> The Sun of My Heart 2: Love's Flames > by BlueSun52 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Making the Come Back with a New Ride! In the little town of Canterlot, the sun was high up in the air without a single cloud in the sky. The birds chirped with joy and the people were either driving their cars, riding their bikes, taking walks, or were just sitting down on the chairs outside of the restaurants as they enjoyed the fresh air and the quietness that life would provide. However that quiet was soon gone as a motorcycle drove through the streets and was letting out a roaring sound from the engine. It was a classic Harley having white paint on it with blue flames on the side. On the motorcycle was two riders as one was holding onto the grips with his hands and steering it while the other rider held her arms around his waist. The driver wore a grey jacket and black pants along with black boots while he was wearing a helmet that shared the same design as the bike and hiding the rider’s face. The rider on the back wore a black jacket with orange stripes on the arms while underneath it was a blue shirt and had blue jeans while having black boots. She too had on a helmet that was black and had magenta flames on it with red hair and yellow streaks were on the back of it loose. The back rider lifted her arms up and felt the wind blow through them as she let out a screaming cheer. The driver looked back for a moment before letting out a chuckle. “I see you’re enjoying the ride so much,” the driver said through his helmet. “I know, it’s so awesome!” the passenger replied. “It’s a good thing I came along!” “Only because I begged you to come along,” the driver commented. “Shut up! You’re ruining the moment!” the passenger retorted. The rider laughed and sped up the bike some more. The two kept on driving through town until they had left the main part of it and into a suburban area. The two drove past a trail that led towards a farm that had the sign saying, ‘Sweet Apple Acres.’ The driver slowed down the car and drove up to a house’s driveway and stopped the bike. He killed the engine and flipped the side stand down to let the bike rest. The passenger jumped off the bike and took her helmet off. Just like before, she had long red hair with yellow streaks in it while she had cyan irises and light amber skin. It was no other than Sunset Shimmer herself. “That was great, babe,” Sunset said. “I can’t believe you were able to get your dad’s old bike to work.” “Hey, I didn’t go through all those mechanic classes for nothing,” the driver commented. “Oh, and I’m sure Dash helping you had nothing to do with it too,” Sunset retorted. “Or Clyde’s brother whenever you needed it.” The driver scratched the chin of helmet. “Okay, maybe there was a few snags on the way, but at least its working now,” the driver said before taking his helmet. When the driver revealed his face, he had spiked white hair and pure blue eye like his mother. He had pale tan skin and had a light grey triangular beard on his chin. It was Soul Writer, the once newcomer of Canterlot High and boyfriend of Sunset Shimmer. “I think exploding engines, explosive chemical reactions and the bike suddenly catching on fire whenever you work on it yourself does not count as ‘snags,’ Sunset pointed out as she emphasises on the word snags with her fingers. “Hey, the important thing is that I got it to work and its going to take me to places,” Soul retorted. “What places? You don’t even have plans to leave town,” Sunset pointed out. “Oh, and I suppose taking you to the beach doesn't count then,” Soul said as he crossed his arms. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Babe, Swift is taking us there,” she said. “By car. Which he offered. And it's an eight hour drive there.” Soul pursed his lips. “Okay, I’ll give you that one,” he said. “As much as I love driving this thing, I don’t think I can stand an eight hour drive.” “I thought so,” Sunset said before looking at the motorcycle. “I have to admit, you did a good job getting this harley back together.” “Yep, it was almost as if I finished it yesterday,” Soul commented. Sunset looked at Soul with half lid eyes. “You did finish it yesterday,” she pointed out. “I know, I wanted to see how you would react,” Soul said. “Hehe, it was funny.” -A Month Ago- Standing in front of the garage, Soul and his friends looked at it with the door closed. Soul let out a sigh and turned to the others. “I want to take a moment and say thanks guys for coming to help,” he said. “It’s going to be tough and probably be the biggest challenge ever but if we can pull it off, we’ll be know as the greatest-” “Oh my god, we’re just here to help clean your garage!” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Don’t be dramatic about it.” “Trust me, this particular case really does need it,” Soul countered. “I have to agree with Dash here,” Rivet said. “It really is super annoying and unnecessary.” “Fine,” Soul said. “We’ll just get started…. had to ruin my speech,” he mumbled the last words to himself. “Not that I’m complaining or anything but why do you need all of us?” Swift asked. “I mean, I know garages can be big at times, but how much stuff could be in there?” “Yeah, it’s not like it filled to very brim, right?” Night commented. On cue, Soul opened the door to the garage and the moment everyone’s eyes laid on what was inside, all of their mouths hung out. The garage was in fact filled to the brim with various items, like old clothes, car parts, tools, boxes, an old washing machine, toys and various items of junk in it. “Eeep,” Fluttershy squeaked. “It really is filled to the brim!?” Night yelled. “Eeyup,” Soul replied. “How is there so much stuff in there?” Clyde asked. “My parents are very picky about what to throw away,” Soul answered. “That’s why they wanted me to do it since, in their words, ‘I don’t really care about their stuff so why not send you in to clean it up?’ Those jerks.” “No wonder ya wanted us so badly,” Applejack said. “Ah thought you were just trying to be lazy.” “Applejack, if I wanted to, I would have hired a cleaning crew myself,” Soul commented. “Unfortunately when I described to them what was in the garage, they gave me the exact price and that was too rich for my blood so I had to go with plan B.” “I’m guessing we’re plan B?” Sunset said as she raised a brow at her boyfriend. “Aww, you know me so well,” Soul said as he gave a peck on Sunset's cheek; making her roll her eyes. “Anyways, let’s get to work.” “Oh, let me get this piece out,” Pinkie said as she jumped into the mess. She swam around in the various items inside the garage and soon popped out of it and holding the washing machine in her arms. “Hey Swifty, catch!” Pinkie threw the washing machine over to Swift. With half lid eyes, he let out a sigh as the machine was a few inches away. “Ah, crap,” was Swift last words before being hit by the washing machine. “OW!” The others looked with concern eyes at the washing machine where Swift was crushed underneath it. “Um, Swift?” Clyde asked concernedly. “Look what I found!” Pinkie chimed as she punched a hole from the inside of the washing machine and held Swift by his head. “I found a Swift.” She dropped him on the ground with half of his body still inside the machine and he was dazed. “And a bunch of doohickeys.” She dropped a few of the machine’s parts on top of Swift and poked her head. “I took them apart myself,” she said. “I’m so smart.” “Yes, you really are Pinkie,” Rivet said sarcastically as he helped Swift back on his feet. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Let’s just get this day over with,” she said and started to help clean the garage. Hours had past as the group slowly went through the entire garage full of junk and other items in it. During the clean up, Rainbow Dash was pulling stuff out of the way as she threw them into a nearby garbage can. When she pulled out a chunk of it in the middle, it started to collapse and fell on her in an avalanche style. Clyde and Rarity were moving some of the stuff around until Rarity tripped over something and collided with Clyde. The two fell on an old mattress that was surprisingly still intact. After they had gazed into each others eyes and felt the mattress for a moment, the two started making out on it. Everyone in the room rolled their eyes and continued on with the clean up. Swift was holding onto a stack of things while Pinkie was throwing them on top of it. Pinkie wanted to keep some of the things for herself and Soul said that she could keep whatever she wanted. She kept on throwing things on top of the stack until Swift couldn’t take it anymore and all collapsed on top of him. Fluttershy had brought some of her small animals along to help pick up the smaller items in the garage. Night was still impressed at Fluttershy’s animal's skills while he opened a box. When he looked at the box, Night’s eyes widen with terror when he saw an old familiar arachnid, Greg. Greg was sweeping the ground with a little broom and looked up to see Night and shrugged. But the moment he saw Soul walking by, Greg dropped his broom, jumped pass Night and attached to himself on Soul’s face as he fell and rolled around on the ground. Rivet was pulling on a table the best he could but it was proving difficult because of its weight. While pulling, Rivet opened one of his while pulling and stopped when he saw Applejack with the same kind of table in her arm as she carried it without effort. Rivet let out groan and let go of the table out of frustration. Unfortunately when he did, it fell on his feet and he let out a painful scream. After many many painful experiences and hard work, the garage was almost empty as there were only a few boxes and small items left on the floor. Rainbow Dash wiped sweat off of her forehead and let out a sigh. “Man, that was long,” she said. “Remind me never to do that again.” “At least we found some cool things in there,” Pinkie said. “Like this lamp right here.” She lifted up a lamp that was old and had several cracks in it. “Once I decorate it, it’ll be awesome!” “And we do have some ways to get some pay back for this,” Applejack said as she held up a book. “Good thing Aunt Dawn had some baby pictures in there of Soul.” She held up a picture of Soul as a baby with him holding a teddy bear and a blanket. Soul blushed and grumbled to himself as the guys were laughing and the girls were awwing at the picture. “Aww, you really were a babe, babe,” Sunset commented as she leaned over to kiss Soul on the cheek. “Yeah, well at least I won’t be the only one with embarrassing baby photos for long,” Soul said. “Oh, that reminds me, when are we going to know what gender the baby is going to be?” Rarity asked. “I have to know so I can make the right kind of clothing for it. Oh, I have so many ideas for them!” “That'll be a while,” Soul replied. “My dad is going to take my mom to the hospital and the doctor is going to do a sonic scan on her in a about a month from now.” “I can’t wait to hear what it is!” Pinkie chimed. “I hope its a girl!” “We already have too many girls in town,” Rivet commented. “We need some guys here to even the odds.” “Yeah, you're going to need more guys than girls if you ever wanna beat us at anything,” Rainbow Dash mocked. “We girls are awesome in every way.” Rivet rolled his eyes. “Well, my mom is really holding out for a girl so it might happen this time around,” Soul said. “Hey, what’s that over there?” Pinkie asked as she pointed over a corner of the garage. Everyone looked to see that there was something large covered in a large blue sheet. Soul raised a brow and went over to uncover it. When he removed the sheet off, dust got into the air and he coughed a few times before opening his eyes. The moment his eyes saw what was under it, his mouth hung open as he was in awe. All the others looked on with awe and shocked expressions when they saw what it was. Rainbow Dash held her hands on each of her cheeks and pressed against them. “So awesome!” Rainbow Dash squeaked. “It’s a Harley!” Leaning on its side stand was a motorcycle that was old looking with small bits of rust on it and was covered in some cobwebs. The painting was worn out as it had paled black and the wheels were almost flat. “I don’t believe it,” Soul commented. “I think this was my dad’s old bike!” “This is so cool!” Swift said. “How come you never told us you dad had a bike?” “I knew my dad had an old bike but I never saw it once so I thought he got rid of it at some point,” Soul explained. “I guess he more like forgot about it.” “Maybe when the movers were moving everything, they must have found it and placed it over here,” Applejack guessed. “And I guess Aunt Dawn piled a lot of stuff on top of it before your dad got back and he never noticed.” “Does it still work?” Night asked. “I guess there’s only one to find out,” Soul said as he looked at the ignition. He saw that the key was still in it and he twisted it to start the engine. The engine was making gurgling noises and a loud screeching sound. Everyone covered their ears to block out the sound. The exhaust on the back of the bike was blowing out black smoke and was surrounding the air as it made everyone coughed. Soul quit turning the key and waved the smoke away from his face. The smoke covered the entire garage and everyone came running out as they hacking and gagging from the smoke. “*Cough!* I think *Cough!* that’s a *Cough!* no,” Soul said in between his coughs. “I think it needs some work.” “Some!? That thing needs a lot of it!” Applejack complained. “How old is that thing anyway?” “Maybe about twenty years old give or take.” Everyone looked to see Comet walking towards them and saw his old bike pass the smoke that was clearing up. Comet let out a whistle. “Dang, I’m surprised that it's still holding together,” he said. “Seeing this bike again brings back memories.” “So, what are we going to do it with it?” Soul asked. “Well if you want, you can have it,” Comet offered. Soul’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really!?” he asked. “You want me to have it?” “Yup,” Comet replied. “Woo ho- Wait a minute,” Soul said as he was about to pump his arm into the air but froze. “What’s the point of having a motorcycle if doesn't work?” “The point is, is that you’re the one that going to fix it,” Comet answered. “....What?” “Since you already have your driver's license, all you have to do is take a motorcycle safety course and your mom and I will be happy to send you to a mechanics class,” Comet explained. “I believe your school is going to be having one so for a month.” “Wait, so I have to go back to school after finally getting out it?” Soul asked before letting a sigh. “I knew it was too good to be true.” “Don’t get so down about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “The course is easy and it’ll won’t take you long to get your license for it. But I would recommend that you stay away from heavy traffic until you get used to driving one. You’re basically on a bike surrounded by cars so it can be pretty dangerous.” “Well, I’ve have been needing something to drive around in,” Soul said before turning around and glaring at his dad. “But some people are very picky about giving me a car.” “Look, if it was me, you would had one right now but your mom is picky about the money we have,” Comet explained. “Especially since we’re having another baby on the way and they’re pretty expensive to have.” “At least you’re getting an old bike now,” Sunset said. “Got a good point, beautiful,” Soul said. “Alright, if I have to sacrifice half of my vacation to get me a cool ride, then so be it.” “I’ll go and make some calls, bud,” Comet said. He turned back towards the house and walked inside leaving the Soul and the others near the garage. “Can we leave now?” Rivet asked. “The garage is clean and I’m getting tired of standing around here.” “That’s true. Thanks guys for helping me with this,” Soul said. “No problem, Soul. It’s what friends do!” Pinkie chimed. “Oh, let’s all go down to the cafe and get something sweet to have.” Everyone nodded and sounded their approval over Pinkie’s idea as they headed off. Just as they were leaving, Soul took one last at the harvey with an excited expression on him before closing the garage door. Soul quickly rejoined with the rest of his friends while he wrapped his arm around his favorite girl in the world. A few days had past and Soul was at the training course with Sunset and Comet. They had just arrived there by car and got out of it. The three looked out at the course and saw the riders driving through set up cones and tracks for them to use and learn how to ride their bikes. Teachers and trainers were either watching from a distance or were giving demonstrations with their bikes. Comet let out a whistle. “Wow, this place really has changed,” he commented. “You’ve been here before?” Sunset asked. “Well yeah, where did you think I got my license from?” Comet retorted. “Point taken,” Sunset said. “I’m going to talk with one of the instructors here, you two wait here a moment,” Comet said before he walked off. Soul looked over to Sunset. “Sunny, there may be a chance of me dying here today so I have to say something,” he said. Sunset looked to him with a raised brow. “I want you to know that I love you and I always will…. Also, I think we should make love in case this is my last moments on Earth.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Babe, I don’t believe you’re going to die here,” she said. “They’ll more than likely show you how a bike works and slowly teach you how to drive one. And they more than likely have trained professionals be ready with medkits and can get you to a hospital quickly in case you do get hurt.” “But what if I bleed out or die from my spine being broken in half?” Soul said with a nervous tone. “You’re just nervous,” Sunset replied. She went over to him and held him in a comforting hug as she laid her head on his shoulder. “You’ll be fine, I promise.” Soul smiled as he felt relaxed by Sunset’s words and hugged her back. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “I have ever tell you how lucky I am to have you?” “You do a lot of times,” Sunset replied. “A lot, huh? Looks like I have to do more than that,” Soul joked and kissed Sunset on the lips. The two shared a passionate moment with one another before Comet came back. “Alright, they’ll be happy to take you, bud,” Comet said. “You better get going, one of their lessons are about to start.” “Sure thing, dad,” Soul said and gazed back into Sunset’s eyes. “Will I be seeing you later?” “You know it, babe,” Sunset said as she placed a peck on Soul’s lips and letting go of him. She said her goodbye to him as she waved her hand and walked back towards the car. Soul smiled and waved back at her. Comet placed a hand on his son’s shoulders to get his attention. “That is one sweet girl, bud,” Comet commented. “I hope you’ve been cherishing every moment with her.” Soul nodded. “I have,” he said. “And will continue to do so.” “I’m glad to hear it,” Comet said. “I’ll take her back home and pick you up in a few hours.” Soul nodded and watched as his dad and Sunset drive off into the streets and disappearing around a corner. He let out a sigh and walked over to where a few students were gathered up and joined them. He looked around as he observed the tracks and courses seeing many motorcycle riders driving them. He looked to his left to see a girl with spiky cerulean hair with white highlights and pale lavender skin. “So, you’re here to get your license too?” Soul asked the girl. The girl nodded. “Yeah, pretty much,” she replied. “My dad said he would get me my own bike if I make all A’s here. But it looks like it’s pretty easy to get one here.” “Yeah, found my dad’s old Harley in the garage and he said I could have it,” Soul said. “Of course the catch to it is that I have to get a license and I have to take a mechanics class to fix it.” The girl laughed lightly. “Sounds like you parents love to bring you down,” she commented. “Oh, you have no idea,” Soul said. “Name’s Soul by the way.” “Mine’s Cloudchaser,” she said. “Do you live around here?” “Yup, live over by the edge of town,” Soul replied. “I go over to Canterlot High.” “Cool, I go over to-” “Alright you maggots, listen up!” a demanding voice called out. Everyone was startled by the sudden shout and looked over to a woman with fiery spiky hair and yellow skin. She looked through her sunglasses at all the students and held a swagger stick. She whipped the stick around until she swiped it against her hands and clutched on it making some of the students gulp. “My name is Spitfire and I’m going to be your instructor for the entire time you're here!” she said. “And if you think that this is going to be easy, THINK AGAIN!” Some of the students winced back at her sudden shouting and beads of sweat were pouring down from their foreheads. “I will make sure that the entire time you’re here, that you know when, where and how to handle any situation on your bikes as we go over safety procedures. Make no mistake, I will push you all over to your very limited and cram down so much knowledge into your brain, that it will explode! So get ready, because today on forward it’s going to be hell.” Soul gulped as the fear tingled its way back into his spine. “I’m so dead,” he whispered to himself. The next day after Soul’s first day of intense learning, he was walking down the familiar trail towards the building of Canterlot High. He let out a disappointed sigh as he had wished he didn’t have to come back here so soon after summer vacation had started. But he envisioned himself on his new motorcycle and how it was going to look after he was done with it. Soul imagined himself riding the Harley with Sunset who sat on the back of the seat with her arms wrapped around him. He saw himself wearing a black leather jacket with a full grown white beard on his face. He looked into Sunset’s gazed before he leaned over to her as he made out with her and riding towards the setting sun. Outside of his mind, he slowly left his thoughts and had a sly smile on him. “Oh yeah, that's the life,” Soul said to himself. “What’s the life?” Soul furrowed his brow and turned to see only a pair of pale blue eyes looking at him. He yelped and stepped back to see that it was Pinkie standing there with her usual toothy smile. Soul let out a sigh. “Pinkie you scared me,” he said. “You really need to stop standing so close to people like that.” “But I like to be close to my friends,” Pinkie said before she was hugging Soul. “So I can give them hugs!” “Too tight! Too tight!” Soul pleaded as Pinkie was squeezing him. “I really love being close to my Swifty Wifty,” Pinkie added. “Especially when we’re having fun~” she sung the last part. Pinkie let go of Soul and he was panting heavily for air. After recollecting some air, he looked back at her. “Boy, I wonder what kind of fun you guys do,” Soul asked in a sarcastic tone. “Oh, well we go find a bed and we-” “Pinkie, stop!” Soul pleaded as he raised his hands. “You don’t have to tell me, I think I-” “-And we jump on the bed like a lot of times!” Pinkie finished. “I mean, when you jump on the bed by yourself it gets old real fast. But when you have someone special with you, it’s twice as fun!” Soul blunk a few times before rolling his eyes. “I keep on forgetting who I’m talking to,” he said to himself. He raised a brow and looked at Pinkie. “Say, what are you doing here anyway?” “Duh, I’m the president of the Party Planning Committee,” Pinkie replied. “I still have to come here every now and again to help Mr. Cheese with some of club’s activities and keep track of all the events that’ll come up when everyone comes back to school. But you already know that since you’re a member of our committee.” “Well, I just thought that since school was over most of the clubs wouldn’t be active for a while,” Soul explained. “So what exactly are you doing for the committee?” “Right now I’m going to help change and suggest some events for Mr. Cheese,” Pinkie replied. “I’m hoping that I can bring back one of my favorite things back!” “What’s that?” “Balloon popping!” “Balloon popping?” “The first time I did it, it was a charity event where I had like a thousand balloons and hid some names in there,” Pinkie started to explain. “Anyone who paid between a dollar or a hundred would pop the balloons until they reached their limit or found a name in one of them so that lucky person would go on a date with them! I um, used the girls to get them involved because it was a last minute thing and I didn’t have the time to find some volunteers.” “So wait, Sunset has been on a date with some random guy?” Soul asked as he felt some concern in him. “Oh no, she wasn’t part of it at the time,” Pinkie replied. “She was still new to being friends with us and I didn’t want to make her upset or anything…. Wait, you aren't jealous were you?” Soul blushed. “What? No, I was just concerned was all,” he replied. “I know she went out with Flash before and I was okay with that but knowing that she went out with someone else without telling me would have made me a bit upset.” “Well you got nothing to worry about,” Pinkie said as she wrapped her arms around Soul. “She loves you like crazy and I know she would never keep secrets from you.” “Yeah, you’re right,” Soul said. “I guess I was overreacting for a moment.” “That’s okay, it shows that you care of her,” Pinkie said. “But I do know that the balloon event was a big success!” “Because of the money that all of those poor lonely saps that were desperate for love gave you?” Soul guessed. “That, and it’s how Rarity and Clyde started dating,” Pinkie added. "Even though he did get my name, but that's a whole different story!" Soul gulped. “I’m so glad Clyde wasn’t here to hear that,” he said nervously. He raised a brow for a moment and looked to Pinkie. “Wait, what do you mean he-” “Anyways, I should get going and you need to get to your mechanics class so you can get that Harley back up so you can ride into the sunset with Sunset on you lap,” Pinkie said before she hopped away as she left Soul with a dumbfounded expression. “By the way, I think you should go with having a triangular beard on your chin. You looked ridiculous with a long beard like that.” Soul shook his head at Pinkie’s commented and looked at her with a confused look. He watched her bounce along the trail and into the school. After a moment of silence, Soul spoke out. “How the hell did she know what I was thinking!?” Soul yelled into the heavens. After trying to figure how Pinkie knew and giving up on it quickly, Soul went into the school and was able to find his class as he was familiar with the layout of the school. He was surprised to see that some of his friends and many others were in the class as well as they sat around and chatting with one another. He saw Swift’s little sister, Scootaloo was there, Tyrone was there as well, Vinyl was reading a magazine in her hands as she had her headphones on, Thunderlane was trying to hit on a girl that was next to him and a girl he had met once who had aqua hair with white streaks in it and teal skin. He believed that her name was Lyra. Soul took a seat next to Vinyl as he knew her pretty well and the seat next to her was available while the others were already taken. Vinyl took notice of Soul taken the seat, smiled and removed her headphones down around her neck. “Hey man, how’s it going?” she asked. “Doing good, how are you?” Soul asked. “Been great, I just got my old part time job again over at the music department over by the mall,” Vinyl replied. “So what are you doing here? Never thought you would be interested in doing mechanic work.” “Well, I just found my dad’s old Harley and apparently it’s busted right now,” Soul started to explain. “Now I got to take this class if I ever hope to be able to to fix it. Plus, I have to take a driving course to get my license to ride one.” “Wow, that sounds kinda wicked,” Vinyl commented. “I bet the course is easy.” “I thought so too until we met the instructor,” Soul said. “Her name is Spitfire and she intends to make lesson there painful.” “Wait, Spitfire works there?” Vinyl asked as she was surprised. “You know her?” “Not personally, but she used to be the team captain on the Wonder Colts before she graduated,” Vinyl said. “When she was in her last of year on the team, she was looking for someone to take over after her before she was gone and that’s when Rainbow Dash showed up. As usual, Rainbow Dash was able to impress her and from that day Spitfire made her the team captain after she left. She always said that she wanted to join the Air Force. I wonder why she isn’t in it?” “Maybe there was complications or something,” Soul guessed. “Anyways, all I know is that it’s going to be hell up there.” “I agree with you on that,” Vinyl said. “She has a reputation of pushing people over their limits.” “I’m just hoping that this class wouldn’t be-” *SLAM!* “All eyes on Iron Will!” “Ah crap.” Everyone in the room looked over to the door entrance and saw the infamous couch kicking the door open. Iron Will walked over to his desk and dropped a load of papers on it with a loud thump sound and glared at all the students in the room. “Now listen here, punks!” Iron Will said. “Iron Will will be the one to teach you all that you need to know about how fix everything in life! Even fix your marriages!” “Um, we’re still in high school,” Thunderlane pointed out. “Doesn't matter!” Iron Will said. “The point is, you're here to learn how to fix and Iron Will will teach you how to! So get ready because Iron Will will make this learning experience as painful as possible.” “My life just flashed before my eyes and I haven’t even been here that long,” Scootaloo commented. Soul placed his hand on his face as he rubbed his eyes. “This is going to be one hell of a month,” he commented and sighed out his frustration. -Present- “At least you pass all the courses at the tracks and made it though Iron Will’s lessons,” Sunset commented. The two walked over towards Soul’s house and opened the front door as they headed inside. Soul let out an irritated sigh before rubbing the back of his head. “I know, but it was still the most hellish month ever,” Soul said. “And during all that time of fixing the bike, Dash kept asking as soon as I finished it and rode it a bit, that she wanted to give it a drive.” “Are you going to let her?” “No. I appreciate her help and everything, but she already has her own bike,” Soul explained. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything but it is my only ride I have and I don’t want anything bad happening to it. Especially when Dash is a speed demon.” Sunset giggled. “She does really like to go fast,” she said. “I’m sure that she wouldn’t go crazy with it anyway. She probably wants to know what it’s like to ride in those.” “I guess but still it makes me nervous to think that she’s driving it,” Soul said. “I’ll think about it some more. If she still wants to ride it, then I guess I’ll let her ride with me. That’s as far as she going to get.” “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind that,” Sunset said. The two kept on walking until they entered into the kitchen. In there were two other people. One of them was Dawn as she had a tray of cookies in her hand as she laid them down on the table. Dawn was her usual self but for the distinct difference of her belly being large because of the baby she was carrying inside. And sitting at the table was Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash grabbed the first one and took a bite of it before looking at Sunset and Soul. “Hey guys, what’s up?” she asked with her mouth full. “Dash, what are you doing here?” Soul asked. “I wants to see if you were willing to let me drive the bike now,” Rainbow Dash replied. “No! Quite asking that!” Soul said. “And stop texting me about it too, you’re filling my phone up with them.” “Fine, I was just asking,” Rainbow Dash said. “But I gave it some thought and I’m willing to let you ride with me if that’s okay,” Soul offered. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Fine, at least I’ll see what it’s like to be passenger on a bike for a change,” she said. “Alright, I’ll take you for a ride right now if you want,” Soul said. “Sweet!” Rainbow Dash said as she got up and walked over to Soul as she was carrying a juice box in her hand. Just as she was passing by him, she accidentally bumped into Soul and spilled the juice on him. “Dang, my bad.” Soul looked down at his jacket to see the juice sliding down on it. “That’s okay,” he said. “let me get it cleaned up and will head out.” “Cool.” Soul walked away as he took off his jacket and headed towards the laundry room. Rainbow Dash snickered deviously as she pulled out a keychain with Soul’s key still on it. “Wait, is that-” “Eeyup,” Rainbow Dash answered for Sunset. “Girl, you are one tricky mistress,” Dawn commented. “And I like that.” “You don’t mind if I take Soul’s bike for a ride, do ya?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If you didn’t help my son with his bike, the garage would have been burnt down to the ground,” Dawn said. “You have my blessing.” “Sweet, I’ll see you guys in a bit,” Rainbow Dash said as she quickly ran out the door and closed it behind her. Soul was walking back to the kitchen with just his shirt on that had a back comet design flying upwards and a small black dot on it. “Hey, I’m ready when…. Where’s Dash?” *VROOM!* *VROOM!* Soul’s eyes widened with fear and he quickly looked into his pockets to see that his keys was gone. He quickly bolted over to the living room window to see Rainbow Dash driving off with the Harley with a helmet on and laughing away. Soul bursted through the front and gave chase after Rainbow Dash. “RAINBOW DASH, GET BACK HERE WITH MY BIKE!” Soul yelled. “I’LL BE BACK IN AN HOUR OR SO!” Rainbow Dash yelled back as she disappeared with Soul’s bike as she turned a corner. Soul panted for a moment before he raised his hands towards the heavens. “RAINBOW DAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSHH!” Sunset walked outside and saw how distraught Soul was. She couldn’t help but laugh and walked over to him before she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t feel to bad, Rainbow Dash always does get her way when she really works at it,” she said. “Besides, you weren’t going to do anything with it were you?” Soul let out a sigh. “No, I guess not,” he said. “Fine, I’ll let her off this time since she technically helped with the bike.” “Technically?” “Fine, she helped a lot!” Soul said as he crossed his arm. Sunset giggled and wrapped her arms around him. Soul smiled and wrapped his arms around her too as he leaned down towards her kissing her on the lips. As the two shared their moment together, running straight towards them was a girl with a long aqua ponytail with blue streaks. She came to a stop as soon as she was close to them and panted heavily. Soul and Sunset stopped kissing and looked at the girl with confused expressions. “Sonata, what are you doing here?” Sunset asked. Sonata took a moment to catch her breath before she answered. “I came to help out with Soul’s garage clean up.” Both Soul and Sunset raised a brow at one another before looking back at Sonata. “Sonata, that was a month ago,” Soul said. “.... What?” “Yeah, we all did that a month ago,” Sunset repeated. “I thought you knew that already?” “But it can’t be!” Sonata said. “My calendar says it was today on my phone.” She held out her phone and Sunset took a look at it. Sunset carefully looked at the date and time Sonata set it. Sunset’s eyes went half lid when she looked back up at Sonata. “Sonata, you had your calendar a month later from when we planned it,” Sunset pointed out. Sonata’s face was blank when she looked back between her phone and Sunset. She then raised up her hands towards the heavens and shouted. “SON OF A *************************!” > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day at the Beach! Part I This is How It Went Downhill from Here The sky was bright blue with hardly any clouds in the way of the sun’s light. Seagulls flew through the air as they either were flying near the large open water of the sea or were landing on the sandy beach for anything to eat. Not too far from the beach was a house that was very large and seemly empty with the lack of lights and people around it. Two cars were driving up towards the house and parked near the back of it. The cars stopped, and its passengers and drivers stepped out of it. A girl with pink fluffy hair jumped out of her seat and rushed towards the edge of a wooden fence and looked out towards the sea. “This is so awesome!” Pinkie chimed. “I can’t believe we’re going to be at a beach for the whole weekend!” Pinkie’s friends and boyfriend climbed out of the cars and walked over to her to see the sea and the beautiful scenery. Sunset, Soul, Swift, Rivet, Rainbow Dash Cyde, Rarity, Night, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sonata were there with Pinkie. “Man, this place is amazing!” Swift commented. “Rarity, how did your parents get a place like this?” “It wasn’t really that hard for them,” Rarity replied. “They were able buy the area for a cheap price, and my father and his old friends were able to put the house together themselves. I was surprised to find out that he and his friends were able to put together something so lovely.” “Are ya sure it’s big enough to house twelve people in it?” Applejack asked. “The house looks big, but Ah’m not sure it has enough rooms for us.” Rarity waved her hand. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” she dismissed. “There is plenty of room in the house for everyone. Of course, some of us will have to share rooms, but I guarantee that won’t be a problem for all of us.” She leaned over to Clyde as she rested against him. “Just like how Clyde and I are going to be sharing a room together.” Clyde slightly blushed and smiled. “I really have no problem with that, beautiful,” he said, and was given a kiss on the cheek by Rarity. “And I’m going to be sharing the same room as Swift,” Pinkie said as she jumped over to Swift and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I’m going to be sleeping with my guy here,” Rainbow Dash said as she wrapped her arm around Rivet. She then leaned over to his ear and whispered, “We’re going to be having some fun tonight.” Rivet blushed as he tried to act his casual self and whistled a tune. “I don’t really feel comfortable sharing a bed with a boy,” Fluttershy said meekly. “I really do love you, Night, but it just feels kinda early for me.” “Don’t worry about it,” Night said. “I can just sleep in one of the other rooms, or if there aren’t any, I can just crash on the couch.” “I don’t want you to sleep on the couch just because I’m nervous,” Fluttershy said. “Like I said, don’t worry about it,” Night said, leaning in closer to Fluttershy. “I have no problem sleeping on a couch knowing my sweet angel is sleeping okay.” He kissed her on the cheek, and Fluttershy blushed with a smile plastered on her. “Well, there’s no arguing that Sunny and I are sharing a bed,” Soul commented as he wrapped his arm over Sunset and pulled her in closer to him. “Right?” Sunset giggled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said before giving a peck on Soul’s lips. “Okay, enough about us sleeping, we should get inside, put on our swimsuits, rub some sunscreen, and have fun on the beach like there’s no tomorrow!” Pinkie cheered. Everyone let out a cheer and headed inside the house. After some time, they all came out with their trunks and swimsuits while carrying their towels, sunscreens and other things to use to play on the beach. The girls wore various swimsuits. Rarity wore a two piece that was colored black with red trimmings along with a small band around her thigh with small blue dots on it. Pinkie also wore a two piece suit that was blue with green and blue polka dots, plus two blue bands around her thighs. Fluttershy wore a green two piece with red stripes while having a flower on the center of the top piece and another on the bottom piece. She also wore a purple flower band around her left wrist and another like it around her thigh. Rainbow Dash wore a blue two piece with grey trimmings with two rainbow themed bands on her wrists and a cloth wrapped around her right thigh. Applejack wore a two piece with one side of it green and the other red while having two red and green bands on her wrists and two and with the same colors around her right thigh. Sonata wore a blue two piece with red trimmings on the top and purple on the bottom. She had a sting attach to both pieces with gold rings and had spike purple wristbands and a purple band around her left thigh. Sunset wore a magenta two piece with yellow and orange stripes on it. She had on a band that was a mixture of both red and yellow like they were fire, having green pearls on her ears and a small blue flower in her hair. The guys looked on in awe as they examined the girls in their amazing outfits. They took one look of themselves as they were mostly wearing bland swimming trunks and had towels over their shoulders or under their arms. The only one that had a shirt on was Rivet. Rivet pursed his lips. “Does anyone here feel like they have a girl that’s out of their league and feel like we don’t deserve them in the slightest?” he asked the other guys. All at once, the guys raised their hands as they continuously stared at their respective girlfriend’s beauty. “I thought so.” “Hey, can one of you guys give me a hand with this net?” Rainbow Dash asked as she was setting up a volleyball net. “I’ll help,” Rivet as he walked over to Rainbow Dash. “Clyde dear, do you mind rubbing some sunscreen on my back?” Rarity asked as she laid down on a towel on her front. “I couldn’t reach for my back and thought that you would be more than willing to help me with my little problem.” She winked at him. Clyde blushed with a grinning smile. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be more than happy to help,” he said and walked over to her. He got on his knees and squirted some of the sunscreen in his hand. “Babe, you got to come in, the water feels so great,” Sunset yelled as her body was halfway into the water with some of the other girls. “I’m on it!” Soul said. He dropped his towel and ran over to the water to join Sunset. He stepped into the water and felt it was warm and very relaxing. He made his way over to Sunset and stood next to her as he felt the small waves hitting against his body. “Wow, it really does feel good,” Soul commented. Sunset smiled and looked out to the horizon of the sea as the birds were soaring through the skies and saw a few fish jumping out of the water and back in. “It’s so beautiful out here,” Sunset commented. “Don’t you think so?” Soul looked out to the ocean for a moment before looking back at Sunset. He couldn’t help gaze at Sunset’s beauty as water was dripping down from her hair. She turned to look at him to see that he was staring at her happily and lightly blushed. “I think what I’m seeing is no doubt beautiful,” Soul commented. He wrapped his arm around Sunset and pulled her in closer as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Just as the two were kissing, in the corner of Sunset’s eyes, she saw a large wave heading towards them. She let out a scream and Soul joined as soon as he saw it too. The wave splashed on top of them, causing them to be pushed back towards the beach. The two were on their backs against the wet sand, with seaweed in Sunset’s hair and Soul spitting out a stream of water. Letting out a cheer, Pinkie was on a boogie board and raised her arms up high. “Whoo! That was awesome!” she chimed. “Did you guys see that? It was so big! I hope there’s some surfboards around here.” Soul and Sunset sat up and looked at Pinkie with half-lid eyes. “Yes Pinkie, we saw it,” Sunset replied with a low growl. “Wow, you two looked totally wiped,” Pinkie commented. “You could say that,” Soul said. “Hey, who’s up for some volleyball?” Rainbow Dash asked as she held up a ball in her hand. “Oh, oh, me! I want in!” Pinkie replied as she got off of her board and made her way over to the others. Soul and Sunset got up and were right behind her to join in with their friends. “No thanks, I’m just going to rest here and relax,” Rarity said as she laid on her stomach and had her eyes closed while there was an umbrella over her. “And I’ve played enough ball games for a while, I’ll just watch,” Clyde said. “How do we play this?” Rivet asked. “I say we play by couples,” Rainbow Dash replied. “That way, there’s an even number of people to play against.” “Um, Sonata and Ah don’t have boyfriends,” Applejack pointed out. “Gee, thanks for bringing that up,” Sonata commented as she glared. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Fine, then you two can act like a couple then,” Rainbow Dash retorted with a sly smile. Applejack blushed and let out a groan. “Ya could’ve worded that better,” she commented. “Okay, I’ll go along with it, but there’d better be some tongue action in the end,” Sonata said. Everyone looked at Sonata with puzzled expressions. “Um, you know that I’m kidding, right Sonata?” Rainbow Dash asked. Sonata’s face was blank for a moment before she coughed into her hand. “S-So was I, so was I,” she said meekly. “Oooookay,” Rainbow Dash said, awkwardly. “Let’s just get this game started. Pinkie, Swift, you two go against me and Rivet.” “Woo hoo!” Pinkie chimed. “Alright, I’m down with this,” Swift said. “What are the rules?” “We play until the team that first score seven points wins. That way we can move through this game fast and everyone get a chance to play,” Rainbow Dash explained. “I’ll serve first!” Rainbow Dash and Rivet got into their side of the sand while Pinkie and Swift did the same. Rainbow Dash held the ball in her hand until she threw it up in the air and slapped it towards Pinkie and Swift’s side. “Here it comes!” Pinkie cried. “I got it!” Swift said as he ran towards the ball. Swift jumped in the air to intercept the ball and was about to hit it back, but as he swiped at it, he missed and the ball hit him in the face. He fell to the sand on his back with the ball bouncing off of his face and still in the air. Pinkie ran over to where the ball was going and hit the ball with two of her hands. The ball went flying over the net back towards Rainbow Dash and Rivet’s side. “I got this!” Rivet shouted. Rivet intercepted the ball and hit back in the air. The ball was still over by their side as it was near the net. Rainbow Dash jumped in the air and smack her hand on the ball. The ball rocketed towards Pinkie and Swift’s side, and Pinkie tried to stop it as she jumped in the way of it but it swept past her and she fell on top of Swift. The ball landed on the sand, and Pinkie and Swift let out a groans. Rainbow Dash let out a victorious cheer and pumped her fist in the air. “Yeah, first score!” she chimed. “Nice shot, Dash,” Rivet commented. Pinkie got up and shook her head. “Come on, Swifty! We can’t let them beat us like this!” Pinkie said. “Our pride is on the line!” Swift sat up and rubbed the side of his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “They have the first point. We still have plenty of time to bea-” -Ten Minutes Later- Swift and Pinkie were panting heavily as Rainbow Dash and Rivet had sly smiles on their faces. The two had only one point to go before they would win the match, whereas Pinkie and Swift were only able to get a couple. Pinkie looked over to Swift with a glare. “Oh, we still have plenty of time to beat them you said. They only have the first point you said. Rivet is barely a player you said. And the cake you made for me wasn’t too badly burnt you said,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “Well, what do you think of this now!?” Swift let out a weary sigh. “I keep telling you, that cake wasn’t too badly burnt,” he replied. “I loved eating it. It was like I was eating edible gold.” “Come on, I want to get this defeat over with so I can beat the next set of suckers,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Hey, we’re next!” Soul pointed out. “Man, it’s going to be easier than beating these two,” Rainbow Dash commented as she twirled the ball on her finger. Sunset rolled her eyes and Soul glared at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash served the ball and it was heading over to Pinkie and Swift’s side. Pinkie intercepted and bounced the ball back over to the other side of the net. Rainbow Dash hit the ball and it went high over her head for a moment, letting Rivet jump towards it. He smacked the ball over the net, but Swift ran to intercept. Swift slid and bounced the ball off of his arms, and Pinkie quickly smacked it back. Rainbow Dash took a few steps back as the ball headed towards her and she smacked it far over the net and over both Pinkie and Swift. Swift looked at Rainbow Dash and smiled. “HA! You hit it too hard!” Swift commented. “Wait for it,” Rainbow Dash commented. Swift raised a confused brow. The ball headed straight towards Rarity’s umbrella and it bounced off of it, causing it to fall over. Rarity was in a deep sleep and didn’t notice that her umbrella had been knocked out of place. Everyone was so focused on the ball that they didn’t notice either. The ball went back towards Swift and hit him in the back of the head. His face collided with the sand and the ball landed next to him. “SCORE!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “And all the crowd goes wild as team Dash wins the medal!” She was pumping her arms in the air as she was making fake cheers of her victory. “NNNOOOOOOOO!” Pinkie cried as she got on her knees and looked to the heavens. “WHY GOD!? WWWHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY!?” “Don’t count your chickens just yet, Dash,” Applejack said. “Ya still need to beat the rest of us to win that medal.” “Oh yeah? Then bring it on,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, you wanna go next then?” Soul asked. “With pleasure,” Applejack replied, cracking her knuckles. “Come on, Sonata. We got some ass to kick.” “Sweet and then we make out afterwards, right?” Sonata asked. Applejack looked at Sonata with half-lid eyes and a raised brow. “Right, sorry.” Time passed as everyone played the game. Applejack was true to her word and had beaten Rainbow Dash and Rivet at the game. At the end, Sonata had almost kissed Applejack, but Applejack was able to stop her and the two had a talk about Rainbow Dash’s comment. All the couples, except for Clyde and Rarity, had played with one another as they would either win or lose. But everyone was having fun and making memories together at the beach. Eventually the sun was setting over the ocean’s horizon and was getting dark. Everyone was getting their things together to head back inside. Clyde went over to where Rarity was and as he was about to wake her up, he winced and had a scared expression on him. With a gulp, he gently shook Rarity to wake her up. “Um, Rarity are you okay?” he asked concernedly. Rarity slowly opened her eyes and let out a yawn. “Yes dear, I’m fine,” she replied. “Oh my, how long was I awake? The sun is already going down.” She sat up and just as she was stretching her arms, she felt a burning pain in them and winced. “OW!” “Rarity, I think you might want to go slow with the stretches,” Clyde said. “In fact, you might want to take it easy right now.” Rarity looked over to see that her umbrella was tipped over and her eyes widened with horror. “Clyde…. How long was my umbrella been tipped over?” she asked in a calm tone with a hint of worry. “I don’t know,” Clyde replied. “But I think it might have been like that for a few hours.” “Clyde, take a picture of my back quick!” Rarity said in a panicked tone. Clyde reached down into his bag and pulled out his phone. With one quick snap of Rarity’s back, he gave her the phone and she looked over it. With one glance, Rarity gasped and let out a bloody shriek which tore Clyde’s ears apart. The picture showed Rarity’s back having a deep red sunburn. “MY BEAUTIFUL SKIN IS RUINED!” Rarity cried. “I’LL NEVER BE HAPPY AGAIN!” “You still got me,” Clyde commented. “THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES, CLYDE!” Rarity shouted. She got up on her feet and glared at everyone that was either looking at her with worried looks or was holding in their laughs. “WHO DID THIS!? WHO KNOCKED OVER MY UMBRELLA!?” “I don’t know, but that is just so hilarious!” Rainbow Dash said as she started to laugh. “It’s like someone burnt a marshmallow too much.” Rarity let out a groan. “Now what am I going to do?” she asked herself. “My skin is ruined, and I’ll never be the same again!” Applejack rolled her eyes and walked over to Rarity. “Oh don’t fret, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Ah’ve brought some medicine in case something like this happens. And if ya really want to get rid of it fast, Ah suggest taking a cold bath for a bit. But not ice cold, ya don’t want to get sick or something.” She then unintentionally patted Rarity on the back hard and Rarity winced with pain. Rarity shot an angry glare at Applejack while she had a sheepish smile. “Hehe, sorry.” “Fine Applejack, I’ll see what assistance you can offer,” Rarity said. “But please make it quick, I don’t want to be like this forever!” “Oh, quit being a baby,” Rainbow Dash commented. “It’s just sunburn.” “It’s very painful to have, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity yelled. “Do you see how red it is!? My skin is going to be winkly for a while and it’ll be like peeling off some of my beauty!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get going,” Applejack said as she grabbed Rarity’s hand. “Let’s get ya all fixed up.” “Hey wait, whose car is that?” Night asked as he pointed towards another car that was parked up near the house. Everyone looked over to see the car parked, and Soul’s eyes widened when he recognized who it belonged to. ‘No.’ Soul ran over to the house past the others. Everyone raised a brow except for Applejack for Soul’s sudden behavior. Soul kept on running until he ran to the back porch and opened the back door. When he got inside, he saw a man with white hair like his who wore only short pants and an open shirt with floral designs on it. And from where Soul was standing, he saw a very familiar woman in the kitchen as she was cooking something on the stove. The man looked at Soul and smiled. “Hey bud, you guys coming back in?” Comet asked. “Dad? Mom? What are you two doing here?” Soul asked with confusion in his voice. “Well, when you told us that you and your friends were coming here to the beach and went off, we talked with the other parents and Clyde’s brother, and we all decided that we would keep an eye on you all,” Dawn explained. “What? Did you think we would just let a bunch of teens be up here by themselves without any supervision whatsoever?” “But don’t you guys trust us?” Soul asked. “Your dad does, but for me?” Dawn replied. “Hell no. So we’re here for the whole weekend.” Soul’s eyes twitched and he let out a deep breath. “Would you give me a moment?” he asked as he closed the door behind him and walked back towards the beach. As soon as he stepped on the sand, he fell to his knees and held out his hand towards the heavens. “NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Everyone ran over to Soul with urgency, except for Rarity as she was having trouble keeping up. “Soul, what’s wrong!?” Sunset asked worriedly. “My parents are here!” Soul replied. “And they’re going to watch over us for the entire weekend!” “.... So? It can't be that bad,” Rainbow Dash said. “You don’t understand! My mom has a very strong value in our moral beliefs, so she’ll make sure we can no longer share the same bed with each other,” Soul said. “We’ll start to share the same bed with just guys or girls!” Rainbow Dash eyes widened with horror and she dropped her ball. “You mean Rivet and I can’t have our fun time!?” she asked, frantically. “Yes, that’s what I’m telling you!” Soul said. “That means no Rarity or Clyde!” Rarity and Clyde gasped. “No Pinkie and Swift!” Pinkie had a panicked look on her, and Swift fainted. “No Night and…. Actually you guys weren’t going to do anything, so you two are good,” Soul said in a calm tone. “But no me or Sunny!” Sonata let out a gasp. “And that means no Applejack and me time!” she said. Applejack placed her head on her forehead and let out an irritated sigh. “For the last time, we’re not a real couple!” she pointed out. “Rainbow Dash was making a joke! And we’re both girls! We don’t have to worry about that!” “Oh yeah? If we’re not a couple, then how come we’re sharing the same bed then?” Sonata retorted. Applejack let out groan. “Guys, I think maybe we’re letting this get out of hand,” Sunset said. “So what if we’re not going to get some time with each other at night? We mostly came here to have fun together as friends, right?” Everyone thought for a moment and started to nod and agree with Sunset’s words. Soul then grabbed Sunset by the shoulder and pulled her in closer to her. “It’s not just that!” Soul said. Sunset raised a brow. “Then what is the problem?” she asked. “It’s my mom’s mood swings!” Soul said. “Ever since she’s been having my future sibling, she’s been letting her emotions go wild. Even more so than usual. Just like Rarity.” “Hey!” “It can’t be that bad,” Sunset commented. All of a sudden, everyone jumped back as they heard yelling coming from the house. “DAMN IT! WHERE THE HELL IS THE SPOON DRAWER!?” Dawn yelled. “Um.... Did you look in the drawers?” Comet meekly asked. “.... Oh, here they are,” Dawn said. “Thanks, sweetie.” “N-No problem, honey,” Comet said with a weak laugh. Swift gulped. “We are doomed,” he said. Sonata turned her head for a moment to see that another car was coming in the driveway. The car parked, and two girls came out of it. One girl had crimson irises and big puffy hair that was colored orange with yellow streaks in it. The other was a lavender-skinned girl with violet irises and dark purple hair with aqua streaks in it. Sonata beamed a smile and was jumping up and down. “ARIA! D’AGI! YOU GIRLS CAME!” she exclaimed as she ran over to give Aria a hug. Aria let out an irritated groan. “Sonata, what have we talked about personal space?” she asked angrily. Adagio looked over to the rest of the group with shocked expressions. “I’m guessing Sonata didn’t tell you guys we were coming, huh?” she asked. “Okay, now we’re just screwed,” Rivet commented. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day at the Beach! Part II A Night of Craziness and Making Sweet Memories It was now nighttime at the beach, and everyone was settling inside the house. Soul, Swift, and Rivet were watching TV on the couch along with Comet while Sonata was on the floor on her stomach and Aria was sitting on the reclining chair and was reading a book. Sunset was in a reclining chair too as she was near Soul. Adagio was in her and Aria’s shared room. Applejack and Clyde were tending to Rarity’s sunburn in her room. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Night were with Dawn in the kitchen as they were cleaning up the dishes after they all had eaten dinner, and Rainbow Dash was taking a run around the beach to get some exercise in before she went to bed. Pinkie was whistling a tune to herself as she was scrubbing a dish in her hands while Fluttershy and Night were chatting with Dawn. “So, Mrs. D, did you guys ever find out what the baby is going to be?” Night asked. “Not yet. The doctor said that we would try again next week to see anymore development,” Dawn replied. “By the way, you’re very good with cleaning dishes.” “Thanks, I help out with my mom sometimes,” Night said. “Wish my son would come in and help with the dishes,” Dawn commented. “You never asked!” Soul shouted from the living room. Dawn rolled her eyes. “Um Dawn, how have you been doing lately?” Fluttershy asked. “I’ve been doing good, why do you ask?” Dawn asked. “Well, I’ve heard you’ve been having mood swing problems,” Fluttershy replied. Dawn waved her hand. “Pfff, please. I’ve already been pregnant once,” she said. “Once you go through all the pain and suffering of the miracle of birth, you get a better idea on how to handle it the next time around.” “That’s good to know,” Pinkie said. “I kinda thought you were twice as crazy when you couldn’t find the spoons.” Dawn blushed. “I um, that might have been a slip up, but I assure you all that I have it under control,” she said. She looked at the plate she was cleaning and saw that there was a small stain on it. “Oops, there’s still a spot there.” She rubbed it down some and washed. She looked at it to see that the stain was still there. “Hmmm, nasty little thing.” She rubbed down on it harder and longer until she washed off the plate again. She looked at it one more time before her eyes were boiling with anger as she saw the stain was still there. “GOD DAMN IT! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET RID OF THIS THING!? Dawn yelled with fury. She panted for a moment before she looked at both sides to see the girls and Night looking at her with wide eyes of terror in them while Fluttershy was shivering with fear. Dawn coughed in her hand and cleared her throat. “Like I said, I have it under control.” “That’s a lie,” Soul commented from the living room. Dawn groaned. “I think someone likes to sleep outside in the sand,” she said. “.... I’ll be quiet.” Dawn let out a sigh and got back to cleaning dishes. “So, any teen gossip that I might like to hear?” she asked. “Oh, oh I got like a bunch of them!” Pinkie chimed. “Rarity and I love to talk about gossip all the time.” “Then lay it on me, sister,” Dawn commented. Back in the living room, the others were still watching TV until Comet got up and stretched for a moment. “I’m going to check on your mom for a sec,” Comet said before he left the others to themselves. As soon as Comet had left the living room, Soul nudged Swift. “Hey Swift, move over,” Soul said. “So Sunset and I can sit together.” “Why do I have to move?” Swift asked. “Why can’t you move?” “Because I’m sitting at the edge of the couch and I’d really like to sit with my girlfriend,” Soul replied. “But what if I want Pinkie to sit next to me?” Swift retorted. “Is she here?” “No.” “Then move over!” “Fine,” Swift grumbled as he shifted from his position. “But if Pinkie comes back here and asks why I didn’t save her a spot, it’s on your head.” Soul rolled his eyes. Just as Sunset was about to get up and sit next to her boyfriend, Adagio walked into the room and spoke in a very sultry voice. “Hiya boys.” Everyone looked over to where Adagio was standing, and all their eyes and mouths were opened wide, except for Sonata and Aria, who only let out an irritated sigh and got back to reading her book. Adagio was only wearing a black nightgown with a matching panty with it showing most of of her belly while it hung on only to her bra. All the guys were blushing red and Sunset was seeing red. “What the hell are you doing!?” she asked angrily. “You can’t wear something like that in plain sight!” “Oh, don’t be such a prude, Shimmer,” Adagio commented. “Prude!?” “I’m just getting comfortable is all,” Adagio said. “I mean, we sirens and ponies have always been naked, so what would be the problem in wearing something that’s just a little revealing?” “A little?” Aria asked. “You look like man bait.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to get my hands on a man right now,” she said. “Though I do like the attention I’m getting.” Sunset looked over Soul who had a little drool in his mouth. “Soul!” “GHA!” Soul yelped and shook his head. “I mean, Adagio, how about you put on some regular pajamas? My mom wouldn’t like it if she saw you in…. that.” “I would, but I don’t really have any pajamas,” Adagio replied. “I sleep in the nude.” The moment that she had finished her words, Swift fainted and fell off the couch on top of Sonata. Sonata felt the crushing force from Swift’s heavy unconscious body as she tried to wiggle herself out of their predicament. “Help! I’m being crushed to death!” Sonata yelped as she wiggled her way out to freedom. Aria moved her book out of her view to see Sonata struggle under Swift’s body. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the book once more to ignore her youngest sister’s plea for help. Adagio casually walked towards the couch and sat in between Rivet and Soul as the two tried to look away from her with their blushes intensifying and sweat beading down their foreheads. Rivet was becoming more and more uncomfortable as time went on, and the moment that Adagio placed a hand on his legs, he jumped up from his spot and quickly walked backwards towards the door. “I, eh, um, decided to go out and get some exercise with Rainbow Dash… my girlfriend…. who I am with…. the one that might kill me if she see me here like this,” Rivet said before he bumped into the door and tried to grab the handle. “So um…. bye!” He opened the door and ran out. Adagio simply shrugged it off and looked over to Soul with a sly smile. Soul gulped and started to get up from his spot. “Maybe I should see if anyone would be willing to give you some-” Soul was about to finish until Adagio wrapped her arms around his arm and gazed into his eyes with wide sad eyes. “You don’t want to leave me here all cold, do you?” Adagio asked in a sad tone. “Eeeeeehhh,” was all Soul could say before he heard another call to him. “Would you let go of my boyfriend!?” Sunset said as she grabbed hold of Soul’s other arm and started to pull him towards her. “You can’t just grab onto him like that!” “Oh, what’s the harm of me snuggling up to your boyfriend?” Adagio asked innocently. “I just want to stay warm. It does feel a bit chilly in here.” Aria raised a brow as she looked back to see that the temperature was seventy-two degrees inside. She was about to comment on it, but thought about it for a moment and decided that she didn’t care and got back to reading her book. “I don’t care if you’re cold,” Sunset said. “Why don’t you just find some clothes to wear or go on to bed and get warm underneath the blankets?” “I would be lying to say that it would be the same as snuggling up to your boyfriend,” Adagio replied. “He does feel more warm than any sheet or blanket I slept with.” “Yes, I agree with that, but he is my boyfriend, and if anyone snuggles up to him, it’ll be me,” Sunset countered. “Wait, do I get a say in this?” Sonata asked while she was still trapped under Swift. “No!” both Sunset and Adagio said at the same time. “Oh come on! I was the one that was willing to kill Sunset just have him,” Sonata said. “What!?” Sunset yelped with terror. “Eh, I mean, that I was willing to beat Sunset just to have him,” Sonata corrected herself. “Yeah, let’s go with that.” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, she says stuff like that all the time,” she said. “Remember, this is the same girl that takes children TV shows too seriously.” “Okay, I am getting very uncomfortable now,” Soul commented. Just coming out of the kitchen, Comet was walking into the living room, but stopped as he saw Adagio and Sunset grabbing his son’s arms and had a blank expression on him. Soul noticed his father and made the words with his lips saying ‘help me.’ Comet turned around and walked back into the kitchen and Soul furrowed his brow as he let out a low groan. Comet walked into the kitchen and made his way over to his wife. He leaned over to Dawn’s ear and whispered something to her that the others couldn’t hear. After Comet finished whispering to her, she let out an irritated sigh and dropped the dishes in the water-filled sink. “I swear, there is no moral value in these kids today,” Dawn commented as she made her way out of the room. “Dear, help the kids with the dishes and send them off to bed. I believe this night is over.” “Sure thing, honey,” Comet replied as he saw his wife walk out the kitchen. He let out a sigh and started helping with the dishes. “What has her so upset?” Night asked. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Comet replied. Dawn walked into the living room angrily and saw what was happening on the couch as Sunset and Adagio were pulling Soul back and forth between each other. Soul had a slightly bored expression on him as the initial shyness around Adagio’s boldness was wearing off. “Okay seriously, you two need to stop,” Soul said. “Because if my mom catches us like this, there’s no telling what’s going to happen. Like for example, how she’s glaring like at me whenever- AAAHH!” Adagio and Sunset stopped as they looked up and turned pale when they saw Dawn glaring at them with fire in her eyes. The two let go of Soul as Adagio put on an innocent smile while Sunset gulped and twirled her fingers around each other and avoided Dawn’s glare. “The night is over, go to your beds now,” Dawn said and looked over to Adagio. “And for the love of God, please puts some real pajamas on.” “I don’t have any. I usually sleep in the nud-” “Then ask for some else's,” Dawn said. “Surely there’s someone here that can give you a spare.” “I brought a spare just in case,” Aria said. “Good, put that on and head to bed,” Dawn said. “And for heaven’s sake, someone get Swift off of Sonata.” “I’ll get him off,” Soul said as he got up and went over to the two on the floor. He reached down and pulled Swift with great effort. He was able to get him off and Sonata was free. Sonata stretched for a moment and let out victorious cheer. “Woo hoo, I’m free!” she chimed. “Thanks, Soul.” “No problem.” “And I better not hear or see anyone sharing the same bed unless its the same gender,” Dawn said. “If I see a boy and a girl in the same bed, hell is going to pay.” “So wait, it’s not okay for us to fool around with a boy but it’s okay if me and Applejack fool around, right?” Sonata asked. Everyone in the room looked at Sonata with half-lid eyes except for Dawn who only had a blank look. “‘Cause I’ll be honest, I’m not really into girls, but I am willing to try anything new. And Applejack does seem like she can really-” *SLAM* Next thing Sonata knew, she was outside of the house as Dawn closed the door behind her. In her arms was a blanket and a pillow. She turned around to face the door with a confused expression. “What did I do wrong?” Sonata asked herself. Rainbow Dash and Rivet were running up to the house and they panted a few times before catching their breath. “Thanks for coming along, R. I didn’t think you like jogging so much,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Yeah well, I was motivated to,” Rivet said and looked to notice Sonata with her blanket and pillow. “Um, Sonata what are you doing out here with your blanket?” “Mrs. Writer kicked me out,” Sonata replied. “Why?” “I don’t know! First I was crushed under Swift for a long time and when she was telling everyone to go to bed, I asked if fooling with Applejack was okay since she and I were planning on sharing the same bed and the next thing I knew, she kicked me out!” Sonata explained. Rivet looked at Sonata with half-lid eyes and Rainbow Dash placed a hand over her forehead. “Okay, Applejack had told you this a bunch of times but clearly you don’t understand. You and Applejack are not a real couple! I made that up! It was a joke! I don’t why you took it so seriously!” Rainbow Dash explained. “What, are you trying to get to Soul by sleeping with his cousin or something?” Sonata pursed her lips. “Wait, that can work?” she asked. Rainbow Dash smacked herself in the face and let out a groan. “Forget it, you clearly have some thinking to do,” she commented as she walked by Sonata and knocked on the door. “Hey, can someone let us in?” “I’ll let you in, but don’t let Sonata come in,” Dawn said just before she unlocked the door. “What did I do wrong!?” Sonata pleaded. “All I said was that Applejack would seem good at-” “That’s exactly why I kicked you out!” Dawn pointed out. Rainbow Dash and Rivet shrugged and went inside. When Rainbow Dash was halfway through the door, she turned around and looked at Sonata. “Have a nice night, Sonata,” Rainbow Dash said. “Oh, and be careful for the crabs, they like to snap their claws onto anything.” She went into the house and Dawn locked the door behind her. Sonata gulped. “Well, at least they’re not brave enough to come to a wooden porch,” she said before turning around and her eyes went wide at what she was seeing. She saw dozens of crabs staring back at her with their claws up and snipping them. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Sonata made a run for it as the crabs chased after her while crawling sideways. Aria and Rainbow Dash watched through the window as they saw Sonata run out of sight with the crabs following behind her. “Huh, I thought crabs were only aggressive with one another,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Sonata always has that kind of luck,” Aria said. Applejack and Clyde walked into the living room. “Well, it took a while, but Rarity should get better,” Applejack said. “She took a lukewarm bath and we rubbed down some aloe on her too. She’ll be right as rain tomorrow.” “That’s good to hear. Applejack, I need you to stay with her for the night and make sure that she stays okay,” Dawn said. “If it’s alright, I want to share the same bed with Rarity,” Clyde said. “I respect some of the values you believe in, but I really want to tend to her sunburn myself.” Dawn had a smile on her and she placed a hand over Clyde’s shoulder. “And while I do understand that you and Rarity have been dating for a long time, I was also granted to watch over you and her with both your brother’s and her parents’ permission.” Her hand tighten on Clyde’s shoulder as sweat slowly started beading on his forehead, making him more nervous by the moment. “So, what I'm really saying is, get over it and share a bed with one of your guy friends. You can tend to her while we're all awake, but Applejack can just as easily take of her. And if you try anything behind my back, you're sleeping out in the sand with Sonata and the crabs! Are we clear?” Clyde gulped. “Crystal,” he meekly replied. Just as everyone was heading off to bed including Comet and the rest of the others in the kitchen, Applejack felt her shoulder being grabbed and turned to see Dawn holding her. “Applejack sweetie, there’s something I need to ask,” Dawn said. “Sure Aunty, what do ya need?” Applejack asked. “Well um, have you and Sonata been dating?” “W-What!?” “I know that you’re young and still have so much to experience about life, so if you ever have any questions, please let me know,” Dawn said. “And on another note, this would explain why you haven’t had a boyfriend yet.” Applejack let out an agitated growl. It was late at night and Sonata was on top of the tallest tree she could find. She sat on the branch for hours and looked down to see the crabs still gathered around the bottom of it. She had attempted to get in her sister’s car and hoped to have slept in it, but to her dismay, Dawn had kicked her out of the house before she could have brought the keys with her and was locked out. She let out a defeated sigh and tried her best to sleep…. while she prayed and hoped that she wouldn’t fall off the branch while she slept. Inside the house, where Soul’s room was, he was still wide awake as his brow twitched with annoyance. He was paired off with Swift to share the same bed, and while sleeping, Swift wrapped his arms around Soul and cuddled with him. Swift let out loud snores as he slept, which was part of the reason why Soul was still awake. Soul looked at the clock to see that it was eleven thirty-seven post meridiem (Soul learned that from latin class). Soul let out an irritated sigh. “I really hope Sunset is having a better sleep than me,” he said to himself. In another room, Sunset was still awake, partly because Pinkie had wrapped her arms around her and crossed their legs together as she had pulled Sunset closer to her. Sunset looked over to the clock to see that a minute had just passed since she last looked at it. Pinkie snuggled up against Sunset as a content smile was plastered on her face. Sunset let out a sigh and tried to go to sleep until she felt something pulling on her. She looked over to see Pinkie with a lock of her hair in her mouth, chewing on it. Sunset grumbled. ‘I think I’m going to grab something to eat,’ she thought to herself. Sunset wiggled her way out of Pinkie’s grasp with difficulty, but was able to get free from her. Just as Sunset was about to walk out of the room, she saw that Pinkie was trying to cuddle on something as her arms moved around. Sunset looked around the room for a moment until she looked under the bed to see a rolled up sleeping bag and grabbed it. She placed it next to Pinkie and she cuddled up against it, and her content smile returned. Sunset smiled and walked out the door quietly to not wake her roommate up. Sunset quietly walked down the hallway as she made her way towards the kitchen. When she was getting close to it, she saw that the lights were on and peeked her head inside the doorway to see who was in there. Sitting at the table as she was eating a peanut butter-covered pickle was Dawn. Dawn finished eating the pickle she had and took another pickle from its jar and dipped it in the peanut butter bottle. “Oh, um, hi Dawn, what are you doing up so late?” Sunset asked as she came into the kitchen. Dawn looked up at Sunset and smiled. “I couldn’t sleep with these stupid food cravings,” she replied. “I haven’t eaten peanut covered pickles since I had Soul. Damn kid wouldn’t let me sleep until he had some of this weird stuff in him.” Sunset giggled. “I guess that would explain why he likes to dip french fries in his ice cream sometimes,” she said as she took a seat. “He got that from his dad,” Dawn commented. “If you have the right kind of fries, it really does taste good. So, what are you doing up so late?” “Pinkie really likes to cuddle up to people,” Sunset replied. She reached over to the pickle jar and took a bite of it. “A girl like that, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Dawn commented as she giggled. The two laughed for a moment before silence fell between them. They ate quietly as they enjoyed the other’s company and the silence that came with it. Just as Sunset was done with her first pickle, she started reaching for another until she spoke up. “So Dawn, why did you come down here with us?” Sunset asked. “I mean, I know you and the other parents really wanted to keep an eye on us until we go back, but why couldn’t any of the others be here? Wouldn’t Clyde’s brother be more suitable to be here?” Dawn paused for a moment and twirled her fingers around each other. A frown formed around her face and she let out a sigh. “It’s mostly because I’ve been feeling a little worried about Soul,” she answered. Sunset raised a brow. “About what?” she asked. “I'm probably just overthinking this, but he’s been growing so fast since he started going to Canterlot,” Dawn replied. “I use to see him around the house most of the time when he used to go to his last school. He had few friends there, and the school didn’t have a good reputation with how they handle most of the students there. I was just thankful that Soul was hardly influenced by some of them.” Dawn rubbed her belly for a moment. “Ever since I’ve been pregnant with this little angel, I began to remember how much I loved raising Soul and seeing him smile, laugh, and play all the time. Now he has his own ride, many friends to be with, good grades, and is very lucky to be with a sweet girl like you.” Sunset slightly blushed and smiled. “But that also means that he’s been out of the house most of the time and I don’t see him as often as I want to,” Dawn explained with a small frown. “So, I didn’t really come here to watch over all of you, even though it’s clear to me that you all need some moral guidance, but just to spend some time with my son before I am too busy watching over this sweet little angel here.” She rubbed her pregnant belly gently with a small smile. “I understand completely,” Sunset said. “I know what it’s like wanting to spend so much time with your family.” “I’m glad that you understand,” Dawn said. She then grabbed another pickle from the jar and dipped it in the peanut butter bottle. “Now, you should really try eating these with peanut butter. I’ve forgotten how good they actually taste.” Sunset raised a brow. “Trust me, you’re gonna start eating these like crazy when you have a kid of your own,” Dawn commented before taking a bite of her late night snack. Sunset gave a shrug and dipped the pickle in the peanut butter. She took a bite of it and, after tasting it for a moment, let out a content hum as she enjoyed the taste. “This really does taste good,” Sunset said. “Told you,” Dawn commented. It was the next day, and most of everyone was on the beach enjoying the games they had set up or relaxing under the sun. Rarity, however, was sitting on the porch under a large umbrella with Clyde as she watched the others enjoying their time in the sand. Because of Rarity’s sunburn, she had to stay under the shade and out of the sun’s ray until it got better. Rarity was reading a magazine and took a peek over it to see the others playing on the beach. She let out a bored sigh as she continued to read her magazine. Clyde noticed Rarity’s boredom and spoke up. “Are you alright?” Clyde asked. Rarity looked up to Clyde. “Oh, I’m doing alright,” she replied. “I’m just a little disappointed that I can’t enjoy the day with the others right now.” “We still have today and tomorrow before we all head back home, and your sunburn has gotten a lot better,” Clyde pointed out. “Who knows, you might be well enough to enjoy time with the others later tonight.” “What are we planning on doing tonight?” Rarity asked. “Pinkie thought it would be a cool idea to do a Hawaii-themed party,” Clyde replied. “Oh, that sounds like fun,” Rarity commented. She looked at Clyde for a moment before she formed a frown. “I hope that me having sunburn on my back isn’t the reason why you’re sitting with me while the others have fun.” “Don’t worry about it, beautiful,” Clyde said. “I mostly came here to spend time with you. So this doesn't change anything I had planned.” “Aww, you’re such a sweet talker,” Rarity said before she started to lean in towards Clyde. Rarity puckered her lips as she was about to kiss Clyde. All of a sudden though, a beach ball flew over towards her and hit her in the side of the head. Rarity fell over and landed on her back. She winced in pain as a single tear was coming out of her eye. Clyde quickly got out of his seat and carefully lifted her up from the ground. “Are you okay!?” Clyde asked, frantically. “I-I’m fine,” Rarity replied, weakly. “I'm just feeling a little sting is all.” “Sorry about that!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Aria threw a mean one there.” “Meh, it is lighter than throwing rocks at people,” Aria commented. “Well, can you at least be careful?” Clyde asked. “Don’t worry, we will,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned to Aria and a wicked smile crept up on her. “Told you that would work.” “The best pranks are the ones that really get under people’s skins,” Aria commented before the two high fived each other. “Don’t you think that was a little too mean of a prank?” Rivet asked. “Hey, it’s not my fault that she has sunburn,” Rainbow Dash said. “Why do I have this feeling that it is?” Rivet asked himself. “Yeah, but still, don’t you think it’s a little too far?” “Meh,” Aria simply replied. “.... I don’t know why, but I think we have a lot more in common than I thought,” Rivet commented. “What makes you say that?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Meh,” Rivet simply replied. Near them, Pinkie was running her fingers in Adagio's hair as she was feeling how soft and stringy it was. Adagio had a somewhat annoyed look on her as Pinkie was stroking her hair. “Can you please stop rummaging through my hair?” Adagio asked. “No way, it’s so soft,” Pinkie replied. “It’s like petting a fluffy baby sheep. Swift, you gotta feel this!” Swift looked back and forth between Pinkie and Adagio as he felt a bit conflicted on the issue. “Eh, I’m not sure if that’s such good idea,” Swift said. “Come on, it’s so FLUFFY!” Pinkie said as she buried her face into Adagio’s hair. Adagio let out a sigh. “If I let you and your boyfriend feel my hair for minute, would you please stop petting it?” she asked. Pinkie nodded. “Fine, alright you can pet it,” Adagio said to Swift before she made a sly smile. “Don’t worry, it won’t bite…. but I might like to.” Swift’s face turned red and gulped. “Okay, now I’m really not comfortable with this,” he said. Swimming in the water, Night and Fluttershy were enjoying their time together. They kept on swimming until the water was up to their shoulders. Night looked over to the beach to see the others weren’t paying attention to him and Fluttershy. “Okay, I think we’re far enough away from them,” Night said. “O-Okay,” Fluttershy simply said. Night smiled as he gazed into Fluttershy’s eyes and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. Fluttershy embraced the kiss as she tenderly kissed him back while he held her in his arms. After a moment, the two broke their kiss off and gazed into each other. “I know you said that you get nervous around people, but do we really have to go this far just to kiss?” Night asked. “They are our friends, after all, and they know we’ve been dating for a while.” “I know, I just get nervous whenever people stare at me,” Fluttershy said. “I'm really trying to get comfortable with it. I just need some time, if that’s okay?” “Of course,” Night said as he leaned in for another kiss. Just as he was about to kiss, he saw something in the corner of his eye and looked to see a couple of dolphins jumping out of the water. “Hey Shy, look! I see some dolphins over there.” Fluttershy’s eyes widen and her skin turned pale. “D-D-D-Dolphins?” she asked nervously. “Yeah, you can see them jumping out of the water over there,” Night said. “I think they might be coming our way-” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” Night winced back when Fluttershy let out a scream and she swam frantically back towards the beach. Night raised a brow and swam after her. After a moment, Fluttershy got out of the water and panted heavily. Almost everyone at the beach gathered around her as they had heard Fluttershy scream and had concerned looks on their faces. Night got out of the water too and ran over to Fluttershy to see if she was okay. “Fluttershy, what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked. “D-D-Dolphins!” Fluttershy replied. “There’s dolphins in the water!” Everyone raised a brow except for Rainbow Dash. “Oh yeah, your fear of dolphins. I forgot about that,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Why are you afraid of dolphins?” Aria asked. “Aren’t you like a nature girl that loves that kind of stuff?” “Yeah, dolphins are cute and sweet,” Sonata said. “THEY ARE NOT CUTE AND SWEET!” Fluttershy yelled at Sonata. “THEY’RE EVIL!” Sonata whimpered to herself as the others looked to one another in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Pinkie asked. “Why are they evil?” “Don’t you know what they do? The males are really violent towards females and would beat them often and would be even more violent towards their young. They would even kill them for just fun. And even worse, they actually use their corpses for toys! And they have prehensile… um… things just like a tentacle.” Everyone had their mouths opened with pale skins as they looked at Fluttershy with horrid expressions. “I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK TO THE OCEAN AGAIN!” Sonata yelled. Aria gagged in her mouth before she turned around and barfed out her breakfast. “Okay, I’ve been into a lot of stuff before, but that is just downright disgusting,” Adagio said. Walking down the beach, Soul and Sunset were walking together with his parents as Comet held Dawn with his hand. They kept on walking until they had met up with the rest of the group. Dawn looked over to Aria and had a concern look on her. “Are you alright?” Dawn asked. “I-I’m fine,” Aria replied as she waved her hand. “I just found out about something I wish I didn’t know.” “Like what?” “About how dolphins are-” “Aria wanted to see if a clam tasted like chicken,” Pinkie interrupted Fluttershy. “Turns out it didn’t.” Dawn raised a brow at Pinkie before looking back at Aria. “Look, if you’re that hungry, you could have gotten something from the house or could have asked me to make something,” she said. “What? But I didn’t-” “Poor Aria, you were too hungry to have even thought of that,” Pinkie said as she helped Aria and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, it happens to the best of us.” Aria narrowed her glare at Pinkie. “I am going to make you pay for this,” she whispered angrily. “I guess it is getting close to lunch. Might as well get something going,” Dawn said. “I would like some help if anyone doesn’t mind.” “Oh, oh I wanna help!” Pinkie chimed. “Actually, I think Soul should help Dawn out,” Sunset said. “After all, he really does want to spend time with his mom.” “What, but I-OOF!” Soul was about say something until Sunset elbowed him the stomach. “Great, I would really appreciate it sweety,” Dawn said as she grabbed her son’s arm. “Let’s get to it. I have a lot to teach you if we’re going to get everything ready soon.” As Soul was being dragged by his mother, Soul looked back at Sunset with a raised brow. She simply shrugged, so Soul let out a sigh and decided to go with it. The two went inside and started to get everything ready for lunch. “So, what were you kids talking about?” Comet asked the group. “It looked like some of you were telling a ghost story.” “Ah think ya should not really hear this, uncle,” Applejack said. “What? It can’t be that bad,” Comet said. “I’ve seen and heard a lot of things in my service in the guard. So, whatever it is, I’m sure I can handle it.” Everyone looked over to Fluttershy as she walked up to Comet. “Well, it goes like this,” Fluttershy started to say. > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day at the Beach! Part III One Last Fun at the Beach! Dawn was teaching her son Soul how to cook as they prepared everything for everyone. She was showing how to keep an eye on the roast and to check on the rolls constantly. She even showed him how to chop the vegetables quickly and carefully. Soul had to suffer through a few of his mother’s mood swings, but she was able to keep it under control… mostly. As the two were cooking, Dawn looked up to her son for a moment while he was chopping the vegetables. A smile crept onto her when she was remembering how much he had grown and how he and his dad looked like, though she did wish he would shave off the last bit of his beard on his chin. As time went on, Dawn and Soul were still getting everything close to ready. The two remained silent for a moment until Dawn spoke up. “So, I was wondering. How have you and Sunset been doing lately?” she asked. “We’ve been doing good,” Soul replied. “How about your friends? Are they having fun here?” Dawn asked. “Yeah they are,” Soul replied. Dawn pursed her lips. “Is there anything you would like to talk about?” she asked. “Naw, I’m good,” Soul replied. Dawn let out a sigh. ‘He’s even worse than Little Mac when it comes to talking,’ she thought. ‘How my son even got a girlfriend is a mystery to me.’ “Hey mom, I think the roast is ready,” Soul said. “Alright, we’ll just take it out of the oven and wait for it to cool,” Dawn said. “You better let the others know that it’ll be ready soon.” “Got it and, um, do you think you can let Sonata back into the house now?” Soul asked. “I think she learned her lesson and she really doesn’t want to keep on changing in the bathroom stall and have to sleep in a tree again just to avoid the crabs.” “I suppose she had to have learned her lesson by now,” Dawn said. “She can come in, but if she mentions her and Applejack about doing that kind of stuff again, I’m kicking her not just out of the house, but also off of the beach as well!” Soul gulped. “Right, I’ll let her know that,” he said before walking out the doorway. Soul made his way towards the door and opened it. He poked his head out and yelled that it was getting near lunch time. The others stopped what they were doing and were making their way towards the house. Clyde helped Rarity on her feet and escorted her inside while she wrapped her arms around his arm. As everyone was getting inside, Soul looked at both Sunset and his dad, Comet, and saw how pale their faces were. Soul raised a brow. “Dad, Sunny, you two looked like you just saw a ghost,” he commented. “Oh, how I wish that was the case,” Sunset said. “Fluttershy told us something very horrible about the sea.” “Like what?” Soul asked. “How about we wait after lunch?” Comet said. “If we can even eat it, that is.” The two walked by Soul and he only shrugged and went inside with them. Time passed on as most everyone was eating lunch the best they could after being told what Fluttershy had told them. Dawn, Soul, Rarity and Clyde all had confused and concerned looks on their faces. After they were done eating, Fluttershy began telling them the horrors of the sea. Rarity puked into a nearby trashcan, ignoring the pain of her sunburn, while Clyde and Soul went pale just as the others did. Dawn listened to the whole thing and just shrugged it off, as she had already heard it one time during her time with one of her uncles who was a fisherman. After lunch, everyone headed back to the beach but were mostly just relaxing in the sun, walking around or chatting with one another. Sunset laid on a towel she had set up under an umbrella and relaxed under the cool shade. She had her eyes closed and was about to fall asleep until she felt that there was someone next to her. She looked over and smiled to see Soul laying next to her. “Hey babe, what’s up?” Sunset asked. “Nothing much, just thought you would like some company,” Soul replied. “I would really like that,” Sunset said as she snuggled up against him. “How was cooking with your mom?” “It was good. I know how to cook a roast now,” Soul replied. “Mmm, sounds like something you can make for me when we get some time together,” Sunset said. “That I would gladly do,” Soul commented. “Anyways, why did you forcibly volunteer me to help with the cooking in the first place?” “Uuuhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sunset lied. “I remember exactly that you volunteered on your own with no outside force telling you to do so otherwise.” Soul raised a brow. “That was a little too detailed,” he commented. “Also, you have a really bad memory of things.” Sunset let out a sigh. “Fine, I did it because your mom has been feeling neglected by you lately,” she replied. “It’s the whole reason why she came here in the first place, so she could spend some time with you.” “Wait, really? But why would she feel neglected? I’ve been spending time with her this whole summer,” Soul said. Sunset raised a brow. “What?” “Name one.” “What?” “Name one time you spent with your mom this whole summer,” Sunset said. “Well there’s…. Okay, but then there was…. You were there so I guess it was…. Now I’m sure that she was…. Maybe it was when…. Um…. Crap,” Soul said. He fell backwards against the ground with a frown on him. “Great, this whole summer I’ve been too busy with all the things I wanted to do but I never made the time to spend with my mom. What kind of a son am I?” “A lousy one?” “Thanks for kicking me while I’m down, Sunny,” Soul said. Sunset giggled. “I’m just kidding,” she said before kissing Soul on the cheek. “You’re a great son. You just need to spend sometime with your mom is all.” “But what could I do?” Soul asked. “I’m not entirely sure what I could do to spend some time with her.” Sunset tapped her chin for a moment before an idea came to her mind. “There is a small town near here. You two can go there and see whatever they have there,” she suggested. “I bet you two would have a lot of fun.” Soul pondered on the idea for a moment and smiled. “Hey yeah, that is a good idea,” he commented. “Have I ever told you how happy I am to have such a brilliant girlfriend like you?” “Maybe once or twice,” Sunset replied as she giggled. Sunset leaned over to Soul and pressed her lips against his. Soul returned it tenderly and the two slowly took their time with one another. Just as the two were kissing, a beach ball hit Soul in the back of the head and caused him to fall on top of Sunset. The two sat up and looked over to see some of the others were passing the ball around with one another. “Sorry sweetie, I accidently blocked that over to you,” Dawn said. “Can you be a dear and throw it back to us?” Soul rolled his eyes and grabbed the ball. “Why can’t I have one peaceful makeout on the beach?” he asked himself as he carried the ball over. “Hey mom, I was thinking. If you would like, we could go to the town nearby and see what we could do there.” He then handed the ball over to Rainbow Dash. “That sounds wonderful,” Dawn said. “Then it’s a date?” “Please don’t call it that,” Soul said with a dreaded tone. “I’ll get ready for our date then,” Dawn said as she walked off. Soul sighed heavily. Rainbow Dash snickered. “Looks like someone is going on a big date with their mommy,” she joked, which earned her a glare from Soul. “All jokes aside, I think that’s kinda cool for you to do that.” “It really is sweet of you,” Fluttershy commented. “Sometimes I wish I could spend time with my moms,” Sonata said. “Yeah, I- Wait, moms?” Swift asked, as he was very confused. “Oh right, you guys don’t know how sirens mate,” Sonata said. “Well you see, there’s usually one male in a harem of about four or five females at a time, and they-” Applejack covered Sonata’s mouth with her hand. “Ah really do not want to hear how sirens mate,” she said. “Ah already know Ah’m going to have nightmares about dolphins later tonight, so Ah really don’t want siren mating mixed into that.” “Nice save,” Soul commented. “Anyways, I better get ready too. I’ll see you guys in a while.” “Alright cuz, be safe,” Applejack said. After some time had passed and Soul and Dawn had made their way towards the nearby town, they parked in a large parking lot and started exploring it. The town was small but had many tourist there as they were either enjoying a day out or were going to a carnival at the large pier. Soul and Dawn decided to go over to the small carnival. They played some of the game stands, saw some of the attractions, and ate some of the food there as well. The two enjoyed their time together as they talked about all that had been happening. Dawn was telling Soul how she used to enjoy her times whenever a carnival would come to town and Granny Smith would take her and her siblings to them. Soul was more open to talking with his mother and told her about all the things he had done over the summer and told her more about Sunset and their relationship. What seemed like a simple outing turned into a few hours of fun between the son and mother. The sun was lowering down as it was nearing the sea’s horizon. Dawn and Soul were on their way back towards their car. “That was so much fun!” Dawn chimed. “We really should do this again.” “Yeah, we really should,” Soul said. He was smiling until he frowned for a moment. “Hey mom, I’m sorry that I haven’t been spending any time with you almost the entire summer.” Dawn smiled at her son and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay. You’re just growing up too fast for me,” she said. “But I can’t always be there for you and there will be times where I won’t see you for a long while. I know though that you will always love me just like I will always love you.” “I’ll be honest, I never really imagine what my life would be like without you,” Soul admitted. “I can’t imagine even moving on without you.” “Don’t worry about it. You will move on, but hopefully when you do, there’s a special girl that’ll be right beside you who will be there when I can’t,” Dawn said. “And thankfully, it’ll be the same girl that’ll put up with all of your Star Wars junk.” Soul rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, I am not that obsessed with Star Wars,” he commented. “You have two lightsabers that both cost over two hundred dollars!” “But they were made out of real metal! You can’t get stuff like that cheap,” Soul retorted. “Whatever.” The two laughed as they walked down the sidewalk. They were getting close to their car and just as Dawn was about to get in the rider side, Soul stopped her. “Hey, there’s something I got you,” Soul said. “Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Dawn said. “I know, but it felt like the right thing to do,” Soul explained and reached into his jacket’s pocket. He pulled out a small see-through box and in it was a small white sailboat that had the name Dawn on the side. Dawn was in awe of it and held it in her hand. “Oh sweetie, this is so cute,” Dawn commented before she hugged her son and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you very much, Soul.” “You’re welcome,” Soul said. “I knew you would love it.” Time had passed on and the two were back at the beach house with the others. Dawn showed many of the others the little boat and thought it was sweet of Soul to do so. It was now late evening and Soul was once again sharing the same bed with Swift as he snored heavily, keeping Soul awake. Soul let out a sigh and got out of bed before Swift could grab him in another strangling cuddle. Soul slipped on his swimming trunks and old white jacket and sneaked out the back door. Soul walked onto the beach and sat down as he watch the sea and the star-filled skies over the horizon. As Soul was taking in the quiet and beautiful scenery, he heard a few footsteps behind him and looked to see Sunset looking over his shoulder with a smile. She wore only her swimsuit and her leather jacket. “Hey babe, what are you doing out here?” she asked. “Couldn’t sleep,” Soul replied. “Afraid Swift was going to cuddle with me again.” Sunset giggled. “Pinkie does that too,” she commented. “Those two really are for each other,” Soul said. Sunset sat right next to Soul and laid her head down on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and the two looked out at the night sky as they enjoyed the other’s company. “This was a pretty fun trip,” Sunset said. “We should do this again next summer.” “Yeah, we should,” Soul agreed. “Except maybe just the two of us?” Sunset smiled and gave a peck on Soul’s cheek. “Definitely,” she said. Soul smiled back and started kissing Sunset on the lips. Sunset accepted Soul’s kiss and the two slowly lowered themselves down to the ground until Sunset was laying on her back with Soul on top of her. Sunset blushed as she was letting out small pleasurable moans from her boyfriend’s kissing. Soul broke off from her lips and kissed alongside Sunset’s neck, causing her to giggle softly. “Stop, that tickles!” Sunset pleaded. “Which is why I like to do it,” Soul said as he kept on kissing and sucking on her neck. Soul stopped and Sunset panted for a moment. She gazed deep into Soul’s eyes before she leaned forwards to kiss him again. The two pressed their lips together once more for a couple of minutes until they stopped and gazed into each other until Sunset spoke up. “Wanna swim for a bit?” she asked. “The waves are calmer now and it’ll be nice to swim in it without the waves crashing down on us.” “I would love too,” Soul replied, sat up and removed his jacket off of him. Soul helped Sunset on her feet and she too removed her jacket. The two got into the waters and as they moved along the water, Soul swam backwards as Sunset leaned in and kissed him on the lips once more. They swam for a while and played as they splashed one another. Eventually they got tired and got out of the water to dry up under the porch lights. Soul laid on a long soft beach chair and Sunset laid next to him as she snuggled up with him. Sunset let out a yawn and laid her head down on his shoulders once more. The two remained silent as they slowly drifted into sleep from of the quietness and the soft music the sea was making with its waves. “I love you, Soul,” Sunset said. “I love you too, Sunny,” Soul responded. With a smile, Sunset drifted into sleep with Soul doing the same. The two slept contently knowing it was their last night there at the beach. But unfortunately after that night, hell was paid when Dawn caught them. > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack of the Nerds! Soul and Swift were spending the day together as friends at the local comic book store. Soul wanted to get the latest issues of some of his favorite comics while Swift tagged along to see if there were any comics that he might like. As Swift was going through the piles of comics in the small boxes, Soul looked at the shelves to see all the covers of each comic book. While he was looking, Soul saw a cover for his favorite sci fi, Star Wars. He picked up the comic from its place and started to read it. Apparently it was an old comic novel of an alternate universe where certain events in the story line changed. Just as he was reading it, he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked to see Swift holding a bunch of comics and manga in his arms. “I got everything I need,” Swift said. “Wow, you were not kidding when you said you were going to get a bunch of comics,” Soul commented. “What can I say? I love reading a lot,” Swift said. He saw Soul holding the comic in his hand. “What do you have there?” “Oh, it’s just an old comic about an alternate Star Wars,” Soul replied. “It’s an alternate version of episode five where instead of Luke surviving out in the snow after he was attack by a wampa, he dies because of the snow and it dramatically changes the story. Boba Fett gets carbonated instead of Han, the city of Bespin gets destroyed and Lando dies with it, and Yoda trains Leia to become a Jedi. This really chances your view on the whole saga.” “Meh, I wouldn’t know anything about it,” Swift said. “I only watched the first episode.” All of a sudden, Soul froze up and his eyes shrank when he heard Swift’s words. He slowly looked up from the comic at Swift with a horrified expression. “You what?” “Um… I said I only saw the first episode,” Swift said in a confused tone. “How can I call you my friend!?” Soul frantically asked. “Why didn’t you see all of the greatest movies in sci fi history!? Seriously, this like one of the greatest achievements in human history! And you’re telling me you haven’t seen the entire saga!?” At this point, Soul had his face so close to Swift’s that their noses were touching. Beads of sweat poured down from Swift’s forehead as he was terrified by his friend's outburst. He tried to find the best answer for this situation but he didn’t know how to. “W-Well, I’ve always sort of been more of an anime and manga fanboy,” Swift replied meekly. “Also Sega.” “This great injustice cannot stand!” Soul declared. “Swift, go and buy your stuff. We’re heading over to my place.” “W-Why?” “To educate you!” Soul replied. “Now stop shaking, I don’t see why you’re that scared.” In another part of town, Sunset Shimmer was having a nice day out in the sun as she sat her chair and read a book. On her table was cinnamon tea. She picked the cup up to sip on the delicious drink. Just as she was enjoying her peace and quiet, her phone started ringing and she picked it up to see who was calling her. She smiled when she saw that it was her boyfriend, Soul, calling her. Sunset tapped on the talk button and held it up to her ear. “Hey babe, how are-” “Sunset, it’s an emergency!” Soul yelled over the phone. “I need you to come over to my house quick!” “W-What’s happening!?” Sunset asked concernedly. “There’s no time to explain, just hurry!” Soul replied as he hung up. Sunset quickly put her phone away and ran from her table. Just as she was halfway towards her car, she skid to a stop and went back towards the table. She pulled out her wallet and left a five dollar tip on the table. She then ran back towards the car and drove off. A few minutes had passed and Sunset parked in the driveway. She got out of the car and ran up to the door as she knocked on it frantically. She had a very concerned look on her face as she was fearing the worst. A million thoughts were going through her head, each one worse than the last. She feared that Dawn might have been having an early pregnancy and that would have bad effects on the baby or something had happened to Soul that had left him devastated and really needing her comfort. Opening the door, Soul looked to see Sunset standing there as she was near the verge of crying. Sunset saw Soul and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and spoke in a caring and tender tone. “Soul, what happened?” Sunset asked. “Oh Sunny, it’s the most horrible thing that could ever happen to a teenage boy like me,” Soul replied. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through this together,” Sunset said. “What’s the problem?” “Swift only saw episode four of Star Wars and that was it! He never saw the rest of the saga!” Sunset froze in place as she heard her boyfriend say that. Her mind had gone blank for a moment and it slowly proceeded the ridiculous information she had just received. What had been care, loving and worry was quickly replaced by anger, fury and a need to kill a certain white-haired boy for having her drive all the way for the most ludicrous reason she had ever heard of since they dated. Sunset took a deep breath and took a step back from Soul before she spoke. “Okay, can you run that by me again?” she asked in a very calm tone. “I said, Swift only watched one episode of Star Wars!” Soul repeated. “Can you believe he never saw all of the entire saga of the greatest movies ever made? I mean, come on, that’s just crazy, right?” Sunset’s right eye twitched before she started to crack her knuckles. “So, let me get this straight,” she said as she glared at Soul. “You had me in a fit of worry and concern, got me to drive up here even though I was enjoying a nice outing and some tea that I never really got to drink, all because Swift never saw all of the Star Wars movies?” “I know, right?” Soul said, oblivious to Sunset’s angered tone and glare. “It’s the craziest thing I ever heard of.” Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose as her hand shook with anger and a need to punch the person in front of her. “Soul, do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?” she asked. “What? How can you not be taking this seriously!?” Soul asked. “You know how big of a Star Wars fan I am! I even let you watch the entire saga with me when I found out that you never even heard of it.” “You mean forced?” “Hey, let’s focus on the real issue here and fix it,” Soul said. “Swift needs to watch the entire saga and I need you here with me.” “But why me!?” “Well, I can’t really watch Star Wars without you now,” Soul said. “You make it that much more special to watch it whenever I have my best girl with me.” Sunset’s glare softened. “Awww, do I really make it that special?” she asked as her heart felt touched. “You know it,” Soul said as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Sunset felt her anger go away as it was replaced again by love and care. “And now that you're here, we can get started and educate Swift in the ways of the Force,” Soul said. Sunset playfully rolled her eyes. “Alright, we’ll do that in a sec,” she said. “But first…” *WHACK!* “OW!” “That’s for making me worry!” *BONK!* “GHAAAA!” “That’s for making me drive through traffic in a hurry!” *CRACK!* “AAAAAAHHH!” “And that’s for my tea!” Sunset slapped Soul on the face, hit him over the head with two of hands clutched together and kicked him hard in the shin. Streams of tears were coming out of his eyes as he laid on the ground, trying to get over the incredible pain that his girlfriend had inflicted on his body. Sunset walked over Soul and made her way towards his room upstairs. As she was midway up the stairs, she looked back down at Soul with a smile. “Swift and I will be waiting on you whenever you get up,” she said and continued her way upstairs. All Soul did for the next five minutes was whimper and cry to himself as he laid on the ground. After recovering, Soul was going through his collection of Star Wars movies. He was deciding whether or not to watch the entire saga in the order they were made or in chronological order. While he was doing that, Sunset was lying on the bed as she read her book from where she left off, and Swift sat in a rocking chair as he waited with a bored expression on his face. Swift let out a sigh and looked over to Sunset. “So, you got dragged along too?” he asked. “More like tricked,” Sunset replied. “At least Soul learned a very important lesson about making people panic about something that’s really stupid.” “I said I was sorry!” Soul said. “After, you know, recovering from your lesson.” “Did he make you watch every one of the movies in one day?” Swift asked. “No, he didn’t.” “Oh good, cause if he did, I would have called my pare-” “He made me watch the movies, tv series, read some of his dad’s comics, and play every video game that he had,” Sunset explained. “That was the longest two and half weeks of my life that I’ll never get back.” “.... I’m going to call my parents,” Swift said. “They might not see me in a couple of days.” “Oh relax, I’m just going to make you watch the movies,” Soul said. “It should take about fourteen hours to watch all of them.” “But I already saw episode four!” “Doesn't matter. If we don’t watch all of them, we’re going to get confused,” Soul countered. “Babe, we’re not going to get that confused,” Sunset said. “For crying out loud, it’s just a teenage guy that has love issues and becomes a bad guy and tries to kill an entire group of religious people and-” “Stop ruining the movie's plot!” Soul yelled. “Swift hasn’t seen all of them yet, so shush!” Sunset rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Swift let out a sigh. “Let me just call my parents and let them know I’ll be here apparently,” he said. He reached down to his backpack and pulled it up to his lap. The moment he opened it, popping out of the bag was someone with a furry mask with sharp fake teeth. “AAAAAHHH!” Swift screamed. “WOOLIE!” “WOOKIE!” Soul corrected. The person jumped out of Swift’s bag and removed the mask to reveal that it was Pinkie. “Heya everyone, what’s up?” Pinkie asked. “Pinkie, why were you in my bag?” Swift asked. “And how the hell did you fit in that bag?” Soul asked and turned to Swift. “And how come you didn’t notice she was in there? Isn’t she over a hundred pounds?” “What!? Are you calling me fat!?” Pinkie asked as she glared at Soul. “What? No! I-” “Well guess what, you’ve been putting on a few pounds yourself,” Pinkie commented. Soul pursed his lips as he looked at his stomach and felt around it for a moment. “Anyways, I was going to surprise Swift about my new mask that I got from the store,” Pinkie answered. “I hid in his bag to make it a super duper extra surprise!” “At least you weren’t wearing the Xenomorph mask like last time,” Swift commented. “Oh come on, that was fun!” “Not for Scootaloo,” Swift pointed out. “Although granted, that’s mostly her fault for watching all those alien movies the night before.” “Hehe, yeah. I did make her faint after that,” Pinkie meekly said. “So, what are you guys doing?” “Being forced to watch every episode of Star Wars,” Swift answered. “You’re not getting forced, you’re getting educated!” Soul retorted. “I bet Pinkie here has seen every episode of Star Wars since she did buy a wookie mask.” “Actually, I haven’t seen any of the episodes,” Pinkie admitted. Soul froze up. “What?” he asked. “Oh god no,” Sunset commented. “You haven’t seen any of episodes of the greatest-” “Soul, it is not the greatest of anything! It’s just a bunch of movies!” Sunset complained. “Quiet, mad woman!” Soul said. “Nope, I never really got into it,” Pinkie said. “Well, you’re going to now, so take a seat,” Soul said. “You’re also going to be educated.” “Cool, I love learning new things!” Pinkie chimed. She hopped on top of Swift and sat in his lap while hugging him close to her. “Alright, I decided to go chronological order,” Soul said. “Let’s get this started.” “Finally,” Sunset said. Swift let out a sigh. “And I was going to go play some Smash Bros,” he said to himself. Soul placed the DVD into his game console and pressed the play button. Time had passed and they were halfway into the movie when they heard the doorbell ring, so Soul got up to see who it was. When he got to it, he opened to the door to reveal Rarity standing there with a bag. “Oh hey Rarity, what are you doing here?” Soul asked. “I came by to give your mother some maternity outfits I’ve made,” Rarity replied. “She said she needed some more and wanted some that wouldn’t make her think she was gaining any weight. I said to her that she wasn’t gaining any and she was as thin as she was when I first met her.” “And I’m going to guess that her mood swings made her say that you’re a liar?” Soul guessed. “.... Well, yes and she did make other um…. crude comments about me and Clyde, but I dismissed them as her mood swings,” Rarity admitted. “She did apologize afterwards though.” “Right.” “Is she here?” Rarity asked. “No, she and dad went to the doctor again and are taking the sonic test to see what gender the baby will be,” Soul replied. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear what the baby will be,” Rarity said. “So, what are you doing?” “I’m just showing Swift and Pinkie Star Wars,” Soul replied. “I also got Sunset to come here too. Man, I cannot imagine how anyone has never seen the greatest movies of all time.” “Well, I’m afraid to say that I’m one of them,” Rarity commented. “I’ve never seen Star Wars before and don’t really have an interest in it.” “.......... Get in.” “What? Wh-GHAAAA!” In one sudden move, Soul pulled Rarity inside the house and closed the door. After getting Rarity into his room and making her stop hitting him, Soul had to start the first episode all over again since she hadn’t seen it. Everyone in the room let out a groan. They were about one third finished until they heard the doorbell ring again. Soul went to get it and opened it to see Clyde standing at the front with Rivet. “Hey guys, what’s up?” Soul asked. “Hey Soul, Rarity just texted me saying that you forced her to watch the Star Wars movies,” Clyde replied. “Are you really making her watch all those movies? That’s gotta be about eight hours to watch them all, and she and I had some plans today.” “Actually it’s fourteen, and your plans are going to have to wait,” Soul said. “She hasn’t seen any of them and it is my moral duty to fix that.” “Wait, how the heck is it moral?” Rivet asked. “Because it is a testament to what the human mind can make and how one man can change the world,” Soul explained. “I don’t see how such a bunch of movies that I have never seen would make that much of a difference in the world,” Rivet commented. “...... Get in.” “Huh, why- WHAAA!” “You too!” “Wh- WOAH!” Once again in a sudden move, Soul dragged both Clyde and Rivet inside the house, and once again, Soul had to restart the movie from the beginning, making everyone let out louder groans. Just as he was about to start the movie over again, the doorbell rang and he went downstairs to see who it was. In the meantime, the others talked to one another and hoped to find a way out of this predicament. “Shouldn’t we just walk out the front and leave?” Rivet asked. “I mean, he can’t legally keep us here for fourteen hours.” “It could be sixteen depending on snacks and bathroom breaks,” Pinkie pointed out. “And if everyone stops dropping by Soul’s house. Why is that happening? When did he get this popular?” “Are you implying that my boyfriend isn’t that cool?” Sunset asked as she glared. “No! I’m just saying that it just seems like a big coincidence that everyone is ending up at his house for one reason or another,” Pinkie explained. “I mean come on, you have to at least give me that.” “Well, okay I’ll give you that,” Sunset said. “But I doubt that anyone else we know will come in and get trapped in this.” “Regardless, I agree with Rivet here,” Rarity said. “We can leave if we want since Soul did just grab me from out of nowhere and dragged me upstairs.” “And don’t forget the kicking and screaming you did while he dragged you,” Swift added. “And the hitting,” Pinkie also added. “My point exactly,” Rarity said. “So, I’m leaving and I suggest the rest of you follow me.” She made her towards the door until Sunset spoke up. “You’re not going to be able to leave,” Sunset said. “What makes you say that?” Rarity asked as she turned the doorknob. When she opened it, Toby was standing there in front of the door as his tail wagged, his tongue sticking out as he panted. “Oh, hello there sweet little thing,” Rarity said as she petted Toby. “While I am happy to see you dear, I have to go somewhere.” Just as Rarity was about to move around him, Toby side stepped in front of Rarity and blocked her. “I’m sorry dear, but I really have to go somewhere,” Rarity said as she tried to get around Toby again, but he blocked her off again. “Toby dear, would you please move?” Toby only continued to stare at Rarity with his tongue out and blocking her path. “I said move!” Rarity commanded. *BOOP!* “GHAAA!” Toby lifted his two front paws up and pushed Rarity backwards. Rarity fell on top of Clyde while he was sitting on the floor. Rarity’s eyes were spinning for a moment until she shook her head and glared at Toby. “What is wrong with him?” Rarity asked. “He’s Soul’s dog, what did you expect would happen?” Sunset commented. “Soul told me that he trained Toby to keep people in any room he wanted them to be in until Soul said that it was okay for them to leave. The only people he would obey otherwise would be Dawn and Comet.” “So, you’re saying that Toby is the only thing standing between us and freedom?” Rivet asked. “The only thing that is stopping us is a dog?” “A really cute and cuddly dog,” Pinkie added. “This is why I have a cat,” Swift commented. “There’s no way one dog can stop all of us,” Rivet said. “But if we try anything, we might end up hurting this cute little doggie. Do you wanna risk that?” Pinkie asked as she looked at Rivet with puppy eyes while holding Toby in her arms. Rivet rolled his eyes. “No, that would be a bad idea,” he said. “I hate to do this to Soul, but I have to call in the big guns.” “Rainbow Dash?” Swift guessed. “No!.... Maybe…. She did kick his ass one time,” Rivet replied. He pulled out his phone and started making the call. After a moment had passed and Rivet was done talking to Rainbow Dash, Soul came back up with both Night and Fluttershy as he held their arms. “Oh lord, why were you two here?” Sunset asked. “I-I was just asking how Dawn was doing with the baby and wanted to see if she knew if it was a boy or a girl yet,” Fluttershy meekly replied. “I didn’t know that I was late for a Star Wars marathon, I swear.” “You weren’t late, Soul’s just been dragging everyone that hasn’t seen the Star Wars movies,” Sunset explained. “I’m guessing you two haven’t seen any of the movies.” “Actually, I only saw the original trilogy not the new one,” Night replied. “And I never saw any of them and that’s when Soul grabbed us both and pulled us inside,” Fluttershy replied. “I thought I was going to die for a moment.” “I keep telling you, you weren’t!” Soul pointed out. “Now we can-” *DING-DONG!* “Why does everyone keep coming to my house?” Soul asked. “That’s what I said!” Pinkie commented. “Well, there’s not enough for everyone in here, so head downstairs into the living room after I take care of whoever is at the door,” Soul said. “Toby, make sure they don’t leave this room until I get back.” *BARK!* Soul went back downstairs and opened the door. He looked at the person that stood before him and let out a weary sigh. “Dash, how many times do I have to tell you?” he asked. “No, I’m not letting you drive my motorcycle again. That stunt you did was not cool and I’m not trusting you anywhere near it.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she had her hands in her pockets. “I’m not here about that,” she said. “Rivet called me and told me that you had him and some of the others hostage and were making them watch some lame movies.” “Star Wars is not lame!” Soul yelled. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes once more. “Whatever, never seen the movies anyway,” she commented. “Now, you can let everyone that you dragged for your nerdfest go and we just call it day do or we do this the fun way. Which is it?” Soul and Rainbow Dash glared at each other for a moment before Soul gave his reply. “No, I’m not letting anyone go until we all watch all of the episodes,” Soul said. “In fact, you’re going to be joining them.” “Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?” Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk. “Last time we tangoed, I kicked your ass out of Sunset’s home.” Soul smirked back. “Because last time I didn’t have this!” he said and ran off. Rainbow Dash raised a brow as Soul ran upstairs. She shrugged and just as she was about to take her first step on the stairs, Soul came back down halfway before revealing he had a black metal lightsaber in one hand and a silver one in the other. Soul threw the silver one towards Rainbow Dash and she caught it. She looked at him with a confused face and saw that he lit up his lightsaber with a red glow to it. Rainbow Dash panicked and lit up her lightsaber which was an artic blue color. “If you want round two, fine. But this time, we’re playing by my rules,” Soul said. “Prepare to face your destiny!” Everyone was waiting on Soul to get back in the room just as he had left with his two lightsabers until they heard loud smacking sounds downstairs. Sunset looked out the window and told the others what she was seeing. The others came running towards the window to see Soul and Rainbow Dash in the backyard fighting with the lightsabers. Soul tried to strike from above, but Rainbow Dash blocked it and pushed the blade out of the way. She then swung it at him, but Soul ducked down and spun around to strike at her side. Rainbow Dash blocked it and went on the offensive as she kept on striking at Soul. Soul, however, was able to block and parry her attacks. The two were going at it as if their very lives were on the line. Rainbow Dash made a quick attack at Soul’s lightsaber and brought her blade back towards him when she knocked the blade out of the way. Soul was able to jump back from the attack unscathed and and lunged towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash parried the attack and stepped sideways out of Soul’s way. The others were cheering on Rainbow Dash for her to free them from their imprisonment. While the fight was going on, Applejack was walking up towards the front door as she wanted to check on her aunt, uncle and closest cousin. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard a few loud sounds coming from the back, accompanied by cheers. She walked around to the back and saw what was happening. She saw Soul and Rainbow Dash fighting while the others cheered from Soul’s bedroom window. Applejack raised a brow and pursed her lips. “Eenope, don’t wanna know,” she said to herself as she walked away from the scene she didn’t want to get involved in. It was Soul’s turn to go on the offensive and attack furiously at Rainbow Dash as she tried to block his attack. She was taking more and more steps back as Soul was barraging her with constant attacks. Just as she was hoping to get out of her predicament, Soul was able to get his blade underneath hers and swing it out of her grip. The lightsaber went flying high into the air as Soul pointed his blade towards her. Meanwhile, Sonata was skipping down the sidewalk, eager to visit Soul today. As she skipped, she saw Applejack walking and smiled, happy to see the farmgirl. Sonata raised her hand up and waved at Applejack. “Hey Applejack!” she greeted. Applejack heard Sonata and waved back at her. Before she could say anything, from out of nowhere, a long sword-like toy came and knocked Sonata in the head. Applejack panicked and ran over to Sonata. When she reached her, Applejack got down on her knees and picked Sonata off the ground. “Sonata, are ya okay?” Applejack asked concernedly. “That looked like that hurt even more than the time Big Mac got his foot smashed by a bucket of water.” Sonata looked up to her with her eyes crossed and giving an awkward smile. “Applejack, would you be my boyfriend?” she asked before falling unconscious. Applejack couldn’t help but smack herself in the face after Sonata had made that comment. “Ah need to get her a boyfriend fast,” she said to herself. Soul pointed his blade at Rainbow Dash as she held her hands up. Sweat was pouring down her forehead as she tried to find a way out this situation. Just then she heard someone calling out to her. “Dashie, catch!” Pinkie shouted as she threw a lightsaber through the window. Rainbow Dash barrel rolled away from Soul before she caught the lightsaber. She lit it up to reveal a lime green color and struck at Soul. Soul blocked the attack and the two were staring off with one another as they pushed their blades against one another for dominance. Soul at first was pushing Rainbow Dash’s blade towards her, but she slowly turned her blade sideways to give her an edge in pushing back. She kept on pushing back until Soul’s red blade was inches away from his face and sweat was beading down from his forehead. But in one quickly move, Soul swung Rainbow Dash’s blade out of the way and slashed across her body. “OW! That friggin hurts!” Rainbow Dash complained. “HA! I win! Now you gotta stick to your part of the deal,” Soul said. “Deal, what deal!?” Rivet asked. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Soul decided that since there was no way he was going to let anyone go without a fight, we should do a lightsaber duel,” she started to explain. “He said that if I win, all of you would go free and I would be able to ride his bike whenever I wanted for a whole year.” “Dang, it was that intense,” Pinkie commented. “So, if you lost?” Clyde asked. “I have to watch the stupid movies with you guys and I would also stop you all from calling for anymore help,” Rainbow Dash begrudgingly said. Everyone let out another groan. “Would you all stop complaining!” Soul said. “It’s only fourteen hours give or take.” “Can y’all keep the lightsaber fight a tad bit less extreme?” Everyone looked to see Applejack carrying Sonata on her back while she was still unconscious. Sonata had a small bump on her head while Applejack was holding up one of Soul’s lightsabers. “Your stupid play fight knock her in the dangnumb head,” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash and Soul awkwardly laughed and made weak smiles towards Applejack. “My bad,” Soul said. After giving Sonata some care and waking her up, Soul dragged her and Applejack into watching the movies and all of them started watching them in the living room with Rainbow Dash and Toby guarding over them. Hours after hours passed with only the occasional bathroom breaks, snacks and a meal. It was near late morning time the next day and the last of the movies had finished playing. Everyone in the room was exhausted from staying up through the hours and were glad that the movie marathon was over. Soul sat on the couch with Sunset and Applejack, who had bored and tired expressions on their faces, while he had a satisfied expression and had his hands behind his back. “Well guys, we did it,” he said. “We watched all of the movies in one go. Now do you all feel like it was worth watching?” Rarity let out groan. “Do you really want us to answer that?” she asked. “Oh come on, I know you were crying when Anakin and Padme were getting married at the end of episode two and again when Padme died because her heart was broken,” Soul commented. “Yes well, the movies did have their moments,” Rarity said. “Now can we please go home? There’s some dresses I have to make for some clients and I can’t make them wait any longer.” “Yeah, yeah you all can go,” Soul said. “Finally!” Swift said. “I can get back home and play some Smash Bros!” Just as Swift got up from his chair before Pinkie got off of him, he fell down on the floor and fell asleep. Pinkie looked at Swift for a moment before shrugging and falling asleep on top of him. Just as everyone was leaving the room, an idea popped into Soul’s head. “Hey guys, if you want, we could all go together and see the new Star Wars episode when it comes out!” he suggested. “That would be a lot of fu-” *THUNK!* “OW!” Soul was hit in the face with a bag of Dawn’s maternity outfits that Rarity had thrown before she turned her back on him and walked out. Everyone said their goodbyes with one another and left the house. Soul rubbed his face for a moment before glaring at the now closed door. “Sheesh, what’s her problem?” he asked. Sunset decided to stay behind and roll her eyes at Soul’s comment. She then smiled and hugged him from behind. “I think that they have had just enough Star Wars for one day,” Sunset said. “But I kinda think that it sounds like a good idea to go.” Soul smiled back. “I’m glad that you think that,” he said before turning around and kissing her on the lips. Just as they were making out, another idea had popped in his mind. “You know what? We should go as Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade! We would totally rock at the theater!” Sunset made a blank face as she imagined herself and her boyfriend dressing up in ridiculous outfits at the theater and everyone around them laughing. She smacked herself in the face and whispered under her breath. “What did I do to get this guy?” > Chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Into the Wild Yonder It was midday in a luscious forest filled with life. The birds were chirping happily and the animals were eating all they could that the forest provided. Not too far off, there was a small parking lot which was empty of any cars with a large sign that said ‘Canterlot’s Camping Park.’ Driving up was a car as it parked in the parking lot. Coming out of the car was Clyde, Swift, Pinkie, Rarity, Sonata and Applejack as they climbed out and stretched. Each of them had a camping themed outfit that suited each one’s taste, preference or necessities. “Oh my, that was such a long trip, it's making my back hurt," Rarity commented. “Clyde deary, could you give me a back massage? You really have good hands to work with.” Clyde smiled. “Of course. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t have that?” he said. Clyde walked over to Rarity and started giving her a massage. Applejack looked around for a moment before turning back to the others. “Hey, where do y’all think the others are?” Applejack asked. “I don’t know, shouldn’t be hard to find this place,” Swift answered. “Maybe they were slowed down or something.” “Or maybe Soul had to go to the bathroom on the way here.” Climbing out of the car was a lavender-skinned girl that had dark blue hair with two shades of pink streaks and tied into a bun. The girl had thick black glasses with a pocketed white shirt and tan shorts and was wearing a backpack on her back. “He did drink a lot before we left,” the girl said. “I told him that he should have waited until we were halfway there but noooo, he had to grab a large drink before we left.” “That sounds possible but unlikely, Twilight,” Applejack said. “Trust me, he can keep his bladder in on long car trips. One time he drank four bottles of soda before we left for a two day drive and he never went to the bathroom once on the way up there.” “Applejack, that's physically impossible,” Twilight said. “If he really did do that, his bladder would have exploded from the pressure and would have been infected which would cause death if not treated right away.” “Ah know that, but ya had to be there to believe it,” Applejack said. “Plus, it wasn’t a straight two day drive, he pretty much went when we got to the hotels to sleep for the night.” “Okay, I can believe that,” Twilight said. “But he did drink four more before we left.” “Okay, now you’re just trying to get on my nerves.” Applejack snickered. “Ah’m glad that you were able to come with us, Twilight,” Swift said. “It’s no problem, Swift. I used to go out camping with my brother all the time when we were little,” Twilight said. “And, you know, after what happened the Friendship Games and well, after what all I did, I wanted to get to know you guys some more.” “Yay for our own world’s Twilight!” Pinkie cheered as she hugged Twilight. “And I’m super excited that you decided to come attend the same school as us!” “Like I said, after everything that I did, I thought this would be best way for making up for everything I did,” Twilight said. “Aww, you don’t have to worry about that, we already forgave you and we’re the bestest of friends now!” Pinkie said. “Thanks Pinkie, that really means alot to me,” Twilight said with a smile. “Hey, I think I see them!” Sonata chimed. Another car came up and parked next to Swift’s car. All the passengers—Rainbow Dash, Rivet, Soul, Sunset, Fluttershy, Night and Soul’s dog Toby—climbed out of it. They all were stretching while Rivet walked up to Swift. “Sorry we were late,” Rivet said. “We would have been here sooner if there wasn’t an accident.” “What happened?” Swift asked. “Toby decided that since he was a dog and my chair looked an awful lot like a tree, he’d mark his territory on it,” Rivet explained. “Soul, why did we bring your dog here?” “We’re going into the woods with no food or water, so we need a good hunting dog to help find us some meat,” Soul replied. “What do you mean no food or water?” Twilight asked. “We brought supplies for a couple of days’ worth.” “Okay fine, I’m more afraid that we’ll get attacked by a random psycho murdering zombie with a ski mask!” Soul explained. “Ya happy now?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Babe, that’s not going to happen,” Sunset said. “Says the girl that made me watch the entire Friday the Thirteenth saga,” Soul said. “Says the guy that made me watch the entire Star Wars saga first,” Sunset countered. “Touche.” “Come on everyone, let’s get this camping trip started!” Sonata chimed. “I want to get everything set up before I go out and look for Bigfoot.” “Sonata, please don’t tell me you believe in Bigfoot?” Rarity asked. “But he’s real!” Sonata pleaded. “And there’s been a lot of sightings of him here recently.” “Yeah, just last week, a blind hiker felt him,” Pinkie added. “......How did a hiker know he felt it if he was-” “Let’s get a move on!” Sonata said. “The sooner the better! And fame and fortune!” Sonata and Pinkie hopped together along the trail as everyone just shrugged and followed them. As they were walking, they took in the view the forest provided for them. They saw deer eating and hopping away, as well as various flowers and plants on the ground. After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a large open space with a small river next to it. They dropped their bags near the fire pit as each of them started setting up their tents or preparing some of the activities they would be doing. While setting up, Soul looked over to Night and Swift as they were making hammocks over by a couple of trees and went over to them. “Hey guys, what are you making hammocks for?” Soul asked. “We’re going to be sleeping outside of course,” Night replied. “After all, it is going to be a starry night tonight.” “But what about all the mosquitoes and bugs?” Soul asked. “Wouldn’t they be bugging you all night?” “Don’t worry, we brought some candles to keep them off of us,” Swift explained. “It shouldn't be a problem for us, especially for a certain pink girlfriend that has anything to say about it.” “You got that right!” Pinkie said as she walked over to Swift and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “We’re going to be sharing the same hammock.” “And Fluttershy and I are going to be doing the same,” Night said. “I just thought that since we’ve been going out for a while, we would share the same hammock together and look up to the stars,” Fluttershy said as she was blushing. “I-If that’s okay, Night.” “It’s no problem at all, angel,” Night said and gave Fluttershy a kiss on the forehead. “Hey babe, you can help with this tent?” Sunset asked. “I’m having trouble putting it together.” “I’m on it,” Soul said before he walked over to Sunset. While Soul was helping Sunset, Clyde was setting up his and Rarity’s tent. As he did, Rarity was just fanning herself as the heat was pouring down on her and smacking away any mosquitoes that got close to her. “Oh, why did I agree to come along?” Rarity asked herself. “It’s too hot out here and the bugs are eating me alive.” “Ah you’ll get over it,” Applejack said. “Besides, it’s good to be out here in nature. Fresh air, a cool streaming river, and we get to see how beautiful this forest is. What else can ya ask for?” “That these nasty bugs go somewhere else and leave me be,” Rarity complained. “And do I really have to sleep in a tent like this?” Clyde was done and looked over it with raised brow as he inspected it. “What do you mean?” Clyde asked. “What’s wrong with it?” “It’s just so plain and too greenish for my liking,” Rarity explained. “I would have brought my inflatable tent, but someone had to throw it away.” She gave Applejack a glare as she remembered Applejack seeing her bringing it and throwing it to the side before they left for the trip. “And Ah told ya bring what you need, not what you want,” Applejack retorted. “Ya can just as easily sleep in this tent. It’s not that bad.” “Especially since it got me in it,” Clyde added with a sly smile. Rarity smiled. “Well, I suppose that would be more than I need then,” she said before she felt something bite her on her arm and slapped it. “But can you do something about these parasites?” “Just put on some repellent spray,” Applejack suggested. “Do you know what they have in those things?” Rarity said. “I’m not having my skin covered in grease!” “But these repellents don’t have any grease in them,” Applejack pointed out. “I also don’t like the way they smell or feel on my skin,” Rarity added and raised her chin up while making a pout. Applejack rolled her eyes. While the two continued their argument, Rivet was making his tent for himself and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was teaching Sonata how make her own tent and not to get tangled up in it like the first two times Sonata tried to do it. Rainbow Dash and Sonata got her tent set up and looked at it with proud smiles. “Good job, Nata,” Rainbow Dash said. “Thanks, I couldn’t have done it without you,” Sonata said. “Are you two set up over here?” Twilight asked as she walked up to the two. “We sure are!” Sonata replied. “That’s good to hear. I just checked all of our supplies and we’re missing a few things,” Twilight said. “Like what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well for one thing, we’re missing all of our stuff to make tacos,” Twilight replied and looked over Sonata with half-lid eyes. “And I already have an idea on who ate them.” “Oh sure, blame the girl who loves tacos,” Sonata commented. “So what proof do you have?” “For one thing, you still have cheese in the corners of your mouth,” Twilight answered. Sonata had a blank look before she started licking around her mouth and tasted cheese on her lips. She put on a nervous smile as sweat started pouring down her forehead. “Oh, those came from…. me eating…. some cheese…. in the car…. before we got here.” “That’s an interesting answer since everyone that was with you said you never ate cheese in the car in the first place,” Twilight pointed out. “Also, you have some crumbs on your shirt.” Sonata looked down to see some crumbs of taco shells and small pieces of vegetables and cheese. Sonata let out a nonchalant whistle as she patted all of them off of her and looked at Twilight. “What crumbs?” she asked, acting oblivious. Rainbow Dash smacked herself in the face while Twilight just let out an irritated sigh. “Sonata!” Pinkie called. “Come on, I got the camera ready! Let’s go find us some Bigfoot!” “Sweet, I’m coming!” Sonata said as she and Pinkie ran off into the forest. “So, how are we going to find Bigfoot?” “Well, according to the Loch Ness Monster book, Bigfoot likes to be in fogs and out-of-focus areas,” Pinkie replied. “If we find one of those things, we’re more than likely to find him.” “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get him!” Sonata said. Both Sonata and Pinkie went their way into the woods in search of Bigfoot. Rainbow Dash looked on with half-lid eyes while Twilight had a confused look on her. “How in the world does reading a Loch Ness Monster book tell you anything about Bigfoot!?” Twilight asked no one in particular. “Maybe it was a crossover,” Rainbow Dash guessed. “Anyways, let’s just get everything ready.” After some time, the tents were set up and most everyone was doing their own thing around the camp site. Rainbow Dash was getting the fire ready only using two sticks by rubbing them against each other. Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack were looking out at the forest as they were enjoying the scenery. Clyde and Swift decided to go out into the woods and find Sonata and Pinkie before they got lost. Twilight was reading a book about what to do at a camping trip while Sunset read along with her, and Soul, Rivet and Night were fishing in the river with fishing poles they brought. Night was drinking from a water bottle before he went back at watching his line. “Man, what’s taking the fish so long?” he asked himself. “You think we would have gotten something by now.” “I know, we’ve been sitting here on these chairs forever,” Soul commented “Guys, it’s only been five minutes,” Rivet pointed out. “....Shut up,” Soul said. “I know that, but you think with so little food you can get underwater, the fish would be trying to get the worms,” Night said. “Actually, there's plenty for them to eat,” Rivet said. “There’s plants, bacteria and some fishes do eat other fishes. I thought you would know about this stuff since you go out with Fluttershy.” “Look, just because we go out, that doesn't make me a vet expert,” Night explained. “Too bad it didn’t help get rid of your anger management problems,” Soul commented. “I don’t have anger issues!” Night yelled. “Right, of course, my bad,” Soul said sarcastically. He looked back at the river and let out a sigh. “I hope we catch something soon. I’m starting to get hungry.” “What do you think we’ll catch besides fish anyway?” Rivet asked. “Twilight said that there was going to be crabs in there too,” Soul said. “Which I kinda thought was crazy since I’ve seen crabs only on beaches.” “No, they really do live in rivers too,” Night said. “I thought you said you weren’t an expert on animals?” Soul commented. “I did say I wasn’t an expert! It’s just something I learned from Fluttershy!” Night yelled. “Anyways, how big do you guys think these crabs get if they live out here?” Soul asked. “Well, crabs mostly love to be near freshwater—don’t you saying anything, Soul!—so it’s more likely that they would be smaller than the ones at the ocean,” Night explained. “Why are we talking about crabs all of a sudden?” Rivet asked. “We’re trying to catch fish. What would be the chances of us even getting a crab, since we’re only using-” *SNIP* “AAAAAAHHH!” Soul let out a cry as he started hopping only on leg. A crab clamped its claw on Soul’s big toe since he was only wearing flippers. Soul was hopping away with the crab as he tried to shake it off. “Someone get it off!” Soul pleaded with pain. “You wanna finish that sentence, Rivet?” Night asked. “Nah, I’m good,” Rivet replied. “Damn it, now we’re lost!” Swift shouted. After trying to get Pinkie and Sonata back to the camp, Clyde and Swift had lost their way back. The two were walking aimlessly in hopes of finding the camp by pure luck. “I told you we should have left something behind to help us find our way back,” Clyde said. “I thought we wouldn’t need to do that!” Swift countered. “Pinkie is smart and everything, but I didn’t really expect her to be this far off from the camp. And she doesn't seem to have any way to get back!” “Now we’re lost because of that,” Clyde commented. “Why did Pinkie and Sonata just run off like this? They should have left some kind of trail or something. It’s not like you can remember what each tree would look like.” “Actually, that sounds like something Pinkie would do,” Swift said. “She has a freakishly accurate memory.” “You’re right, she would remember all the trees here,” Clyde said. “So, our only way out of this forest is to find Pinkie?” “We’re doomed,” Swift said. “Why did we go after them anyway? We were just as easily to get lost here as they would.” “Yeah, but some of the others were getting worried since Sonata was with her,” Clyde explained. “And whenever those two are together, weird stuff is bound to happen.” “Oh god, you’re right,” Swift said. “Sonata is like the second Pinkie!.... We’re even more doomed than before.” “Come on, it can’t get any worse than it is, right?” *SNORT!* Both Clyde and Swift froze in place and turned around to see a large, black wild boar staring at them with hungry eyes. It stomped its hooves as it was getting ready to charge at them. Clyde gulped. “Swift?” “Yeah?” “Does that thing eat meat?” “Yes.” “Then should we run for our lives?” “I’d do that.” “Alright.” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Back at the camp, all the fish that Rivet and Night caught were either put away for later or were being cooked over the fireplace. Sunset was wrapping a bandage over Soul’s toe after they were able to get the crab off. Soul wanted to cook the crab as his payback meal, but the crab was able to get away into the river. Everyone was gathering around the fireplace as they were getting ready to eat. Rarity had set up a table to place all the food, paper dishes and plastic forks and spoons on. When everything was nearly set up, Pinkie and Sonata came out of the woods and walked over to the group with dissapointed expressions on their faces. “Hey you two, did y’all find Bigfoot?” Applejack joked. “No, we didn’t,” Sonata replied. “We were out there for hours!” Pinkie added. “I’m beginning to think everything that I read from the Loch Ness Monster book is fake.” “Seriously! How can you get something about Bigfoot from a Loch Ness Monster book?” Twilight asked. “That makes absolutely no sense! Furthermore, how can a blind hiker know if he felt Bigfoot if he was blind!? And why would he hike in the woods if he was blind!?” “Well, you see-” “Hey wait, didn’t you guys see Swift and Clyde?” Rivet asked concernedly. “We were getting worried, so they went to find you two.” “No, we haven’t seen them,” Pinkie replied. “They probably got eaten,” Sonata guessed. “Sonata!” Pinkie yelled. “What? People get eaten by nature all the time!” Sonata said. “It’s not my fault that happens!” “Oh my poor, Clyde!” Rarity said with a frown and tears forming around her eyes. “I can’t stand here while he’s out there alone, hurt, and his outfit all messed up because of all the things that are after him. We have to go and get him!” “And Swift too, right?” Pinkie asked. “What? Oh uh, yes him too,” Rarity said awkwardly. “We must go after him at once!” “And Swift.” “Soul, can Toby track Clyde?” Rarity asked. “And Swift!” “I don’t know, he’s not exactly a tracking dog,” Soul explained. “I mean, all he really does is lies around and…. wait, where is he?” Everyone looked around to see where Toby was, but he was nowhere in sight. “Toby, where are you?” Far away from the camp, Clyde and Swift were huddled together, cornered against a small dirt wall. The boar let out a terrifying squeaking roar as it was about to make a charge at them. The two’s clothes were messed up from being chased through the woods. They sat together as they feared their last minutes on Earth were at an end. “Swift, if this is the end, I want you to know that you were one of my best friends,” Clyde said. “You too, man!” Swift said. “Also, I hoped to never tell you this, but since we’re about to die together, I think this is a good time to tell you. I accidently saw you and Rarity when you two were about to do it.” Clyde's eyes widened and glared at Swift. “WHAT!?” “Although, it was kinda your guys’ fault since you did invite a lot of people to your house that day,” Swift said. “You guys couldn’t wait until we were all gone?” “Did you see anything!?” “I won’t lie, I saw a lot of things,” Swift admitted. “And dude, you are one lucky guy and she’s one lucky girl.” “Um *Ahem* thanks,” Clyde said as he was blushing. “By the way, where were you when that happened?” “Yeah, me and Pinkie were hiding in the closet.” “Why were you guys hiding in my closet!?” “I-It was so sudden and spontaneous!” Swift said. “You know Pinkie likes to do crazy random stuff all the time!” “AUGH! Dude, really!?” “I promise that we were only making out!” Swift said before his face blushed. “And there was some groping involved.” “Wait, you said almost doing it. How come you didn’t see all of it?” Clyde asked. “Not that I wanted you to see it anyway.” “Pinkie brought blindfolds and earphones,” Swift said. “I am so glad that my girlfriend has stuff in her hair.” *SQEEEEK!