//------------------------------// // Lavender Lace in "Baby Be Mine" // Story: Tales of the Equestria Girls // by 621Chopsuey //------------------------------// Lavender Lace was not in the best mood today. Often, she was in an otherwise excellent mood, which was being level-headed and amiable with most people, but on this particular day she was not quite so, for it was the one day of the year she wish had never existed. It was Valentine’s Day. Lavender was known throughout Canterlot High to be a romantic. Sure, in the older sense of the word, possessing an appreciation for nature and what it had to offer, but she was hopelessly and imaginatively more so in the amorous sense. So much, some would say if there were a spot in the yearbook for class romantic, Lavender Lace would be at odds with Flash Sentry and Lyra Heartstrings. Those same few, her fellow peers, were also well aware of the reasons why Lavender didn’t enjoy the day of romance. It was the cards from the local Hallmark store, the candied hearts that read “Be Mine”, the oversized stuffed teddy bears, the overall obligation to confess one’s love to another. It was all forced confessions created by the commercializing of the holiday, which relied on the people’s desire to spend, spend, spend to appease themselves as well as others. That was how Lavender perceived it; the very reason why she detested Valentine’s Day. And so her morning went, walking the halls of Canterlot High and watching her fellow classmates fall sway to the call of the day’s so-called “romance” and their bulging wallets. It may be a callous perception to the common man, but was how Lavender perceived it nonetheless, and a perception well known throughout the school body. Were there no capitalist perversions of the holiday and these acts of love more genuine, then it would be a different story. Probably. So when Lavender opened her locker today, she never expected to find a Valentine’s Day card inside, let alone anything Valentine’s related. Looking left and right to see if anyone was watching her, the girl carefully gripped the card as if it would suddenly sprout wings and fly away before she got the chance to inspect it. It was heart-shaped, big surprise, and appropriately bordered with lavender lace, a more legitimate surprise that got a giggle from the girl. What really drew her attention were the fanciful cuts inside. When Lavender opened the card, a silhouette cutout of a boy and a girl in a loving embrace popped up. Again, she was surprised. It was a well done feature anyone who received the card would give credit to, even admire, the sender for it. Speaking of sender, Lavender scanned the card for the message, which wasn’t all that difficult to find. Unlike the rest of the card, the writing was of every boy and man’s typical chicken scratch, a contrast to the card’s careful construction, though thankfully it was more legible than most scribbles she previously laid eyes on. The words from within are hard to say aloud for when I look at you, Your beauty brings my knees to weakness, your laugh a flutter to my heart. From here, I ask you what a man would desire Oh, baby, be mine.   Even if the three-stanza haiku got cheesy at the end with a line from an eighties pop song, the words admittedly left Lavender feeling amorous and, as a hand to the bosom confirmed, her heart beating a little faster. It was touching, having learnt she left such an impact on this mysterious gentleman. Though not to toot her own horn, Lavender had a reputation as one of the hotter girls at the school. “Huh? So you got a Valentine’s card.” Lavender looked up from her unexpected gift. Fuchsia Blush was leaning against her own locker, adjacent to her friend’s. Beneath her crossed arms was a blue-and-white plush animal that looked like a cross between a cat and a dog. “I see you received a gift, too.” Fuchsia nodded, holding her gift up for her friend to see. “Yeah. Ain’t he adorable?” “At least it’s not a teddy bear with ‘HUG ME’ stitched on its belly.” The shorter of the two rolled her eyes. “I figured you comment on that first. Now that we’re past your anti-capitalist analysis, what do you really think of it?” “It’s cute. Really, it is.” Lavender said after a lingering look at the plush. “Any idea who gave it to you?” Fuchsia could only shrug. “No idea. There’s a reason why they are called secret admirers; anonymous lovers who leave mysterious gifts.” She gave her plush a quick nuzzle before storing it away in her locker. “And the mystery behind this one is whoever my admirer is knows of my love for anything