//------------------------------// // Day 5 // Story: The Vacation // by Hope Caster //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle woke up early like she had done everyday prior. However, today her face felt warm. Sweetie Belle quickly walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Both her cheeks were bright red. From previous experiences, bright red cheeks could mean one of two things. The first being that she was sick, and needed to spend the day in bed. The other reason was a that she had a dream that raised a red flag. She hoped it was the former. She dug through her toiletry bag and pulled out a thermometer. Placing the device under her tongue, she found her temperature was an underwhelming 97.1. “Oh no….” She said with a whisper. The cause of her blush was the dream she had. Last night, she had a dream about Spike. However, it was not romantic. It was just a dream about the two of them having a friendly picnic on top of a hill, under the shade of the tree. Afterwards, they watched the sunset, as friends do, with Sweetie Belle’s head resting on Spike’s shoulder in a very friendly manner, which ended with her kissing him on his cheek. However, the kiss was a friend kiss. What followed was Spike smiling and then planting one on her lips in a very passionate, yet friendly, manner. “Stupid Spike!” She forcefully whispered. She fell for a dragon, the one thing she said she wasn’t going to do. This wouldn’t had happened if he wasn’t so nice to her these past few days. Showing her the best places in the city, and rescuing her from Blueblood like some knight in shining purple armor. This was all his fault… and that dress he got her didn’t help either! The worst part was she was still excited for her date with him tonight, if it could be called a date. She let her head fall against the counter as she let out a sigh. “Hey Sweetie Belle, nice to see you this morning!” Scootaloo smiled. “Scootaloo, if it makes you feel any better, I made tonight a friend date,” Sweetie Belle said with her head still on the counter, hoping Scootaloo didn’t see her red tinted cheeks. “Just hear me out. I’ve been thinking, you naturally falling for Spike is impossible, so that only leaves one explanation; love poison.” “Scootaloo, stop,” Apple Bloom called from her bed. “She already told us that she made it a friend date, not a date-date… Ya are sure you didn’t make it a date-date, right?” “I must have said the word friend at least three times when I asked!” Sweetie Belle declared. “…. Is he holding somepony hostage? Did he capture Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked. “Sweet Luna, he did, didn’t he!?” “Scootaloo, just calm down, there ain’t no date… fer most of us anyways,” Apple Bloom said, as she came to drag Scootaloo back to her bed. Scootaloo seemed to stare into space for a short while until her face lit up like Las Pegasus at night. “I got it!” Scootaloo cried. “He’s blackmailing you!” Everypony let out a groan. “What?” Scootaloo asked, sounding offended. “As much as I would love to be asked the same question over and over, I have to get ready for today,” Sweetie Belle said as she took her toothbrush from her bag. “Just do me a favor, do not fall for him!” Scootaloo cried. “… Too late for that,” Sweetie Belle murmured. “Come on I need to get going!” Spike begged as an aura held him in place. “Please, Princess, Honey Suckle, have mercy on a poor dragon’s soul!” “Spike, you’re being fitted for a suit, don’t be dramatic about this,” Celestia demanded. “Besides, shouldn’t you look your best before you sweep a girl off her hooves?” Honey Suckle asked. “Why does every mare I meet keep saying that!? I. Do. Not. Like. Sweetie Belle.” Spike firmly stated. “Right, you only got her dress, you’re going to a school dance with her, and you pretty much spent the whole week spoiling her. You clearly hate her. Now hold still, this suit needs to be perfect.” Sweetie waited around in the lobby for a good half hour for Spike, but he didn’t show up. Maybe it was for the best; after all, if she was having feelings for Spike, maybe it was best to avoid him. Actually, maybe that wasn’t the best answer. Spike was at Rarity’s house most of the time, so there was a high probability that she would run into him sooner or later. She needed help, real help, unbiased helpful help, she needed…. “Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said, shaking the sleeping colt. “Oh, hey,” Button said, barely awake. He had stayed in the lobby the entire night, looking out for the dragon guy and Sweetie Belle, but he had no luck finding either of them. Fortunatly, years of playing video games with a bunch of farming quests had given him an iron will to stay at a task, no matter how much of a delusion it was. “How’s it going?” “Good. Can I ask you something? Say that I like this guy, but I don’t want to like him the way I do, in fact I want to stay friends, what should I do?” “Well, that’s a stupid question,” Button Mash stated. “If you want to be somepony’s friend, be their friend, no pony says you have to date them. Those feelings you have are probably just a small crush, don’t put too much emphasis on it. Just enjoy the time you do spend with him. However, on the off chance that there is something there, I say go for it. Who knows, maybe he likes you just as much. He’d be a moron not to. Sure, there are something’s some ponies might dislike about you, but overall, you’re a sweet filly who’s super cute. He’d have to be blind not to like you. Just remember, friendship first. So go out there, and be his friend.” “Wow, I was expecting something a bit more… nonsensical. Thanks Button!” Sweetie said before leaving the hotel to find Spike. “Goodnight, Diamond Tiara,” Button said as he leaned the side of his head back on the receptionist desk. “Wow, Button that was really mature of you,” Rumble said, having heard everything. “Seriously, that was awesome! I thought you wanted Sweetie Belle all to yourself, but look at you, you practically told her to go out with another colt.” Button Mash’s blood shot eyes shot open. “What did I just do!?” “You gave Sweetie Belle awesome advice on her guy trouble. Unbiased advice at that. I thought you were going to tell her to date you to make her crush jealous. Boy was I wrong…. Button? Where’d you go?” Rumble said, looking around the hotel lobby for Button Mash. “No! Sweetie Belle, wait!” Button Mash screamed, running out into street. “I was lying! Date me to make him jealous! Make him jelly!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Scootaloo watched as Sweetie Belle left the hotel. “Applebloom, you’re going to stay single for a while, right?” Applebloom sighed as she repeated the same answer she had said many times before. “Scoots, ah will not leave ya even if ah do get a boyfriend.” “You are not answering! Just tell me!” “No, you’re freaking out over nothing! Come on now, we’re going to be late. I bet you anything that if we’re good this time, Ms. Cheerilee will probably not tell our families everything.” Applebloom rushed ahead, leaving Scootaloo behind in her state of worry. Scootaloo gave chase, unwilling to give up. “No! I’m already loosing Sweetie; I don’t want to lose you too!” “You are not losing us! Just stop with yer insanity for three seconds!” Apple Bloom demanded. “Look, I don’t wanna answer yer question, is that such a crime?” “It is if you’re seeing a guy! Just-” “No! The answer is no! Look Scoots, ah’m yer friend, but if you can’t respect ma decision for one messily second, then why don’t you just leave me alone?” Apple Bloom groaned. “What?” Scootaloo asked. “Leave. Me. Alone.” Apple Bloom repeated. “Ah’m about to have ma family breathen down ma neck when we get back, and ah don’t need a forth pony adding to it! So, until this field trip is over, leave me alone and don’t talk to me about dates! Ah’ll see ya later.” She said walking off, leaving behind a devastated Scootaloo. Broken and probably friendless, Scootaloo joined every foal as they gathered around their teacher. Cheerilee did a head count only to find that something was terribly wrong, almost her entire calls was gathered in the lobby. “What’s going on? I didn’t punish half of you,” She said. “We know,” a colt said. “The city is just really boring.” “Yeah, there are too many ponies here.” “I get lost twice per day!” No. This couldn’t be happening. She