* Clyde and Swift tensed up and saw the boar charging at them. The two let out screams of terror as they huddled together. Just as the boar was near, it stopped and skidded on the ground before looking up over Clyde and Swift. *BARK! BARK!* Clyde and Swift looked up to see Toby standing over the edge of the wall. “Toby!?” Clyde and Swift said in unison. Then out of nowhere, wolves came in around Toby’s side and started barking at the boar. The boar let out a terrified squeal before running off while the wolves went after it. While they were going after it, Toby jumped off the edge and looked at the two with his tongue sticking out. “Toby, how come the wolves are following you?” Clyde asked. Swift’s question was answered when a female wolf walked by Toby and started nuzzling against his neck. “Dude, I think Toby was just accepted by an alpha female,” Swift said. “And by that logic, that makes him the alpha male!” “Huh? But he isn’t a wolf…. is he?” Clyde asked. “Maybe part wolf?” Swift replied. Toby let out another bark before he and the alpha female went off towards where the others went. “That is one lucky dog,” Swift commented. “And lucky us,” Clyde said as he was getting up. “Come on, I think we should keep going and see where everyone is.” “Hey, I think I see smoke!” Swift said as he pointed his finger. Clyde looked over to see smoke from a far off distance. “That must be where the others are! Let’s get going,” Clyde said. The two were making their way towards the smoke until Clyde turned to Swift. “Oh, and one more thing,” Clyde said. “What?” *POW* “OW!” Clyde punched Swift in the shoulder. “You should have said something before Rarity and I even took our clothes off!” Clyde stated. “But Pinkie and I didn’t notice until you were half naked!” “Then don’t make out in my closet!” Clyde countered. After a few minutes of preparing, Rarity stepped out of her tent and had on an army uniform with two streaks of black paint on each side of her cheek and a camouflage bandana around her head. “Don’t ya think this is a bit overkill?” Applejack asked. “They’re more than likely not that far off. Ah’m sure they can find their way back here.” “It’s been too long since they’ve been gone and I won’t let my Clydey widy be missing anymore,” Rarity said. “Time is of the essence here!” “Then why did ya take fifteen minutes to get ready?” Applejack asked with a raised brow. “While my Clyde may be in danger, I still need to look good,” Rarity replied as she made a pose with her new outfit. “Now we must head off and-” “Oh wait, I think I see them,” Sonata said. Rarity looked over and let out a gasp at what she was seeing. Clyde and Swift walked into the clear with their clothes torn and covered in mud and grasses. Rarity ran over to Clyde and hugged him tightly. Pinkie did the same and hugged Swift. “Oh my Clyde, are you okay?” Rarity asked concernedly. “Yeah, we’re okay,” Clyde replied. “Wait, we?” Rarity asked before looking over to Swift. “Oh right, yes, um glad to see you’re okay too, Swift.” “Thanks,” Swift said sarcastically. “What the heck happened to you two?” Rivet asked. “Well, while we were looking for Sonata and Pinkie-” “While we were looking Bigfoot,” Sonata added. “And while they were looking for Bigfoot,” Clyde said while rolling his eyes. “We were attacked by a boar and tried to get away from it. But it had us pinned against a wall and we thought we were goners until Toby came along.” “Wait, what?” Soul asked. “And apparently Toby became the alpha male when an alpha female wolf accepted him as her mate and became part of a wolf pack and chased off the boar,” Swift finished. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I think he has big plans tonight.” “Dang, my dog is part of a wolf pack?” Soul asked. “That is so awesome.” “That was the highlight of our day, what about you guys?” Clyde asked. There was a moment of silence until Night spoke up. “Soul got attacked by a crab,” he said. “Was it a big crab?” Swift asked. “It was a little crab,” Soul said. “Lucky bastard snuck up on me.” “We should get you two cleaned up. You must be terribly tired after all that,” Twilight said. “And hungry,” Swift added. “The fish are about done anyway. You guys grab a seat and we’ll handle the rest,” Sunset said. Time had passed and the sun had gone down to make way for the night sky. Everyone was gathering around the campfire as they were eating fish, snacks and, for Fluttershy, salad. Just as soon as they were done eating, Twilight was reading her book on what to do next for their camp activities. “Okay, now it says that we should tell ghost stories,” Twilight said. “Does anyone have any?” “I got one,” Rainbow Dash said. “There was this couple up on a mountain-” “Hook and the hand!” Swift guessed. Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and made a pout. “Alright, I have one,” Night said. “There was this man-” “Man and the Attic!” Swift said. “Fine, Mr. Know-it-all! How about ya tell us a story?” Applejack asked. “With pleasure,” Swift said as he cracked his knuckles. “Once there was this group of thirteen teenagers out camping-” “Hey, that’s exactly how many of us are here!” Sonata pointed out. “-And they were camping near this river-” “Hey, that’s exactly how we’re-” “Sonata, stop interrupting!” “Eep! Sorry!” “That’s okay,” Swift said. “Anyways, they were camping near a river. It was late at night and without realizing it, one of them went missing. They tried to look for their friend but as they did, one by one they were disappearing. Eventually they all had disappeared!” Most of everyone were beginning to feel tense. “When the police were sent to look for them, they found a recorder that was in the river. When they played it, it said ‘I am the Spirit of the River and those who would disturb my slumber will pay the price.’” “H-How do we know if we’re bothering it?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “You don’t,” Swift said. “The one sure way to know is when it screams and kills!” Swift jumped up when he finished the last words and acted like was preparing for something. After a moment, there was only silence in the group as Swift only stood there. “.... Um, are you done?” Twilight asked. “And then it screams and kills!” Swift repeated. There was another moment of awkward silence until someone spoke. “Um Swifty, I got stuck in the bushes,” Pinkie said. “Oh my goddess, the Spirit of the River sounds like Pinkie!” Sonata panicked. “And she’s stuck in the bushes!” Everyone either let out sighs or smacked themselves in the forehead. Everyone was getting into their tents as they were saying goodnight to one another. Night laid on his hammock with Fluttershy sleeping on top of him and Pinkie was sleeping with Swift on his hammock. Clyde and Rarity shared the same tent as they had intended to. Sonata was going to bunk with Twilight and Applejack in the same tent while Rainbow Dash and Rivet had their own. And Sunset and Soul were the last ones to get into their tent as Soul was zipping up the opening. In Clyde and Rarity’s tent, the two got into their sleeping clothes and laid together as Rarity cuddled up to Clyde. Rarity let out a content sigh. “I’m so glad that you’re okay, Clyde,” she said. “I was really worried when Pinkie and Sonata didn’t come back with you.” “Thanks, but it’ll take more than nature to keep me from my best girl,” Clyde said as he kissed Rarity on the lips. “And not to mention some of the sweet things she lets me have.” Rarity made a sly smile. “That’s only because she wants some of the sweet things from her man,” she cooed. “In fact, I think she needs some right now.” Clyde smiled. “I think I can make that happen,” he said before he moved on top of her and the two started to lock lips. Over by the hammocks, Night and Fluttershy were already asleep while Pinkie and Swift were looking out at the night sky together and watching the stars. They looked in awe as they saw a few falling stars fly by every now and again. “I’m glad that you’re okay now, Swifty,” Pinkie said. “I don't know what I would do without you.” “Don’t worry about it,” Swift said. “I went through so much trouble trying to be with you. I’m not letting some big pig get in between me and my girl.” “Aww, you say the nicest things,” Pinkie said before she got herself positioned on top of him and had on a sly smile. “I happen to know that Night and Fluttershy are heavy sleepers.” Swift raised a brow. “Really? I always kinda thought Fluttershy would be a light sleeper and Night would be the heavy sleeper,” he said. “That’s not the point I’m making.” “Then why did you- Hmph?” Pinkie pressed her lips against Swift’s in a surprise move. Swift quickly recollected himself as the two began making out. While that was happening, inside Soul and Sunset’s tent, they were getting undressed with their backs turned towards each other. Just as Sunset was done getting dressed, she looked back at Soul who only had boxers on. Sunset blushed slightly and glared at him. “Soul, you aren’t planning on sleeping in just that, are you?” Sunset asked. “What? It’s really hot in here,” Soul defended. “Besides, it’s not the first time you saw me this naked anyway.” Sunset blushed redder. “I know that,” she said. “I just thought for a moment you were trying to do something.” “And if I was, would you stop me?” Soul asked with a sly smile. Sunset remained silent for a moment before looking back at Soul. “I… I probably would not have,” she admitted. “But that’s not an excuse to try anything.” Soul chuckled. “Relax, I’m not trying anything right now,” he said. “Besides, I would have tried when we’re much more alone. I don’t think doing it here in a campsite with all of our friends around to hear would be a good idea…. Especially when murdering zombies come around.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Again, it’s just a movie,” she said. “For now,” Soul commented. “Just get in the sleeping bag with me,” Sunset said. Soul complied and got himself and Sunset into the sleeping bag together and cuddled. Sunset rested her head on his shoulder as their legs interlocked with one another. Sunset smiled and blushed as she felt around Soul’s chest for a moment before gazing into his eyes. “I love you, Soul,” Sunset said. “I love you too, Sunset,” Soul said before giving her a kiss on the lips. “I hope Toby is doing okay.” On cue, Soul and Sunset heard something hitting against the front of the tent. Soul got up and unzipped it to see Toby coming in. “Oh hey there boy,” Soul said excitedly. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come back. Wait, I thought Swift and Clyde told me you were with a wolf pack?” Then coming in from behind him was a female wolf as she walked into the camp. Soul’s and Sunset’s faces went pale when they saw the wolf. “Hehe, and they were right,” Soul commented nervously. “She’s not going to do anything, right?” Toby let out a bark and took his place at the bottom of the sleeping bags while the female wolf cuddled up to him. Soul looked at Sunset with a confused look, only to receive a shrug from her. Soul looked out to see a bunch of wolves outside of the tent as they were gathering around the campfire and were either sleeping or standing guard over the camp. “This is going to be a big surprise for everyone,” Soul commented. And he was right. And everyone agreed not to go camping again. And Soul had a new dog. And Dawn wasn't happy about it. > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Babies, Babies, Babies! It was two o’clock in the afternoon, and Soul was over at Mr. and Mrs. Cakes’ home and cafe. Upstairs, Pinkie Pie was changing little Pumpkin Cake’s diapers. She removed the diaper and started wiping her. She then threw away the diaper and laid the next diaper behind Pumpkin’s bottom before she a started putting powder on it. She fastened the diaper on her and smiled at her accomplishment as a self-proclaimed aunt. “There we go, now you’re all clean and less stinky,” Pinkie chimed. She held up Pumpkin in her arm and rubbed her nose against the little toddler’s. “Who’s a cute little baby girl, huh? Who’s a cute little baby girl?” Pumpkin let out squealing laughter as Pinkie started tickling her stomach. “That right, you are!” Pinkie said. She turned her to the side and spoke up. “Hey Soul, how are you doing with Pound?” “I’m, eh, doing good I think,” Soul replied. He was taking Pound’s diaper off of him while wearing a wooden clip on his nose. He gagged in his mouth a few times as he threw away the diaper quickly and wiped Pound’s bottom. “I had to make that stupid bet just to get Sunset’s necklace,” he commented. “It’s not that bad,” Pinkie said. “You did end up going with Sunny to the dance, and you two became one of the best couples around!.... Well, except maybe me and Swift…. and I guess when the crazy Best Couples contest came along, you and Sonata won that.” “Which to this day, I am still weirded out about,” Soul commented. “Oh, that rhymed!” Soul finished wiping Pound’s bottom and was about to place the newer diaper on him, but all of a sudden, a stream of unidentified liquid hit him in the eye, making Soul wince. Fearing at first of what it was, Soul looked at Pound only to sigh in relief to see the little toddler holding a small water gun in his hand. Soul walked back over to him and took the water gun out of his hand. “Alright, little guy, let me just put this on you and you can-” Before Soul could finish, another stream of liquid was being sprayed on his shirt. “I thought you took the water gun away from him?” Pinkie said. “I did.” Pound giggled happily. After getting the diaper on Pound and Pinkie taking Soul’s shirt to get it clean, Soul had to wear one of Mr. Cake's white shirts until his shirt was clean again. Soul hung up his jacket over by a chair and sat down on the floor as he watched the twins play with their toys. Pumpkin was mouthing on her blanket and holding her teddy bear while Pound was using building blocks to make a tall tower and knocking it down over and over again. Soul smiled as he was watching the twins. A thought had occurred to him on how his little sibling was going to be like. He had an idea that it was going to be a huge adjustment at the house, and now with their new pet, Shella, the female wolf that Toby brought back with him from their camping trip, it was making him feel a little uncomfortable having a wolf being near his sibling. But surprisingly, Shella was a very sweet wolf and was very affectionate with Dawn. After, of course, his mom gave Shella a threatening look when she growled at her one time. It was made clear on that day who was the dominator of the house. Soul left his thoughts as he saw Pumpkin letting out a yawn and Pound soon following her. The toddlers had sleepy eyes and looked at Soul with their hands up, wanting him to pick them up. Soul smiled and picked the twins up. He walked over to their pin and placed them gently in it. After that he covered them with a blanket and watch as the two quickly fell asleep. Pinkie walked in and saw Soul letting the babies sleep in their crib and walked over to it as she looked at them sweetly. “Awww, they’re so cute when they're asleep,” Pinkie commented. “Yeah, they really are,” Soul said. “I can’t wait to see what my little sister is going to look like.” “Yeah, I bet it will…. that she…. wait, you already know that it’s a she!?” Pinkie quietly yelled as she wanted to avoid waking up the twins. “Well yeah, didn’t I tell you guys that already?” Soul asked. “No! We’ve been wondering about that the whole time!” Pinkie answered. “Why didn’t you tell us!? And how could you forget to tell us!?” She grabbed onto Soul and shook him wildly. When she stopped, Soul’s eyes were twisting around oppositely from each other until he shook his head. “I guess we have been busy with so much stuff lately that I kinda forgot to tell you guys,” Soul said. “But yeah, it’s going to be a girl is what the doctors are saying.” Pinkie smiled widely as she was mentally screaming with joy and jumping up and down. “I’m so happy for you!” Pinkie said. “Oh, I almost forgot. We were going to have your mom’s baby shower here at the cafe.” “Really? She didn't mention anything about it,” Soul said. “That because we were going to make it a surprise!” Pinkie said. “We’re going to bring her here without her knowing and when she first comes in, I’m going to shout surprise!” “Are you sure that it's a good idea to surprise a pregnant woman?” Soul asked. “I mean, it would cause some stress on my little unborn sis if she was scared…. or angry. Whichever way the moodswing goes.” “Well, when you put it like that, it would be a bad idea,” Pinkie said. “It’s a good thing I told you about it first before I gave the idea to the others. They probably would go along with it without knowing the consequence.” Soul rolled his eyes. “Somehow I don’t think they would have gone along with it anyway,” he commented. “So, when were you going to do this anyway?” “I was planning on doing it this weekend!” Pinkie said. “After all, we only have like two weeks left before school and me, the girls and our moms wanted to do something awesome for your mom.” “That sounds cool. Thanks for doing this for my mom,” Soul said. “It’s no problem. I’ve held baby showers before and I’m going to make this the best shower ever!” Pinkie shouted the last words. Because of her sudden shouting, it woke up the twins and the two started to cry from being woken so early from their nap. Soul slapped himself in the face before he glared at Pinkie. Pinkie gave a sheepish smile and giggled nervously. “Whoops.” The weekend came fast and Sunset Shimmer was driving her way down the road towards the cafe. It was early afternoon and she saw the building as she was coming close to it. She looked at the passenger seat for a moment to see that the present she got for Dawn was still there and smiled. She parked her car up in one of the parking spaces and walked out with the present in her hands. As she walked up to the cafe, she saw a sign that said “Baby Shower Today! Women Only!” She looked down at the sign to see smaller words written below that said “Sorry Guys.” Sunset laughed at the sign before she opened the door and walked in. From out of nowhere, Pinkie popped right in front of Sunset with her usual wide toothy smile. “Hey, Sunset! You made it!” Pinkie chimed as she gave Sunset a bear hug. Sunset was holding her gift over her head as Pinkie crushed her insides with her hug. Pinkie lifted her in the air for a moment while Sunset was kicking her legs and trying to keep her present from falling before Pinkie finally let go of her. Sunset took a moment to catch her breath before she looked back at Pinkie with a weak smile. “H-Hey Pinkie, sorry if I was late,” Sunset said. “You’re not late, you’re just in time!” Pinkie said. “What do you think of all the decorations I did?” Sunset looked around to see that the inside of the cafe was covered in different shades of pink decorations with streamers, flowers, and tablecloths. Even the food was colored in different shades of pink. There were many girls and women sitting around as they chatted and talked with one another about their daily lives, the shower or even their love lives while some of them and her friends were gathered around the lucky lady, Dawn. Over by her, there was a table that had various shapes and sizes of presents. “They look awesome, Pinkie,” Sunset complimented. “You really outdid yourself.” “Yeah, I know,” Pinkie said as she giggled. “Oh, what did you get for Dawn?” Sunset looked at her gift before looking back at Pinkie. “I can’t say just yet. I want to keep a surprise when she opens it,” she replied. “But I wanna know now,” Pinkie pleaded. “Can’t you just give me a hint?” “Nope.” Pinkie made a playful pout. “You’re no fun!” she joked. Sunset and Pinkie laughed. Sunset placed her gift on the table and walked over to Dawn to greet her. “Hi, Dawn.” “Oh Sunset, I was wondering when you were going to get here,” Dawn said. “I was beginning to think that you were over at my house with my son.” Sunset laughed. “No, I was planning on doing that after the party,” she joked. Dawn laughed along. “Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if you did,” she commented. “And I see you brought me a gift. Wonder what’s inside?” “It’s something special that I thought that your little girl might like,” Sunset replied. “Oh, now I really wanna know what’s inside,” Dawn said excitedly. “Alright, everyone! Since everyone is here now, we can start with opening the presents!” Pinkie announced over the microphone. “Dawny, you should open mine first!” Dawn laughed. “Okay, I’ll open your gift first,” she said. “Sunset, would you mind if I open your gift last? I like to save the best for last.” Sunset nodded happily. Dawn opened Pinkie’s gift and inside was a small bouncy chair. It had a handle over the chair with small plastic shape balloons and fake candy hanging on a round bar over it. “Oh, she’s going to love it!” Dawn commented. “Thanks, Mrs. D,” Pinkie said. “Let’s see what my little nieces got me,” Dawn said to Applejack and Apple Bloom as she was opening their gifts. Inside their gifts was a few pink bows like Apple Bloom’s bow but were smaller and a new looking stetson almost like Applejack’s. “Ah thought when she gets a bit older, she might take fancy to some of our countryside,” Applejack explained. “And Ah thought she would look cute with the same kind of bow as me,” Apple Bloom added. “She not doubt going to be a country girl with you two around her all the time,” Dawn joked. She then started opening Rainbow Dash’s gift, and when she opened it, she raised a brow upon seeing that it was an autographed picture of Rainbow Dash in her Wondercolt soccer uniform. “She’s going to be lucky that she'll have that once I become famous,” Rainbow Dash said with a smug smile. “I hear autographs signed before they’re famous makes them ten times more valuable.” “Well um…. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, I’m sure that she’ll like it…… I think,” Dawn said the last words to herself. She grabbed the next gift to see it was from Rarity. She opened it and saw various designs of baby clothes in it. “I had so much fun making all of these!” Rarity chimed. “Some of them were already made before I even knew you were having a girl. I did have some boy ones too…. But I did mostly designed them for girls though.” “Then it’s a good thing I’m having a girl,” Dawn giggled. She grabbed another gift and read that it was from Fluttershy. She opened it to see a yellow blanket with three small designs of butterflies. “Oh, this so neat. Did you make this yourself?” “Ah huh. When I was a little girl, my mom taught me how make them,” Fluttershy replied. “Thank you very much for making this,” Dawn said. She was about to look through the gifts again, only to be drawn to a very tall gift. She unwrapped it to see what it was, and when she did, she looked at it with confusion. Underneath the wrap was a stack of books. “I thought the best way to raise your daughter was to have some books for both you and her while she grows up,” Twilight explained. “She’ll learn basic math, reading, science, writing and biology while you will be reading some about how to take care of a baby girl.” “Um, thank you very much, Twilight but I am capable of taking care of a baby,” Dawn said. “A baby boy, but infant girls are extremely different, and you need to know the difference,” Twilight insisted. “Don’t worry, if you read and memorize all of these book, your little girl will be a genius when she grows up.” “T-Thank you Twilight for being so considerate with my child’s education,” Dawn said with an awkward smile. ‘It’ll take me months just to read all of these, and I only have a few months left!’ she thought to herself. “Now whose-” “Oh! Oh! Pick mine next!” Sonata said excitedly. Dawn looked through the gifts and found Sonata’s. After she had unwrapped it, her lips pursed and lifted it up to see a painting large of her pregnant self wearing Italian robes. “Did…. Did you buy this from somewhere?” “What? I didn’t buy it. I made it,” Sonata replied. Everyone’s eyes widened and their mouths dropped when they looked back and forth between Sonata and the painting. “I learned how to paint from a guy named, um, Leonardo da Vinci? I think that was his name,” Sonata explained. “I was one of his assistants at the time, but since women couldn’t be painters, I pretended to be a boy. Although I think he saw through my disguise because he would hit on me every now and again.” “Eeehhh…” Dawn tried to find the right words to describe what she was feeling but was at a complete lost. “This was very nice, Sonata. It…. It really is unbelievable that you could make it.” “Thanks!” Everyone scratched their heads and whispered to one another. Pinkie cleared her throat. “Alright, let’s keep this gift giving going!” she said. Time passed by as Dawn was going through the gifts. She had received a lot of baby supplies and toys for her soon-to-be little girl. After she had opened everything she could, she then looked at Sunset’s gift and held it in her hand. She unfurled the string around the box and opened the top to show what was inside. Dawn smiled brightly and pulled it out to see a small pony doll. “Oh Sunset, this doll is so cute. Where did you get it?” Dawn asked. “It’s actually my old doll from when I was little,” Sunset replied. “I used to play with it a lot and I always thought of it as my closest friend. But when I got older, I left it in my closet back home and forgot about it. It wasn’t until recently when everyone was talking about the shower I remembered that I had it still there and asked my parents to send it to me.” “Sunset, you don’t have to-” “I know, but I thought that your girl would love it more than I ever had,” Sunset said. “I don’t have much use for it, but I’m sure that your little girl would have a fun time with it. So, please keep it.” Dawn placed the gift to the side and hugged Sunset as she returned the hug. Everyone awed and joined in the hug. A moment had passed and Pinkie was holding up her microphone again. “Okay everyone, let’s have some cake and dance like crazy!” Mrs. Cake rolled out a tray with a large cake on it and music started to play. A lot of the attendants were either having some of the delicious cake or were dancing along with Pinkie. While the party was going, Dawn was sitting around with some of the girls as they were gossiping. “So ladies, tell me the juiciest gossip you’ve got,” Dawn said “It’s been so long since I’ve heard any teen gossip.” “Well, I’ve heard that one of our teachers, Mr. Cranky Doodle, has been seeing someone special,” Rarity said. “Really? It’s about time he found someone that would put up with his crankiness,” Dawn commented. “Wait, you know him?” “Yep, ever since I was a teen, he was an old teacher of mine,” Dawn explained. “We used to go to the same school together here in town, but because of some funding issues, they had to shut down the school. It was sad, but there was nothing we could have done to prevent it at the time.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” Fluttershy said. “It’s okay. Some things never last,” Dawn said. “So, what else do you girls got?” “I have one more,” Rarity started. “I’ve heard rumors that our other teacher, Miss Roseluck, has been seeing someone. A senior no less.” “Wait, isn’t it like against school policy that she would be dating someone at our school?” Applejack asked. “True, but she is still in her early twenties. I think there’s only a four year difference,” Rarity said. “But, like I said, it’s a rumor and no one has exactly asked her about it…. Of course if they did, she would more than likely not admit to it.” “A teacher dating a student, I haven’t heard about any gossip like that in a long time,” Dawn said. “That used to happen a lot more frequently back in my day, and trust me, a lot of teachers would get arrested for it.” “Alright, enough about random gossip, let’s talk about our guys,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve been running out of ideas on how to make fun of each of your guys and I need some fuel to do so.” Rarity let out a scoff. “Really, Rainbow Dash? You think after having Rivet for such a long time, you would have stopped mocking us about it,” she said. “You wish,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Plus it’s fun.” “Alright, fine, we’ll talk about our boyfriends,” Rarity said. “But don’t interrupt any of us.” “Fine, I’ll save all my shots afterwards,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, who has some stories to tell?” “I have one,” Fluttershy said. “Me and Night went to a movie he wanted to see. Unfortunately it was a horror movie and I was nervous.” “My word, did he make you go to it?” Rarity asked. “Oh no, he didn’t,” Fluttershy replied. “He thought about going to see it himself, but I couldn’t let him be at something he would be terrified by.” “Wait, what movie was it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Jurassic World.” Rainbow Dash smacked herself in the face. “Shy, that’s hardly considered a horror movie,” she said. “I mean, yeah, people get eaten in it, but it’s not gory or anything. Even kids can go in and watch it without any problems.” “But it had dinosaurs eating people!” Fluttershy countered. “I couldn’t let Night watch that by himself!” Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Okay, let me ask you this,” she said. “Did he get scared?” “I…. I couldn’t tell,” Fluttershy said. “I was too deep into his chest while I blocked my ears.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “So Rarity, how has Clyde been doing?” Sunset asked. “Everything is going perfectly between us,” Rarity said. “He so sweet and is such a gentleman. I could never ask for a finer lover in my life.” “I bet you two go at it like rabbits,” Rainbow Dash commented. Rarity blushed. “W-We do not!” she protested. “I mean…. we have been going at it a lot and- Wait, why am I telling you this? It’s none of your business!” Rainbow Dash snickered. “Relax, I’m just kidding,” she said. “Though you two should really tone it down. Seriously, you guys still need hobbies.” “But we do!” “I said hobbies, not a hobby,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Rarity made a flustered pout while some of the other girls were laughing and giggling. Rarity cleared her throat before she turned to Sunset. “Sunset dear, how have you and Soul been doing together?” she asked. “We’ve been doing well. We go out from time to time, hang out at one of our places,” Sunset replied, then turned to Dawn with a sly smile. “And sneak into his room at night.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “I swear, you two really do it just to annoy me, don’t you?” she asked with a raised brow. “For crying out loud, we have a front door. Use it! I’m tired of making Comet move the ladder you use.” Sunset laughed. “Well, I need a key to go through the front door,” she said. “And unless you're willing to let me sleep with your son, I’m just going to have to use the window instead.” Dawn let out a sigh. She looked up at Sunset and smiled as she remembered when she was dating Comet, she would do the same. Of course after each time either of them would do that, they both would get in trouble with their parents. She looked at Sunset with a smile before she spoke her answer. “No,” she said. “And I’m going to start nailing that window shut…. or make Comet do it.” “And I’m going to find a way around it,” Sunset said. “.... Or make Soul do it for me.” “And that’s what I like about you,” Dawn commented. After a couple of hours had gone by, most of the attendants were leaving for the day and were saying their goodbyes to Dawn. Coming through the front door was her husband Comet. “Hey honey, I came to pick you up,” Comet said. “Oh good, I was really too stuffed with cake,” Dawn commented as she was trying to get up. Comet went over to her and helped her out of her seat. “Although, I’m not done being out yet. Can we go see a movie somewhere?” “Alright, any movie you want to see?” Comet asked. “I don’t really care at this point,” Dawn replied. “You can take me to that movie that’s a reboot or something.” “Wait, you mean like Mad Max? Really!?” Comet asked excitedly before he tried to collect his composure. “I mean, would you like to see that?” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yes, we can see that,” she answered. Just as the couple was saying their goodbyes and walking by Sunset, Dawn leaned over to her ear. “If you wanna see my boy, you can do it now,” Dawn whispered. “Because I’m giving you a free pass if anything happens since you gave me such a sweet gift.” Sunset blushed and Dawn gave her wink. Sunset waved at the two before they left and drove off. Sunset went to get her jacket and started making her way towards the exit. “Heya Sunset, where are ya goin?” Applejack asked. Sunset looked back at Applejack. “Oh you know, to make some lovin with your cousin,” she joked. Applejack gagged at Sunset’s response as she laughed. “Ah wish ya wouldn’t keep on saying that,” Applejack said. “Ah really don’t want to hear what ya do with my cousin behind closed doors.” “Oh don’t be like that, Applejack,” Rarity said. “You always make fun of how I love my boyfriend so much.” “More like obsessed,” Applejack corrected. “I’m not obsessed! I just really, really, really, really enjoy his company,” Rarity retorted. “You wouldn’t be like this if you had a boyfriend.” Applejack shrugged. “Guess we’ll never know,” she said before she started to take her leave. “Ah’m heading back to the farm. Got some crops to take care of.” Applejack left the store with all of her friends staring out the window as she left. Rarity glared out to where Applejack was going after the comment she made until an idea had popped into her head. She tapped her chin for a moment and a devious smiled appeared on her face. “Oh Applejack, I think you might know what’s it like to have a boyfriend sooner than you think,” she said to herself. “Wait, you’re gonna ship Applejack?” Pinkie asked. “That is awesome! I hope we ship her with another OC because it would feel weird if she was shipped with just some random guy in our universe since there’s so many writers that want us and have to go through the process of finding out how the two would get together.” “.... Pinkie, what the hell are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. > Chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shipping the Apple - Part 1 Rarity sat at her workbench while wearing her sleeping gown. It was late at night and she was drawing up plans on how to get Applejack a boyfriend. She twisted her pencil around in her fingers as she thought through all of the possible candidates that were suited for her apple-loving friend. She also was writing down some Applejack’s pros and cons. Rarity always considered herself the best as a matchmaker at the school. She was always able to predict couples that would come together before they even knew they would become one. It was even clear to her that Sunset would end up with Soul one way or another. And despite all the ups and downs when it came to Swift, she knew he would end up with her bubbly friend, Pinkie. She was finishing up the lists that she had put together for possible matches with Applejack and Applejack’s pros and cons. After she was done, Rarity looked through the list of possible candidates. A frown formed as she saw that they were no candidates that could be predicted. “How could this be?” Rarity asked herself. “I could have sworn that I had enough pros that could help out with this.” Rarity looked back at the list of pros to only to discover that the list had only three pros on it while the other one had several cons, although that was more of Rarity’s sense of fashion with Applejack’s. She read the pros to see only honesty, good work ethic and natural looks. Rarity let out a sigh. “Perhaps I’m overlooking this somehow,” she said. “Hmmm, maybe I should ask Clyde about this. Having a boy’s input on what he would see in Applejack might help.” She tapped her chin for a moment. “And if that doesn't seem to work, maybe some of the others would be interested in helping out Applejack’s situation…. even if she dosen’t want to admit that she does have one.” Rarity got up from her bench and walked over to her bed. She carefully uncovered the bed sheets from the center without removing them from the edge and climbed in the bed. She reached over to her stand and grabbed her phone. She looked through her top five contact list with Clyde being on the top and pressed it. She held the phone over her ear as it rang until Clyde picked up the line. “Eh, um, augh, Rarity?” Clyde asked in a tired tone. “What are you doing up so late? It’s two in the morning.” “I know Clyde, but there’s something important I must ask you,” Rarity replied. “What is it?” “If you were still single and were interested in Applejack, what would you think of her?” Rarity asked. “...... Is this a trick question?” Clyde asked. “Because if it is, I want to say that I love you and there is no other woman that’ll ever make me change that.” “Awww, thank you Clyde, but it’s not a trick,” Rarity clarified. “I’m trying to find someone perfect for her, but I’m having some trouble. In your personal opinion, what would be the reason if you went out with her?” “..... Well, um…. You know, this is kinda hard for me since I’ve never imagined to think about it,” Clyde replied. “I mean, we don’t really have anything in common that much, and when I get down to it, I don’t really like her countryside lifestyle. All she really does is pick apples, tend to the animals all day and has to stay out in the sun for hours.” Rarity blinked a few times. “Oh um… Okay, then I’ll have to go with plan B,” she said. “What’s plan B?” “I’m going to gather the others and see what we can come up with to get someone she would be interested in,” Rarity answered. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “Alright, good night. I love you.” “I love you too, darling,” Rarity said as she made a kissing sound and turned off her phone. She placed the phone back on her stand and laid her head on her pillows. “Don’t worry Applejack, I’ll get you your true love even if it kills me…. But I really hope it doesn’t come to that.” “So wait, let me get this straight,” Soul said. Almost all of Rarity’s friends except for Applejack were at the cafe as she was going over her plans for the country girl. She had explained to the group what she had so far and that she was in a tight position about getting Applejack a boyfriend. She then went on to say that she needed all of them to help her out the best way they could. After Soul took a sip from his soda, he looked back at Rarity. “You wanna get my cousin a boyfriend because it’s been taking too long for her to have one? That it would make her stop making fun of some of us for spending too much time together, specifically you and Clyde, and she secretly wants a boyfriend?” Soul asked with a raised brow. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” Rarity replied. “And she doesn’t specifically mean me and Clyde…. At least not all the time.” “Okay, this is just wrong,” Night said. “We can’t just mess with one of our friend’s love life. That’s pretty much her decision and we can’t pick a random guy. It’s got to be someone that she likes, otherwise it’ll just be poin-” “I’m in.” “Wait, what!?” “Rarity is right,” Soul said. “My cousin has been without a boyfriend since she started highschool and she doesn't want to do it because she’s always busy working at the farm. One of these days, I’m going to find her dead on the farm from overworking and I have to deal with the emotional scars of losing a cousin. I am not up for losing one of my cousins at this delicate age.” “That is…. the strangest reason I have ever heard of in my entire life,” Night said. “Get used to it.” “Okay, besides some of Soul’s reasons, he’s right,” Swift said. “Maybe we should try looking for a guy that is strong and incredibly honest. And knows that Applejack is strong and not one of those country girls that love to wear those skimpy shorts and shirts that show their cleavage.” “Definitely not her style,” Soul commented as he made a disgusted expression. “I think Swift is onto something,” Rivet said. “But I think we have a better chance at finding someone really honest than being stronger than her. Maybe then she would be willing to go out with him. But I think we need to get the idea of Applejack having a boyfriend in her head first before we try anything.” “So who do we pick?” Rainbow Dash asked. She thought about it for a moment before she clicked her fingers. “What about Bulk? He’s strong and I hear he’s a really honest guy with others and himself. Have you seen how well he played his violin? Or when he was a ballerina for a year?” “Wait, he took ballet?” Swift asked. “Um, actually he already has a girlfriend,” Fluttershy pointed out. “I think it’s Derpy.” “Dang, who else could go out with Applejack then?” Rainbow Dash asked. “How about Caramel?” Clyde suggested. “I think he might be a good match for Applejack…. Maybe.” “Well, he’s a sweet guy, but he’ll more than likely get too nervous and would feel pressured easily,” Rarity explained. “Anyone else?” “Wait, what about Soarin?” Pinkie asked. “Applejack really hit it off with him at the Fall Formal. Maybe he could go out with her again and-” “Sorry Pinkie, but he’s already taken,” Rainbow Dash said. “He’s been going out with Spitfire since before she even graduated. The reason why he went with Applejack at the dance was because she couldn’t go with him and it was okay for him to just go with a friend.” “Darn it! Why are all the good guys taken?” Pinkie asked herself. “How about Thunderlane?” Swift suggested. “He a very brutally honest guy kinda like Applejack, and he is tougher than he looks. Not as tough as Applejack, that’s for sure, but still a tough guy nevertheless.” “Hmmm, he sounds like a good candidate,” Rarity said. “Perhaps if we could persuade him to give Applejack a chance, then we might pull this off. Do you think he’ll go for it?” “If anything, asking Applejack out would be a challenge for him, and he really loves challenges, so he’ll more than likely do it,” Swift replied. “Let me do the talking and I’ll point him in the right direction.” “Excellent! Now we need to get Applejack in the mood to go out with him,” Rarity said. “But how could we get her to go out with Thunderlane?” “Maybe if she had a reason to stay away from the farm and needed a last minute plan,” Soul said. “How would we do that?” Rivet asked. Soul rubbed his chin for a moment until an idea popped into his head. “Don’t worry, I have a plan,” he said. “But get Thunderlane to ask her out first. If she says no, I’ll put my full plan into action.” “Are you sure this plan will work?” Rarity asked. “Don’t worry, it’s full proof,” Soul assured. “You mean foolproof?” Rivet asked. “That’s what I said.” “No, you said full proof. It’s pronounced foolproof,” Rivet explained. “That’s how you say it.” “Stop being a grammar nazi,” Soul commented. “Anyway, like I said, it’s full-” “Fool.” “-Grrrr, foolproof!” Soul said irritably. “She won’t know what'll hit-” “She’s on her way here!” Sonata shouted as she burst through the doors. She was keeping an eye out for the group and looked panicked. “She’s driving her pickup truck and she’s almost here!” “Alright, everyone stay calm! We just need to keep quiet about this and proceed with our plan as soon as possible,” Rarity said. “Soul, could you text me your plan so I can assist you in anyway possible?” “You got it,” Soul said as he gave a salute. “Swift, make sure Thunderlane doesn't know what we’re up to and get him to ask Applejack on a date.” “Can do,” Swift said. “Twilight, by any chance, do you happen to have some surveillance equipment?” “Well, yeah. I used to use them to spy on Sunset when I suspected her as an alien during the Friendship Games,” Twilight said. “Wait, what!?” “Don’t worry, I didn’t get anything important,” Twilight assured. “All I did was get some videos of you walking around your apartment, eating, taking a shower, making out with Soul and sleeping. Although from time to time you seemed to be moaning while-” “Okay, please drop it,” Sunset said bluntly. “Can I have some of the shower sce-” *WHACK!* “GHAAA!” Sunset backhanded Soul in the face before he fell backwards towards the ground. His legs stood upward as he laid on his back, still sitting in his toppled-over chair. “No.” “Here she comes!” Rainbow Dash said. “Alright, everyone quiet!” Rarity said as she took her seat. Applejack was whistling as she walked into the cafe. She looked around and saw her friends sitting around a table. She raised a brow when she saw Soul lying on the ground and moaning in pain. She walked over to an open spot at the table and sat down. “So eh, any reason why Soul is on the ground?” Applejack asked. “He slipped,” Sunset answered quickly. “He was being too relaxed when he had his feet on the table and he fell over. It was pretty nasty when he fell.” “Oh well, alright,” Applejack said before she looked at Soul. “That’ll teach ya a lesson about putting y’all’s feet on tables. Ya should have known better than that.” “But I…. I mean, yeah, that’ll surely teach me a lesson,” Soul said as he got up and stood his chair back up. “So, what were y’all talking about?” Applejack asked. “Oh, we were just talking about how…. some of the others from our school have been doing,” Rarity said. “In fact, Swift was just talking about his friend Thunderlane.” “What? Oh, I mean, yeah he’s been doing good,” Swift said. “He’s a really cool guy, you know? A really honest guy you can trust.” “That’s true,” Applejack commented. “Too bad he hasn’t had a girlfriend in a long time,” Swift said. “I bet any girl that went out with him would be lucky.” “Ah bet they would,” Applejack said as she picked up a menu and was looking through it. Swift looked at Rarity and gave her a shrug. Rarity looked at Applejack and cleared her throat. “Applejack, by any chance, you haven’t been going out with someone, have you?” she asked. Applejack lowered her menu and raised a brow. “Um no, why would ya ask that?” she asked. “Oh, nothing really,” Rarity replied. “I was just curious is all.” Applejack squinted at Rarity for a moment. Rarity felt like her soul was being stared into with Applejack’s eyes and sweat was slowly appearing on her forehead. She could tell that Applejack was trying to figure her out and if she failed to keep her composure, Applejack would pick up on her plans and everything would be ruined before they even began. Rarity tried to fight back as best she could from Applejack’s stare, but she was losing ground. In a matter of minutes she would lose this battle and everything would be ruined. Then Sonata got up. “Applejack, would you go out with me?” Sonata asked. Everyone at the table went silent for a moment before Applejack smacked herself in the forehead. “For the last time Sonata, Ah’m not into girls!” Applejack said. “Why do Ah have to keep telling ya this?” “Please? Just one date?” Sonata said with her puppy eyes. “No.” “But if you gave me a chance-” “No.” “Then how about-” “No!” “Wh-” “NO!” Applejack got up from her seat and began to walk off. “Ah’ll catch you guys later. Ah just don’t want to have a conversation with Sonata about why Ah’m not interested in dating girls…. again,” she said and walked out the door. The moment Applejack was gone, Sonata let out a sigh. “Well, that worked,” she said. “Wait, you did that on purpose?” Night asked. “Duh, I mean, at first I meant it after asking her the fifth or sixth time before, but I gave up after that,” Sonata replied. “Plus, it looked like she was about to crack Rarity, so I had to do something.” “Thank you very much, Sonata,” Rarity said. “How could I ever repay you?” Sonata rubbed her chin for a moment. “How about giving me someone to go out with?” Rarity smiled. “Of course, dear. When we’re done with Applejack, I’ll help you find someone to go out with,” she said. “I’m sure there is one boy that would be very interested in going out with you.” “Thanks, that would be awesome!” Sonata said. “For realsies!” “Soul, what exactly kind of plan do you have?” Twilight asked. “What would make Applejack change her mind if she says no to Thunderlane?” “Trust me, she’ll wanna get out of the farm by any means necessary after what I will be putting in motion,” Soul said. “Alright everyone, let’s get to work,” Rarity said. “Swift, get Thunderlane to go out with Applejack, and Soul, put your plan in motion in case Applejack doesn’t want to go out with Thunderlane.” “I’m already ahead of that,” Soul said. “Then let the shipping begin!” Pinkie cheered. “Shipping? What’s that?” Rarity asked. “It’s when a bunch of people put two or more people together as lovers,” Pinkie explained. “It’s mostly been used for anime or popular cartoon shows.” “Pinkie, that’s not what we’re doing,” Rarity said. “We’re pairing two real people together. Not shipping them.” “But-” “Pinkie, let’s go,” Rainbow Dash said. “You two will be arguing for hours if you talk about this.” Pinkie shrugged and walked along with Rainbow Dash. Everyone else got up from their seats and followed suit as each of them was getting ready to lend a hand if Rarity needed them. Rarity stood up with confidence and a sly smile. “Applejack, you’re going to have your boyfriend soon enough,” she said to herself. “Um, Rarity? You’re not going to go overboard with this are you?” Clyde asked. “Of course not, darling. I just want to make sure that every one of my friends have someone special in their lives,” Rarity replied. “Just like how I have plans for Sonata and Twilight. It’s going to be wonderful.” Rarity walked towards the door while humming a tune while Clyde looked at her from the back with half-lid eyes. “Yep, she’s already gone overboard,” Clyde commented. > Chapter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shipping the Apple - Part 2 Applejack was driving her pickup truck as she drove away from the cafe, having to deal with Sonata’s ridiculous attempt to go out with her. Countless times of explaining in full detail why she didn’t wanted to go out with a girl never seemed to convince her. Sure, Applejack admits that Sonata would be attractive if she herself was a boy, but she was born the way the good lord wanted her to and would prefer to be with a boy. Of course, she wasn’t interested in finding one right now. She still has school work to take care of for her senior year, and there was the farm that always needs tending to. She knows in the bottom of her heart that she will meet a nice guy someday, and hopefully he would be willing to help her and her family out with the farm. She just needed to be patient about it. Applejack continued to drive until she heard her phone ring. She pressed the talk button and raised it to her ear. “Hello?” “Heya, Applejack!” greeted the voice of Pinkie Pie. “Are you busy?” “Well, after trying to get away from Sonata, no, Ah’m not. Did ya need something?” “I thought we could go hang out at the mall and do some shopping or something,” Pinkie suggested. “I wanted to ask you that when you got to the cafe, but I guess Sonata ran you out though.” “Ah'm sorry about that. Sonata’s been getting on my nerves about that,” Applejack said. “Ah’m beginning to think she’s doing it on purpose now…. or she really doesn’t understand Ah’m not that type of girl.” Pinkie giggled. “It’s okay. So do you wanna do it?” she asked. “Sure, Ah’ll tag along,” Applejack said. “Who’s coming along?” “It’s just going to be us girls!” Pinkie answered. “I thought since it's been awhile since we’ve all hanged together without the guys, this would be a great chance to do so.” “Ya don’t think the guys would be sore about that, do ya?” Applejack asked. “Of course not. They know we have to have some girl time every now and again,” Pinkie said. “So how about it?” “Well shoot, Ah’m down for it,” Applejack replied. “Ah’ll meet you girls at the mall.” “Great! Sounds good! See you soon!” Pinkie said before she hung up her phone and turned to the others. “She said that she’ll come!” “Perfect! Now we just need to get the idea of her going out with Thunderlane underway,” Rarity said. “I hope Swift can convinced Thunderlane to go out with Applejack before she gets too bored at the mall. She never really likes to stay there too long.” “Swifty can do it,” Pinkie said. “He’s already meeting up with Thunderlane as we speak. I’m sure he can get him to go out with Applejack.” “I don’t know, Swift. I’ll admit that I’m still up for going out with any girl, but isn’t Applejack out of my league here?” Thunderlane asked. Just moments ago, Swift called Thunderlane and came over to his house. The two were just catching up with all they have been doing over the summer when Swift asked if Thunderlane would be interested in dating Applejack. “No man, she’s exactly in the same league as you with only a few differences,” Swift countered. “How are we in the same league?” “Well, she’s honest like you,” Swift said. “And you two are tough, loyal, dependable…. um, you guys like apples.” “Everyone likes apples, Swift,” Thunderlane pointed out. “Oh, and you two like country music,’ Swift added. “Yes, and I made you swear not to tell anyone about that,” Thunderlane said. “What’s with the sudden interest in me getting together with Applejack?” “Well um…. *Sigh* Alright, since we’ve been friends for years, I might as well tell you,” Swift said. “Rarity thinks it's about time for Applejack to get a boyfriend, and some of the others and I agree. She was going to handle it herself, but apparently Applejack is the one person she can’t seem to get any good matches with. So she came to us and we went over who would be willing to go out with her and you were the only person we could think of that had everything we need in a boyfriend for Applejack.” “...... I was the only person?” Thunderlane asked. “Well, there was Bulk and Caramel, but we think it wasn’t going to work out with them since one has a girlfriend and the other would cave. We thought about Soarin too, but, you know, he’s going out with Spitfire.” “Damn. I’m not too sure about this. I think I need some time to think about it,” Thunderlane said. “That’s cool, bro. You got all the time in the world to answer that,” Swift said. “But make it quick because we’re putting the plan in motion, eeeeeeeehhh, right now,” he said as he looked at the time on his phone. “What!? You couldn’t wait until I gave an answer!?” “Rarity is very antsy about these things,” Swift answered. “Are you down for it? And if you are, we need to head over to the mall right away. But if you don’t want to, we're still heading for the mall anyway because you’re going to tell Rarity that. I do not want to be at the receiving end of her wrath.” Thunderlane let out a sigh. “Fine, how about this: I’ll give it a try and see where it goes,” he said. “If she’s okay with it, I’ll go out with her. If not, then I’m not going to bother her about it again.” “Deal. Oh and don’t tell her what we’re doing,” Swift said. “We want to keep this whole thing under wraps for a while.” “Alright, but if we do somehow go out, I’m telling on the first date,” Thunderlane said. “I’m not going to leave her in the dark like that.” “Fair enough.” Over by the mall, all of the girls were hanging out at the food court and were chatting or eating some of the food from the restaurants. Applejack was just minding her own business as she just listened in on the conversations that were going around her. Her friends were mostly talking about their boyfriends and the love life they have, unaware that this was part of Rarity’s plan to get Applejack to feel the need to try out dating. Rarity watched Applejack carefully while she talked with Pinkie and saw Applejack look puzzled. Seeing that this could be her chance, Rarity made her move. “Applejack, is something wrong?” she asked. “You’ve barely been talking the whole time we’ve been here.” Applejack let out a sigh. “Oh, it’s nothing, Rarity,” she said. “Ah guess Ah don’t really have much to contribute to the conversations here.” “What, about us talking about our men?” “Pretty much,” Applejack replied. “So what if you don’t have a boyfriend? You can still talk about guys you know,” Rainbow Dash said. “Isn’t there any guy that you could be interested in?” “Ah’ll admit Ah did have a thing for Soarin at the last Fall Formal, but he already has a girl,” Applejack replied. “But besides him, Ah can’t think of anyone else Ah could be interested in. Besides, Ah need to get prepared for school anyway. We only have about two weeks left before summer ends.” “Isn’t that a better reason to get a boyfriend before then?” Pinkie asked. “Pinkie, we can get boyfriends whenever we want,” Applejack pointed out. “You can just as easily get them during school time or the weekends.” “..... We can?” Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose. “So if you could get a boyfriend anytime you want, then why do you never seem to want to?” Rarity asked, trying to put Applejack on the defense. “Ah keep telling y’all that Ah think it’s a big waste of time right now. Ah have school to finish, getting ready for college, and there’s always the farm that need attending to,” Applejack explained. “You mean the farm that your family hires workers to do in order to maintain the fields and the animals? Which you may have forgotten is the reason why the Apple family is one of the richest merchants that sells healthy fruits and other assortment of items to the surrounding states?” Rarity asked with a raised brow. “Don’t start with me,” Applejack said as she pointed her finger at Rarity. “I already get enough lip from Soul and Rainbow Dash.” “I’m just saying that you can do school and have a boyfriend at the same time,” Rarity said. “Clyde and I go out all the time and my grades have never faltered once.” “Ah’d rather not take the chance,” Applejack said. “Plus, you two have been goin’ out for so long, Ah can actually imagine you two doing homework while making out.” “T-That has never happened!” Rarity said. -Flashback- It was a couple of weeks before finals during their junior year and Clyde and Rarity were getting ready for them. While they were writing down notes and studying from the books, the young couple was making out and reciting what they’d learned every time they parted lips. “Mmmmm~ What year did George Washington first become president?” Rarity asked as she parted from Clyde’s lips. “Seventeen eighty-eight,” Clyde answered before he went back and kissed Rarity on the lips again. He then parted from them. “What’s three times eight equals to X times five?” “X equals negative twenty,” Rarity answered. She pulled Clyde in and the two continued making out. “What is the Radon chemical?” “It is a radioactive noble gas that does not have colors, taste and odor that comes naturally as an indirect decay product from uranium and thorium.” “Oooh, Clyde~” -End of Flashback- Rarity blinked a few times before shaking her head and looking back at Applejack. “Well, um, anyways, my point is that love could come at any time,” Rarity said. “But it could also fleet away. And high school is a guaranteed chance at finding someone that would love you forever.” Applejack raised a brow. “Um, Rarity? I think I wouldn’t go that far to-” “For. E. Ver,” Rarity said slowly at Rainbow Dash while glaring. “So what do you say Applejack? How about giving it a go?” Applejack rubbed her chin for a moment before looking back Rarity with a smile. “Nope,” she replied. ‘Blast. I thought that would work,’ Rarity thought. She had to rethink the conversation to give herself the advantage. After a moment, an idea popped in her mind and she looked at Applejack. “What if a boy was willing to ask you out? Would you consider going out with one then?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah doubt any boy would be interested in me,” she said. “Why, Ah can even bet on it.” “Really?” Rarity asked with a mischievous smile. “Then we have a wager.” “Wait, what? Ah didn’t really mean-” “If a boy asks you out before school starts, you must go out with him,” Rarity said. “But if not a single boy asks you, then me and the girls will stop talking about our boyfriends while you are in our presence.” Pinkie let out a gasp. “B-But Rarity, that’s all that we ever talk about!” she said. “If we do that, what would we talk about!?” “I don’t know, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said. “Maybe our hobbies, what we do, how our day went-” “All of that is boring, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie snapped. “If I don’t talk about my Swifty wifty, I’ll go insane!” “Kinda too late on that,” Rainbow Dash commented to herself. “Ya know what? Ah’ll take that bet,” Applejack said. “If a boy asks me, Ah’ll go, but if not a single boy does, Ah don’t want to hear anything about any of your boyfriends if Ah don’t want to. Especially whatever you and Soul do.” “All I said was that he’s a good kisser!” Sunset defended. “You can’t blame me for telling you girls that. It’s like one of the highlights of our relationship.” “Good, may the best lady win,” Rarity said. In the corners of her eyes, Rarity saw both Swift and Thunderlane walking towards them. Swift was giving her a thumbs up and she simply nodded. While Swift and Thunderlane were making their way to the table, over by a nearby bush, Twilight, Soul and Sonata were keeping an eye out for the others in case the plan didn’t go so well. Twilight had an advanced sonar disc as she was listening on the conversation while Soul was looking out from the bush with his binoculars. And Sonata was…. well, she wanted to be there and watched the whole event come together. She held a tub of popcorn while she watched everything that was transpiring. “It looks like we won’t be needing your plan after all, Soul,” Twilight commented. “Which is a good thing because your plan had so many flaws in it.” “Hey, my idea was full-” “Fool.” “Whatever! All I had to do was make a call to Apple Bloom and ask her to invite her friends over to her home to hang out or something, and since Granny Smith is in her twilight years and wouldn’t keep up with them, she would have to ask Applejack to babysit them. Big Mac wouldn’t be able to come because he would be gone to do some fake errands I made up and Applejack would make up an excuse to get out of that nightmare,” Soul explained. “This was in case she had refused to go out with Thunderlane but she would have to make an excuse so she would actually go along with it and the two would be dating in no time.” “..... Soul, that plan has so many flaws, I think I just had a stroke,” Twilight commented. “First, would Apple Bloom even have gone along with that plan? Wouldn’t she have thought that it would be weird for one of her cousins to just suddenly call her and ask her to invite her friends over? Then why would she even need a babysitter? She’s fifteen years old. She could look after herself. And Applejack would love to babysit her anyway. Didn’t you tell me she was so worried about Apple Bloom she overreacted and ended up looking after her even after Granny Smith said that it was okay that she would be at the farm by herself and got in trouble for not delivering the orders Applejack was supposed to deliver?” “Massive lots of trouble,” Soul answered. “And shut up.” “Don’t worry, Soul. I thought your plan was perfect,” Sonata commented. “By the way, where are the rest of the guys?” “Clyde went to hang out with Tyrone, Rivet said he had better things to do than get involved in this, and Night told Rarity that he was against it and was going to tell Applejack about it,” Soul replied. “Rarity has him tied up at the cafe closet.” “Oh, okay,” Sonata said as she reached into her popcorn and stuffed it into her mouth. “Wait, she left Night inside a closet!?” Twilight asked in shock. “Don’t you think we should get him free or something?” “And suffer Rarity’s wrath? No way,” Soul said. “Night and I are pals, but I don’t want to be at the receiving end of that. Call me a coward all you want, but I’m not taking any chances.” Twilight let out a sigh. “I have to agree with you on that,” she said. “Let’s focus on getting Applejack that date.” “Oh! Oh! I think Thunderlane is about to ask Applejack out now!” Sonata chimed. Back over to the others, Applejack was feeling confident that she was going to win the bet. The chances of a random boy asking her out would be next to nothing, and she wouldn’t have to put up with any more of her friends’ talk of their boyfriends for as long as she lives. The first two minutes were the best she could as for, but that all crumbled to pieces when Swift and Thunderlane came over. “Hey girls, what’s up?” Swift asked. “Oh hey, my Swifty wifty. What are two doing here at this exact moment of which no one expected that you both were coming?” Pinkie asked nonchalantly. “.... Because I didn’t know you guys were coming.” “Pinkie shush!” Rainbow Dash whispered. Applejack furrowed her brow in confusion. “Oh nothing much. Thunderlane and I decided that since we haven’t hanging out lately, what better place to hang out than the mall?” Swift explained. “By the way, Thunderlane, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask Applejack? I remember you saying that you were going to ask her something? Since she is conveniently here, you can definitely ask her now.” Thunderlane looked at Swift with half-lid eyes and a raised brow while Applejack was getting even more confused. Thunderlane let out a sigh and looked at Applejack. “So, um, Applejack? I wanted to ask you something that my friend Swift was saying with so much detail,” Thunderlane said before giving him a glare for a moment. Swift only shrugged, so Thunderlane looked back at Applejack. “Do you wanna go out sometime?” Applejack’s eyes widened and her heart stopped. She was shocked to hear a boy asking her out, and it was Thunderlane himself asking her. A million things were running through her head, but only one question rang the loudest: Why did this have to happen to her? She was in the clear with never having to hear any more boy talk, then Thunderlane just came along and ruined it. She didn’t show it, but her anger was through the roof as she cursed mentally to God. Of all the times in the world, this had to happen to her? Applejack looked over to Rarity hoping that she would change her mind about all this, but her hope was destroyed when she saw Rarity giving her a sly smile in anticipation of Applejack’s reply to Thunderlane. She let out an irritated sigh and looked back to Thunderlane with a suspicious look. “And why all of a sudden are ya asking me out, Thunderlane?” Applejack asked. “Well, if I have to be honest, it’s because-” Before Thunderlane could answer, Rarity shot him a cold glare that said “if you tell her about what we have planned, I’ll hunt you down and make you suffer.” Thunderlane gulped and was frozen with fear for a moment before looking back at Applejack. “-It’s because I think you’re a sweet girl to hang out with and thought you would be interested in a date. Of course, you can decline if you want.” Applejack was about to reject him, but Rarity stepped in. “Of course Applejack would go out with you,” Rarity said. “As you said, she is a sweet girl who isn’t type of person to go back on her word and turn out to be a big liar. After all, honesty is what makes her into the lady she is today.” Applejack let out a low growl and gritted her teeth in defeat. Swallowing her pride, she looked up at Thunderlane. “Yes, Ah would…. like to go out with ya on…. a date,” she said as she struggled with her words. “Ah hope that Ah won’t regret it…. Ah really really really hope that Ah don’t regret.” “Don’t worry about it, I promise that it’ll be worth your time,” Thunderlane reassured. “Would this Friday work for you?” Applejack’s left eye twitched as she put on a fake smile. “Sure, that’ll work for me,” she replied. “Ah just can’t wait.” “Eh, cool,” Thunderlane said nervously as he saw Applejack was trying to keep herself under control. “Swift, I think we should leave the girls alone…. Swift?” Everyone stopped for a moment and looked over to see both Pinkie and Swift making out. The two were kissing as they ignored everyone around them and only kept their focus on each other. Over by the bushes, Twilight and Soul looked at what was happening before smacking themselves in the faces. Thunderlane rolled his eyes. “Okay, I think I’m just going to head off by myself,” he said. “I’ll see you later, Applejack.” Applejack let out a sigh. “Yeah, see ya later,” she said. Thunderlane walked away, leaving the girls to themselves while Swift and Pinkie made out. Applejack moved her tray out of the way and laid her face down on the table while covering the back of her head with her hands. Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder and patted it. “Oh don’t fret about it, dear. I’m sure you’ll have a good time with Thunderlane,” Rarity assured. “He’s well mannered, honest, loyal, and from what I heard from some of the girls he dated, he’s a really great kisser.” Applejack lifted her head up and glared at Rarity. “Ah know this was all a setup,” she said. “W-What?” Rarity asked nervously. “And Ah know who’s the varmint behind all this,” Applejack said. She got up from her seat and walked off. The other girls were confused at first until they realized that she was heading straight towards the bush that the other three were hiding behind. When Applejack was close enough, she moved a large portion of the bush to see Twilight, Soul and Sonata looking back at her nervously. “Ah oh.” “Soul, this was your doing wasn’t it?” Applejack accused angrily. “What? No! No, it wasn’t me, it was-” “Is this payback for beating you in Mortal Kombat again, or did ya really think Ah couldn’t get a date on my own?” Applejack asked she cracked her knuckles. “How did you even know we were here?” Soul asked. “Ah can hear someone eating popcorn,” Applejack replied. Twilight and Soul then glared at Sonata. “What? I was hungry,” Sonata countered. “Applejack, please! Let’s talk about this like reasonable adu- GHAAA!” Applejack grabbed Soul by the throat in a heartbeat. She then used her other hand to grab Soul’s belt and throw him over her head and into a nearby round garbage bin. Soul’s legs were wiggling around while he was trying to get of the bin. Applejack titled the bin on the side and kicked it. The bin was rolling fast as Soul let out a terrified scream down the mall. Applejack patted her hands together with satisfaction and went back over to the girls and Swift for a moment. “Ah’m going to head back home now,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll see y’all later.” All of a sudden, there was a loud banging sound that came off in the distance which let Applejack know that Soul had stopped rolling around in the bin. With that, Applejack made her way towards the exit of the building. Just as Applejack left the building, Sunset got out of her chair and went to see if Soul was okay. There was a moment of silence between the girls as Sonata walked over to them while Twilight decided to go with Sunset to help. “Well, that was…. more than I expected would happen,” Rarity commented. “But nevertheless, Applejack has her date and hopefully she will want to go on more afterwards. Now we just have to make sure that everything goes well on their date.” “You want me to get details on how Thunderlane should go out with Applejack?” Swift asked. “That would be most helpful, Swift,” Rarity said. “Alright, I need all of you to be ready this Saturday. Everything must go great!” Far from the others, Soul was moaning in pain as he laid inside the bin with his legs stuck out. A few people stood around as they were wondering what was going on while others simply ignored it and moved on with their business. Sunset and Twilight ran over to Soul and carefully pulled him out of the trash bin. The two kneeled on one side of Soul as they held him up. “Soul, are you okay?” Sunset asked concernedly. “How many fingers am I holding up?” she asked as she only held up three fingers. Soul looked at the fingers for a moment as his eyes twirled around before replying. “One cheeseburger, a large fry and a large coke,” he said. Sunset looked up at Twilight with an arched brow. “......Close enough,” Twilight commented. “Come on, let’s get you back over by the table and we’ll get that cheeseburger.” “And a large coke,” Soul added. “Yes, and the large fries,” Sunset said. “No, I said a large fry,” Soul said. Sunset rolled her eyes and Twilight let out an irritated sigh while they helped Soul walk back towards their table. While the two made their way, the crowd moved along with their business. Two teens stood there for a moment as they watched the three walk away and the janitor picking up and cleaning the mess. One of the teens was a young man with black hair and grey skin with bright yellow eyes, while next to him was a young girl with sky blue eyes, silver skin and a dark blue pigtail. “What the heck do you think that was about?” the girl asked. “I don’t know, but I think it might be a better idea not ask,” the boy said. “Although, I have to admit that girl with the glasses is pretty cute.” “Really, Zero?” “What? I call them like I see them,” Zero said. “Ready to head back, Wind?” “Yeah, I’m ready,” Wind replied. The two made their way out while Soul got his cheeseburger. But he wasn’t happy that he had more than one fry, although he was glad he did later when his head was better. > Chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shipping the Apple - Part 3 Applejack sighed as she laid in her bed. It was early Saturday morning and she dreaded the day it would come. A few days ago, she agreed to go out with Thunderlane because of a bet that she made with Rarity. Because of that bet, Thunderlane had unexpectedly asked her out and she had no choice but to go along with it. She cursed herself for even making the bet in the first place. When she had thought about it, it was clearly a trap from the beginning, and she shouldn’t have fallen for it. Luckily for her she made the person responsible pay dearly for it, which she was happy about. Applejack gave up trying to stay in bed all day trying to come up with an excuse to not go with Thunderlane. As much as she hated to go on a date she didn’t want to go to, she wasn’t going to just leave Thunderlane like that. After all, they have been good friends and she didn’t want to make him feel bad about the whole thing. As far as she could tell, he was just as forced into this as she was. She got out of bed and changed out of her pajamas. She looked through all the outfits that she had while wearing her green bra and panties with red laces. She experimented with her outfits for a moment, which she got from seeing Rarity trying out new outfits every time she and her friends went out to the mall or some other store. Finally she picked out her outfit and put it on. She wore a blue plaid shirt with blue jeans along with her usual boots. She grabbed her stetson and placed it over her head. She looked in the mirror for a moment before she smiled at herself. ‘Ah might not be into this whole dating thing, but at least Ah can still pull off a good look,’ she thought to herself. ‘Ah just hope Thunderlane understands that Ah’m not going to put on those outfits that other country girls like to. Ah like to keep all of my privates covered as best Ah can. Ah don’t need to show off my ‘assets’ as Rarity puts it to impress a guy.’ After examining herself, Applejack left her room and went downstairs to help Granny Smith get breakfast ready for the family. When breakfast was ready and the family had gathered around to eat, Apple Bloom looked over to Applejack with a sly smile. “So big sis, are ya ready for your big date with Thunderlane today?” Apple Bloom asked with a grin. Applejack groaned. “It’s not a date. We’re just going out together as friends,” Applejack replied. “So don’t get any ideas.” “Oh Applejack, there’s no need to get nervous,” Granny Smith said. “It’s perfectly normal for a young girl like ya to go out with a guy.” “Ah’m not going on a date with Thunderlane!” Applejack insisted. “Ah explained to you that it was because of a bet that Soul set up with the others, and because of that, Ah’m going to wherever he’s taking me and missin’ out on some much needed work around here.” “Um, Ah hate to put ya on the spot, Applejack, but we don’t really have that much to do around here,” Big Mac said. “The animals are being taken care of, the fields are in good condition and all the apple trees are being picked by all the workers that Granny Smith hired. It’s been a simple summer actually.” “Because Ah’ve been keeping it that way,” Applejack stated. “Ah make sure everyone gets the job done and Ah do most of work around here anyway.” Big Mac rolled his eyes. “And one day of not doing any of it wouldn’t damper all that,” he said. “It’s okay to take just one day to yourself.” “But Ah also can’t get tied up in a relationship either. There’s still school work Ah have to fini-” “Ah’m pretty sure ya can date someone and still have good grades,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Bell tells me that she caught her sister and her boyfriend actually studying together while they were making out.” Applejack blinked. “Wait, they really do that?” she asked herself. “That was just a random comment Ah made. Anyways, and there’s always the farm that-” “Oh, don’t get started on that,” Granny Smith. “Your pappy and mother helped out on the farm and they still had time to make ya three.” Everyone in the room blushed. “Now stop making excuses and just have a nice time with the fella. Who knows? Maybe you might end up liking him,” Granny Smith said. “Now let’s enjoy breakfast and see where the day takes us.” Applejack let out a sigh and covered her face. “This is gonna be a long day,” she said to herself. “And stop putting your elbows on the table. It’s bad manners,” Granny Smith said. Applejack stood in front of the mall entrance as she waited on Thunderlane. She had arrived a bit early hoping to get it over with and that it would be a short date. She had nothing against Thunderlane, but he did have a reputation of being a bit of show-off like Rainbow Dash. She wished that she wasn’t doing this and was back home doing work on the farm which she loved to do, but she was still determined to get this bet out of the way and act like it never happened. She leaned against the wall of the building as she waited until she heard a motorcycle approaching. Thunderlane was driving the motorcycle with his sunglasses on and pulled it to a stop, coming up towards the edge of the sidewalk. He looked up at Applejack with a smile and removed his glasses. “Hey there, pretty lady. Are you ready to go on the best date ever?” Thunderlane asked cooly. Applejack rolled her eyes at his comment, though she liked being called pretty. “Yes, Ah’m ready, but let me make a couple things clear about all this,” she said. “One: We’re not going to call this a date. As far as Ah can tell, it’s just us going as friends together.” “Alright, I’m cool with that.” “And two: You try anything funny, the next thing you’ll be seeing is my fist to your face. And then later, Big Mac’s.” Thunderlane gulped. “G-Got it,” he said nervously. “I guess since we’re going to be doing this, I should probably tell you who set me up for this.” “Oh, don’t worry about that. Ah made Soul pay for that already,” Applejack said. “What? I thought it was all Rarity’s idea?” Thunderlane asked. “If I remember right, Soul was just along for the ride.” Applejack had a blank expression for a moment before she cringed as she remembered what she did to Soul at the mall. ‘Oh boy, am Ah going to get it when Aunt Dawn and Granny Smith hear about this,’ she thought to herself. ‘Great, now Ah have to suck it up to Soul just to get him to accept my apology.’ “Anyway, wanna get going?” Thunderlane asked. “Wait, Ah thought we were just doing something at the mall?” Applejack asked confusedly. “Nope, I just wanted to meet up here. There’s somewhere else better I thought you would like. I can give you a ride there,” Thunderlane explained. “Unless, you prefer to just drive your truck there?” Applejack thought about it for a moment and decided to just humor Thunderlane for the time. “Alright, Ah’ll play along,” she said. “Better make it worth it.” “Trust me, it’ll be worth it,” Thunderlane assured. Applejack jumped on the back of Thunderlane’s motorcycle and wrapped her arms around him. He revved up the bike and drove it up the street. After driving around town, Thunderlane and Applejack were near the edge of town and up ahead of them was a carnival. Just as Applejack was still holding onto her hat, she saw the carnival and had a surprised look on her. Thunderlane slowed down his bike and parked it. He then looked back at Applejack. “Here we are. What do you think?” he asked. “Huh, a carnival. Ah really didn’t expect that,” Applejack commented. “Well, I thought it would be the best choice for our first dat-” Thunderlane was about to finish when Applejack gave him a glare. “I mean eh, our first social gathering of just the two of us.” “Do ya always make an effort to impress girls likes this?” Applejack asked. “Only the ones I like….. or fear, whichever comes first,” Thunderlane joked. Applejack giggled. “Ah hoped Ah’m on the like list,” she commented. “Don’t worry, you are,” Thunderlane said. “Yeah, you did threatened to beat me up if I tried anything, but I don’t blame you. Not that many trustworthy guys nowadays.” “Ah do trust ya, Thunderlane. That was just for insurance,” Applejack said. “So, ya wanna head on in now?” “Of course, want me to lead the way?” Thunderlane asked as he held out his arm. Applejack smiled. “Since ya asked nicely,” she replied. Applejack wrapped her arm around Thunderlane’s arm and the two walked into the carnival. Unknow to Applejack, Rarity and a few of the others were following them in individual rides. Clyde drove his car with Rarity in the passenger seat with Rivet and Rainbow Dash, Swift drove his mom’s car while Pinkie sat in the passenger seat with Fluttershy and Night in the back, and Soul was driving his motorcycle with Sunset wrapping her arms around him. Everyone got out of their cars and motorcycle and huddled together. “Alright, everyone has their walkies with them that Twilight gave us, right?” Rarity asked the group. “Got mine,” Rainbow Dash said. “Me too,” Swift said. “I have mine,” Night said. “I’m carrying it for Soul because he almost lost it on the way here,” Sunset commented. “One time. I almost lost it one time on the way here,” Soul said. “I didn’t know it was going to be a long ride here and it barely fell out of my pocket.” “Barely? It pretty much fell right out of there and we almost got into a wreck because of it,” Sunset said. “You’re just lucky that I have good reflexes.” “Which, by the way, I am very impressed by,” Soul commented. “Can we please focus?” Rarity asked. “Now, what we’re going to be doing is making sure that Applejack’s date goes so well that she would love to go out with Thunderlane some more, and hopefully they’ll be a couple from then on.” “I’m still against this,” Night commented. “And I’m still mad at you for putting me in the closet.” “I thought it was necessary since you were planning on telling Applejack,” Rarity retorted. “Was it also necessary to leave me there for the whole night!?” Night angrily countered. “It wasn’t my fault for that. Soul was supposed to go back and get you,” Rarity pointed out. “Yeah, tell the guy who had a concussion after being thrown into a trash can and spun around the mall to go after one of his friends who you locked up in the closet,” Soul commented. “I don’t see any flaws in that whatsoever. I don’t know why you didn’t send Clyde to do it.” “I needed him.” “What, to have another make-out session? Rainbow is right, you do need more hobbies.” “Finally, someone agrees with me,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Shut up!” Rarity snapped. “Nice come back, Rarity,” Soul chuckled. “You shut up too!” “WHAA!” Soul slightly winced back at Rarity’s retort. “Anyways, just keep a close eye on them and make sure everything goes well. Radio me about their progress.” “What if we get lost?” Pinkie asked. “That’s why we’re going here as couples. We can cover more ground that way and notify the others where they are and where the two are heading,” Rarity explained. “And I’ll give out advice and how to make sure this goes how we need it to go. Does anyone else have any questions?” “Yeah, can we have fun here too?” Soul asked. “I’ve never gone out with Sunny here to a carnival and-” “No, we’re here to make sure that Applejack’s date goes where we need it to go!” Rarity replied. “No goofing off while we’re here. That goes double for you, Pinkie.” “Oh, come on! Don’t call me out like that!” Pinkie said. “And that goes triple for you, Clyde.” “Wait, what?” “I need you to keep your urges together and stay focused,” Rarity said. “I know that you want some of these lips, but we need to stay focused for Applejack.” ‘I’m pretty sure I’m not the one with the biggest urges in the relationship,’ Clyde thought to himself. “Whatever you say.” “Good, now everyone let’s head in and cover some areas,” Rarity said. Everyone made their way towards the entrance of the carnival while Soul and Sunset walked along behind them. Sunset looked at Soul with a raised brow. “Are we planning to ditch this the moment we get in?” she asked. “Yep,” Soul simply replied. “I don’t want to end up in a trash can again.” “Okay. I have no problem with that,” Sunset said. “What do you wanna do first then?” “I was thinking we can go on the ferris wheel. You know if by chance we end up at the very top and the ride breaks down for a moment, we can totally make out,” Soul explained. “..... Soul, I’m pretty sure we’ll be making out the whole time while it works,” Sunset pointed out. “And the rides are constantly checked on. What makes you think that the ride would break down when we get to the top?” “I just have that kind of luck,” Soul replied. Sunset rolled her eyes. Thunderlane and Applejack were walking around the carnival as they looked at all the rides and games that it had to offer. As they were walking around, Pinkie and Swift were closely watching them. Pinkie was wearing only a moustache and thick fake glasses as her disguise. Swift looked over to Pinkie with a raised brow. “Um, why are you wearing those again?” Swift asked. “Duh, to keep Applejack from finding out,” Pinkie answered. “I don’t know why you’re not wearing anything to disguise yourself.” “Pinkie, I can still tell that’s you,” Swift commented. “Of course you can, you just saw me put on my disguise.” “I know, but that’s not what I meant. Applejack could still tell that it’s you,” Swift pointed out. “Really? How?” Swift’s eyes were half-lid as he looked over at Pinkie. She still had her fuzzy pink hair like she always did and was wearing her usual outfit. Swift placed a hand over his face and let out a sigh. “I don’t even know where to start,” Swift commented. “Pinkie, Swift, can you hear me?” Rarity’s voice called out. Swift reached into his pockets and pulled out the walkie. “Yeah, we’re here,” he replied. “Do you see Applejack and Thunderlane anywhere?” Rarity asked. “Yep, they’re right in front of us,” Swift said. “We don’t see anything wrong yet so it looks like it's going good.” “Good, keep me posted,” Rarity said. “Will do.” “Oh! Swifty, look!” Pinkie pointed. Swift looked at what Pinkie was pointing at and saw a building. There was a sign that said “House of Mirrors” on it. “We should go and check it out real quick!” Pinkie chimed. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t we be keeping an eye on Applejack and Thunderlane?” Swift asked. “We’ll be in and out in no time,” Pinkie said. “And look, they’re standing there and looking around. They might leave just as we get back.” Swift looked at Applejack and Thunderlane for a moment before looking back at Pinkie and smiling. “Okay, we’ll go in and check it out,” he said. “Woo hoo!” Pinkie grabbed Swift by the arm and pulled him into the mirror house. Applejack and Thunderlane were looking around the carnival as they were deciding what they should do. “What do you wanna do first?” Thunderlane asked. “Ah prefer we do all the rides first,” Applejack replied. “That way, we don’t get sick because of all the food we’ll be eating and most of the games here are stuff ya have to carry around.” “That sounds like a good idea,” Thunderlane said. The two left for the rides while Pinkie and Swift were still in the mirror house. Pinkie was looking at a mirror that was standing still while she was still moving. Swift looked at the mirror with a confused look. Time had passed by and Thunderlane and Applejack were standing in line for one of the rides. While they were waiting, Night and Fluttershy were watching from a bench that was far off. Night had a bored expression on him as he leaned down to rest his head in his hands while Fluttershy hummed a tone to herself as she was texting a friend. “Hey, who you are texting?” Night asked. “I’m texting a good friend of mine when I went to the last Butterfly Migration,” Fluttershy replied. “Her name is Tree Hugger and she really loves nature like I do. We met there and we started talking about our interests in nature. One thing led to another and we became fast friends.” “I’m glad that you made a friend that has the same interests as you,” Night said. He looked around the carnival for a moment before seeing one of the spinning rides that twirled around in circles. “You know, since Applejack and Thunderlane are waiting in line, how about we go and get on that ride for a moment?” Fluttershy looked over to the ride that Night was looking at and glanced back in worry. “Um, shouldn’t we be more focused on watching Applejack?” she asked. “Plus, I think it’s scary.” “Don’t worry about it. It’s safe,” Night said. “Come on, we’ll give it one go and be back to watching Applejack as she forcibly goes on a date.” “W-Well, I guess I can give it try,” Fluttershy said. “Will they let us hold hands in there?” “I think they let you,” Night replied. “O-Okay then.” Night took Fluttershy’s hand and the made their way off, unaware of Applejack's and Thunderlane’s conversation. “Mmmmm, the ride here is taking too long. Maybe we should go to another ride or something,” Applejack suggested. “That might be a good idea,” Thunderlane said. “Wanna try out some of the food right now? We’ve pretty much ridden everything anyway.” “Alright, Ah’m getting hungry anyway,” Applejack said. “So, what do ya do for y’all spare time?” “I like to keep myself busy all the time. You know, keeping my bike clean and tinkering with it. I guess pretty much anything really,” Thunderlane replied. “I guess you can say I’m kinda a workaholic too since I always keep myself busy at my job at the theaters.” “Hehe, yeah, Ah know what ya mean. Ah always keep myself busy at the farm, wither there’s something to do or not. Ah’ll always find something to do there,” Applejack said. “But Ah do find time to be with my friends whenever they want me to tag along or go out to somewhere.” “Pretty much the same for me. Whenever any of my friends wants me to come over, I’ll pretty much be ready to go,” Thunderlane said. “Tell you the truth, I thought that we didn’t have much in common, but the more I spend time with you, the more I realize that we do.” Applejack scratched the back of her head and smiled. “Ah hate to admit, but I felt the same thing too about you until after a while,” she admitted. “Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad.” Thunderlane smiled at Applejack while she blushed slightly as the two walked. As they walked, they were unaware that Rainbow Dash and Rivet were nearby as Rainbow Dash was playing one of the dart balloon games nearby and was winning at it. She carefully aimed her dart at one of the balloons and threw at it. The balloon popped as the dart landed on it and Rainbow Dash air pumped in victory. “HA! I knew I could beat this game in ten seconds flat,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, what do I get?” “You can choose from one of the bigger prizes here,” the counter worker replied. “Awesome, I’ll take the Zapp one,” Rainbow Dash said. “Here you go miss.” The worker gave Rainbow Dash the Power Girl Zapp plush doll. Rainbow Dash held the doll in her arms and looked at Rivet with a toothy smile. “Woo hoo! I got the Zapp doll!” Rainbow Dash chimed. “I wonder what else I could get here?” “Shouldn’t we be watching out for Applejack and Thunderlane?” Rivet asked. “What, and listen to Miss I-Suck-Too-Much-Clyde-Lips? No thanks. If she thinks we’re all going to miss out here at the carnival with only two weeks before school, she can forget it,” Rainbow Dash said. “So stop worrying about her and Applejack and let’s have some fun!” “I don’t know-” “If you do this, I’ll give you a special reward tonight,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Rivet with bedroom eyes. Rivet pursed his lips as he blushed. “..... So, what do you wanna do next?” he asked. Rainbow Dash looking around for a moment until she saw a booth that was selling apple cider. Her eyes widened with joy and stars appeared when she saw one of the most awesomest drinks in the world. “I have to have some of those!” she said as she ran over to the booth with Rivet following behind her. On the other side of the carnival, Rarity was trying to get a hold of some of the others as she either got a somewhat unsatisfactory answer or was completely ignored. “Swift, Pinkie, are you there?” Rarity asked with her walkie. “Oh uh, hey Rarity,” Swift answered. “We’re um, we lost sight of Applejack and Thunderlane. There was a um large crowd that we got caught in and we somehow ended up at the mirror house for….. Pinkie, how long have we been here?” “I think about an hour.” “Yeah, about an hour,” Swift added. Rarity slapped herself in the forehead. “Alright, let’s try someone else,” she said to herself as Clyde’s rolled. “Night and Fluttershy, are you there?” She didn’t get any response as there was only static. “Rainbow Dash, Rivet, please tell me you’re on here?” There was no response and she only heard more static. “Oh, for crying out- Sunset! Are you and Soul there!?” “Huh, what? Oh um, hey Rarity, what do you need?” Soul asked. “Soul, please tell me you know where Applejack and Thunderlane are?” “Um, give me a moment,” Soul replied. There was a long pause as Rarity waited for Soul to answer her. After a few moments, Rarity could hear the walkie being turned on. “Yeah, I think I see them near some of the carnival games on the east side. You can’t miss them, there’s not that many people over there,” Soul replied. “Good, stay on them and tell me everything you-” “Yeah, that’s the problem. Sunny and I are…. kinda in a jam right now.” “What do you mean?” “Well, we uh, decided to find them in the ferris wheel so we could keep track. But we had a little problem.” “The ferris wheel just broke down for a moment and we’re stuck up here,” Sunset said. “Now we can’t go anywhere.” “Look at the bright side.” “What bright side!?” “We’re at the very top and the sun is setting,” Soul pointed out. “Isn’t that very romantic?” “.....Well, it kinda is,” Sunset admitted. All of a sudden, Rarity heard smacking noises on her walkie. “Wait, what’s going on?” she asked into the walkie. After she realized what was going on, she let out groan and turned off her walkie. “That is so annoying! Who in heavens would just make out while something like this is going on?” ‘I can think of two people who do that,’ Clyde thought to himself. ‘Wow, I’m beginning to think that Dash is right. We do need more hobbies.’ “Come along, Clyde. Looks like we have to make sure that everything- Oh my goodness, is that a love tunnel?” Clyde pursed his lips as he looked ahead to see the love tunnel ride. “Yeah, it is. But didn’t you say that we need to keep an eye on Applejack?” he asked. “Y-Yes, we should focus on that…. Just as soon as we go on one ride together,” Rarity said as she grabbed Clyde’s hand. “Let’s hurry before the line gets too long.” Clyde smiled. “Of course,” he said before he went along with Rarity towards the ride. Just as Rarity and Clyde were getting in line, on the other side of the carnival, Thunderlane and Applejack were walking around as she was carrying a small stuffed bear. Thunderlane won it for her when he played one of the stall games that had the player throw a baseball at some bottles. As the two walked around, Thunderlane looked at his phone for a moment and saw that it was getting late. “Wow, we’ve been out here for hours,” Thunderlane commented. “I didn’t think we’d be out here that long.” “Well, it is a big carnival and there is a lot of folks that came here. And those lines for the rides took forever just to get to,” Applejack explained. “But yeah, time did fly by fast.” “So, do you wanna head back to the mall? I’m guessing you’re tired of all this just like I am,” Thunderlane said. “Yeah, Ah am. Ah’m ready to head back home,” Applejack replied. “Alright, let’s go,” Thunderlane said. After that, Thunderlane and Applejack left the carnival unbeknown to the others, who still were having fun at the carnival. After waiting for a long while, Soul and Sunset finally climbed out of the ferris wheel cabin and walked out while Soul straightened out his jacket and Sunset patted her skirt. “Well, that’s what I call an intense make out,” Soul commented. “Nothing like kissing the one you love while being up several dozen feet in the air to make the experience more passionate.” Sunset giggled. “It really was exciting, I’ll admit,” she said. “But can you at least have been a little less handsy?” “Sorry, I was a little too into the kissing,” Soul replied. “But you could have stopped it, you know.” “Well…… Okay, fine. Maybe I wanted you to be a little handsy,” Sunset admitted as she crossed her arms and blushed. “But don’t think that means you can do what you want with me.” “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that you wouldn’t like,” Soul said. “Besides, there’s still other things I can do with you anyway.” “Oh yeah, like what?” Sunset asked in a sultry tone. “Maybe, something like this,” Soul said. He leaned to Sunset and kissed her passionately for a moment. Just as the two had stopped their kiss, Soul noticed both Night and Fluttershy walking up towards them as they were shaking constantly with terrified looks. “What the heck happen to you two?” “We went on one of those spinning rides. A corn dog bone got trapped in the controls and we were in there for about four hours,” Night answered. “Since when did corn dogs have bones!?” “So you guys pretty much dipped out of this spy thing, did you?” Soul asked. “I don’t blame you. This whole thing was dumb anyway.” “Tell me about it,” Rainbow Dash said as she and Rivet were walking up to the group. Rainbow Dash was only holding her Zapp doll while Rivet was holding on to all of the other prizes that she had won from the games and was having difficulty hold them. “I think this whole dating idea was a bad idea from the start. I don’t know why we did this in the first place.” “Hey guys,” Swift said as he and Pinkie walked up to the group. “I’m going to guess you guys got caught up in all of this too, right?” “Yeah, pretty much,” Rivet said. “I think it’s clear that we don’t really like to spy on people while we’re at a carnival. Too much temptation.” “You think Clyde and Rarity were able to keep themselves under control?” Soul asked. On cue, they saw Clyde and Rarity coming out of the end of the love tunnel and watched them walk out of the boat. While the two were gazing into each other's eyes, they stopped to realize that they were being watched by the others as most of them had sly smiles on their faces. Rarity blushed and cleared her throat. “Well, I suppose we didn’t find Applejack and Thunderlane in there,” she said. “And I’m disappointed in all of you! We were supposed to make something magical happen, but you all gave in to your self desires and-” “Rarity, we know that you just went into the love tunnel just to make out with Clyde,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s no need to act like it’s entirely our fault….. Although, it’s mostly your fault that we ended up here anyway.” Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash for a moment before she took a breath. “Alright, do we know where Applejack and Thunderlane are now?” she asked. “I think I saw them leave already,” Swift said. “It has been hours. You think they had a good time?” “Yeah, I bet they had a good time, and I think I know what Applejack is going to say to Thunderlane,” Soul said. “What, do you think she’ll ask Thunderlane out for another date?” Rarity asked with anticipation. It was getting near dark as the sun was beginning to disappear from sight and the stars could be seen in the coming night sky. The parking lot was almost completely empty except for a few cars and Applejack’s pickup. Thunderlane drove his bike up close to the pickup and parked next to it. Applejack climbed off the bike and stretched for a moment before looking back to Thunderlane with a smile. “That turned out better than Ah expected,” Applejack commented. “Ah kinda thought all our friends would be spying on us or something.” Thunderlane let out a chuckle. “Yeah, I thought the same, but I didn’t see any of them,” he said. “Maybe they did but we just didn’t see them.” “Or maybe they got too caught up with everything that was going on at the carnival,” Applejack said as she laughed. “Anyways, Ah really had fun today with ya.” “Glad to hear it,” Thunderlane said. There was a long awkward pause between the two. Thunderlane rubbed the back of his head and broke the silence. “So…. You wanna try going out again? Without being forced into it this time?” Applejack giggled at the joke and thought about it. She did have a lot in common with Thunderlane and he was a sweet guy winning her the teddy bear. But she contemplated having to go back to school soon and all the farm work she had to do. Was she ready to start giving dating a shot? Did she really have the time to do so the whole time during her high school years and just was making excuses? After she went over everything that had happened and what possible outcomes it would have, she looked up at Thunderlane with a sad smile. “Ah’m sorry, Thunderlane. Ah do like ya but…. Ah still don’t think Ah’m ready to give dating a shot yet,” she said. Thunderlane smiled and let out a chuckle. “Alright, had to try anyway. I did have a lot of fun with you,” he said. “How about we just hang out as friends from here on, you know? Not put any labels on anything between us.” “Ah think Ah like that idea,” Applejack said. “No hard feelings?” “No hard feelings,” Thunderlane replied. “I kinda expected it anyway.” Applejack giggled. “Yeah, Ah bet ya did,” she said. “Well, see ya later.” “Later.” Thunderlane revved up his bike and drove off. Applejack watched as Thunderlane drove off until he disappeared from sight. She let out a relieved sigh and smiled at her decision. “Ah don’t know if Ah’ll ever meet the right guy for me,” she said. “But when the time comes, it’ll be me that makes the choice. No one else makes it for me.” Applejack climbed into her pickup truck and drove back towards her home, confident and satisfied with her choice. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE ISN’T GOING TO DO THIS ANYMORE!?” Rarity screamed at Soul as she wrapped her hands around his throat. “WHY WOULDN’T SHE!?” “Can’t…. breathe!” Soul said as Rarity choked him. “Would you let go of my boyfriend!?” Sunset said. She grabbed Rarity’s hand and made her let go of Soul and slightly pushed her away from him. “Sheesh, he just told you no and you’re trying to kill him!” “And he’s telling me that all of our efforts were fruitless!” Rarity retorted. “Days of planning and all the trouble we had to go through.” “I think Night and Soul were the ones that received the worst of all this,” Rivet commented. “You know, you locking Night in a closet at the cafe and Soul being thrown into a trash bin and tossed around in the mall. Unless of course, we’re also counting Night and Fluttershy being trapped in the spizler.” “Alright, I’ll admit that I may have gone a little overboard with this,” Rarity admitted. “A little?” “SHUT UP!” Rarity yelled at Rivet. She covered her mouth quickly and blushed from her outburst. “I’m sorry. That was uncouth of me to do.” “That’s okay,” Rivet said. “You did invest a lot of time into this after all.” “So Soul, what makes you think that Applejack wouldn’t go along with this?” Clyde asked. “I mean, they did have a good time and everything. Why would she not go out with Thunderlane again?” “Because it wasn’t her choice to begin with,” Soul answered. “I mean, we did force her to go out with Thunderlane and she just hates to be forced into something she doesn't like. She always wants to do things her way. I just didn’t think about all this until we got here.” “Why didn’t you say anything until now?” Swift asked. “I wanted to see how Rarity would react to this. It was funny,” Soul replied as he chuckled. “Plus this whole thing was bad from the start anyway. Why we all did this is a mystery to me.” “Yeah, it’s almost like a certain author was writing down all of this just so he could have Applejack finally have someone in the story, but some of his fellow authors that made their own stories about us didn’t like where the story was heading because the whole thing seemed forced and the author began to see that and wasn’t liking it either, so, he decided to go along with it until he got to where Applejack and Thunderlane are saying goodbye and having her say that still doesn't feel like she's ready and makes her a powerful character because she wants it to be her choice of who she wants to go out with,” Pinkie explained. “....... Okay. Pinkie, seriously, what the hell are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. It was the next day and Rarity was at her home sleeping peacefully in her bed. She heard the doorbell ring and ignored it as her parents would more than likely get it while she tried to stay asleep. Just as she thought she was about to go back to sleep, she heard some footsteps coming her way and believed that the door was opening. She let out a huff as she got up to see who it was. “Sweetie Belle, how many times must I tell you to just leave the mail outside of-” Rarity stopped when she saw that it was Applejack standing at the doorway. “Applejack!? W-What you doing here?” “Ah thought Ah would come by and give you something,” Applejack replied. “You know, something to make sure ya never trick me into going out again by force.” Rarity sat up in her bed and waved her hands in a worried manner. “Applejack, please! I’m sure we can just talk about this in a proper way without resorting to childish-” “Would ya relax? Ah’m not going to do anything too bad,” Applejack said. “Then…. What are you going to do?” “Give you this,” Applejack said as she pulled out a bottle of shampoo from her bag. “It’s-” “Oh my goodness! Is that some of Sapphire Shores’ famous shampoo!?” Rarity asked with awe. “But they only sell them in small quantities at a time and they cost so much. How did you get it?” “Granny Smith used to be friends with her when they were little,” Applejack replied. “She would send in a few of these every now and again. She pretty much has at least a whole crate full of them now.” “How come you never gave me any of them?” Rarity asked. “I’ve talked about having them for so long and you had a crate full of them!” “That’s because Granny doesn't like to share the shampoo so much,” Applejack answered. “But Ah convinced her to give me a couple of them and Ah’m willing to give them to ya if ya never ever ever make me go on a date unless Ah want to.” “Yes! Yes! I promise that I will never force you to go on dates anymore,” Rarity swore. “I Pinkie Promise it as well!” “Good. Here ya go.” Applejack handed the shampoo over to Rarity and she squealed with excitement. “Oh! I must try this out now!” Rarity said. “I’ll be a while, if you don’t mind.” “That’s okay, Ah’m on my way out anyway,” Applejack said as she exited the room. “Hope ya enjoy the shampoo.” As soon as Applejack left the room, Rarity quickly removed her clothes, ran over to the bathroom, and closed the door. Applejack heard the shower being started and a devious smile appeared on her face as she walked down the hallway. After some time had passed in the shower, Rarity slid her shower door open and reached over to grab her towel. After she used it to wipe herself, she casually walked over to the mirror with the fog still over it while she wrapped her towel around her body. She was singing a small tune to herself as she wiped away the fog off the mirror. At first she was smiling with delight as she was excited to see how her hair would look. Then it turned into a blank expression for a moment before her eyes shrank with horror and she let out a scream of terror. Rarity’s once glorious purple hair was now a bright color of green—a color she most despised with a passion. Her eyes were streaming with tears and she slowly lowered herself on the ground. “WHY APPLEJACK!? WWWHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?” > Chapter 11 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Making a Decision The sun raised high up in the air over the farmlands of Sweet Apple Acres. The large field of apple trees were healthy, the animals were content in their little pens and Granny Smith herself was sleeping peacefully on her front porch. Apple Bloom was sweeping the dust off of the front porch while Big Mac was fiddling with his truck. Out on the large field, Applejack was riding on one of the family’s horses. The horse galloped as Applejack held on tight to the bridle as she was taking it out on its daily exercise. After a moment of galloping, Applejack slowed the horse down until they came to a full stop. She looked over to the entire field of the farm and smiled at all of what her family’s ancestors had done to make it and what her current family have been preserving. Trotting alongside, Sunset was steering another of the family’s horse while Soul was riding on the back and had his arms wrapped around her. The two stopped next to Applejack and watched out at the fields as she was. “It’s so incredible that your family has this much land,” Sunset commented. “It must be a fortune to have gotten all of this.” “Ya think that, but it didn’t for our great grandpa,” Applejack said. “It was way back when Granny was just a little girl and her dad and mother were asked to come down to this part of town to start up a farm. There was need for more farms at the time and the city needed plenty of food and supplies that only a farm could supply. Eventually our family started up here and ever since, we’ve been one of the most profitable farms in the whole state.” “Makes me wonder why we’re not millionaires,” Soul commented. “It cost a lot to maintain a farm, cuz. We can’t just have a farm here and make a lot of money just like that. Plus, we need to hire folks around to keep up with demands that are needed to get everything harvested and shipped out,” Applejack explained. “And Granny Smith is a billionaire. We don’t inherit any of it until she’s gone.” “Wait, what?” “Anyways, Ah’m glad ya two came here for a visit,” Applejack said. “Things have been kinda slow for a while and with everyone else spending time together what with school coming in a few days, Ah was beginning to get bored.” “We were glad to come here, Applejack. It’s always fun to come here and ride your family horses,” Sunset said. “And just being here is so relaxing. The fresh air, the clear skies-” “The benefits of riding the back of the horse with your best girl,” Soul added with a sly smile. “I think that one is the best of all of them.” Sunset giggled while Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well, there is that but I was also going to say that I’m glad to have such a sweet loving boyfriend with me,” Sunset said. “Who I love with me heart.” “And with all mine too,” Soul said before he leaned down and kissed Sunset on the lips. The two were sharing a tender moment while Applejack only made a fake gag face but smiled at the two. “So, Soul? Ya still not having hard feelings about me throwing ya in the trash can, right?” Applejack asked. “I was at first but when I heard what you did to Rarity, I thought it was a good idea to forgive than to receive having green hair,” Soul replied. “Also, I thought that was funny. Clyde told me about it after he had a phone call from her and he had to comfort her for more than two days. I feel bad for the girl but Rarity did bring this on herself.” “Ah just wanted to make it clear that Ah wasn’t interested in dating anytime soon and made some insurance of it,” Applejack said. “Ah do plan on having a man someday in my life but just not anytime soon.” “Plus, you’ll more than likely end up with a lazy, good-for-nothing guy anyway, so might as well enjoy what good life you’ll have before that happens,” Soul commented with a wicked smile. Applejack let out a low growl before she let out a whistle to the couple's horse. The horse suddenly stood on its hind legs as it waved it frontal ones in the air. Sunset held onto the bridle as she best she could but unfortunately for Soul, he wasn’t grabbing around Sunset at the moment and fell down to ground on his head. He then tumbled on his stomach and groaned in pain. Applejack smiled with satisfaction as she trotted away with her horse while Sunset’s horse was back on all four hooves. Sunset watched Applejack trot away before looking back down at Soul with a raised brow. “Did you think it was a good idea to insult your cousin’s love life while we were riding on one of her horses?” Sunset asked with a raised brow. “Augh….. Not anymore,” Soul replied weakly. Both Sunset and Soul were back at his home after their time at Sweet Apple Acres and and bandaging up Soul’s head. The two laid quietly on Soul’s bed as they enjoyed the others company. Soul was looking up at the ceiling thinking he was the luckiest guy in the world while the girl of his dreams laid next to him while she had her head on his shoulder. He had his right hand under his head for comfort his slight headache while he had his entire left arm wrapped around Sunset and their hands interlocked with each other. Soul looked down to see Sunset having her eyes closed but knew she wasn’t asleep because she was feeling very happy being with the young man she loves. Soul repositioned himself to his side just so he could be able to gaze at Sunset herself. She noticed this and gazed back into his serene blue eyes and warmly smiled at him. She leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his. She adjusted herself to be on her side like Soul did. Sunset wrapped her arms around Soul’s neck and closed what little gap was between the two. She let out small moans of pleasure as she felt Soul rubbing her back gently like she likes it while he was stroking through her hair. After for a while, the two stopped and there was moment of silence until Sunset spoke. “Hey, Babe? Can I… ask you about something?” “Of course, Sunny. What do you need?” “Well, lately I’ve been having a lot of things on my mind. About, you know, you’re mom having another baby in a few months, getting Applejack to go out with someone and about how our relationship has been going,” Sunset explained. “I want to say first that I love you and I want to do anything to prove that to you.” “Sunny, you don’t have to do anything for me,” Soul said with a warm smile. “As long as you’re my girl and best friend, you don’t have to do anything for me to prove that.” “I know, but just hear me out, Okay?” Sunset asked before she took a moment to breath. “Soul, I’ve been thinking for a long while about us and… well.... I was hoping we could try taking it to the next level.” Soul’s expression turned blank for a moment. He was trying to understand what Sunset meant by ‘the next level’ and the only thing he could think of was something that would make him hesitate. Steeling himself for what's to come, he look at Sunset with serious expression and spoke up. “What do you mean ‘the next level?’” he asked. Sunset blushed slightly and let out a sigh. “You know, maybe we can…. have sex together,” she answered. Soul blushed as the idea have him being intimate with Sunset was… well, it was pretty much what every guy ever wanted to do with their girl. Except for the ones that were not into woman but were… yeah. But it was also a very serious thing to consider. Soul was raised under moral responsibility every since he was very young and his mom has threatened to have him neutered. Although, in the back of his mind, he doubt his mom would go to that extreme length to punish him. Still, this was something he knew she would bring back up after she first approached him with it a few days after Christmas. Soul took a deep breath and cleared his mind before he looked back at Sunset. “Well um, D-Did all of that really make you think about this?” he asked. Sunset nodded. “Yes. I’ve seen how your mom loves your dad so much and seeing the others together with the ones they love makes me so happy for them,” she replied. “And everytime I see you, I have this burning passion in me that just wants me to scream I love you so much. I can’t imagine a world where you and I aren’t together. Not even one where we never met. And you did say we would talk about this at another time.” “Yes, I did say that,” Soul admitted. “I also remember you saying, ‘I have a half-naked chick sitting on top of me, what else should I do?’ Sunset commented before making a sly smile. Soul chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, at least I matured a little bit since then,” he said. There was a pause between the two as he thought over Sunset’s offer. He then looked back at her with a small smile. “How about I think about till this Saturday? It’s a really big decision to make and I need some time to think it over.” Sunset nodded. “Alright, I understand,” she said. After that she made a sly smile. “But just to give me a tip on my scale.” she leaned over to Soul’s ear and whispered into them. “I’m not wearing anything under my clothes right now,” she whispered. Soul blushed vigorously as Sunset looked at him with bedroom eyes and a devious smile. “You are an evil little hottie,” Soul commented. “Don’t ever change.” A couple of hours had past and Sunset had left to go home. As Soul waved goodbye at her as she drove off in her car, he was left to decided what he needed to do next. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment. She rubbed his chin for a moment as he was trying to think of how he was going to approach this situation and whether or not to do what Sunset suggested. Soul looked over to the living room where his mother, Dawn was sitting as she was reading a book while she sat down on the couch and drinking tea. He thought about what if he was going to ask his mother about all this and had a pretty good idea on where it would go. ********* “Hey, mom?” “Yes Soul, is there something you need?” “Yeah, mom. Um, Sunset and I have been talking about taking our relationship to the next level and well… she wanted to express it in a physical way. Have any advice for that?” “......” Before Soul knew it, Dawn’s head exploded from the sudden shock and her body fell over to the ground. Soul took cover behind the couch when her head exploded and looked down at the remains of his mom. “.....I’m guessing that was too much to take.” ********* Soul knew that wasn’t going to be nowhere near what was going to happen. But he knew his mom would overreact to it and probably give him a sex ed speech…. again. He then saw his dad walking down the stairs and walking past the living room. “I’m going to go take care of a few things real quick out in the garage,” Comet said. “Alright, just don’t take too long,” Dawn said. “I’m feeling an itch on my foot and I need someone to rub it.” “Really? Do you have any other itches you need taken care of?” Comet asked with a sly smile. “Nope.” “Oh….. Okay then.” Comet walked out the back door disappointingly while Soul just rolled his eyes. Ever since his mom had gotten pregnant, she was less prone to ‘having adult fun’ and was more into eating all the pickles out of the refrigerator and drinking the pickle juice too. Soul followed suit and went to find his dad. Soul walked out the back door and saw that his dad was going into the garage. Soul followed and went to see his dad was looking over his tools as he usually does every so often. He took a deep breath and went over to him to talk about his situation hoping that he would be less dramatic than his mom would act. “Hey, um, dad,” Soul greeted. Comet looked to see Soul and smiled. “Hey there, bud,” he greeted. “Did you need something?” “Well, yeah actually. You see, I was talking to Sunset about… something today and I needed advice on how to handle this,” Soul explained. “It’s something serious that I’ve gotten myself in.” Comet raised a brow. “Like what?” he asked. “Is there trouble between you two?” “What? No! No, everything's fine between us. In fact it’s been perfect,” Soul answered. “It’s just…. we were just talking about taking our relationship… further and well…. it’s kinda...” Comet looked at his son as he saw that his cheeks were getting redder and redder by the moment. It was then that he knew what he was talking about and understood what he was going through. “Ah, I see. Which one of you brought it up?” Comet asked. “She did.” “Hmmm, alright, that’s actually kinda good. A guy is not supposed to bring something like that up anyway. Makes it sound like they're forcing the idea to them girls,” Comet commented. “Yeah well, Sunset was trying to make it to where I would be having it with her,” Soul said as he rolled his eyes. Comet chuckled. “I bet she did that just to tease you,” he said. “Anyways, you know how you were born, right?” “Yeah, when you and mom had premarital sex the first time and then you had me,” Soul answered. “Well, that was something your mom wanted to say to you. Truth is, we did have sex before we were married but we didn’t have you until it was after one of our casual times together,” Comet explained. “After we were having you, we decided that we needed to stop fooling around like young idiotic teens and be the parents that you needed.” “Okay, I get that but what does this have to-” “Hold on, I’m getting to it,” Comet said. “Your mom was worried that you would get into the same situation as we did. It wasn’t easy raising you. Granny Smith offered us to live with her and have us live together on the farm but your mom didn’t think it was a good idea to live in a home where your family was rich. She wanted me and her to make a living for ourselves and show you how people like us can stand on our foot and raise a kid like you. When the thought that you might get in the same situation, your mom immediately wanted to get you introduce to the idea of having sex until you were married as young as you were.” “That explains why she went over it with me when I was eight,” Soul commented. “I remember not eating anything for about three days and I was paler than usual.” “Yeah, I remember that,” Comet said as he chuckled. “Now, you’re growing up into a fine man and I can’t tell you how to live your life forever. I have to let you go at some point and let you decide on what to do for yourself. You love this girl, right?” “Of course I do, she means the world to me,” Soul replied. “And I know you mean that. There’s a lot of guys out there that would and will take advantage of girls like Sunset and leave them after they had their fun with them. A lot of boys do that and a lot of girls get heartbroken. I know that you will never do something like that,” Comet said. “Right now, you need to ask yourself this: Do you really want to do this? Do you think she’s wants to do this because she’s feeling pressured or she just feels she needs to know when you two should do it.” Soul looked down at the ground as he went over what his dad had said. Part of him wanted to take this opportunity and proved to Sunset that he did loved her and he was willing to do anything for her. But another part of him wanted to not take any chances at taking something away from her precious. He looked back at his dad. “Wow. It’s…. It’s not easy making this decision, is it?” Soul asked. “No. The good book says that we shouldn’t do such things unless we were married to the ones we love. But that same book told us that we would be facing temptation and we would, at times, fail to resist it,” Comet replied. “I can’t tell you what the good Lord is thinking right now. But I know that you would do the right thing no matter what you choose. Whatever idea you have, it’s always been with good intentions.” “Thanks dad, it kinda made it harder for me to do,” Soul said. “But…. It has given me something to think about clearer though.” “Anytime son, I know you’ll do the right thing,” Comet said. “But, you know, if your mom finds out about this talk and you happen to have gone along with your girl’s idea, I have to say this or other wise, she’s going to kill me.” “Wait, say what?” “This: No, you can’t do that. The Lord says you can’t. Your mom say you can’t. I’ll lock you up before you even think about leaving this house of doing it,” Comet said. “There, I said it. I’m safe from you mom now.” “Wow, you are a terrible dad with complicated, spiritual wisdom. Thanks for the talk,” Soul said bluntly. “No problem. But if you do go along with your girl, I should at least make sure you get some protection,” Comet said. “Just to make sure, um…. how big are you exactly?” “How big am I? What do you mean?” Soul asked with a raised brow. Comet cleared his throat before walking over to Soul and whispering to him. He was explaining to Soul the importance of what he meant by ‘how big’ and the importance of why he needed to know so. After he was done explaining, Comet stepped back to see his son blushing before he coughed into his hand. “R-Right. I think… maybe…” Soul leaned over to Comet and started whispering into his ears. After Soul was done telling him his ‘size,’ he took a few steps back and remained quiet for a moment. Comet let out a small laugh. “That sounds about the same size as me,” he said. “That’s prove that you’re my boy.” Soul rolled his eyes. “Come on. Since we’re apparently the same size, I’ll let you borrow some of mine,” Comet said. “You’re seriously given me some of yours?” “Hey, either I give you some or I end up a granddad. And believe me, I’m not ready for that yet. Especially since we’re going to be having a little girl crawling around here,” Comet replied. “Now let’s go while you’re mom is busy with her book. It’ll give us some time before she suspects something.” Comet lead the way towards the house while Soul followed closely behind him. A day has past and it was one day until Soul would visit Sunset at her home. Sunset was sitting in her chair nervously as she waited for the hours to go by fast. Her face was slightly burning as she imagined she and Soul being intimately close together and what kind of things he might do to her. She looked up at the clock to see that it was nearing eleven and her stomach was grumbling slightly. She put aside her thoughts for the time being and decided to see what she could do. Just as she was making her way towards the kitchen, she stopped and looked at a photo of both her and Soul together as they lovingly held one another. She picked it up and smiled as she held it against her chest while all the warm memories of the two came to her. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ringing and went over to it to answer. “Hello?” “Hello dear, it’s me, Rarity. I was hoping that you could come with me at the spa today. Fluttershy would have come but unfortunately she had to take care of a few animals at the shelter. I thought if you have the time, you would like to come along. It’ll be my treat.” Sunset smiled. “Sure, Rarity, I would love to come along,” she said. “What time?” “Around two would be nice. See you then?” “See you then.” Sunset hung up and placed the phone on the counter as she made her way towards the kitchen to make something to eat. A few hours later and Sunset was at the spa with Rarity. The two were in the building and were being escorted towards a room with a large hot tub in the center. The two were left alone and they had gotten undressed before they had entered into the hot, soothing water. The two let out contents sighs as they felt the rich mineral water on their bare skins. “Ahhh~ This feels amazing,” Rarity commented. “I wish Fluttershy was here right now. She’s missing out on all this relaxation.” “But then I wouldn’t be here,” Sunset said. “You’ve never really did invite me to come along to these things.” “Well, to be honest, Sunset, I just thought that you wouldn’t be into this,” Rarity said. “But when Fluttershy couldn’t come. You were the only one I could think of that would at least give it a try.” “I used to go to spas with my mentor whenever she and I had a break. I just haven’t been going to them as much since, you know, trying to take over the world phase and what not,” Sunset explained as she giggled slightly. “But I’m always up for it whenever.” “Well, I will certainly invite you to come along with me and Fluttershy. We could always have more company to have with us,” Rarity said. Sunset smiled as Rarity closed her eyes to enjoy the soothing feel of the water. While Rarity was doing so, Sunset just stared at the wall as her thoughts were back on her and Soul together. Her face was blushing and she was unaware that her breathing was going through her mouth as she was getting more aroused by her thoughts of him. She leaned against the edge of the tub as Rarity opened her eyes for a moment to see Sunset’s face burning up. She raised a brow at Sunset and spoke up. “Sunset dear, are you alright?” she asked. “The water isn’t too warm for you, is it?” Sunset froze up for a moment as she cleared her thoughts and looked at Rarity with nervous eyes. “Wha- No! No! I’m fine, it just…. well….” Sunset looked at Rarity for a moment. She remembered that Rarity and Clyde had a very close relationship together and that Rarity would tell them about some of their intimate moments without going into too much detail. At the time, Rarity seemed like the only girl that Sunset could talk about what she’s feeling and maybe able to answer her questions. “Rarity, can I um… ask you a few questions?” “Of course you can, what is it that you need to ask?” Rarity asked. “Well… Eh… Would you mind telling me how… yours and Clyde's first time having sex together went?” Sunset asked nervously. It was now Rarity’s turn to blush as she didn’t expect such a question. She took a moment to clear her throat and looked back at Sunset. “Um well, eh, Sunset dear, where did the interest of our first come from?” she asked. “I-It’s not really something you ask out of the blue.” Sunset let out a sigh. “Soul and I have… been talking about taking a huge step together this Saturday and I was wondering what it was like when you and Clyde did it for the first time,” she replied. “I’m sorry if I’m intruding on your privacy.” Rarity waved her hands. “No, I understand completely why you’re asking,” Rarity said. “I certainly was curious on how it would feel when I first wanted to be with Clyde in such things, after all, I knew I wanted him to be my first since I do love him so much.” She then leaned against the edge of the tub and relaxed herself before she started to speak. “You and Soul are planning on having sex?” Sunset nodded nervously. “Well, it does seem like the right time to consider doing so. Given that you two have gone out for almost a year now,” Rarity commented. “I hope you’re taking precautions on not being pregnant after words? I doubt you would want to be parents anytime soon.” “Yes, I have some pills to take before we start,” Susnet replied. “That’s a very good move,” Rarity commented. “So, you want to know how it was like the first time?” Sunset nodded again. “Then I’ll waste no time explaining. Now where should I start?” Rarity said as she tapped on her chin for a moment. “I will say that it would be a little nerve wracking at the beginning but that’s just being shy of being exposed to the one you love for the first time. Try to relax the best you can when he starts to feel around your body. I remember when Clyde was feeling around me.” She giggled. “His hands were shaking quite a bit. Guess it was him just being excited and nervous for feeling my whole body for the first time. If for some reason you’re getting too nervous, let Soul know. He’s a gentleman and he can wait until you calm down. Now when you’re both ready to take the next step, I recommend that you be on top. I’ve heard that it would be less painful when you let it enter you yourself.” “Would it be awkward in anyway?” Sunset asked. “Yes, it will feel awkward at first and a little uncomfortable. But trust me, once you get the hang of it, it’ll be very divine,” Rarity replied as her face blushed with her past experiences with Clyde. “What does Soul think of all this?” “I can’t really say,” Sunset replied. “He was hesitant on the whole thing. Maybe he was suddenly nervous when I brought it up or he wasn’t sure on how to answer me.” “That is normal reaction for a boy like Soul. Clyde was the same,” Rarity said. “But after he and I had did it, aahhh~ we couldn’t stop ourselves.” “Do you think maybe I might have brought it up too early?” Sunset asked. “I think Soul might think it could be too early.” “Well Sunset, I can’t really say that it is too early. I’ve seen how you and Soul act in public, which I believe you two are adorable together. But in private, it isn’t really my place to say. If you both feel that it’s right, you’ll both do it. And if one of you think it’s not, then neither of you shouldn’t try to force it. It’s a very special gift and it’s not one to take lightly.” “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Sunset said. “Thanks Rarity for the talk. I really needed to get it off my chest.” “Of course, dear. Anything for friends,” Rarity said. “But um, after you're both have done the act, would you mind telling me about it? I would be very curious on how it went.” Sunset giggled. “Sure, I’ll give you some of the juicy details,” she replied. “Just not too much of it.” “I understand, dear,” Rarity said. “..... Oh! And even would you like, I recommend that you bring Soul here. They have a couples spa treatment here and trust me when I say, that it transformed how Clyde and I are intimate.” Rarity then gave a wink as Sunset blushed violently. It was now Saturday late afternoon. Soul was driving his motorcycle as he made his way towards Sunset’s apartment. While he drove, his mind was preoccupied about what was going to happen. He and Sunset were planning on being intimate with one another and he was still unsure on whether he wanted to do so or not. He didn’t mind that he was doing it with Sunset, that was never the issue. It just felt like a big step for him and it does kinda go against his beliefs. But whenever he thinks about being with Sunset and doing such a thing, it was everything he could ask for. Soul noticed that he was getting closer to her home and left his mind for a moment as he went to park in the parking lot. He parked and removed his helmet off of his head to look at the window that Sunset’s room was in. He took in a deep breath and decided that whatever was going to happen, that it was all for Sunset and nothing else…. Maybe a little for him too. He got off the bike and started making his way up the stairs. He eventually made it up the stairs and pressed on the door bell. Soul whistle for a moment as he waited for Sunset to answer. Then a sudden thought came to him. When did he learn how to whistle? The door slowly opened and when Soul saw Sunset, he’s jaws literally dropped. Sunset was wearing a silk, crimson nightgown that shined as the light touches it. Her eyes looked at Soul with bedroom eyes and had a small smile on her. “Hey there, babe. So glad you came,” Sunset said in a seductive voice. “I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t come.” “W-What? And m-miss out on my best girl in the world?” Soul asked nervously. He was trying his best to keep his eyes on Sunset’s face, but failed as he continued to check her out “I-I see you put on something…. comfortable.” “Just a little something I gotten for just such an occasion,” Sunset replied. “Also, I hate to say that I do have some underwear underneath it.” “Oh…. So, I guess you don’t wan-” “Because I thought it would be a real treat if I let you take them off for me,” Sunset added. Soul’s heart stopped for a moment as his body began to shut down. The only reason why he was still alive was because his spirit resisted the need to leave his body and wanted to stay. Soul pulled himself together and gazed into Sunset’s eyes. Without saying anything, Soul walked up to her and pressed his lips on hers as he wrapped his arms around her. Sunset wrapped her arms around Soul as well. Soul stopped the kissing for a moment before he started to pick Sunset off the ground which made her squeak in surprise. Sunset looked up at him as Soul smiled down at her and she smiled back. Soul walked inside the apartment with her and closed the door shut with his leg. After making sure the door was locked, Soul carried Sunset into her room. He gently let her down on the bed and leaned for another kiss before he started to get undressed. Sunset watched him undress in front of her as her face turned red seeing him becoming more and more bare. Soul was now only in his boxers and before he drop his pants to the ground, he fetched something from his pocket and pulled out a few packages of squared plastics. He placed on the counter and looked to see Sunset with a confused look. “Soul, you didn’t need to bring them. I said I was taking a pill,” Sunset said. “I know but my dad mentioned that it would be best just to wear for other kind of protection,” Soul replied. “Like some diseases we could catch and some of the blood that would… well, you know.” Sunset giggled. “Alright, I can see where there would be a need for them,” she said. She looked at the packages while Soul climbed onto the bed with her before she looked back at him. “Are you really that size?” Soul blushed before coughing into his hand. “I may have lied to dad about that,” he replied. “I might be a couple of inches less than that.” Sunset smiled. “Soul, I don't care how big or small you would be,” she said. “As long as it’s between me and you, that’s all that matters to me.” Soul smiled back at her before he leaned in and kissed her once more. Soul slowly lowered Sunset’s head towards the pillows before he started going towards her neck. He sucked and kissed around Sunset’s neck as she was letting small pleasurable giggles. After that, Sunset tried to reposition herself to where she was on top of Soul and pressed her lips on his before she slowly was kissing him down on his neck and towards his chest. Slowly, Sunset kept on kissing and sucking around Soul’s chest until she was around his stomach. She lowered herself further on down until her hand reached down towards his boxers. Just as she was about to removed them, Soul got his mind back together and spoke up. “Sunset, wait.” Sunset stopped and looked up at Soul with a confused look. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Was I doing something wrong?” “No, no, you’re not doing anything wrong it’s just…. I want to talk about this some more,” Soul said. “I… I still don’t know if I’m ready for this or that we’re ready for this.” A frown formed around Sunset as she sat up and looked at Soul. He sat up and got closer to Sunset so their eyes would be on the same level. “Look Sunset, I think we need to be patient about this,” he said. “I mean, we do have our whole lives together here. And a lot could happen. Like if for some reason that…. we don’t end up together anymore…” Sunset looked up at Soul with shock. “Soul, how could you say that!? she asked frantically. Tears were developing around her eyes. “What, are you saying you want to break up with me!?” “What!? No! Never! I never want to break up with you!” Soul replied. “Look, I know that’s something I should never say but I think we need to think of all the possibilities. Like, if we did this and we end up breaking up, we might regret ever of having to do this. I pray to God that never happens, but if it does…. I know I would have regret taking something from you that wasn’t mind to take.” Sunset remained silent for a moment before making a small smile and gazing into Soul’s eyes. “Soul, I’m giving this to you because you deserve it,” she said. “You’re not just the love of my life but my best friend as well. You’ve done so much for me. You comfort me when I needed it. You brought me back my parents and went through all the trouble to get them. And when we were just starting out dating, you made sure that I would save myself for another time when we were more mature and ready. I feel ready for this Soul. But if you don’t, please tell me and I can wait. Because I love you and that’s what matters to me.” Soul smiled and hugged Sunset tightly. He gently stroked her hair as she stroke his. The two then gazed at each other once more before kissing. Soul broke off from the kiss and looked at Sunset. “Maybe we are ready for this,” Soul said. “But I think we should wait for a more appropriate time to act on it.” “Like when?” Sunset asked. “I don’t know, but I know that now isn’t the time for it. Maybe something more special and meaningful comes into our lives,” Soul replied. “I love you, Sunset and I just want what’s best for us. I promise that we’ll reach this step. Just when something wonderful happens for us.” Sunset sniffed as she wiped away the last of her dried tears and looked up. “Alright, we’ll wait on something special,” she said. “Well, I guess I should put on something less revealing than this.” Just as Sunset was getting up, she felt Soul tug on her and she fell softly back on the bed. She looked back at him with a confused expression. “I don’t think so,” Soul said. “I have a half-naked chick here. Now I may not want to have sex with her at this time, but I still want to cuddle up with her. Like it or not, I still like you to be more revealing in bed…. just not too revealing.” Sunset giggled and leaned over to give Soul a peck on the lips. “Whatever am I ever going to do with you?” she joked. The two shared a wonderful night together with the promise of a future where they would be together in a special way. When the wonderful moment is right for them. > Chapter 12 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New Students of Canterlot High It was a bright and beautiful morning as it was the first day back towards Canterlot High. Despite what the average teenager would feel about their schools, every students at the school were always excited to be back at one of the best school in the small town of Canterlot. Meeting their old teachers again and hanging out with their closest friends while others may have a chance of finding young love. The school grounds were crawling with students as they either hurried off to their assigned classes or were taking their time and chatting with their friends. Making his way, Swift was whistling a fine tune as he was ready for his last school year as a senior like many of his closest friends. From out of nowhere, he felt someone wrapping their arms around him and looked behind to see his favorite bubbly girl, Pinkie. “There’s my sweet, Swifty!” Pinkie greeted. She planted a kiss on his cheek and rubbed her cheek against his. “How are you doing?” “I’m doing good, my sweet little pie,” Swift replied as he gave a peck on Pinkie’s lips. “Have you seen any of the others yet?” “Yeppie! Rainbow Dash went to join up with her soccer team while Rivet is going inside the cafeteria to do some practice with his guitar. Night and Fluttershy are heading inside to check out their classes with Applejack and Twilight. Clyde and Rarity are at the front over there. And Sunset and Soul haven't gotten here yet,” Pinkie answered. Swift looked over to see Clyde and Rarity were at the stairs that lead up to the front doors. He noticed that they were given each other their usual loving gaze as they talked. Swift smiled and looked back at Pinkie. “Wanna go hang out with them?” Swift asked. “Sure, I always love hanging with all of our friends!” Pinkie chimed. “Especially with my cute boyfriend!” Swift chuckled at the compliment before kissing Pinkie one more time. The two walked over to Clyde and Rarity. When Rarity and Clyde noticed, Swift waved at them while Pinkie was waving at them frantically. “Hey Swift, how’s it going?” Clyde asked. “It’s going good. It got better when I met up with Pinkie,” Swift replied. “Awww, you’re so sweet,” Pinkie said. “So, are you guys excited to be back just like I am!?” “Of course, Pinkie. It’s always grand to be back here at Canterlot High,” Rarity replied. “So much things have happened here that brought us all together. Meeting all of you girls for the first time at the freshmen fair, meeting Twilight and dealing with Sunset after her um, boo boos, meeting my Clyde here, The Battle of Band, most of us going to Fall Formal with our own dates and everything that went down at the Friendship Games and meeting our own world’s Twilight. It would be crazy for us not to come back here.” “I know, right? It would be cray cray not to come back in the best place in the world!” Pinkie said. “Not to mention all the new friends we’ll be making here today!” “Oh, of course. All the new freshmen and students in different grades would be attending our lovely school,” Rarity commented before she let out a small giggle. “I wonder if they’re going to believe that we were the ones that saved the school on occasions.” “I don’t know. Most of the time everyone was always under some mind control every time something freaky comes along,” Clyde said. “And it’s not pleasant.” “I can’t even remember what happened when I was under the siren's spell,” Swift commented. -Flashback- It was at the Battle of the Bands and everyone in the gym were cheering for the sirens as they sang their song. In the middle of the crowd, Clyde and Rivet were cheering on for them while Swift looked as if he was a zombie of some kind. “Yeah! Dazzlings, rule!” Rivet cheered. “No kidding. So glad that I dumped Rarity and left her with those Rainboom losers,” Clyde commented before looking at Swift with a raised brow. “Um, what do you think is wrong with Swift?” “Not a clue. Everytime the Dazzlings sing, he acts like he some sort of zombie,” River replied. “Aaaaaadaaaaaagiiiiiooo,” Swift said as his eyes looked far apart from each other. Clyde rolled his eyes. “I think he just has the hots for Adagio,” he commented. “Though I can’t blame him for it. She is good looking.” -End of Flashback- Clyde shivered. “That was the most unpleasant thing ever,” he commented. “And I’m still sorry about what I did.” “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Rarity said as she wrapped her arms around her man. “It wasn’t your fault and we came back together afterwards. I’m just glad that we’ve made up with the Dazzlings and are friends with them…. more or less.” While the four were talking, driving up in his motorcycle with Sunset riding in the back behind him, Soul took it towards the parking lot and parked it. After getting off, he and Sunset walked down the trail towards the school while she held onto his hand. “I can’t believe we’re back here so soon. It almost feels like yesterday that summer just started,” Sunset commented. “Anyways, I want to thank you again, babe for helping me show the school around to some of the new students.” “It’s no problem. I know you do your best to introduce all the new students to the school so I figured since I’m madly in love with you, why not help?” Soul said. “By the way, where are we supposed to go?” “We have to go see Miss Luna about which students we need to show around. There are others that’ll show the new students around so that way, not one person would show the entire new student body around the whole school. Just the places they need to go for the first semester,” Sunset explained. “They mostly pair off with us is student that have the same schedule as the other so it wouldn’t be so hard. Do you think you can handle this?” “Don’t worry about it, I can handle this,” Soul assured. “Whoever they have me show around the school, I’ll be showing them how awesome are school is and make it awesome for them. Piece of cake.” “Alright, I’m sure you can handle. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t nervous or anything,” Sunset said. She then leaned towards Soul and peck him on the cheek. “Come on, we better get there early so we can get the best assignments.” Soul chuckled. “I bet you love doing this,” he said. “Of course I do, it’s a lot of fun and you get to meet the new students before anyone else,” Sunset said. “Ever since I started volunteering for this, it makes me feel good that I’m doing better than I did when I used to be, you know, evil.” “I wouldn’t say evil.” “Soul, I turned into a she-demon and almost took over two worlds with an army of teenage zombies. If that’s not evil, then what would it be?” “I um…. I don’t know how I could reply to that,” Soul said. “Plus, I was just trying to make you feel better.” “Thanks, babe but it's something that I have to remember every now and again,” Sunset said. “But it's also something that I won’t let bother me anymore and that I’ve moved on to something better. Having friends, being something better than I was and having such a sweet boyfriend.” Soul smiled brightly. “Glad that I could help make that last part happen,” he said. “So, wanna head on over to VP’s office?” “Definitely.” “Alright everyone, we’ll be passing out all of the students you will be showing around the school. We ask that you focus on showing them to their homeroom classes and any other places they would need to go. You may show them other parts of the school if time permits it. I want to thank you all for your time of showing these new students around. I am glad to see that so many are willing to show them how great our school is and how many of you are willing to befriend them,” Vice Principal Luna said. “Now form a line in front of me and I’ll start handing out the student’s names and we can get started. After that, you will meet them at the foray of the school and you will begin from there.” All of volunteers started forming a line in front of Luna as she passed out papers with student names on them. Soul and Sunset were in the middle of line with the few students that came to help out. After a moment, Soul and Sunset had gotten their papers and started making their way towards the foray. As they were walking, Sunset looked at the only paper she had gotten and looked at the name. “Looks, like I have someone named, Solar Wind,” Sunset said. “That’s a pretty cool name. Though I wish they gave me more than one person to show around the school.” “Hey, give the rest of us volunteers a chance of showing off this school,” Soul commented before he chuckled. “I’m sure VP had a reason for you to only have one. Maybe just to give you some breather since you pretty much volunteer for this almost every new student that comes here.” “I know, I know, I shouldn’t feel so bad. But I just like making new friends whenever I do this,” Sunset said. “And you’ll have plenty of time to get the new ones. Just give it sometime,” Soul said. “Anyways, let me see what I have.” He lifts up the papers in his hand and looked over them. “Huh, looks like I have two students to show around. I have someone named, Zero Gravity and the other is Zephyr.” “Those sound like cool names,” Sunset said. “I know, puts mine to shame,” Soul commented. “I still think Soul Writer is an awesome name,” Sunset said before she walked closer to her man and gave him a quick hug. “Let’s hurry up, we don’t want to keep all of them waiting.” “Right, let’s go.” Over in the foray, several students were standing around waiting for their guides to show up. Some chatted with one another while other mostly kept to themselves until they saw the volunteers coming down the hallways. Everyone was greeting one another as the guides were introducing themselves and started showing the school around. In the midst of this, Soul and Sunset looked around the room. Sunset looked at her papers for a moment before she looked around the foray. “Anyone named, Solar Wind here?” Sunset asked. “Oh! That’s me!” A girl with silver skin and dark blue pigtail came running up to them with enthusiasm. She had on purple pants with black shoes while she wore a red t-shirt with a japanese symbol for ventus on it. She had a bright smile and her sky blue eyes were sparkling. “Hi, I’m Solar Wind. It’s very nice to meet you!” she said. Sunset smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Wind,” she said. “Welcome to Canterlot High, me name is Sunset Shimmer and I’ll be showing you around the school.” “Cool, um, can we wait for a bit? My brother is still waiting on his guide and I want to make sure he doesn't feel all alone,” Wind said. “Although, he won’t admit it.” Soul chuckled. “I bet he wouldn’t. My name is Soul by the way,” he said. “Who is your brother anyway?” “He’s name is Zero.” “Zero? As in Zero Gravity?” Soul asked. “I was supposed to show him and someone else around.” “Oh cool, he’s right over there,” Wind pointed. Soul looked over to where Wind was pointing and saw a young man with grey skin and having bright yellow eyes while his hair was black. He was wearing a unzipped hoodie with a black shirt under it and having dark green pants with chains on the side and strap boots. On his shirt was the japanese character for wolf. “Yo, what’s up?” Zero asked. “Hey there, my name is Soul and I’m going to be your guide for today.” “Cool, hey can you show me all of my classes real quick? I have an idea that I wanted to try out and I need some time to prepare for it,” Zero said. “Eh sure, I just need to find one more person and we can head off,” Soul replied. He looked back at his paper for a moment before he started to look for the next person he needed to show around. “Anyone by the name of…. Um…. Zep…. Zeeeph…. Hold on, Zephney? Wait, I can get this………. Zephyr! There we go.” “Uh yeah, that’s me.” Soul looked up to see a young man with pure white hair and skin with green eyes walking up towards them. He was wearing an off-white t-shirt with tan khakis and sneakers. Everyone looked at him with confused expressions. “Is he really wearing khakis?” Wind whispered to Zero. “Might have been his last pair of pants,” Zero responded. “Hi there, I’m Zephyr.” He raised up his hand and waited for Soul to shake. “Nice to meet you, Zeph. My name is Soul,” he greeted. “Do you mind if I call you that?” “I don’t really have a problem with it, but I do prefer to be called Zephyr,” Zephyr replied. “Alright, I’ll do that,” Soul said. “Zephyr, I feel like I’ve heard of that before.” “It’s short for a Greek god named Zephyrus, the god of the west wind,” Zephyr explained. “You see, he’s-” “Boooooring,” Zero commented. “Can we please get on with the tour? I’ve got some plans to get started.” Zephyr let out low groan and Soul slightly sighed. “Alright, we’ll get started with the tour,” he said. “I’ll see you later, sweetie.” “See you later, babe,” Sunset said. Soul gave Sunset a peak on the lips and motioned the two other boys to follow him. Sunset asked Wind to follow her and the two went off. “Oooooh~ looks like someone here has a sweet boyfriend here,” Wind commented. “Is it okay to say that he’s a cutie?” Sunset giggled. “Yes, he’s a one of a kind,” she replied. “Any boys that interest you yet?” “Naw, not yet,” Wind said. “But right now, I’m hoping to make one hundred friends here on my first day!” “Well, I know a friend that can help out with that,” Sunset said. “But right now, let’s focus on showing you aroun-” “Sunset! I need a huge favor!” A girl ran up to Sunset as she had a worried look on her. “Listen, I just got a call from the hospital and they rushed my dad from a wreck,” she said. “He’s okay, but I just want to go up there just in case. Can you show this girl around the school for me?” “Of course, I’ll do that for. Just go and see you dad,” Sunset said. “Thanks Sunset, I owe you big for this!” The girl ran off as she exited the building. Sunset expression went blank when a thought came to her. “Wait, who is it that I’m supposed to show around!?” she cried out. “That would be me.” Sunset turned around to see a young girl with purple hair with blue highlights and lavender skin. She had teal t-shirt with a sun design on it along with blue jeans. She had a little sunflower hairpin on her hair. “Hey, my name is Flower Petal.” “Oh hello, Petal. My name is Sunset Shimmer and I’ll be showing you around. I’m sorry your own guide won’t be able to show you around the school.” “That’s okay, I knew things would be crazy on my first day in highschool but this was a whole new level,” Petal commented. “And you?” “Name’s Solar Wind and I plan on having one hundred friends.” “One hundred? Wow, that’s a big list,” Petal commented. “Mind if I be part of that list?” Wind gasped and a huge smile stretched across her face. “Really!?” “Yeah, you look like a nice gi-” *CRUSH!* “GHA!” Wind tightly hugged Petal as she was gasping for air and her legs were kicking around. Sunset let out a sigh and smiled as she knew this was a good sign to be a good day. Time past on as Soul was showing both Zero and Zephyr around the school. He showed them their classes, some of the clubs, the gymnasium, the cafeteria and last was the library. When they had gotten to the library, Soul looked at the time and looked to the two. “Well, I think that’s about all I can show you around here. Do you two have any questions?” Soul asked. “Yeah, room 058 has a window in there, right?” Zero asked. “Um, yeah but the room is on the second floor,” Soul replied. “Not a problem for me,” Zero said. “Huh? What are you-” “Gotta go, I’ve got someone to do a favor for me and I intend not to waste it,” Zero said before he walked out and left the room. Both Soul and Zephyr looked to each other with raised brows. “What do you think he’s doing?” Zephyr asked. “I don’t know, but I really hope that it doesn't get me in trouble,” Soul responded. “So Zephyr, do you wanna-” “I’m sorry, but I better head on to my class,” Zephyr said. “I don’t want to miss first period or anything.” Zephyr said before he walked out of the library as well. “Oh…. Okay, I’ll just…. Yeah,” Soul said to himself as he left the library. He was walking down the hallway until he saw Sunset, Wind and one other girl that was new to him. Just as he was a about to walk to them, another young man came in front of them. He had messy back hair and wore a white t-shirt with a guitar design on it and black jeans. “Hey there, sis.” “Hey Sword, what’s up?” Petal asked. “I just got done with my tour and was seeing what you and Zephyr were doing,” Sword explained. “And who are these two lovely ladies here?” Wind slightly blushed and giggled. “Hi there, my name is Sunset Shimmer. Petal, I didn’t know your brother is Zephyr. My boyfriend, Soul is showing him around.” “You have a boyfriend? Damn, he’s one lucky guy to have a good looking girl like with him,” Sword commented. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the compliment,” she said. “You know, just throwing this out there, I happen to be single,” Wind said. “Noted,” Sword said as he winked at Wind; causing her to blush. “Okay, lover boy, stop with the flirting and get to class,” Petal said. “We only have like five minutes.” “Alright, I’ll see you later, sis,” Sword gave a salute and walked off. Wind let out a content sigh. “You’re brother is a real looker,” she commented. Petal rolled her eyes. “Yeah well, don’t expect me to agree with you,” she said. “By the way, I like that shirt you’re wearing.” “Thanks, I guess you know what it means?” “Yep, it’s the word for ventus in japaneses,” Petal replied. “But I don’t know what ventus means.” “It’s latin for ‘wind,” Soul answered as he walked up to the girls. “Which makes sense since her name is wind. A took an advanced literature class.” “Wow, who’s this cute looking guy here?” Petal asked as she was looking at Soul with bedroom eyes. “This is my boyfriend, Soul,” Sunset greeted. “How was your tour with Zero and Zephyr?” “It was kinda fun but short. Zero was in a hurry to leave and Zephyr just went off to class,” Soul replied. “And who’s this? I don’t remember seeing you in the foray.” “I’m Petal, my guide had to leave because of an emergency so Sunset here took over.” “It’s nice to meet you, Petal,” Soul greeted. “You better head on to class, Sunny. Classes are about to start in a couple of minutes.” “I know, I’ll see you in third period, babe,” Sunset said before giving Soul a peck on the cheek. Soul waved Sunset and the other two girls goodbye before he went off for his first class of the school year. Soul made it to his first class and just like the first time he came here, he ducked down as a paper ball came flying towards him and chuckled as he remembered the first time that happened. He stood up and looked around to see some of the students that were throwing things at one another or chatted with each other. Soul saw some of his friends in the class. He saw Swift, Rivet, Rarity and Applejack and Twilight. He even saw the new student, Zephyr in his class. Soul raised a brow though as he noticed that Zero wasn’t in the classroom. He scratched his head for a moment before shrugging and walking towards a desk. The desk he walked towards was his first desk when he came to Canterlot High and smiled on the fond memories that it brought back. Soul took a seat in it and waited for the teacher to come in. After a moment, a teacher with light gold hair and with a dark shade of orange walked into the classroom. The students suddenly went quiet and watched as the teacher got to her desk. “Good morning, class. I’m Ms. Harshwinny, since some of you are new here today. I will be teaching social studies for the year and expect you to be on your best behavior. Before we start taking attendance, does anyone have any questions?” Twilight raised her hand. “Is it okay if I open the window?” she asked. “It’s kinda hot in here.” “Well, I don’t see why not,” Ms. Harshwinny replied. Twilight went over to the window and opened it. Soul noticed that she was doing something with her phone and put it away before any else noticed. He furrowed his expressions as he was confused but shrugged it off. Harshwinny started checking off the students as she went down the list and calling out their names. “Rarity Belle?” “Here.” “Zephyr?” “Here.” “Soul Writer?” “Right here.” “Trixie Lulamoon?” “Present.” “Twilight Sparkle?” “Here.” “Zero Gravity?” “.......” “Zero Gravity?” “.......” “Hmm, I guess he couldn’t make it. A sha-” “HOLD IT, I’M RIGHT HERE!” Everyone looked over to the opened window to see Zero with a shade of glasses on. Zero climbed off of a ladder that he ‘borrowed from the school janitor and stood up in a heroic pose as the class watched in awe. “In the deepest darkness, there will always be-” “Hold it, right there!” Everyone looked over to see Scrubby the janitor standing in the archway of the door. He walked over to Zero with a serious look and looked down at him. “Who are you?” Zero asked. “I’m Scrubby…. The janitor. If you’re going to use that ladder without permission, then you’re paying Scrubby five dollars,” Scrubby said. “Now hand over the five bucks and I’ll let you continue on with your business.” Zero mumbled to himself as he was reaching into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. As he was giving Scrubby the five bucks, he said to himself that he should have used a rope instead of the ladder. Scrubby inspected the five dollar and simply nodded. “Hmhmm, you may continue,” Scrubby said and walked out of the class. There was a moment of silence in the room before Zero coughed. “Well then, as I was saying, in the deepest-” “Are you Mr. Zero Gravity?” Harshwinny asked. “Um, yes ma’am.” “Then go and take your seat!” Harshwinny hissed. “Before I send you to the principal's office!” Zero grumbled as he walked over to an empty desk and sat on it in disappointment. “Lost five bucks for nothing,” he said to himself. “Alright, hopefully we won’t be having anymore interruptions,” Harshwinny said. She looked back at her attendance and continued on with the list. “Applejack Apples?” It was now lunch time and all of the students were either in line for their food or were already at their seats with their friends. Sunset was walking over to where all of her friends sat at. She talked to them about the new girls that she showed around the school and that they were sitting with Rivet’s sister, Light. Soul in the meantime sat over with the guys and looked around the room for the new students. “Hey Soul, what are you looking for?” Rivet asked. “You usually look over to where Sunset is and just stare at her from a distance like Clyde does with Rarity.” Clyde glared at Rivet. “I don’t do that,” he said. “......At least not that much anymore.” “I’m just looking out for the news guys I showed around,” Soul replied. “I wanted to invite them over to our table.” “Don’t we already have enough guys at our table?” Night asked. “I’m fine with having new friends and all, but this table really is small unlike the girl’s table.” “It’s not that small,” Swift commented. Night raised a brow as Swift was just right next to him. The guys barely have any space between each other and their trays covered most of the table. “Really? It’s not that small?” Night asked sarcastically. “How come we didn’t notice this until now?” Rivet asked. “We could move over to the Dazzling’s table,” Soul suggested. “It’s a pretty big, round table.” The guys looked over to see Adagio and Aria sitting at their usual table while Sonata was sitting with the girls. “I wouldn’t mind sitting with girls but…. Not with Adagio,” Rivet said. “Aria is fine because she’ll just ignore us. But Adagio is…. um…. What’s the word I’m looking for?” “Flirtatious?” Soul suggested. “Yeah, more or less.” “I have to agree with Rivet on this. I sometimes see her staring at me and I feel like I’m being undressed with those eyes of hers,” Swift said. “Can’t we just be glad that we have this table?” “If we’re going to invite those two new guys over, we need to find a bigger table,” Clyde said. “Just not where the Dazzlings are. Specifically Adagio.” “Hey, there’s those two new guys,” Soul said as he saw Zero and Zephyr walking away from the line. “I’ll bring them over here and we’ll all look for a new table.” Soul got up and walked over to Zero and Zephyr as they were about to go their separate ways. Soul asked them over to their table and the two agreed after Soul explained that they were going to look for a new table. The two accepted the invite and walked back over to the guys where they were about to start their search for a new table. “So, you guys are looking for a new table, huh?” Zero asked. “Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered. I will search far and wide for this mysterious holy table. A table where there is more than just enough room to place your elbows and and sit down poses that would make you look cool to the ladies, a table where you can spill your drink but it doesn't spill any of your friends, a table that-” “Um, we could sit down over there where that empty table is at,” Zephyr pointed in a certain direction. The rest of the guys looked over to see that there was still a table that was large and wasn’t taken by anyone. “Seriously, why are we not noticing these things?” Rivet asked. “It’s in plain sight! What, are we too busy staring off at our girlfriends or something?” “What? Oh sorry, I was checking out Sunny,” Soul said. “Can’t take my eyes off of my sweet, bubbly girl,” Swift said as he gazed at Pinkie, who in turn, was gazing back at him with loving eyes. “It’s hard not to look at my sweet, Shy,” Night said. He was gazing at Fluttershy who had some of her hair in front of her face but with only one eyes staring back at him while she blushed. Clyde only whistled a small tune to himself and would make a quick glance at Rarity before turning away from her before anyone would notice. “..... Seriously?” Rivet asked. The group went over to their new table and sat around it. Each one of them were introducing themselves to the new guys and got to know them better. They learned Zero has an incredible big ego but is still a nice guy to get along with and Zephyr was a big germaphobe and he likes to keep everything neat and organized. The school bell rang and everyone started making their way towards next period. “Wow, it was great getting to know you guys,” Zero commented. “Yeah, I feel like we’re really are part of this school now,” Zephyr commented. “Oh, you’re not part of the school just yet,” Soul said. “There’s one more thing you two have to get through before you guys are part of the Canterlot Family.” “Like what?” the two said at the same time. ********* *BONK!* “GHAAA!” *BONK!* “AAAAHH!” Zero and Zephyr both collapsed on the floor as they were hit by dodgeballs. They were now in gym class and everyone was playing dodgeball. The two laid on the ground as the life felt like it was sucked out of them. Soul walked over and looked down at the two with a sly smile. “Now you two are part of the family,” Soul commented. “Welcome to Canterlot High.” *BONK!* “AAAACK!” “Got you, babe!” Sunset shouted. Off from them, two guys were watching as the game went on. One young man had pale green skin, dark brown hair and red eyes. And the other next to him was a light grey skinned young man with slick black hair and brown eyes. “Wow, that looked brutal,” the grey one said. “What kind of school allows this kind of brutality, Warhawk?” “I don’t know, but I don’t really care, Straight,” Warhawk said. “I told you, call me Punk!” *BONK!* “GHAA!” Straight was hit at the side of his face and down to the ground. “Gotcha!” Applejack cried out. “Heh, that was funny,” Warhawk commented before another ball hit him in the face. “AAAHH!” “Oh yeah!” Sonata cheered. “How do you like me now!?” > Chapter 13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaos at Canterlot High! - Part I It was a sunny day at Canterlot High and all of the students were in classes going over their lessons with the teachers. But despite how peaceful the school may seem to be, the principal of the school had to deal with something of great importance. Over in her office, she was on the phone while her sister, Luna watched and listened on the side. Celestia calmly talked with the person as she was trying to understand the situation that she was being put through. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO!?” Celestia yelled. “..... Look, it isn’t my fault of the recent events that had happened over the past two years! No one could have done anything about them!...... Oh come on, you’re telling me you could have handled it better?...... That so bull! That would never have worked!....... Gggrrrrrr!” Luna watched fearfully as it was rare to see her sister get so upset. Only one person could ever get her so riled up and feared what was going to happen. “...... Fine. If the entire school board thinks it’s a good idea, then I’ll do it,” Celestia said. “But only for a couple of weeks….. WHAT DO YOU MEAN A MONTH!?...... Wait, I have that much time?....... Well, I never did have a reason to use them but still, THIS IS UTTER BULLCRAP!...... Yes, I know you’re technologically my boss and I need to keep my language clean but we both know why I don’t…… Yeah, I thought you didn’t care…… *Sigh* Fine, I’ll make the announcement today….. Yes, have a good day to you too, sir.” Celestia hung up the phone and after a moment of staring off into space, she slammed her head down on the table and let out a long groan. Luna walked over to her sister and patted on her shoulder. “Everything will be fine, sis,” Luna said. “It is only temporary and hey, you have a month to yourself. You can go to the beach if you want.” “The only thing I want to do is stay here and do what I do best,” Celestia said. “You know how much I love working here with all the teachers and helping out with the students.” “I know, but there isn’t much that we can do,” Luna said. Celestia let out a sigh. “Alright, let’s just get this over with,” she said before reaching over to the microphone and was about to press on the on button. In Ms. Harshwinny’s class, the students were quietly doing a test while Harshwinny was reading a magazine in her hand. Soul was answering the question as best he could, even though it was easy to do with only a few that made him think for a moment. While he was writing down his answers, suddenly a paper airplane landed right in front of him from the side. He looked behind him to see Zero waving at him before looking back his test without Harshwinny knowing. Soul raised a brow and unfurled the airplane to see that there was a note inside of the paper. He raised it up from the table and read it. Hey man, do you mind giving me some of the answers? I didn’t study last night. Soul’s eyes were half-lid and he placed the paper back on the table before writing down a response. He then remade it into a paper airplane and threw it back towards Zero. Unfortunately, the plane hit Twilight in the forehead and winced back from the sudden surprise. She rubbed her forehead for a moment before looking back at Soul with a glare. Soul sheepishly smiled and wordlessly said he was sorry. Twilight rolled her eyes and unfurled the paper. He read over it for a moment before, giving a small smile towards Soul and nodded before she looked back at Zero and shook her head towards him. She handed the paper towards Zero and went back to the test. Zero pursed his lips before he looked over the paper to see what Soul wrote down. Seriously? I can understand not being prepared for a sudden test in one day, but we had this assignment a week ago! What the heck have you been doing the whole time!? Even I had to sacrifice some of my gaming time to prepare for this test! P.S. NO! Your Pal, Soul Zero groaned before looking back at the test with disappointment. All of a sudden, the whole room heard that the speakers were making a small screeching noise and everyone including the teacher looked up at it. “Faculty members, students and everyone at Canterlot High, I’m afraid to say that I have some news that many of you may not like,” Celestia said over the speakers. “I’m afraid that due to some recent events that had happened to the school over the last two years have made the school council believe that I am in need of a vacation. In my absence, Supernatant Discord will be taking responsibility for the school. I know that many of you may be distraught over this, but I assure you that I will be only gone for a month and will return soon. I want all of you to be at your best behavior while I’m away and show Mr. Discord how we here at Canterlot High treat one another. Now, get back to your studies and hope to see all of you soon.” When the speakers went off, Pinkie jumped out of her chair with a horrid look and scream out of the top of her lungs. “NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo *Cough* oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOO-” “Miss Pie, we get the idea!” Harshwinny shouted. “Would you please sit back down and hush up!?” Pinkie gave Harshwinny a simple nod and sat back down in her chair. “Sorry,” she said. Harshwinny let out a sigh. “Let’s just finish up this test and all of you can talk about all this during lunch period,” she said before looking lifting her magazine back up and reading more of it. The class went back to their respective tests to finish it up. It was now lunch time and everyone was talking about Celestia’s announcement. Over by the girls table, they were talking about the sudden news and were pretty much freaking out over it. “I can’t believe our principal is going to be gone forever!” Pinkie shouted. Or at least Pinkie is. “Would ya relax, Principal Celestia isn’t going to be gone forever. She said that she was going to be gone for a month,” Applejack pointed out. “Although, I do admit that it’s going to be a bummer without her here.” “Indeed, she was always willing to help out with many of the school clubs, including the fashion club,” Rarity said. “It would feel like a part of Canterlot High would be missing.” “I’m just hoping that this Discord guy isn’t going to be a pain,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Making strict rules about every little thing we do, teachers having to assign us more homework, and-” Rainbow Dash shuddered. “Being forced to wear uniforms.” “Don’t we already wear sport uniforms?” Sunset asked. “I mean the kind of uniforms that Twilight used to wear over at Crystal Prep High,” Rainbow Dash retorted. “I bet you use to hate wearing uniforms all the time, right Twilight?” “Actually no, I did love wearing those,” Twilight responded. “It made everything look orderly and I didn’t had to worry about what I was going to wear all the time.” Rainbow Dash pinched the bridge between her eyes. “Right, forgot I was talking to an egghead,” she said. “You know, I really wish you stop calling me that,” Twilight commented. Rainbow Dash snickered. “Where would the fun be in that?” she joked. “I’m just wondering though, who exactly is Discord anyway?” Sonata asked. “I never heard of him before.” “I’ve heard of him but I don’t much even for me,” Pinkie said. “He’s like a really old looking guy but he’s almost the same age as Celestia! I think they were good friends a long time ago.” “What about now?” Twilight asked. “Oh, I hear he makes her tear her own hair off everytime they talk,” Pinkie replied with a bright smile. “That’s um…. interesting to know,” Rarity said. “When do you think he’ll be here?” “Minuette told me that he was going to be here tomorrow,” Fluttershy answered. “She and the student council are trying to get everything organized before he gets here.” “The whole school seems to be all abuzz about all this,” Twilight said. “Abuzz? Really, Twilight? No one ever uses abuzz anymore,” Rainbow Dash said. “People still use it,” Twilight said. “Ah yeah, like who?” “Well…… There’s….. I know that…… Maybe she….. Oh, shut up.” “Anyways, Twilight is right. The whole school is talking about it,” Sunset said. “I wonder if the boys are talking about it?” Rarity asked out of curiosity. Over to where the boys are, they were mostly eating, eating comics or were chatting with one another with their usual conversation. As Clyde took a bit out of his meal, he looked up to the other as a thought had occurred to him. “So, what do you guys think about Celestia not being here for a while?” he asked. “Meh,” Rivet replied. “Doesn’t bother me one bit,” Swift said. “Hardly know the woman,” Zero said. “Just got here,” Zephyr said. “I’m more or less bummed about it,” Soul said as he casually was reading from his comic. “I eh, have no strong feelings about this one way or the other,” Night said as he looked back and forth between some of the guys. “I mean, she’s the principal, right? We shouldn’t have, you know, certain strong emotions or thoughts about one of the most gorgeo- I mean, professional principles around. Stuff likes this happens all the time.” He started to shake a bit and sweat pouring down from his forehead while the guys looked at him with raised brows. “Oooookaaaaay,” Clyde said in a confused tone. “Do any of you guys know who Discord is?” Zephyr asked. “I don’t care, just stop talking about school related things while we’re having lunch,” Zero commented. “Lunch time is the only time of the day where I don't’ have to deal with any of these tests and quizzes.” “What about when we leave?” Soul asked. “I have to take care of homework,” Zero replied. “Anyways, lunch time is like, the holiest place to be in the whole school.” “The library is pretty good place to be,” Swift commented. “There’s all kinds of books I could read, no one bothers you as long as you’re quiet and there’s a bunch of making out places that me and Pinkie use.” “I do the same with Sunny,” Soul said. “Me too with Rarity,” Clyde said. “How did you guys get your girlfriends anyway?” Zephyr asked. “I mean nothing personal, but it just seems like each of you would be the opposite of what your girlfriends would be into.” “Hey!” Swift said. “Um Swift, you do know that’s true, right?” Soul asked. “Oh well, yeah I know but I just don’t like hearing that,” Swift replied. “Anyways, we’re tell you guys how we got together with our best girls,” Clyde said. “I’ll start since I was the first to get my girlfriend in the group. Let’s see, it started when-” -A Long Time Later- “-And that’s how Sunny and I became the greatest couple in history,” Soul finished. “You mean me and Rarity?” Clyde interjected. “Hey, who’s story are we telling here?” Soul countered. “Well, you guys are lucky. I’ve been here for almost a month and I still haven’t gotten a girlfriend yet,” Zero said. “Dude, you do know it takes more than a month to convince a girl to go out with you, right?” Swift asked. “Well, at least the good ones anyway.” “Not when you look this good,” Zero said as he made a fake smile and making a cool pose. Everyone at the table rolled their eyes. “Well, hopefully things will stay normal whenever the supernatant gets here,” Clyde said. “I mean, whenever do crazy things happen here?” “You really want me to answer that?” Rivet asked. “No, I was just talking ironically,” Clyde replied. “What are you guys talking about?” Zephyr asked. “What exactly goes on around here?” “Oh right, we never told you guys,” Swift said. “You see-” -Five Minutes Later- Zero was rolling on the ground as he was laughing after Swift had told him and Zephyr about all the magical and strange things that had happened around the school. Zephyr just stared at Swift and the others with a raised brow as he looked at them with half-lid eyes. “Really? You expect us to believe that?” Zephyr asked. “Soul believed us,” Swift said. “Yeah, but that’s only because I asked my cousin, Applejack,” Soul added. “It’s mostly because she can never tell a lie.” “AH HEARD THAT!” “WELL IT’S TRUE!” Soul yelled back at Applejack. “Anyways, believe it or not, that’s what happened and we have video proof.” Zero stopped laughing and took a moment to catch his breath before he sat back down. “Yeah, but videos can be edited to make it anything real,” he pointed out. “And we don’t know much about your cousin anyway, so I think Zephyr and I are just going to ask around to see if it’s true.” “That's you’ll call,” Clyde said. “But we’re telling the truth.” “Just don’t hold your breath if we find out that it isn’t,” Zephyr commented. The school bell rang and lunch time was over. Everyone started making their way towards their classes and carried on with the rest of the day as usual. It was next morning and everyone was entering the school or were standing around outside with their friends as usual. While everyone were minding their business, a long limousine drove up to the from of the school. The many of the students and teachers noticed it and watched as the driver went around to the back of it. The driver clutched his hand around the door before opening it. All of a sudden, a long rug came rolling out of the back of the limousine. It rolled over Swift as the group was coincidently standing in front of the limo as it strangely followed the same path and went around the horse statute and headed straight towards the entrance. It stopped in front of the steps as Luna stood on top on steps and let out a sigh. Climbing out of the limo was a very tall man with pale grey skin with a white eyebrows and having a long white beard hanging from his chin. He had black hair with white streaks in it and had yellow eyes with red irises. He had mischievous smile on him as he wore a fine light brown suit on and held a cane in his cane. “Hello students of Canterlot High, you’re Superintendent of Chaos has arrived!” Luna placed a palm over her face. “This is just going to be hell, I just know it,” she said to herself. > Chapter 14 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaos at Canterlot High! - Part II After the arrival of the superintendent, every student and teacher were gathered into the gymnasium as they awaited for Discord. He was going to give a speech about the temporary departure of Principal Celestia and some of the changes that were going to be made at the school. The room was abuzz with with noises from the students and teachers until the lights went off except for the stage and everyone quiet down to see Discord walking along towards a podium. Discord cleared for a moment before tapping on the microphone and speaking into it. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, etcetera and etcetera,” he said. “As many of you may know, I am Superintendent Discord and am happy to say that I will be in charge of the whole school for a month. I really hope I get to know each and everyone of you before Principal Big Bottoms comes back.” A few of students snickered at Discord commented while Luna standing on the side of the stage let out a groan. “She really does have a great looking ass,” Zero commented before the whole gang looked over to him with raised brow. “What? It’s true.” “Anyways, I should probably get started with some of these changes I have for this school,” Discord continued. “Don’t worry, they’re just teeny tiny little things I just think would be necessary for the school.” He reached into the inside of his suit and pulled out a scroll before unfolding it and the list came rolling out. The bottom part of the scroll fell off of the stage and landed on one of the student’s head. “OW! Trixie’s great and powerful head!” “Now let me read off of this list and we can get on with our day.” Many of the students groan in disappointment. “The first change is we’re getting rid of casual clothing,” Discord said. “NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Rarity screamed from the back of the room. “And instead, we’ll be having costumes each and every day that I’m here.” “Wait, what?” Rarity asked. “But of course each day will have it’s own theme of what kind of costumes so please run by my office as there will be a stack of papers telling what costumes you will have to wear for the first week,” Discord explained. “Also, we’re adding more meat to the cafeteria, not much of a vegetarian.” “Dude, that is so harsh,” a student with red, dreadlocks with yellow highlights said. “Are we still going to have any vegetables to eat?” “Not really, Miss um…” “Tree Hugger, man.” “Miss Tree Hugger, I thought since most of the students here are vegetarians, I always wanted to see what would happen if such an occurrence as small amounts of vegetables would do to the large populace against the small amount of meat eaters here,” Discord explained. “So, it’s…. Like a test or something?” Tree Hugger asked. “We can call it that,” Discord replied. “Huh, that does sound kinda interesting,” Tree Hugger commented. “But mostly a bummer.” “Indeed,” Discord happily said before looking back at the scroll. “Oh! And one of my most favourite things to take away from you students,” Discord gleefully said. “There will be a ban on making out on school grounds.” Every student on the entire floor gasped at the sudden news. “WHAT!?” “YOU MONSTER!” “BUT THAT’S MY FAVOURITE PASS TIME!” “HOW CAN WE SURVIVE SCHOOL LIKE THIS!? “EVERYONE PANIC!” Pinkie yelled. Many of the students were jumping out of their chairs as they ran around the gym in a panicked frenzy. Chairs and various objects were being tossed around in the air while some of more shocked students, including Rarity, curled up and were unable to move. Luna had her jaw hanging from the shock of her own students freaking out over something so small before smacking herself in the forehead. Discord snickered at his handy work as he watched the chaos before him with happiness. “Aw, it’s good to spread chaos in school again,” Discord said to himself. “I did not see any of that coming,” Rivet commented as he was walking down the hallways. After about ten minutes of panicking, the students were able to get through the rest of Discord’s list before they were being sent to their classes for the day. “Really, I did not expect the entire school to actually panic after the kiss ban. There is no way anyone would even worry about this in the first place. I mean come on, we’re in school. We’re supposed to focus on our studies and-” “Would you shut up!” Swift shouted. Rivet looked over to him with a blank look. “I-I’m sorry, that came out of nowhere, but the whole thing is such so shocking.” “Swift, really, why are you so upset about this?” Rivet asked. “We have to stay focus anyway. Yeah it’s a bummer, but still.” “But that’s just it, I always depended on kissing Pinkie in between classes just so I can get through the day,” Swift said. “I’ve gotten so use to it, I can’t stop doing that and I’m freaking out already!” Rivet rolled his eyes. “Clyde, please tell me you’re not freaking out about this?” he asked. “I’m okay with it,” Clyde replied. “It’s Rarity that’s gone crazy about all this. First he takes away casual clothing for themed costumes and then, he pushed her over the limit with this. Now I have a constantly sobbing Rarity hanging on my arm right now.” Clyde looked to his side to see Rarity hanging on his arm just like he said as tears were pouring down from her eyes. The tears were ruining her mascara as it ran down along with the trail that covered her cheeks. “There, there, it’ll be alright,” he said as she patted Rarity’s head. “Oh! You’re making it worse!” Rarity said. “Now you can’t comfort me with a kiss!” Rarity let go of Clyde’s arm and buried her head into his chest as she clung against him. Clyde was now feeling awkward and wasn’t sure what to do next. Rivet pinched the bridge of his eyes as he shook his head. “Ah, this is giving me a headache,” he commented. “How many of us are affected by this?” “Well let’s see, Sonata freaked out, Zero went into a rampancy, Soul panicked, Pinkie spiraled out of control, Adagio turned red with anger and fury, Night also turned red with fury and Ah think my sis and her friends went a little nutty,” Applejack listed. “So, half of our friends went insane and pretty much the entire school….. Ah can not believe how many people here just went off the deep end just because we can’t make out around this school anymore.” “Yeah, I mean it’s just kissing. You can pretty much do it anywhere at anytime, so what’s the big deal?” Zephry commented. “Exactly, it shouldn’t be a big deal,” Applejack said. “No one shouldn’t make a big deal. Let’s just move on from the whole thing and not worry about it.” -The Next Day- “Okay, this is something we should make a big deal about,” Applejack said. Because of the change from casual clothing to wearing whatever Discord wanted to wear, all of the girls had to wear bunny outfits while the every guy had to wear fox outfits. Applejack was wearing a full orange bunny outfit and having her hat over the bunny ears. “How the hell did he convinced all of our parents and guardians to go along with this?” “I know my parents went along with it because it sounded hilarious apparently,” Soul answered as he was in a white fox outfit. “Those jerks.” “I don’t know what you guys are getting all benched over about, these are surprisingly comfortable,” Swift commented in a dark blue outfit. “Yeah, they feel all soft and warm. Why would anyone hate these?” Pinkie asked in her pink bunny outfit. “I can give a hundred reasons why and it still wouldn’t be enough to explain my intense hatred for this,” Rainbow Dash replied in her light blue bunny outfit. “This has got to suck so much. The rest of the week better not be like this.” “At least everyone is wearing them,” Rivet said as he wore a green fox outfit. “That way, no one can be shamed or humiliated like we’re feeling right now.” “Has anyone seen Zero anywhere?” Zephyr asked while he wore a tan fox outfit. “He decided to call in sick and not come here,” Night answered in his crimson fox outfit. “He was able to make himself actually sick when he found out about all this…. How was he able to get himself sick so quickly?” “It’s not that bad that we’re wearing these,” Fluttershy commented wearing her pale yellow bunny outfit. Everyone, except for Pinkie, looked at her with raised brows. “Well um…. Maybe it is that bad.” “Wait, isn’t that Clyde and Rarity over there?” Twilight said as she pointed at a certain direction while she wore a light purple bunny suit. “And is Rarity wearing a…. a….” Everyone looked to where Twilight was pointing and most of the guys jaws fell when they saw what Rarity was wearing. Rarity was indeed wearing a bunny suit, but of different kind. It was a one piece bunny suit that had on a skirt with knee high see-through socks and highheels. She had on a small bunny ear band over her head with her usual makeup. “Wait a minute, why is Clyde not wearing a fox suit like the rest of us?” Night asked. The two were walking up to the front door until they ran into Discord on the way up. “Ooohh, getting creative with your choice of clothing are we Miss Rarity?” Discord asked. “Well, I don’t like to brag, but I did make these myself,” Rarity said. “You did a magnificent job with it,” Discord commented before eyeing Clyde. “But I’m afraid you I’ll have to send you to detention if you’re not going to wear a fox outfit.” “Technically I am,” Clyde said, making Discord raise a brow. “I’m wearing a particular sports brand called Fox. They make a lot of racing gear and outfits.” “Aaahhh, very clever,” Discord said with amusement. “Looks like I have to keep an eye on you two.” Discord then stepped aside and the couple walked in. “Son of a b*****!” Rainbow Dash cursed. “I wished I came up with that!” “They have a sports brand called bunny?” Rivet asked. “Well…. No….. Crap, I was doomed to wear this one way or the other,” Rainbow Dash said. “Hey look, it’s Sunset!” Pinkie chimed before she looked confused. “Why is she not wearing a bunny suit?” Sunset walked up the stairs towards the entrance before Discord walked up to her. “Miss Shimmer, you do know that-” “Yes, I know, detention and all that. I rather do that than put on a bunny outfit,” Sunset said before walking past Discord. Discord only shrugged before looking back all the students as he enjoyed how disgruntled they were with the outfit changes. “Damn, I was really hoping for she would wear that bunny outfit,” Soul commented. All the others looked over at him with raised brows. “I mean the sexy kind like Rarity.” “One thing is for sure, we’re in for a long month of hell,” Applejack commented. -Wednesday- “This isn’t so bad,” Soul commented. The day after yesterday, everyone was required to put on any sci-fi outfits that they wanted. Soul was wearing a black outfit with only one glove on his right hand and having a lightsaber hilt on his belt. “Finally, I have an excuse to wear this outfit at school. It was pretty much just hanging there since last halloween.” Sunset was standing next to Soul and rolled her eyes. She was wearing a black outfit as well, except her top was sleeveless and had a brown cloth wrapped around her neck. She also had a lightsaber around her belt as well. “At least you gave me an outfit that I could have tolerated,” she said. “I was kinda afraid that you would have tried to get me to put on that slave outfit.” “Well, now that you mention that-” “Forget it.” “Okay.” “Heya guys, I like the outfits you got,” Sonata said as she was walking up to the two. “Thank you very much, SonataaaaAAAAA!?” Soul squeaked as he saw what Sonata was wearing. Sonata was wearing a decorative, bronze bra piece with a purple cloth that covered her from and back of her lower body but still showed most of her legs. And to top off her costume was a choke piece that had a long chain to it. “What do you think of my outfit? she asked as she did a pose. “I got this one when I went to a convention last year.” “That is the best outfit I have ever-” *WHACK!* “OW!” Sunset whacked the back of Soul’s head and crossed her arms as she huffed out in anger. She glared over to Sonata and let out a groan. “Okay be honest with me, did you get that Star Wars slave outfit just so you can get Soul?” she asked. Sonata tilted her head in confusion. “What? Star Wars? I thought I was at the Victoria Secrets convention,” she replied. “...... Sonata, there’s no such things as a Victoria Secrets convention,” Sunset said. “What!? Then where the hell did Aria sent me to!?” Sonata yelled. “I… think she just sent you somewhere because she wanted to pull a prank on you…. or that she wanted you out of her life, one thing or the other,” Sunset guessed. “Anyways, why did you decided to wear that? Don’t you feel uncomfortable wearing that?” “What would make it uncomfortable?” Sonata asked. “It’s a little too... revealing,” Sunset replied. “So what? I’m a siren, we use our looks to attract attention,” Sonata explained. “.... Also, I like it when Soul olges me.” “SOUL!” “I’m not looking at her like that!” Soul said. “She just caught me off guard is all.” “You’re still looking at her.” “No I’m not.” “I can see you staring in the opposite direction from me.” “I already looked over to you, you just didn’t noticed.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Anyways, I think we should head inside,” Soul said. “The superintendent is having everyone gathered up in the gymnasium for some announcement.” “I really hope it isn’t some prank,” Sunset said. “He put a note on my back that said ‘kick me’ and pretty much everyone kicked in the back of my butt.” “At least I was able to get it off of you,” Soul said. “Yeah, after you kicked me in the butt!” “It wasn’t really that hard of a kick,” Soul pointed out. “Plus, you’re not the one that had a ‘I’m a hottie, pinch me’ on my back.” “That was the best day of my life,” Sonata commented as her eyes were half-lid with a content smile plastered on her. “Pretty much almost every girl at the school pinched me before you even came along and showed it to me….. After you pinched me too,” Soul said with a somewhat unamused look. “Well, that was kinda payback after what you did to me,” Sunset said with a smug smile. “Well, I wished you did it sooner. A couple of guys actually pinched me as well….. I’m not too comfortable with that,” Soul commented. “And Sonata pretty much pinched me seven times and never once told me about it.” “It was either tell you and miss the opportunity of a lifetime or take it and enjoy the ride down,” Sonata said. “I believe that’s what my sis, ‘Dagi told me to do.” “And I am so glad Adagio didn’t do anything,” Soul commented. “.... At least…. I hope she wasn’t planning to.” “Let’s just head inside,” Sunset said. The three headed inside the school as many of the students were walking in with various costumes and outfits. Later on, it was lunch time and everyone was in the cafeteria enjoying their usually lunch except for those who were vegetarians as they had a hard time anything to eat with the cut of vegetables. All the guys sat around the table as they usually chatted or ate. Swift was portraying himself as the Joker, Night was wearing a Pokemon trainer outfit, Zephyr was wearing a nasa space uniform, Rivet wore a Star Trek uniform and Clyde wore a simple leather jacket. Rivet looked over to Clyde with a raised brow. “Clyde, how come you didn’t come here with a costume?” he asked. “I am wearing a costume,” Clyde replied. “I’m the terminator with a jacket on.” “..... You know, we actually put effort into our costumes. The least you can do is humor us,” Rivet said. “Anyways, this has been getting out of hand. I really hope this whole things blows over soon.” “You’re telling me, I’ve been snippy every since the supernatant put up that kiss ban,” Swift said as he swirled his mashpotaos around with his spoon with a frown. “I miss Pinkie’s bubble tasting lips.” “Well, it can’t get any worse from here,” Zephyr said. On cue, the speakers came on and Discord’s voice came out of it as he made an announcement. “Oh my beloved students of Canterlot High, I regret to inform you (not really) that due to me being bored, I’m going to have the snacks machines closed and powered down until such time as I have had my laugh. Hope you all have a good day.” When the speakers went off, the snack machines lights were off. The second the machine had stopped just as one of the students had placed in her coins and the snack stopped halfway before it could drop off of the slot. Trixie watched in horror as she was breathing in and out frantically before shouting. “NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” All of the guys then looked over to Zephyr as they shot him with half-lid eyes. Zephyr only shrugged. “It hasn’t really gotten any worse,” he pointed out. “It really can’t-” “Please for the love of god, don’t finish that sentence,” Soul said. “We can’t risk anyone jinking us right now.” “He does have a point, it can’t get any worse than it already is,” Clyde said. Zero slammed a fist on his table before pointing over to Clyde. “Okay, it’s all on you now,” he said. “Whatever happens next, you’re getting blamed.” Clyde rolled his eyes. “I really can’t see how it could be any worse,” he commented. “And you keep on digging your own grave,” Soul said. After lunch, Clyde and Rarity were walking down the hallway towards their classroom while they held hands. Rarity was wearing a zero suit outfit from the game, Metroid Prime that she had made herself. It was a suggestion that Clyde made for her and she went along with it, just so the two would have fun with it later after school. Just as the two had entered into the classroom and were about to take their seats next to each other, the teacher spoke up with some troubling news for them. “Everyone, I’m afraid to say that we won’t be having seats for anyone to pick,” Rose said. “The supernatant has just went over with the rest of the stuff board that we will be assigning seats by last name.” “Surely, you must be joking?” Rarity asked in a disappointed tone. “I’m sorry, Rarity but it’ll have to be this way,” Rose said. “At least hopefully until Celestia gets back.” Rarity lowered her head down before making her way towards her assigned seat. “Hey don’t worry about it, beautiful,” Clyde said as he gave Rarity a hug. “We can stand for this for a while until after school, right?” Rarity let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right, dear,” she said. “This will be all over before we know it.” When the two departed, Rarity was sitting near the front of the classroom as Clyde sat in the middle of the room. As he sat down, he looked around the room with a small smile as he was hoping to be with people that he had know. His smiled faded away quickly when he realized that he was sitting next to people he didn’t know so well. With a grunt, Clyde lowered his head on the desk and let out a sigh. “Well, this is a bust,” he commented. Time had gone by as the days went on. Discord’s constant rule changes and pranks were driving the entire school crazy as students were being pushed over the edge and teachers were being driven mad. It was the final week of his rule and everyone was doing their best to survive the final week until it was over and Celestia would be back to bring harmony back to the misaberale school. Monday morning, the students were coming the school in regular clothing as Discord had run out of ideas for costumes and wanted a day to think of something. All the teachers and students were in the gymnasium as the supernatant had something important to say. When the students and teachers were asking Luna what it was about, she was just as confused as everyone else why he had called a meeting up. Everyone’s voices died down as Discord walked along the stage with his cane and a smug smiled plastered on his face. He tapped on the microphone a few times before leaning in towards it. “Hello my fellow students and teachers, I hope you’re all are enjoying my time here at CHS,” Discord said. All of them only muttered to themselves or with others as they begrudgingly talked about Discord. “As you all know, at the of the week, our precious, Principal Celestia would be back at the end of the week and things would be under her control again.” Everyone let out cheers and joyous cries at the mention of this. “But I’m afraid to inform you that is not the case,” Discord said. Everyone in the went dead silent upon those words as they looked at him with confused looks on him. “Why just today, I have received a phone call from the school board and they have decided that Principal Celestia should be in charge of a new school that had opened up in the area and I will be permanently taking over the school!” he pronounced. “Isn’t that wonderful news?” Everyone in the entire school had their jaws hanging as they stared up the stage with horrified expressions. Luna’s eyes twitched as her lips were pursed and her mind had broken from the sudden news. “Well, I must be off to my office,” Discord said. “I’ll see you all later and for months and years to come!” Discord walked off the stage as he whistled a tune to himself and went out the doorway. The silence in the room was very long and dreadful as the teachers and students stood in place with their jaws still hanging out. After a moment, a cough was let out and everyone looked over to the group to see Rivet with an unamused expression plastered on him. He raised a hand with his finger pointing up and opened his mouth. “We are, by the definition, boned.” > Chapter 15 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaos at Canterlot High! - Part III It was early in the afternoon in Canterlot and the temporary, former principal Celestia was relaxing in her own home. She was reading a romance novel as she lay on her reclining chair and sipped her herbal tea. She wore a simple bathrobe while underneath it was her designed undergarments which she didn’t want the world to see except for her future husband… or boyfriend, whichever came first. As she was reading, she heard a few knocks on her door. After adjusting the chair and putting down the book, she walked over to the door before putting on slippers. She double-checked her robe to see if she was revealing and made sure it wasn’t. She then grasped the doorknob with a twist and opened the door. After she opened it, her eyes widened with shock to see a familiar student from her school standing in front of her. Breathing in heavily, Soul was covered in leaves and mud with tears in his jacket. A few claw marks could be seen on his face and twigs in his white hair. Celestia covered her mouth with her hand as she was horrified to see her student in such shape. “Oh my god, Soul! Are you alright!?” she asked concernedly. “What happened to you?” “It’s a very long story,” Soul replied. “You see...” -Flash Back- It was in the middle of class and everyone was still shocked about what they had just heard. Discord was now going to to replace Celestia for good and that she would be teaching at another school while he would still be in charge. Even the teachers were terrified by this as they would be caught up in his pranks and hijinks that he would to pull on them. Discord at times would change the coffee to decaf and most of the teachers would be zombies for the whole day, or even put in pills that would do strange things to them, like make them fall asleep, have small hallucinations or even…. Well, after what had happened to Cranky Doodle, the teachers wouldn’t even dare go near the coffee machines anymore. They had to bring their own coffee from their homes or coffee shops. Being separated from the others, due to being in different classes or because of the assigned seats rule, the gang was texting one another in order to discuss the situation. Soul was texting down on his phone making sure the teacher didn’t notice. His phone vibrated and he looked over the text he received in the group chat they had set up. Sunset: What are we going to do? Principal Celestia is never going to be here anymore! Twilight: I don’t know, but we should do something. Zero: How? We’re just a bunch of teens who don’t know jack about anything about life outside of these walls. For all we know, we could be being led to our deaths when we graduate! Rivet:...... He actually has a point, crude but truthful. Applejack: Maybe we should try to contact Celestia and let her know about this. She may not know about it yet. Rivet: I doubt she would not know about it. They would have told her by now. Applejack: We're talking about Discord here. He probably told the school board that he would tell her himself only to wait at the last minute to surprise her with this! Rivet: True. Swift: Maybe we should go to Luna for advice. Maybe there is a way to stop all this. Clyde: Yeah, but no doubt Discord would be keeping a close eye on her. He may even prevent us from talking to her. Zephyr: We could go to the principal’s house and ask her about what should we do. Does anyone know where she lives? Night: I wish… Fluttershy: Why would you wish? Night: Um…. Reasons. Rainbow Dash: No clue. Sunset? Sunset: *Sigh* Afraid not. They may have a file on where she lives but that would be in either Discord’s office or the faculty room. Soul looked away from his phone for a moment before an idea had popped into his mind. He typed down on his phone his idea to the group. Soul: I have an idea! Sunset: What? Soul: Pinkie, do you have all of your gear from when we were spying on Sunset? Sunset: WHAT!?! Pinkie: Still have them! Soul: Okay, meet me outside of the faculty room, but be careful. Pinkie: Okie Dokey Loki! :D Sunset: Soul, what do you mean you were spying on me!? Soul: Explain later, love you! Sunset: SOUL, DON’T YOU DARE- Soul didn’t finish reading the sentence as he put away his phone and looked over to his teacher, Miss Rose. He was trying to come up with a way to get out of class and meet up with Pinkie, but he had to come up with an idea so clever and elusive that it would not make the teacher aware of his plan. . . . Or he could go with the direct approach. Soul raised his hand up and Rose saw it. “Yes, Mr. Writer?” “Can I go and get some files from the faculty room?” Soul asked, “So that I can find a way to get rid of Discord and hopefully bring back our principal?” Rose pursed her lips and blinked a few times. “Well um…… Would you be able to get back?” she asked. “I don’t think so,” Soul said. “Not because I’d be dead or anything, but if it works, I’ll be on my way finding a solution to this whole mess…. or detention. Whichever comes first.” Rose scratched her head for a moment before looking back at Soul. “Normally something like that would be crazy and I would say no, but given the circumstances…. I think I’ll allow it this one time,” she said. “Just don’t tell anyone I said you can do this.” Soul nodded happily and walked out of class. The classroom fell silent for a moment before another was raised. “Um, can I go and save, uh, the school too?” Snips asked. “I promise I won’t be cutting class or anything like that.” Rose eyes were half-lid before she placed her hand over her forehead out of irritation. Some time had passed and the faculty room was closed at the moment. Lurking around, Soul poked his head out. Following behind him was Pinkie in her tight black latex suit. Soul looked back at Pinkie before giving her a confused look. “Why did you have to wear that?” Soul asked. “Remember the last time you wore that?” “Well yeah, but don’t worry. That won’t happen again,” Pinkie replied. “I made sure that there was more butt room than last time. So that won’t happen again.” Soul rolled his before eyeing out the area. His eyes moved left to right of the opposite hallways before putting all his focus on the door itself. He motioned for Pinkie to follow him and the two tiptoed towards the door. “Pinkie, can you keep an eye out for someone who might be coming our way?” Soul whispered. “I’m going to see if I can open the door.” “Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie whispered back before turning around and looking out at the hallways. Soul pulled off a bag from over his shoulder and dropped it on the ground next to him. He reached into it before pulling a lock pick kit and started using them for his attempt to unlock the door. Just as he was doing so, Pinkie leaned in behind over his shoulder as she watched him. “Hey, Soul? I think the door maybe-” “Pinkie! I need you to be a watch out for me!” “But-” “Shush!” Pinkie made a pout before turning around with her arms crossed as she continued to keep watch. Soul was still working on the doorknob until all of a sudden, the pick broke off. Soul sighed and removed the broken piece from the doorknob before grabbing another pick and placing it in. Just like the first time, the pick broke off in a moment and he repeated the process. The same thing happened, and every time a pick broke, Soul’s frustration grew more and more. After several attempts, Soul was on his last pick. Just before he was about to put it in, Soul dropped everything and sat in a prayer position as he closed his eyes. “Oh Lord almighty from the heavens above, please let me break into this room so that we may be able to steal some files to find out where our principal is. I know that sounds very suspicious and raises some questions, but you already know what we’re planning to do. So please, give me the thievery skills to unlock this door. In your son’s name, Jesus, amen.” Soul picked up his tools before putting them into place. Just as he put the pick in the doorknob, it broke at the touch of it and he let out a loud groan. “Dangit God, you had one job!” Soul said to himself. Pinkie let out a sigh before turning back to Soul. “I think I know why all the picks keep on breaking,” she said. “It’s either that I have bad lock picking skills or that you brought terrible lock picks,” Soul guessed. “No.” Pinkie reached over to the doorknob and twisted it. The door opened when she pushed on it. She then looked at Soul with a sly smile. “It was open the entire time.” Soul’s eyes twitched. “R-Right….. We never speak of this,” he said. “Alrighty.” “Why would they even have the door unlocked?” Soul asked. “There are files in here that could put a student’s life in danger. Even the teachers would be in trouble.” “Maybe they have a trap inside?” Pinkie guessed. “Oh please, like they would-” Before Soul could finish, he pushed the door all the way open only to see a rope tied to the doorknob. A variation of contraptions went around the room before Soul and Pinkie laid their eyes on a catapult with a cat on it. It swung from the catapult right at Soul and clawed onto his face. Soul screamed and yelled as he flung around with the cat clawing away at his face. “AAAAAAAAAAHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!” Pinkie looked back between Soul and the faculty room. She shrugged before going into the room while Soul was still fighting off the cat. After a few moments, Pinkie walked out of the room with a folder in her hand. She flipped through the files until she came upon what they needed. “Hey Soul, I found out where Celestia lives,” Pinkie said. “Oh! I even know what her favorite type of cake is too!” “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! I’M IN TREMENDOUS PAIN!” As Soul was moving around trying to get the cat off, he was backing off towards one of the open windows. Pinkie’s eyes widened at this and she tried to get over to him. “Wait! Look out for the-” But it was too late and Soul tumbled backwards towards the opened window. Just before he fell through it, the cat jumped off at the last minute and Soul waved his arms around in hopes to not fall but failed. Soul let out a long scream as he fell from the third floor of the building before he crashed on top of some bushes. Soul moaned as he was in pain from the fall and dazed. After a moment, he sat up and rubbed his head. Pinkie bent over the window and looked down at him. “SOUL! ARE YOU OKA-” *RIP!* Pinkie’s eyes widened before she looked at the back of her suit to see that it had ripped in the same spot. The pants ripped, showing off her pink floral designed panties. “Dangit, not again!” Pinkie said. “My butt couldn’t have gotten any bigger…. Could it have?” Coming out from around the corner, Swift was running quietly as he headed over to where Pinkie was. “Guys, I was able to get out of class and I want to-GHAAA!?” Swift felt his face light up red as he saw Pinkie’s exposed backside. Pinkie blushed and turned around before giving Swift a embarrassed smile. “Hehe, I had a little accident again.” Swift felt his nose bleed for a moment before falling over to the ground. -Flash Back End- “You fell out from the third floor!?” Celestia concernedly asked. “Are you feeling okay?” “I felt sleepy a few times, but I’m holding up,” Soul replied as his eyes started fluttering. “Anyways, after I fell, security was nearby, so I had to make a run for it and get here as soon as possible. Luckily, Pinkie texted me the address.” “Mr. Soul Writer, while I am happy to hear that many of my students wouldn’t want me to leave, it was still irresponsible to leave your class and break into the faculty room to steal files. You should know that is a federal offense,” Celestia said. “But I am willing to let it slide after what you’ve been through. Plus, the thought behind it was sweet.” “Thank you.” “Also, I was very much aware of what was happening,” Celestia added. “... Wait, what?” “Yes, my sister already told me everything about Discord's announcement, and I’m already planning on talking to the school board about this sudden news.” “Oh… So, what you’re saying is-” “I’m afraid to say that everything you did up to this point was pointless, yes,” Celestia confirmed. “Ah… I see.” There was a long pregnant pause until Soul spoke up again. “I’m going to sleep now.” *THUMP!* Celestia watched as Soul fell face forward onto thefloor. Her eyes were half lid before she pinched the bridge of her eyes. With a sigh, she went to pick up Soul’s unconscious body and dragged him into her house and closed the door behind her with her leg. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Soul’s eyes began to flutter open. He let out a moan as his head was throbbing with pain. Soul placed his hand over to where the pain was in his head and slowly raised himself up. After sitting up, he discovered that he was lying on a couch and looked around to see photos of Celestia and Luna, as well as other photos of what possibly be friends and family. He felt around his face to feel bandages on where his cuts and claw marks were. Entering the room, Celestia was holding up a phone to her ear. With a sigh, she pressed the end button and sat over in her reclining chair. Soul looked at Celestia’s new outfit as she was now sporting blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt. Celestia laid back in her chair with a weary look. “Well, I just called or at least tried to call most of the school board, but apparently most of them are busy,” Celestia said. “This decision was more than likely made a long time ago and Discord just decided to give everyone the details today. He must have wanted to freak everyone out about this just for kicks.” “So is there anything we can do to stop it?” Soul asked. “Even if I could get some of the school board to change their minds, it is too late to stop the whole thing,” Celestia said with a frown. “I’m afraid to say that my days as Principal of Canterlot High are over.” “What!? But you can’t give up like that! We still have a whole week left,” Soul pointed out. “Surely there’s something we can do?” Celestia placed a finger on her chin as she thought for a moment. She snapped her fingers when an idea popped into her mind and looked over to Soul. “There may be a way you can stop this,” she said. “If you can start a petition, all you have to do is get enough signatures and give it to Discord before the whole thing is set. If there’s too many people dissatisfied with this, the whole school board would have to stop.” “Alright, I can do that. But why exactly should I give it to Discord?” Soul asked. “Wouldn’t he try to get rid of it or something?” “Discord may be cryptic at times, but he didn’t become superintendent by acting around…. Well, it was part of the reason, but the point is he is a very responsible man and he knows when he’s defeated. It’s just very rare for that to happen.” “Sounds easy enough,” Soul said. He got up from the chair and decided to make a pose. He placed both his hands over the sides of his waist and looked out in no particular direction with a determined eyes. “Don’t worry, Miss Celestia, I promise to get every signature of students, teachers and even the parents themselves to keep your job.” Celestia smiled. “I’m glad to hear that you are determined to keep me at the school. It makes me happy to see my students still want me there,” she said. “And I bet your parents would love to sign that signature… Just as soon as you explain to them about the whole ordeal.” “Yeah, I-..... Wait, what?” *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!* “Oh, that must be them,” Celestia said. She walked over to the front door and opened it to show Dawn and Comet standing there as they gave a smile for a moment before turning their glares right at Soul. Soul gulped. “Soul Benjamin Writer,” Dawn began to say with a low growl. “Why is it that your former principal just told me that you were SKIPPING SCHOOL, BREAKING INTO FACULTY ROOMS AND STEALING SCHOOL DOCUMENTS!?” Soul looked over to Celestia. “I thought you said you wouldn’t tell anyone!?” he asked. “No, I said I would let it slide,” Celestia corrected. “However, they’re your parents and have the right to know about this.” Soul looked back and forth between his principal and his parents in panic. He sucked in some breath before making possibly his last response. “..... Reasons.” “And they grounded you for life after that response?” Sunset asked. After the events that had transpired at Celestia’s home were finished and the others had gotten out of school, the gang had all gathered together at Sugarcube Cafe to plan out their next move. “Yes,” Soul replied with a low groan. “But they were the first to sign the petition, so that worked out.” “So that’s our only option?” Rivet asked. “Just go door to door until we have enough?” “We’ll go door to door to get the parents’ signatures. The rest will be easy once we go back to school and get the teachers and students to go along with it,” Soul explained. “Of course we need to keep quiet about it so Discord won’t try anything funny.” “Okay, why am I involved in this?” Zero asked. “Nothing personal, but I barely know you guys and I’m risking a lot if I go along with this.” “Because if you do, you get to be one of the most popular guys here at school and all the girls will be all over you,” Clyde said. “...... I’m in.” Everyone in the room rolled their eyes. “That didn’t take much,” Twilight commented. “I wish I could join in, but I have to get back home soon,” Zephyr said. “My mom gets worried whenever I stay out too long.” “Alright, then just sign this petition and you can go,” Soul said. Zephyr signed the petition and waved to the others as he left. “Does anyone else want out?” Soul asked. “Um, well, I was hoping that I wouldn’t-” “Fantastic! Let’s get to work on getting some signatures!” “Oh dear,” Fluttershy meekly said. “This is going to take a lot of guys and there’s no telling how long it will take,” Soul said. “But we need to do this quickly as pos-” -Thursday Morning- “Wow, the past two days went by fast,” Swift commented. “Yeah, especially with that thing that happened,” Pinkie added. “The random explosions, giant robots fighting each other, aliens invading-” “Pinkie, none of that happened,” Night said. “All we did was walk to people’s doors and asked to sign the petition. And pretty much everyone at the school wanted Discord out of here so they signed it.” “Well the readers didn’t know,” Pinkie said with a pout as she crossed her arms. The gang was heading up towards the school building and was about to enter it. Soul was holding a stack of papers that contained the signatures that they needed to stop Discord in his arms. As they were walking, Soul looked over the stack one more time before cracking a smug smile. “Alright everyone, this is it. Our troubles are over,” Soul said. “Once we give these to the superintendent, we get our good old Principal Celestia back and everything will be back to normal.” “As normal as this school can be,” Clyde said. Just as the gang had gone through the doors of the school, suddenly they shut violently behind them, which startled the group. The doors were soon covered by shutters that came down from the ceiling, blocking off the entrance. The windows, doors, and other means of entering the building were being blocked up by shutters and bars. There were people panicking at the sudden occurrence going on in the school until the voice of Discord could be heard throughout the school. “Hello my dear students and fellow teachers,” Discord’s voice boomed through the school. “It would seem that there are some meddlesome students that want to have me be gone from this heavenly place and have your precious principal back. Seeing as how many of you did in fact sign to have me gone, I’m going to make a proposition to all of you.” Everyone in the group looked up at the speakers with nervous glances. “To the student or students that find those papers and tear them apart for me, I’ll be granting them an immediate A plus in any one class they’re having trouble in, and a hundred dollars to go along with that. And for the teachers, they will be given a raise and will be given their own office. I hope you kids have a fun time.” The speakers went off and everyone in the group went silent as the air around them had darkened with the sudden dead silence of the whole school. They looked around the hallways to see them void of any life, and the growing tension wasn’t making things any better. Zero looked from left to right down the hallways before looking to the others. “I don’t think anyone is going to stop us,” he said. “I mean, come on, this is Discord we’re talking about… Right?” Pinkie’s ears started to tingle as she was picking up sounds of rushing footsteps. The others started to hear them too as they were getting closer. The gang looked down some of the hallways to see large numbers of students and teachers rushing towards them with looks of determination and anger. “GET OUT OF WAY!” “I’M GOING TO PASS SPANISH CLASS NO MATTER WHAT!” “I’M MAKING SURE THAT I NEVER GO TO THE GYM EVER AGAIN!” “LIKE HELL YOU ARE! IRON WILL IS GETTING THE RAISE HE DESERVES!” Several of the hallways were crowded with students and teachers as they closed in on them. Twilight glared over to Zero. “You had to say something, didn’t you?” she asked with a scowl. Sonata cleared her throat. “I say that for the good of all of us is that we RUN LIKE HELL FOR IT!” she shouted. “WHICH WAY DO WE GO!?” Swift yelled. “HURRY, THIS WAY!” Rarity said as she pointed her finger down an empty hallway before running down it. The others followed behind Rarity as they ran down the hallway with the large masses of the entire school body behind them. When they were able to get some distance from the mob, Rarity grabbed hold of a door swung it open. She motioned them all to go inside, and when the last member of the group rushed in, she closed the door behind her and raised her finger up to her lips to signal them to be quiet. The group stayed clear of the door and out of sight of the small window as the large mass of students and teachers rushed by it. They held their breaths a couple of times as students would check in on them but moved along with the rest of the crowd. They stayed quiet until the crowd had gone by and there wasn’t any more noise going on outside. Everyone felt a bit relieved and got out of their hiding places. “Nice save, Boo,” Clyde said. “Oh, it was nothing,” Rarity said. “What are we going to do!?” Pinkie panicked. “The whole school is after us! How are we going to stop Discord now!?” “Calm down, Pinkie, we can figure this out,” Night said. “All we have to do is get to Discord’s office and give him that petition to bring our lovely Celestia back.” Fluttershy raised a brow. “Why did you say she was lovely?” she asked. “Oh uh, I was just being nice is all,” Night said with a guilty smile. “We need a way to get this petition past all of the students and teachers. If they get their hands on this, we can say goodbye to Celestia forever,” Soul said. Sunset looked around the room for a moment before looking at Rarity. “Where are we exactly?” she asked. “We’re in the arts and crafts room,” Rarity replied. “Why do you ask?” “I have an idea,” Sunset answered. She walked over to a nearby cabinet and opened it. After going through the supplies, she pulled out to stacks of wrapped paper before placing them on the table and unwrapping them. “If we’re going to get to Discord, we need to outthink the entire school body.” “You have a plan?” Zero asked. “Definitely. We’ll split up into three groups,” Sunset said. “Two of the groups will head out and distract the mobs with fake stacks of papers. The group with the real petitions will go straight to Discord’s office. Hopefully the other two groups would keep the entire school body off of them.” “That sounds like a great plan,” Twilight said. “Soul, you’d better give someone else the petition. A lot of people did see you holding it.” “That sounds like it’s for the best,” Soul said. “Alright, pair off and let’s get going.” After a few minutes, Swift peeked his head out the door to see if the hallway was clear. He checked the three hallways that were in front of him before walking out and motioning the others to come out. Going down one hallway, Swift was leading Pinkie, Night, Fluttershy and Applejack with Fluttershy holding a stack of papers. Going down another hallway were Sunset, Soul, Zero, Twilight and Sonata while Sonata held a stack as well. The last group to come out and take the final hallway consisted of Clyde, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Rivet as Rivet carried the last stack. As they walked down the hallway, Clyde was leading the way as he kept his eyes and ears out for anything that might threaten him, the group, and his precious gem. They kept on walking until they came across the entrance to the gymnasium. Clyde stopped in front of it before looking at the door for a moment. “What are we doing?” Rivet asked. “Did you hear something?” “No, but I think we should go through the gymnasium,” Clyde said. “There’s another passageway through the back of the stage we could take. It’ll be like a shortcut.” “That’s a marvelous idea, Clyde,” Rarity commented. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of that.” The group entered the gym quietly as they walked into the large room. The room was in complete darkness as there were no lights on and the windows were blocked off with shutters. “Man, it’s too dark in here,” Rainbow Dash said. “Does someone have a flashlight in their phone?” “Don’t worry, Miss Dash, Iron Will will take care of that.” They all froze up at the familiar voice when suddenly the lights came on. Standing in front of them was their coach, Iron Will, with many of the athletic groups of students that were behind him. Each of the students had different gear of sporting goods for various sports. “Is it too late to go back?” Rivet asked. *WHAM!* The group looked behind them to see the door was closed and blocked off by a few students. “Too late,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now why don’t you hand over that petition to good old Iron Will and you can all go without incident?” “Sorry coach, but I can’t do that,” Clyde said as he stepped up in front of the group. “We’re getting that petition to Discord one way or another.” “We are?” Rivet asked confusedly. “We are,” Rainbow Dash confirmed as she took a step and stood next to Clyde. “And what exactly are two students going to do against Iron Will and every athletic students here?” “That depends on how good you can count, old man.” Everyone turned their attention as several other students were now standing next to Rainbow Dash and Clyde. Standing in front of them with a smug look on was- “Tyrone?” Clyde asked. “You know it, dog,” Tyrone replied. “I’m not going to lie, the deal Discord made is sweet, but I’m never going to backstab you like that, man. So the entire basketball team decided to take your side.” “Thanks man, I really needed the help,” Clyde said. Tyrone nodded and looked at Iron Will with a determined smug looked. “Bring it on,” he said. Leading the group, Swift would cautiously look between intersecting hallways before moving on down the hallway they were taking. As they quietly walked, his group had stopped in front of the entrance towards the cafeteria. “Why exactly are we going through the cafeteria again?” Night asked. “Isn’t that more of a hotspot for an ambush or something like that?” “We gotta take the risk. On the other side of the cafeteria is a straight shot towards Discord’s office. Once we get though, it’ll all be over like a snake biting you,” Applejack explained. “That’s not a good thing, Applejack,” Pinkie said. “You made it sound like we’ll die the instant the snake bit us.” “Ah mean that we be quick as a snake would bite a person,” Applejack pointed out. “Ya know those scaly varmints are fast.” “Let’s just get this over with,” Night said. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we get our beloved, curvy principal back.” “Alright, why did you say she was curvy?” Fluttershy asked as she glared at Night. “Crap, eh…. Because have you seen the way her outfit looks?” Night asked. “Yep, her outfit is real curvy like and very snazzy.” Everyone looked at Night for a moment with raised brows. “Alright, fine! I think our principal is hot, okay!?” Night shouted. “Fluttershy, you’re very beautiful and I wouldn’t trade you for the world, but you have to admit that she is a looker, right?” “Oh, no no, I understand,” Fluttershy said. “I think Celestia is very lovely to look at. You don’t have to hide stuff like that. If you think there’s a girl that is good looking, you don’t have to hide that.” “Oh…. Really?” “Hmhmm,” Fluttershy simply replied. “I trust you enough that I don’t have to worry about anyone else coming between us, Night.” “Wow, that’s…. Wow, you really trust me that much?” “Of course I do. I do love you.” “Wow, now I feel like a jackass for keeping that a secret.” “We all feel like that from time to time,” Swift said. “But I don’t feel like that right now because we’re in the middle of a freaking war zone and I would really like to keep moving.” “Sorry,” Night and Fluttershy said at the same time. “It’s okay, let’s just go.” Swift opened the door and just as the group stepped in, food, trays and various utensils were being tossed at them. The group panicked and took cover behind a nearby table before Pinkie saw a piece of cake flying at her and she caught it in her mouth. The group hid behind the table and they peeked over to see Trixie and many other students were blocking their way towards the other side. “If you all don’t want to get humiliated by the Great and Powerful Trixie, you will give her those petitions and go home feeling defeated but less humiliated.” “We’re never gonna give y’all those petitions, Trixie!” Applejack yelled. “We’d rather die than give ya them.” “Woah, woah, let’s not get carried away here,” Swift said. “I’d really prefer to live through this and be a rich lawyer some day.” “We have you outnumbered three to one,” Trixie said. “What can you all possibly do against Trixie and her unstoppable army?” “Uh, you do know that we’re not really under your command, right?” “SHUT UP!” “What do we do!?” Night asked. “We could throw stuff back,” Pinkie suggested. “Like what?” “Ummmmmm, oh! I know.” Pinkie snatched the stack of papers from Fluttershy and stood up from cover. “Pinkie, what are you-” Before Applejack could finish, Pinkie threw the stack of papers over towards the other side of the room at Trixie. Trixie only had a few seconds to realize that the papers were heading straight towards her before it impacted, causing her to fall over. Several of the students surrounded her to see all of the papers were blank. “Pinkie, we were supposed to keep them distracted!” Swift said. “Well, they’re distracted now,” Pinkie said. “For only a few seconds,” Applejack commented. “Hey, these aren’t the papers we were looking for!” “If they don’t have them, then who does?” “I say we get those guys and make them tell us!” Everyone in the room glared over to the group. “Uh oh,” Night said. “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked. “See? What did I tell you?” Pinkie said. “Ah’m going to make ya pay for this, Pinkie,” Applejack said glaring at Pinkie. “Looks like my life as a lawyer is never going to come,” Swift commented. “Don’t worry, bro! We’re here to help!” The group looked up to see Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom coming down from a hole up in the ceiling on ropes. They landed on top of the table and stood up as they looked at the group. “Scootaloo!? What are you doing here?” Swift asked. “We came to help,” Scootaloo replied. “Yep, we’re not going to leave you guys hanging with everything going on,” Sweetie Belle said. “Especially since my sis and cousin are in danger,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’m always glad to see my family wanting to help,” Applejack said with a smile. “But when did you girls learn how to come in like that?” “Pinkie Pie taught me,” Scootaloo answered. “She showed me how to do it after she came over during the summer and I showed the other girls too.” “I was planning on teaching my kids that so I thought I would try it with Scootaloo,” Pinkie said before letting out a content sigh. “I’m going to be a great mom someday.” “So you girls have a plan then?” Swift asked. “Huh?” “You know, a plan to get us out of this?” The three girls faces went blank for a moment before showing embarrassed smiles on them. “Ah yeah, we may not have thought this all the way through,” Apple Bloom said. “We kinda thought it was going to be simple from here… but… that’s not the case,” Sweetie Belle said with a weak smile. “So, you came swooping in without a plan?” Swift asked with a deadpan expression. “Uh yeah,” Scootaloo replied shamefully. “But don’t worry, we have a backup plan.” “Like what?” “This, RUN!” Everyone in the group screamed as they ran back out the hallway while the other students chased after them, leaving behind an unconscious Trixie as she moaned in pain. The last group made their way towards Discord’s office as their plan had so far worked. Just like Sunset had hoped, the others were distracting the majority of the school body and had no difficulty getting towards their destination. Zero and Sunset were leading the group as they would look ahead for the the group before moving on down the hallways. Twilight volunteered to keep watch of the rear of the group to see anyone was following them. Sonata was carrying the real petitions while Soul walked alongside her. “Are we there yet?” Sonata asked. “My arms are getting tired from holding this around.” “We just need to go down one more hallway and we should see Discord’s office on the left,” Sunset said. “How are we doing back there, Twilight?” “We’re doing good. I haven’t seen anyone since we waited for the others start the distractions,” Twilight replied. “I hope that they’ll be alright.” “I’m sure they can handle it,” Soul said. “Clyde, Swift and Rivet have been through the worst parts before I came, so I’m sure they can handle this.” “Babe, it was either they weren’t there or they were under mind control,” Sunset said. “I don’t think that’s really much help for and from anyone.” “Well…. they’re still alive…. or not under mind control anymore,” Soul said. “That’s gotta count for something.” “I don’t think those times count, babe,” Sunset said. “Well, what about the time when Twilight had that magical amulet and she-” Soul paused before looking back at Twilight to see that she was glaring at him. He gulped before looking back at Sunset. “Right, I mean never mind.” “Wait, what’s this about an amulet?” Zero asked. “We’re talk about it later,” Twilight said. “We’re about to come on the turn anyway.” “At least we can finally get this day done and never have to worry abo-” Just as Zero was about to finish, the group turned around the next corner and came to a frozen stop. Right in front of them was the door to Discord’s Office and an end to their dellama. Unfortunately between them were Adagio, Aria and a large number of large strong boys standing behind them. “*****!” Zero cursed. “What did I say about you saying stuff like this!? Twilight asked. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Adagio said. “It appears that our friends here have the petition that we're looking for.” “Wants us to take it from them?” one of the students asked. “Now, let’s not be hasty. I’m sure we can work out a deal here,” Adagio said. “Sorry, but we’re not in the mood for talking,” Zero said. “Oh, really? What about it, Sonata? Are you in the mood for talking?” “Wait, me?” Sonata asked. “Of course, stupid. Why else would we be doing?” Aria answered. “If it was anyone else, we would just skipped to the beating up part and rip those papers apart.” “Aria, we talked about this!” Adagio said before looking back at the group. “We’re willing to make any kinds of deals with you if you would give me those papers.” “Like what kind of deal?” Soul asked. “Soul!?” Sunset asked worriedly. “What? I’m just curious, not interested,” Soul explained. “Well, I would be more than willing to ‘hang out’ with you boys.” “Pass,” Both Zero and Soul said at the same time. “Oh um…. What I mean by hang out is becoming more intimate with you two,” Adagio explained as she wiggled her brows. “How about it?” “Wait, what about your deal with us?” one of the students asked. “Listen, fellas, I agreed to give each of you a kiss on the lips if you’ve gotten me the petition and said that I did it myself with Aria. I know you were hoping for more but I’m sorry to say, I don’t play like that,” Adagio replied. The large students whispered and mumbled with one another before looking back at Adagio. “Will there be tongue kissing?” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m willing give you all tongue kissing,” she answered. “Okay, we’re still in then.” “Good,” Adagio said before looking back. “So, how about-” “No thanks,” Soul replied. “I’m faithful to my girl here.” “Awww,” Sunset coed. “And I’m not interested in one time flings,” Zero said. “The girl I want to get busy with is the one that loves me just as much as I love her.” Twilight looked over to Zero and smiled. “Fine, fair enough,” Adagio said before laying her eyes on Sonata. “But surely, you wouldn’t betray us now, would you, dear sis?” “Eeeeehhh…” “I mean, we are a close family, right Aria?” “More or less.” “Aria…” “Augh! Yes, we’re…. family,” Aria said with difficulty. “Elck, I’ve never felt so sick.” Sonata looked at her sisters for moment before looking at her friends as they looked at her with worry. Sweat poured down from her forehead as every second past by as time had slowed down her. Her mind was wrapped with so much fear that either she would lose her friends or that she would lose her family. They all were counting on her to make a decision. And she didn’t want to make it. Just before she could make up her mind, Sonata felt a hand on her shoulder before looking to see that it was Soul’s hand on her. She looked up to see him smiling at her. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to do this,” he said. “We understand that you would never turn your back on your family.” “Y-You would?” “Yep…. Because I’m going to take this,” Soul said before he grabbed the petition and ran the other way. “Wait, wha- GET HIM!” Aria cried out. All of the students chased after Soul before the others went up against the walls and they past by them. When Adagio, Aria and the large students had past, the group looked down the hallway. “Oh man, we gotta help Soul!” Zero said. “He’s never going to get past them!” “Don’t worry, he’s just putting plan B into action,” Sunset said. “Wait, plan B?” Twilight asked with a raised brow. Soul was running down the hallway as he could his pursuers getting closer to him. He quickly ran around the corner before going into a room and closing the door behind him. Soul looked around to see that he was in the Math Room. “I think he went in here!” Aria shouted from outside. Soul looked around the room for a moment and saw what he need to see to put his plan into action. After a few seconds, the door to the room was kicked opened by Aria and the she had entered the room with the rest of others behind her. They looked around the room to see that he had disappeared. “What the? I could have sworn that he-” Before Aria could finish, she saw that the vent on top of the room was opened with the cover removed and she could a few banging sounds coming out of it. “That piece of-” Soul quickly moved around in the vents as he crawled his way though knowing that Aria may have saw the obviously opened vent. Despite seeing so much cobwebs and dead bugs in the vent, it was surprisingly going well. He even questioned why the vents were so big and roomy, but that might have been something that the maintenance people needed to do if it was ever needed to repaired or something. Soul stopped for a moment before placing the petition in front of him and pulling out a map of the school’s venting system. “Alright, if I’m reading this map right, and God help me if I am not, I should be over-” *CREAK!* Soul’s eyes widen when he heard something cracking all around him. He noticed that he was slowly going down as the vent below him was giving out. “Ah crap.” *CRUSH!* “AAAAAAAAAAHHH-” *CRASH!* “OW!” Soul had fallen through the the ceiling and moaned in pain. He slowly raised his head up before looking to see that the petition was okay, even though some of the papers did fall out of the stack. He gathered up the loose papers before looking around to see that he was in a room with a man sitting at his desk. The man had a very stylish hair and a curly mustache and seemed oblivious that Soul had crashed through the ceiling. Soul looked around to see on the door that it said Discord’s Office where the title use to say Celestia's Office. Soul brushed off his shirt and coat before walking over to the desk with the petition in his hands. “Um, excuse me?” Soul asked. “A yyeeeessss?” The man behind the desk greeted. Soul raised a confused brow before speaking up again. “Are you… the secretary?” he asked. “Nooooo, I’m just a man that’s just sitting around here for no reason,” the man replied sarcastically. Soul pursed his lips before continuing on. “Well anyways, I need to get this petition to Discord right now,” he said. “I would like it if he could stop the whole thing with taking Principal Celestia’s job and hope that he could see that people are upset about this.” “Of course, lad. Let me just look at Mister Discord’s appointments.” The man pulled out large folder from under the desk and looked at it for a moment. “I believe that you can see Mister Discord within…. Three months from now.” Soul’s eyes widen. “WHAT!?” he cried. “THREE MONTHS!? ARE YOU KIDDING!?” “I’m afraid so, lad,” the man replied. “I need to give this petition now! The deal with him staying would be permanent after Friday!” “Would two tickets to the bullfight help?” “No!” “Ah good, because I didn’t have any tickets.” “Are you trying to get smart with me?” “Nnooooo, then we wouldn’t have much in common,” the man said. Soul groaned. “Well, you know what? I don’t care,” he said. Soul walked over to the door. “I’m going in whether you approve of it or not.” “Wait, you can’t go in there.” “Watch me.” Soul opened the door and before he could look, he rammed against a brick wall before falling backwards towards the ground. “No, I mean you can’t go in there, that’s the stunt door that Discord uses on people like you,” the man said. “Use the real one on the right.” Soul’s eyes twitched. Singing inside of his office, Discord was writing down on some important papers that needed to be done. His singing was cut off when his opened and he looked up to see Soul standing there with the petition in his hands and having cuts, tears and dust on his outfit. Soul walked over to the desk that kept them apart and Soul dropped the petition on the table, while he kept a deep glare on Discord. “Well, this is a surprise,” Discord said. “Tell you the truth, I didn’t think you or any of your friends would be able to do this. I have to say that I am very impressed with this. I bet it was very chaotic of you to get all the way here.” “Yes…. it was,” Soul replied with his teeth gritting together. “Now stop the whole thing and let us have our principal back.” “Beg pardon?” Soul’s minds snapped. “PRINCIPAL CELESTIA!” he yelled. “THE ONE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO REPLACE!? THE WHOLE REASON WE BROUGHT UP THIS PETITION!?” “I don’t- Ooohh! That whole thing,” Discord said with a chuckle. “I was just joking about that.” “....................... What?” “Oh, it was just a little one last prank I wanted to give everyone before I leave,” Discord said. “What, did you really think that the school board would let me run the whole school forever? I would practically ruined it with everything I’ve done and they would rather have me up there then have me run an entire school. At least when I’m working with them, they would be able to control me better.” “Wh- I- Ho- Eh-” “I better let all of the students and teachers know about the whole thing since you know about and post it on Hoofbook or something like that,” Discord said before returning to his papers. “You may leave now if you want, I’ve decided to make this a freed day for everyone with what has happened and all.” Soul felt anger rising in him as the thoughts of everything that had led up to this point was meaningless and pointless. Just as he was about to feel the need to kill, all the anger and frustration left him all at once, as he let out a sigh. He fell backwards towards the ground and blacked out. Discord looked down at Soul with a confused looked as he scratched the side of his head. “Wonder what gotten into him?’ he asked himself. It was now Saturday night as Celestia was getting ready to go out. She had on a fancy white dress as it sparkled and was applying on lipstick. She heard the doorbell rang and smiled before putting away her makeup and grabbing her purse. She walked over to the door and opened it to see her date had arrived. “Huh, I kinda thought you would be late for our date,” Celestia commented. “What? And miss out on being with you, Principal Celestia,” Discord said as he held up a bouquet of flowers. Celestia blushed before grabbing the flowers and smelling them. “Awww, you didn’t have to, Discord,” she said. “Nonsense, you deserve something that is just as beautiful as you are,” Discord commented. “You know, sometimes I wonder how we be able to go out with each other even though you drive me crazy sometimes.” “Because you and I have so much in common than you think,” Discord said. “Like how much we care for the students, treating our teachers fairly, more or less, and coming up with pranks and tricks to make people crazy. Just like you suggested that last prank I pull on them.” Celestia had a guilty smile plastered on her. “Well, I wouldn't have suggested that if all the things that had happened would occur,” she said. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Discord said. “I’m sure that those students would get over it.” “Perhaps you are right.” “May I escort you to your carriage, my lady?” Celestia giggled and walked along with Discord towards his car. But they had stopped unexpectedly as they saw a familiar face. “Soul?” Soul was standing in front of them with his arms back and looked at the two of them a sly smile. “Um, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked nervously. “I didn’t expect-” “Me to interrupt your date with Discord for a moment?” Soul said. “Well, I just wanted to thank you both for putting me and my friends through a wonderful experience. Especially with that prank you pulled over us.” “H-How did you know about that?” Discord asked. “Scrubby told me,” Soul answered. “...... Is this about that raise I denied him?” “Yes, it is,” Soul answered bluntly. “Tell me, supernatant, have you ever played dodgeball before?” “Eeeehhh-” “Because it’s a really fun game and I think you should really join in,” Soul said. “That’s how everyone else feels.” “Everyone else?” Coming out of the shadows, bushes, cars and trees, several of Soul’s friends came out of hiding as each of them had dodgeballs in their hands. Standing on his right was Sunset and on the left was Sonata. Soul pulled out a dodgeball behind him and looked at the frighten adults with a sinister grin. “You know, it’s funny,” Soul started. “I’m normally a guy that would let things go on a whim and continue on with my life. But now? Not so much.” “A-Are you sure we can’t talk this over?” Discord nervously asked. “Y-Yeah, surely we can talk this over, Mister Writer,” Celestia said in a squeaking tone. Soul tapped his chin a few times as he held his dodgeball in his while he pondered on the idea. “Hmmmm….. No,” he replied. “GET THEM!” Before Discord and Celestia knew it, their entire night was ruined by dozens of red round balls. > Chapter 16 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viva La Paint Wars! It was early Saturday afternoon and many of the students of Canterlot High were on their way towards a large gaming field that was made for paintballs. It was part of the school’s way of thanking the students after working so hard on their studies and making excellent grades, and to also apologize to the students who went through all the trouble with Discord and all the things that had happened in the last few days of his visit. After some time, Celestia and Luna decided that it was a good idea to take the students outdoors to a nearby paintball area where all the students and teachers would get rid of the stress and have fun. The students were being transported by three large buses that headed straight towards the paintball field. Once the buses arrived, the students piled out of the buses and headed over to the counters that supplied the paint guns and ammo. Once every student had their paint guns, the students gathered up around the main entrance into the gaming field and waited for Celestia and Luna to give them instructions. Many of the students were wearing mostly camouflage outfits and were either wearing their protective masks or holding them until the game would start. Celestia and Luna walked in front of the students with similar camouflage outfits, Luna having two black paint lines on each of her cheeks. Celestia waved at the students for their attention and looked at them all with a smile. “I want to thank you all for all of your hard work and dedication this semester for the sake of education,” Celestia said. “And to also celebrate that Discord is out of our hair,” Luna added. “Yes, *Ahem* that too. Now, I just want to make a few rules for the games and what we’re going to be doing,” Celestia said. “We’re going to be playing a type of Hunger Games-style paintball with a few changes to the rules. There will be a reward for the winner or winners. You can choose to be in team of two, but no more than that. However you can choose to form treaties with other teams and break them whenever you want. Just be sure you know when to make and break them.” “If you get shot once by a paintball, you’re out of the game, but if you still want to play some paintball, they have other courses you can use. Just don’t use any of the main course here. If you’ve been shot but try to wipe away the paint mark, you will get a month’s worth of detention. We’re here to have fun, not to cheat. “The last pair or person standing will come to me and Luna for their prizes. Also, the teachers will be part of the game too, including me and my sister, so watch your backs. Is everyone cleared on the rules?” All of the students gave their understanding of the rules by either speaking out or nodding. “Alright, pair off if you like and make your treaties count. In a few minutes, we’ll have all of you head into the forest and spread out until you hear a blow horn to start the game,” Celestia said. The students started gathering up with all of their friends and started making their treaties. While that was happening, the gang huddled together as they were making their plans. “It’s very clear that me and Soul here are going to be a pair,” Sunset said. “I’ve got no problem with that,” Soul said. “What about the rest of you?” “My Clyde and I will be sticking together, of course,” Rarity said as she leaned on Clyde. “You’ll keep my outfit clean, won’t you, my darling?” “Don’t worry, we’ll come out on top,” Clyde replied. He turned to Rivet. “I’m guessing you and Dash are pairing off, huh?” “Pretty much,” Rivet replied. “She’s already trying to get some treaties together. She already has an army under her banner.” “I know, we already made out treaties with her,” Pinkie said. “This is going to be so awesome! There’s going to explosions, people charging at one another, a lots and lots of dead bodies!” “Eh, Pinkie this a paintball game, not a real war,” Swift pointed out. “And we don’t have anything that would cause explosions.” “What about the paint grenades?” Pinkie asked. “Okay yeah, never mind,” Swift said. “I just hope I don’t end up getting splattered with paint. Just the thought of any of it getting on me is, Eck!” Zephyr commented. “And do we have to do it in the forest? Can’t we do it somewhere more clean?” “Yeah, sure. We can go to that large building that has those white walls and ground and they keep it all clean all day long. And no one shoots paintballs at each other at all, they just sit around and have tea,” Zero said sarcastically. “..... Really?” Zero rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Zephyr. Ah’ll pair off with ya, if ya want,” Applejack offered. “Ah’m a pretty good shot when it comes to anything with a trigger. Pa used to teach Mac how to shoot guns, and then Mac taught me. Y’all be in safe hands with me.” “Oh um, thanks, Applejack, I would really appreciate it,” Zephyr said. “Hey Zero, who are you pairing off with?” “No one, because I’m going to be a lone wolf in this game,” Zero said. “I have skills you guys couldn’t possibly imagine and I’m going to come out on top of this. I’m going to be like the shadows, I’ll be your worst nightmare and you aren’t expecting it, I’ll come out of nowhere and-” “Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're Batman or whatever,” Soul interrupted. “So Night, do you and Fluttershy want to make a treaty with us?” “That’d be a good idea. I don’t think Fluttershy can take the constant pressure of watching out for someone coming out of nowhere and having to look over your shoulders every second,” Night replied. “Just thinking about it is making me about to faint,” Fluttershy said as she felt woozy. “Thinking about joining up with Dash’s army?” Swift asked. “Naw, Sunny and I thought we keep a few treaty with a few people and make it more interesting,” Soul said. “Plus, we’ll be able to move around quicker if we don’t have too many people with us,” Sunset added. “Because you can’t trust anyone in this game.” “Are you in your insane competitive mode?” Soul asked. “Because ever since I saw you do that during the Couple's Contest, I’ve been very nervous about it coming back up.” “At least it’s here on a battlefield instead of a silly contest,” Sunset retorted. “A contest that you and Sonata won…. I hope that they never do that again.” “Still bitter about that?” Rivet asked. “More or less.” “Alright everyone, get into the forest and we’ll blow the horn in a little bit,” Celestia announced. “And remember, have fun and don’t get shot.” Everyone started making their way towards the entrance of the forest. Just as they were entering, Rainbow Dash strutted in with a smug smile and her sunglasses on. She was being followed by dozens of students that had joined her team and formed treaties. “Alright guys, let’s dominate this game,” Rainbow Dash said. “And to those that are not on my side, I wish you luck….. Because I’m going to be shooting your asses off. HA!” Rivet, walking beside Rainbow Dash, rolled his eyes and made their way inside the forest. Clyde and Rarity hurried as fast as they could inside of the forest until they were sure that they were out of sight. When Clyde thought they were safe, he asked Rarity to climb on his back. When she did, Clyde had on some tree climbing gear and started climbing up on of the trees until he found a good bush that they would stay hidden in until he felt that their position was compromised. He set Rarity down next to him on a branch and the two waited for the horn to blow. “Alright, I’ll snipe anyone that gets too close and you’ll keep an eye out for them,” Clyde said as he handed Rarity a pair of binoculars. “And we’ll move every time I take at least two shots at each person.” “Two shots? That seems too small for us if we’re going to be moving around,” Rarity complained. “Can’t you make it like maybe four or five? Or maybe twelve…. or not at all, we could stay where we’re at.” Clyde let out a sigh. “We need to keep moving if we’re going to win. Otherwise, people are going to know where we are and they’ll probably get us boxed in here. We'll be sitting ducks,” he explained. “Especially since Rainbow Dash has an army.” “And Adagio,” Rarity added. “What?” “Oh, Adagio was able to put together an army under her banner,” Rarity said. “Although, it’s mostly boys, but they do outnumber Dash’s army three to one. But I do believe Dash can still win this…. If she dosen’t let it all go to her head first.” “Then we can wait until Dash and Adagio duke it out. That way, we can finish off the rest ourselves,” Clyde suggested. “I think Sunset is thinking the same too. She’s nice, but if there’s anything that I’ve learned about her during her evil queen bully days, it’s that she is a devious demon…. no pun intended.” Rarity giggled. “On that we agree,” Rarity said. She brought up her binoculars to her face and looked through it. As she was looking, she saw a few of the students moving around the area far from them. She made a disgusted expression. “Augh! Who would wear that much green? We’re in a middle of a forest, not an overrated painted room. And look at what she’s wearing! That scarf is just terrible for a sporting event like this.” Clyde let out a sigh. “And so it begins,” he said to himself quietly. Rainbow Dash was leading her formed army as they walked together, keeping an eye out for any student or teacher that might attack them when the horn goes off. She would make hand gestures for some of her followers to move in a certain formation or to warn them of possible attacks. She hanged her weapon’s strap over her shoulder and reached into her pocket to pull out a red ribbon. She wrapped it around her head and made it into a headband. Just as Rainbow Dash took one more step, all of a sudden the horn went off in the far distance and she could see paintballs heading straight towards her and her company. She quickly ducked down behind a large log on the ground. “OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!” she yelled. Many of her followers and Rivet were firing back at their attackers when she joined in. Among the attackers, Aria was leading them against Rainbow Dash and was giving out commands. “Press the attack! Don’t you dare slack off!,” she commanded as her forces moved forward slowly while taking cover and avoiding their opponent's incoming fire. Rainbow Dash fired her paint gun a few times, landing a few shots on some Aria’s forces but missing Aria as she took cover by a tree. “Dash, look out!” Rainbow Dash looked over to her right to see two guys running towards her in a mad charge hoping to surprise her. She turned her gun at them and sprayed them down with fire and took out the two. She then looked over to the person that gave away their position. “Nice call, Derpy!” “Thanks! They were just in the corner of my eye,” Derpy said with her eyes crossed. Caught off guard, she was then shot in the chest and went down on the ground. “AAAHH! I'VE BEEN SHOT! MEDIC!” “DERPY! NNNOOOOOOOO!” “GET YOURSELF TOGETHER, BULK!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “ECHO SQUAD, COVER OUR REAR! EVERYONE ELSE, FOCUS FIRE ON OUR FRONT!” As the battle raged on, Sunset and Soul were watching from afar. Sunset was looking through some binoculars as the two laid on the ground on top of a hill. “Wow, things are heating up already,” Soul commented. “Think we should do something?” “Naw, Dash can handle this. Besides, we’re on our own. Dash and her team would more than likely shoot at us if we get anywhere near them,” Sunset explained. “But maybe while they’re distracted, we could go after either Adagio or Sonata…. I want to go after Sonata.” “Did talking about the contest bring back some bad memories?” “I got over it,” Sunset replied. “Plus, Sonata is the weakest of them anyway. If anything, she’s probably the least defended out of all of them. It’ll be easy to take her out.” “That’s kinda mean to say…. But maybe also true,” Soul said. “So, should we go ahead and see if we can-” “THERE’S TWO OVER THERE! OPEN FIRE!” All of a sudden, paintballs were being fired at Soul and Sunset from below the hill. The shots were being fired by more of Aria’s forces who were trying to get around Rainbow Dash’s defenses until they came upon the two. Soul and Sunset quickly returned fire at the attackers as they used the hill for cover. “You two, flank them!” Two of the attackers went around to the left side of the hill. Just as they were about to fire at them, a shot came out of nowhere and the two were shot on their masks. “Wow, nice shot, babe,” Sunset complimented. “Um, that wasn’t me,” Soul said. Far off in the distance, Clyde smiled as he had shot down the two that were about to flank Soul and Sunset. Rarity had seen the whole thing and smiled along with Clyde. “Aww, that was very sweet of you to do for our friends,” Rarity said. “I thought for a moment that you were going to let them get shot.” “What can I say? I’m a generous guy,” Clyde said. “And it’s thanks to one generous lady.” “Aww, you’re so sweet,” Rarity said as she placed a kiss on Clyde’s cheek. “It was probably for the best. Soul’s and Sunset’s outfits are just too good to be splattered with paint…. Well, unless of course, we have to shoot them.” Clyde chuckled. “Anyways, what were those two of Aria’s men thinking when they were wearing those outfits? They’re just so unoriginal and too bland,” Rarity commented, earning her a eye roll from Clyde. “By the way, dear, there’s someone trying to sneak up behind us.” Clyde grabbed a paint grenade from his belt and unclipped it. He then threw it casually behind him without looking and went back looking through his binoculars. *SPLAT!* “AAAAAAHHH!” “Nice one, dear,” Rarity complimented. “I believe that was Sonata you got.” “Life of a sniper,” Clyde said. “Oh dear, I think Soul and Sunset are getting overrun,” Rarity said. “I hope they get away.” “Looks like they’re pulling back,” Clyde said. “Dang, more of them just sneaked up on them. They got away, but now they’re separating. Sunset is heading towards Dash’s group and Soul is heading for… Ah oh.” “What?” Soul ran as fast as he could to get away from his attackers. Sunset and he were separated as they were being attacked both from behind and in front. In a desperate effort to get away, Soul took off in one direction, hoping Sunset would follow him. But to his dismay, she went the other way and he had no choice but to keep on going without her. Just as he was about to get away from his attackers and get somewhere to hide, he came to a sudden stop in front of a deep trench. The trench was very wide, and he could see that there was no way he’d be able to jump it. Soul looked behind to hear his attackers coming in close to him. He had no choice but to cross the trench. But in his mind, it would take too long to just to jump down and get to the other side before his attackers came in and shot him while he was in clear range. Soul looked around to see if there was any way out of his predicament when all of a sudden, it hit him. Soul’s attackers came out of the bushes and trees as they surrounded the trench. There was no sign of Soul anywhere. They looked around for him for a moment before looking at each other with confused expressions. “Where the heck did he go?” “Think we lost him?” “Looks like it. Aria isn’t going to be happy with this.” “Maybe we can just say we got him. I mean he’s not likely going to make it on his own, right?” “Yeah, that Soul guy is just a smartass from what I-” *POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!* The group of boys were just shot at from above as Soul unleashed a spree of paintballs from a tree branch. Soul let out a laugh as he climbed down the trees and looked at the group with a small, smug grin. “Guess this smartass just taught you guys something,” Soul said. “Don’t mess with a kid who comes from a long line of a military family.” “How the hell did you get up the tree so fast?” “Years of practice,” Soul replied with pride. “Although, they usually have me falling down from either a spider attack or the branch not holding out.” His face then turned serious. “Now who the heck told you that I was a smartass?” Sunset was running through the woods as her attackers chased after her. In the midst of running, she soon found herself in the middle of the battle between Aria’s and Dash’s forces. Sunset had a panicked look and let out a scream as she ran. Paintballs were flying everywhere as Sunset kept on dodging and spinning around to avoid them. Zero and Twilight were covering each other’s backs and stopped for a moment as they watched Sunset’s chaotic situation. Zero started to snicker before laughing out loud and falling on the ground at Sunset’s miserable state. Twilight glared at Zero. “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh to be laughing at someone like that?” she asked. “Hey, it’s freaking hilarious!” Zero replied. Just as Zero had gotten back up to see more, he was suddenly shot in the head and fell back on the ground. “AAAHH!” “That’s what you get for not paying attention.” *SPLAT!* “AAAHH!” “Glad to see you learning the same thing,” Zero retorted. Just as Sunset was about to duck for cover, Rainbow Dash came out of nowhere and aimed her gun at her. With a smug smile, she unloaded her gun at Sunset. Sunset quickly barrel rolled on her side and the paintballs hit Sunset’s attackers that were chasing her. Just as Sunset was about to get back up, Rainbow Dash was about to shoot her down when Aria came from out of nowhere and started firing at her. Rainbow Dash panicked and took cover behind a tree and Sunset took cover behind some bushes nearby. Aria kept on firing her gun at Rainbow Dash’s tree, as it was small and she was hoping that she would be able to get her by the arm or leg. Not wanting to get hit so soon, Rainbow Dash jumped out and fired at Aria as she ran for better cover. Aria kept on firing while trying not to get hit by Rainbow Dash’s fire. Rainbow Dash kept on firing until she accidentally tripped over a piece of wood and fell to the ground. Seeing her chance, Aria aimed carefully with her gun and was about to finish Rainbow Dash until she heard a loud yelling sound coming behind her. “AIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIA!” Aria looked behind her only to get shot in the chest several times before falling down. Swinging from tree vines, Pinkie came into the scene and came soaring through the air until she dropped down. She landed only on the tip of her toes like a ballerina dancer and went over to help Rainbow Dash up. “Thanks for the save, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where’s Swift?” “Oh! He’s been setting up traps over the place,” Pinkie replied. “He’s very good at doing that.” “Wait, since when is he good at-” *POP!* *SPLAT!* “OW!” Rainbow Dash looked down at her shirt to see that she was shot in the chest with red paint. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash looked over to see Sunset had taken the shot. After a salute, Sunset went off into the forest and was out of sight. Rainbow Dash let out a growl. “Damn it, I wish Aria hadn’t stopped me from taking the shot,” Rainbow Dash said. “Ah well, I guess I’ll just head back and-” All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash was grabbed around the neck by Pinkie, who was tearing up. “WHY!? WHY DID GOD TAKE YOUR LIFE SO SOON!?” she pleaded. “I swear Dashie, I’ll hunt down Sunset Shimmer and make her pay for this! I’ll avenge your death!” “Pinkie, what the heck are you- GHAAA!” Pinkie pushed Rainbow Dash out of the way before taking off her bandana and wrapping it around her head. She reached down on the ground and smeared two marks on each of her cheeks. She grabbed Rainbow Dash’s gun and walked into the forest with a determined look to get Sunset. Rainbow Dash kept her eyes on Pinkie while she was on the ground until she disappeared. She looked around, completely dumbfounded. “What the hell was that about?” Soul kept on walking around hoping that he would be back with Sunset to continue with the game to win…. that, and he wanted to make out with her. Soul looked around the forest, hoping for any kind of signs. After a moment, he realized something and stopped. He noticed that it was quiet for a while and he didn’t hear any of the battle going on. “Huh, I guess they must have wiped each other out,” Soul commented. “I hope my Sunny got away, because if she didn’t and they hurt her too, there’s going to be hell to pay.” After letting out a sigh, Soul took a few more steps before- *SNAP!* “What th- AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” The next thing Soul knew, he was hanging in the air by his legs from a rope tied to a tree branch. He looked down to the ground to see that he had dropped his gun on the ground and let out a groan. “Great, it can’t get any worse than-” *POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!* “OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!” “Nice one, Pinkie!” “Swift? Pinkie?” Coming out of hiding, Pinkie and Swift walked out of the bushes and looked up at Soul. “Hey Soul, how’s the weather up there?” Swift mocked. “How the hell did you guys set up traps this quick!?” Soul asked. “With the power of knowledge, my friend,” Swift answered. Swift reached into his bag and pulled out a book that was titled, ‘How To Set Up Traps In Ten Minutes.’ “Ha, and Twilight said this was a waste of money.” “Okay, that explains that, but Pinkie? Why the hell did you shoot me in the ass!?” “To get extra points, duh,” Pinkie answered. “This isn’t a point system, it’s an elimination game!” Soul pointed out. “..... Oh.” “Now that we got that out of the way…. GET ME DOWN!” “What’s the magic word?” Pinkie asked. Soul let out a groan. “... Please.” “Okay! Swift, cut him down.” “Sure thing,” Swift said. Swift went over by the tree where the rope was tied and pulled out a swift army knife. He cut the rope and Soul fell down to the ground with a grunt when he landed. Soul moaned for a moment while Pinkie and Swift looked down at him. “Oops, um, my bad,” Swift said. “Come on, if we’re ever going to find Sunset and make her pay for killing Rainbow Dash, we need to get going,” Pinkie said. Swift nodded and the two walked off while they left Soul to lay on the ground in a daze. After a moment, Soul’s eyes widened. “Wait, Sunny did what?” Applejack, Zephyr and many of the other students that joined up with Rainbow Dash had gone in deep into the forest. Earlier, Rainbow Dash thought it was best to send some people ahead of the main group and search for any of the Dazzlings. As they kept on going, coming from behind them was Tyrone and Light as they were catching their breath. “T? Light? What are y’all two doing here?” Applejack asked. “It’s bad, Applejack. It’s really bad,” Tyrone said. “Yeah, Dash got shot by Sunset and now everyone is starting turn on one another,” Light added. “Rivet got shot in the back after everyone heard Rainbow Dash was taken down.” “No good varmints,” Applejack commented. “Don’t worry, we shot them in the face,” Light said. “So wait, who’s in charge now?” one of the guys asked. “Are we, like, going rogue or something?” “Rainbow Dash told us to tell the others and to keep on fighting Adagio and beat her. After that, she said we’re on our own,” Tyrone said. “I wonder if she was going to shoot us all down when we defeated Adagio?” “RD isn’t like that. She would give y’all a warning before she mows ya down,” Applejack said. “Anyways, Ah say we stick together until we’re the last group to stand here.” “What about then?” “Ah guess we shoot each other until the last one standing wins,” Applejack replied. “Can I have a say in this?” Zephyr asked. “Sure, what do ya have to say?” “Well, I was thinking on how we could beat Adagio, and I think we should-” *POP!* “AAAAHHH! CHARLIE HORSE!” Zephyr was shot in the back of his leg and fell down to the ground in pain. Everyone looked up in a panic and saw Zephyr’s brother, Sword. He lowered his weapon down and had a smug smile under his mask. “Sorry little bro, but I plan on having that date with Adagio,” Sword said. “Just as soon as I take out the rest of you.” “Wait, you shot your brother so you can go on a date with Adagio?” Tyrone asked. “No, she said she would go out with the guy who was last and let her win,” Sword replied. “I’m just thinning out the numbers right now.” “So, you’re alone?” “Who said I was?” All of a sudden, a lot of students came out of hiding from behind trees, bushes and logs as they surrounded and aimed their weapons at them. Applejack and many of the others gulped. “Well, this is going to be a hell of a hoedown,” Applejack commented. Soul trudged disappointedly as he made his way back towards the entrance of the forest. He carried his weapon over his shoulder and had his mask off. He rubbed his buttocks as the pain was still present and he feared that it was going to turn purple from all the swelling. “Ow! Why did Pinkie have to shoot me like that?” Soul asked himself. “This is just great, I was hoping that Sunset and I would win this thing no problem. But no, Swift had to make traps all over the place and Pinkie had to go all Rambo on me. This sucks, and I was really hoping to make out with Sunny over by a bush somewhere. With the thought we would get caught and get shot. Sounds risky, but exciting at the same time….. Good Lord, I have problems.” Just as Soul was deep in thought, he soon found himself falling down as the ground below him broke. Soul let out a scream and fell until he hit the bottom of what seemed to be a big hole in the ground. Soul let out another groan as he laid forward on the ground. ‘Great! Another trap! What else is going to happen?’ Soul sarcastically thought. Just as Soul was about to get up, he moved his hand to get better leverage from the ground until he felt something soft. He heard a small moaned sound and raised a brow. ‘What the he- HOLY CRAP!’ Soul looked down in horror to see that he was on top of the barely conscious, sliver haired magician, Trixie. His hand was over her right breast and he was sweating with terror. Soul gulped as he quickly removed his hand and got off of her. He took a few deep breaths before he calmed himself and checked to see if Trixie was okay. “Hey, are you alright?” Soul asked concernedly. The only response Trixie gave was a groan. Soul carefully lifted her head up and looked over her to see if there were any wounds on her. He noticed that she had a few paint marks on her vest and noticed her mask was on the side. ‘Well, she doesn’t seem to be bleeding or anything, but I guess she got shot down by Pinkie and Swift,’ Soul thought to himself. ‘They must have left her down here in case she told anyone else about this trap. Clever. Now, how the heck do we get out of here?’ Trixie fluttered her eyes a couple of times before she slowly opened them and saw Soul looking up around the hole while still lifting her up by her head. Trixie’s eyes widened and her face went red. She let out a small scream before punching Soul in the face. *POW!* “OW!” “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING TO TRIXIE!? Trixie yelled. Soul rubbed his face before looking back at Trixie. “Sheesh, I was checking to see if you were okay,” he answered. “O-Oh…. Trixie sees…. Trixie is sorry about that,” Trixie said as she sat up. “Trixie thought you were trying to do something funny, but when she thinks about it, you did fell in the same way Trixie did.” “It’s okay, I did deserve that,” Soul said. “After I fell on top of you and grabbed your…. actually, just the falling part.” Trixie raised a confused brow. “Anyways, I think we should-” “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” A grenade landed in between both Trixie and Soul as the two looked at it. Trixie winced back and ducked down while Soul only looked at it with half-lid eyes. He let out a sigh. “Yep, it’s going to be one of those days,” he said before the grenade exploded. The hole was now covered in pink paint as most of Trixie’s back was covered in it and Soul was fully painted in the front. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Swift and Pinkie looking down on them. “Dangit! We got Soul and Trixie again!” Swift said. “You were supposed to draw more people down here Trixie!” Pinkie said. “Trixie refuses to be bait! Now let Trixie out of here!” “After we win the game,” Swift said. “By the way, quick update: Pinkie just completely took down Adagio and her entire army! Most of our friends are down except for Clyde, Rarity, Sunset and a few stragglers from the fight.” “Wait, what about Night and Fluttershy?” Soul asked. “Well….” -Near the Beginning of the Game- Fluttershy and Night were walking quietly down a path as they tried to being careful not to draw attention to themselves. “Um Night, what are we doing?” Fluttershy asked. “We're going to find a place to hide out the whole time, that way we don’t have to fight until the last person is standing,” Night explained. “I know how much you didn’t want to come.” “It’s okay, Pinkie was very excited and wanted me to come. It was kinda hard to say no to her when she’s very excited,” Fluttershy said. “And since I’m with you, I know that you’ll protect me no matter what.” Night smiled. “Don’t worry, nothing is going to to get us,” he said. At the moment of the horn going off, out of nowhere several students popped around from hiding and were aiming their weapons right at them. “EEK!” “Crap.” -Back in the Present- “Man, that sucks,” Soul said. “Yep,” Swift agreed. “Anyways, we’re going to put the cover over you guys, so try to call out to someone and trap them down there, okay?” Soul rolled his eyes. “You can’t keep Trixie down here forever!” “Well, we can try, but we’re not gonna,” Pinkie said. “We’re just keeping you down there until the game is over. Bysie daisy!” Pinkie and Swift disappeared from out of sight and placed another cover over the hole. There was just enough light streaming through the holes in the cover for Trixie and Soul to see each other. Trixie let out a growl and Soul only sighed. “Why does stuff like this happen to me?” Soul asked himself. “Trixie will make you pay for this!” Trixie yelled. “She will make you pay!” “Well, at least we got this time to get to know one another,” Soul said. Trixie turned around and glared at him. “........ So, how have you been doing?” Trixie let out a defeated sigh and leaned back against the wall of the hole. “Trixie’s been doing good, thanks for asking,” she said. “She and her band made four new songs and she’s been able to stay out of detention because of all the smoke bombs I keep on bringing in.” “So, you stopped bringing them in then?” “No, Trixie just found another way to bring them here,” Trixie replied. “Really? How?” “You um… that’s kinda personal to ask,” Trixie said as she blushed. “What do you mean it’s too perso- Oooooohh, never mind,” Soul said as he blushed as well. “Forget I asked.” “So, how have you’ve been?” Trixie asked. “Been doing good, except for falling for Swift’s trap for the second time today and getting shot in the ass multiple times,” Soul replied. “But besides that, it’s been good.” “Sorry to hear that,” Trixie said. “Where’s your girlfriend?” “We got separated. A few of Aria’s boys came after us and they cornered us for a moment,” Soul explained. “I went in one direction and she went the other way. Guess we both had different ideas on which way to go.” “Or she could have used you to get some of the boys’ attention off of her while she got to safety,” Trixie said. “Hey, that is not what my Sunny does,” Soul said. “She would never do that something like that.” “Maybe as her everyday self, but she is competitive and she will do whatever it takes to win,” Trixie said. “You can change as much as you can, but no one can be better than the great and powerful Trixie!” Soul rolled his eyes. “But despite how great and powerful Trixie may be, she still can’t find a way out of this dreadful hole that imbecilic, pink-loving moron left us in!.... Oh, and his girlfriend, Pinkie.” “Hmm, I bet I can climb out of here,” Soul said. Trixie scoffed. “Please, the walls are too soft to climb on. You would have to have climbed on a lot of stuff just to be able to-” Suddenly, light filled the hole, and Trixie looked up with wide eyes and a hanging mouth to see Soul standing on the edge. “But- How- We- Trixie- You- The hole-” “My dad trained me to climb out of any situation,” Soul explained. “After all, I have been planning on going to the military since I was kid.” He looked around for a moment to see if there was anyone nearby and reached down towards Trixie with his hand. “Come on, give me your hand and I’ll pull you up.” Trixie smiled brightly and ran over to the wall as she reached up to grab Soul’s hand. She was able to grasp it and Soul slowly pulled her up. Just as Trixie was halfway out of the hole, Soul was pulling Trixie close to him and she looked up at him and started to blush when she saw how close he was. She couldn’t help but feel her heart beat at how strong he was, and for the first time… she thought he looked cute. She was lost in his eyes which were filled with care and serenity. Before anything else could happen, Soul felt a sudden push behind him and soon both he and Trixie were falling back into the hole with someone else coming in. Soul grabbed Trixie and spun around to make sure he was the first to fall to the ground with Trixie in his arms and the stranger fell right on top of them. After a moment, Soul looked past Trixie and saw that the stranger was Sunset Shimmer. Soul smiled brightly despite the pain he was in and carefully moved Trixie aside. Soul wrapped his arms around Sunset and gave her a hug. “Sunny! Are you alright?” Soul asked. Then another grenade came in the hole and Soul looked at it with half-lid eyes. “Hold that thought, babe” Sunset said. *SPLAT!* “AAAAAHHH! AGAIN!?” Trixie yelled. Pinkie peeked her head over the edge of the hole with a bright smile plastered on her. “Gottcha! Now Rainbow Dash can rest in peace,” she said. “Um, you do know Dash is still alive… right?” Swift asked. “Well duh, but I always wanted to go on a revenge run every time I see something like that in action movies,” Pinkie replied. “Anyways, who do you think is left?” “I think only a handful of people are left,” Swift answered. “Then let’s get to it! Tally ho!” “Wait! Don’t leave Trixie down in this hole! There’s too much paint down here!” “And they’re gone,” Soul said. “At least they didn’t cover up the hole again.” “Quick, you can get Trixie out of this hole again, right?” “Not right now, I sprained my hand from the fall,” Soul replied. “We’re gonna have to wait a bit before I try again.” “Let me see your hand,” Sunset said. Soul showed Sunset his sprained hand while she grabbed hold of it. She inspected as she applied pressure to certain places on his hand. Soul would wince from the sudden small pain from the pressure, but didn’t mind it. After a moment, Sunset looked up at Soul with a smile. “It’s not too bad, but I think you should not do anything with it for a bit,” Sunset said. “Well, this is a funny way to get back together.” Soul chuckled. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “I’m guessing Pinkie was chasing you down?” “Pretty much. She chased me down with two guns and must have been herded me here,” Sunset said. “What about you?” “She shot my butt several times while I was hanging upside down,” Soul replied. “She thought this was some kind of point system.” Sunset giggled. “Classic Pinkie,” she commented. “What do we do now?” Trixie asked. “I guess we just sit here until either Soul is well enough to climb out or we wait until the game ends,” Sunset said. “Wish we got something to pass the time.” Trixie tapped her chin for a moment before she snapped her finger and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small box and reached into it to retrieve a stack of cards. “We can play cards for a while,” Trixie offered. “Texas hold ‘em?” “I’m in,” Soul said. “Sounds good to me. Deal ‘em Trixie,” Sunset said. -Two Hours Later- “Ha! Trixie wins again!” Trixie said as she showed her hand. “Pay up, Soul.” Soul let out a groan as he removed his shirt, exposing his bare chest to the two girls. Sunset smiled and stared at Soul’s exposed torso with bedroom eyes while Trixie blushed but still held her victorious smile. “I knew I shouldn’t have suggested that we can use clothes for wagers,” Soul said. “Especially since you run the school’s underground gambling.” “Trixie just likes to keep things lively around the school,” Trixie retorted. “Want to go another round?” “No thanks, I want to keep the bottom half of my clothes on me,” Soul replied. “How long do you think until someone comes along and helps us out of here?” “That depends. Is your hand still hurting, or is fine now?” Sunset asked. “No, it still hurts.” “Then maybe a while,” Sunset said. “Oh my heavens, are you all alright!?” Everyone in the hole looked up to see Rarity and Clyde standing over the edge as they looked down at them with concern. “Oh thank God, we thought we were going to be down here all day,” Soul said. “Pinkie and Swift left us down here after they trapped us!” “Why do you have your shirt off?” Clyde asked. “We decided to play Texas hold ‘em and started making wages halfway through the game,” Sunset replied. “Trixie and I kept on beating Soul and been getting him to wager some of his clothes.” “Soul, you do know that Trixie runs the-” “Yes, I know!” Soul snapped. “Just please get us out of here before I lose any more clothes!” “Alright, alright, just gives us your hand and I’ll-” *Snap!* Rarity and Clyde heard a twig snap behind them and turned to see Pinkie holding a paint thrower in her arms and with a crazed smile plastered on her. “Hasta la vista, babies,” Pinkie said. “I knew we shouldn’t have left the tree,” Rarity said. “We left because we took out four people in the same area and they saw where we were,” Clyde pointed out. “And this is better how?” “Touche.” Pinkie pulled the trigger on the gun and a stream of orange paint came out. Clyde and Rarity both screamed until they were painted down by the streaming paint that covered their entire body. “NOT MY HAIR!” Rarity screamed. After helping getting the paint out from around Clyde and Rarity’s eyes and helping the others up from the hole, Pinkie and Swift were laughing merrily on the way back to the entrance as they were sure that they had gotten everyone from the school. Everyone behind them walked as they let out moans of pain or were mumbling to themselves about the bad experiences they had. They finally made it back to the entrance where they saw the rest of the student body waiting around as they were either chatting or playing on some of the other smaller courses. Celestia and Luna noticed them and walked over to them with smiles. “I see we have more casualties from this battle,” Celestia joked. “But how come you two aren’t painted? Are you the last ones standing?” “Yes ma’am, we are,” Swift answered. “We beat the pants off of everyone!” Pinkie chimed. “So what do we win?” “We will engrave a trophy with your names on it and it will be placed inside the school’s award case for all the school to see,” Luna answered. Everyone cheered and clapped for the two as Pinkie and Swift were hopping together while hugging. Luna looked over to the others and raised a brow. “Um, Mr. Writer, why don’t you have a shirt on?” Luna asked. “We played cards,” Soul answered. “Ah, okay then,” Luna said. “...... Wait, why were you playing cards in the middle of a paintball war?” “We got trapped in a hole,” Sunset replied. “For two and a half hours,” Trixie added angrily. “Oh… um…. Sorry to hear that,” Luna said. “Is there anything you need?” “Can we go back home?” Clyde asked. “Yes, I believe it is about time for the whole student body to get back home,” Celestia replied. “Everyone, return the guns and masks to the counter and head back to the buses.” Everyone returned their weapons and masks and headed towards the bus like the principal instructed. On the way towards the bus, Soul looked up to Celestia and Luna and noticed that they were also covered in paint from paintball shots. “So how long did you two last out there?” Soul asked. Celestia and Luna looked at Soul for a moment with blank expressions until their faces were covered in blushes. “We were taken out the moment we blew the horn,” Celestia replied. “It was not such a good idea to blow a horn while there was still so many students nearby,” Luna commented. “Well, you two shouldn’t ashamed of that. Stuff like that happens,” Soul said. “Oh, we’re not ashamed about it, it was kinda fun for a bit,” Luna said. “Then…. Why are you blushing?” Celestia and Luna looked down at Soul’s bare chest seeing how slightly muscular it was before looking back up at his confused face. “Nothing!” the two sisters answered in unison before hurrying up towards the bus. “That was weird,” Soul commented. As he was walking, Sunset walked up beside him and held his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I missed you,” she said. “I missed you too,” Soul said. “So, what was it like being trapped with Trixie? I hope it wasn’t so unpleasant as everyone would think it would be,” Sunset said. “Naw, it was fine. She was nice when you talk to her…. Well, more like talking about her,” Soul replied. “Although at one point when I told her how we got separated, she commented that you went the other way on purpose so I would get some off of you, but I told her that was crazy.” He laughed at the idea for a moment before looking back at Sunset. “Isn’t that crazy?” Sunset looked at Soul with a blank look for a moment before she looked down at the ground nervously. Soul was confused for a moment before his mind realized something he wished he hadn’t. “W-Wait…. You… You did do that on purpose?” Soul asked. Sunset looked back at Soul. “N-Not at first, but when we were being surrounded and I saw that you were running off, I thought it would have been a good idea to let some of them chase you and I would have less to deal with,” she explained. “I was going to go back to you, but I ran into the middle of a skirmish and-” “Hold on, you saw me run and you went the other direction on purpose!?” Soul asked. “Why would you do that!?” “Soul, please understand. We were getting surrounded and I saw a chance to make things easier for us,” Sunset said. “Besides, it’s just a game, right?” “..... Yeah…. Just a game,” Soul said. “We should probably head onto the bus.” While Sunset watched Soul head straight towards the bus, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about the whole thing and how it went. But she knew that Soul would understand and would move on from it. …. She didn’t know how wrong she was. > Chapter 17 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reigniting the Dazzle! Sonata was whistling a tune along with the music she had on as she was driving her car, which incidentally was a Sonata. Riding along was Soul as he was enjoying the song and Sonata’s whistling. After the incident with having his lightsaber hitting her in the head and making her watch the Star Wars movies, it had occurred to both of them that they hadn’t hung out as much together after the Friendship Games. Sonata suggested that since she always came over to Soul’s house, he could come over to her home and spend time together as friends. Sunset was at first against the idea, but after thinking about it, she decided that it was fine as long as she came along. Sunset was in the back seat listening to Sonata’s music and tune and smiled as she enjoyed it. Just as the song had ended, Sonata spoke up. “I’m so happy that you guys decided to come over!” she said. “We’re going to have so much fun at my place!” “We’re glad to come over, Sonata,” Sunset said. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think any of us have ever been to your place.” “Well, Aria and Dagi’ wanted it to be secret, but since we’re all becoming best of friends, and also I begged really hard, they decided that I could bring anyone I wanted!” Sonata explained, “As long as it’s okay with them.” “And they were okay with us coming over?” Soul asked. “Just you, they said Sunset couldn’t come,” Sonata replied. “Wait, what?” Sunset asked. “If they didn’t want me to come, why am I coming? And why only Soul?” “Since Soul couldn’t come unless you came, I thought it would be okay. And I don’t know why, but Dagi’ was the one that wanted Soul to come over,” Sonata answered. Sunset looked at Sonata with suspicion. “Um, why me?” Soul asked. Sonata shrugged. “I don't really know,” she replied. “The moment I said your name, she was just saying yes over and over again. It was really weird.” “I don’t know why, but I feel a little uncomfortable about this,” Soul commented. “So do I,” Sunset said. Just as they were driving, Sunset noticed the beautiful houses and mansions they were passing. She looked around the neighborhood and concluded that this was where most of the wealthy citizens of Canterlot were living. “Hey Sonata, is your home somewhere near here?” Sunset asked. “Or do we still have a long way to go?” Sonata snickered. “What you talking about?” she asked. “It’s just up there.” Sunset arched her brow and looked to see Sonata was driving towards the driveway of a large mansion. Both Soul’s and Sunset’s jaws hung open when they saw it. The front of the mansion driveway was large and circular and in the very center was a statue of a seahorse streaming water into the fountain. The mansion was large and had several windows and balconies. In the front of the mansion were large gardens and flowers neatly planted in rows to complement the building. Sonata took the car around as she slowly went up to the side of the mansion towards a parking garage. She pressed a button on the car and the garage door opened. Inside the garage were different brands of cars and motorcycles parked inside as they sparkled from obviously being cleaned recently. Taking the car in, Sonata parked it and climbed out while Soul and Sunset were still sitting in the car in shock from seeing that mansion. “Babe?” “Yeah?” “Am I dreaming, or is Sonata living in a mansion?” “I was going to ask you the same question.” “What are you guys still doing in the car?” Sonata asked. “We can’t do much of anything if you two sit in the car all day, and trust me, I’ve tried.” Soul and Sunset shook their heads before looking at Sonata. “Sonata, we've been friends for a while, right?” Sunset asked. “Yep.” “And friends usually tell friends about certain things in their lives, right?” “Like how I have a homemade doll of Soul?” “Wait, what?” “I mean, yes!” Sunset blinked a few times before continuing on with her questions. “So, how come you never told us that you lived in a gigantic mansion!?” she asked. “I just thought it was never important,” Sonata replied. “I guess when you live in a place like this for hundreds of years, it’s just not that special anymore.” “What you mean not that special!?” Soul asked. “You live in a mansion! How can anyone not think it’s special?” “Soul, she just said she lived in them for hundreds of years. It would make sense that she would not see it as being as awesome as it is,” Sunset explained. “But how is it that you’re living in a mansion? Did you trick someone into giving it to you when you still had your powers or something?” “What? No, me and my sisters are billionaires,” Sonata answered. Soul’s and Sunset’s eyes widened with shock. “What?” the two said in unison. “Well, we did live in this world for a thousand years. Most of the time before we lost our voices, we would sing as different bands in different eras or one of us would make a successful business a decade ago and we would still get some of the money through secret means that no one would be able to notice,” Sonata explained. “..... It was Taco Bell wasn’t it?” Soul asked. Sonata gasped. “How did you know?” she asked with amazement. “Just a guess,” Soul replied before he rolled his eyes without Sonata noticing. “Come on, lemme show you guys around. You really are going to like it here,” Sonata said as she walked off and led the way. Soul and Sunset followed Sonata towards the front of the mansion. As they were walking, Sunset looked around the front of the mansion and the garden. “Wow, this place is so beautiful,” Sunset commented. “I never realized that Sonata would live in such a place like this.” “I thought that same, but like she said, she and her sisters lived for a thousand years. It would make sense for them to have an abundance of money and a place like this to live,” Soul said. “Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, I always did imagine they would at least live in a rundown apartment like one of those fallen villains in the shows.” “I just hope Sonata doesn’t try anything funny while we’re here,” Sunset said. Soul arched a brow. “Are you still thinking that she’s going to try to trap me and have her way with me?” he asked. “She’s a friend and I trust her. Besides, I can easily get out of any situation that I might get into.” “Soul, you had your hand stuck in a peanut jar last week,” Sunset retorted. “That was one time!” Soul countered. “And I got it out of there.” “Because you accidently smashed the jar and we had to get you to the emergency room,” Sunset said. “Let’s just head inside already,” Soul said while Sunset had a smug smile on her. The three made it to the front door and Sonata rang the doorbell. It made a small jingling sound and Sonata was humming the tune to herself. After a moment, the door opened to reveal an old-looking man wearing a fine suit. The man was bold, having a small twirly moustache and grey skin. “Hi, Bittermen, I’m back!” Sonata said. “Miss Dusk, it’s good to have you back again at the mansion,” Bittermen said. “Are these the guests that you mentioned, miss?” “Hmhmm,” Sonata nodded. “This is Soul and Sunset.” “Ah yes, This is the young man that you’ve been so fond of and one of your closest friends,” Bittermen said. “Welcome to the home of the Dazzlings.” “Wow, uh, thanks. To be honest, we never really thought Sonata and her sisters would live in such a place as this,” Sunset said. “I always kinda thought they’ve been living in an apartment or maybe a trailer.” “I can see how that can be misinterpreted, Miss, but I assure you, that is not the case,” Bittermen said. “Is there anything you or your guests may need, Miss Dusk?” “Nah, we’re good right now,” Sonata replied. “Oh, but can you make us some popcorn for later? I was planning on show them the theater room in a bit.” “Theater room!?” Soul and Sunset said at the same time. “Of course, I will get right on it, Miss. I hope you all have a wonderful time here at the mansion,” Bittermen said before taking a small bow and walking away. Soul and Sunset looked at each other in confusion before looking at Sonata. “You have a theater room?” Sunset asked. “For realzies,” Sonata replied. “We also have a bowling alley, a bunch of music rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a tennis court, a boxing arena, dining halls, a ballroom, all of the guests’ rooms are master bedrooms and a large media room.” “Wow, that’s…. a lot for a mansion,” Sunset commented. “And the only thing that was interesting about them was the theater and the media room,” Soul said. “All the other stuff I don’t mind very much.” “Oh, I forgot that we also have a gigantic game room and a spa,” Sonata added. “I know Rarity would love to try out the spa. We have our own hired staff and everything.” “You have a spa with your own staff?” Sunset asked. “You have a game room!?” Soul asked with excitement. “Why didn’t you mention that?” “Well, usually Aria uses it most of the time. I mean, yeah, I like to go in there to play some games, but she’s the one that loves to play all kinds of video games,” Sonata explained. “And Adagio always loved going to the spa, so she decided one day to hire our own staff and built a spa room for them.” “So, she has an entire spa staff ready to do anything for her?” Sunset asked. “Yep.” “I think I would like to try that out,” Sunset said. “Soul, would you like to come along? We could have a lot of fun together.” She winked at Soul. “Nah, I want to check out the game room,” Soul said, oblivious to Sunset’s suggestion. “You can go on ahead.” Sunset looked at Soul with half lid eyes before changing them to bedroom eyes. “Maybe you don’t understand,” she said. “I would really like you to come and have some real fun with me.” “Maybe later. So Sonata, can you take me to the game room?” Soul asked. “Uh, yeah, I can show you the way,” Sonata replied. “Awesome, let’s get going,” Soul said. Sonata led the way while Sunset walked alongside her and Soul was walking behind them with an excited smile plastered on his face. “Okay, even I was able to catch those signals,” Sonata asked. “I don’t like to ask this, but did Soul get dumber?” Sunset let out a sigh. “No, apparently video games are much more important to him than me as of late,” she replied. “Wait, as of late?” “Look Sonata, we’re here to spend some time together and relax. I’d rather not talk about some things going on right now between me and Soul,” Sunset explained. “Let’s just stop by the game room and you can take me over to the spa.” “Oh… Alright,” Sonata said with concern in her voice. The three continued down the hallways towards their first destination of the Dazzlings’ home. After walking down the hallways for a while, Sonata walked up towards a large door and grabbed the doorknob. She twisted it and flung it open to show what was inside. Soul looked into the room and his eyes went wide and his mouth hung open with amazement and shock. Inside the room were several old arcade games against the wall, where a large plasma tv was mounted. Below it was a cabinet of every game console that had ever existed along with the current game consoles. There were beanbag chairs laid in front of the them, and Aria was sitting in one of them as she took a sip from her drink while playing Halo. Aria was only wearing a simple cyan t-shirt and comfortable shorts while she had her hair down. She paused the game for a moment before looking back to see the three at the door. “Sonata, what did I tell you about coming in during my private hours?” Aria asked. “But your private hours are all day, everyday,” Sonata replied. “How am I supposed to come in here without upsetting you?” “You don’t, that's the point of it,” Aria said. “So what are these two doing here?” “Well, I invited Soul over and Sunset ended up coming along with us and Soul wanted to check out the game room before I take Sunset over to the spa,” Sonata explained. “Ah huh, I see,” Aira said before looking at Soul with a raised brow. “Is he going to be okay?” Sonata and Sunset looked over to Soul and had worried expressions when they saw him still in shock and awe of the room. His mouth was hanging open and he was drooling. Sunset waved a hand in front of him and snapped her fingers a few times to get his attention, but nothing worked. “I think we broke him,” Sunset said. “Give him a nudge, that might help,” Sonata suggested. Sunset nodded and slightly pushed Soul before he collapsed on the floor with a loud thud. Soul got back up on his own and patted his jacket before shaking his head violently. “I’m sorry, I was suddenly overcome with joy. My body couldn’t handle it,” Soul said, earning an eye roll from Sunset. “So Aria, you play Halo?” “Yep, playing Halo Five right now,” Aria replied. “The game is pretty good, but it sucks that it doesn’t have any splitscreen.” “I know what you mean. I couldn’t get Sunset to play the game because of that. She basically has to sit there and watch me play it. It’s not as fun without having your girl play with you,” Soul said. “Good thing too, because I am not that good at it,” Sunset whispered over to Sonata. “Sonata and I are going to head up and go over to the spa. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us right now? Could be a lot of fun.” “Too late, I’m already into watching Aria play Halo,” Soul said as he sat down on one of the bean bags next to Aria. “Look out for that Elite!” “I know! I know!” Aria cried. Sunset let out a sigh. “Let’s just go,” she said. Sonata and Sunset left the room, leaving Aria and Soul alone in the game room. “Look out on the left!” “Dude, shut up!” After walking around the mansion, Sonata and Sunset were in the spa room. True to her words, the Dazzlings did indeed have a staff of workers in the spa. There were only two working at the time. One was a girl with bright pink sink and sky blue hair while the other had sky blue skin and bright pink hair. The two settled in the room as they removed their clothing and only wore towels to cover themselves. Soon the two were being given massages on their backs and were in a blissful state. After the massages, the two were escorted into a hot pool and went in it as they soaked in the mineralized water. For a while everything was silent between the two as time went by. Sunset was enjoying her time in the bath like she had with Rarity when they went to a spa. Sunset also remembered that was a couple days before Soul and she were about to have their special moment together for the first time but felt that it was too early to attempt it. Sunset frowned a bit as she remembered her times with Soul before the school trip to the paintball game and how attentive and sweet he was to her. But after the game, he was being distant with her and wasn’t calling her Sunny as much as he used to. Sunset lowered herself deeper into the water until her nose was just above the water. Sonata looked over to Sunset and picked up that she was upset about something. She wanted to say something but remembered earlier that Sunset didn’t wanted to talk about anything bad and just wanted to relax. She fidgeted in place as she was conflicted on whether or not to say anything. After a moment, her better half won and she looked over to Sunset before opening her mouth to speak. “Sunset, are you okay?” Sunset’s eyes widened with realization as she forgot that Sonata was with her and sat up. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. “I was just really enjoying the water a lot.” Sonata stayed silent for a moment. “Look, I know you said that you didn’t want to talk about anything bad, but I’m here for you and I want to help,” she said. “So, if you want to talk about any of your problems, I’d like to hear them and help out.” Sonata reached over and placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. Sunset looked up to see a small smile on Sonata. Sunset looked down at the water to see her waving reflection. Despite what she said to Sonata earlier, she really wanted to talk to someone about her problems, but she wasn’t sure who to turn to. She let out a sigh as she came to the conclusion that perhaps Sonata was the person she needed to talk to. She looked over to her and spoke up. “Soul and I have been… having some problems,” Sunset said. “Ever since the paintball game, he’s been acting distant as of late. He hardly wants to spend time with me as much and he’s just been calling me Sunset. He doesn’t really use the nickname anymore. I don’t know why he’s been acting like this.” “That does sound weird,” Sonata said. “I mean, Soul is like one of the nicest guys I know. There’s got to be a reason why he’s acting like this, right?” “I just don’t know what to do. I want to talk to him about this, but I’m afraid that I might just push him away further,” Sunset said. “Sonata, when I wanted to come along, I wasn’t coming here just to make sure you or Adagio weren’t going to do anything funny with him.” “What!?” “I also came to see if there was any way I could spend time with him.” “Wait, then why did you decide to leave him in the gaming room with Aria instead of staying with him?” Sonata asked. “Well, the spa sounded really good and I’ve been under a lot of stress with Soul and all of the school work I have,” Sunset answered. “Also with what everything that had happened in the last few weeks, this was just something I needed.” “Okay yeah, I’ll give you that,” Sonata said. “But I think you should go talk to Soul about this. Whatever is going on between you two, I’m sure he’ll listen to you.” “I don’t know…” Unexpectedly, Sonata reached out and held Sunset’s hands with hers and drew Sunset’s attention. Sonata looked at her with an earnest expression as her eyes narrowed down at Sunset’s. “Sunset, do you love him?” “Well yeah, but-” “And does he love you?” “I like to believe he does, but what does-” “Then why are you so hesitant about asking him what’s wrong?” Sonata asked. “He’s your friend, your boyfriend, your lover, your soulmate and the very person that has, on more than one occasion, been there for you whenever something bothered you. So go out there, find him, talk to him and make him start calling you Sunny again!” Sunset looked at Sonata in shock with her mouth hanging. She had never thought that Sonata would be the one person to talk this much sense to anyone before. She had a feeling talking with her would help in some way, but never really thought she would be getting this much advice from a girl that has so little experience in romance. “Sonata… When did you start to make sense of things?” Sunset asked. “I’m not trying to be rude or anything, it’s just… Not the kind of advice I was expecting.” “Oh, I’ve been reading a lot of romance books,” Sonata answered. “That, and when you live for a thousand years, you tend to pick up a few things every now and again.” Sunset looked at Sonata for a moment before giving a determined grin. “You’re right. If there’s something that’s troubling Soul, I need to be there for him,” she said. “He’s my man, and I’m not letting him go so easily.” Sunset got out of the tub, wrapped herself with a towel and walked out of the room with the determination to find Soul. “You go get him!” Sonata cheered. After Sunset had left the room, Sonata’s smile slowly began to fade away before her face became blank. She then made a pout when an idea had popped into her mind. “Dang it! I should have convinced her to break up with him! CURSE YOU, CONSCIENCE!” One of the spa girls came into the room with a smile plastered on her face. “Would you like your bath to be filled bubbles, Miss Dusk?” she asked. “Yes! I would like a lot of bubbles!” Sonata replied keeping her pout. “Right away, Miss Dusk,” the spa girl said, still still with a smile, walking out of the room. Sonata lowered herself down into water until her nose was just above it. While she was like that, she muttered something under the water and said she wished she had a boyfriend as the water bubbled with every word. “...And that’s what the problem is with me and Sunset,” Soul said. “She abandoned me just so she could get out of that ambush and basically used me as bait. She said that she was coming back, but I don’t see how she would have. It felt like she just stabbed me in the back and left me on my own. I know it was just a game, but it had me wondering if it was just that one time or there will be other times that could be much worse and she would leave me. I just don’t know how I could talk to her about this without upsetting her, and that’s why I’ve been trying to avoid her a bit. I know that it sounds wrong of me to do, but I just don’t know what to do. What do you think, Aria? Should I talk to her about this or I should just pretend this never happened?” Aria’s eyes twitched with annoyance as she was trying to play her game. From out of nowhere, Soul started to talk about his problems with Sunset, which agitated her greatly and was ruining her concentration. She glared over to Soul and stared daggers at him, which made Soul’s skin turn pale out of sheer fear. “Look, I don’t care about your problems. I don’t care about the world’s problems. As far as I can tell, you just need to go talk to her about it or get over it. That’s your problem, not mine,” Aria explained. “Now, if you’re going to go, I’d do it now. Otherwise, shut. The. Hell. UP!” Soul sat there nervously until he got up and slowly backed away from Aria. “I’m uh… I’m just going to-” “Yeah, I would,” Aria said before leaning back on her bean bag and going back to her game. Soul let out a sigh and walked out of the room with the door closed behind him. He walked down the hallways on his own. As he walked, he was thinking over all that he had said to Aria about Sunset. A part of him wanted to believe that he could just talk to Sunset about it and then everything would be back to normal, but the other half was afraid that it might make her mad and, worse-case scenario, they would have a fight and break up. Soul didn’t want that to happen, and he wanted to be with Sunset no matter what. “Maybe I’ve just been overreacting about this whole thing,” Soul said to himself. “And maybe I should talk to Sunset about this. She needs to know how I felt about that. It’ll be unfair to her if I keep on acting like this. You know what? I’m going to go talk to her about this and get this whole behind us… But first things first, I need to find out where the heck I am.” Soul looked around his surroundings to see that he was lost. There were multiple hallways crossing each other and his eyes were beginning to spin in circles. “Augh, I know I should have gone with Sunset and Sonata to the spa,” Soul said. “What was I even thinking? Especially with all those hints Sunset was making. I mean yeah, I was still having problems with her, but come on, that was still a sweet deal. Curse you conscience!” In the corner of his eye, Soul spotted something. When he turned to see what it was, he saw something move out of sight around a corner. “Hello?” Soul called out. “Anyone there?” Soul didn’t get a reply, so he walked forward to see who it was. He heard some footsteps up ahead of him and looked around the corner. He saw that there was someone there, but they quickly turned around another corner before Soul could see who it was. He hurried over to the other corner hoping to see who it was, and when he turned to the last corner, he looked over to see a door that had been opened. He slowly approached the door and stood in front of it. He gulped as the thought that something was wrong crept up his spine. Soul reached towards the door and pushed it slightly. The door made a low creaking sound as it opened. He was able to open it fully and walked inside the room to see that it had no light. Just as Soul walked in the room, music started to play and and candle lights popped on their own when the snap of a finger was made. Soul pursed his lips when he saw a heart-shaped bed in the center of the room with several red and black designed pillows and covers. He let out a yelp when he heard the door close behind him and looked to see with wide eyes Adagio. She was wearing a lingerie outfit that was colored in purple and most of her from the waist up could be seen through the fabric. Soul gulped and started to sweat as he stared at Adagio’s outfit for a moment before keeping his eyes on hers. “A-A-Adagio, w-what a surprise!” he said nervously. “I-I-I-I was wondering where you were……. How are you?” “Why, I’m doing quite well, Soul, thank you for asking,” Adagio replied. “I hope you’ve been having a wonderful time here in my lovely home.” “It, um, was a very unexpected surprise to see you and your sisters live here, to say the least,” Soul said. “Eh, I was actually kinda lost, so I was wondering if you would be kind enough to tell me where the spa is? I was looking for Sunset and-” “Oh, but why are you in such a hurry? I was really hoping that I could see you and spend some alone time with you,” Adagio said. “I could really use the company. Would a gentleman like you deny a request from a simple lady like me?” “Well, eh-” *Click!* “Not that it matters anyway,” Adagio said while holding the key to the locked door behind her. “Because momma wants to have some fun here.” She held the key over her chest and slipped it in between her ample breasts. She slowly walked towards Soul as she swayed her hips back and forth seductively and looked at him with hungry eyes and a deviously sly smile. Soul felt the color of his face go away as he took a step back every time Adagio would take one towards him. He looked around the room cautiously while keeping his distance. There were no windows and only three doors. One clearly led to a bathroom, another towards the closet, and the last was the door Adagio had locked. Normally for a single boy that wasn’t tied down to a relationship or had a mother with a very high standard of moral teachings, this would be the greatest moment in Soul’s life. However, he had both things, and this was just another terrifying disappointment. Soul kept on moving backwards while keeping an eye on Adagio until the back of his legs hit against the bed and he was cornered by her. Adagio stopped as she leaned in close to Soul and looked at him for a few seconds before she slowly licked her lips. “I’m just going to say that whatever your Sunny gives you every night, I’m going to make you want me more,” Adagio commented before she pounced at Soul and the two hit the bed. -Outside of the Room- Soul’s girlish screams could be heard through the door as noises of struggling were being made. The sounds of clothes ripping could be made out while Adagio was laughing maniacally. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,” Adagio’s voice said. “You don’t have to- WHAAAA!” A loud thumping noise was made and the rush of footsteps could be heard as it headed straight towards the door. A clicking sound was made, and bursting through the door was Soul only his boxers as he was puffing for air. ‘OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE!?’ Soul screamed in his mind. ‘I really need to make this up to Sunset when this is over!’ Soul ran out towards the hallway and attempted to find anyone in the mansion. Adagio came rushing out of the room and skid across the floor before aiming her sights at Soul with a determined expression. “Oh, if you want to have a fun little game of cat and mouse, you better be ready because I’m going to catch you!” Adagio ran after Soul at high speed which encouraged him to go faster. After running for several minutes, Soul burst through a door before he had to skid to a stop at the edge of a swimming pool. Soul let out a sigh of relief as he had almost fallen in. However, his relief was short lived as Adagio burst through the doors as well and rushed over to Soul with her arms out. “I GOT YOU NOW!” Soul panicked, but quickly used his wits to move to the side where Adagio was teetering on the edge of the pool. Adagio flailed her arms around as she struggled to keep her balance on the edge before she was able to find it and let out a sigh of relief. But Soul lightly tapped the back of her bottom with his toe which was enough to push Adagio into the pool. “AAAAAAAHHH-” *SPLASH!* Soul snickered for a moment before rushing out of the room and heading back in the hallways. Adagio came out of the pool and let out a sneering growl as she climbed over the edge. Walking down the hallways, Sunset was looking around trying to find Soul. She had memorized the path Sonata and she had taken and found the doors to the gaming room. She opened the door and walked in to see Aria still sitting in her bean bag like she did before, but Sunset raised a brow when she noticed Soul wasn’t in the room with Aria. “Hey Aria, have you seen Soul?” she asked. “Don’t know, don’t care,” Aria bluntly replied. “He was looking for you earlier.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the help,” she said sarcastically. “Never wanted to anyway,” Aria said. Sunset let out a sigh and walked out of the room. When she closed the door and started to search for Soul, something wrapped around her and pulled her in tight in a bear hug. She wheezed as she was struggling to get free and find out what was happening until the voice of a familiar person spoke up. “Oh Sunny, thank god I found you!” Soul cried. “S-Soul! You’re crushing…. ME!” Sunset said as her breathing became more difficult. “What? Oh, sorry.” Soul let go of Sunset and she took in a few deep breaths. After that, Sunset looked up at Soul and raised a brow, blushing slightly when she saw him with only his boxers on. “Soul….. Why are you in your boxers?” “Well, it’s a very funny story-” “Oh come out, come out wherever you are~” Adagio sang. “You only make me want you more.” “Oh god, she’s here!” Soul panicked. “We have to get out of here!” Sunset pursed her lips for a moment before she was able to put two and two together. She let out a sigh and walked in front of Soul and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about her, babe,” she said. “I’ll take care of this.” “Wait, what are you going to do?” Soul asked. Sunset cracked her hands. “I’m going to start laying down some ground rules about people trying to take my man,” she answered. “This will only take a second.” Sunset walked around a corner and Soul could hear Adagio speaking up. “Oh, uh, Sunset, what an unexpected surprise,” Adagio said, acting nonchalantly. “I was just looking for your boyfriend and wanted to-” *Snip.* *Snip.* “....... Where did you get those scissors?” “I brought them here in case something like this happened,” Sunset replied. “Now, like my boyfriend, I can be a reasonable person. But if someone is even going to lay a hand on him and think I’m not going to do anything about it, you better be ready to face your own nightmares because I’m sure as hell am going to do something about it.” “W-What are you talk about? I have no idea-” “Oh, don’t even try to lie to me, I know you took his clothes off and were just chasing him down,” Sunset accused. “You have to be an idiot not see that.” “Fine, so I wanted to have a little fun with your boyfriend,” Adagio admitted. “What are you going to do about it?” “You try to take something precious from me, I’m going to take something precious from you,” Sunset answered as it was followed by a few more snipping sounds. “What are you-” *Snip!* “NNNOOOOO! NOT MY HAIR!” *Snip!* *Snip!* “AAAAAAAAHHHH! STOP!” *Snip!* *Snip!* *Snip!* “NNOOOO! YOU'RE MAKING IT TOO SMALL!” *Snip!* *Snip!* *Snip!* *Snip!* Soul stood there paralyzed with fear as he could hear Adagio scream while the sound of scissors cutting through hair could be made out. After a few seconds, all he could hear was Adagio crying. Coming out from around the corner, Sunset had a satisfied smile as she held up the scissors and a lock of Adagio’s hair. Sunset let out a contented sigh. “Well, that was more satisfying than I thought it would be,” she said. “I guess this would make us even for the Battle of the Bands and trying to get you at the beach….. But she still has a lot to pay for today.” Soul gulped. Sunset threw away the lock of hair and put the scissors away before she looked up to Soul and hugged him. Soul smiled and hugged her back as well, but didn’t smile because he could still hear the muffled cries from Adagio. “Um, I know she tried to have her way with me and all, but is she going to be okay?” Soul asked. “Don’t worry, she just has a shorter hairstyle. She’ll get over it in no time,” Sunset said. “I could have made her bald, but I think just losing one strand of hair would be enough for her.” The two were silent in each other's arms for a moment before the two separated and gazed into each other's eyes. “We need to talk.” “We need to talk.” Soul and Sunset pursed their lips when they had said the exact same words to each other at the same time. There was an awkward silence between them until Soul spoke up while he rubbed the back of his head. “You go ahead,” he said. Sunset nodded. “Soul, is there something wrong?” she asked. “You’ve been acting different after the paintball game and… If there was something that happened to you or there was something I did wrong, I want to know.” Soul looked at Sunset with surprise. He let out a sigh and held her hands. “Yeah, there was something that has been bothering me,” he said. The two went to the same room Adagio tried to get Soul at as they wanted to be alone while they were sorting out everything. Soul had confessed why he was acting the way he was and the reason why he didn’t bring it up so soon. Sunset felt her heart break when she realized that she made Soul feel betrayed, and for not realizing that her decision that day hurt him so much. Tears developed around her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him as the two sat on top of the bed. “I’m so sorry, Soul,” she whispered, her voice cracking up. “I didn’t know that you would have felt that way. I don’t know why I did that. I thought I was past being selfish and stopped looking only after myself, but it just keeps on coming back to me. How can I be your girlfriend if I treat you like this?” Soul wrapped his arms around her while he stroked her hair. “Look, I’m just as bad at this as you are,” he said. “I haven’t told you about this in a while and I’ve been avoiding you like a prick just because of that. I was talking to Aria about this, and though she ignored me and threatened to kill me, she did say either I told you about this or get over it. So, I want to get over it and get back on track with our lives, because you’re the most important person in the world and I want to be with you.” Sunset wiped away her tears and sniffed. “Soul, would you forgive me about what happened?” she asked. “It would make me feel better.” Soul smiled. “Of course I forgive you,” he said. “You’re the best thing to have ever happened to me, and I love you, Sunny.” Sunset smiled. “I love you too, babe,” she said. The two leaned towards one another and locked lips as they made out passionately. After a moment, their lips separated and Sunset had bedroom eyes as she rubbed her hand on Soul’s chest. “You know, we did lock the door and we do have this whole room to ourselves,” Sunset said in a sensual tone. “Think we could have our own little fun here?” Soul tapped his chin. “Hmmm, tempting offer, but I think we should wait on that,” he replied. “You already cut most of Adagio’s hair and it would be salt on the wound to do this on her bed.” “True…… We should try to find some of your clothes.” “What’s left of them.” After finding what was left of Soul’s clothes, they were able to rejoin with Sonata, who showed them the rest of the mansion. Adagio was nowhere to be seen, but Bittermen did hear her crying in her room for a while and informed them that she wasn’t in the mood to come out. Sunset and Soul acted nonchalantly about it and Sonata and Bittermen didn’t understand why she was like so. Later on, Sonata had taken them to the theater room and the three of them were watching a movie together. Sonata was watching the movie while she was stuffing her mouth with popcorn on her lap and Sunset leaned up on Soul as she laid her head down on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. Sunset looked up at Soul with a smile as she gazed up to his eyes and saw that he was doing the same. “So, how was your time with Aria anyway?” Sunset asked. “Kinda boring,” Soul admitted. “Now I know why you get so easily bored when I play Halo by myself. How do you stand that?” “Simple. Because it’s you that I’m watching, not the game,” Sunset replied. Soul smiled before he made a small frown. “Listen, I’m sorry that I’ve been avoiding you,” he said. “That was wrong of me to do, and I should have talked about this from the start.” Sunset made a small smile and placed her hand on Soul’s cheeks. “We’re both sorry about it,” she said. “We don’t have to worry about it anymore. We just move on and we don’t let it happen again, alright?” Soul smiled and nodded. “Alright,” he answered. “Love you, Sunny.” “Love you back, babe.” Soul and Sunset leaned in for a kiss while Sonata looked at the two for a moment before making a pout. “Curse you, conscience.” > Chapter 18 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tales of Friendship and Love - Part I A few weeks have passed since Soul and Sunset had visited the home of the Dazzlings and were together at Sunset’s apartment. The two sat together on the couch watching tv while they nuzzled together and having a blanket cover them. Sunset let out a content sigh as she laid her head on Soul’s shoulder and Soul brought his hand up to stoke the back of her hair. “I’m so glad that you were able to come over to my place, babe,” Sunset said. “This week of school was stressful.” “I know, Mr. Hooves had another test yesterday about the human anatomy, the various limbs and bone structures…. Of which I had no idea what was I reading or saying at this point,” Soul explained. “I feel like the school is out to get me just because I suck at science.” “Babe, you don’t suck at science. You just have a hard time understanding it,” Sunset said. “We could do more study time together if you want.” “I would like that very much,” Soul said. “As long as study time doesn’t get interrupted every five seconds of making out.” “W-What? That doesn't happen!” Sunset said as her face flustered. Soul raised a brow. “Are you sure?” he asked, skeptically. “Because every time I even open a book, you-” “Shut up!” Soul chuckled. “I’m not saying that it's a bad thing, I really do enjoy our study time,” he said. “So when do you wanna get started? We make out before we start. during, or try to save it at the end? Or maybe, we can do all three.” Sunset remained silent for a moment while she made a pout. “..... I like the fourth option,” she admitted. Soul slyly smiled. “Then let’s get started,” he said before leaning in and pressing his lips against Sunset’s. Sunset let out a small moan as the couple lock lips for a few moments. When the two separated, she let out a content sigh. “I love you so much,” Sunset said. “Love you too, Sunny,” Soul said back. After a moment of silence, something struck him as he had realized something. “Hey, I’ve just thought of something.” “What?” “Have you ever wondered what the others do without us around?” Soul asked. “You know, what they do together when we’re not hanging out or something?” Sunset pursed her lips and placed a finger on it. “You know, I never really thought about it,” she replied. “Now that you mention it, what would they do whenever we or any of the others are not together?” -Clyde and Rarity- Earlier in the day at the home of the Belle family, Clyde was sitting on the couch while he and Magnum, Rarity’s father, who was sitting in a reclining chair were watching the sports news. Humming as she entered the room, Rarity walked along the couch as she leaned down over to Clyde and kissed him the cheek. “I’m so glad that you could join us for lunch today, Clyde,” she said. “It’s been so disheartening that you couldn’t be joining us so much now that you're back on the basketball team this school year.” “You know the coach, he just wants the team to be in tip-top shape this year,” Clyde said. “I know, but I wish he didn’t have you for practice almost everyday,” Rarity said. “Again, this is the same coach we’re talking about,” Clyde pointed out. “Alright, lunch will be ready in just a few moments,” Rarity’s mother, Pearl, called from the kitchen. “Sweetie Belle is going out again and she won’t be joining us for lunch.” “Again? What in heavens is she going out for this time?” Rarity asked. “I don’t really know, but she has been going out a lot,” Pearl said. “She always tells me that she’s joining her friends. I guess they’re working on something big if it's taken up so much of her time.” “Or a boy,” Magnum guessed, suspiciously. “She better not be going out with one. She’s too young for any of that yet.” “Honey, she’s fifteen, I’m sure we can allow her to go out with a boy,” Pearl said. “Maybe she just got jealous that her big sister has such a good looking man that she just decided to find out what it’s like to have one.” “Oh please, she always likes to make fun of me and Clyde so much about our relationship,” Rarity explained. “In fact, she’s been telling me that we needed more hobbies lately. I swear Rainbow Dash put her up for that.” “Anyways, lunch will be ready in just a few moments, so come right in and take your seats,” Pearl said. Magnum got up from his chair and made his way towards the dining room. Clyde was about to get up and join him until he felt Rarity’s hand grabbing by the shoulder and looking back to see her with a curious expression. “Clyde darling, can you hold up for a moment?” she asked. “Um, sure what do you need?” “This whole thing with Sweetie Belle not joining us for lunch has been puzzling for me,” Rarity said. “I know I should be her older sister that trusts her with having her own secrets, but quite frankly, I’m also that sister that likes to get the latest gossip on things as well.” “So, what you’re saying is-” “After lunch, we’re going to find out just exactly where she’s been going and what she’s been doing every time she leaves unexpectedly.” “Rarity, you can’t be-” “I will not hear another word about it. We’re going to… keep an eye on her in secrecy and found out what she’s hiding,” Rarity said before leaving for the dining room. Clyde let out a defeated sigh. “My dream girl had to be the dominating type,” he commented. “And I somehow find that very attractive.” After eating lunch, Rarity and Clyde got into his car and the two drove to where Rarity believed Sweetie Belle was. After driving for a short period of time, Clyde asked Rarity a question while he was still keeping his eyes on the road. “So, where exactly are we going?” Clyde asked. “You didn’t tell me where we were going at all. You just said to drive down this way.” “Well, if the GPS device I place on Sweetie Belle is correct, she should be at Sugarcube Cafe,” Rarity answered. Clyde raised a brow and looked at Rarity with a confused expression. “Wait, GPS device?” he asked. “How did you place a GPS device on her?.... And when did you start doing that?” “Oh, it was just a little thing I borrowed from Twilight when we were trying to get Applejack a date,” Rarity replied. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to plant it on her, and after what happened, I decided to use it for the greater good by using it to keep an eye on my sister.” “Like when she goes into your room without permission?” “Exactly…. I mean….. That’s just a perk,” Rarity replied. “Anyways, we should head on over to Sugarcube Cafe and find out what she’s doing over there.” “Maybe doing something that doesn’t need us to spy on-” “We’re not spying, we’re just popping by to see what she’s doing there,” Rarity explained. “...... From the safety of the outside window.” Clyde rolled his eyes. Clyde kept on driving until he drove up to the cafe and parked in one of the available spaces it provided. When the two walked out of the car, Rarity walked over to the window to get to see where Sweetie Belle was. She scanned the room carefully until her eyes caught sight of her little sister. Rarity’s eyes widen with shock not because she saw Sweetie Belle sitting at a booth, but that she was indeed not alone. She wasn’t with Scootaloo or Applebloom. She was with someone else. A boy. A young-looking boy that seemed the same age as Sweetie Belle. The boy had spiky, tangelo hair with light orange streaks. He had reddish brown irises and light brown skin. He was wearing a green hoodie with a rectangle creature on the back of it and had on brown shorts. Rarity’s mouth was wide opened in shock while Clyde watched with surprise. “Huh, I guess your dad was right,” Clyde commented. “She is hanging out with a boy.” “I-I can’t believe my sister had a boyfriend all along,” Rarity said. “I wonder how long they’ve been dating?” “I don’t think that they’re-” “Wait, I think I know that boy. Yes, I know, I see him at the school every now and again,” Rarity said. “I think he’s name is, hmmm, Tutton Bash?” “Um, it’s Button Mash,” Clyde clarified. “But he mostly likes to go by just Button.” “Wait, you know him?” “Well, no not really,” Clyde replied. “Anyways, we’re here, we saw what Sweetie Belle is doing, can we please just leave her alone for the day and enjoy our time together before we head back to school?” “I just want to stay a little longer,” Rarity said. “Eeee, my little sister has herself a boyfriend!” she squealed with delight. “And a cute one at that.” “Hey!” “Oh hush, you know what I mean.” Rarity watched on from the outside of the shop while she tried to listen in on what Sweetie Belle and Button were talking about. Rarity panicked just as Sweetie Belle was about to look their way. She quickly grabbed Clyde and dragged him down below the window so they wouldn’t be seen. Rarity peeked over to see Sweetie Belle giving a shrug and talking to Button again. Just then, Rarity saw one of her close friends, Pinkie bringing the two a couple of milkshakes. Rarity pressed her ear against the window to listen in closely to hear what they were saying. “Here you go you two love birds!” Pinkie said. “One strawberry swirl and one chocolate vanilla mix!” Sweetie Belle let out a sigh. “Thanks Pinkie, but-” “AAAAAHHH!” *CRASH!* Pinkie and the other two looked up to the set of stairs that went up to the upper levels of the building where a loud crash sound could be heard. “Pinkie, I need help up here!” came the voice of Swift. “Your little nephew and niece are a bit out of control!” “I’m on my way!” Pinkie said. “Sorry, Swifty promised me that he would take care of the twins for me today while the Cakes are out, not to mention I have to take care of the shop while they’re gone.” Pinkie left the two alone and went up the stairs in a hurry. “Swifty, what’s goin- HOLY MACARONI!” Sweetie Belle and Button looked at each for a moment before shrugging and drinking their milkshakes. Rarity bit her lip as she waited for the two to talk some more so she could learn more about Sweetie Belle’s newly discovered boyfriend. “Listen Button, I want to apologize about meeting like this all the time,” Sweetie Belle said. “You know, keeping this a secret from my friends and family. I just know they would flip out if they found out.” “It’s alright, Sweetie. If you want to keep this a secret, I’m okay with that,” Button said. Rarity rubbed her chin. “Why would Sweetie Belle feel so ashamed about having a boyfriend?” she asked herself. “I mean, dad would be a disgruntled about her dating so soon, but he’ll get over it. He got over you, Clyde.” “Yeah, he- Uh, wait, he had problems with me?” Clyde asked. “Oh, just the typical father thing, thinking that you were only interested in getting under my skirt and all,” Rarity answered before looking back at him with a sly smile. “Which I do love whenever you do.” Clyde blushed and coughed into his hand. “Eh, let’s focus on your sister,” he said. “And let’s not talk about that until we’re behind closed doors.” “Very well then, it would be unladylike for me to say things that we do in private,” Rarity said “.... Although I have to say that I really do like it when-” “Rarity!” Rarity giggled and returned her focus back on Sweetie Belle and Button. “I wonder what they’re going to talk about?” “Probably how her sister doesn’t butt in on other people’s business,” Clyde commented. “No, I think it would be something more romantic,” Rarity said, oblivious to Clyde’s point of view on the situation. Clyde let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh! I think they’re about to talking about something sweet,” Rarity said with glee as she tried to listen in closely. “So Sweetie, I was wondering about something,” Button said. “Yeah?” “How are you liking the Dragon Age game I lentd you?” “I’m having a lot of fun with it. I really loved making myself as the main character and the story was so much fun to enjoy,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve made a lot of characters on the game, but I don’t really use all of them. I just like to make characters is all.” “Are we still on for playing some Minecraft later tonight?” “Yeah, I even went ahead and got some supplies for us, since… Well, you know what happened last time.” “Sorry about that, I got too carried away with mining those diamonds that I didn’t know that creeper was coming up behind me.” Rarity’s eye twitched as Sweetie Belle and Button continued on with their discussion of video games. “What in heavens are they talking about?” she asked herself. “I don’t think they’re dating. I think they’re gaming buddies,” Clyde pointed out. “But…. Sweetie Belle doesn't like playing games…. At least I thought she didn’t,” Rarity said. “Maybe she just felt shy about that. You know, like she’s thinking that video games are only for boys but really they’re for everyone but also feels like she might get teased for it,” Clyde said. “I certainly wouldn’t tease her about it. She’s still my little sister and I wouldn’t mind her doing all that kind of stuff,” Rarity said. “But I am disappointed that she isn’t in a relationship. Oh, we would have had so much to talk about together.” “She’ll get there, just give it time,” Clyde said. “We should get going before they see us stalking them.” “We’re not stalking, we’re spy- I mean, watching out for them,” Rarity said. Clyde and Rarity sneaked away from the window and back to the car without Sweetie Belle or Button knowing about it. However just as they left, Sweetie Belle leaned over and kissed Button on the cheek. “I really do like spending time with you, Button,” Sweetie Belle said. “I really am sorry that we have to keep this a secret, but I just feel like my friends and family would flip out if they found out that I was dating you.” “That’s okay, at least we have a lot of fun playing games together,” Button said. “Hey um, w-would you mind if we hold hands for a bit?” “I think I have something better in mind.” Sweetie Belle scooted over next to Button and laid her head down on his shoulder and held his hand. Button blushed when this happened and his heart skipped a beat. -Swift and Pinkie- In the upstairs room of the Cake Twins, the two little toddlers were in their little crib together as they watched Pinkie and Swift cleaned up the mess that they had made. Somehow, most of the room was covered in macaroni. Pinkie was mopping the floors while Swift was wiping away the cheese off of the walls. “How did this all happen?” Pinkie asked. “How the heck did Pound and Pumpkin get all this macaroni everywhere?” “One second, I was giving them some macaroni and cheese to eat and the next, I was getting shot by them,” Swift said. “It was a really bad idea to let them keep their squirt guns.” “How did they-” “I don’t know!” “Well, at least we got this place clean again,” Pinkie said. The room was cleaned once more as the walls and floor sparkled. “Now we can let the twins play again.” Pinkie walked over to the crib and pulled the twins out and placed them on the floor with their toys. “Thanks again sweetie for watching them for me.” “It was no problem, it’s the kind of guy I am,” Swift said. “Besides, I love spending time with the twins anyway. They’re fun to have around.” “I know! They’re so sweet and lovable to have around,” Pinkie said and let out a dreamy sigh. “Oh, it makes me wish we had kids of our own.” Swift chuckled. “Let’s not get too carried away with that idea,” he said. “And what do you mean by that?” Pinkie asked with a raised brow. “Well, um, isn’t a little early to even think about that?” “So? You just said that you loved spending time Pound and Pumpkin. What would be wrong with having kids of our own?” Swift gulped as Pinkie gave him a glare that pierced through his soul. “I-It’s not the idea of having kids that bothers me so much, but I just… don’t really want to have kids anytime soon,” he answered. “And even if I was married, I probably wouldn’t be wanting a kid anytime soon.” Pinkie let out a horrified gasp. “WHAT!?” she screamed. “You don’t want to have kids!?” “Look, I’m not saying-” “Oh, I see what’s going on now,” Pinkie said. “You’re just interested in this bode right here.” She made a circular gesture with her hand around her body. “You just want all this to be perfect and fine and you think having a baby would ruin all that!” “What? I don’t-” “Well, guess what, pal, my mom had three of my sisters and me and she’s still a fox to a lot of guys,” Pinkie said. “She lost all that baby weight the instant she had us, and guess what? It’s all genetic. All Pie girls lose that weight after giving birth.” “Wait, really? That’s interesting, but that doesn’t really-” “So, you know what? It’s over.” “What?” “You heard me, we’re breaking up!” “WHAT!?” “And another thing-” “HEY, IS ANYONE GOING TO TAKE OUR ORDERS!?” “Yeah, we’ve been waiting here for too long!” Pinkie panicked and ran out the door. “Oh my gosh! The register!” she shouted and disappeared after going through the doorway in a hurry. But she poked her head back around the doorway and pointed at Swift. “We’re not done talking about this!” she said. “I still have a lot to say to you, you… you… you no-baby meanie!” Pinkie pulled her head back and Swift heard her footsteps going down the stairs. Swift had a blank look and stood there with shock. He then turned around to see that the twins had shocked expressions on their faces as well. “What just happened?” Swift asked himself as he looked over to the twins only to receive a shrug from the two. “I can’t believe it. The girl of my dreams just dumped me because she thought I didn’t want kids at all when really I just didn’t want them too soon….. WHY MUST MY LIFE BE SO CRUEL!?” Swift felt a tug on the bottom of his pants and looks down to see Pumpkin and Pound near his legs. When he looked at them, the two raised their hands up indicating that they wanted him to pick them up. Swift made a small smile, leaned down and picked the two up in his arms, and when he did, the twins hugged him. Swift smile grew bigger and he hugged the two back. “Thanks you two, you guys always do cheer me up,” Swift said before letting out a sigh. “I just hope that I can explain to Pinkie why I don’t want to have kids yet. I mean, like I said, I don’t mind having kids, it’s just that I have something better to do before all that.” The twins looked at him with confused looks. “I was really hoping to spend time with the girl I married. Get to know her better, adjust to living with each other, knowing which one of us is the better cook, which I have a pretty good idea on who if said girl is still with me, and the most important part is that I get to tell that girl that I wake up to every day that I love her. Because when you have kids, things get complicated and you don’t really get to spend much time together until the kids leave and have lives of their own. I just want to make some memorable times of us together before we really start to make a family…. That, and, well, you two are too young for this, but I was hoping Pinkie and I would spend some ‘loving’ time together whenever we’re alone.” “Aaawwww.” Swift’s eyes widened and he looked to see Pinkie standing in the doorway with a lovestruck smile. “Is that why you don’t want to have kids? Because you want to spend so much time with me?” she asked. “Yeah, of course I do,” Swift replied. “You’re the best girl I’ve ever met and I want to spend every moment with you before all that.” “That’s ssoooooooo romantic!” Pinkie said before pressing her lips against Swift’s while the twins were getting crushed in between the two. They tried to get out of their predicament but failed because of their lack of strength and were still unable to speak any words to express their discomfort. After a moment of suffocation, the couple broke off the kiss and the twins were able to breathe again. Pinkie looked at Swift as she twirled a strand of her hair and looked at him with half-lid eyes. “You know, we could have some ‘loving’ time in my room right now,” she said. “We can have all the alone time you want.” Swift made a wide, toothy smile. “Well, I wouldn't argue with-” “HEY, ISN’T ANYONE GOING TO TAKE OUR ORDERS!?” “Eeek! I still need to to take care of the shop!” Pinkie panicked and ran back downstairs. Swift let out a sigh. “So close…” he commented. -Rivet and Rainbow Dash- It was early afternoon and Rainbow Dash was chilling in her own room with her boyfriend, Rivet, as he was reading a Daring Do book. He was flipping through the pages as Rainbow Dash was playing a video game based on the Daring Do books. “Ah yeah, you’re going down, Ahuizotl!” Rainbow Dash said as she kept on mashing her controller’s buttons. “Take that! And this! Have some of that too!” “I see someone is getting really into their game,” Rivet commented. “Are you really that excited about A. K. Yearling coming to town?” “Excited? I’m pumped for it!” Rainbow Dash replied. “I hear she’s going to be releasing her new book when she gets here tomorrow and signing it for whoever buys them! It’s going to be. So. Awesome!” She paused the game and pressed her hands against her face as she made a happy scrunched up expression. “Well, I can’t blame you for looking forwards to this,” Rivet said. “But do we really have to plan on going up at the bookstore four in the morning?” “Yeah, we have to get up there before people start lining up for it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “.... Dash, it’s just a book signing with a new book coming out,” Rivet said. “But A. K. Yearling is there! She’s one of the most popular authors and she’s coming here of all places!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Her lines also get filled up with fans and stalkers.” “Wait, what?” “And there’s also the part where I get the chance to be the first in line and get the bragging rights of getting her autograph first,” Rainbow Dash added. “So for the sake of all that is awesome, we have to be there first!” “Ah huh, did you set the alarm at four?” “Totally. My cellphone should go off when the time comes.” “Are you sure your parents are okay with me staying over here?” Rivet asked. “My folks were cool with it, but your dad didn’t really-” “Relax, everything is okay,” Rainbow Dash reassured. “My old man is just a little protective about me, but mom made sure that I can handle it.” “Really? You think you can handle me?” Rivet asked with a sly smile. What Rivet got for an answer was when Rainbow Dash suddenly jumped at him and pinned him down against the bed. He looked up to see Rainbow Dash with half-lid eyes and a smug smile. “Yeah, I think I can handle you,” she answered before she lowered herself down and pressing her lips against his. Rivet returned the kiss with his own and the two passionately made out for a long period during the night. Rainbow Dash’s eyes started to flutter open as she slowly woke up after a long restful sleep. She looked around to see that she was lying on top of Rivet as she laid her head down on his shoulder. She smiled as she caressed his chest and noted how soft it felt with his shirt on. Relaxing, she closed her eyes shut again. ….. Only for them to shoot back open when she realized that light was shining through her window. She quickly shot out of her bed, which surprisingly didn’t wake Rivet and went over to her cell phone. ‘What the hell!? Why didn’t my cell phone go off!? What time is it!?’ Rainbow Dash went through her phone to see that she had mistakenly set the alarm to P.M. instead of A.M. She smacked herself in the forehead for missing that small detail. She then looked at what the time was and her eyes widened with horror to see that it was seven forty-two. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Rivet panicked around on the bed before he fell over and his head hit the ground before the rest of his body came tumbling down. He was in a daze for a second before shaking his head violently and looking over to Rainbow Dash, who was gasping. “Dash, what’s wrong!?” “MY CELLPHONE DIDN’T GO OFF AT THE TIME I WANTED AND IT’S SEVEN FORTY-TWO!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” “But wait, you still need to-” Rivet couldn’t finish as Rainbow Dash grabbed him by the arm and pulled him as she ran down the hallway in her house after she had grabbed her keys and wallet. On the way, her mother was walking by and saw the two running. “Dashie, what is-” “CAN’T TALK! GOTTA GO!” Both Rainbow Dash and Rivet ran past her mother and out the front door. “But sweetie, you still have your pajamas on!” Rainbow Dash’s mom shouted. Rainbow Dash had on long cyan pajama pants with a white t-shirt while Rivet still had on his usual outfit except without his jacket. Rainbow Dash was able to put on some sneakers before leaving her house with Rivet. Just as Rainbow Dash was about to get to her motorcycle, she skidded to a stop and saw that it wasn’t there in the driveway. “What the- WHERE’S MY RIDE!?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Remember? You took it to the shop, that’s why we were leaving so early so we would be able to walk all the way there,” Rivet answered. “Oh right…. THEN WHAT DO WE DO NOW!?” “Well, we could just ask your mom to give us a ride or we could walk there.” “But my mom would take too long to get ready and we won’t be able to get there in time for the opening if we walk!” Rainbow Dash explained. “We need to think of something else to-” Rainbow Dash and Rivet heard a motorcycle coming by and looked over to see Soul was driving up the road on his Harley. Soul looked over to the side of the road and saw the two and slowed down and stopped right alongside them. Soul removed his helmet and looked at them with a smile. “Hey guys, nice morning we have,” Soul greeted. “Hey man, what are you doing here?” Rivet asked. “Well, I was just coming back from Sunset’s place after we spent some time together and we had this interesting talk about what you guys would do if-” “Yeah, yeah, interesting, now give us your bike,” Rainbow Dash cut off. “Wait, what?” “I need your bike here and now!” “Eeeehhh…. No,” Soul deadpanned. “You know very well why I won’t do that after what you did the first time and... Wait, are you in your pajamas?” Before Soul knew it, Rainbow Dash quickly ran forward and slammed against him, causing him to fall off of his bike and allowing her to sit on it. “Come on, baby! We got us a book store to get to!” Rainbow Dash said. Rivet panicked, ran over and sat right behind Rainbow Dash before looking at Soul as he laid on the ground in a daze. “Sorry Soul, I promise we won’t break it and we’ll make this up to you,” Rivet said before Rainbow Dash gunned it and drove off with the bike. Soul quickly sat up and watched on as the two rode off with his ride. He had a bemused expression and raised his hands up. "What the hell!? What the f****** hell!?” Soul cursed. Walking by Soul was a boy with fair white skin, a spiky hairdo, black sunglasses, blue headphones, a light blue checkered unbuttoned polo with a white shirt inside that has a treble clef symbol in the middle, black pants and black jays. The boy looked over to Soul for a moment before realizing that he had seen him before. “Soul? Is that you, man?” Soul raised a brow before looking back at the boy and his eyes widened when he recognized him. “Treble?” After much trouble of getting through town, Rainbow Dash slowed down Soul’s bike and stopped in front of the bookstore where A. K. Yearling was to appear. She climbed out of the ride and stood in triumph as she saw there was no line at the bookstore with only a couple of minutes to spare. As Rivet walked off the bike, he noticed two workers were cutting down a nearby tree and had a worried work that they weren’t doing a good job making sure that it wouldn’t fall on anything important. The thought went away as Rainbow Dash yelled out. “WHAT!?” “Wait, what’s going on?” Rivet asked as he ran over to where Rainbow Dash was standing and looked to see a sign on the door. Due to traveling issues, A. K. Yearling would not be able to attend the signing today. She will reschedule for a later date and apologizes to her fans. “DAMN IT! WHAT ELSE COULD HAPPEN!?” “TIMBER!” *CRUSH!* Rivet and Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened before they looked behind them and saw that Soul’s Harley was crushed under the fallen tree that the two workers cut down. “I told you we should have cut the other way,” one of the workers said. “Yeah, but it was easier to cut it the way we did.” “Good point.” “Grrrr, them again,” Rainbow Dash commented before looking back at the remains of the Harley. “Soul’s going to kill us now, isn’t he?” “Yeah,” Rivet replied. “Think he has insurance?” “I don’t know.” “... Wanna grab something to eat before we tell him?” “Sounds good to me.” Rivet and Rainbow Dash walked off from the disaster of Soul’s bike as they went off to Sugarcube Cafe to eat. > Chapter 19 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tales of Friendship and Love - Part II Soul stared at what was once his Harley that had been crushed underneath a fallen tree with a blank expression. Ever since Rainbow Dash and Rivet called him to come over to the bookstore, Soul was hoping for an explanation on why he was shoved off of his ride and robbed by Rainbow Dash. But instead, he looked at the motorcycle as the gas and oil that were in it dripped from the cracks and holes of the shattered remains. Soul hadn’t said a word for almost two hours after seeing it, which terrified Rainbow Dash beyond belief. Rivet had called Sunset and told her about the whole situation. She quickly came, only to see Soul’s lifeless, blank expression. She made a few attempts of trying to get Soul to say something, but he didn’t reply or turn away from his bike. The three watched on from a few feet away, hoping that he would eventually say or do something. Of course, while they did so, Soul’s old friend from his old school days, Treble, came along to see the whole event unfold. He introduced himself to the three and found out that Sunset had been dating Soul for almost a full year now. As time went by, they kept watching in stunned silence as they waited for their friend to pull himself together…. or for Rainbow Dash to make a run for it when he snaps and chases after her. Then suddenly, Treble spoke up. “Wow, I have never seen Soul likes this in… ever,” he said. “He must have loved that bike a lot.” “It was his first ride, and he did go though a lot to get it,” Sunset said. “Dash, what exactly were you possibly trying to accomplish when you took Soul’s bike away?” “I told you, I thought that A. K. Yearling was going to come here!” Rainbow Dash explained. “But instead I’m met with disappointment because she wasn’t able to show up.” “And because of that, Soul paid the price,” Rivet said. “I really didn’t think it would be this bad.” “Bad? Do you not see how bad my boyfriend looks right now?” Sunset pointed out. “I have no idea what’s going on inside his head right now!” “Look, we’re sorry, okay? It was sudden of Dash to take his ride like that,” Rivet said. “Hell, it even caught me by surprise.” “Hey, let’s not go pinning this down on me, you helped along,” Rainbow Dash accused. “How?” “...... Shut up.” Suddenly, Soul started to take a deep breath which caught everyone’s attention. Soul then looked back at the group and walked over towards them. He had a blank expression that was hard to read, and all he did was stare down everyone one at a time until his eyes were on Dash. Dash felt nervous when his eyes were focused just on her, and she gulped. “Soul…. Babe…. Are you alright?” Sunset asked nervously. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Soul replied, not taking his eyes off of Dash. “Are you sure? Because you’re looking at my girl like you’re about to do something to her,” Rivet said. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt her in any way, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Soul assured. “That’s why it took me two hours just to resist the urge not to harm her in the most inhumane way possible.” “L-Look Soul, if there’s anything that I could do to make it up to you for the way I acted and, well…. got your bike destroyed by two guys I absolutely hate, I’m willing to do that,” Rainbow Dash said. “Just…. please stop looking at me like that.” “Ah huh……… Dash, do you mind if we talk for a bit over in that alley?” Soul asked. “In private.” “Uuuuhh-” “Now,” Soul demanded as he walked off towards the alley and waited for Rainbow Dash by the entrance. Rainbow Dash looked to others for a moment nervously after she gulped again. Taking a deep breath and steeling what little courage she had left, she walked into the alley with Soul following behind her. There was a moment of silence as the others watched the corner of the alley, unable to see either Soul or Rainbow Dash. “Do you think that they’re just going to talk it out?” Rivet asked. “Well, that is normally what Soul would do,” Sunset replied. “I guess this was just something that they needed to do in private since she was the one who stole the bike and why it was there when the tree fell over.” “Besides, I’ve known Soul for a long time; I’m sure that he’s going to take it easy on her,” Treble said with a confident smile. “WHAT THE F***, RAINBOW DASH!?” Soul shouted from the alley. “Or maybe not.” “I MEAN SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE F***!? WHY!? WHY DID MAKE SUCH A DICK MOVE!?” “S-Soul, I-” “NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SAY A SINGLE WORD!” Soul yelled. “YOU ARE GOING TO STAND THERE AND TAKE MY GODDAMN YELLING! I WILL TELL YOU WHAT THE F*** I FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE IT!” The three listened on with shock. Sunset’s mouth was hanging open, Rivet’s eyes went wide, and even Treble looked scared. The yelling kept going on for a long while as seconds began to turn into minutes. As Soul was yelling, Treble coughed into his hand, which caught the attention of the other two. “So eh, mind telling me a bit about some of Soul’s other friends while we wait?” he asked. -Night and Fluttershy- Over by the animal shelter, Fluttershy was once again volunteering her time to help out with the staff. Night was also there to help out as he had been accustomed to coming to the shelter with Fluttershy and enjoying his time there ever since they started going out. Fluttershy was cleaning out the hamster balls while Night was washing one of the puppies with the help of one of the veterinarians there. “You’re doing well, Night,” said Doctor Stable. “Just make sure to keep the soap away from his eyes and everything will be fine.” “Easier said than done,” Night commented. “Brando really likes to splash around in the water.” Doctor Stable chuckled. “Well, he is still a pup, so just do the best you can,” he said. “I’ll be right back, I need to check on something real quick.” Doctor Stable got up and grabbed his lab coat as he walked out of the room, leaving both Fluttershy and Night to themselves with some of the animals. “Thanks so much for coming here, Night,” Fluttershy said. “I’m glad that you were able to come today.” “It’s no problem, Fluttershy. I just wanted to be here with my best girl,” Night said. “And to be with this little fellow too.” He finished washing Brando and was drying him with a towel. *Bark!* Night chuckled as he continued to wipe down Brando. After that, he petted the puppy for a few minutes before picking him up and putting him back in his cage. “You know, maybe I should adopt him. I do enjoy playing with him all the time, and I always wanted to have a dog,” Night said. “I think that sounds like a good idea,” Fluttershy said. “He does get lonely whenever you’re not around.” “I’m just not sure if my mom would go along with it,” Night said. “Maybe if I catch her in her shoe-shopping mood, I could-” “Fluttershy, we need your help,” Doctor Stable said as he walked back into the room. “We just had someone bring in a pit bull, and he’s not in the best of moods. We could use some of your magic touch on him.” “Oh, of course Doctor Stable, I’ll help any way I can,” Fluttershy said before turning to Night. “Nighty, can you do me a favor and make sure all the animals are in their cages? We don’t want any of them to be unlocked like last time when Zero came in and was attack by all the dogs in the room.” “That was a fun day,” Night commented, which earned him a raised brow from Fluttershy. “I mean, yeah, sure, I’ll take care of that.” Fluttershy smiled and went with Doctor Stable to the other room. Night let out a sigh of relief and went to check on the cages. After some time had passed, he had checked almost all of the cages except for one more. He looked to see where it was, but his eyes widened when he saw that it was wide opened. ‘Oh no, tell me he did not get out again!’ Night thought to himself. ‘It’s okay, he’s a very small rabbit, how hard could he-’ Night’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt something hit him in the back of his head. He looked down to see a half-eaten carrot on the ground and looked up to see a white furred rabbit standing on a nearby table with a smug smile on him. Night squinted angrily at the little rabbit. “Angel,” Night said with hate though his teeth. “I don’t know how you got out, but you’re going back in.” Angel stuck his tongue out. “Oh, that’s it!” Night charged at the rabbit and made a grab for it. Angel let out a squeak before jumping out of the way, and Night collided with the table, causing him to fall over to the ground. Night shook his head before seeing Angel hopping away from him. Night gave chase and ran over to capture the white demon. Angel hopped into the insect room where all kinds of bugs were being kept. Right behind him was Night as he slowly walked towards the rabbit and cornered him into a little corner. “Alright, time to put you back in your cage.” Angel made a look that made him look like he was about to faint before he smiled deviously and kicked the wall. The kick caused a jar to fall from its shelf and land right on top of Night’s head. The jar bounced off of his head and landed in his hands before he fell to the ground in a daze. The jar rolled across the floor until it stopped and the top of it popped out. A single brown tarantula crawled out of it, which was none other than Greg himself. He was in a bit of daze before shaking his small head and looking up at Angel who hopped towards him. ‘Hey, couldn’t you have done that some other way? That gave me a headache,’ Greg said. Angel rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. ‘So, what are you doing out here anyway?’ Greg asked. ‘Is it time to get out of here again?’ Angel made a few gestures about what was going on and after a moment, Greg nodded. ‘Ah, I see. Well, you better get outta here then,’ Greg suggested. ‘Because I think he’s waking up.’ Night let out a moan as his eyes started to open. Angel gasped and hopped away from Greg while he still had the chance. Greg on the other hand had an idea. ‘Hmmm, I wonder…’ Greg crawled over to Night’s head and crawled inside of his hair. Night, unaware of Greg’s presence in his hair, got back up and rubbed the top of his head where the jar had hit him. “Oh man, that hurt,” he said to himself. “I should really be careful whenever I corner that rabbit.” “Oh Angel, whatever are you doing out of your cage?” Fluttershy said outside of the room. Walking into the room with Angel in her arms, she looked down to see Night sitting up on the floor. “Goodness, are you alright, Night? You look like you were hurt by something.” “Yeah, I was just trying to get Angel until for some random reason, one of the jars fell off,” Night replied. ‘If I told her that Angel was the reason for that, she would never believe me. That stupid rabbit has everyone believing that he’s so innocent.’ “Oh my, we should be more careful then. Who knows what other jars could be misplaced and could fall down?” Fluttershy said. “I better let Mr. Stable know about this.” “Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Night said. “We should get Angel back in his cage and then we can go on home,” Fluttershy said. “Do you mind picking up that jar there and making sure nothing came out of it?” “Sure.” Night picked up the jar and carefully looked to see if there was anything in there. After carefully looking in it, he looked around the room to see if anything was crawling around, but he saw nothing and presumed that the jar was empty from the start. Soon Fluttershy and Night were done with everything and were on their way back home. However, as they were walking down the sidewalk, they saw Soul, Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Rivet and someone else they’d never met gathered around a tree that looked like it smashed something. The two looked at each other for a moment before walking up to the group. As they walked up, Fluttershy noticed that Rainbow Dash looked pale, as if she just went through hell or one of her mom’s cooking attempts. “Um, hey guys, what’s going on?” Night asked to break the ice. Everyone in the group looked to the two. “It’s the most terrible thing that has ever happened to me,” Soul answered. “My bike was just destroyed because of this tree right here.” Fluttershy covered her mouth. “Oh my, that’s so sad!” she said. “Was anyone hurt?” “No, no one was hurt,” Rivet replied. “Except my heart,” Soul added, which earned an eye roll from Rivet. “It’ll be okay, Soul,” Sunset said to comfort him. “I’m sure that the insurance company can cover for this…. Or the city will since it was the workers’ fault that this happened in the first place.” “I know. I just can’t believe this happened to me,” Soul said. “I don’t know how this could get any worse.” Treble looked over to Night and saw something was moving around in his hair. “Hey dude, I think there’s something in your hair,” he said. “What?” Jumping out of Night’s hair, Greg came out and launched himself at Soul. Soul looked when Greg was only a few inches away from his face in slow motion. As Greg got closer and closer, Soul’s eyes went half-lid and he spoke up before Greg attached himself to his face. “Son of a b****.” -Zero and Twilight- Zero let out a sigh as he carried several bags of books with both arms. He was walking down the mall with Twilight while they were gathering some things for their science project. Zero was partnered with her and he suggested doing a plastic volcano to get the whole thing over with just so he could get an easy A. But Twilight didn’t want an A for doing something that was so simple, so she decided for the both of them to look up some projects and read up on some science books on what they could do. “Twilight, do we really have to do this?” Zero asked as they walked. “Can’t we just stick with doing the plastic volcano? It’s easy and it’ll take about, what, a good hour to put together and I can have the rest of the week to myself.” Twilight looked back at Zero with half-lid eyes before letting out a weary sigh. “For the last time, Zero, we’re not doing that,” she said. “Besides, who wouldn’t want to read about the miracles of biology?” Zero rolled his eyes. “Oh, or how about the book that teaches you one thousand ways you could dissect an animal?” “Let’s pray to God that Fluttershy never sees that.” “But maybe we can read the one about how to make working propellers.” “Yeah, that sounds really- Wait, what?” “This book here tells you how to make working propellers. You know, what they use to make boats go around in the water or how helicopters stay in the air,” Twilight explained. “So, wait a minute, we can make something like a helicopter?” “Well, it’ll be more like a part of a helicopter, but we could design the propeller and place it on something.” “..... What about humans?” Twilight opened her mouth to answer Zero’s question, but she stopped and pondered on the idea for a moment. “Hmmm, well, it never really has been done much. Although, I guess people usually think that’s dangerous to do,” she replied. “But it does sound like something interesting and worth looking into. We would need some parts, lots of wiring and a few important devices we could use to put this all together.” “I know a place where we could look,” Zero said. “Really, where?” “My garage.” “Huh?” -Half An Hour later- “Oh my god, what kind of garage is this!?” Twilight shouted from shock. Twilight and Zero had made it all the way to his home, and after Zero opened up the garage, Twilight saw that it was filled up with various parts from automobiles, boats and rotorcrafts. Twilight had her mouth wide open and Zero only nodded with a smug grin. “Yep, I’ve been collecting all kinds of parts. If there’s a part you need for your car, boat or anything, I’m the man you can come to,” Zero said. “So, what do you think?” “How long have you been doing this!?” “Well, during my early teen years, I saw this one guy that always went out to get car parts, and he made a lot of money whenever he sold them,” Zero explained. “He was able to sell a lot because somehow he was able to get so many parts in just a short time.” “...... Zero, I think he was operating a chop shop,” Twilight said. “What?” “Yes, he was selling stolen parts that he took from vehicles.” “Oh…. Well…. These aren’t stolen. I’ve been finding them in the town’s junkyard.” “But Zero, that still counts as-” “Anyways, what parts do we need?” Twilight let out a sigh. “Let me take a look at them and see what I can put together,” she replied. “After that, I’ll draw up a schematic and we can start assembling it together.” “Alright, let’s get to work!” Twilight and Zero were able to start building their ideal device. After Twilight drew up the schematic, Zero wasted no time putting the thing together with some tools that he “borrowed” from his father when he wasn’t looking. Zero started fitting all the pieces together by following Twilight’s schematics, though she had to explain it to him several times over before he got it right. After much time and hard work, the two were in the back of Zero’s yard and they looked to see what they had designed. It was a backpack of sorts that had a tall pole sticking out on top with a large propeller at the very tip of it. It had some wires exposed that every now and again would let out a spark. Zero nodded with accomplishment, oblivious to the obvious dangers it presented while Twilight looked at it with a cautious raised brow. “Zero, I don’t think this is going to work out as well as we thought it would,” Twilight stated. “I think we should do something else.” “Hey, I already put this thing together. Might as well give it a test run,” Zero said. “Come on, what’s the worst that could happen?” “Oh, there are so many things that could go wrong that I already made a mental list of it,” Twilight answered. “But if you are so determined on trying it out, we’ll test it just this once.” “Sweet!” “Just place the dummy on it and we can get started.” “Alright.” Zero grabbed a test dummy and placed the device on it. After that, Twilight and Zero took a few steps back from it before Twilight started messing with a device that controlled it. “Okay, on the count to three. One…. Two…. Three!” Twilight pressed the button and- *BOOM!* The next thing Twilight and Zero remembered was being blown back from the explosion that the device made and falling on their backs. They both let out groans of pain before sitting up to see the very few remains in a small crater where their device stood moments ago. Suddenly the headpiece of the dummy fell on Zero’s lap with only the top of it still on fire. Twilight let out a sigh. “This was number six on that list,” she said. “Any more ideas you might have?” “Uh-” “Not the volcano.” “Damn it!” Zero cursed. “Well, we could experiment with that jet turbine I have.” “Wait, what!?” “Yep, found it in the junkyard too.” “But how does a jet turbine end up in a backcountry junkyard!?