An Instance of Happiness

by AidanMaxwell

Chapter 4: An Acceptance of Change

Chapter 4: An Acceptance of Change

The schoolhouse was very quaint, just like everything else in rural Ponyville. The playground outside was quiet; the swings were swaying slowly in the fall wind, clicking softly with every nudge. Red and orange leaves dotted the stone path leading up to the one room building, and more were falling from the trees nearby. Despite all of the appeal the city had for him, Tinder couldn’t help but admire the beauty of an autumn day in the country. Felicity, too, was enthralled.

“Tinder, how come there’s no trees in the city?”

“Uhh, think for a moment. Where would the trees be if there were any?”

“Under the buildings.” Felicity concluded thoughtfully.

As beautiful as the scene was, the unicorn had to stay focused. He was here for a job interview. The pair opened the front door of the schoolhouse and walked inside. A purple earth pony was busying herself with cleaning and preparing the inside for class that day. She wasn’t expecting to see Tinder and Felicity when they entered.

“Oh, my!” she cried in surprise. “I’m sorry, class hasn’t started yet.”

“Actually, miss...”

“Cheerilee.”

“Right, Ms. Cheerilee. I’m Tinder Lightheart, and this is my...young friend, Felicity.”

“Oh! You’re Mr. Lightheart? You’re younger than I assumed.”

“Sorry. Will that be an issue, Ms. Cheerilee?”

“Of course not!” She smiled apologetically. “I'm glad the Mayor recommended you to help me. The students might feel more comfortable around somepony closer to their age.”

“Right,” Tinder said nervously. “Well...what would you like to know?”

“How long can you stay?” she asked.

“All day.”

“Wonderful. Today will be an easy day for you, since there are no papers and not a very long lecture. But, some days, when I’m busy giving a lesson, I’d like to have you grading tests. Some days I may be sick, so I’d like to have you study the curriculum and know what assignments for a day are, in case you need to substitute. And don’t worry: even if you have no formal experience, you can teach this class simply by following my notes. I’ll have them ready for you beforehand.”

“Oh, wow. You thought that far ahead, Ms. Cheerilee?”

“I did. Although, I’m thinking this particular method needs testing. Would you like to try teaching class today?”

Tinder was taken aback at first, thinking she was kidding. But then, when he picked up that she was serious, he smiled at Cheerilee. “I...would love to.”

“Yay, Tinder’s teaching class today!” Felicity proclaimed. She began dancing in place as Cheerilee smiled at her. Tinder didn’t share her happy outlook, and instead jumped to the worst case scenario. Despite his worry, he kept his mouth shut about the issue; perhaps Felicity wouldn’t act up, and everything would go smoothly.

-~-~-~-~-~

The students were all at their desks, talking amongst one another loud enough for Tinder to hear them at random intervals. Snippets of “Great, first day is always the worst” and “I hate school” seemed to permeate the otherwise happy scene. Cheerilee was shaking her head at Tinder, who was quivering uncontrollably where he stood. He’d never taught a class, and he had every right to be nervous. The school bell rang outside, symbolizing the start of the class for the day; Tinder’s heart dropped into his legs as Cheerilee went up to her desk.

“Good morning, class.”

“Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee,” replied the class, half of which said it with a thick, droning sound that gave Tinder even more reason to worry.

“Today, we have a new teacher I’d like to introduce to you.” She beckoned to Tinder, who reluctantly put on a brave face and skipped up to the desk. “This is Mr. Lightheart, an unicorn from Yearlingdale. Everypony say hi.”

“Hello, Mr. Lightheart,” hummed the class. Amid the droning, one voice sounded happy, almost melodic, and stood out over the rest. Tinder looked to see Felicity on the front row, wide eyed and smiling ear to ear. He’d never expected to see a filly her age enjoying school. But her smile gave him reassurance where Cheerilee’s speech about education had not. It took a moment, but he gained his composure as best he could and reacted naturally.

“Good morning, class,” Tinder replied slowly, mockingly. The class giggled as his imitation of them, which boosted his spirits even more.

“Mr. Lightheart will be giving today’s lesson while I watch from the back of the room. I’ll be keeping my eye on all of you, to make sure you’re paying attention.” Then Cheerilee made her way past the students to the back of the one-room schoolhouse, where she stood smiling at Tinder.