needed some piece today! “I hear your concerns but I will tell you all that this is the last day of the field trip. Meaning it’s the last day for anything fun. Although I cannot demand that you all leave and avoid your punishment, I can say that I will face away from you all for a few moments. If you so happen to run away, I will do nothing to chase you down, nor will I tell your parents, as I will most likely forget that you ran away. Who knows, if you run away, maybe I’ll sleep this week off like a bad hangover and nopony will hear anything.” Cheerilee turned around for a full minute, praying that her kids could prove that they weren’t bent on having her quit her job. She turned around and nearly wept. “Why is everypony still here?” “The city is really, really boring,” Tootsie Flute clarified. “Just… no pony blow anything up,” Cheerilee sighed. “No promises,” Apple Bloom retorted. The class began to leave, forcing Rumble to drag a weeping Button Mash alongside him. After joining Page Turner’s class, both groups went to the Princess Museum, a very old museum that for some reason, dedicated itself to detailing the lives of the princesses new and old. For Scootaloo, it was a chance to talk to a Princess that confused her greatly. “The CMC is finished,” Scootaloo said, looking at the wax figure of Princess Cadance. “You said love brings ponies together, but I just lost all my friends to love. Why are you so cruel?” “You make this too easy, I don’t even know where to start,” a voice said from behind Scootaloo. It was Diamond Tiara, the meanest, most spoiled filly in the entire nation. Actually, since meeting a few fillies from the School of Gifted Unicorns, that title was up for debate. Diamond smirked evilly as she strode over to Scootaloo, “First off, you must be really lonely if you have to make friends with a wax figure. What’s the matter? Did Apple Bloom’s southernisms overload that little brain of yours?” “No! She said that I should leave her alone for the day, so that’s what I’m doing… not that you care….” “Apple Dolt disowned you? This I have to hear! Did she finally realize that you’re a loser and decided to ditch you to save what little dignity she had left?” “No! She over reacted! I was just worried because Sweetie Belle seems to be falling for Spike, he’s the dragon that lives with Twilight, and so I was really worried because Rainbow Dash said once that once my friends got boyfriends, I was going to die alone because relationships suck! What’s worse was that when I confronted Apple Bloom about her love life, she didn’t want to talk about it. Of course, being as awesome as Rainbow Dash and caring about my friends, I decided to keep on asking and so she over reacts and-” Diamond Tiara began to laugh hysterically. Scootaloo stood in shock at first, but the feeling soon turned to anger. Of course, she would laugh at her. She opened up to her worst enemy and Diamond Tiara merely laughed at her. What else was a spoiled little brat supposed to do? Taking pleasure in her pain, typical Diamond Tiara. “What’s so funny!?” “Y-you make it too easy!” Diamond Tiara wheezed. “P-please, tell me there’s something else I can add to the list!” She gasped as she began to laugh again. “List?” What list was there? All Diamond Tiara ever listed was the Cutie Mark-less foals in their class, and Scootaloo already knew about that list. “The list of what makes me better than you and those other black flanks. First I’m prettier than you, next I’m more talented, smarter, more creative than you are, and now this? Thank you, oh thank you, you four legged chicken, for proving not only the above, but for also allowing me to see that I’m a better friend than you!” The statement threw Scootaloo through a loop. Diamond Tiara thought she was a better what now? “What do you mean you’re a ‘better friend’ than I am?” “Exactly what I meant. Add better listener to the list.” Diamond Tiara stopped laughing and regained some of her composure. “When Silver Spoon has the courage to ask one of her bi-monthly crushes out to Sugar Cube Corner, do you know what I do? I tell those colts that if they break her heart for the wrong reason, I break their legs. I have had to give that speech more times then I care to count, but what do you do? Squeaky Belle, not so shockingly, sets her sites on a weird little dragon, and instead of making sure he treats her the way she should be treated, you’re not only off sulking in the corner caring about nopony but yourself, but you start pestering your other friend about her love life until she leaves you. It is hilarious!” Diamond Tiara said with an evil grin. She shot her a smug grin before continuing. “The funniest thing is though, is that you worry about things that could never happen in a million years, all because your overrated role model said they might; it’s soooo pathetic. You three a practically welded together. The only reason you would be scared would be if you’re a little control freak that can’t stand when your friends have thoughts of their own! So you know what? Go ahead, call me a selfish, spoiled, mean little filly, but you can also add good friend to that list.” Scootaloo stood in silence as Diamond Tiara walked off. Did she just make sense? Worse, did she have a point? Was she being selfish? Should she support Sweetie Belle in her quest to get Spike? Should she have been fine with Apple Bloom’s answer? Two voices sounded off in her head, one was of Rainbow Dash, the other of Diamond Tiara. One snarled and spat angrily, demanding Scootaloo do as it said like it was a demon attempting to possess her. That one was Rainbow Dash’s voice. Diamond Tiara's voice was smoother, if not a little more sarcastic and challenging. “… Frack,” Scootaloo sighed. “Diamond Tiara’s the voice of reason this time.” Scootaloo sighed as she headed towards the door. She had to make things right, even if they were never really messed up to begin with. “Halt!” A high-pitched voiced colt demanded. “Under command of my teacher and Ms. Cheerilee, I say none shall pass…! Until we finish our tour of the Princess Museum.”’ “And who are you?” “I’m a hall monitor,” the colt explained. “… You know what? I really don’t have time for this.” Scootaloo sighed. There was one thing she knew about guys, they couldn’t resist a challenge. She inhaled deeply before shouting loudly, “I bet my class could take on Page Turner’s class!” That one statement was like unleashing all of Discord’s power at one time… or at least that’s what she expected. Instead, the colts of both classes began to laugh. “Seriously Scootaloo?” Snips chuckled. “Are you that desperate to see us fight each other?” “Such a poor manipulation tactic,” a colt from Page Turner’s class added. “Seriously, I’ve seen better strategies from the noobs on Starcraft,” Button Mash added. “I don’t know whether I should laugh at you, or hug you knowing that you’ll never going to live this fail down,” a colt laughed. “How weak do you think the bonds we share are?” “You see Scootaloo, we all learned something today,” Pip began. “We are only as strong as our bonds with one another. Just look at me. My emotional state was like a roller coaster the past two days, but my friends stood by me, because they cared. They gave me the strength to get better.” “We are all friends here, and friends don’t let petty things get in the way of what’s important,” a unicorn colt said. “For you see, without friendship, life is just not worth living. Sure, you may have small disagreements, but look at FPS and Button Mash over there,” he said pointing to the two colts. “FPS really likes First-Person-Shooters, and Button Mash likes Minecraft and RTSs, but instead of hating each other, they sat down and listened to each other’s opinions. In doing so, I think it’s safe to say, they discovered a rare, but bountiful type of magic. In fact, I think we all have!” “It’s the magic of friendship, and once you have the magic of friendship, nothing can destroy it, not even a pony like you.” A colt triumphantly declared. “I think we all know why she failed truly failed though. It’s ’cause we all know who’d win, right guys?” a very girly sounding boy’s voice asked. “Well, yeah,” Snips chuckled. “Of course,” A colt form Page Turners class agreed. “My class,” every single colt said in unison. Silence fell as the colts locked eyes with each other. “I’m sorry, it sounded like