//------------------------------// // Pip's Night // Story: The Vacation // by Hope Caster //------------------------------// “… A Rarity situation. Oh sweet Faust. Luna I didn’t know. Please, forgive me,” Celestia begged. “Tis fine… Tis just… the boy is not as subtle as Spike is with his feelings towards Rarity. We can only blame ourselves though; we did enter his dreams repeatedly. We just wished to learn about the culture changes… but one night, we found something else waiting for us.” It was two months ago when Luna first realized that Pipsqueak had developed a small crush on her. It was a night like any other. Pip had been helping Luna adjust to the time period, while Luna made sure that every dream he had was a pleasant one. “Greetings, young Pipsqueak,” Luna said as she entered the young colt’s dream, “tis us, Princess Luna… what is this?” Luna saw Pip standing in front of a dinner table with a neatly combed mane. A violin orchestra serenaded the area. In his smiling mouth, Pip held a large bouquet of red roses. ‘Oh Faust, oh please no….’ Luna silently begged. She needed to think of something fast. “Uh…” Luna suddenly gasped loudly. “Oh no, Pip we believe our sister is… um… a becoming a villain! One named… uh… Solar Flare! We must leave this dream post haste to stop her!” Luna vanished without leaving a trace, praying that Pip was naïve enough to believe her. Luckily, he was. Pip dropped his flowers, thinking about how much of a hero Luna was to just rush off to fight her sister. Truly, she was the best princess in the history of ever. He let out a dreamy sigh and turned to the orchestra. “Well gents, time for plan B.” The surrounding area turned into a cave with piles of gold and treasure scattered around. In the center was a stone chest filled with 880 identical gold coins. With his pirate costume encompassing his body, Pipsqueak had been transformed into Captain Pipsqueak, the dreaded pirate of the equestrian sea. Pip quickly turned around and blocked an oncoming sword wielded by the dreaded Grey Hoof the Pirate. The moment the two stepped into the moonlight, they turned into skeletons for reason that only made sense to a young colt. “We haven’t been in his dreams since,” Luna sighed. “How do you know about the parts you weren’t there for?” Luna merely shrugged, “Tis not important. Have thou seen what Pip looks like? If we must describe him, he’s like a puppy and a kitten cuddling in the same bed to stay warm. How art we supposed to crush his dreams!?” “Easy, you avoid him. Look, all foals except the ones Spike brings are banned from entering until next week. Pip goes home Saturday, so unless he finds a way to bypass our security, you will just have to stay in the castle and avoid him like how we avoid Discord and his little spawn when they comes to visit.” Luna wanted to poke at least a few holes in her sister’s logic, but she couldn’t. The Mane Six were nowhere near Canterlot, so there was no chance of Pipsqueak running into any of them causing somepony like Pinkie or Rainbow Dash to help him. As far as she knew, Spike had no real relations with any foals except the ones called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Huh, we guess thou art correct.” Unbeknownst to the princesses, in the confines of hotel room 2411, a plan was being reviewed. “And that gents, is how I will get in the castle, find Luna, confess my feelings for her, and have a nice celebratory dinner!” Pip smiled triumphantly as he laid his plan in front of his friends. “You are taking such a shot in the dark, it’s not even funny,” Rumble said, looking over the plans. “Wait… Dude, why is your plan co-signed by the three craziest fillies in our class? Did you get Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom to help you with this plan? Do you want this to backfire?” “Ah, come off it. The ways I see it, them dames are just stuck with bad luck when they try to get their Cutie Marks, notin’ more.” Pip rolled up his plans and proceeded out the door. “Rumble, Button Mash, it’s been a pleasure servin’ with you,” Pip saluted the two colts and quickly ran out of the room. Cheerilee stopped the colt before he was even a foot away from the door. “No. Whatever you’re trying to do the answer is no.” She had a group of eleven foals to look after; she was not rounding it out into an even twelve. “But