“Right,” Tinder said. Using his magic, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the board behind him, as well as the date and time. “Today’s lecture is on the various locations in Equestria, including those you may have heard of and some you may not have. We’ll try to make this brief so all of you may go to recess early today; I, for one, don’t want to spend the first day of school in class.”

The students cheered loudly, a response Tinder had hoped to elicit. Cheerilee smiled.

“We’ll start with my hometown of Yearlingdale. Who here has been to, or heard of, Yearlingdale?” A few students raised their hooves, including Felicity. Tinder took the chalk he was levitating and began to draw a large mass, one that was supposed to represent Equestria in map form. He made a very obvious dot near the center and wrote the word Ponyville above it. Then he made another dot further to the right and put the word Canterlot near it. Beyond that, a long distance up on the board, he made one more, and labeled it Yearlingdale. “Well, for those of you who haven’t been there, it’s north of Canterlot. It takes a long time to travel from there to here, and that’s why not many ponies make the trip.”

A unicorn filly raised her hoof. “Mr. Lightheart, what is Yearlingdale like?”

“It’s a bustling city. Many of the buildings are several stories high, but there are also many small houses and apartments that aren’t so tall. The ponies there are very business-minded and no-nonsense, which basically means they would rather work than have fun. It’s a place you go when you’re out to make a lot of money.” Tinder didn’t want to talk about Yearlingdale as though it was a bad place to live—he had loved the city dearly—but the truth was that the city couldn’t be described as anything else but a hive of financial business and constant work. Adult ponies usually worked day and night in Yearlingdale, trying to find ways to make more money.

“Did you like to make money when you lived there?”

Tinder blinked. “Umm...In a sense. Let me explain where I come from. In the city, many ponies were so busy with work that they couldn’t take care of their foals; my parents got money from the city council to open an orphanage to try and fix that. When my parents...left...me and my two siblings started working there. So, yes, we did like making money, but only because any extra money we had was spent on food and on the many young ponies we took care of there.

“But that’s not to say that we were poor. We weren’t wealthy, but we made a living and took care of the orphans as best we could. My sister was a mail pegasus and my brother worked part time as a clerk selling produce in the city market. I usually stayed home and watched the colts and fillies play together. That’s why my cutie mark is a heart.” Tinder showed his flank to the class, revealing a purple heart on his maroon coat. “It means I love kids and can relate better to them.

“On that note, let’s go back to the lecture.” The class moaned in unison. “South of Yearlingdale, closer to Ponyville, is Canterlot. Canterlot is the city where the Princesses live...”

-~-~-~-~-~

School, as promised, had let out half an hour early for recess. All of the students had raced onto the playground as Cheerilee and Tinder walked side by side out the door. The scene of frolic and laughter that met him was not unlike the one at the park those few days ago; it seemed to him to be an eternity ago, when it had only been less than a week. Felicity was notably taller than a good number of the students, despite not being too much older. As such – and because her amber bow and well-groomed black mane stood out in a crowd – she was easy to specifically track. Tinder found, to no great surprise, that she had already recruited a student as her new underling. Cheerilee was impressed.

“She certainly doesn't waste time making new friends, does she?” she remarked.

“Nope,” Tinder concurred. “Felicity is fast to make friends.”

“Apple Bloom certainly has taken a shine to her.”

“That's the filly with the red mane, right?”

“Yes. She's Applejack's sister.”

Tinder had briefly met Applejack at the party last night, but could only remember her face. “Oh, okay. I know her.”

“Oh, right, pardon me. I'd almost forgotten you were new to Ponyville. By the way, you did an excellent job with the students today. They really like you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee-”

“Oh, please, just call me Cheerilee.”

“...Right. Cheerilee.” I still have some growing up to do, Tinder reminded himself.

Over on the playground, Felicity and Apple Bloom were chatting as they walked. They had no destination, although they kept walking anyway. Apple Bloom was introducing Felicity to the different fillies in her class, saving two in particular for last. “...And that's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They're bullies, so tra'h to avoid them when you can.”

Felicity giggled. “Have I told you I like your accent, Apple Bloom?”

“Ma'h accent? What accent? Ah don't have no accent.”

“Never mind. You were saying?”

“Oh, right.” Apple Bloom led Felicity to the edge of the playground suddenly, diverting from the path they had been aimlessly walking on. Two fillies were waiting conspicuously near the swing set. “And lastly, this here's Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, ma'h best friends.”

“Hey there,” the orange one, Scootaloo, said excitedly. “Apple Bloom, you didn't tell us the new student had no cutie mark.”

