admitted. Rarity nodded,

"Well, by now we've got a bit under ten minutes 'til that poison wears off," Applejack said, glancing out the window, "Pinkie's prolly gettin' tired by now. I wouldn't be surprised if she was on 'er way back 'ere by now."

"Applejack's right," Miss Light began, holding a hoof to her chin, "We need to figure out a way to keep Emerald in one place for the remainder of the poison's effects. Preferably before Pinkie gets back here with Emerald in tow."

"So, what're we gonna do, Miss Light?" Whisper asked. Miss Light hummed, glancing outside with Applejack. Her eyes raked around the area for a moment, before narrowing,

Whisper tried forcing herself to calm down. It was possible that, contrary to their beliefs, Pinkie was still going strong. She might have decided to bunker down and hide somewhere Emerald couldn't find her, or-

Whisper jumped excitedly when she spotted Pinkie come into view a few seconds later, rushing out from an alleyway not all that far from where she was waiting.

Whisper frowned slightly at Pinkie's haggard appearance. Her mane was even messier than usual, somehow, her coat had some large patches of dirt in spots, and there was an openly panicked look on her face.

"Over here Pinkie!" she shouted, waving her hoof in the air, a sight that caused the mare on the run to brighten, "Follow me!"

With that said, she took off back towards the Boutique, with Pinkie hot on her trail, and Emerald not far off behind her.

She didn't dare look back for fear of seeing him gaining, but she knew he definitely was when Pinkie caught up to her,

They didn't speak after that, both mares far too focused conserving their breath for this last leg of the race.

The Carousel Boutique eventually came into sight, revealing Miss Light standing at the door, where a massive hole was dug into the ground several feet in front of her.

She and Pinkie leapt over the giant hole, where they came crashing to the ground, both ponies sputtering and completely out of breath, Pinkie more-so than Whisper, of course.

Miss Light's magic snatched the little blue box that Pinkie was carrying and held it in the air just above the hole, and just in time for Emerald to rush around the last turn.

"Hey, Emerald!" Miss Light shouted, catching his attention, "Looking for this?!"

His eyes locked immediately onto the box, seemingly not caring for the hole that lie beneath it. Whisper looked up from her spot on the ground just in time to watch Emerald charge towards them, and leap into the air, wings beginning to unfurl as he approached the box-

Only for a well thrown lasso to suddenly snap around him, forcing his wings shut as the box was pulled from his reach.

He yelled as he plummeted, crashing into the hole and sending up a large amount of dirt into the air.

Moments later, a massive crash was heard from inside, coupled with some yelling Whisper recognized as coming from Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.

"Schmoopy-doo!" Emerald called from the hole. The front door of the Boutique was nearly thrown off its hinges when Miss Cheerilee burst through, looking around wildly.

Miss Cheerilee's eyes locked onto the hole behind them, and she began to charge.

"No!" Miss Light shouted, lunging at the poisoned teacher. They collided, and were sent sprawling to the ground.

Whisper stumbled to her hooves, watching as Miss Light and Miss Cheerilee fought. Miss Light kept throwing her hooves out to catch Miss Cheerilee's and keep her from standing, only to be constantly kicked away.

Miss Light managed to grapple Miss Cheerilee's waist, but the love-struck mare's front hooves latched onto the ground, and began dragging her towards the hole.

She crept closer, eyes wide and frantic, the ground crumbling beneath her hooves.

Miss Light was finally thrown off, an almost errant kick from Miss Cheerilee striking her in the jaw and forcing her to let go.

Miss Cheerilee disappeared into the hole, a cloud of dirt being kicked up as she landed, out of their sight.

"Did we... did we do it?" she asked, beginning to creep out of the foliage. Fluttershy appeared in the door, half-carrying a dizzy looking Rainbow on her shoulder. The curtains of one of the windows was suddenly pulled apart, and Rarity appeared, mane haggard, staring daggers at the hole in front of her home.

For a minute, nothing happened, and no one even said anything. Eventually, Pinkie managed to catch her breath enough to drag herself over to the hole, and peer inside.

"H-...ugh... hey you two!" she greeted, obviously exhausted but no less cheerful.

"Pinkie," Emerald's voice suddenly spoke, causing everyone present to straighten in hope, "... why am I in a hole with Wisp's schoolteacher?"

Whisper was practically flooded with relief, sagging onto her flank with a sigh,

"Did we go somewhere?" Emerald asked, climbing out of the hole, before turning and helping Miss Cheerilee do the same, "Seriously, what happened?" he asked.

"I'd like to know as well," Miss Cheerilee added, taking off the wedding veil with a frown, "The last thing I remember is the Crusaders asking us to taste test their punch," she said, looking around, "Though I get the feeling it wasn't punch, was it?"

"Well, it couldn't have been a love potion," Emerald said, sounding confused, "Those aren't strong enough to leave blanks in the victim's memory, like some others do."

"A love 'poison'?" Emerald asked, brow furrowing. Miss Cheerilee, however, perked up,

"Oh! You mean the one from 'The Tale of Hearts and Hooves Day'?" she asked. Emerald blinked,

"It's okay, Big Bro," Whisper said, gently patting his leg, "I was confused too." He scoffed, and ruffled her mane,

"Thanks for the support, Wisp," he said with a smirk, before frowning, "Though, I suppose a poison makes more sense. A potion wouldn't have been that strong." Miss Cheerilee suddenly sighed,

"Oh those girls..." she said, shaking her head, though there was an almost fond smile on her face as she looked up, "I'm afraid, since this was done outside of school, I can't exactly punish the girls apart from giving them a stern talking to. I suppose... I can ask you all to make sure they know how badly this could've hurt somepony?" she asked.

"Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Cheerilee," Applejack said, smirking, "Applebloom is gonna get a right talkin' to back 'ome. An' that's before Granny wakes up."