you just said you guys would win,” Shady Daze said, glaring at a few of the colts. “Come on Shady,” Button Mash said, getting in front of his friend. “Let’s not let our egos tell us what to do.” “Oh look, a Minecraft player that hates a challenge, what a shocker!” Button paused as he turned to face the colt that spoke. “Excuse me?” “Well, I’m just saying that real gamers don’t need to play sandbox games. Real gamers actually enjoy a competition,” The colt said as he walked up to Button, showing him no respect. “Oh, right, because Demand of Army is such a good game. Tell me, did they release a new game yet or did they just re-release the same game like the last fifty times?” “At least my game has a story. Tell me, did anyone else waste their lives building something from a fantasy world?” “Don’t challenge me! I’m a gamer with nothing to lose! My love interest probably made out with another colt, I literally having nothing to live for!” Button Mash threatened. “Bring it, NOOB! Smash! You and me! Kirby VS Kirby!” Slowly more and more arguments grew until it reached the boiling point. All it would take was one shove and chaos would erupt, starting a war between the two classes. That shove came in the form of Apple Bloom, who fell to the ground with a thud. “That’s it!” Shady Daze shouted. He tackled the colt in front of him and the war began. All around there were colts punching, biting, and slapping each other, or in Button Mash’s case, getting out his Joy Boy, linking up to another colt’s Joy Boy, and having a match in Smash, five stock, all items on. Pip was punched across the muzzle, but he quickly regained his footing and was about to strike back, but Dinky intervened and began to pound the colt that dare hurt her Pipsqueak. Snips and Snails fought valiantly… against each other. “Get off me Snails!” Snips demanded as Snails did nothing but hold his friend in a headlock. “Come on, headlocks are so cheap! Plus you’re bigger than me!” Rumble tried his best to fight back, but alas, being at the bottom of the totem pole meant that he was destined to fail. Three colts ganged up on him and began to mercilessly pound him. “Button Mash, help!” Button ignored him though, as he was launched into the sky yet again because his opponent kept spamming down + B, the cheapest of Kirby’s moves. The sound of screams and violence filled the air. “And with that,” Scootaloo took the hall monitor by his sash and head-butted him, knocking him out. If worse came to worst, she’d blame it on somepony else. “Wait,” She said realizing one of the most important things she had to do. “Apple Bloom!” She called as she ran into the war zone. She quickly found her friend and helped her to her hooves, “Apple Bloom, I’m sorry and you were right, I was being paranoid. I shouldn’t have acted like that. You and Sweetie Belle are my best friends and I should take into consideration how you guys feel.” “Did Rainbow Dash tell you that?” “No, you’re probably not going to believe this, but it was Diamond Tiara.” “Yer right, I don’t believe that.” Apple Bloom. “Anyway, date whomever you want, just as long as he makes you happy. Now I have to get to Sweetie Belle. Stay safe!” Scootaloo said as she ran to the door. Apple Bloom took it for what it was worth. Considering Scootaloo was willing to start a war just to say sorry, really said something. Sure, Scootaloo could have just said sorry to her, and then apologized to Sweetie Belle later that day, but it was the thought that counted. If she was being perfectly honest, she was out of line with what she said to Scootaloo and didn’t really mean a word of it. “I forgive ya, Sctoots!” Apple Bloom called. “Thank you!” she called back as she left the museum. “So anyway, if you’re really looking for a date, I know this one guy in the science department, a little nervous, but he’ll loosen up once you get to know him and…. Wow.” Page Turner could only watch at the magnificent display of violence and discord that the foals crated. It was like watching Discord handcraft a scene were the line between friend and foe was blurred. Everywhere he looked; there was one colt or another having his face slammed against a wall or the floor, fillies argued about petty things, which soon escalated to mass of girl fights. The only three to be spared was a silver filly hiding behind a much more dominate pink filly that wore a tiara, and the filly that blew up his classroom yesterday. Cheerilee simply stared on in horror. She could argue that Page Turner’s class started the brawl, but she knew she would be wrong. “I… I don’t know what to say,” She admitted. “I must look like a horrible teacher.” “No,” Page Turner consoled. “You could have hoped to stop this; It was bound to happen.” “Really? Bound to happen? How so? No offence, but my class doesn’t exactly look that violent.” “I know that,” Page Turner chuckled. “No foal looks violent. This is just what happens when you fill a room with a gifted class with a class of losers.” “I suppose s…. Wait, what?” “Well, my class is from the school of gifted unicorns, the top school in the nation. If it weren’t for Princess Twilight urging Celestia to allow your class visitation rights, I don’t think your foals would be able to catch a glimpse of the school. Look at them! Most of them lack cutie marks and those that do have them are left low paying jobs.” Not wanting to fight and desperately wanting to follow Twilight Sparkle’s examples, Cheerilee tried to ignore the blatant insult and proceeded to kindly explain why her students did have futures, even if they weren’t they weren’t part of the .1% of Equestria. “Well… With all due respect, Feather Weight has really turned the Foal Free Press into something to worth reading with Shady Daze. Although he’s not the brightest of my students, I find myself going to Snips whenever I need my hair trimmed and styled. Diamond Tiara can lead a group of foals to success on anything, and Silver Spoon knows exactly how to calm anypony down as if she’s their own mother. Sweetie Belle’s voice could probably charm a raging monster, Scootaloo does amazing tricks on her scooter, and Apple Bloom is a pro carpenter, they just need to realize it. Sure, they probably wouldn’t get into to your school, but who does? Last time I checked, your school only takes 25 students per year! Do you even take Earth Ponies and Pegasi?” “We take on 27 students, and no, our school name should make that obvious. Look, all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t set the bar too high. Just look at that retard, where do you think he’s going in life?” He asked, gesturing to Snails. “… I’m sorry?” Cheerilee said as a rage began to build. “Right, my mistake, that ‘special’ child. Seriously, his cutie mark is a snail, is his talent being slow? What can you do with that?” He laughed. It was at this moment that Cheerilee had epiphany. It was what Neon Light’s had described the day before. She remembered why she taught. It was to give her students a chance. A chance to grow, a chance to learn, a chance for somepony to believe in them when utter jackasses like Page Turner wouldn’t bother with students he didn’t see as the cream of the crop. She taught to provide a future for kids because they were worth the effort! However, she also had another epiphany, one telling her that the magic of friendship didn’t exist, and that the only true magic was the magic of kicking the crap out of the stallion that just called one of her students a retard. “Stallions that want to be savagely beaten say what.” Cheerilee quickly stated with a smile. “What?” Page Turner asked. Cheerilee gave Page Turner a swift kick to the groin. The professor fell to his side as he softly moaned in pain. Cheerilee began to kick Page Turner with all her might, ignoring any pleas to show him mercy. Soon, everything went dark. When Cheerilee came to, she didn’t know how much time had passed, but considering that Page Turner’s snout was bent in a way she didn’t think possible, it was probably too long. There was a sudden crash as a large group of guards rushed into the room lead by the current captain, War Trotter. “Men, take care of the children, I’ll handle the mare,” he said with a growl. “Wait, Sir, before we go, I have to ask… don’t you think it’s weird that we’re doing this? We’re the military,” A cadet said. “Shouldn’t we let the police handle this?” “Do we even have a police force? Cause I thought that we were the police force,” another cadet said. “I have question, if we are the police force, then what about towns like Ponyville? When I visit my sister, I never see any guards or law enforcement in uniform. Do the ponies there just trust that there are no psychos or murderers around, or is it just the honor system where if you say you’re not a psycho they just take your word for it? What happens if there is a murder? Do they just ask everypony ‘did you kill this guy?’ and just expect everypony to answer truthfully? If so, how many unsolved murders are there?” “I have a question!” A third cadet raised his hoof. “When Nightmare moon attacked, why did we do nothing? Unlike this, that seemed like an instance that should require military action. What if Princess Twilight and her friends failed, were we just supposed to shrug and say ‘Welp! All hail her majesty, Nightmare Moon!’