“So, what is the mean?” the teacher asked.
While all the other classmates were scribbling ferociously on the paper, trying to do the math, Dazzle’s hoof shot straight up.
“Dazzle?” Ms. Paprika asked.
“It’s five.” Dazzle replied. “It just so happens that seventy three is the variance, making eight point five something the standard deviation, but that just an approximation.”
The teacher looked back at the board. After mouthing through the equations in her head, she smiled. “Well done, Dazzle, I didn’t catch that.” She turned back to the board and started to write more with her mouth. She spit the chalk back out. “What Dazzle just calculated was the standard deviation. We’ll be studying that later.”
Dazzle watched closely. Although Ms. Paprika’s scratchy writing hindered her comprehension, she still blazed through the examples in her worksheet. In the data sets, seven looked like ones, fours looked like nines, and vice versa. She couldn’t blame her teacher though. Ms. Paprika consciously tried to write legibly. She’d probably do better with her horn holding the chalk instead of taking an extra 5-10 minutes writing on the board. However, school policy stated otherwise because they didn’t want anypony contracting Corrosion.
“So, the next one is actually pretty easy.” Ms. Paprika said. “It’s called the mode. It is the number with the most common occurrence.” She looked to the orange filly on the opposite side of the room. “Yes, Babs?”
“I know the Core is insistent that we learn this, but when will we ever use this?” Babs asked.
Dazzle raised her hoof.
“I think Dazzle has an answer.” Ms. Paprika smiled. “Yes, Dazzle?”
“It is useful when taking recordings and finding out probability for business or for experiments.” Dazzle recalled. “That way, you can find your most likely option and take necessary risk.”
“Thank you Dazzle.” Ms. Paprika started going back to the board and writing.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dazzle could see a glare from Babs. Dazzle stuck her out her tongue at Babs.
“Dazzle?” Ms. Paprika asked before Dazzle left the room.
Dazzle popped her head back around the door. “Yes, Ms. Paprika?”
“Thank you again for helping me.” She took a bottle of water and swished it in her mouth. She spit it out in a nearby bucket. “Ugh… never going to get used to that chalk taste.” She turned back to Dazzle. “By the way, how did you do that so quickly?”
“My father taught me.” Dazzle said. “Back in Ponyville, he knew that I would inherit the business someday, so I needed to know how to do statistics quickly.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Ms. Paprika tapped on the door of her filing cabinet. “Cheerilee had it recorded that your father’s Mr. Rich. That explains a lot actually…” She hacked out another wad of spit into the bucket. “Well, go enjoy your lunch. I’m certainly not going to enjoy mine.” She chuckled.
Dazzle smiled as she picked up her lunch sack and coat. She bounded towards the lunchroom. Who knew her father’s overbearing-ness could come in useful?
As soon as she entered the lunchroom, she trotted towards her usual haunt. She balked.
A group of foals flooded the table. Some sitting, some standing, some sitting on the tabletop, alongside Napoleon and Vertigo. As soon as Napoleon’s eyes met Dazzles, he sprung out of his seat and ran towards Dazzle. Noticing his speedy jog towards Dazzle, the crowd followed close behind him.
“I tried to stop them! Word got out that- Agh!” Napoleon got trampled by a filly.
Dazzle recognized some of these ponies. Some of them she did not.
“Hey, Dazzle, can you help me with Ms. Paprika’s homework?” A filly from her class asked. Dazzle knew her name to be Little Cookie.
Another filly, not from her class, came up to her. She had a lavender coat with a red tail. Cutie mark of a triangle flag from an airfield. “Can you help me too, Dazzle?”
“Woah, woah, one at a time.” Dazzle waved her hooves for everypony to calm down. Although the commotion flustered her, she knew what she had to do first. “I can help you, but I’d appreciate you not stepping on my friend there.” She pointed to Napoleon, who whimpered on the ground as he displayed a couple hoof-prints on his coat.
Some of the fillies and colts blushed as they stepped aside. Dazzle trotted towards the crumpled pile and held out a hoof. “You okay, Napoleon?”
“Yeah,” Napoleon accepted her hoof and stood up. He inspected his coat and shook his head. “Mom is not going to believe this. She’s going to think Underdog got me again.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll tell her together.” Dazzle nudged him. She turned back to the crowd and instructed, “Come to the table. I will help you. Just let Napoleon sit next to me.”
Dazzle’s mouth cramped from the amount of writing she had to do. Not to mention Vertigo kept asking questions about how she did the homework so quickly. She looked at her half-eaten bagel from time to time. Oh, Coco would be so upset. The bagel wasn’t bad, in actually, it was quite delicious. However, if Coco found that Dazzle didn’t eat it, she would stop cooking for a long while, moping over what she did wrong.
“Remember that anything divided by two is either a point five or a whole number.” She pointed to the colt’s arithmetic. She snuck a bite in from her bagel. Oh, the cheesy goodness, crisp and sharp, toasted to perfection.
“Seriously, how do you do this so fast?” Vertigo asked from across the table
“And you’re done!” Dazzle held up a hoof.
“Thank you Dazzle,” The colt brohoofed her. He snatched his paper and trotted away.
“My pleasure, Steel Bit.” Dazzle said before she motioned for the next foal to come up. The next colt had a purple coat with a yellow mane. Kinda reminded her of somepony.
She turned to Vertigo. “Like I told you, it has to do with being able to do speedy multiplication and division in your head.”
“How would I learn th-” Vertigo’s eyes darted to Dazzle’s left, then towards the table. She started to eat her lunch that she neglected since she couldn’t quit chattering.
Strange. Vertigo stopped mid-sentence.
“Bling?” What are YOU doing here?” Napoleon shouted to her right.
Dazzle turned to her friend, who had his book flat against the table, open to a page about a random chemical, ‘Magnesium: highly volatile’ she read. For once in his life, Napoleon had broken free of the book’s captivation. She saw him leaning back and looking directly at the colt.
“Do not mention this to Underdog, or else!” the colt named Bling-Bling growled.
Dazzle turned back to the colt. “Wait… is your mother Marigold?”
“Who’s asking?” Bling-Bling frowned.
“Dazzle Tiara.” Dazzle said. “I’m Coco’s filly.”
His face turned from a scowl to a smile in an instant. “Wait… you are the filly that my mom’s been raving about. She calls you a ‘hoot’ all the time!”
“I don’t know what a ‘hoot’ is, but it sounds good.” Dazzle held out a hoof. “Pleasure to meet you Bling-Bling.”
“Aw, you don’t have to call me twice, one Bling does the trick.” He shook her hoof.
“Dazzle, you don’t want to get tangled up with him.” Napoleon muttered lowly.
Dazzle turned to her friend. “Why not?”
“Because he picks on me all the time...” Napoleon scoffed, “him and his buddies!”
“I don’t mean it…” Bling mumbled. “It’s just a joke…”
“Yeah, pushing me into the snow is a funny joke.” Napoleon scoffed.
“Stop it you two.” Dazzle said. Those phrases unearth memories. For Bling, it matched when Silver Spoon made up an excuse to Cheerilee for teasing the crusaders Bling was just a follower. His tone and mannerisms gave it away. And now, she had the chance to break that cycle.
“I did nothing.” Napoleon said before she could respond. He folded his hooves. “Dazzle, you can’t be my friend and his at the same time.”
Dazzle shivered. she heard that same exact phrase from her mouth- when she threatened to break up with Silver Spoon for not doing what she said. Dazzle found herself in the interesting position. She understood both sides now.
She didn’t want another pony end up as Silver Spoon. Punished for loyalty. Now she had to act quick before the moment passed.