“Wait, where were you two in class?” asked Felicity.

“I sit near the front,” replied Sweetie Belle cheerfully. “I was actually right behind you.”

“Oh...”

“I like your bow, by the way. My sister Rarity would probably comment on how it matches your eyes.”

“She did,” admitted Felicity. “I met your sister at the party last night.”

“There was a party last night!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Yeah, the Lighthearts got a big house-warming party from Pinkie Pie,” Felicity explained. “Your sister and Apple Bloom's sister were both there. So, now I need to know why it matters if I have a cutie mark or not.”

“Oh, right,” Apple Bloom said. “I forgot to mention we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“The Cutie Mark Who-say what now?”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” cried all three of the friends in unison. “Yay!”

Felicity had to tilt her ears in to dampen the sound of the yell. “Owwie...”

“We're on a crusade for our Cutie Marks. We've tried a lot of things, but I'm sure that we'll find out our special talents today.” Scootaloo said triumphantly.

“Or maybe tomorrow,” Apple Bloom said hopefully.

“Or sometime soon,” Sweetie Belle said glumly.

“Why does it matter?” Felicity asked. The crusaders stared at her blankly for a long, silent moment. They couldn’t fathom anyone not valuing their Cutie Mark. But in the city, growing up, it had not been a priority for Felicity, or for any of the orphans. “You make it sound as though finding your Cutie Mark is a big deal.”

Scootaloo recovered first. “It IS a big deal.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “We're the only three-”

“-four-” Apple Bloom corrected.

“-four fillies in our class that don't have them yet!”

“We need to find out who we are, and get our Cutie Marks!” finished Scootaloo.

The mint green filly sighed heavily, but then smiled smugly. She'd spotted an opportunity. “You don't understand how to get a mark, do you?”

The trio blinked simultaneously.

“Don't you think it's odd that you guys are the only ones without them? That's because you're going about it the wrong way.”

“Oh yeah?” said Scootaloo, defiant. “And you know what the right way is?”

“Yup. I should tell you how. It's not a much of a secret.”

“What is it?” asked Apple Bloom anxiously.

Hook, line and sinker. “First, I want to be accepted into your 'crusaders' group. I need a solid circle of friends that I can rely on, for...support. You three are really nice, and I feel like we share a common cause.”

“Finding our Cutie Marks, you mean?”

“Yeah, sure...Umm, secondly, you need to help me with something. I'm kinda hungry, and lunch isn't for another hour...So, do you know if Ms. Cheerilee has any snacks?”

“There's a jar of candy in a drawer under her desk,” said Scootaloo. “She keeps it hidden so no one can take any from it. You usually get some as a reward for answering questions in class.”

“Well that simply won’t do. I need food now,” Felicity whispered. “So, here's the plan...”

-~-~-~-~-~

About a half of an hour had passed since recess started, and the students not stopped for a moment since. As time had passed, Tinder noticed random intervals when he couldn’t locate certain students, but there was one section of the playground obscured from his view by a large tree, and he assumed they were over there. Sure enough, after a few minutes, they would turn up in that general area before another set of kids went missing. As conspicuous as he found it, Cheerilee never caught on, so he assumed it was normal and said nothing. Now it was time to return to class.

“Well, Tinder, let's call them back.” Cheerilee put a hoof to her mouth and started to call out. “EVERYOPONY BACK-”

“MRS. CHEERILEE!” came a sudden cry. Cheerilee and Tinder looked over to see two students – Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom – racing up to them. “Felicity left the playground!”

“WHAT?!” Tinder snapped. “Why would she do that?”

“We don't know,” Apple Bloom said. “She went lookin' for somethin'! Scootaloo went after her!”

Tinder nearly throttled Apple Bloom when he grabbed her shoulders. “Which way?!”

“This way! C'mon!” Together the two raced out of the playground, leaving a befuddled Cheerilee alone with the rest of the students. Sweetie Belle looked up at her and frowned.

“Are they going to be okay?” she asked solemnly.

“Of course they will,” Cheerilee replied. “Felicity probably just got a bit stir crazy. She's not used to rural Ponyville yet.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“Well, not right now. Mr. Lightheart can handle it.”

“But I don't wanna just sit here and do nothing!” cried Sweetie Belle. Then she suddenly took off after Tinder, bolting from the playground. Cheerilee tried to stop her, but ended up on her face when she tried reaching for the filly.

