No sooner had Star Dreams stepped foot outside Ponyville Park's premises did the little pink filly slow her gait. The world around her cracked, then violently exploded; thousands of fragments falling as the gears in her head spun. Click. Click. Clack. Each rotating cog rebuilt the world piece by piece; with every click of metal teeth, a new piece of the world magnetically rejoined the mural. When all the pieces had reassembled, a landscape of dirt roads, spacious parks, and cozy buildings clustered close danced across the reflective surface that encompassed a formless figure, black as Luna's night. Familiar faces of ponies ghosted through the open space between the landscape projecting screens and the shapeless shadow, pressing in- closer and closer, spinning faster until the blob shifted, molding itself into the form of a small pony whose eyes stared into the gaping mouth of one of the faces, seconds before it devoured its prey like a snake.
Star Dreams knew from observation that many of the schoolyard ponies she had left behind in the park weren't making a fuss over the accident. Many had undoubtedly resumed their games or chatter with their foal friends. But others would talk, whispering behind backs and prepare their attack on her tomorrow, no doubt. The sooner for them, the better. 'Strike while the iron is hot', so the saying went. While never the victim of such antagonistic behavior, which would be orchestrated mainly by Diamond Tiara, though there were other bullies who tried to claim her throne, Star Dreams knew their game; their tactics. Ever on the outskirts of the radar, she had observed Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo bearing the brunt of the wannabe Princess' assault. Come tomorrow, surely as the sun would rise, it would be her turn to be subjected to impending embarrassment and humiliation, and made a spectacle of in front of her peers- as if today's mishap weren't enough. After all, it wasn't every day that unsuspecting ponies got beamed in the face by a ball, unless perhaps those ponies were Snips and Snails. But just about everypony in school expected such things to happen with those two. It was hardly gossip fuel for the fillies who thrived on keeping the plebians beneath their hooves; barely even a laugh.
'Sticks and stones....' the words were whispered by an invisible presence to the ravenous, disembodied heads. One by one they swelled, features twisting and bloated until they looked positively grotesque. Then, like balloons, they popped; exploding with a luminous turquoise aura that glittered and sparked with dazzling diamond-like specks around the magical perimeter..
With the ghostly guests exterminated, the gears halted then grinded counter-clockwise. With an audible 'crack', the world once again exploded into a myriad of shards, then rebuilt itself to that of the former landscape.
A deep breath was drawn into Stars' lungs, held, then expelled in a long drawn out sigh. In with the good, out with the bad. In and out, in and out. The process was repeated no less than five times. She could feel the cool air of Luna's calming night gently lick at her thin coat, windy tresses weaving through her mane and tail. Fresh and pure was the air drawn into her lungs. A pregnant moon lounged overhead, its belly bulging. Tiny goosebumps peckled her skin as Star Dreams focused, feeling. A familiar magic hung heavy in the air like a warm, comforting blanket. With every breath, it became one with her.
Aqua eyes cracked open, focusing on the lush, green blades under her hooves. Gears shifted, processing what positive she could find in the first thing she saw. Having had enough experience in this game whose rules were her own, she drew the positive aspects close, taking account of each one and inhaled their essence. Each and every blade of grass was warm, wrapped in Celestia's sun energy and bursting with life, even in the depth of night. Each tiny tender shoot, though oft taken for granted by most who weren't earth ponies, were at this very instant creating energy of their own by feeding off of the sun's power, processing it through their cells and turning it to sugar. The barest hint of a twitch pulled at a corner of Star's mouth, before disappearing without a trace.
Thoughts routed like an electric current, Star Dreams squared her shoulders, holding her head high. She was fine. Everything was fine. She was a titan who towered over even the tallest trees. The whispers and would-be rumors and taunts of tiny ponies were miles from her ears, which scraped the sky, invading Pegasi airspace. Her legs carried her at a canter's pace, nearly mirroring Pinkie Pie's playful prancing, in order to let everypony watching know of her elevated emotional state. She imagined the ground trembling with each timed tap of her hooves. Sure, there were accelerated growth spells for just about every organism out there, courtesy of some studious, historical unicorns, but there was a magic that wasn't goverened by laws of science or even existing pony magic, and it belonged solely to her. Twinkles lit her eyes as Star Dreams ventured down Stirrup Street.
Along the bustling Stirrup Square, dozens of ponies tended to their businesses. Small shops, kiosks, and carts peppered both sides of the boulevard. Tourists and regulars alike shopped for daily discounts on their errand run, or searched for souveniers to take back to family and friends. The pink unicorn filly brushed by a vendor's kiosk, sighing inwardly as the alluring aroma of Marcie and Faun's PheNOMNOMenoms assaulted her nostrils. Mouth watering at the tantalizing treats, she longed for a taste, but steeled her will.
"Hey Star Dreams!" Faun Doo chimed, waving a hoof while her sister offered a sweet smile.
A polite nod, accompanied by a mirroring smile, was offered in return. Neither words nor bits for the baked goods were traded. Conversing with the siblings during business hours was far too dangerous an affair.
Effortlessly, Star integrated amongst the ponies swarming the street like migrating salmon. A cacophony of jangling bits, jingling cash registers, clopping horseshoes, creaky wagon wheels, and voices of every pitch could be heard up and down the square. The abundance of noise made it quite difficult for the filly to turn the atmosphere on mute, unlike the squeals of foals having fun in a more open area, as she had done with ease earlier. Ears strained to retrat backwad to lay at submision along her skull, but twitched, being held erect and at attention, instead. On her left her, a bright, golden salamander with a fiery orange trail of fire flickering at its crown and tail was pulling a cart of carrots at a relaxed trot. Her head was turned slightly, lost in conversation with a grey, stone golem who walked alongside her. "she's so fond of Derpy. I think we should try to get her to foalsit again." Star's sharp ears overheard, but soon lost to other sounds and conversations.
Light as pegasi cluds, and tinkling like tiny bells, the whispers of faeries tickled her ears.
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A baby's wail sounded from the upstairs room within Sugarcube Corner. Motorized hums of blenders and mixers, along with the smell of sweet, freshly baked pastries wafted from the kitchen; the Cakes hard at work. Gentle clinks of utensils against flatware and satisfied hums as customers enjoyed their treats was a symphony of its own in the dining area. It wasn't long before an exasperated sigh stirred the air, adding an element unique to the symphony of sound, that was no more unwelcome than the frustrated chorus of Pound Cake, who had joined in a duet with his sister upstairs.
"What exactly are we doing here?" huffed Diamond Tiara, never a pony to beat around the bush. She was trying hard not to roll her eyes as anxiety began to bubble within her. Old habits, she discovered, were difficult to let die.
Apple Bloom met the impatient filly's gaze, struggling to supress a sigh of her own. Instead, she chose to curl her lips around a straw that poked out of a heaping, ice cold chocolate milkshake in front of her. Hearty gulps cooled her throat, giving frostbite to her initial response. Lips were licked and eyes narrowed slightly once she was able to rethink a response to the pink pony's inquiry. "Well, we're waiting on Scootaloo to decide on her order." she spoke loudly enough to cause the pegasus pony scrutinizing the menu at the counter to glance in the direction of their table, wide eyed.
"Hey, it's not my fault they added stuff to their menu!" Scoots quipped. "I don't know what to try. They all look so good!"
"Just get what you always get! " Sweetie Belle groaned, her hoof smacking her own forehead. "We don't have all day, you know. Rarity wants me to be home in an hour, so my parents could pick me up." She hated the thought of having to leave her friends, when there was still so much to do, but she didn't have a say in the matter.
"Oh, alright." the pegasus griped, returning her attention to the menu. "One fudge layer cake."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, waiting until her friend returned to their table with her cake, before clearing her throat and proceeding. "So, Sweetie Belle," a concerned look was cast to the curly-haired unicorn. "You an' Lickety Split were whisperin' by yourselves an awful lot, on the way here. Mind fillin' us in on the plan?"
With a nod, Sweetie Belle complied. "Sure!" vibrant jade optics focused on Scoolatoo. "It occurred to me on the way here that it wasn't just us who had been interacting with Star Dreams. Scootaloo, you said that you thought that she liked strawberry shortcake, because that's what she ordered when you guys came here to study, right?"