?” “We have the steam engine and video games, but Dodge Junction has never even heard of indoor plumbing, does nopony else notice the anachronisms of this country?” Another cadet asked. “I know it has nothing to do with Military VS Police, but buck it, I’ve noticed for too long and have never said anything about it!” “Has nopony noticed our win/lose ratio with foals this week? I feel like this will end very badly.” A stallion stated. “Can none of you focus?!” War Trotter shouted. “Look, I know that some things don’t make sense, but buck it, we live in Equestria! We just ignore those things! Who cares that we never see police, or if we are the police, or if the police and military are one in the same? Who cares that we constantly just leave the fate of the whole world to at most, nine ponies. So what if we’re supposed to be a medieval society that for some reason has both flash lights and oil lanterns? We are ponies damn it! Magical, talking, technicolor ponies!” “I guess, but that makes for a very poor argument,” a cadet claimed. “If we just ignore things, does that not just make us ignorant?” “Isn't ignorance bliss? Just look at the time Discord took over. For us, it was horrible, but talk my kid and he’ll say he’s still waiting until the magical sugar rainclouds come back.” “For the love of…. Can we just do as we rarely do, and bring order to a situation?!” The command was met with numerous murmurs of doubt. “Anypony that follows my lead will be taken out to drinks tonight.” There was a sudden spike in moral as the guards all rushed forward. However, the moment the guards stepped into the line of fire, it was a slaughter. The savage foals somehow over took the guards in mere seconds. The two guards that tried to pry apart didn’t even know what happened to them, but somehow they found themselves pined to the ground as a third colt assaulted them. Feather Weight, despite his size, somehow K.O’ed three guards with the help of Shady Daze. The Unicorns from Page Turner’s class showed just as much ferocity, using advanced spells and hexes to overtake most of the guards. Seeing it as a potential lawsuit, most of the guards ignored the fillies. By luck or by skill, two guards managed to apprehend Button Mash and Rumble, while the colt Button Mash was playing against ran away. The two guards slammed the two against the floor, putting them in a daze, before cuffing their hooves behind their backs. “So does this mean we’re the best guards ever, or does this mean we just don’t suck?” One guard asked the other. “Considering that every guard here is being taken down by ten year olds, I’d say that we’re about top ten.” War Trotter, wanting to drink heavily after seeing ten year olds beat his battalion at a ratio of 54:2, focused on the mastermind behind this incident, Cheerilee…. Who was he joking? There was no mastermind or supreme strategist. If anything, this was just his solders suffering from Storm Trooper syndrome. The students were the teddy bears and his troops were the super advanced, highly trained soldiers, and for some odd reason, the former was winning. Still he had a duty to do, and that meant prying the mare off the stallion…. He was actually impressed that Cheerilee was able to make a muzzle bend that way, or a leg. He didn’t know a leg could bend that way. In a weird way, he found the mare somewhat attractive, most mares he knew never showed this much ferocity or passion, and he found it strange and exotic. Talk about dead on arrival though. ‘Oh hello Ma’am, I’m going to arrest you. BTW, do you want to go out for coffee later?’ It sucked but it couldn’t be helped. “Ma’am, step away, from the stallion!” He said, grabbing Cheerilee’s shoulder. The teacher turned faster than he anticipated, her hoof outreached. She made contact with the captain, the force of the hit sending him to the ground. Many thoughts rushed into War Trotter’s head, but all he could do was touch the part of his muzzle that the teacher had hit as his face turned a deep red. Cheerilee was speechless when she realized what she did. She just assaulted an officer of the military or perhaps the law…. She didn’t know. Either way, she probably committed a felony. She should just quit now because the Teacher Association of Equestria was going blacklist her when they found out about this. No, she was doomed from the start. The second Apple Bloom caused an explosion she should have just gone back to Ponyville. Seeing their C.O. in trouble, the two guards that apprehended Button Mash and Rumble tackled Cheerilee and cuffed her. “Three for three, we’re awesome!” Meanwhile, one of the unfortunate guards mustered the strength to slam on the emblem that laid in the center of his chest armor. The emblem was enchanted for one purpose; it would act as an S.O.S. Once used, the emblem would send the troops’ location to a stallion who was only to be called when no other option was available. After seeing such horrors, it was time to call that stallion. A stallion wearing a black overcoat, a buckle and an emotionless flat expression entered the museum only a few minutes after the call was made. As an earth pony, the School for Gifted Unicorns didn’t hold much weight with him, however, this was a call he couldn’t ignore… literally. He was certain to be fired if he didn’t respond to the call. Entering the museum, he did not know what to make of the scene. He would say he was shocked, but then he would be lying. He had a simple solution to this, something that would get the foals under control in less than ten seconds. The thing that bothered him was why none of the other guards tried it. “Who wants a piece of candy?” The guard asked loudly. The entire room stopped. Most of the guards looked on in awe as the earth pony continued talking to the foals, calming them without moving an inch. “Will the foals that want candy please dispel any spells or hexes they have effecting any guards and sit down in a quiet, neat circle,” the stallion demanded. Instantly, the children did as asked. Soon there was a circle of 57 foals, waiting to receive a treat from the stallion. “And would the guards please release those two foals that are cuffed? They’re children, not criminals,” Button Mash and Rumble were both released and joined the circle. Most of the foals carried several bruises, but overall, the injuries could have been worse for them. “Okay, now if every foal and the stallions I reluctantly call guards will follow me, we are going to take a short trip to the castle… while that teacher takes a quick trip to the hospital...” he said, gesturing to the ravaged Page Turner. Almost robotically, the foals and guards followed the stallion to the nearest exit. “You coming War Trotter?” the stallion asked. “Yeah, I’ll catch up. I’m just really comfortable right now, so I’m going wait here… until I’m not as comfortable,” He said as he kept his hind legs closed. When everypony, especially Cheerilee, left, War Trotter looked down at his waist. “… Down boy.” Sweetie Belle waited. Spike was being fitted for a suit for the dance, and she was forced to wait outside until he was finished. Of course she was given a special privilege. She was allowed to go anywhere in the castle, except the fitting room and the dungeon. If she wanted to, she could visit the gardens or even the hedge maze. She could raid the kitchen for snacks and not get in trouble. Of course, if she were even slightly overweight, Rarity would shun her. If