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know, I just find this stuff.” “But- It- I don’t- Ugh! Just show me it,” Twilight said in defeat. After getting themselves cleaned up and getting rid of the mess, the two went over back to Zero’s garage where he showed Twilight the jet turbine that was covered by a simple sheet. “This is amazing!” Twilight gasped in awe. “I can’t believe you were able to get something like this from a regular junkyard!” “Eh, I have that kind of luck,” Zero bragged. “Does it still work?” “I’ve tried to get it to work, but I never could,” Zero replied. “Let me look at it for a moment.” Zero opened up a panel on it and started to fiddle around. Twilight took a closer look at it as she inspected the engine. While Zero was looking on the inside, he saw something that made him realized that he was an idiot for not noticing it in the first place. “So that’s why it doesn’t work!” Zero said. “The switch to the engine is off!” Zero flipped it and the engine suddenly started to run. “Wait, how is turning on if it’s- AAAAAHHH!” *RIP!* Twilight was hanging for dear life as the machine started to suck her in as it spun faster and faster. “TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!” Twilight screamed. Zero panicked and quickly flipped the switch to the off position. The fans inside the engine slowed down until they were unable to cause any more suction. Zero looked away from the panel and went over to Twilight. “Twilight, are you okay!?” he asked concernedly. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking and-” Zero’s eyes suddenly widened and his jaw hung while he stared at Twilight as she got up from the ground. Twilight let out a small groan. “It’s alright, Zero,” she said. “I didn’t see that coming either. I mean, how was it able to run if it didn’t have any…. Why are you looking at me like that?” Zero didn’t reply as he only stared at Twilight, his face red as a tomato. Twilight raised a brow and looked down at herself, only to see with horror that all of her clothes and underwear were gone. Her entire body was exposed right in front of Zero and she quickly covered herself up with her hands. “AAAAAAAAHHH!” *WHACK!* “OW!” Zero went down on the ground after Twilight had slapped him across the face. It was then that they decided to do a plastic volcano. > Chapter 20 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tales of Friendship and Love - Part III After recovering from Greg’s attack and watching a group of city workers remove the tree from his bike and taking it somewhere to get it repaired, Soul was at the Sugarcube cafe with most of his friends. Sunset and Treble were talking to one another as Sunset wanted to get to know her boyfriend’s old friend. Rivet and Rainbow Dash had gone back to their homes, Fluttershy was watching over Greg who was placed inside of a glass jar, Night was enjoying a soda, Swift and Pinkie were there to hang out with everyone, and Clyde and Rarity came by the store and decided to chat with them when they saw that everyone was there. While all this was going on, Soul let out a sigh as he slumped down in his spot and laid his head on the table. Sunset noticed this and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you still bummed about your bike?” she asked. “Eeyup.” “Is there anything I could do to make you feel better?” “Eenope.” “Are you sure? Because-” Sunset leaned over to Soul’s ear and whispered into it. After hearing her out, Soul’s lips were pursed and his cheeks were a shade of red. “.....Okay, you just proved me wrong,” Soul admitted. “You wanna head back to my place for a bit then?~” Sunset asked with a sultry tone, giving him a wink. Soul gave a toothy smile. “I would defin-” “Heya everybody!” Sonata greeted as she came in through the front door. With her was a pale green-skinned young man with dark brown hair and red eyes. He had on camo pants with brown combat boots and a black t-shirt with a white sleeveless shirt that had a picture of the Sword of Damocles shattered in the middle and a hawke. “Hey Sonata, how are you doing?” Pinkie asked as she waved at her. “Oh, and who’s that with you? I’ve never seen him befor- OH MY GOD, I’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE!” Pinkie rushed up to the young man and started shaking his hand frantically while giving him her usual trademark smile. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie! Are you new here? Where did you come from? Do you go to our school? What about Crystal Prep, do you go there instead? You don’t look like it. How do you know Sonata? Why do you have a beard? It makes you look like an old man or something. What kind of shirt is that? Is it true that your author is Grann? What about-” The young man was starting to sweat from fear as the girl bombarded him with questions, and the fact that she was literally up to his face and making their noses touch didn’t help. Swift let out a sigh as he went over to her and covered her mouth, pulling her back a few feet. “Sorry about that. She gets really excited when she meets new people,” Swift explained. “I-I can see that…” “His name is Warhawk. He’s been at our school for a while now since the beginning of the new school year,” Sonata explained. “We met shortly after the whole crazy thing with Discord.” “How did you two meet?” Treble asked. “Well, he tackled me when he thought that Discord was still offering the award and we-... Wait, who are you?” “Oh right, name’s Treble. I used to go with Soul back at our old school.” “Oh cool, what was he like there?” Treble looked over to Soul for a moment before looking back at Sonata. “Pretty much the same,” he said. “Only, you know, has a girlfriend now.” “Hey, I changed a lot,” Soul retorted. “I’m one of the most popular guys at school, am I right y’all?” There was silence among the group as they either avoided contact with Soul’s eyes or let out awkward coughs. Even Sunset hesitated to answer him. “Oh, you guys all suck,” he commented. “And you, we are not going to do that, Sunny! I’m not in the mood anymore.” Sunset lowered her eyelids. “It’s uh, nice to meet you all,” Warhawk said. Walking into the cafe as well, Applejack was coming with another young man. He was grey-skinned with slicked black hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark grey hoodie with Chicago logos on the back and a pair of denim jeans with black and white tennis shoes. Underneath his hoodie was a white t-shirt that had ‘Drug Free’ written on it. “Howdy y’all. Ah wanted ya guys to meet Straight Edge here,” Applejack said. “He’s been here for a while since the new school year.” “Hey everyone, just call me Punk.” “What’s with all the grey guys lately?” Clyde asked himself quietly. “Hey, Punk,” Warhawk said. “Hey, Warhawk.” Straight said. “You two know each other?” Clyde asked. “Yeah, we met up during our first day at Canterlot,” Warhawk replied. “And ever since, we’ve been good friends,” Straight added. “Well, it’s nice to meet you-” Swift was about to say until Fluttershy cried out. “Oh no, I accidently dropped Greg and he got out of the jar!” “WHAT!?” Soul screamed. Soul let out a scream and, in a fit of terror, flipped the table over just so he could get it out of the way. He ran straight towards the door before Greg could get a chance to attach himself to his face once more. Just as Soul grabbed onto the handle of the door, he looked back to see if Greg was behind him. Unfortunately, the last thing he saw was Greg himself as he latched onto Soul’s face, making him fall backwards out the door, screaming. After the gang recovered from Soul’s outburst, they looked outside to see him screaming and waving his arms around as he ran around on the sidewalk with Greg still attached to his face. “Oh dear,” Fluttershy commented. “Does this kind of stuff happen all the time?” Treble asked. “No, it usually happens only once a week or so,” Night answered. “But for this to happen twice in one day, that’s rare.” “Is he going to be okay?” As if on cue, Soul kept on screaming and running until he smacked against a utility pole with Greg jumping off of him at the last second. Soul fell back on the ground unconscious as he let out a weak groan. “Yeah, he’s going to be okay,” Pinkie answered. “By the way, how did you meet Applejack, Straighty?” “Just call me Punk….. and never say that pet name again,” Straight said. “Anyways, we just kinda bumped into each other. I was helping my folks get some of their stuff together because they just flew in from Chicago and Applejack came along and helped out.” “And get this, his folks are both CM Punk and AJ Lee!” Applejack said. “No freaking way!” Swift said. “Yep, it’s true,” Straight confirmed. “That is so awesome!” Treble commented. “My folks happen to be multi billionaires.” Everyone looked at Treble with raised brows. “What?” “Dude, stop trying to be the center of attention, it’s not cool,” Clyde commented. “But-” Just then Zero and Twilight walked into the cafe. “Hey guys, Greg got on Soul’s face again?” Zero asked. “The usual,” Applejack replied. “Why does Greg always do that?” Twilight asked. “I never understood why he does that. Tarantulas are actually friendly to people. I even heard there’s a college campus down in Texas that has a bunch of them and the students consider them pretty much pets.” “Who knows? Maybe it might have something to with climbing a tree?” Pinkie guessed. “That, or it could be that God was punishing Soul for peeking at Sunset through the window when he was trying to hook Swift up with me at the last Fall Formal, and now Greg is forever the very thing that’ll torment Soul for the rest of his life…. Or that spider really holds a grudge.” Everyone in the room was silent as they stared at Pinkie’s revelations with shocked expressions. “I…. I don’t think that’s any of them, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “So, how is the science project going?” Clyde asked Zero. “It’s, um, going good,” Zero replied nervously. “We decided to go with making a plastic volcano.” “A plastic volcano?” Rarity asked. “Twi dear, I thought you would do something more complex and amazing than that.” “Normally I would, but…. Let’s just say there was an incident and we decided that it would be best to go with a plastic volcano,” Twilight explained. “What happened?” Swift asked. “Well-” Zero was about answer until Twilight grabbed Zero’s lips and shut them tight. “Nothing happened,” Twilight answered angrily. “So don’t look into it, got it?” She glared at Swift angrily. Swift gulped. “Y-Yes, ma’am,” he said. “You know, now that I’m thinking about it, the Fall Formal will be coming up soon in a couple of weeks,” Rarity mentioned. “In fact, this will be our last Fall Formal before the end of our time here at CHS.” “Yeah, it is…” Clyde said with a hint of sadness. “Heh, that was when most of the group finally had someone special to them besides me and Rarity.” “Hmhmm, that was when Pinkie and I went out together and went on our first date after the dance,” Swift said. “It was also when Fluttershy and I became a couple too,” Night said, gazing over to Fluttershy as she gazed back at him. “That was the dance that got Rainbow Dash and Rivet together as well,” Applejack pointed out. “And Soul and I went there too and we kissed right at midnight together for the first time,” Sunset said as she daydreamed about her boyfriend who was still unconscious on the ground. Her eyes widened when that thought occurred to her. “Oh crap, Soul!” Sunset got up from her seat and went out to get Soul. After a moment, she brought him back inside as he clung to her weakly. She was able to set him down back on his spot. He groaned as he rubbed his forehead due to the massive amount of pain. He looked to Sunset with a weak smile. “Thanks Sunny, I really appreciate it,” Soul said. “You’re welcome, babe,” Sunset said before giving Soul a peck on the lips. At that moment, Rainbow Dash and Rivet came in as well. When Rainbow Dash saw Soul, she froze up for a moment before giving a nervous smile. “H-Hey Soul, how’s it g-going?” she asked. “Well, besides my bike being destroyed and my mortal enemy, Greg, latching onto my face twice today, I say it’s been going good so far,” Soul deadpanned. “I see you got your clothes on.” Rainbow Dash looked down to see that she was wearing her usual outfit instead of her pajamas. “Yeah, I thought I needed to change into something more public,” she replied before frowning. “Listen Soul, I'm really sorry about what happened to your ride. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, I’m willing to do it.” “Anything, you said?” Soul asked. “Anything.” “Wear frilly dresses for a whole week at school.” “......What?” “I said, wear frilly dresses at school for a whole week and we’re even.” “...... Can’t I just go naked instead?” “Tempting, but the whole frilly dress thing is more fun,” Soul replied. “And we all know you wouldn’t go naked anyway, so might as well go with the dresses.” “You monster!” “Noted. Rarity, would you mind if you could give Rainbow Dash some dresses to wear?” Rarity made a wide smile. “Yes, I can!” she answered. “Oh, this is great! I have so many dresses that Rainbow Dash could wear that would be perfect for her. So many designs we could try out! Oh, it’ll just be so much fun!” “Oh god, kill me now,” Rainbow Dash prayed. “Come now, darling, we must get you fitted for school tomorrow,” Rarity said as she got up and grabbed Rainbow Dash by the arm. “We have a lot to try out and so much to do!” Rarity pulled Rainbow Dash out of her chair and dragged her along towards Rarity’s home. Rainbow Dash had a terrified look on her face as they exited the building. Once they were gone, everyone in the room started to laugh. “Oh man, that was a good one, man,” Night commented. “She’s never going to forget that.” “And I’m going to be documenting the whole thing,” Soul said with a smug smile. “This can’t possibly get any better.” His phone was ringing and he looked to see his mom was calling him. “Hey mom, what do ya need?.... Ah huh…. Ah huh?............ Ah, I see…… that’s good to know…. Love you too, bye.” He hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket. “What did she say, babe?” Sunset asked. “She was telling me that the guys at the mechanics told her that the Harley is going to be okay,” Soul answered. “She’ll be repaired and looking brand new when they’re done with her.” “That’s great to hear!” Sunset chimed. “And it won’t cost us a thing. Apparently she and dad were able to file a report about it to the city, and they’re pressing charges against the workers that did this for not following the Code of Conduct,” Soul explained. “So everything works out fine in the end.” “Glad to hear it- Wait, what about Greg? Where did he go?” Clyde asked. Soul’s eyes widened as he pursed his lips. Coming out of Soul’s hair, Greg crawled out and lowered himself down to Soul’s eye level as the two stared at each other. Soul was sweating nervously as Greg glared at him with all eight of his eyes. “Motherf*****.” > Chapter 21 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Code Baby! I Repeat, Code Baby! One week has passed since the incident with Soul losing his bike because of Rainbow Dash’s antics. However, he was happy that when the weekend came, he was able to get his Harvey back, especially since it looked brand new with more updated motocycle parts which made it much smoother to ride in. Also, he and many of the students and teachers had a good laugh for the entire week from seeing Rainbow Dash wearing different frilly outfits each day as her embarrassment had gotten more and more enjoyable. Now it was early Monday morning and Soul was getting ready for school while letting Sunset sleep in his bed for a bit longer. Soul decided that since his mom always comes in and sprays them with a water bottle every time Sunset comes over to spend the night with him, he would set his phone to vibrate in the morning so it wouldn’t wake her up or let anyone know that he was awake. Sunset didn’t think it would work, but it always seems to do for him. Soul went over to the mirror and shaved his facial hair until all that remained was his signature chin beard. He looked at the mirror with a smug smile. ‘Still looking good,’ he thought to himself. After washing away some of the aftershave, Soul walked towards the bed and sat down beside his sleeping beauty. He smiled as he looked at Sunset’s sleeping face as the early morning sun’s light streamed around her. He raised up his hand and gently placed it on her face as he slowly rubbed her cheek. While still asleep, Sunset grabbed his hand and smiled. Soul leaned down to her as he kept his hold on her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Wake up, Sunny. It’s time to get up,” he softly said. Sunset let out a moan. “Can you just let me sleep for five more minutes, baby?” she asked while keeping her eyes closed. “It feels so good sleeping in your bed.” “I know it does, but we have to get ready for school,” Soul pointed out. “You don’t want to spend the whole day in bed, do you?” Sunset slowly opened her eyes and looked at Soul with sleepy bedroom eyes. “If it means I get to sleep with you, yes I would,” she replied. “Unless we’re doing more than sleeping?” Soul blushed and gave her a serious look. “You always say that whenever we sleep together,” he said. “We agreed that we would save that for something special.” “I know, but you’re just so tempting, babe,” Sunset said. “I can barely contain myself whenever I’m near you. Can’t we just-” Soul placed a finger on Sunset’s lips and smiled. “When the right moment comes, I’ll let you know,” he said and gave her a peck on the lips. “Now come on, you’ve got get up and be ready for school.” Sunset smiled. “Alright, you win,” she said as she got up and stretched. “I do have a very good attendance record. Might as well keep up with it.” The door to his room suddenly opened and Dawn entered with a bottle of water in her hands. She walked into the room expecting Soul and Sunset to be asleep and was surprised to see them both awake. “Wait, what? You two are already awake?” she asked. “Yes mom, we are,” Soul replied with a smug smile. “We slept for the whole night together once more. And now you can’t do anything about it since we’re awake, so you can’t use your water bottle. What are going to do now?” Dawn eyelids lowered along with Sunset’s. Dawn raised up her water bottle and squirted at Soul’s face as he tried to cover his face. “AAAHH! What the heck!?” Soul yelled. “As long as you sleep with a girl out of wedlock, you’re going to get squirted with water,” Dawn said. “Now please leave this room while Sunset gets dressed.” Soul let out a sigh. Just as he was walking out of the room, he looked back and waved at Sunset, and she waved back. Then Dawn squirted more water at him to keep him going. “Seriously boy, when you have a kid of your own, you’re not going to like it when they sleep with other people,” Dawn said. “Sheesh mom, relax will you? We just sleep together. It’s not hurting anyone,” Soul defended. “Yes, but it increases your chances of getting into that sweet little lady’s pants, and I’m not having that,’ Dawn retorted. “She may be okay with it, but I’m not. I want this to end after today.” “Or what? I’m almost nineteen, mom. You gonna have to do something so terrible that it would stop me,” Soul said. “I’ll burn every copy of your Star Wars movies and Halo games.” Soul’s eyes widened with terror and his face went pale. “Woah, woah, let's not go that far!” he panicked. “Can we just talk about this first? Like adults?” “This is adult talk. Either you do as I say or I take something from you,” Dawn said. “I believe your history teacher taught something like that about mankind.” “Come on, mom, she lives in an apartment by herself every night while her parents are literally in another world. You’re telling me you want me to let her sleep alone every night as she cries herself to sleep knowing she can never see her parents as much as she wants to?” Dawn rolled her eyes. She was very much aware of Sunset coming from another world, but didn’t believe it at first until the Friendship Games since she was there cheering for her kids with the others parents. Quite frankly, she took it better than anyone else…. though she did still freaked out about it “Son, the portal to her world is not that far. She can go in and out of it whenever she wants,” she said. “And her parents are rich where they come from, so I’m sure that they have the power to spend time with her whenever they want to as well. In fact, you’re even lucky that she wants to stay here with you. She could have just as easily gone back home and left your sorry butt here alone with no girl to sleep with at all.” “Wait, wouldn’t that encourage me to sleep with her more if that was the case?” “...... Shut up and eat your breakfast downstairs.” “Ha! I got one in!” Soul bragged as he went downstairs before he was shot one more time in the back of the head with more water. The door was open and Sunset was walking out of the room fully dressed and ready for school. Dawn looked at her and smiled. “How are you doing this morning, Sunset?” she asked. “I’m doing well, Dawn,” Sunset replied. “How are you doing?” “I’m doing good, thanks for asking.” “If me coming over here to sleep with Soul really has been that bothersome to you, I’ll stop if you want,” Sunset offered. “He is your son after all, and this is your house that he lives in.” Dawn let out a sigh. “You know, you’ve been here so many times that I already consider you a member of this family. And I can’t always stop my son from doing things he wants and who he wants to be with. So you are always welcome to come here whenever you want,” Dawn said with a smile. “But I want you to do two things.” “What are they?” “Do not tell Soul this. I still wanna squirt water at him, and he might propose that you should live with us.” “Wait, I can live here?” “Are you still able to pay your rents?” “Eeehh-” “No. And second, please come in through the front door. I’m tired of seeing Comet move that damn ladder that you keep using to get up in his room.” Sunset twirled her fingers around as she let out a weak chuckle. “Will do,” she said. “So, that’s it then?” “That’s it. Now you better get down there and eat something before you two leave.” Sunset nodded and gave Dawn a quick hug before she went down the stairs. Dawn hugged back and watched Sunset walk down the stairs. She looked down at her belly and let out a small giggle. “Well, little lady, looks like you’re gonna have a big sister as well,” Dawn said to her belly. Then she felt a kick from inside her stomach and she winced in pain because of the suddenness of it. “Augh! God dang, girl. Are you lifting weights in there?” After eating breakfast, Soul and Sunset waved goodbye to both Dawn and Comet as they went on to school. As usual, Soul got on his bike and Sunset rode on the back of it as she wrapped her arms around him. The two drove off the driveway and headed straight towards Canterlot High. Dawn was sitting comfortably on the couch as she watched TV. Comet was walking by in his guard uniform and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Alright, I’m on my way to work. Ya need anything honey?” Comet asked. “No sweetie, I’ll be fine,” Comet said. “Just make sure you come back in one piece.” Comet laughed. “I’m just going to go up to the station and do paperwork as usual,” he explained. “I’m not going to be in a firefight.” “Well, you never know. You did join the National Guard and they do tend to send you somewhere to blow stuff up,” Dawn commented. “Just like you and Rift blew up that building.” “Hey, he was a professional demolitionist and was licensed,” Comet retorted. Dawn raised a brow. “Honey, he wasn’t licensed until after that,” she said. “You two were in jail for that night.” “Well….. I’ll just head out,” Comet said in defeat and walked out the door. Dawn shook her head and went back to watching tv. After her husband had left the driveway and was gone after a while, she decided to grab something from the kitchen. Just as she made her way towards the kitchen, she suddenly felt something wet beneath her. Raising a brow, she looked down to see that her feet were wet and the water was coming all the way from her- ‘Oh no,’ Dawn thought inwardly. ‘No, no, no, no, nonononononononono!’ “My water just broke!” she shouted. “I’m going into labor! It’s okay Dawn, you were prepared for this. We ran all those drills with everyone in the family….. Except I forgot to run a drill where I was the only at home alone!” Dawn started to panic and walked around the living room in circles as she tried to collect her mind and calm down. “Alright, I’ll just call Comet and tell him to pick me up,” she said to herself. “He’ll have plenty of time before I start feeling the agony of birth.” Dawn grabbed her cell phone and started dialing Comet’s number. After a minute of the phone ringing, she heard the ringing cut out. “Hi, this is Comet.” “Honey, I need you to-” “Sorry, I’m not available right now. I’m either busy at work, tending to some problems my son’s in or dealing with my crazy wife. Just leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.” “SON OF A- Wait, crazy wife!? Oh, you bastard!” Dawn cursed. “Alright, plan B!” She then dialed her son’s number. ‘Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up!’ “Hello!” “Soul, please come and-” “HA! Got you! Can’t pick up right now. I’m either spending time with my girl, Sunny, doing some homework or avoiding my crazy pregnant mom. Just leave a message and I’ll get back to you. May the Force be with you!” “F*CK!” Dawn took a minute to calm down and decided to call the hospital. “Hello!? Please tell me this is not another voice mail or I swear I will come down there and smash every phone you have!” she shouted at the phone. “......N-No ma’am, t-this is not a-a voice mail,” a female nurse answered nervously. “W-What seems to be the trouble?” “Oh thank god, I’m starting to go into labor and I don’t have any way to get there!” “We’ll send an ambulance there immediately ma’am. Can you tell us your address or where you are?” After a couple of hours had gone by since Dawn had called the hospital, Soul was in class and listening to Harshwhinny’s lecture. He wrote all of the more important parts of her lecture and everything just seemed normal and peaceful at the school. Most of his friends and girlfriend were in other classes, besides Pinkie who was a few seats away from him. Just as the lecture had gone on, suddenly Soul’s phone went off and it drew the entire class's attention, including Harshwhinny’s. He had received a call from his mom earlier but he couldn’t answer because he was still driving his harvey to the school and didn’t think it was important since she didn’t try calling him again. “Mister Writer, could you please silence your phone?” Harshwhinny said with annoyance. “I’m sorry Miss Harshwhinny, I thought I had it off. I’ll turn it off right no-” Soul was about to press the “End Call” button until he saw that it was his dad’s number. “Wait, my dad is calling?” “Surely he knows that you’re in school right now.” “Let me take this call real quick and I’ll turn if off.” “Fine, I’ll make an exception. Just make it quick, if your father needs to speak to you so badly.” Soul answered his cell phone and held it up to his ear. “Hello?..... Yeah, I’m at school right now, so I can’t really….. Yeah?...... Really?...... Huh, that’s interesting……….. Alright, thank you for telling me, love you.” He pressed the end button and looked at the class with a calm smile. “Now that’s over, we can finally go back to-” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Everyone in the room was caught off guard from Soul’s sudden shout as the calm face was now replaced with a panicked one. “My mom’s at the hospital and she’s giving birth!” Soul yelled. “WHAT!?” Pinkie shouted. “I’m sorry Miss Harshwhinny, but I gotta go!” Soul got out of his seat and ran out of the room leaving everyone shocked. The room was dead silent for a moment until Miss Harshwhinny spoke up. “Alright class, we should continue on with our studies. Let’s hope that everything goes well for Mister Writer and… Wait, where’s Miss Pie?” Swift was reading his book in the library as he was catching up on some studies. Just as he flipped the next page, suddenly Pinkie came out right from under the table and pressed her nose against Swift’s. “SWIFT!” “AAAAHH!” Swift’s chair fell over and he landed on his back. “P-Pinkie, what’s wrong?” he asked. “Soul’s baby sister is being born and we need to get to the hospital now!” “But Pinkie, we’re still in-” “I said NOW!” Pinkie shouted and grabbed Swift. “Come on, we need Warhawk for this!” “Wait, Warhawk?” Warhawk and Sonata were walking down the hallway as she was telling him more about her time in Equestria as a siren. “...And that’s how fishes were made,” Sonata explained. “And I guess it’s the same way here too, right?” Warhawk had a disgusted look on his face. “Y-Yeah, that’s how it somewhat works,” he said. “Is there a trash can somewhere?” “I don’t see any,” Sonata replied. “Anyways, yeah, that’s why we decided on world domination instead of doing all that stuff.” “At least your plans had some justification. I still think Sunset’s plan on taking over everything with a teenage zombie army was a stupid idea,” Warhawk commented. “Anyways, we better go and get to—” “WARHAWK!” “GHAAA!” Warhawk jumped back as Pinkie came out of nowhere and screamed right at his face. “Pinkie, what the he—” “Soul’s mom is having a baby and we need to get to the hospital!” Pinkie explained. “Do you have your Jeep with you!?” “Wait, how do you I have a Jee-” “Sonata, take Warhawk to the Jeep and me, Swift and Treble will gather up the rest of the gang!” “Wait, Treble?” Swift asked. “Hey guys!” “WHAAAA!” Swift jumped back to see Treble was standing right behind him. “When did you get here?” “Oh, the author just wanted me to do some crazy fourth wall stuff. I can see why he would do that since I am the boy version of Pinkie Pie and all,” Treble explained. “I know, isn’t that cool?” Pinkie asked. “He really does love your crazy random story and your author keeps on busting his gut out with some of the jokes he comes up with.” Warhawk looked between the two as Sonata and Swift looked at them with confused. “What the f*** are you guys talking about?” he asked. “No time! Sonata, execute plan Delta Eleven, stat!” Pinkie commanded. “On it!” “What are you—WOAH!” Sonata pulled Warhawk’s hand and the two made their way towards the parking lot. “Alright, let’s get everyone now!” One by one, Pinkie gathered up everyone in their group as she and Treble were popping out everywhere and grabbing them. Swift just watched all the chaos that was going on around the school until Pinkie grabbed him and dragged him towards the parking lot. Everyone in the group was confused about what was going on, so when Pinkie came back with Swift, Rarity spoke up. “Pinkie dear, what in heavens is going on?” Rarity asked. “GRRRR, I’m so tired of answering this!” Pinkie complained. “Soul is having his baby sister and his mom is at the hospital giving birth to her!” “Wait, she is!?” Sunset asked. “That would explain why I saw him run off in the parking lot. I just thought he forgot his backpack… again.” “Nope, this is the real deal, people!” Pinkie said. “Now get in the Jeep!” “Pinkie, there’s not that much room for this many people,” Warhawk explained. “There’s no way all of us can be in there.” “I’ll show you!” “I think we just need to calmly think this through for a moment and—AAAAAAAHHH!” *THUNK!* “OW!” Pinkie had grabbed Rivet and thrown him into the Jeep through the back. One by one, she threw her friends as some of them struggled against her and tried to run away but had failed and ended up in the Jeep. She lastly threw Zero in there and closed the back with her friends crammed into the Jeep. “AUGH! Can someone please move their hand from my face!?” Straight asked. “Get your feet from my face then!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Um, Zero, can you look away from me?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m not particularly comfortable with the way you’re laying on me.” “Sorry Shy, but I can’t really move,” Zero said. “Though I can’t really say I feel the same you do.” *SMACK!* “OW!” “That’s my girl, dude!” Night yelled after stomped on Zero’s hand. “Sorry, sorry, I was just—” *SMACK!* “OW! What was that for, Twilight!?” “Oh, um….. No reason,” Twilight replied after she had slapped Zero on the side. “Okay, whose hand is that!?” Rarity asked angrily. “Mine!” all the guys said at the same time except for Zero. “Really guys!?” Clyde asked. “Pinkie, let us out of here!” Applejack shouted. “Warhawk, are we all set to go?” Pinkie asked as she popped her head out of the pile of her crammed up friends. “W-Wait, how did you get in if you shut the trunk and everyone was—” “Then floor it!” Warhawk panicked and started the Jeep. It pulled out of its parking space and drove off onto the street. After a moment of driving down the road at the speed limit, Pinkie popped her head out once more. “Why are we going so slow?” Pinkie asked. “We need to go on to top speed!” “I am not going to go full throttle in this Jeep,” Warhawk replied. “We’ll get in trouble and it’s dangerous.” “Someone said they need someone to drive dangerously?” Treble asked as he popped out next to Pinkie. “No, I said—” “Let me take care of this,” Treble said before changing his voice into a deeper tone. “I know what to do.” Treble came around to the front and sat right on top of Warhawk’s lap. “What the hell!? Get off!” “It’s time to go Fast and Furious Eleventy!” “There’s only seven of them, idiot!” “Once I’m done, there’s going to be eleventy of them,” Treble stated. “That doesn’t make any—LOOK OUT FOR THE SIGN!” Treble looked in front of him and saw a stop sign that they were heading towards. He swerved the Jeep away from it. There was then an upcoming red traffic light while there were cars and trucks driving. Everyone screamed as they were heading straight towards the intersection with no stop in sight. “TREBLE, WHAT THE HELL!?” Warhawk yelled. “Oh please, my parents do stuff like this on a daily basis,” Treble replied. “I’m surprised that my dad still has his driver license.” “So, you have your license, right!?” Swift asked. “...... Define ‘have,’ ” Treble answered. Everyone’s eyes widened and they all screamed as Treble laughed like a maniac. After driving his bike down to the hospital, Soul parked his bike and started running up towards the entrance of the large building. ‘Oh, thank god I’m here!’ Soul thought to himself. ‘I thought I was going to get into a lot of trouble driving up here in a hurry. What a break I got.’ Just as Soul was about to reach the entrance, he suddenly heard the screeching of tires. He stopped in his tracks and looked over to see a large Jeep crashing through the decorative bushes. Soul looked closely to see his friends in the truck with Treble at the wheel while a terrified Warhawk sat behind him. The Jeep was getting closer and closer to him with every second passing by. Soul nodded slowly as he rubbed his chin. “Yep, I always knew my friends would be the death of me,” he commented before flinching and bracing himself for impact. Treble put his foot on the brake and the Jeep came to a screeching stop a couple of inches away from Soul. Soul stood still in terror before opening one of his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief. The back trunk of the Jeep flew open and everyone fell out all at once as they groaned in pain. “Soul, we came as fast as we could!” Pinkie said as she ran up to Soul and started shaking violently. “Where’s your baby sister!? Is she here!?” “I-I don’t think so, I think she might be still in the building,” Soul answered. “Then let’s go!” Pinkie then ran inside with the others recovering from what had happened and they all stumbled inside the building. After checking in with nurses, they were being escorted towards the maternal ward. When they were about to enter where Dawn was, the nurse told the gang that only family members and selective guests could enter. Applejack went inside first and Soul looked over to Sunset and held out his hand towards her. “Let’s head on in,” he said with a smile. “M-Me?” Sunset asked with surprise. “I know we’ve dated for a long while, but—” “Come on, this is a special moment for me and… I want to share this moment with you,” Soul said as he gently held her hand and started showing her inside the room. All of the girls went “aww” at the sweet moment for the two while Pinkie was crying with tears of joy and the boys just watched on with smiles. After going into the room, Soul and Sunset saw that Dawn looked exhausted but was fine. She also saw Applejack with Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith and learned that they were still at the farm before they had heard about the whole thing. Big Mac had to stay home from school because of some issues that were going on around the farm and Granny Smith needed the extra pair of hands. Apple Bloom had heard everything and she was able to catch a ride when Big Mac called her and drove her over to the hospital. The only reason why they didn’t pick up Applejack was because she had her cell phone off and Apple Bloom didn't know where to find her. Soul looked around and saw Comet holding onto something that was covered in a cloth. Comet looked up to them and gave them a warm smile. “Do you wanna see her, buddy?” Comet asked. “Yeah, I really do,” Soul replied as he and Sunset walked closer to Comet and they looked down at her. The infant had pale orange skin almost like Dawn’s and was very small. To anyone else, she looked pretty much like what any infant would look like. But to him, she was no ordinary infant. She was his little sister. Comet offered for him to hold her and he agreed. Comet lifted her up and Soul gently wrapped his arms around her carefully. Soul looked down at her as she squirmed around in his arms. Sunset looked at her as she laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. “She’s so beautiful,” Sunset commented. “What’s her name?” “Novel. Novel Justine Writer,” Comet said. “That’s a beautiful name,” Sunset said. “Wait, if she has a middle name, does Soul have one too?” “Yeah, his middle name is Benjamin.” “Your middle name is Benjamin?” “Uh, yeah, but I usually prefer Soul,” Soul said. “It makes me sound cooler.” Sunset rolled her eyes and looked back at Novel with a smile. “Soul, you’re a brother now,” she said softly. “I bet that makes you feel so happy knowing that this little girl is so lucky to have a sweet brother like you.” “Heh, yeah, she really is,” Soul said as he lightly laughed. He then looked down at Novel. “Just like I’m lucky she’s my little sis.” “Can Ah hold her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Please?” “Now Apple Bloom, this is our cuz’s sister. Ah think he has a right to hold her a little longer,” Applejack interjected. Apple Bloom made a pout. “Okay, Ah’ll wait then,” she said before looking back at Novel and smiling again. Soul held Novel for a few moments before he turned to Sunset. “Do you wanna hold her?” he asked. Sunset looked at Soul with surprise, and after looking at Novel as she thought about it, she turned back at him and simply nodded. Soul handed Novel over to Sunset carefully and she looked at Novel with a smile as the infant wriggled in her arms. “She’s just so tiny,” Sunset said. “You’re a very lucky father, Comet.” “Thank you, Sunset,” Comet said. “Can I see her again?” Dawn asked weakly. “Of course, Dawn,” Sunset replied. She walked over to Dawn and gave Novel to her. Dawn held her little daughter in her arms and she leaned over to give her a gentle kiss on the head. The family and Sunset gathered around Dawn and they looked at Novel as she laid in her mother’s arms, resting after being born into their world. After taking in the sweet moment of her baby girl, Dawn looked over to Soul with a smile as he smiled back. “This was the exact feeling I got when you were born, Soul,” she said. “And since that day, I never let go of that feeling. I love you, Soul.” “I love you too, mom,” Soul said back. “Also, you’re going to babysit her when me and your dad have to get away from you two,” Dawn said with a smile. “And no pay.” Soul looked at Dawn in annoyance. “Really?” he asked. “You had to say that?” Everyone in the room let out a laugh at Dawn’s comment and Soul’s unfortunate duty as a brother. Sunset leaned in and kissed Soul on the cheek, which helped him feel better. The family stayed together until the nurse had to send off for the night. ….. And most of Soul’s friends had to spend detention for a week and Treble and Warhawk had to do one hundred hours of community service for the damages they did on the road. > Chapter 22 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where It All Started A couple of weeks have passed since Novel was born, and now the Fall Formal was just a few days away. It would mark the first anniversary between Soul and Sunset having started dating, and Soul was doing his best to get ready for the occasion. He had been working on something that he believed would make Sunset feel wonderful and remind her once more how lucky he was being with her since that fateful day. Soul was whistling to himself as he was heading out to prepare a few more things for the event and wanted to make sure everything was in place for it. As he was walking towards the front door, he saw Pinkie playing with his little baby sister, Novel, in the living room on a playmat while Dawn was watching. “Who’s a cutie patootie, huh? Who’s a cute little patootie?” Pinkie playfully said. She was lying on the ground with Novel as the little infant was squirming around on the mat and looking around the room. Dawn sat beside them. “Thanks again Dawn for letting me play with your little baby girl.” “It’s no problem, Pinkie,” Dawn said. “I know how much you wanted to play with the baby, what with you setting up my babyshower, coming by to see how I was doing with her, oddly asking when she was going to come each time you did and…. finding you laying in my bed with me in the morning with your head on my stomach trying to listen to her,” she grimaced as she remembered these events. “..... Anyways, yes, it’s alright with me…. I hope.” “Alright, I’m going to be out for a bit,” Soul said as he walked to the door and stopped when he grabbed the handle. “Is there anything you want me to get while I’m out?” “Can you go by the store and get more baby formula?” Dawn asked. “Your sister already drank up almost all of it already. She’s a hungry girl, aren’t you, sweetie?” She rubbed Novel’s back gently as Novel looked up to her with a blank expressions with her mouth open. “Sure thing, mom. Hey Pinkie, did you get all the things I asked for?” “Why, yes I did, Writy!” Pinkie replied. “I got everything set up for you just like the decorative frostings of a wedding cake.” “Sweet, Sunset is going to love this.” “Sweetie, can you give me at least a hint at what you’re doing?” Dawn asked. “Sorry mom, but you and Sunset are very close and I’m afraid that you’re going to tell her if I say what it is,” Soul said. “Oh please, I’m not that immature.” -Ten Minutes Later- “He didn’t tell me what it was!” Dawn said over the phone with Sunset. “Dang it! I was really hoping that he would tell you,” Sunset said. “Ever since he said that he was going to do something special for the dance, I’ve been trying to get it out of him.” It was true. Sunset had been trying to get Soul to tell her about his big surprise for the last two weeks sometime after Novel was born. All he ever said to her was that he was going to show it to her at the Fall Formal and wouldn’t say anything else. Normally she would just be patient about it and wait until Soul was ready to show it to her, but since their first anniversary together was coming up and he was really emphasizing that it was going to be big for her, he made her very curious about it. “Was there anything that he said that could give us a clue or something?” “Sorry, honey. That boy has kept his lips tight and made sure that he didn't say anything that would give it away. Pinkie seems to know what it was, but…. I just have better luck interrogating a toaster than talking to her about it.” Sunset let out a sigh. “Well, thanks for helping me anyway, Dawn,” she said. “Oh, and how’s little Novel doing?” “She’s doing well, thanks for asking,” Dawn answered. “Pinkie is over here right now visiting her. I was thinking of asking her if she could be our official babysitter if Comet and I ever need to get out of the house.” “I think that’s a terrific idea. Pinkie really loves kids and babies, and she does a great job taking care of them. The Cakes always ask her to take care of their little ones whenever they need to attend to some business at the cafe.” “That reminds me, I should talk to Missus Cake about letting Novel have a play date with her kids sometime. Oh, it would be so adorable to see her be friends with them.” “I’m sure Missus Cake would love to do that. Anyways, I have to go. Rarity said she had this dress for me to wear and she thinks that it’ll really knock Soul out of his shoes.” “Alright then, I hope the dress is nice, and I’ll see you soon. Have a nice day, girl.” “You too, Dawn.” Sunset hung up and took a sip from her drink. She was at the cafe enjoying some tea as she usually did whenever she felt like going out by herself. Just as she let out a content sigh, her phone rang. She looked to see that was an unknown number. “Weird, who could this be?” Sunset asked herself. She pressed the Answer button and brought it up to her ear. “Hello, who’s this I may ask?” “Sunset, is that you!?” “Treble? What’s wrong, you sound troubled.” “Yeah, um, I may have made a comment to Soul about how Star Wars is a parody of Spaceballs and, well, eventually our argument went so far that he tied me up and now we’re watching the entire Star Wars saga. He even has the commentary on.” “I showed proof after proof that Star Wars is not a parody of Spaceballs, but the other way around! Seriously, why are you so persistent on something so ludicrous!?” Soul shouted in the background. “HA! You just used ludicrous! And everyone knows that Spaceballs was the first movie to use that word in history, thus making Star Wars a parody of it!” “What!? That doesn’t even—AUGH! Now I know why I never talked about you so much.” “I thought it was because my author didn’t create me until sometime later and said that we were best pals before Sun of My Heart.” “Wait, what?” “Anyways, the point I’m making is, Sunset, please save me!” Sunset gulped as she didn’t want to go through another Star Wars marathon and preferred to stay as far away as possible. But Treble was in trouble and he was pleading for her help. She was trapped in this situation. On one hand, she would be able to avoid Soul’s crazy fan boy movie marathon, but she would be abandoning a friend in need, and she didn’t want to feel guilty about it. After giving it a moment of thought, she let out a sigh. “Hang on, I’ll be on my way.” At the home of Rarity Belle, she was humming a song to herself as she worked on the dresses for herself and her friends. She really was taking her time with the dresses, preparing them for the upcoming Fall Formal. Just as she was putting on the finishing touches of one, she heard the bells from the door to her shop opening. “I’ll be there in just a minute,” Rarity happily sang, getting excited for the Fall Formal and seeing her friends in the dresses she was making. She set aside her tools and walked out towards the entrance of her little shop. “Hello, how may I—Oh, Sunset, you’re here!” “Hey, Rarity,” Sunset greeted. “Sorry I took so long. Had to deal with Soul for a bit.” “It’s quite alright, but whatever has our dear friend gotten himself into now?” “Treble made a comment about Star Wars about being a parody of another movie.” “Oh dear.” “Yes, and I’m not going to go into details about it, but I was able to get Treble out of there and prevent another Star Wars marathon.” “Oh, that is a relief. I really do not want to relive another marathon like that. I hated it when he sprayed us with cold water whenever we were about to fall asleep.” “Yes, well, that’s what I get for having a dork of a boyfriend…. Anyways, I wanted to see the dress for the dance.” Rarity smiled. “You’ve come just in time, dear. Follow me and I’ll show you the dress of your dreams,” she said. She lead the way towards her work area where several dresses and outfits were made or in the middle of being made. The two walked over to something that was covered by a sheet and Rarity grabbed ahold of it. “Behold, one of my greatests masterpieces!” Rarity pulled the cover away and Sunset was in awe at the dress she was seeing. The dress was a pale aqua color that darkened as it went down. It had a single green pearl on the center bust of the dress and a shining green pearl necklace around the neck of the mannequin. “Rarity, it’s so beautiful!” Sunset squealed gleefully. “It’s so perfect! Are you sure you want me to have it? It looks like you put so much work into it.” “Well, I may have put a little more into yours than the other dresses,” Rarity admitted. “But why? Why put more work into this dress than the others?” Sunset asked. “Let’s just say that something special is going to happen at this Fall Formal,” Rarity said as she winked at Sunset. Sunset raised a brow. “What do you mean?” she asked. “You’ll find out quite soon~” Rarity replied, hiding the excitement in her voice. Sunset rubbed the back of her head when Rarity left the room. She looked over to the dress one more time before cracking a smile as she gently placed her hand on it. ‘Babe, you really are going to love this,’ she thought. ‘And whatever you’ve got planned, there’s no doubt this will top it.’ “Alright, let’s go over the list, you three,” Soul said. “Fancy suit and tie.” He looked over his white tuxedo suit and his blue tie. “Check. Cologne, check. Combed hair, check. Freshly brushed teeth, check. And borrowing mom’s car for the night, check. Everything’s all good. Thanks Toby, Shella and my little baby sis.” Toby and Shella were on the bed with Novel and were sticking their tongues out at Soul. Novel had her pacifier in her mouth and was giving her older brother a blank stare. Novel was crawling towards Soul as she was about to reach the edge of the bed. Soul walked over and picked her up from the bed. “Alright, let’s go downstairs and see mommy and daddy before your big bro heads off and has the time of his life with his Sunny,” Soul said before opening the door and heading downstairs with her while the two dogs ran past them and waited at the bottom floor. He carried Novel over to the living room and saw both of their parents relaxing on the couch. He went over and handed Novel to Dawn as he made his way towards the front door. “Alright, I’m heading out now,” Soul said. “I’ll probably be coming in late… Or until in the morning.” Dawn let out a low groan. “Just please don’t do anything you would regret,” she said. “I’m sure I won’t. Bye mom, bye dad!” “You have a nice time, bud,” Comet said. “And make sure Sunset has a good time too,” Dawn added. Soul nodded and waved goodbye at the two before walking out the front door and getting in the driver’s seat of Dawn’s car. After picking up Sunset and seeing her in her new dress, the two made it to the school and saw all their friends heading inside. On the way, they saw a few faces that they recognized. “Hey there, Treble!” Soul greeted. “Hey man, how’s it going?” Treble asked. “Man, this party is sick.” “I know, right?” Sunset said. “I’m guessing you came here by yourself?” “Well, yeah, but hey, all my friends are coming here, so why miss out?” Treble explained. “Besides, there hasn’t been any girl that interested me anyway.” “Really? I kinda thought you would have tried going out with Vinyl,” Soul said. “Who?” Soul pointed behind Treble and Treble looked behind him only for his eyes to widen and his heart to skip a beat. He saw Vinyl in a dress that was classy-looking, but had a retro style that would fit a Dubstep-lover. Treble grew a big dumb smile as he gazed at Vinyl with awe. “She’s….. a goddess!” Treble declared. “She will be mine!” “Trust me, dude, you shouldn’t rush headlong into this,” Soul suggested. “You should just talk to her and try to be friends with—Treble?” He looked around to see that his friend was suddenly gone and out of sight. He then saw Treble talking to Vinyl for a moment before offering his arm to her. She accepted it, and the two went inside. “Well…. that just happened.” “I’m sure that they’re not going to hook up after tonight,” Sunset said. “Vinyl broke up with someone a few months back and I’m sure she isn’t interested in dating right now. I bet she’s just pitying the guy.” “Yeah, you’re probably right.” The two then saw both Sonata and Warhawk coming by and Sonata saw the two before she started waving at them. “Hey you two, glad to see you made it!” Sonata said. “Good to see you too, Sonata,” Sunset said. “Hey Warhawk, I see you’re coming here with Sonata,” Soul said. “You two hooked up or something?” Warhawk rolled his eyes. “No, we just came here together as frie—” “Yeah, Warhawk asked me to the dance as his date!” Sonata interjected. “I’m so glad he’s my boyfriend!” Warhawk furrowed his brow. “Sonata, I asked you if we could come here as friends. I never said this was a date,” he pointed out. “And I’m not your boyfriend. We never agreed to be a couple. This is literally the first time I’ve ever heard you call me your boyfriend.” “Oh…… Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” “....... Let’s just go inside,” Warhawk replied as he took Sonata with him. “You didn’t say no~” Sonata pointed out. “Stop it.” The two entered the school, and Soul and Sunset started to laugh. “Oh man, there’s never a dull moment with Sonata around,” Soul commented. “Yeah, she really is fun to have around,” Sunset said. “You know, I think she and Warhawk would make a pretty sweet couple.” “Really?” “Yeah, they have been friends for a while before we met him and—” Sunset’s words stopped in her mouth as she saw someone she wished she didn’t see. “Ah crap.” Soul raised a brow and looked over to see with horror Adagio. Her hair was much smaller than it was before Sunset had cut a lot of it off after Adagio tried to have her way with Soul at their mansion. However, it seemed that her hair had grown in well and was done up in a small ponytail behind her head. But what started out was fear was soon replaced with surprise when they looked over to see that she was holding onto a guy’s arm. He had dark grey skin and black hair with red stripes in it. Particularly eye-catching were his irises, which blazed red. “Sunset. Soul,” Adagio greeted bluntly. “Um, hi, Adagio….. Who’s this?” Sunset asked slightly nervously. “Oh, hi there, name’s Daemon Wraithe. I’m also this cute angel’s date.” “Say wha?” Soul asked in surprised. “Now if you would excuse us, we have a dance to go to,” Adagio said before smiling at Daemon. “Come on, dear. We should head on in where all the fun is.” “Right behind you, sweetie.” Just as the two were heading inside, following behind them was Aria who was being escorted by a boy with blue skin, shining silver hair, and sky blue eyes. Just as Soul and Sunset were about to greet them, Aria interjected. “Shut up, it’s none of your business,” she said before taking her date inside with her. Soul and Sunset blinked a few times before looking at each other. “Wanna just head inside?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, sounds like a good idea.” Soul held out his arm and Sunset firmly wrapped her arms around his before the two headed inside with the rest of their friends. The dance was in full swing as everyone happily chatted with one another, with their dates, or with their friends. A large group of people gathered around in the center as they danced the night away. Soul and Sunset were dancing in the group with their friends nearby, and while all of it was going on, Soul was doing dance moves that he had seen in the game Destiny. Surprisingly, people thought he was generally a good dancer. So much was going on that the first hour quickly went away as everyone was having a good time. Eventually Soul and Sunset went over to a table where most of their friends were and sat next to Pinkie and Swift. Sunset looked over to the group and saw something she didn’t expect. “Hey babe, look at this.” Soul looked over to see Zero and Twilight slow dancing together with many of the other couple dancers. “Wait, when did they become a couple?” Soul asked. “Oh, Zero just asked Twilight to the dance the day before all this! It really surprised all of us. Zero admitted that he really thought Twilight was super nice and he wanted to take her here as her date,” Pinkie explained. “She thought about it for a moment and she decided to give it a try.” She leaned over to Sunset and whispered, “She admitted that he was cute-looking.” Sunset giggled. “Well, I hope that everything works out for them,” she said. “Though, don’t you think this just came out of the blue? When did Zero and Twilight start liking each other that way?” “Who knows? I mean, we do stuff all the time without everyone being together,” Night said. “There are friends that we have that not all of us know about. Like me and Flutters here, we found out that we were long lost childhood friends before we went to the last Fall Formal.” “Wait, really? You never told us that,” Clyde said. “See, that’s what I mean.” “I feel like every time a Fall Formal comes along, everyone suddenly becomes a couple with someone else,” Rivet pointed out. “It’s kinda disturbing when you think about it.” “So, you’re saying dating me is disturbing?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised brow. “Oh no, our relationship is natural,” Rivet replied. “Hey, um, has anyone seen Applejack around?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen her anywhere.” The group looked around the huge room for Applejack for a moment until Rarity spotted Applejack and her eyes widened with shock. “I don’t believe it!” Rarity said. “She over there dancing with Straight!” They all looked over to see Applejack and Straight slow dancing together in the center of the room. Everyone was in shock of seeing this and Rarity’s eyes had stars in them. “Awwww, they’re so cute together,” Rarity commented before letting out a gasp. “We should try getting them togeth—” “No Rarity, no!” Clyde interjected. “We’re not doing that again!” “But she—” “Remember! Your hair was green the last time!” Rarity thought back for a moment and a shiver went down her spine. “N-Nevermind,” she said. “I believe that watching from a far-off safe distance is good enough.” “Good.” As the dance was going on, coming in through the front doors were Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike. She looked around for a moment before seeing the others and walking over to them. “Hey everyone,” she greeted. “Twilight, you’re here! But you already were here, but then again, that’s this universe’s self over there dancing with someone and you came from another world filled with magical ponies and are over here,” Pinkie said. “That reminds me, when can I go over there?” “Wait, my other me is dancing with someone?” Twilight asked, oblivious to Pinkie’s last question. Pinkie pointed and Princess Twilight looked over to see her counterpart dancing with Zero. “So wait, are they dating or something?” she asked. “We’re still debating about it,” Rivet answered. “So, how has everything been going for all of you?” “You want me to explain it with hand gestures?” Swift offered. “Because a lot has happened and I’ve been dying to use them again.” “That’s… not necessary, Swift,” Princess Twilight replied. “Your loss.” The music began to die down and the lights were now focused on the stage where Principal Celestia stood over by a microphone. Vice Principal Luna stood by her side and was holding a box. “Hello everyone here at CHS. I see everyone here is having a great time.” Everyone in the crowd let out their cheers of excitement. “And now we’re happy to announce our new Fall Formal Princess for this year,” Celestia said before looking at Luna with the box while she opened the box which had a crown and envelope within it. Celestia opened it up and pulled out the name of the winner. “And the winner is… Sunset Shimmer!” Sunset’s eyes widened with shock and her mouth was agape when she heard her name. Soul held her hand and guided her to the stage as she was still in shock of her winning this Fall Formal. While all the students were cheering for Sunset as she walked towards the stage with Soul, she looked over to him. “I-I don’t understand! I thought everyone never wanted me to win the Fall Formal anymore!” “That was when it was the old you,” Soul said. “I may never have known her, but I got to meet you, and when I did, I thought you always deserved to be a princess. And you’ve done so much for the school. You saved everyone from the Dazzlings and you stopped Twilight from taking over the school when all that magic took over her. If anyone deserves to be a princess for their senior year here, I truly believe that it’s you.” “Wait… Was this the surprise you were working on?” “Guilty as charged, baby,” Soul answered and winked at her. “How?” “Let’s just say I had to call in a lot of favors to make this happen.” “Pinkie helped, didn’t she?” “..... Hey, it worked didn’t it?” Sunset smiled warmly at Soul and gave him a hug. “Thank you so much, Soul,” she said as tears were forming around her eyes. “You always make me feel like the most wonderful girl in the world.” “That’s because you are the most wonderful girl in the world,” Soul said before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Sunset blushed and walked up to the stage as everyone kept on cheering for her. She walked up to Celestia with a smile while tears were streaming out of her eyes. Celestia gently placed the crown over her head and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I am so proud that you’ve grown up into the person that you are today, and I hope that your future is as bright as it is now,” Celestia said to her. Sunset sniffed. “Thank you, principal…. It means so much hearing that from you,” she said before hugging Celestia. Celestia smiled and hugged her back. After that, both Soul and Sunset had their own dance to themselves as everyone watched for a bit before joining in on them. The night passed as everyone continued to have fun there. Eventually, everything came to an end as it was midnight and the school was closing down for the night. Many of the few students that were still there soon left to go back to their homes, while Soul and Sunset headed back to her apartment. As they were making their way towards her door, the two were passionately french kissing one another. They got to her door and Sunset leaned back against it as she didn’t want to turn her back on Soul on this beautiful and blissful night just to open a door. “Soul, can you reach into my purse and pull out my keys?” she asked before pressing her lips against his once more. Soul didn’t need to answer her and he reached into her purse that hung around her shoulder. After a moment, he found them and attempted to get the key into the doorknob slot while he was still wrestling his tongue with hers. Finally he was able to get the key in it, twisted it open, and the couple was able to get inside. The two continued on until they reached Sunset’s room and the two practically fell on the bed together. Sunset slowly moved her hand towards Soul’s tie and tossed it to the side of the bed. Soul reached around Sunset’s neck and took the necklace off of her and placed it on the stand next to the bed. The two took one another’s clothes off until they were in their underwear and the two were under the covers of the bed with their clothes lying on the floor. A moment had passed after the two had stopped kissing and gazed into one another’s eyes with strong and warm feelings for each other. Sunset placed her hand on Soul’s chest and looked at him lustfully. “So, is this when we—” “We’re not there yet, Sunny,” Soul playfully replied. “Close, but not there yet.” Sunset rolled her eyes before smiling at Soul. “This was the most wonderful night ever, Soul,” she said. “Thank you for not telling me your surprise, but you didn’t need to do this.” “Sure I did. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make sure my best girl became princess of the Fall Formal one last time before graduating?.... Besides Clyde of course.” Sunset giggled. “That was really sweet of you to do,” she said. “I hope Rarity wasn’t upset about it. She did win last year’s Spring Fling dance princess and wanted to win again this year.” “I talked to her and Clyde about it and they were more than willing to let you have the title this year. Plus, there are like two or three more other dances. They can pretty much have them,” Soul explained. “I just thought this dance would be more sentimental with, you know, everything that had happened to you.” Tears were once more developing around Sunset's eyes that night, and she leaned over to press her lips warmly against his. Their cheeks lit up with warmth as Soul wrapped his arms around Sunset and pulled her closer to him, rubbing her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. Sunset wrapped both of her arms around Soul as she used one hand to ruffle through his hair and pulled him close for a light kiss. Soon the light kiss turned into a deep passionate one as neither one of them wanted to let go of each other. It felt like forever for them as they continued to express their deep feelings for one another with their lips pressed tightly together. Eventually they pulled their lips apart and Sunset nuzzled under Soul’s neck as she let out a blissful sigh. “I love you, Soul,” she said. “I love you too, Sunset,” Soul responded. “This was a great night for us.” “Hmhmm, sure was…… Hey, babe?” “Yeah?” “I was thinking, with Christmas coming in a couple of months, I thought about something that I think you would like.” “Like what? “Well, for this Christmas, how about you come with me and we can celebrate my world’s holiday?” Soul pursed his lips as he was processing the information. “You mean what you call ‘Hearth's Warming Eve?’ Well sure, but wouldn’t it be weird celebrating it here? I’m sure we can still celebrate with the others at my family’s farm,” he said. “No, Soul, I meant…. In my world where we can celebrate it with my family,” Sunset clarified. “You know…. as ponies.” Soul’s eyes widened with shock. “Say whhaaaaaaaaaa!?” “You were there for me last Christmas, and I really want you to be there with me. So I decided to let you come with me and see what my world is like. Haven’t you been curious about what it would look like?” “Well, I’ve always wondered and all, but I just thought it wasn’t a good idea because of magical reasons that I just couldn't understand or I made up just so I wouldn't get confused.” Sunset giggled. “Twilight and I mostly made sure no one would use the portal because we could always run into our world’s version and everyone would get confused,” she explained. “But we’ll be in Canterlot, and I’m pretty sure the Soul in my world would be up there to meet you.” Soul thought about it for a moment before making a serious face. “He may share the same name and looks as me, but he’s not going to get my Sunny, that’s for sure,” he said before laughing. “But yes, I understand the reason.” “So, you're up for it then?” “Why not? I would love to go there with you.” “Great!” Soul smiled. “Well Equestria, brace yourself, because another Soul Writer is coming your way!” he declared. “Oh Celestia, have mercy on all of us,” Sunset joked. > Chapter 23 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time for Hearth’s Warming Eve! It was the beginning of the week and Christmas was a few days away. Ever since Sunset made the offer for Soul to come along with her to visit her parents for Hearth’s Warming Eve, he had been excited for the day that he would be with her in her own world. What’s more, he would be the first-ever human to go to Equestria, which made the Twilight of his world jealous and had since had a good laugh about it. Soul was in his room packing while Sunset was downstairs with the rest of his family waiting on him. Soul placed the last of his things inside and locked the suitcase. Putting on his winter jacket, Soul grabbed his case and made his way down towards the living room. When he got there, he saw Sunset holding Novel as the little infant was staring at her hair and feeling it with her tiny hands. Soul smiled and walked over to Sunset before giving her a peck on the cheek. “Careful Sunny, she might think it’s made out of bacon,” he joked. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Oh ha ha, very funny,” she sarcastically said. “I doubt she would think that my hair looks like bacon.” “You sure about that?” Soul asked as he pointed. Sunset looked at Novel to see a lock of her hair in the infant's mouth. Her mouth was moving as if she was chewing on it and drool was coming out. Sunset made a disgruntled look as Soul, Dawn and Comet laughed as she attempted to remove her hair from Novel’s mouth. Sunset walked over to Comet and gave Novel to him. “Are you all set to go?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, got everything I need,” Soul replied. “I hope your trip here goes well, Soul,” Dawn said. “Be nice and polite to her parents and be back here for Christmas as soon as you two are done with, um… It’s called Hearth’s Warming Eve, Sunset?” “Yes, that’s what we call it,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry, mom. We’ll be back in no time for Christmas morning,” Soul said. “Too bad this had to happened when you and Granny Smith’s family were planning on spending Christmas with Pinkie’s family after she found out that we’re probably related.” “Well, it’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure,” Dawn said. “But I know how important it is for you and Sunset to spend time together around this time of the year, so you two have fun together and be safe.” She moved in and gave Soul a hug before whispering something to him. “And I swear to God, if she comes back here pregnant, that’ll be the only child you’ll ever have!” Soul gulped and looked at Dawn with a nervous smile. “Y-Yes ma’am, I-I’ll keep that in mind,” he responded before looking to Sunset. “Ready to go, sweetie?” “I’m all set, babe,” she replied. After saying their goodbyes, Sunset and Soul headed out the doorway and walked down the sidewalk towards Canterlot High where the magical portal was. The two thought it was best to walk to the school rather than take their respective vehicles and leave them in the cold of winter to get stolen while they were gone. As they were walking down through the snow-covered neighborhood, Sunset looked over to Soul with a smile. “So, are you nervous?” she asked. “Are you kidding me? We’re going to another world that has magic in it. I’m stoked!” Soul excitedly replied. “How often does one go to another different world?” “Well, Twilight and I visit one another whenever get the chance,” Sunset answered. “Okay, I mean, how often does a human travel between worlds?” “Never, really. You’re probably the first.” “Exactly, I'm the first! I’m making history here, baby!” Sunset giggled. “Don’t get too excited about it,” she said. “It’s not something that’ll be recorded in either of our worlds if we do a good job of keeping it a secret.” Soul let out a sigh. “There goes my chance of being an ambassador of my world,” he said in disappointment. “Ah well, I suppose knowing that I’m the first human to visit is just as good.” Sunset rolled her eyes playfully and wrapped her arms around Soul’s arm. After the two walked in silence, they eventually made it to the school. The school building’s lights were off and the doors were locked as it was closed down for the holidays. The only person who was even inside the building was Scrubby the janitor as he prefered to live inside the school down in the janitor’s basement. The two walked up to the statue in front of Canterlot High and stood where the statute was facing the front door of the school. Sunset reached out with her hand and just as she touched the statue, it went through it as a surge of magic formed around it. She smiled and looked back at Soul. “Alright, it’s ready for us,” she said before turning to Soul. “Are you ready?” Soul noded. Sunset took a step forward and disappeared into the statue as the magic engulfed her. Soul looked on with awe as he saw her disappear before his very eyes. Looking side to side to see if anyone was around, Soul took a deep breath and walked towards the statue when he knew the coast was clear. He placed his hand on the statue and the magic started to engulf it until he pulled it back. At that moment, Soul felt a tingling sensation in his hand when the magic surrounded it. It was nothing that he had ever experienced or felt before, and couldn’t put into words what it felt like. The closest that he could say was that it was like touching the hand of God. ….. Or the Force. After taking his time, Soul attempted again, only to not step back from the statue when the magic started to engulf him, allowing himself to completely enter the statue. Soul let out a scream as he felt his entire body stretched as he spiraled around and around through a tunnel made out of pure light of rainbow colors. This continued for a few seconds until everything stopped and he blacked out. Soul let out a groan as he felt like his entire body had changed. He could have sworn he heard hoof steps heading towards him and they had stopped. Just as he was opening his eyes, he could hear both Sunset’s voice and another familiar voice. “Soul, babe, are you okay?” Sunset asked out of concern. “Yeah, I would guess a unicorn would be okay going through a dimensional warp with no problem, but it never occurred to me what would happen if a non-magical creature were to use it,” the familiar voice concluded. “Augh, Twilight? Sunny?” Soul asked as he sat up. “Oh man, that was one heck of a rid—” When he looked up, his eyes widened when he saw two pony versions of Sunset and Twilight as they looked back at him. He saw that Sunset looked like herself only as a pony and with a horn while Twilight had a similar horn but also had wings on her back. Soul shook his head violently and his jaw hung. “W-W-W-What is g-g-g-g-g-going o-o-o-o-on- WHAAA!?” Soul looked at his own hands to see that his hands were gone and were now replaced by a set of hooves. His irises shrank with terror and let out a terrified scream. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—Huh, this is very interesting—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Sunset panicked and placed her hoof over Soul’s mouth to cut off his scream. “Babe, relax! You’re okay! You were just turned into a pony! We talked about this, remember?” she explained. She then slowly removed her hoof from his mouth and sat next to him. “You’re okay, I promise.” Soul gazed into Sunset’s warm eyes. Even though her entire body had changed, Soul could still tell it was her as he was looking into the same eyes of the woma—mare, that he fell in love with. Soul took a deep breath and looked over to Twilight. “D-Do you have a mirror?” Soul asked nervously. Twilight turned Soul around towards the mirror. Soul looked at the mirror seeing his own reflection. Soul could see himself and once again his eyes widened with shock. He had a white coat all over his new pony body and still had his white hai—mane. His clothes were still on him but somehow were reshaped to fit his new body. “Woah, this is very freaky right now,” Soul commented. He then was feeling something on his back that felt like it was trapped. “What the?” Sunset looked at Soul’s back and saw that there was something underneath his jacket and shirt. “Babe, I think you need to take off your clothes,” she suggested. “Sunset, this is really not a good time to propose that!” “Not that! I meant to see what’s on your back!” she explained with embarrassment as her cheeks flushed. Twilight didn’t understand at first, but when she did, she blushed as well. “Oh…. I knew that,” Soul said. