INTRO
The bell rang, signaling the end of another day at The School of Friendship, and Professor Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer stood at the doors bidding goodbye to the students as they filed out.
“Have a good weekend every creature.” called Twilight.
“And don’t forget to study for that test on Monday about Family Love.” added Starlight.
With smiling faces and happy expressions, the students all headed for home, while others who resided in their dorms got right down to their studying.
Twilight and Starlight got back to Twilight’s office, where they found Spike exhausted from carrying so many books and piles of test papers all week, and lying flat with his head against the wall.
“Please tell me there are more bundles to carry.” he groaned “This has been one heck of a week.”
The mares couldn’t help but chuckle at him.
Soon, Applejack came to the office. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Nah… we were just listening to Spike complain, and it was just getting good.” joked Starlight.
Spike was not amused, “Very funny!”
Applejack held in a chuckle and came to inform Twilight, “Your delivery’s here at the front doors, they need you to sign for it.”
Twilight grinned, but Spike groaned. “Oh, no…!” knowing fully well what this meant, and before he knew it…
…He was helping carry in boxes of food supplies from the market which Twilight had ordered for the big Family Picnic she was holding the weekend after; as a reward for her students for their outstanding studies in Family Love, appreciation, and all that went with it.
She ordered all kinds of foods to be kept in cold storage, which she and her friends planned to begin preparing little by little.
Puffing and panting, Spike put the last crate down, even though it was small and lightweight. To him, after all the work he had been doing, it felt like it weighed a-hundred pounds.
He heaved a huge sigh. “I am going back to the castle, and taking a nice warm, long bath!!” he bellowed as he stormed off in a grumpy huff.
Twilight and the others felt it best to let him go.
Twilight then signed for the delivery, and asked the delivery pony, “Did your manager get my invitation?”
She head sent an invite to the manager of the market on the school picnic for being so kind and helpful, and even invited him to bring his family along.
To which the delivery guy snuffed, “Yeah, and he also sends you a message back.”
Twilight listened with eagerness, expecting a nice compliment or kind gesture, but the delivery guy unfolded the parchment he was told to read to Twilight from his boss.
“No!”
Twilight and the others were taken back by that response.
“Well, what else did he say?” asked Starlight.
“That’s all it says; “No.” in big, bold letters.”
Applejack looked at the parchment, and was disgusted by such a remark. “Well that ain’t very nice.”
The delivery pony snuffed again, “You’re better off. Ever since his first day, he’s been as crabby as the crab-apples we sell. It’s best not to get involved with him.”
He bid the ponies good day and left.
Twilight stared at the response herself. Normally, any pony or creature would be thrilled to be invited to one of her great events, even if they had no affiliations with the school.
“You’re not going to write him back, are you?” asked Starlight.
Twilight shook her head, “He obviously has his reasons, and I can’t really force him to do something he doesn’t want to.”
“I don’t know…” said Applejack “I can understand respecting wishes, but just saying “No” and brushing you off without any explanation. That sounds mighty strange.”
Twilight was beginning to feel the same way, and thought of at least asking the manager why he refused.
Just as she was about to, a little Earth Pony colt came up to the school.
He was bright yellow in color, with light blue mane, and he had a cutiemark representing a bottle of glue paste. He also wore a pair of rectangular glasses, yet he had a face bluer than wet weekend, and he had definitely been crying.
“Excuse me, Princess Twilight…” he said in a soft and nervous voice.
Twilight immediately recognized him as not one of her students.
“Hello, and who are you?”
The little colt was almost ashamed to look her in the eyes, but he managed and nearly wept as he spoke, “My name’s Sticker “…I need your help, about my Mom and Dad.”
He was obviously too emotional to talk right now, and the three ponies felt he was seriously in trouble.