Ma’am, I was just goin’ to get food,” Pip lied. “I made a bet with my bunkmates and lost, so it’s my job to get the pizza for tonight… besides, last I checked I have yet to get in trouble so you can’t really hold me down for being good, can you?” “Pip, if I even so much as hear a rumor about you doing something you shouldn’t, you will be with me and the rest of the class taking notes,” Cheerilee warned. “Understood!” Pip said, saluting his teacher. Reluctantly, Cheerilee removed herself from her student's path. Running down the steps, Pip dashed out into the hotel courtyard and bumped into a filly. “Oh, hey Pip!” Looking up, the colt saw a familiar face. The filly was named Dinky, little sister to the famous mail carrier named Ditzy Doo or Derpy as everypony else called her. Dinky was with her friend, Twist, who carried a large bag of ingredients one would use to make candy. She readily helped him up to his hooves and brushed off any dirt that lingered on the colt. "Sorry about that, love, I was just on my way to get something done," Pip explained, getting ready to run again. “Oh, don't worry, I'm fine, I'm good... I love you...." Dinky whispered. "What was that?" "Nothing! So, what’s up?” Dinky chuckled. 'Play it cool, he'll come to you at his own pace,' she told herself. “Oh, me? I'm just gettin’ some Pizza,” he lied. “Wow, so are we!” Dinky declared, not even a second after Pip finished his sentence. “Can you believe this? It’s like we’re tuned in on the same wave length.” “Wait, pizza?” Twist asked, “But I thought we were going to make candy so I could ask-” “Later Twist, be cool!” Dinky begged through a smile. “You know, since we’re all going to get Pizza, and this is a crazy idea, why don’t we all go together? You know Twist on one side of say a booth, you and me on the other side, you know nothing too serious, at all, just you and me… and Twist.” “I… I don’t see why not….” Pip nodded. Damn it, this practically destroyed his entire plan! No, this was just a minor setback. Sure, Dinky and Twist were accompanying him, and maybe Dinky walked a little too close to him, borderline trying to hold his hoof, but this would not stop him, he just needed to think. And think he did. All the way to the nearest Pizza Parlor where he paid for three slices of pizza and sat down with his friends. “So, Pip, any plans for Friday?” Dinky asked. “I know I had them," Twist explained, "but then my friend dragged me away from my room where I keep my candy making supplies.” Dinky only let out a sigh. “Twist, just take him to a bakery or a candy store, and I assure you, if Truffle does not pop the question then and there, he's probably not that into you." "But what if someone like Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle or Diamond Tiara sweep him up before I get a chance to ask him!?" Twist argued. "Twist, I'm pretty sure all three of those fillies have their eyes on somepony else,” Dinky explained. "But back to my question, Pip, what about your plans? Bringing anyone to the dance Friday?” “I haven’t really thought about it.” He was just on a lying streak today. He had thought about it, dreamed about it, and Pinkie even wrote Friend-Fiction about it. It was all part of his plan. He would bring Luna to the dance Friday. They would dance all night, kiss and watch her gorgeous night on a picnic blanket in the castle garden. “Really? No plans? You know, somewhere out there, I bet you anything that there’s a filly, maybe one that has a horn that would just love if you asked her out on a date. Maybe, she's in this very city.” Twist made the executive decision to end the string of 'subtle' hints Dinky was giving Pip and decided to skip to her friend's end game. “… Let me ask, Dinky, what does this filly look like? Does this filly have a name?” “Well, I’m glad you asked that, Twist!” Twist rolled her eyes as Dinky began to describe this ‘mystery’ filly Pipsqueak should ask out. “You see Pip, I'm sure that there is this really cute filly that has a horn, yellow eyes, who’s really talkative, not too talkative, but still pretty talkative. I think her name is-” “Dinky, hey, Dinky!” The voice made Dinky cringe. It couldn’t be him, could it? She prayed that it wasn’t him; she hoped to the Princesses it wasn’t him. Dinky slowly turned her head and squeaked, “Ti-Time Turner, W-what’s up?” She screamed