anime, which is creepy because no one knows that except for you and Trixie.” “In other words, we might have a stalker on our hands,” joked the lavender girl. “Well, your hands, technically. He’s your admirer.” “That ought to make things interesting.” Fuchsia said a giggle. “Whatever. Enough about me. I wanna know more about your card.” She held out her hand. Lavender got the message and gave it to her friend. She watched as Fuchsia looked over the card cover to cover and round back to the middle. The fuchsia girl whistled with appreciation while she worked the pop-up cutout. “Now that’s some craftsmanship. Except for the scribbling at the bottom; what’s that supposed to be, a quickie add-on?” “That would be the poem.” “Huh?” Fuchsia took a closer look at the scribble. “Oh, so that’s what it is.” The next several moments remained silent save for the students passing by as Fuchsia read the poem. Lavender could only wonder who her secret admirer was. This was the first time her disliking for Valentine’s Day came into question; whoever made the card put a lot of time and effort into it. Honestly, how many cards were made by hand, with a pop-up feature done with such finesse? “Wow, somebody here must have a really big crush on you to put effort into this. And I bet you all this effort got a nice reaction out of you.” Lavender averted her gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous.” “Lavender, please. I may be named after a cosmetic, but there’s more to me than a destiny in cosmetology. See, makeup is like a mask; it’s applied to hide imperfections or enhance appearances. A deception if you will. I can see through people as if they were not wearing either at all, and right now I can tell you’re lying.” Lavender crossed her arms, intrigued. “Really? Then what did you see beyond this, O All-Knowing One?” “Not the casual ‘aww, how sweet’ sort of thing.” The shorter girl held up a finger to her chin and observed her friend in an almost knowing manner while listing off potential reactions. “A reaction more physical. An intense blush? Butterflies in your stomach, perhaps? Or maybe your heart beat a little faster.” Fuchsia’s lips curled up. “Number three, am I right?” The girl was at a loss for words, allowing silence to yawn between the two if briefly. “Please explain to me how your guesses are always that accurate.” “Correction: educated guesses,” Fuchsia smirked confidently with the knowledge she was right. “By the way, it wasn’t just your face. Kind of hard to miss you put your hand over your heart a second time. Elementary, my dear Lavender.” “Okay, settle down, Sherlock.” “Hey, I can see things most people can’t. It’s a gift.” “So you mentioned.” The pair laughed at their friendly bantering, an amiable moment that was cut short when the warning bell rang through the halls signaling class started in five minutes. Lavender quickly stored the card away in her bag, secured her locker, and followed her fuchsia friend to her next class. “So what do you plan to do?” Lavender pondered over the question. “I’m… not quite sure. I feel lead to find out who the sender is, but I don’t know if that’s just asking for trouble. I don’t want to dive in only to find out this was a prank.” Fuchsia was so surprised at the train of thought she nearly walked into Snips and Snails. Thankfully, they noticed her first and skittered around the two girls. “Where did that come from? Look, Lavender, obviously this guy really likes you. I doubt he’d waste the time and effort to make you that card and confess his feelings just to tug at your heartstrings in some cruel joke. Do what your heart tells you.” The majority of their walk remained silent as Lavender deeply pondered over what to do next, as well as justifying her motivations for this potential venture. Was she in over her head, believing this card was a sign? Probably. She was an imaginative romantic, after all. Was there a chance of disappointment when she found out who made it? Of course, but it was low; Lavender was equally vigilant in noticing who actively crushed on her, and the majority of the guys were up there in looks and personality. One last question: will she act on this opportunity? Definitely. If this was indeed a calling, Lavender had to answer it. This was an opportunity, a chance at a relationship with the potential to last a lifetime. Ignored, and another like it may never come again. Carpe diem. Seize the day. It was settled. Firmly digging in her heels, Lavender knew what to do. By now, the pair had made it to the doorway to Ms Harshwhinny’s room, the location of