she really wanted to, she could see the throne room and take the time to memorize each stained glass window a thousand times over. Sweetie Belle was a simple pony though, she decided to go into the gardens. It was calming in the garden. Sweetie Belle sat watching the animals go about their peaceful lives. A few even acknowledged her presence and some were bold enough to get close to her to see if she was a threat. Of course, she came prepared. When a bunny or a bird would get close enough, Sweetie Belle would spread some food, earning their trust and even getting to pet them, before they got board and went back to burrows. For once, everything seemed peaceful, until Scootaloo tackled Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, thank goodness! Okay, I got maybe five seconds, so here we go. I’m sorry! I’m sorry for acting the way I’ve been acting these past few days. I should have considered your feelings, and supported you in any decision you made whether I like it or not. If you want to date Spike, I will support you. I just want you to be happy!” “Oh, wow, thanks… not sure why you apologized, but this is good. What about what Rainbow Dash said?” “In this one instance, she might have been less right then she usually is,” “You mean she was wrong?” “No, Rainbow Dash is never wrong.” Scootaloo stated. “she was just less right this one time. Now, brace yourself, the guards will be here any second.” “Guards?” Almost instantly, three guards tackled Scootaloo and began to unleash high level restraining spells on the filly. A fourth guard jumped in seconds later, binding Scootaloo in a strait jacket and muzzling her. “Holy crap… we did it, we took her down!” The guards began to cheer and celebrate, hi-hoofing each other over the unlikely victory they had obtained. “What…. What?” Sweetie asked in shock and confusion. “That filly just took out five guards,” A guard explained. “Apparently, she goes into a Saddler Rager type rage if you say that some mare named Rainbow Dash is wrong. Now, the threat has passed, we’re all safe. Come on boys.” The guards collectively dragged Scootaloo away leaving Sweetie Belle to wonder one thing, where was Scootaloo’s cutie mark? The stallion wearing the black overcoat knocked on the door to the fitting room, waited a second, and then barged in, not bothering to wait for a response. “Celestia, we just arrested 59 foals and a teacher. I released two on the account that they wouldn’t last two hours in juvy, so… Yeah, I am not wasting my time anymore than I already have. They are now your problem,” He said, leaving the room. “Who the hell was that?” Honey Suckle asked. “…. The only guard capable of pulling what he just pulled,” Celestia answered. “Why? Is he like stronger than you or something? Did he defeat you in combat?” Spike asked. “Good joke,” Celestia chuckled. “No, he can do that because he has the one thing many ponies, including Twilight, lack: common sense. If you’d excuse me, I need to take care of this.” Celestia trotted to the detention wing of the castle. To her shock, Cheerilee sat in one of the interrogation rooms. Celestia opened the door to see if what she was seeing was real. She was, it was the teacher hosting the dance tonight. She stared down at the table, a well of shame mixed with content filling her eyes. "You’re that teacher War Trotter keeps talking about…. Excuse me, I need to get something,” Celestia said with a smile. Cheerilee was not expecting the Princess herself; in fact, she was expecting some type of law enforcement. The best she could do now was grovel and hope she would be banished to some far off land and then thrown into a dungeon in the place she was banished to. She held her breath as she waited for the princess to return. After a short while, The Princess returned with a folder and a lit candle. Placing both items on the cold steal table, Celestia opened the folder and began to skim its content. “So, you kicked the crap out of one of my teachers. Not only that, but you seemed to have backed hoof my new captain of the guard. I didn’t even know War Trotter could be backed hoofed. So let’s cut to the chase, this folder alone, this single folder, this file containing a very detailed report, can put you away for a long time. If anything were to happen to it, I could only assume that the story my guards tell me are lies. Lies told by embarrassed guards that want revenge.” For some reason, Celestia turned around and looked at the wall. “You know, this is a nice looking wall, I could stare at it long enough so a teacher could burn a file.” she vocalized. Was she serious? Was she honestly saying to burn the file? No, this had to be sometype of entrapment technique, a way for Celestia to add more time to her sentence. Cheerilee resisted the urge to destroy the evidence, she wasn’t about to become more of a criminal than she already was. Celestia turned around. “Hmm. Well, good thing nothing happened to that file. I would lose any reason to punish you if anything happened to it.” Celestia picked up the file and began to wave it around sporadically. “This file is super important, you know?” Celestia stopped waving the file just above the candle’s flame, allowing it to catch fire. “Oh no! The file!” She said in an over dramatic fashion. Her horn lit up, and the fire grew in size, reducing the file to ash within seconds. “Whelp! I just lost everything! Looks like I can’t keep you or your foals here. Too bad.” “Princess, I’m afraid I don’t follow. I assaulted a stallion, and I would happily do it again,” Cheerilee said. “You did. You assaulted the most tribalist teacher I know. One that I want to fire, but can’t because he’s literally the best magic teacher there is. A teacher who, thanks to a spirit of chaos, will think he was attacked by a manticore. Now you just go ahead and host that little dance you had plan.” “How did you-” “I have my sources, now run along. You don’t want to disappoint those foals of yours.” “But they caused a riot; I don’t think a dance is-” “You know what? I am going to be straight with you,” Celestia said with a firm glare. “You will have that dance.” “I… I just think-” “Listen here; I have missed most of my son’s his young life. It’s safe to say, that he doesn’t even know I am his mother. So you can bet that I’m not losing the chance to see him off on his first date to who I guess will either be my former student, her mother, or her moronic prick of a brother that stole two irreplaceable moments with my son from me! So you can either have the dance, or you can enjoy a one way ticket to the sun, are we clear?” “Transparently,” Cheerilee fearfully answered. “Good.” Celestia said, returning to her usual calm domineer. She did not enjoy that one bit, but it had to be done. “You and your students are free to go. Don’t worry about the guards; they won’t even remember anything from this past week once the help is done with them.” Discord and his daughter, a pink filly named Screwball, wore black three-piece suits as they stood in front of a mass of guards, holding a small liver cylinder. “Gentlemen,” Discord began, “for the sake of this reference, I am Agent D, and this is my partner, Agent S. This silver rod is a neuralyzer. I ask that you all look at the center red piece.” “Daddy, can’t you just snap your fingers and wipe their minds?” Screwball asked. “Hush, Screwy. Daddy has wanted to do this for a while now. Either way, we get three hours to cause chaos in Manehatten,” Discord said as he pressed the button on the rod and a bright flash lit the room. “Okay, gents, what day is it?” Discord asked. There were various responses. A small percent, including those assaulted by Scootaloo, Pip, and Diamond Tiara, said it was a week ago. Others merely cursed when they felt wedding earrings on them, wondering if they got drunk and hitched to some random mare in Las Pegasus the night before, which according to them was three years ago. Some asked where they were and what their names were. Many couldn’t even remember if they were male or female. “I think we might have over cooked some of them… and possibly ruined a few marriages and lives….” Discord sighed. “Okay, if you think Twilight Sparkle is a princess, leave. The rest of you, we are going to try this again.” “And. We. Are. Done.” Honey said as she carefully finished her adjustments. “You can take-” Before se could finish, the