inwardly, cursing the names of the names of any and all princesses. Time Turner was her older sister's boyfriend. He was a good guy for the most part, but he had two major flaws. The first flaw was his nickname for her sister, Ditzy Doo. He constantly called her his little Derp, or Derpy. Thing was, everypony called her Derpy now. She has a name, sure it’s not that much of a step-up from Derpy, but they should still show her some respect! But as bad as the nickname was, there was one flaw that Time Turner had that trumped all other flaws. That flaw was called Doctor Hooves. Doctor Hooves was some T.V. show from Trottingham that Time Turner was obsessed with, probably because he was a clock maker/time keeper/clock repairer. Dinky hated the show more than anything. She found the Doctor to be annoying, the writing and rules of time travel to be sporadic, and the companions… dear Celestia, she hated every single companion. ‘Oh, Doctor, Doctor, save me, Doctor!’ If you’re put in danger on a daily basis, stop hanging around the freaking Doctor! And would it kill anyone to permanently end the giant salt shaker robots? She saw an episode were there were giant guns that blew them up, why not constantly use the guns when the salt shaker robots are sighted? “Nothing much," Time Turner smiled, "I’m just in town for the next three days. There’s somepony with a vintage 1839 Grandfather Clock, really rare, really gorgeous. Truly, truly something to behold… you know besides the upcoming 50th anniversary special of Doctor Hooves. Anyway, it’s on the fritz and hearing of my talents, he hired me to repair it. Fortunately there’s a friend of mine who’s letting me use his shed as a temporary workshop.” Pip saw this as his chance to walk out on his friends, while still leaving them with somepony that would treat them like ladies, “Well, Dinky I see that’s you’re probably going to be busy for a while talking with your… Dad?” “Sister’s boyfriend actually!” Time Turner corrected. “Ah, well then, Dinky, Twist, I’ll get going and leave you two here in the capable hooves of Time Turner!” Dinky lost all color in her face. “No, Pip, don’t leave me here with… him….” It was too late, Pip dashed out of the pizzeria and made his way to the castle. She turned to see Twist still eating her pizza with her hoof on Pip’s pizza box. She turned to Time Turner and gave him a hate filled glare. “I’m going to kill you… I was close to asking him out and you stopped me,” She murmured. “So Time Turner, see any good shows lately?” Twist asked the stallion as she opened Pip's pizza box. “Oh please no,” Dinky begged. “Well there was a new mini-sode of Doctor Hooves; it showed the eighth Doctor regenerating into the War Doctor.” “… I hate you, Time Turner. I hate you with every fiber in my being,” Dinky whispered to herself, as she levitated her pizza to her face and took a bite. As Pip made his way to the castle, he looked up to the sky to see the moon shown with a miraculous glow that seemed to be blessing everything that its light touched. He was amazed by it; even Luna herself was wishing him luck on his quest for love. If Luna thought it was possible for him, then he knew that nothing could go wrong. Luna went all out on the moon and the stars tonight merely to celebrate not encountering Pipsqueak. She was filled with joy for simply not having to smash the young colt’s hopes and dreams. She knew she just had to wait out until a filly he could actually date caught his eye, but until then she would continue to avoid him at all costs. Nothing could go wrong. Two guards stood out in the front of the castle, the cool night air providing them some comfort after they stood in the hot summer sun all morning. They couldn't complain though, as bad as standing outside all day was, it couldn’t beat the view. There was always the occasional mare that would give them the slight roll of the hips or a teasing swish of a tail, it was about the few things that made being a guard worth while, otherwise it would be one of the worst jobs ever. “Is there any reason you can’t stay still, Battle Cry?” "Dude, have you read the reports? Little girls are beating the ever-living crap out of us,” The stallion looked at his comrade with a look that made him seem pitiful. “Skull Crusher can’t even look at oranges without having a mental breakdown, and I hear