Fuchsia’s history class. She looked at her friend expectantly. “So? What did it say?” “It says I’m going on an adventure.” Lavender answered with a confident grin. Fuchsia crossed her arms and smiled, satisfied with the decision. “Good for you. Now get your butt moving. Standing around won’t accomplish anything. Go hunt down a few guys on your list and find out which one of them is your secret lover boy.” “What will you be up to in the meantime?” “I’m going to let my stalker do most of the work and meet me ninety percent of the way. He knows my secret, therefore he’s a stalker, ergo he will probably be following me around the school all day like some freak. No offense to him.” Fuchsia glanced at the clock just within Ms Harshwhinny’s classroom. “Better book it before you get slapped with a tardy note. Lemme know how it turns out later.” Lavender nodded. “You do the same. Cheers.” With that, she dashed off towards the beginning of a what she expected to be a grand adventure. Lavender’s first class of the day was gym, one of her favorite classes. She always enjoyed the workout of the morning hours that left her energized and ready to take on the rest of the day like a conqueror. Today’s exercise focused on the greatest, yet most barbaric sport ever developed by humankind: dodgeball. The class had been divided into teams and participated in a full-on game of legalized bludgeoning. Thus far, Lavender’s team was in the lead, their numbers nearly untouched while their opponents were steadily losing one person after another all in no small part thanks to Rainbow Dash’s precision aiming. As she gracefully dodged ball after pain-inducing red rubber ball, Lavender kept her eyes on the suspect number one in her search for her secret admirer. Homestar was one of those kinds of guys who usually hung out in the background, listening to his music through old school headphones and keeping distant from others to the point of near obscurity. However, once one managed to succeed in breaking through his shell, as Lavender found out via personal experience, Homestar was a very enthusiastic guy. They had been good friends since sophomore year, but she knew Homestar liked her more than just a friend, the way he would avert his gaze awkwardly when he thought she did not notice. Pity nothing developed beyond such friendship, so any hopes of the retro enthusiast speaking up about more intimate feelings were set aside indefinitely. That is, supposedly, until today. Homestar was in Lavender’s line of sight and indeed facing her. Confidently juggling the ball in one hand while the other lay on her hip, the girl fluttered her eyes at the blonde boy in hopes of drawing his attention. The tactic was effective, as Homestar stopped midway in a throw. Now she definitely had his attention. “Hook, line, and sinker.” The Lavender said to herself as she launched the ball at him with form that would make any gym teacher proud. Unfortunately, the projectile failed to hit its intended target. Instead, a girl with her auburn hair done up in twin meatballs dove in front of Homestar and caught the ball. Lavender watched in astonishment as the spry girl followed her landing with a spin and a toss that sent the ball careening into Rainbow Dash’s forehead. The force of the impact sent the prismatic-haired girl sprawling on the floor. Lavender could practically see the stars dancing around her head. Distracted by the display, she never saw Baton Switch’s second ball coming at her and took it straight in the gut. In the throes of her lower abdomen pain, Lavender Lace humbly declared Canterlot High’s majorette as the champion of this round. Lunch period started off well for Lavender, and hopefully it would end better than that game of dodgeball. Rather than sit in the cafeteria, she opted to spend her time outside. For one, the weather was comfortably cool and sunny. Who could resist spending lunch outside on such a beautiful day? Only a fool would deny herself the pleasure of basking in such lovely February weather. Secondly, it was out on the soccer field in the rear of the school some kids would often hang out during lunch period. Athletes mostly, but a few outside the clique were enjoying the outdoors, too. Hopefully for Lavender, that would soon include suspect number two. From the bleachers, the girl inconspicuously scanned the area for any sign of her target, all the while taking a forkful of salad whenever she got the chance. If she knew him like the rest of the school did, Flash Sentry will be out here to take his lunch and take in some practice time with his