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Prologue 1,353 words
Chapter 11,982 words
Chapter Two2,224 words
Chapter Three1,427 words

Chapter Three

Twist and Pipsqueak sat in a corner, staring at the card.

“Who’d you pull, little bro?” Pet asked.

He handed the three-by-five card to Teacher’s Pet. “Your lady,” he groaned.

Teacher’s Pet took the card and, putting on his dark-rimmed glasses, looked at it. “Yep, you sure did.”

Pip sat down, devastated. “That’s not who I wanted!” he sighed.

“So you had a filly in mind?”

“Yes, no... maybe?”

Pet laughed. “Want to know who I got?”

“Who?” Pip sighed.

“Diamond Tiara”

Pip shivered. “Not her!!”

“Yep.” Pet frowned. "I might be able to-"

Pip handed his card to his brother without a second's hesitation. "She said we can trade. I'm trading."

Pet frowned. "You are willing to have her?"

Pip shook his head. "No, but I've got friends among the class kids. You don't."

Teacher's Pet frowned. His brother was right. While he and Cheerilee were great friends, he didn't know the other classmates very well at all, nor did he have any intention of getting to know them. That wasn't his way of doing things. Friends got in the way of studying. So did brothers, but brothers are family, so they didn't count.

"Are you going to take it?" Pip asked, breaking his brother from his mental rundown.

Pet blinked, then accepted his younger brother’s card with a shy smile and handed Pip his own card. "Thanks bro," he said, running a hoof shyly over the card's wrinkled surface.

Pip chuckled, "I don't know what you like more, her cooking, or her brains." With that, Pip trotted off to start trying to trade the 'old maid' card with any one of the other students. He didn't care at that moment who he got.

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Spike sat down in a lone corner before opening his card. In the back of his head he could already see Rarity making the outfits... now why couldn't he just go out with her and be done with it? Nope, that's not how this game worked. They were stuck with the fillies in school.

Spike opened the card and blinked. "Dinky" His heart sank and stomach flopped at the same time. Yeah she had asked for him, but was she really who he wanted? He bit his lip, leaning against the desk and sighing.

"Apple Bloom," Snips said in the corner beside him. His horn flashed for a moment. "Snails, who do you have?"

"Silver Spoon!" Snails beamed. "She's so pretty!"

"I know!" Snips said, "Not as pretty as Diamond Tiara."

"Yeah, she's like, the prettiest girl in the school!" Snails affirmed.

Spike couldn't help but roll his eyes. These two were goofs.

"Hey!" Pip said, overhearing their conversation. "You have Apple Bloom?" he asked Snails.

Snips nodded. "Yep!"

"Well, I've got Diamond's card. I was wondering if you were up to a trade."

Snips' face lit up. "Yeah!"

The trade took place immediately. As soon as Pip had the card, he took off out the door to go find Apple Bloom. The younger sister of a friend of a princess... now that was big.

Spike chuckled, standing up after watching the whole display. He could see some fun in it. Slowly, he started walking around the room.

"You want to trade for Fire Chief?" asked a colt to another.

"Scootaloo for Fire?" the second colt exclaimed.

Spike had to think back. The first one was Rumble. He was unsure of the second one's name. "No, unless it's Sweetie, I'm not trading."

Rumble looked downcast. "Come on! I told Thunder I'd come home with Scootaloo's card!"

The other colt, who wore a spinny hat, shook his head. "No deal."

"Alright Button,” Rumble sighed, “If I get Sweetie, will you hold Scootaloo till I get back?”

The first colt shrugged, "Alright, sounds good.”

Spike walked on. Trade after trade went on in the room. As soon as a colt had who he wanted, he'd leave to go ask her out. A few times a colt would come back in looking downcast having to go through the motions of getting another, less desirable card. Sighing, Spike decided it was time for himself to face the music. Obviously there was colt in the room who actually wanted Sweetie for the picnic. Spike didn't care. Yeah, she was Rarity's younger sister, but he had Dinky’s card. No point in fighting it from there.

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Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo sat outside under the slide. None of the fillies were doing much. Inside, the colts were trading them around like a bunch of goods. How this ever was considered a good idea back when Rarity was little, Sweetie would never be sure.

"Do ya think they are almost done yet?" Apple Bloom asked in a hushed voice.

"No," Scootaloo stated matter of factly. "No way! Or they'd be out here."

"What's taking so long?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't—" Scootaloo began, but got no farther as two colts broke down the schoolhouse door.

Every filly in the school yard gasped as the two colts hammered it out. "I want that card!" Rumble said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah? What is she to you?"

"If I don't get your card, I can't trade for the one I want!" Rumble said, biting the orange colt's ear.

"I wonder whose card it is?" Sweetie asked.

"Seems a bit, over the top," Apple Bloom stated.

Scootaloo, however, was all into it. "Left jab! Now kick! Get him!" she yelled.

The other two glared. "Really Scoots, yer gonna encourage it?" Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo blushed. "Uh, maybe?"

None of them saw how, but when they looked back to the squabbling colts, Rumble had pinned the other one firmly to the ground. "Give me Sweetie's card now! Here's Fire's card."

Sweetie's face flushed red. "All that over ME!?!" she exclaimed.

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"Here," Rumble said, thrusting Sweetie's card at Button Mash. "She's yours. Now, I had to fight for this, and I am willing to fight again to get Scootaloo's card."

Button had no intent on getting pounded by the colt, so he hoofed it over before opening the offered card and kissing it. "Sweetie, you're mine now!"

"Only if she accepts you," Rumble stated. "She did just see me fight for it."

"Speaking of," Button asked, "How are you going to- um... Fix the door?"

Rumble paused, looking over at the door. "Um- I don't really know."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Pip said, appearing as if from nowhere with a bunch of building supplies. "I just have to get the hinge back in. I'll unscrew the... Man, you broke the hinge. Well, we could always-"

"Ask Cheerilee?" Button asked.

"Nah, Apple Bloom! She's the best builder in this school, and it just so happens I've got her card," Pip said, waving it. His grin spread from ear to ear.

"Right," Button said, "So you are going to ask her out, then tell her to fix the door?"

Pip shrugged. "No, I don't think that would work all that well. However, maybe asking her out, then requesting her to assist me with the door-"

"Oh! Why didn't I think of that?" Rumble exclaimed, "I bet we can get all three of their help. All we have to do is suggest its likelihood of a Cutie Mark Mission."

Button Mash nodded. "I'm not sure about Sweetie. She seems a bit soft for such work."

"She's soft, or you're soft?" Pip asked, raising an eyebrow at the other colt.

Button wiggled uneasily in his chair. "Both?"

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