Without thinking, she sprinted after her, leaving everyone at the playground unattended. It was not until then that a mint green filly with beautiful black hair waltzed out of the bushes and skipped inside. She returned a moment later with a mouth full of candy and a large jar, the latter of which she promptly hid in the bush she'd concealed herself in previously. Not even two seconds later did Tinder round the corner of the schoolhouse to find his filly friend sitting innocently – fiendishly – in the center of the playground. She appeared to be looking off into space. “Hey, Tinder, is it just me, or are the clouds puffier in Ponyville?”

“Where the blazes did you actually go? And don't lie to me.”

“I've been here the whole time,” Felicity promised. She didn't turn to look at him. “Where’s Apple Bloom?”

“With Cheerilee. I told her to go find Scootaloo, and that I’d go look for you.”

“That was smart.”

“Who's in on it?”

“Everypony except you and Ms. Cheerilee,” she replied. There was an air of victory in her demeanor.

“What did you promise them?”

“Cutie marks and candy.”

Tinder’s hoof shot to his face. “If I was anypony else, I'd expel you from school, but I'm not going to. I've got a much worse punishment in mind this time.”

“Oh?” Felicity finally reared her head to him. Her eyes were filled with malice and determination. “You still sure you can win this? Even when it's you versus the students?”

Tinder noticed the other children were converging on him. They said nothing, but stared at him furiously and refused to back down. He was impressed and frightened at the same time. This was much larger than any of the plots she'd hatched back in Yearlingdale. These students would not listen to him if he made them upset, especially when sweets were on the line. Felicity truly was a brilliant filly. “...I'll let it slide this time.”

Felicity beamed. The other students, their only mission complete, started to dissipate just as Cheerilee came back into view with the crusaders in tow. They each had confused, unhappy faces. “I found Scootaloo just behind the schoolhouse...Tinder, what happened here?”

Tinder blinked at her. “False alarm, I guess. Felicity just got lost.”

“Lost?”

“Yeah, I already took care of it. EVERYPONY BACK INSIDE!” he called. And with that, all of the students began their march back into the schoolroom. Felicity grinned widely to Tinder as she passed, as did Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The crimson unicorn could tell this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the four of them. Beside the door of the schoolhouse was a bush, behind which Tinder could see a slight bulge. For safety's sake, he left the jar of candy alone and proceeded inside to finish the day's lesson.

He would explain everything to Cheerilee after school had finished. He needed the students to like him for now, at least.

-~-~-~-~-~

Felicity sulked alongside Tinder as the pair walked into the center of Ponyville later that afternoon. She had been thoroughly scolded by Cheerilee when Tinder had ratted her out, and she hated being scolded. It made her feel like she had done something wrong. Her plan had worked in the end—she’d gotten candy to all of the students and succeeded at establishing her place as the martyr—but her actions had elicited a strict warning that if anything like that happened again, she’d be suspended from school. New, experimental strategies would have to be implemented to enable under-the-radar missions, something that had been on Felicity’s to-do list anyway.

Her defeat earlier today would not be forgotten, but for now, it was probably better to wait.

Tinder could see she was deep in thought as they walked together. “Don’t worry, you’ll get me next time.” He was half joking, but expected a serious response anyway.

“I will get you next time,” Felicity replied spitefully.

“Hey, for what it’s worth, it was a very clever plan. If I hadn’t been there, it would’ve worked.”

“Yeah, yeah...”

“Kiddo, as much fun as your admittedly clever schemes are, they do get you in trouble. It’s worth noting that you’re smart. But you apply your brains to some of the most childish things you can think of. Someday I’d like to see you use your smarts to benefit others and not just yourself.”

Felicity went silent. Instead of staring wrathfully at the pavement, she was looking straight ahead, thinking deeply about something. He entertained the thought that she was actually considering Tinder’s words for once.

It didn’t take long for the pair to make it to their destination. The Ponyville library was a monstrous tree near the north end of town; one as large as a small building in Yearlingdale. The front door was unlocked when Tinder pushed it open with a hoof. Immediately he was greeted by a purple baby dragon with green scales. Felicity went wide-eyed.

“Hello, and welcome to the Ponyville Library,” the dragon said excitedly.

“Good afternoon. I’m Tinder Lightheart, Cheerilee’s assistant.”

“I didn’t know Cheerilee had an assistant,” he replied.

“I’m...new. Anyway, I have a book of hers that I need to return, and I have one I need to check out. May we come in?”