guitar. In due time, her patience was rewarded, for out of the school emerged said familiar blue-haired guitarist. Better yet, he was all by his lonesome. Lavender smiled triumphantly. This was it. She would walk over there and ask him about the Valentine card. If Flash denied having anything to do with it, then no harm no foul. The two would remain on good terms and act as if this never happened. However, if he did admit to it… well, it wasn’t like Sunset Shimmer still had dibs on the guy. Flash turned right rather than in the direction of the tall blonde. Said tall blonde watched the boy with curiosity as he readjusted his jacket and walked over to one of the nets of the soccer pitch, which thankfully for those sitting at either were not in use. Flash took a seat next to a familiar minty-skinned girl, exchanging friendly hugs and hellos before procuring an item from his jacket pocket. Lavender’s smile fell instantly. She knew as well as any of the other kids Flash and Lyra were only friends, but the girl couldn’t help be plagued by jealousy as she watched latter excitedly wrap the former up in another hug with the gift of a mixtape, if Lyra’s exclamation of “I can’t believe you found the song!” was anything to go by. God forbid if Flash had done the same for Bon Bon and-- Her thoughts derailed spectacularly as she bit down on her metal fork. It wasn’t hard to find the next boy on the list. By fate or fortune, Lavender shared the same chemistry class with Sandalwood. Also by fate or fortune, both sat in the rear row, so it offered her a spot away from the center of Mr Doodle’s attention and ample cover to write a note—written in cursive; a woman had to write clean and proper—to her next target and pass it on covertly. She passed the note to her right and watched eagerly as it soon arrived into the hands of Apple Bloom, who happened to be the intersection for notes today. Lavender tensed. One more sleight of hand and she would know if Sandalwood was her secret admirer. A sudden vibrating sounded almost sent Lavender out of her skin. Mr Doodle slowly noticed the sound, as did his students, and in no time the lecture halted completely as everyone in the room looked around for the source of the sound. Eventually all eyes settled on the ceiling in comedic unison, Mr Doodle’s gaze particularly baffled. He shook his head and, grumbling a few choice words, stepped onto one of the students’ desk to shift aside a ceiling tile, procure a cell phone, which had by now stopped vibrating, and step back down. Needless to say, he was not amused. “I don’t know whose bright idea it was to hide a phone there, but I better not find another one again.” Mr Doodle stored it away in his desk, and continued the lesson without another moment’s waste. In the meantime, Apple Bloom remembered the few notes on her desk and hastily passed them along. To her horror, Lavender watched as hers went away from Sandalwood and into the hands of another classmate who sat a couple rows ahead. Her horror made way for sheer embarrassment as she watched Amethyst Star open the note, read it, and turn her head towards Lavender as slowly as the blush that formed on both their cheeks. Lavender applied palm to face. Hard. Everyone at Canterlot High was well aware of Bulk Biceps’ penchant for the violin. It was a curious thing to see a guy who fit the image of a boisterous bodybuilder playing an eloquent instrument capable of tugging at the heartstrings of any mortal. Admittedly, Lavender found it admirable Bulk possessed a softer, feminine side to balance his exuberant masculinity, but occasionally she would find it odd. It’s not every day she saw a weightlifting student read GQ. With word from Fluttershy on his whereabouts, Lavender had gone off during study hall to check the music room and see if suspect number four was practicing violin. By now she was at the end of her rope, and she was more or less expecting similar, disappointing results in her hunt for her secret admirer. She had decided beforehand if suspect number four didn’t turn out to be him, then that was that. Done. El fin. The blonde girl was about to grip the doorknob when she heard noises coming from within that definitely didn’t sound like strumming strings. She submitted to her curiosity and chanced a peek through the slim gap beneath the window blinds failed to cover. She wished she hadn’t. “Nope.” Lavender ripped her gaze away from the door and slammed her back against the wall that separated the hallway from the music room, purple pinpricks staring dumbfoundedly out into the hallway with the expression of a deer caught in the headlights. “Nope.” She walked away briskly with as much dignity as she could manage, all the while attempting not to look suspicious. She didn’t want to attract attention, especially towards the copulating couple in the classroom. As much as the scene disturbed her, Lavender didn’t want to risk spoiling their romantic moment by remaining there, gawking through the door’s window and inadvertently prompting others to join in some kinky impromptu peep show. And why would she want to stay? Lavender was already scarred enough with that brief glimpse into the room, a glimpse neither copious amount of lemon juice in her eyes nor all the brain bleach in the world could ever permanently erase. Imagine if she had stayed longer and continued to observe Bulk sensually caressing Octavia’s exposed chest with such gentleness and care in such a compromising position against the wall and oh God why was she even thinking about it right now?! “Nope, nope, nope.” The school day was over, and by now most of the students had left for the day. The ones who did remain were busy with after school activities. The sports was one of them, which was one of the reasons for Lavender sitting all by her lonesome on the bleachers of the school’s athletic field. Her cousin, who also attended Canterlot High, had practice today, and it was customary for the two to eat at the Sweet Shoppe after that. As she sat and waited for practice to end, Lavender thought over the day’s events. It started out so simple. All she had to do was find the boy who left her the Valentine, someone she knew who liked her in the past. But as the day progressed, her venture continually came up empty-handed despite her efforts, and with each boy marked off the list, she grew to believe that this may have been a pointless endeavor. If none of them were her secret admirer, then who was? With a frustrated groan, Lavender rubbed her face, not really caring if her eyeshadow, however lightly applied, got smudged in the process. Fuchsia was probably having much better luck than her, for all she knew, merrily walking arm and arm with whoever cleverly snuck that plush in her locker. She could really go for one of those sea-salt ice creams right now. Or three. “Hey, Lavender!” The girl in question looked up to the call of her name. A girl not unlike her in appearance, save for a soccer uniform and hair done up in a ponytail, came trotting over. She joined the girl on the bleachers and collapsed onto a seat next to her, wearing a very pleased, but exhausted smile, a sign of an intense workout well worth it. Lavender waved tiredly to her cousin. “Hey, Cloud.” Blissfully unaware of her cousin’s mood, Cloud Kicker leaned back and watched her teammates with particular interest. “I expected Flash to be down in the dumps today with his princess in another castle, but he seems to be handling Valentine’s Day well. Just look at him all peachy with Lyra and Bons.” She let loose a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, the way those three hang out every day, I’d say they are just three words away from a harem.” “That’s nice,” said Lavender with disinterest. Sensing something was amiss, Cloud Kicker feigned shocked in hopes of prompting a smile out of her. “What, no questions? No snarky comebacks? Nothing to prompt a ramble out of me joining in on what could be a great bang?” She threw her arms up for added measure. “Has the world finally gone mad?” “Sorry. I’d play along, but I just had a long day.” Cloud’s face became one of concern. “What’s up?” the pony-tailed girl asked, scooting closer. “Well, it’s… it’s nothing. It’s stupid.” A reassuring hand on the shoulder followed. “Lavender, I’m your cousin. You can talk to me about anything.” Cloud paused, chewing over what she just said. “Well, maybe not everything, but you get the idea.” “It’s…” Lavender trailed off nervously before deciding to just tell it straight, though as she did so her words came out so fast they could have been mistaken for gibberish. “It’s about a Valentine’s Day card I received from someone.” “No way! You finally gave up boycotting Valentine’s Day? I didn’t think you’d ever break out of that phase.” “That’s the thing. It wasn’t a card you can buy from a store; it was handmade, and damn well if I may add.” “Lemme see it.” Lavender dug the card out of her bag. Like Fuchsia, Cloud took the offered car and thoroughly looked it over. Needless to say, she was equally impressed with the workmanship. “You weren’t kidding. Aww, look at that cute couple holding hands.” Lavender nodded. “I