suit was carelessly thrown on her face as Spike rushed out of the room. “…. Wow, thanks Honey. It’s nice to know that I have someone like you to make my suits for me at no cost,” Honey said, imitating Spike's voice. “Oh, no problem Spike, I actually enjoyed putting off some of my other jobs to make you and your girlfriend those clothes. No problem what so ever.” It always helped Sweetie Belle to talk about her problems with ponies. Whether or not they were actually ponies didn’t matter, what mattered was that they listened. For her, the only animal that didn’t get bored with her after she fed it was a small porcupine. “So he’s really nice, and I don’t know why, but he looks super cute in an oversized top hat… I still think I should take Button’s advice, but what do you think I should do?” The porcupine blinked. “What’s his name? Spike…. No he’s not a porcupine, he’s a dragon.” The porcupine blinked. “No, Blaze is not a cool name for him,” Sweetie Belle answered. “Hey, Sweetie Belle!” Spike called as he slid to a stop. “It’s over, it’s finally over! The fitting is done! Who’s this?” He said, pointing to the porcupine. “Oh, Spike this is Spines. Spines this is Spike, he’s the dragon I was telling you about.” The porcupine blinked. “Hush you,” Sweetie said. “So Spike, now that you're done, what are we doing today… and can Spines come?” “Um… I don’t know, whatever you want I guess…. And why not? He isn't permanent though right? I can only imagine what Rarity would do if you showed up home with a porcupine in your bag." “It is safe to say that our current relationship will not last past today,” Sweetie Belle answered. “And I do have one idea, but you have to promise me you’ll do it, no matter what.” Spike shrugged. “I promise. So what are we doing?” Spike made a mental note that would stick with him forever. Always ask what you’re agreeing to before you say yes. He had spent the past hour making various food for Sweetie Belle, himself, and Sweetie Belle’s new friend, Spines. He didn’t know why but, Sweetie Belle seemed to be happier than usual. He supposed it was her new friend Spines. Somehow, Sweetie Belle was able to translate the porcupine's blinks, much like how he was once able to translate his own pet’s squawks. Still, Spike noticed the look Spines was giving Sweetie Belle was weird. It was as if the porcupine was trying to say, ‘nice job sticking to that one kid’s advice’ in a flat and highly sarcastic manner. Spines blinked. “I know,” Sweetie Belle whispered, “But come on, the opportunity presented itself. What was I supposed to do? Not have Spike make us a fantastic lunch in the manner that’s similar to the dream I had?” The question seemed to answer itself. “Okay, you’re right, but it’s not like I’m using his shoulder as a pillow!” Spines blinked. “It doesn’t matter if I want to, so long as I don’t do it. Besides, you don’t see a tree on a hill that overlooks a sunset, do you?” Sweetie asked as she took a bite of her sandwich. “And I don’t see you complaining about the berries he got you.” Spines could not retort. His berries were good, and he would not trade them for anything. The only thing he could do was change the subject. Spines blinked. “The dance? Oh, it’s not for another… Spike what time is it?” Sweetie asked as Spike passed her a carrot cupcake. “I don’t know, I thinks it’s about 2?” Spike shrugged. “Not for another six hours… well, four,” Spines blinked. “You’re not a girl. You don’t know how long it takes to get ready!” “It shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes.” Sweetie Belle turned to see Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. “You guys!” Sweetie Belle squealed. She trapped her friends in a tight hug. “I thought you two were in trouble… along with half of our class.” “We were, but then the whole class got arrested, then we all got released, and fer some reason, none of the guards remember Scoots assaulting anypony. Not even the guards she assaulted.” “It’s like I have some guardian angels watching over me that can magically wipe minds,” Scootaloo stated. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sat down with Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Spines. The foals spent the remainder of their time talking and enjoying the food Spike provided. Sweetie Belle introduced her friends to Spines, who Scootaloo said would make a cool pet. “It would be awesome!” Scootaloo stated. “You could train him to shoot his spine and chase away ponies you hate!” “That sounds kinda stupid,” Apple Bloom deadpanned. “That sounds awesome!” Spike disagreed. “So are you keeping him?” Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle as she picked Spines up. “Um… I don’t know. How would Rarity act?” “Better than my mom would!” Scootaloo said. “Seriously, she won’t me or my dad do anything! ‘Oh, that’s not lady like, you need to walk like this!’” Scootaloo mocked. “‘No, no, no! This toy is much more dignified for a lady to play with, put that down now!’ Then there was this on time, so annoying! ‘Scootaloo put that pin back in that grenade, now!’” “Wait, you have parents?” Spike asked a bit surprised. “Of course I do!" Scootaloo said, taking offense. "Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean I don’t have them. It's not like we can’t all be birthed by royalty. I’ve been meaning to ask, now that Twilight’s a Princess, does that make you a prince?” “I don’t think so… last I checked, I don’t think it extends to assistants.” Spike answered. “Wait, assistant? I always thought you were her brother or something.” “She hatched him Sweetie Belle. Twilight’s his mom,” Scootaloo said. “Let me break this up, Twilight is not my mom,” Spike said. “Told you,” Sweetie Belle smirked. “Sorry, but she’s not really my sister. I mean, she’s like my sister, but it was never like Twilight’s relationship with Shining Armor….” “Wait, then who’s your mom?” Scootaloo asked. “Scoots!” Apple Bloom shouted. “What? It’s a fair question.” “… I don’t exactly have one,” Spike murmured. “How do you not have a mom?" "Sweetie!" Apple Bloom said, mortified she would ask a question like that. "I'm just asking! What about Twilight’s mom?” Sweetie Belle asked Spike. “It’s not like she could ignore you, right?” “She didn’t ignore me, but it’s complicated. Do you guys sometimes get hugs from your family but they give you this half hug because you probably annoyed them or they feel angry?” The CMC nodded. “I only got those types of hugs, but they feel really halfhearted. I also get these weird nuzzle hugs from Princess Celestia, but that might be because I'm here to help her.” “So what, you only quarter hugs? Wow, even I get full hugs, and I disagree with my mom on everything!” “I just met Spines, and we’re on the level of full hugs,” Sweetie said, while Spines rested on her head. “Can we please move on to another topic?” Spike asked. “That’d be fer the best,” Apple Bloom agreed. “So what’s y’all plan for tonight?” “Avoid all colts!” Scootaloo stated. “Dancing,” Sweetie said, glancing at Spike as he placed the last of his snacks on the blanket. “What about you? Do you have any plans?” Apple Bloom shrugged. “None worth mentioning.” “So, just a question, I’m I going to be the only guy there with a filly?” Spike asked. “Well, Twist is going with Truffle and that’s about it,”Scootaloo stated. “Speaking of tonight, ah think we should start heading back. It’ll take some time fer Scootaloo to get ready.” “I will fight being put into a dress to the death,” Scootaloo stated. “Okay, I’ll see you guys later ,” Sweetie Belle smiled as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo left, leaving her and Spike, but mostly Spike, to clean up. After Cleaning up their mess, Spike and Sweetie Belle came to the fitting room where Sweetie’s dress was kept. They both entered the room, only for Spike thrown out. “You. Wait. Outside.” Honey commanded as she slammed the door shut. Spike sighed as he picked himself up and rested next to the door. Two hours must have gone by and the only pony to even try to acknowledge him was Princess Celestia. She was on and on about the way to treat a filly and other things that Rarity had already lectured him about. “Now, when you dance with a filly, you have be mindful of other couples and her hooves, do not step on her hooves. Just do what you’d normally do when you dance with a filly… and I’m not talking about