“You two are being idiotic.” Dazzle stated the first thing that came to mind. She made use of the tone her… previous parents taught her. She turned to Napoleon and scowled. “It’s really really mature of you making the threat of cutting off a flourishing relationship because you don’t get along with a friend of a friend.”
Napoleon balked. “Some friend you are!” He scrunched his nose, slammed his book shut, and stomped off towards the courtyard.
Dazzle’s heart broke to see him choose poorly. For a slight second, she doubted her decision, but inside, she felt warm. It was odd since she usually felt empty when she had to take charge. The only time she felt warm inside before was when she rebuilt the playground at Ponyville.
Vertigo’s eyes shifted nervously back and forth, “I’ll… uh… I’ll…”
Dazzle forced herself to speak in a calm voice. “Sorry for scaring you, Vertigo. It’s just I’ve seen this play out before, and I don’t want to choose the wrong way again.” She pointed to the outside doors. “Could you please talk to Napoleon?”
Vertigo took that invitation and surged up out of her seat. “What should I say?” she asked.
“Just… distract him.” Dazzle pointed again.
Vertigo started to flap her wings.
Dazzle turned back to the line. Three foals left.
“Dazzle?” Vertigo asked in a quivering tone.
“Yes?” Dazzle turned to Vertigo, still flapping in midair.
“Can we be still friends?” She asked. Her ears flat against her skull.
“It’s your choice.” Dazzle said. “It’s yours to keep or to give away. Nopony can make you not friends anymore except the other.” Dazzle smiled. “For me to you, I will be your friend.”
Vertigo smiled before she zipped away.
“T-Thank you.” Bling stuttered.
“Oh, you’re not out of the loop yet. I still got a bone to pick with you.” Dazzle smirked. “But, first, I got to know officially, are you my friend?”
Bling nodded.
“Okay, so I am yours too.” Dazzle said.
Bling was hard to teach. He learned from his mistakes- at least mathematically- very slowly. Dazzle kept apologizing to the last two foals in line for the wait. They didn't mind though. They understood she was trying her best to help.
Dazzle looked at the clock. The long hand inched closer to the end of Lunchtime. She looked back to the three ponies in line. “I know I have Ms. Paprika with you and you.” She pointed to two of them. “So, I can help you after class when I’m waiting for Co- I mean, my mom.” She looked at Bling. “Talk with your mom. Convince her that you need to go visit Coco. I can help you then.”
All three of them nodded as they got up and scurried towards class.
The lunchroom slowly emptied. Dazzle took her bagel and chomped down on it, trying to finish it up. She wanted to savor it, but right now, that couldn’t be helped.
Before she could take a bite, she spotted Bling dragging his hooves back to class. Typical. Been there, done that.
“Bling!” Dazzle hollered.
Bling turned back to Dazzle, with a look of worry. “Yeah?”
She smirked. She knew how to deal with this. Just like commanding Silver Spoon. “Get your rump to class!”
Bling’s eyes widened as he bolted with a quicker pace out of the lunchroom.
Dazzle figured she should hurry back. As she did, at long last, she finally enjoyed her gourmet chef Coco’ bagel.
Napoleon wouldn’t speak to her for the rest of class. Well, even more than usual. Any other day, and he would be passing notes about random chemistry facts to Dazzle, smiling and snickering as he did so- sometime Ms. Paprika would catch him red-hoofed, but now, he was just… silent.
That was his problem. Dazzle knew that this was a manipulative gesture she had done in the past to keep Silver Spoon wrapped around her hoof, but it only worked so far, and it was the fact when Silver Spoon showed she didn’t care for her ‘fake friendship, A.K.A. follower’ that kick-started Dazzle’s awakening.
Probably the same story here. She had the chance to go a different route and experiment. Only one way to find out.
“Okay, so that is on your homework, due next week.” Ms. Paprika said as she pulled out another paper. “That is all for class. While we wait, I’ll make some announcements. The science fair is at the end of March, if you want to get in, now is the time to do so. Just recently, there is a vacancy in the school choir since some had to go away on medical leave.” Ms. Paprika turned the page. “Reminder of all unicorns to only use magic when absolutely necessary. The Corrosion has no place in our school.”