was pretty moved by it, and I felt like I needed to go out there and find who made the card. You know, to thank him and… let him know how I feel.” “And that didn’t go well.” “Not well at all. I thought for certain it was one of the guys who I knew had a crush on me, but it turns out they had Valentines of their own. Even Bulk Biceps, and most of the kids see him as, well… different.” She offered diplomatically. “He and Octavia were…” Lavender trailed off awkwardly, remembering the beautiful, yet scarring scene. A knowing smile slowly crept onto Cloud’s face as she filled in the blanks. “I always knew classy Tavi had a thing for Bulk, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine them going all the way. And during school hours? With you watching them?” Her smile grew all the more cat-like. “Talk about kinky.” “I’m trying to be serious, Cloud.” “And I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” “Well, could you do it by dropping the risqué humor for just a minute, please?” “I can’t help it. If there’s an opportunity for a sex comment, it’d be heresy for me not to jump on it. S’like you saying ‘yum’ after the Red Robin jingle every time.” When Lavender intensified the stink eye, Cloud sighed in defeat and held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. If you want this to be a PG rated conversation, I’ll keep it at that level. No sex jokes, no double entendres, nothing.” For added measure, she made a series of motions over her heart and eye, in the end holding up her pinkie finger. “Pinkie Promise.” “Good.” Lavender looked away, arms crossed. “And for the record, it’s a catchy jingle.” A lengthy moment of silence stretched out for the two, the tension, however lessened, still hovered above them like a drone. It was a minute, maybe two, before Lavender heard her cousin speak. “So… this card thing really means a lot to you. Must mean a lot to him, too.” She looked to Cloud and could see she was indeed being serious in face as well as voice. “I’m sure the guy didn’t go through all this just to pull a prank, if that’s a thought that has crossed your mind. If anything, he’s probably been watching you hunt him down at school all day, just to see if you share the same feelings he does. You know how boys are, always unable to ask a simple question without stuttering like a nervous wreck.” Lavender couldn’t help but chuckle mirthfully. “They often do lack a sense of composure around us, do they?” “It gets worse when it involves an eleven like you.” The young romantic lightheartedly flecked her hand. “Oh stop it, you.” “I’m serious. Good looks, imagination, confidence… this guy would be lucky to be with you. All that needs to be done is find out who ‘this guy’ is.” Cloud laid a hand on Lavender’s shoulder. “Tell you what. Tomorrow we’ll look for him, you and me, and figure out who your artsy stalker is. Won’t that be fun?” A hopeful light shined in Lavender eyes. “You’ll really do that?” “Anything for my little cousin.” She drew her in for hug. Lavender smiled as she returned the embrace. It was nice, knowing her cousin had her back. Sure, Cloud was a bit flamboyant and quite perverted, her mind half the time in the gutter, but she held the interests of her friends and family foremost in her heart. Speaking of keeping family at heart… “By the way, how did your Valentine’s Day go?” asked Lavender as she pulled back. “Oh, it went well. Brawly and I had a delicious homemade breakfast. Sausage and eggs for me, muffin and apples for him. All done at sunrise with a soft instrumental playing in the background.” Cloud sighed wistfully, her gaze distant and nostalgic. “Brawly always knows how to get the ambiance going like he knows how to cook.” This was one of those moments when Lavender was positively clueless as to what Cloud’s implications were. It was a well-disguised statement, vague enough to leave its interpretation up to the listener’s imagination. Crafty, clever Cloud changed the subject before the matter could be inquired upon. “Now, how about our traditional trip to the Sweet Shoppe? I think someone could use a milkshake after a long day of stalking.” “Er, uh… sure. I’d like that.” Lavender relinquished her hands from her cousin’s shoulders and, out of peace of mind, reached down to grab a bottle of sanitizer from her mini handbag. Instead, she gripped nothing but empty air, and frowned in displeasure. “Aaand I left my bag in study hall. Wait a tick, I’ll be back.” Lavender rushed down the bleachers and into the school. A couple of minutes and two flights of stairs later, she entered Ms Cheerilee’s