"Yeah, but what's that got to-" the pegasus began, only to fall silent mid-sentence. Ears pricked at attention as realization dawned, eyes widening. A brief glance to Lickety Split's sly smirk confirmed it.
"We ask Mrs. Cake!" Scootaloo and Applebloom shouted in unison, reaching the same conclusion. It made perfect sense, if the pony patisserie had made treats for Star Dreams before, she would've had to pick up on something about the mysterious filly that the Crusaders had yet to see!
Lickety Split guided a heaping spoonful of Triple Treat Neapolitan Sundae Delight with rainbow sprinkles into his hungry maw, as the earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus leapt from their seats to dash up to the service counter in attempt to get Mrs. Cake's attention.
Diamond Tiara arched an eyebrow, turning her attention to the cocoa-colored colt across the table. This pony, unlike the CMC, hadn't spoken a single word since they arrived. Her ears had picked up whispers in front of her on the walk over, particularly between Sweetie and Lickety, but the specifics of their conversation hadn't been overheard over her own conversation with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and the din of Ponyville. A frown touched her lips. Something wasn't right. According to the youngest Apple sister, it was Lickety Split who proposed the trip to Sugarcube Corner. The CMC were apparently eager to get to know Star Dreams...so why were they led to the hot spot sweet shop, to pester Mrs. Cake, rather than confronting Star directly? Yes, something definitely smelled fishy, and for once, it wasn't a plan that she was cooking up.
"What's your deal?" The pink pony inquired, hardening her stare at the colt. "What game are you playing at, with bringing us here to Sugarcube Corner, instead of to Star Dreams directly?"
Returning the scrutinizing stare with a look of bewilderment, the blonde pony stopped chewing. "Huh? I'm not playing at anything." his tone was weaved with sincerity. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders came to the conclusion of talking to Mrs. Cake on their own. I just came for the treats." he explained. The look on Diamond Tiara's face was easy to read. Immediately, two hooves were raised in defensive gesture. "Honest." Lickety added, soon after noting the irony in being on the recieving end of that look from none other than the very pony who should be recieving it herself.
Hard pressed not permit the sceptical hum from escaping her, the filly scratched an itch at her ear, instead. If the CMC trusted him, she supposed...now that they were her friends, she should follow suit in putting the same trust in other ponies that they did. Ears flattened partially. "I....you may be-" she could feel her face heat up. Why was saying a single, stupid word so hard?! "So- ...sor-..." stammering, she forced the words through a restricted airway.
Lickety Split held up a hoof, silencing the apologetic pony, sensing her struggle. "It's fine. You're forgiven". He said. And that was that
"Ponyfeathers." Apple Bloom grumbled as she and the other crusaders made their way back to the table to finish their desserts, "No luck. Mrs. Cake said she hadn't noticed anything about Star Dreams that we could use to learn more about her."
"So what now?" asked Diamond Tiara.
Scootaloo, Sseetie Belle, and Apple Bloom exhanged glances. Sweetie spoke first. "Well, Scootaloo did mention that she and Star usually have their study sessions in Twilight's library. Maybe Twilight knows something!"
It was Apple Bloom's turn to scrunch her muzzle. "Couldn't we just find Star and try to get to know her, personnally?"
"We could, if we knew where she lived, smarty pants." Sweetie countered. "But we don't, so come on! To Princess Twilight's castle!" hurrying through the last few bites of her cheesecake, she bolted out the door at full speed.
"Wait for us!" cried the stunned, orange pegasus and golden earth pony. Diamond Tiara, having declined ordering a snack that would've detained her, was already hot on Sweetie Belle's hooves.
"I'll catch up." Lickety Split said to the girls as they stuffed their maws like they were in an eating competition. He still had a mountain of his own dessert to get through, and he much preferred to take his time. The fillies would undoubtedly be tending to tummyaches later.
After watching the remaining two go in a hurry, a soft sigh slipped past his lips. His spoon linked the glass as it was cleaned of its contents many minutes later. Leaving the table, the little colt cantered back to the service counter, smiling at the pudgy blue pon y patisserie.
"One slice of strawberry shortcake, please. And make it to go."