"Indeed, Sweetie Belle will be getting much the same thing," Rarity added, "I'll have to consult with our parents, of course, but I'm sure we'll find a fitting punishment for her, soon enough."

"I'll have to talk to Scootaloo's parents," Emerald piled on, though he paused, "... I don't suppose you'll be willing to help me with that, Rainbow." Rainbow blinked, and glanced around, before pointing at herself,

"Duh. Who else?" he asked, "You've known the Half-pint longer than I have," he said, then grimaced, "Plus you actually know what happened. I can't exactly give my input on her punishment if I don't even know what this whole... 'love poison' thing did."

"Ahh.... I think I'll just ask Wisp for that," Emerald said, glancing back down at her, "So, whaddya say, Wisp? Why don't we go grab Glim and you can tell us about what happened to me today over at Sugarcube Corner?" he said, before looking up, "You can come along with us if you'd like, Cheerilee," he offered, turning to his fellow victim.

"That's sounds nice. I'll have to take you up on that offer, Emerald. I'm pretty curious myself!"

"I actually fucking said that?" he asked, one eye peering over at her, begging her to say otherwise.

"Yep!" she said, taking a long sip from her milkshake, stifling a snort when he groaned again.

Like he'd said, the three of them-herself, Emerald, and Miss Cheerilee-had hunted down Starlight before migrating over to Sugarcube Corner, where, much to their surprised, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were loudly celebrating the return of their senses, and, like herself, were more than happy to fill them in on all the little details of their poisoned shenanigans.

"Goodness that is... certainly embarrassing," Miss Cheerilee agreed, her face several shades darker than it usually was.

"I wish I could've seen that!" Starlight laughed, clapping her hooves together, "Hehe, I-I can't even imagine the looks on everyone's faces when they saw you acting like that! Ahahahaha!"

"Well, at least it's over," Miss Cheerilee offered, "And, a part from some stories we're likely to hear, we at least don't actually remember it." Emerald made a noise, and finally rose,

"I... suppose that's true. Plus only a small portion of the town actually witnessed anything... though, stories are likely to spread..." he muttered, then slammed his head back down onto the counter, "Can I just... go back to the days where I didn't care about anyone's opinion of me?" he asked,

"Nope!" Whisper answered cheerfully, "I like it here, so I don't wanna go back!"

"Same here," Starlight tacked on to that. Miss Cheerilee giggled, drawing their collective attention,

"What's so funny, Miss Cheerilee?" she asked. Miss Cheerilee shook her head, smiling,

"Oh nothing," she waved her off, only to fold a few seconds later under their combined stare. She sighed, "It's just... well, I'm glad to say that I was wrong to be worried, is all."

"Just something every teacher worries about every now and again. Nothing too important," she said,

"Well, if it isn't important, you should be able to tell us," Starlight pointed out. Miss Cheerilee bit her lip,

"Well... I suppose I was rather worried about Wisp's home-life. She's a very smart filly and, for the longest while, she wasn't making any friends. She was astonishingly mature as well, often showing me a level of maturity I'd never seen in anypony her age," she began, her eyes losing focus, as if she was staring at something they couldn't see, "That kind of behavior can be worrisome, especially in such young foals. She started making friends, particularly with Dinky and Peppermint, but I still worried," her eyes refocused, and she turned to Emerald with a smile, "I just realized I have nothing to worry about. Wisp is clearly a happy, cared for, and loved little filly, who is simply a bit more mature than I'm used too. I'm... aware that some rather foul things happened to you in the past, due to your records that I received from Canterlot when you transferred, but I don't know any details. I suppose it never really occurred to me that you'd be so mature because of them."

"I was raised like this," she said, glancing at Emerald, "'Sides, I wanna be in the Guard someday," she said, causing Starlight to gasp and Emerald's eyes to widen, "I can't be playin' 'round all the time, else I'll never get in!"

"Whaddya think my Nightmare Night costume was for?!" she snapped, puffing up her cheeks,

"Being cute," he snarked in return. She glared at him while Starlight snickered,

"'Fraid not," Emerald said, "I had to head up to Canterlot, before Luna dragged me back to Ponyville, where I had to deal with... Pinkie, frankly." Starlight gave an overly-dramatic sigh,

"Shaaaaaame!" she said, before frowning, "How are you two feeling, by the way?" she asked, eyes darting between Emerald and Miss Cheerilee, "We kinda glossed over that during the story, but are you two alright? I can't imagine it feels good knowing you were, pretty much, brainwashed into liking someone."

Emerald stiffened at those words, eyes glazing over for an instant, before he shook his head,

"Yeah... it's... not the best feeling," he said, lowering his voice, eyes glazing over, as though he was lost in thought, "But it's gone now... like it was never there..."

"It's definitely not something I'd like to do again," Miss Cheerilee added, frowning, "But, I... suppose it was nice, in a way."

Three heads snapped to look at her, wide-eyed, while another two popped out of the kitchen window,

"W-well..." she stammered, turning red, "I-it was nice in th-that it, well, it felt real and... well, e-even if it turned out to be fake, it still felt nice to be in love... even if, like I said, it turned out to be fake..." she murmured, shyly touching the tips of her forehooves together.

The sound of magic filled her ears for a moment, completely muffling whatever it was that her elder brother said. She frowned, and turned to the cause, only to blink at the convulsing form of her older sister.

The sound disappeared after a moment, replaced by Starlight's uncontrolled laughter, Miss Cheerilee's embarrassed sputtering, and Mrs. Cake's scolding.

She stared for a moment, before smiling up at Emerald, who was snickering quietly, completely ignoring the scolding.

The Champion of Harmony

by Voxum

Whisper's Between a Hoof and a Heart Place