classroom. There it was, her trusty handbag nestled in the basket under her assigned desk. “Thank goodness,” she said in relief. Soon as she retrieved her bag, a tune began playing from beyond the window. It was quiet at first, but steadily grew louder. Lavender took a moment to close her eyes and bob her head to the beat. It was an older song, but an upbeat one and one of her favorites. Her top favorite, actually. Her eyes snapped open. Someone was playing her favorite song. On Valentine’s Day. Here. Right now. Spurred by the moment that had eluded her all day, Lavender rushed over to the open window and leaned out to locate the source of the music. There, standing on the soccer field and facing the window was a boy holding a boombox over his head, which had to be heavy for him due to his roundedness and short stature. A mixture of emotions swirled within the wide-eyed girl. Joy. Confusion. Disbelief. But mostly confusion. This was the big moment she had been waiting for, but Lavender never expected Snips to be her secret admirer. He was the furthest thing away from a poet, for one. “Yo, Lavender!” The girl in question turned as Fuchsia rushed into the room and skidded to a halt. She laid her hands on her knees as she took a moment to catch her breath. “I found out who your lover boy is! Had a hunch who it was earlier, but I wanted to make sure before I got your hopes up--.” Lavender raised a finger to forestall her friend. “Fuchsia.” “--so I did a little investigating with the theory your lover boy had to be a poet or musician and would lend credit to the haiku. I mean, sure, anyone can write a haiku, but this is your potential significant other we’re talking about here.” “Fuchsia.” “Turns out I overlooked a major detail: it was the craftsmanship. That’s when I realized I was looking at it all wrong, and there’s only one guy in the school who can cut paper up like that. That guy, my dear Lavender, has gotta be Snips.” “Fuchsia.” Her patience wore thinner by the second. “I honestly should’ve seen that coming. Hey, I may have said I can see things most people can’t, but that doesn’t mean my educated guesses are always right, but hey, I managed to solve the mystery of the day, right?” Fuchsia crossed her arms proudly, only to be met with a deadpan stare. “What?” “He’s serenading me right now from the soccer pitch.” “Oh.” Fuchsia joined her friend and looked over. By then, a small crowd had gathered close by, intrigued by the spontaneous serenade. “So he is. Didn’t expect a crony to fall for another crony, huh?” Lavender shook her head. “Nope. I wonder if he wrote the poem.” “I wouldn’t bet on him taking full credit for it. If anything, Flash or Lyra probably lent him a hand. Scratch that, just Flash. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the lyrics to one of his songs.” She paused, taking in more of the scene below. “So, what are you gonna do with Snips? Friend-zone him nicely?” The lanky blonde thought long and hard about it as she watched Snips continue to hold the boombox above his head like a champ. He could be loud and hyperexcitable much like Pinkie Pie, but he was more annoying about it. Then again, Snips did have qualities as he did flaws. He was capable of showing he cared for others, too. He was also imaginative, outgoing, and stuck to his guns when determined to achieve something. Lavender and Snips also held similar interests. There were the arts; while he was skilled in crafts, as his card was evidence to, she held a passion for theater. And they respected Trixie, too. Anyone could see that. As for opposites attract, their physiques were as far as that saying went. Come to think of it, once Lavender saw past his flaws, Snips was a decent enough guy. And if that wasn’t enough to convince her, she could hear both her mind and heart scream, “Do it! Just do it! Don’t let your dreams be dreams!” “I’ll give him a chance. If he built up the courage to do this, then I ought to meet him halfway. Who knows, maybe something lovely may come out of this.” Lavender gave a little wave to the freshman. She swore he saw his heart about beat out of his chest much like a character from an old cartoon as he fell over enamored at the gesture. “Besides, he has me worked up already.” “You’re actually going through with this?” Fuchsia was genuinely surprised as she witnessed her friend strode out the room with confident steps. “I can’t wait to see how this goes.” Lavender looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of, did you find out who your secret admirer is?” “Well…” Lavender Lace – "Baby Be Mine"