Quick Jab had to quit because he has severe PTSD and he freaks out when he sees Celestia's crown! Look, I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling that I'm a dead horse!” “Hello gents!” The voice nearly caused Battle Cry jump out of his skin. Three feet away stood a colt whose coat seemed to be spattered with spots of light brown mud. He was shorter than the average colt, and spoke with a Trottingham accent. “Careful, I think he can smell fear,” Sharp Blade said. “Look, kid, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no foals are allowed in the castle until next week.” The guard outstretched his wing to block Pip’s way. “So please, get lost.” “That’s okay, I’m just here to meet Princess Luna,” Pip said with a naïve joy in his voice. They had to give credit when credit was do; he had a burning determination in his eyes, one they could identify with when they were his age. It almost wanted them to let him in… almost. “That’s nice kid, now run along.” Sharp Blade began to push Pip down the stone pavement. “Wait, come on, I be real quick, cross my heart!” Pip pleaded. Seeing that the colt seemed to pose no legitimate threat, Battle Cry grew a backbone. “Look, we have orders from the Princesses, just go back home kid; your parents must be worried sick.” Pip opened his mouth to argue but he was quickly silenced. His plan had failed. It was such a foolproof one too. Step 1 was easy, leave the hotel. Sure, there was a small bump in the road, but Time Turner bailed him out. Step 2 was to enter the castle through the front gates, unhindered. He never expected the guards not to let him in. How could his carefully crafted plan that he made in less than five minutes with the CMC have so many holes!? Pip sadly turned around and walked away, until he was out of sight. Not five minutes later did the guards see him dash towards them. “Oh, wow, he’s coming back…. Let me try something.” Sharp Blade held out his wing and waited for the colt to smash into it. Pip jumped and hit the wing with his shoulder. He didn’t even make a dent in the soft fluffy feathers of the guard’s wing. “Oi, what’s your wing made of, steel!?” “No, it’s made of feathers,” the guard explained. Pip tried to push past the wing but his attempts were futile. Stepping into the shadows, he began to think over his plan. In order to fight the impossible, he had to do the impossible. He lacked a cutie mark, he hung out with Button Mash who was certifiably insane, he had absorbed some of that said insanity, and he had a probably hopeless goal that would somehow workout the way he wanted to. In a way, he was already part of a group that did the impossible. He just had to reach down and summon his inner Cutie Mark Crusader and use all the wit and cunning of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. An alarm blared as three guards ran out into the courtyard. “What happened?!” War Trotter yelled. “A Colt just lit a few bushes on fire, kicked Battle Cry in the nads and screamed Cutie Mark Crusaders: Breaking and Entering-ers!” “Damn it,” War Trotter growled, “Damn it! Ms. Cheerilee told me that there was a third crusader. So, this colt is Sweetie Belle; I knew that sweet innocent filly I met on Monday couldn’t be part of that club of destroyers. Where’s the colt now?” “Inside the castle.” Battle Cry whimpered, as tears streamed down his face. Pip evaded guards anyway he could. They jump and dove for him at various angles, unable to grab him do to his small size. Magical alarms blared across the castle, putting all guards and the princesses on high alert. Spike dashed out of his room, and looked around the hall way only to be met be the sight of Princess Celestia. “Princess, what’s going on?” His answer came in the form of an aura enveloping his body. Spike was tossed back into his room, on his bed as the door slammed shut and locked. “Stay in there!” Celestia demanded. She cocked her head side to side as if she was about to fight. As far as she knew everything was on the line right now. Besides the few known villains, there were still a few that she feared she’d have to face again. For all she knew, Exhaurire was back with a vengeance. She was not losing Spike, her sister, or Twilight in case she showed up! She trotted down the hall following the loud commotion of the guards only to encounter her sister. “Sister, what is happening?” Luna forcefully whispered. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it has enough cunning or power to surpass all of our guards.” They continued together down the hall, following the screams and calls of all the guards to find a single colt, standing in the middle of the hall. “Oi, Princess Luna!” He cried as he hugged the princess’s leg. Luna could only sputter out a few random sounds. Pip was the intruder. Were the guards this worthless that a colt that was able to get this far into the castle? Worst of all, Pip had a look in his eye that made her feel a looming dread. It was only when the young colt was tackled that Luna feel a new emotion, rage. “Finally! You, my friend are in so much trouble!” Sharp Blade shouted pressing his hoof into Pip’s back, forcing his body into the floor. “Guard, release him… now,” Luna sighed. “What?! Tell me you’re kidding!” The guard argued. “We are not,” Luna breathed, “We order thy, let the colt rise.” “But Princess, this prick caused-” “Do not refer to him as that! Whatever Young Pipsqueak did, we pardon him. We will take care of any damages he might have caused. Release the colt, now.” She demanded. “Princess-” “Insolent foal!” Luna shouted using her royal Canterlot voice. The guard released Pip and took a few steps back. Princess Luna’s eye glowed with a powerful white light as lightning seemed to strike the ground. Her wings flapped with a distinct rhythm that propelled her into the air and creating a powerful gust of wind. “We are thy Princess, ruler of the night, Alicorn of the Moon! Do you think it is beyond our power to banish thee to the dark depths of my art’s surface!? Hear me when I say run, run for you have angered us!” The guard didn’t need to be told twice. It took only a moment, but he seemed to vanish without a trace. Luna returned to normal as she descended to the ground. “And as for thou, young Pipsqueak, might we ask why thou has broken into the castle?” ‘Please say it’s to tell us you wish to be friends. For the love of Faust, do not say because I love you’’ She prayed. Celestia’s jaw dropped. This was Pipsqueak? His parents had to have had some type of foresight because he was small. Like really small and insanely cute. Before Pip even attempted to answer, Luna found year leg captured in yet another hug. Pip released her and gave her the widest smile he could muster. “Well since you’re my favorite princess ever, I had to get in here to ask you a question,” Pip declared. “Princess Luna,” Pip began with the naiveté found only in clueless colts, “will you go out with me?” Both princesses fell silent. Pipsqueak actually did it. Without the aid of any of the mane six, he had broken into the castle and asked the one question Luna had been dreading. “Um… Pip, give us on moment, if you’d be so kind.” Celestia pulled Luna into a nearby room. “Thou said he could not get in here!” Luna growled. “Yes, and I’m sorry, but there’s no turning back now… you’re going to have to break it to him.” Celestia cringed. “And how on Faust’s Earth do we do this, Sister!?” Celestia let out a heavy sigh. She had experienced the same dilemma as her sister hundreds of times and it was never easy taking a young colt’s hopes and dreams, and smashing them until there was nothing left. Over the years, she had found ways to ease the pain, but there was no place that was better for dream smashing than a desert place that opened up a few years back. It was a small desert restaurant; one that specialized in timing. They knew of their reputation as being the place to end a relationship or in Luna's case crushing colts’ dreams, so they would deliver the ice cream the second the relationship was terminated or the dreams were crushed. “If that happens, Luna, take Pip here.” Celestia quickly scribbled an address. “He won’t cry, but you’ll still see his heart break.” “We’re sorry?” “If worse comes to worst, you’ll see what I mean.” Celestia forced her sister out of the room, not before wishing her luck on her journey. Luna slowly approached Pip, holding her breath. Each step she took seemed to widen Pip’s smile until it surpassed Pinkie’s biggest grin. Luna finally allowed herself to breath when she uttered the words, “We know a nice place where we can eat.” Luna had taken Pip through the streets of Canterlot, guiding him to the restaurant Sweet Swirls. “Are you serious!?” Pip asked as he stared at the sign. Sweet Swirls was one of the most famous desert restaurants in Equestria. “Are we actually going to eat ice cream for dinner!?” He hopped up and down, praying that her answer was yes. “Of course… a first date should be memorable… don’t you think?” Luna sheepishly asked. “Yeah, but this is ice cream, for dinner!” Pip excitedly went in and managed to get a table for two. Luna reluctantly followed and sat across from the colt, earning sorry glances from the staff. Around the restaurant, Luna saw crying mares, stallions and the occasional colt or filly. They both ordered, Pip getting a Triple Chocolate Fudge Sunday Supreme, and Luna ordering a single scoop of chocolate ice cream. “So Pip, how’s Ponyville? Any fillies catch your eye?” “Only the one in front of me,” He smiled. “Wow… there’s no sense delaying this,” Luna took a deep breath before continuing. “Pip, we need to talk about our relationship.” Pip gasped loudly, thinking he knew where this was going, and his answer would be yes, he would marry her! “Pip, we art an immortal alicorn princess and thou are a colt….” She tried to choke out the rest of the line but was unable to do so. For the longest time, Luna wondered why this situation was one of Rarity’s worst nightmares, but now she knew why. She couldn’t do it, this was the colt she turned to so she might learn to fit in with her subjects. She wanted an out, anything to stop her from doing this. It seemed to come like a gift from Faust... or cruel joke from Discord. The bell to the restaurant rang as the last pony Luna expected to see entered, Blueblood. “Thank Faust, I’m not too late!” Blueblood marched up to the duo and glared at the colt. “Blueblood… What are thou doing here? How did thou know to come here?” “You can thank Celestia for that,” Blueblood explained. (Twenty minutes ago) “She won’t be able to do it,” Celestia said to herself as she watched her sister walk off with a colt that hopped up and down as he traveled beside her. Pip was too cute of a colt, and in all reality, Luna would clam up; her heart was just too big. What Luna needed was somepony with a heart so black, so small that it only had room for its owner. But first she trotted back to Spike’s room and unlocked the door. “Finally!” Spike marched out of his room. “What, the alarms blare and I get locked in my room? I’m a dragon, a fire breathing dragon! I can take on a lot of things!” Spike was picked back up in Celestia’s aura and placed back on his bed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have risked it,” Celestia dead panned. Spike huffed and Celestia continued on her search. She went through the castle, keeping an ear open for complaining. When she reached the fitting room, she knew her search had come to an end. “This suit is not good enough! I need this to outshine every stallion there is! This suit could barely out shine my aunt’s sun!” Blueblood threw a perfectly fine suit at the dress maker, causing her to growl. He stomped out of the room muttering insults. “Oh, Auntie, there you are. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a problem we’ve been having the last few days. You see, I’ve notice purple scales scattered about the castle and, Blah, blah, I’m a prick, meep, meep, meep.” His whining became noise after a while with Celestia choosing to listen for select complaints. “Can’t we just put your pet in a kennel? I swear, sanitation would increase by 52%!” “No,” Celestia deadpanned. “Look, there’s a small problem, Luna’s at Sweet Swirls with this colt… Blueblood?” She looked around the hall but found nothing except a trail of dust. “It took me a good 15 minutes to track this place down, but it’s worth it if it means keeping the royal bloodline free from filth!” Blueblood declared, earning a few glances from the waitresses. “I know my coat looks like it has dirt on it, but I swear it’s just patches of brown,” Pip explained. “Not what I meant, you little worm,” Blueblood sneered. “You may live in a little fantasy world where you can get with a princess, but let me tell you how wrong you are. You will never be with any princess, in this or any lifetime.” “Well, I am on a date with the princess right now!” “Except this is a pity date,” Blueblood admitted. “Go on, ask her. Ask my Aunt Luna if she sees a future with you, if the answer isn’t yes, then know she just thinks of you as an annoying little colt she felt obligated to take to a desert restaurant before dumping him lack the sack of garbage we all know he is! The answer she’ll give you that lets you know she thinks that is ‘Street Urchin, you’re a nice colt’.” Blueblood said in a feminine voice. The waitresses’ glances turned into glares. ‘He’s just lying,’ Pip thought, ‘Luna wouldn’t have let me take her out if she didn’t like me.’ He turned to look Luna in the eye, who tried to break said eye contact. “Luna, we have a chance, right? I just need to wait six years, right?” There are times in life where time seems to slow down and other times when it seems to speed up. For Luna, when Pip looked her in the eye and asked if they had a chance together, time slowed to a mere crawl. The only solace she could take in it was she would not be labeled the bad guy, that position was permanently filled by Blueblood. “Pipsqueak, thou are a kind gentlecolt,” Luna must have tried to let him down as easy as she could, but all Pip heard was “Pip, thou are a pile of trash that no one will ever love. Blueblood was one hundred percent right, actually more. We wanted to hurt somepony, and thou? We knew we could crush thou like a grape. We waited to get thy hopes up before we took a hammer and smashed said hopes into nothingness.” And she did. Luna saw it; the exact moment Pip’s tiny heart split in half. The image became burnt into her retinas. Everywhere Luna turned; there Pip was, holding his little chest as if a knife had just been driven into it. A large plate of ice cream was placed in front of him to help him fight back the tears. “Excuse me, miss? Can I please have this in a to-go box?” He whimpered, staring at the treat. It didn’t even take the waitress ten seconds to produce a box for Pip. “Just know, I’m sure somewhere out there, there’s a filly waiting for you,” the waitress said as she patted Pip on the back, which turned into a small, but warm hug. In all her years serving at this restaurant, she had never seen a colt be dropped so brutally, especially by some pompous jerk. “Thank you miss,” Pipsqueak placed his Sunday in the box and hopped down from his seat just as a few tears crept forth. “Princess Luna, thank you for tonight, but I have to go.” Without another word Pip ran out of the restaurant. “And once again, the royal lineage is saved, thanks to Prince Blueblood.” He triumphantly smirked before being punched across the muzzle. “Jack-ass!” The waitress commented. He tried to pick himself off the ground before a second waitress kicked him while he was down. It continued for most of the night. The waitresses had all hit a breaking point, and Blueblood volunteered to be the punching bag “Wow, I would hate to be that kid,” Time Turner sighed as he watched Pip run out of the building leaving a few tear drops in his wake. Not even a moment later, Dinky and Twist sat down at the table. “There you both are I had to order without you two, what took you so long?” Dinky took a breath, “Look, Time Turner, you’re really nice.” “And we all really want to stay your girlfriend’s sister and your girlfriend’s sister’s friend,” Twist add. A waitress placed Time Turner’s order in front of him. His face fell. “I can change,” he pleaded. “Time Turner, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m sorry. But hey, if you get married to my sister, we can still be in-laws, and Twist and I can be flower fillies,” Dinky consoled. Pip ran into the hotel up 24 flights of stairs and knocked on his teacher’s door. “Crap, Pip, what did you do?” Cheerilee said, making weeping sounds. Pip gave out a whimper, “… Miss. Cheerilee, can I come with you and the rest of the class to the educational part of the trip?” “What’s the bill?” “I already paid; it was seven bits. Can I just come, most of my plans were ripped in half,” Pip said, fighting back his tears. “Oh, no damages to pay? Um… Okay, I’ll see you in the lobby at 7:50.” It was weird, but as long as there were no damages, who would care? Cheerilee closed her door and Pip returned to his room. “Sup, Pip!” Button greeted. “How was your date?” “I’m going to bed,” Pip answered. “Wait, Pip, come on, just tell us what happened!” Rumble tried to coax. Pip responded only by climbing into bed and going to sleep.