The filly and colt before had come up to Dazzle, holding their papers full of math homework eagerly up to Dazzle. Dazzle motioned for one to sit at her desk, and then turned to Napoleon. “Uhm, can Bulk Buster sit at your desk, Napoleon?” She asked.
His eyes darted towards her, then back to the front.
“Please?” Bulk Buster asked.
Napoleon groaned and rolled his eyes. He got out of his seat and then sat at Bulk Buster’s seat towards the front.
“What got his goat?” Bulk asked. “Was it that thing that happened at lunch?”
“Long story.” Dazzle said as an excuse. “Anyways, let’s get started, both of you. We don’t have much time.”
Florin and Montresor came in not long after. They traded the usual conversation with Napoleon, but Napoleon waved them off and asked them, “Can we talk later?”
His parents, of course, knew something was amiss. Without another word, they slipped out the door quickly.
Dazzle got back to the assignment. “Be careful there. The data points are not in order.” She pointed to a row of ten numbers.
“Thank you.” Jade Tail started to place the numbers in ascending order.
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey Sis! I’m finished!” Bulk Buster lifted his paper up for his sibling to see. “You want some help?”
“Sure!” Jade skootched to her brother’s side.
Dazzle smiled as she backed away. So, this is what it felt to have a job well done. Her dad talked about it all the time, but each time she would roll her eyes. One dumb assignment after another. Perhaps she should’ve changed her perspective earlier.
“Dazzle?” Ms. Paprika said, snapping Dazzle out of her daze.
Dazzle looked over to her teacher.
Ms. Paprika gargled a mouthful of water and pointed a hoof towards the door. Marigold and Bling-Bling peeked around the corner of the door.
Dazzle nodded. She tried hard to hold back a laugh since Ms. Paprika looked so funny with puffy cheeks full of water.
Marigold spoke first as soon as Dazzle came up. “I heard a lot about what you did today.” Marigold tousled her son’s hair. “I thank you.”
“It’s not over yet.” Dazzle faked a glare towards Bling. “I still have to teach him a lesson.”
Bling gulped.
Marigold chuckled. “Tough love! I like it!”
“Let me get my pack.” Dazzle rushed back to her desk. She looked up at the fraternal twins and asked. “Will you be fine without me?”
“Yeah, I got it!” Bulk nodded before nudging his sister.
Dazzle hoisted the pack on her flank and proceeded out the door. “We’ll wait for Coco.”
“Sounds good to me!” Marigold said.
As they waited, Dazzle popped the question. “So, you mentioned Underdog. Who is he? Why are you scared of him?”
“Oh, he is one of my only friends.” Bling’s ears drooped. “He was the only pony willing to take me under his wing when I began school here.”
“Little known fact about us, Dazzle, but we actually moved from Los Pegasus about two years ago.” Marigold added. She turned back to her son. “But now you’ve made a new friend, and she’ll keep you out of trouble!”
Dazzle tilted her head. She turned back to Bling “Did your mom tell you where I’m from?”
Bling shook his head.
“She actually came from Ponyville about six months ago, sweetie.” Marigold tousled her son’s feathers. “If anypony would understand having to move, it would be her.”
Suddenly, a filly and a colt came up to him. “Heya Bling! How’s it going! Didn’t see you at lunch!” the filly said.
Dazzle recognized one of them: the scratched-up colt with the raccoon eyes.
Suddenly, the filly, dark magenta coat and dark blue mane, noticed her. “Who is this?”
Marigold’s voice flattened to monotone. “This is Dazzle, Candy.”
Dazzle found wanted to ask Bling about his mother’s sudden mood swing, but before she could say anything, Candy held out a hoof lined from joint to hoof with rubber bracelets.
Dazzle shook her hoof.
