This was the first day the ponies would be meeting at the feast table in Restaurant Row. Twilight had suggested when they were allowed to eat that they should all meet there every morning. Everypony was happy to agree to that thought; it definitely wasn't a bad idea. They could catch up, get to know eachother better, and share useful information that they've found. When Starlight finally arrived, every pony was chatting away, and there was a bit of food on the table.
"Hey Starlight!" Twilight waved her hoof in greeting. Starlight silently waved back. "Pinkie and Cheese are in the kitchen of the restaurant. They're making personalized breakfast for everypony. Since you're up, you should go tell them what you want."
"Alright, will do," Starlight said with a forced smile. She walked away from the table, letting Twilight point her inside one of the buildings off to the side. She walked inside, and heard the excited voices of the two ponies in question as they baked together.
"So I told her that we should use salt in the recipe because it would make the chocolate taste stronger," Pinkie was telling Cheese a story as she flipped pancakes on the stove. "And then we needed sugar because it was dark chocolate and we didn't want it to be entirely bitter. But the worst possible thing happened; she switched them! She didn't know which container was which, and we ended up using salt where there should've been sugar, and sugar where there should've been salt!"
"Eww!" Cheese stuck his tongue out and laughed. "I can't imagine what salty cupcakes tasted like."
"Lemons!" Pinkie giggled and snorted. "They tasted like lemons! We didn't even use lemons in the recipe, it was supposed to be fudgy peanut cupcakes and it tasted like lemon cupcakes!"
"You two sound like you're having fun," Starlight said as she walked into the kitchen.
"Pinkie has been telling me stories all morning!" Cheese laughed.
"We've been having a lot of fun talking to eachother! I said I wanted to make breakfast for everypony because I reeeally love cooking," Pinkie explained. "But then Cheese said he wanted to help because while he was a good party pony, he wasn't really the best cook. I've been teaching him a few this-and-that's here and there, and we've been making breakfast while we talk! Oh! That reminds me, Starlight since you're awake now what do you want to eat?"
"Ah, I don't want anything big, my stomach is still giving out after what happened yesterday," Starlight sheepishly admitted. "Can I just have some eggs? I like mine fried."
"I'll handle that!" Cheese scooted a new carton of eggs over onto the counter beside the stove he was cooking at. "Do you want anything else on it? We've got pepper, bacon bits, cheese, tomatoes, onions, celery--"
"J-just pepper and cheese is fine, thank you," Starlight said nervously before Cheese could list the entire fridge's contents. "I'll just wait outside while you're done. Oh, I want my yolks poppable by the way."
"Can do!" Cheese saluted to the mare. "I'll bring it out once it's done."
"Alright, I'll see you later." Starlight waved to the ponies as she turned and exited the kitchen. She walked back outside and sat down with Twilight since she noticed an empty seat.
"Did you tell them what you wanted?" Twilight asked when Starlight sat down.
"Yeah, they'll bring it out here soon," Starlight replied. "In the mean time, I just have to be patient. Did you order already?"
"Pinkie is cooking me pancakes," Twilight hummed.
"Oh yeah, I saw her flipping pancakes when I went in there," Starlight remembered. "They looked almost done, you should be getting your food soon."
"I hope so, I still haven't fully recovered from not being able to eat for those two days," Twilight admitted and rubbed her stomach. "It feels like my stomach has shrank, and my chest keeps feeling heavy."
"Starving isn't very easy," Starlight sighed. "And with that happened yesterday, I'm sure most ponies are struggling to eat even now."
"We should just be grateful that we can eat at all." Twilight straightened her back and stretched her wings. "Eating what little we can is the better scenario than not wanting to because we feel sick. Our bodies need time to adjust to being able to eat again, so naturally it's not going to accept the food as readily right away."
"Right." Starlight nodded.
"Are you guys waiting for food?" Shining Armor said as he approached, with Feather Bangs following close behind. The two stallions sat across from the mares.
"I just put my order in," Starlight said. "Twilight's has been cooking for a bit now. Pinkie and Cheese are working on customized breakfasts for everypony."