that shuffling you did at the wedding.” “If I can’t do that, then how are Sweetie Belle and I supposed to dance?” Spike asked. “… Spike do you not know how to dance properly?” Celestia asked. Spike merely shrugged. “I was going to ask Rarity to teach me some time in the future and-” Celestia covered his mouth stood up, and knocked on the dressing room door. “Excellent timing, she’s ready. She has a porcupine glued to her leg, but other than that I think she looks good.” Celestia walked past the mare and sat down next to a dressed Sweetie Belle. “Hotel Name and Room number,” she demanded. “You’re not in trouble, I just need to know.” “Marritrott, room 2415,” Sweetie Belle said. “Okay, good. Spike will pick you up at 7:45.” Celestia’s horn lit up and there was a bright flash. Sweetie Belle was gone. “… Where did you send her, and why did you do that?” Honey asked. “Too her room. I just found out something that I once thought lost to me. It turns out, Spike doesn’t know how to dance,” Celestia said as she left the room, picking up Spike in her aura. “Come on, I'm teaching you to dance.” In a large flash, Sweetie Belle landed on her bed. “You okay Spines?” She asked, rubbing her eyes. The porcupine merely fell on the bed and began to joyfully nestle into the covers. “You’re okay,” she sighed as Spines happily fell asleep. "... So, I'm guessing Spike messed up and made Celestia mad?" Apple Bloom asked, trying to rationalize why Sweetie Belle appeared out of thin air. "I don't think so, when I saw her face, the princess looked really happy. By the way, you both look really good!" Sweetie said, admiring her friends. Scootaloo grumbled bitterly. She whore a simple pink dress that covered most of her midsection and all of her backside. Her mane was combed in a way that was not awesome and would get her impeachment from office as president of the Rainbow Dash fan club. She knew this to be a fact as she herself wrote the by-laws. To make matters worse, the dress had a built in frilly necklace that came with a cute pink butterfly ornament that looked similar to Sweetie Belle's sapphire heart choker. According to the Fanclub’s by-laws, this, coupled with the pink dress, was reason for a permanent ban from the club. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom wore a shimmering red dress with a necklace that looked like it was made out of apple leaves, with a bright ruby apple in the middle. Her mane was fashioned similar to Applejack's while her pink bow was replaced with a sparkling green one. The red fabric seemed to flow into a light pink saddle that rested on her back. "You guys look so pretty!" “You mean girly," Scootaloo corrected. "Imagine if Rainbow Dash saw me now, she would shun me. This day can’t get any worse.” There was a small knock on the door. “Hey guys, can we have a word?” Feather Weight asked. “It just got worse,” Scootaloo said. Feather Weight was a colt someone could say Scootaloo liked, but not in a crush like way that her friends thought. It was a totally, non-girly take on liking a colt. She would take the dreamy thoughts about him and burry them deep inside herself and then smash those thoughts. “Please, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get a suit on!” Rumble added. Scootaloo lost all color in her face. In truth, there was not one, but two colts she liked…. Yes, as lame as it was, she liked two colts. It was like those crappy romance novels Silver Spoon brought to school. She knew what this was about; they were both going to ask her out! She knew this would happen if she were excessively awesome! Why did she have to emulate Rainbow Dash? How was she supposed to crush both their dreams at the same time!? “W-we can’t let them in,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, please this will only take a second! Then I can deal with the fallout of this visit when she says no!” Rumble said. “I promise this will only take a second! It's only a small gift!” Feather Weight said. “Ah’m letting them in.” Apple Bloom trotted to the door much to Scootaloo’s protest, and let the colts in. Feather Weight quickly handed Apple Bloom a large bundle of flowers and trotted off, leaving Scootaloo in shock. Apple Bloom mumbled angrily under her breath and placed the flowers on her bed. This left only Rumble and Button Mash. “Button Mash? What the hay are you doing here?” Apple Bloom asked. “Well…. Wow.” Button said as he caught a glimpse of Sweetie Belle. His heart seemed to race until it came to a full stop. His mouth became dry and his brain ceased functioning. She was breath taking. How was it possible that one filly could look like that?! All he wanted to do was profess his undying love there and now, but after seeing her, he found himself unable to do so. “….” Rumble waved his hoof in front of Button’s face. He was unresponsive. “Okay, it’s up to me to do this then. Sweetie Belle, after we were arrested and then released after a black coated guard laughed at us, saying that we wouldn’t last two hours in juvy,” “Both y’all wouldn’t last two minutes, let alone two hours,” Apple Bloom commented. “Thank you for that much needed commentary. Anyway, Button wanted to ask Sweetie Belle if she would go to the dance with him, even though I advised heavily against it for various reasons…” “… Wow, this is awkward. I’m already going with this one really nice colt. His name is Spike,” Sweetie Belle admitted “What?” Button said, waking up from his comatose state. “I’m going to the dance with somepony else. Somepony-” “That doesn’t talk about videogames at every given opportunity, whose things don’t randomly burst into flames, or who doesn't scream for ten minutes straight when they get brain freeze?” Rumble interrupted. “Somepony that can actually pay attention to social situations?” Apple Bloom asked. “Oh I know! Somepony that doesn’t cry at the drop of a hat!” Scootaloo guessed. “Come on, that was a very emotional moment. That stallion just dropped his hat like it meant nothing to him!” Button defended. “I was going to say somepony really sweet, and kind, and generous....” Sweetie drifted off into thought for a few moments before getting back on track. “I’m sorry, but I have to say no.” Silence… at least that was what came from Button Mash. Rumble merely sighed, took Button by the tail, and began to drag him back to their room. “Come on Button, I’ll swing for some apple juice. By the way, you look cute, Scootaloo.” “Thanks…” She said, slightly turning red as the two left. “Yeesh, I would hate to be Button right now… So you and Feather Weight… is that a thing?” Scootaloo asked. “No Scoots, it’s not. Trust me; Feather Weight is not ma type.” She mumbled something else under her breath, but Scootaloo didn’t bother to listen. “Oh, so nothing’s happening then, cool,” Scootaloo nodded. Spike slowly swayed to the flow of the playing music, mindful of every move he made. Celestia had been something of a drill sergeant the past hour. Although she didn’t yell, she was very firm with her commands and in her dancing. It was weird, but she was dead set on teaching him to dance. Something else that bothered him was her reaction to being told this wasn’t necessary. He gently explained he wanted Rarity to teach him so he could lay down his signature charm on her and finally get that magical kiss he’d always dreamed about. However, the mere mention of this would cause Celestia’s eye to twitch and her body to tense. “Just focus on the subject at hand,” she told him through her smile. Besides Spike's one comment, Celestia was over the moon. For the first time, she had obtained a moment, a true bonding moment with Spike, and she was milking every second of it. “Now, it’s important that you lead, and make sure you support her. If you take her hoof, she’s going to be standing on only 3 legs, that’s awkward for a filly.” “I think I got it, Princess,” Spike sighed. “No sighing, it’s unattractive,” Celestia chided. “Princess, no offence, but I need to get ready! Sweetie Belle’s probably waiting for me.” “Fine, go ahead,” Celestia said, letting Spike go. This was what she hated about boys they were so impatient! Still though, the dancing was fun… for her at least. Spike quickly scampered to the fitting room, and quickly knocked on the door. Honey Suckle opened the door and dragged him into the center of the room. In ten minutes flat, Spike was dressed in his