The colt turned towards her and then his smile turned into wonder. “Wait! You are the filly riding on Coco’s back!”
“Yep!” Marigold said. “This is Dazzle, Coco’s new filly.”
“Adopted, actually.” Dazzle clarified.
“Oh, gosh, Dazzle.” Marigold slapped her on the back playfully. “No need to be modest.”
“Oh! This is cool! This is cool! Having another foal of a fashionista in our group!” The colt hopped up and down. As he hopped around, Dazzle noticed his flank. No cutie mark. She zipped her mouth shut, as bringing it up now wasn’t exactly the best idea.
Suddenly, Marigold pointed down the hall. “Oh, speaking of which! There is Coco!”
Dazzle looked back and saw Coco weaving through the crowds of fillies, colts, and their parents. Coco waved a hoof, almost tripping in the process.
“Hey Marigold, what are you doing here? I thought you were busy stitching something together!” Coco asked.
The colt and Candy just sat in awe.
“I was, but Bling here needs some tutoring from Dazzle.” Marigold she glared at her son. “If he is going to pass, he needs to bring his grade up. Don’t want to be held back again, now do we?”
Dazzle looked to Bling. His face burned red as a beet. His eyes widened and darted back and forth between ponies. From the looks of it, he was holding his breath.
“Sure then,” Coco itched her foreleg. Dazzle recognized that idiosyncrasy; Coco’s anxious tick.
“Marigold, can you help Coco with her line?” Dazzle asked. “She’s been behind lately.” She winked at Coco.
Coco shook her head and smiled.
“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Marigold glanced behind her. “But we better get a move-on, we a blocking the hallway.”
The colt and Candy shifted to the side to let the flood of ponies go through.
Coco sat on her haunches.
“Not today, if that’s okay.” Dazzle glanced at the colt. She didn’t want to incite any jealousy again.
“Okay.” Coco stood up and walked alongside Marigold.
“Goodbye, Bling!” Candy waved as they walked away.
“Seeya, Candy!” Bling said, waving back.
The colt rushed up to Bling and cupped a hoof to whisper in his ear. Dazzle just so happened to hear it. “Don’t forget about our meetup tomorrow!”
Bling nodded and scuttled off. Dazzle looked back and then galloped towards Bling.
Dazzle raised an eyebrow. “Meetup?”
Bling smiled nervously. “Oh, just something we do. It’s a secret though…” his pupils shrank.
While Coco and Marigold were busy, trading conversations about their projects, Dazzle figured now would be a good time to ask a couple questions. “What is his name?”
“Underdog.” Bling said.
“Oh! So that’s him!” Dazzle realized. She lifted an eyebrow “Why are you so scared of him?”
“Because he has ties to Babs, which has ties to Fancy Gem, the niece of Suri Polomare.” Bling explained.
Dazzle’s jaw dropped. “What? You mean you are affiliated with Babs?”
“Forget I said anything.” Bling quickly answered.
Dazzle was about to scream at him to spill the beans, but she stopped herself. She understood the predicament. She would feel uncomfortable too if anypony pried at her to get Silver Spoon’s secret. As much as she wanted to know what Babs was doing with them, she couldn’t just extort a newfound friend for information. She would have to get that information through another source. She had theories though. From what Napoleon had said, Vertigo’s mannerism in his presence, and also the new information about their ties to Babs, this meetup couldn’t be good.
“Sorry I got you into a pickle.” Dazzle’s ears drooped. “I understand that you need to keep a secret.”
“It’s okay.” He wiped a hoof across the bridge of his nose. “Besides, I want to ask you, why did you choose me over Napoleon?”
“I’m still his friend, as much as he doesn’t want to be right now. He’s just being a dummy right now.” Dazzle facehooved. “Besides… It’s a long story. Let’s just say I had a friend just like you in Ponyville.”
“Can you tell me about him?”
“It’s a she.” Dazzle corrected. “I met her back in first grade…”