"And some breakfasts are here now!" Cheese said as he emerged from the restaurant carrying two plates. He set down a plate of eggs in front of Starlight, and a stack of pancakes in front of Twilight.
"Thank you, Cheese." Twilight clapped her hooves together and smiled at the stallion.
"Morning to you two as well," Cheese waved hello to Shining and Feather Bangs. "What do you guys want?"
"I dunno, but those pancakes Twi's got look awfully good," Feather Bangs said with a chuckle.
"I'll just have a hayburger," Shining said as he got more comfortable on his seat. "If you wanna put a side dish, feel free."
"I'll tell Pinkie," Cheese said before turning and walking back into the restaurant.
"This place is like a serious restaurant," Feather Bangs laughed. "I can tell those two have had experience doing things like this before."
"Pinkie said in the kitchen that she wanted to make breakfast first," Starlight explained. "Cheese hadn't had much experience in the field, so he asked Pinkie if she could help him out since he wanted to cook too."
"That's sweet." Shining thought for a moment about something. "I remember when we were young, Twily always asked me to help her make breakfast for our parents. She was a real little filly when that was going on, so I had no choice but to help her anyways if I didn't want her burning down half of Canterlot."
"I wasn't that dramatic!" Twilight said through a mouthful of pancakes. She quickly swallowed before she continued. "And it's not like you were any better! You threw away 10 pancakes because you accidentally burned one side and were so insistent on them being perfect! Mom had to go to the store to get more flour because you used it all in your 'failed' attempts!"
"Hey, am I so wrong to do that?" Shining laughed and held his stomach with one hoof. "I wanted things to be perfect, and I was tired of burning my food. Even now, I still find myself throwing away foods that I've cooked a little too long because I'm afraid Cadance won't eat it."
"Cadance isn't the Princess of Perfect, you know." Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she'd help you out if you just asked her. She's a great cook! She always made me breakfast when she was foalsitting me and even she burned her food sometimes."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shining calmed his laughter and sighed happily. "I hope she's doing okay while I'm gone."
"Yeah, me too." Twilight looked down at her plate as she cut another section of her pancakes. "I wonder where the other princesses think I've gone. I hope they aren't too worried."
"Let's try not to dwell on that," Starlight said, trying to bring the mood back up. "We're going to get out of here safely, and put a stop to whatever this game is. At the very least, I want to make sure that no other ponies have to go through the things that we're going through right now."
"Let's make that a promise." Twilight raised her hoof, and Starlight bumped hers against the alicorn's. "No other pony is going to have to suffer like we have. Whatever happens in here doesn't matter, as long as we find our way out in the end. I know more ponies are going to die, but that's why we need to push on."
"Twilight's right." Feather Bangs nodded in agreement. "We can't blame ponies for doing the things they're doing. The killers are just as scared as we are, and it's Philomena's fault we're like this. If we didn't have that first motive, no pony would've died. We would be living in here in peace and harmony for the rest of our lives, at least until we found a way out."
"No pony here is evil," Shining said. "But they aren't innocent either. When ponies die, it's because Philomena made them an offer they couldn't refuse. Rarity didn't want to kill Party Favor either, but if she didn't then more ponies would've died. She isn't evil, she just wanted us to stay alive so that we could get out of here and not suffer a horrible fate."
"I can't blame her," Starlight sighed as she finished one of her eggs. "If I were in her place, I would've done it too. Some pony had to die to be spared from starving to death, and she accepted death because it meant we could live and get out of this place. We have to keep going with what she wanted to. She killed Party Favor for a reason, and she had no choice."
"We need to start looking for ways to get out of this place," Twilight said firmly as she finished her pancakes. "That's what both of them would've wanted. We can't let this game continue any longer than it needs to. Let's make a promise here that we're going to find a way out, even if it's the last thing we do."
"I say we form a group," Shining said and put his hoof on the table facing upwards. "Let's make a promise to ourselves and eachother that we're going to find a way out of this place, and we're never going to kill a pony for any reason. We don't need to feed in to Philomena's wishes or entertain the motives that she gives us."