“Sure, just let me tell Twilight you’re here.” Then the dragon scurried upstairs and out of sight. Tinder and Felicity sauntered in unattended and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“A dragon,” Felicity breathed. “I’ve never seen one outside of the orphanage books before.”

“Me neither,” said Tinder quietly. “Do be courteous, Felicity. There are sophisticated, intelligent stallions in here trying to read dusty books.”

Felicity looked around and noticed two other ponies in the room, looking at the shelves of books. One of them was the pink mare from yesterday who had thrown them a party, Pinkie Pie, and the other both of them recognized as the eldest Lightheart sibling. Warden turned to look at his brother and his friend when Tinder made the joke about being quiet. “So funny,” was all he could manage.

“What’re you doing here?” asked Tinder.

“Helping Pinkie Pie find a new cookbook.”

“We’re baking a super-duper awesome new cake,” she spouted, jumping up and down in place.

“Oh really?” asked Tinder, legitimately curious. “What kind?”

“We don’t know yet,” Pinkie replied. “That’s why we need a new cookbook, silly!”

Warden chuckled lightly. That had been the answer he had expected. “How was school?”

“Felicity got into more trouble, started a riot, and managed to sneak all of the candy out of the building without so much as a challenge.”

“So, just another Monday?” Warden commented.

“That seems to be a recurring theme in my life,” Tinder thought aloud. “For once, I’d like a not-normal day.”

“You got to assist at a schoolhouse,” said Warden. “That’s not typical.”

“Yeah...Oh, I didn’t just assist. I’m a substitute teacher now. I even got to do the lecture today.”

“That’s actually really cool. I’ve been baking all day.” There was a silence that last about four seconds. “Literally. All day.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“Have you ever tried baking all day? It wears you out.”

“You just gotta have fun with it,” Pinkie interjected. “I even made a song about it-”

“No more singing,” Warden cut in. “Two in one day is enough...”

“Okie dokie lokie. Let’s go, Warden.”

“Wait, what about the cookbook?”

“I already got it.” Pinkie pulled a book out from behind her somewhere.

“Where’d you find that?”

“It was under ‘R’.”

“Wouldn’t it be under ‘C’ for cookbooks?” asked Tinder.

“No, silly,” Pinkie corrected. “‘R’ for recipes.”

“Oh, never mind then.”

“C’mon, Warden, we’ve got baking to do!” Pinkie bounced out of the library with the book in tow, and Warden began followed her out to resume cooking.

Tinder stopped him suddenly. “Bro, you seem a bit down. You’ve been acting funny ever since we arrived in town. What’s up?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Warden replied. Tinder had first picked up on it during their visit with the mayor, and again during the party. This confirmed his suspicion that his brother wasn’t feeling optimal. When the older sibling had left, Felicity finally spoke up.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Warden?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Tinder replied glumly. He hated when his brother was upset or disgruntled.

A noise upstairs reminded the unicorn of what he was here for, and soon Twilight Sparkle appeared at the top of the stairs. “Good afternoon.”

“Hello,Twilight. I have a book to return.”

“That's good. I was hoping to read it again after Cheerilee had borrowed it.” She accepted the book and walked over to the desk by the window, where she set it down. “What else can I do for you?”

“Actually,” Tinder replied, “Cheerilee wanted to do a segment on Equestria's history. She had a book in mind, but I can't remember the title...”

“Equestria: A History?” Twilight offered.

“Yeah, that's it.”

“I just got it in. It’s filed to be inspected for damage, so it should be ready later today. Would you like me to send for you when it’s ready?”

“No, it's fine. If you know it'll be ready soon, I can just stay in town.” Tinder really liked the library, and truthfully didn't want to leave. “I don't have anywhere else to be today.”

Felicity coughed very loudly. When Tinder looked at her, she was staring him down with a wide grin plastered on her face. She was implying something, but he had no idea what.

“Well in that case,” Twilight said, “I’d like to invite you and Felicity to stay for dinner. I was getting ready to make something for Spike and myself, and we have plenty of food.”

“Oh,” Tinder replied, surprised. “I couldn't ask that. I would hate to impose-”

“No, really, it's no trouble at all. Consider it a town-warming gift.”

Tinder hesitated. As nice of an offer as it was, his practical side did not want to be a nuisance. Two extra mouths for dinner seemed like a big deal to him, but Twilight made it sound trivial at worst. It didn't take long for the conflict inside him to subside, because while he was thinking about it, the door of the library opened to reveal a pair of earth ponies. Tinder recognized the taller one as Applejack and the younger one as her sister Apple Bloom.

“Howdy there, Twilight,” said Applejack merrily. “And Tinder Lightheart; how ya' likin' Ponyville so far?”

“I'm adjusting,” Tinder lied. “Hello again, Apple Bloom.”

“Hello, Mr. Lightheart...” she replied remorsefully. Her eyes were large and her ears were down, as though she was deeply saddened.

“We were told by Ms. Cheerilee that Mr. Lightheart would be headin' to the library,” explained Applejack. “Ah had a long talk with Apple Bloom about her behavior earlier today, an' she has somethin' to say.”

“I'm rilly sorry,” she moaned painfully. Tinder could tell she was sincere, even if her sister had forced the apology.

“Apology accepted,” said Tinder stoically. “Felicity, would you go play with Apple Bloom outside for a few minutes?”

“Uh...okay.” Felicity skipped past Tinder toward the door, followed closely by a relieved Apple Bloom. Once they were outside and the door was shut behind them, Tinder addressed Applejack.

“I, actually, feel like I should apologize myself.”

“Wha-...Whatever for, sugarcube?”

“To be honest, I saw this coming. What happened at school today is what I would define as 'normal behavior' for Felicity, who, by the way, convinced Apple Bloom to do what she did with promises of candy and the secret to finding a cutie mark. I can't expect someone so young to be able to resist that kind of temptation, and it was wrong of Felicity to put that out there in the first place.”

“Oh,” said Applejack slowly. “Apple Bloom had said somethin' about a cutie mark, but Ah thought she was just spoutin' a lotta hooie. Ah'm glad you cleared that up for me, ‘cause ah knew somethin' was up. It's just not like her to act up in school.”

“I understand. Actually, if you'd believe it, I think Felicity would consider Apple Bloom a friend.” Tinder sauntered over to the window and peered outside. The two fillies were talking excitedly with one another; he couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was obvious that they were enjoying themselves. Any grief or remorse Apple Bloom had felt a few seconds ago was gone. “In fact, they're out there talking right now.”

Applejack appeared beside him and likewise observed the conversation outside. “Well, shoot, ain't that just the sweetest thing.”

“So, Apple Bloom didn't mean to cause trouble. It's actually partially my fault for seeing this coming and not addressing it sooner. I hope it hasn't been too much trouble.”

“Naw, sugarcube, I'm glad we came to find you. Felicity's a very pleasant little filly.” Before Tinder could reply, Applejack fired off a suggestion. “Hey, why don't we invite her to spend the night at the farm? She an' Apple Bloom can have a slumber party.”

Tinder stayed silent for a moment, taken aback by the sudden idea. But when he realized it was in his authority to allow or deny it, he responded. “I'll have a talk with Felicity first. But, sure, I don't see why that would be a problem. That way they can get to know each other better. When would you like me to bring her over?”

“Well...maybe ah could take her with me an' Apple Bloom when we leave.”

“Would you feed her dinner?”

“Of course! And breakfast tomorrow. We'll bring her to school in the mornin'.”

“Well, I’ll talk to her about if first. But, honestly, I don’t think it will be a problem.”

At the moment, Felicity and Apple Bloom entered again through the door. They were smiling happily at each other until they looked up at the adult ponies, at which time they frowned.

“Felicity,” Tinder began, “would you like to go to Apple Bloom's house for a sleepover?”

Felicity beamed suddenly. “Yeah!”

“You promise not to cause any problems?”

“Yup!”

“And you'll get some sleep, so you aren't completely exhausted at school tomorrow?”

“Sure!”

Tinder looked to Applejack. “Make sure she gets some sleep. I don't trust her that much.”

“You can count on it,” she reassured, winking at Tinder. Then the mare escorted the two fillies out the door, and they disappeared into the afternoon with a passing ‘goodbye’.

Twilight, who had remained silent throughout the ordeal, finally spoke up. “I'm a little hungry. You ready for dinner?”

“Oh, yeah. Are you sure about having me for dinner, Twilight?”

“Like I said, it's no trouble. It's not every day I get to use what I learned from my 'Fine Dining At Home' readings, and I enjoy the company. It's way too quiet in here most days.”

“Well, it is a library,” Tinder pointed out.

Twilight giggled at the comment. He decided then and there to visit the library more often. He could probably think of an excuse to hang around, but he liked the peace and quiet. And the resident staff weren't bad, either...