suit. “Okay you look perfect… except for that top hat. I suggest burning it.” “Not happening ever.” With his suit on, Spike made his way to the castle entrance only to be stopped by Celestia. A bag of bits was dropped at his feet. “These are for you. Just in case you and your little friends decide to do anything after the dance,” “Oh, okay, thank you.” “Oh and be home by 11, 11:30 at the latest. If you’re going to be late send a letter, but the reason better be because you’re escorting your friends back to the hotel.” “Um… okay, good to know.” “Also, don’t use the bits to buy comics, they are for both you AND your friends.” Celestia stated. “Hmm… seems fair, I have to go, I’ll see you later Princess,” Spike nodded. “Okay, have fun!” She called. “Don’t talk to strangers, even if they say they know me! Stay away from drugs; I made them illegal for a reason!” “I know!” Spike said. “Send me a letter on what you’re planning to do before you do it! If you need anything, send a letter, I will send a guard!” “Good-night princess!” Spike called. It was at times as this he wondered why Celestia acted the way she did. It felt nice knowing some pony cared, but still the degree she took it was just weird. He couldn’t focus on it too much though, after all, he had Sweetie Belle to think about, as well as reviewing his very quick dance lesson. Scootaloo looked outside the room to see if Button Mash, Rumble, or Feather Weight were there waiting for her or her friends. She closed her eyes and listened for any crying. Nothing. That was good. “Okay, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, let’s go, we’re clear.” “Okay, see you later Spines!” Sweetie Belle told the sleeping porcupine. The three fillies walked down the hall, only to stop at the sound of a snicker. “Oh, looky here Silver Spoon, three blank flanks trying to look like they matter! It’s so cute!” The three of them turned to see their archenemies standing in beautifully made dresses. “Darn it, they both look good!” Sweetie Belle said with a growl. “You two go on ahead, I’ll handle them,” Apple Bloom said. Her friends nodded, and went to the lobby. “Silver Spoon, why don’t you go ahead? I’ll chat with Apple Dolt,” Diamond Tiara said. Silver Spoon ran past Apple Bloom, excided to go to the dance. “So, why do you want me alone? Is it so-” “You pushed me to start the brawl,” Apple Bloom said. “Who me? I pushed you? Oh, Apple Dolt, you should not make such accusations! After all, nopony saw who pushed you, so I guess it’s your word against mine,” Diamond Tiara sighed. “Oh well.” “No, that’s what ah’m saying, you pushed me specifically to start the brawl.” “Wow, after one accusation, another one just pops up! Why would I want to start a fight? After all, I already know I’m better than everypony, so by extension, I have the better class, even if I do have to share it with you, your friends, and Snips and Snails.” “Yeah, ah was stumped at that part, then a thought came to me, Sctootaloo said that you made sense, something that ah wasn’t willing to believe. Then I remember something Scoots told me while we were arrested, if she just assaulted the safety patroller, somepony would have ratted her out to the teachers, and then nothing, no apology to me, no escaping. Yet in a brawl, who knows who attacked who. I think you wanted to help her out.” “So that’s your crazy theory? Lame. Lame. Lame. As if I would start a fight just so Scootaloo could say sorry to you and Sweetie Belle. I think you’re too stupid for your own good.” “… I never said anything about Sweetie Belle. How did ya know about her? Unless Scootaloo told you about how she was treating Sweetie Belle. Then there was the fact the all the tension was started by a very girly sounding colt. Someone that seemed to know exactly how to tear the magic of friendship to shreds. Ah don’t know about you, but that colt kinda sounded like you.” There was a sudden change in tone when Apple Bloom was slammed against the door of a room. “Listen here and listen good,” Diamond Tiara hissed. “You can think whatever it is you want to think, but the difference between you and me is that I have at most, three ponies I actually care about. The chicken is not one of them, understood? I don’t need you saying stupid things to ponies when you don’t know what it is you are talking about! You know me, I know me. Unless you can go into my head, keep that little mouth of yours shut.” Diamond Tiara let Apple Bloom go and stormed off. Maybe it was Scootaloo's insanity rubbing off on her, but what just happened was exhilarating. Not because she was slammed against a wall, but because she pushed Diamond Tiara that far. Usually she was cool and collected; to have her act like that was amazing. She had to tell Scootaloo. The elevator door opened and Scootaloo broke away from Sweetie Belle. “Hey, I’ll see later, I have something I need to take care of.” “Okay, see you soon!” Sweetie Belle said as she ran off. Scootaloo began to walk around the lobby. She didn’t really have anything to do, but walking around was better than feeling like a third wheel while Spike and Sweetie Belle had their date. She stood watching her classmates pass her. Some foals were with dates, most were not. She noticed Twist and Truffle happily walking to the conference hall, while Diamond Tiara stomped there with Silver Spoon. Dinky sadly parted with Pip, who went upstairs to reunite with Rumble and Button Mash. Scootaloo noticed Apple Bloom running from an elevator with a happy look on her face. Apple Bloom nearly tackled her and began to tell about her experience. The story put an evil smile on her face. For the first time in a while, Diamond Tiara couldn’t hope to ruin an event for them. It was almost 8:00 and Neon Lights had just finished setting up his booth. Tonight would be a great night for him. After all, he would get to sleep at a decent hour, and thanks to all the foals present, there was little to no chance of having a sip of alcohol, meaning no head-shattering hangover the next morning! Tonight was about him, his selections of songs, and Vinyl Scratch. “Wait, Vinyl?” Neon asked as his friend got up into the booth. “Sup Neon! Guess what? I got kicked out of the apartment for a few hours! Her majesty queen Octavia can’t seem handle my tunes. Her eardrums weren’t even bleeding that much. B.T.Dubs, is this the gig you stole from me? Cause I have some really good songs lined up for the party!” Vinyl smiled. “Are they appropriate for foals?” “As long as they grew up in an area were screwing the opposite gender at age nine is appropriate and blasting up a guy with magic and killing him is legal, of course…! 25% of your profit, and I will only provide commentary,” Vinyl said. “15%” Neon said. “Deal.” Spike entered the lobby and scanned the area for Sweetie Belle. He had to keep an eye out for a blue dress; problem was that 50% of all fillies seemed to be wearing blue. He began to walk around the lobby, scanning every area at every angle. However, his search ended when he found Sweetie Belle gracefully walking towards him. “Spike!” she waved. Stunning was the only word that popped into Spike’s head. Sweetie Belle looked stunning. She wore a sky blue dress with blue colored lace. Across the dress was a line of silver fabric that went under a light sky blue trimming, while she wore light blue slippers on her front hooves. On her neck was the silver choker complete with a gleaming sapphire heart. Words, Spike had to use words. It took Spike a few times, but he finally did manage to say something after a long string of stutters. “Y-you look amazing,” he stammered out. “Why, thank you, kind sir,” Sweetie said with a smile as she lightly bowed. That was something Rarity taught her when she was younger. She never thought to actually use but knowing how Spike danced, it was not likely that her bow was going to be the most embarrassing event of the evening. There was a pit growing in Spike’s stomach the closer he moved to her. He took deep breaths and offered his arm to her. “Um, so, you ready to go?” He nervously asked. Why was he so nervous? So she looked pretty, so what? He wasn’t going to let it affect too much. After all, they were just two friends hanging out, nothing more. Sweetie Belle looped her leg through his arm and gave a nod. The two went up a flight of stairs and came to the entrance of the conference hall.