"I'm on board with that." Twilight put her hoof on Shining's. "I want to be friends with every pony here, I don't want to kill any of them. No matter what Philomena says, I refuse to bend to her will."
"I don't wanna do that either," Feather Bangs said as he put his hoof on Twilight and Shining's. "I don't wanna die, and I don't wanna see ponies die because of me. If I can, I wanna prevent as many deaths as I can, and figure out who did them if they happen."
"Me too," Starlight put her hoof in the stack as well. "The lives of everypony here are at stake at every possible moment. We never know when another pony is going to strike, or when Philomena is going to give us a new motive for murder. Every pony has their own ambitions and that results in a lot of violence. If push comes to shove and ponies start dying, then I want to make sure the culprit is brought to justice for their crime. If it means they have to be executed, then so be it; they knew it would happen the second they thought of murder."
"Everypony is in agreement," Shining said. "Let's promise to do our very best, and beat this killing game once and for all!"
"Should we have a name for our group?" Feather Bangs laughed. "I can't think of one off the top of my head."
"I know what we can call ourselves," Starlight said with a smile. "Since we're at a school, we can be called the Student Survival Committee. Our purpose is to try and prevent the murders of ponies, and to bring justice to the murderers when they strike."
"I like that." Shining nodded. "It's noble, and it's got a nice ring to it."
"I can't object to that name." Feather Bangs shrugged his shoulders. "Super catchy and straight to the point."
"Alright everypony, Student Survival Committee on three." Twilight adjusted her hoof. "One, two, three."
"Student Survival Committee!" The ponies called as they lifted their hooves out of the pile. Their group was officially established, and they had taken an oath. Their rules were simple, and they were all focused. The group fell into silence again while Starlight and Twilight finished their food. Cheese and Pinkie brought out food for Shining Armor and Feather Bangs when it was ready, and the entire table eventually was cleared of food.
"I gotta admit, those two ponies sure do know how to cook," Shining said after wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"I'll say," Twilight laughed as she patted her stomach. "It was pretty filling. I haven't had fluffy pancakes like that in a while."
"I didn't even ask for much, and I still feel as though I had a full meal," Starlight hummed happily. "I wish I had gotten a drink though."
"There are drinks in one of the restaurants, I'm pretty sure." Twilight got to her hooves. "I think there's a building labelled like a smoothie bar on the other side. Let's go check it out."
Everypony got up from their seats, and walked after Twilight. She lead them into a colourful building on the other side of the table. Inside, the sounds of a blender running could be heard. Rainbow Dash, Double Diamond, and Sunburst were gathered around the machine. Sunburst turned the machine off when it was done, and lifted it with his magic to pour the mix into the glasses of the two ponies. Rainbow Dash happily began drinking her smoothie in full, and Double Diamond took small sips of his.
"Hey everypony," Twilight said as she approached.
"Hi Twilight." Sunburst waved his hoof in greeting. "Do you guys want smoothies too?"
"We didn't get drinks with our food, so we thought we'd come make our own," Starlight explained.
"Let me make my own really quickly and you guys can have the blender." Sunburst used the sink to rinse out what remained of the other drinks he'd made. "I'm not that hungry today, so I'm just making myself a smoothie that has enough nutrients to keep me going."
"I never thought of that," Shining Armor mused. "I forgot that nutrition shakes do exist. When I was in training to become a royal guard in Canterlot, we didn't have enough time to eat. We would usually make nutrition shakes so that we could still feel full and hydrated without skipping a beat and falling behind."
"That's really smart," Starlight said. "Didn't you get tired though? If you had to train non-stop, surely it would've been tiring even if you didn't have those shakes."
"I did, but it was necessary to push forward," Shining said. "Celestia wants only the strongest guards to be able to push through the ranks, that's why Canterlot's guard is one of the strongest military forces in Equestria."
"That and the ruler of the land directly runs it," Twilight giggled. "She mush be pretty harsh on her guards, eh?"
"She could be pretty tough sometimes, but she wasn't forceful," Shining hummed as he remembered his training days. "She knew what she was doing and what she wanted as a ruler."
"I can't imagine what training as a guard is like," Sunburst said as he finished preparing his ingredients for his smoothie. "I've spent my whole life surrounded by books, I don't really get out much. If I was tasked with something as huge as protecting an entire city with my life, I know that I would fail out of the training program on the first day."
The room buzzed to life as Sunburst put his ingredients in the blender and turned it on. He held it down with his magic, making sure that the lid wouldn't fly off and the cup wouldn't be thrown away by the spinning blades. When it was done, he checked the consistency and poured it all out into a glass. It was just enough for him. When he was done and began drinking, Shining responded to him while Twilight took the blender to clean it out herself.
"That's just why you have to train. You never know if you can do something unless you really put your mind to it," Shining explained. "If you had really put your mind to being a guard, there's a big chance that you would've pushed through the program and joined the ranks. I had to do that, and I'm the lead royal guard in Canterlot now."
"That's such a big deal though..." Sunburst shuddered as his nerves temporarily overtook him. "It just sounds like it's a stressful job."
"It is, but it's worth it." Shining patted the stallion on the back to reassure him. "Maybe when we get out of this place, I can show you the ins and outs of being a guard and show you what it's like. You know, if you're interested."
"I don't think I'd be interested enough to join." Sunburst adjusted his glasses and smiled at Shining Armor. "But, at the very least, it would be a learning experience for me. I'm not one to turn down the opportunity to learn something I never knew before."
"I'm sure you'd have a lot of fun, Sunburst." Twilight put the ingredients for her smoothie in the blender and put the top on. "I loved watching Shining train to join the guard when I was young. I really admired him, and if I wasn't on the road to being a scholar at the time, I might've even joined him. There aren't many mares who decide to be guards, so it would've been a nice change."
"Hey Twi, can I have some of that smoothie too?" Starlight asked before the mare could turn on the blender.
"Sure!" Twilight removed the top again, and added a few more ingredients to make enough for Starlight. She turned it on and let it buzz until the mixture was smooth. She poured the mix out into two glasses, and passed Starlight hers. She lifted it with her magic, and took a few quick sips while Sunburst and Shining kept talking.
"I've noticed that a lot of guards lately are pegasi," Double Diamond mused. "In Canterlot there are a lot of unicorns, but in recent years there has been an influx of pegasus guards. Have you noticed that, Shining Armor?"
"Somewhat." Shining shrugged his shoulders. "With the squadron that I lead, there aren't any pegasi. Celestia seems to oversee the sky patrol guards because she can fly too. I don't know who the leader of that squadron is, but I do know I've seen much more flight training recently."
"That might be something to look into once we get out of here too," Sunburst said. "You might even be able to get a few pointers from them to help your squadron in battle against pegasi."
"That's actually a pretty smart idea," Starlight added. "Pegasi would very easily overpower unicorns because of their flight capabilities, but that's also their biggest weakness. It might do good to have the squadrons do practice battles to prepare for future events."
"Man, you ponies are so smart," Shining laughed. "I'll have to suggest that to the princess once we get back. I have no doubts that she'll approve, after all it will just make our army stronger."
The ponies were interrupted as the speakers crackled to life outside.
"Good morning everypony!" Philomena yawned before she kept speaking. "I have a very important announcement! Please report to the main lobby inside the academy immediately for more details! I'll be waiting patiently for you all there!"
"Oh great," Rainbow Dash groaned. "The flaming hairball wants to talk to us. What could she possibly want from us this time?"
"We'll have to go see what she wants," Shining sighed. "You ponies can go on ahead. I'm going to make a quick smoothie for Feather Bangs and I, then we'll be right there."
"Be quick," Twilight said. "She did say immediately." She took the empty glasses on the counter and put them in the sink before she ran outside. The other ponies followed along after her. Starlight walked out after them, but looked back to see what the others were doing. She flinched as the blender buzzed back to life before she ran out, and headed to the main lobby. She couldn't possibly imagine what Philomena wanted from them, but the only way to find out was to go there. She hoped nothing bad had happened, and she really hoped that they weren't going to be pushed for murder for the second time...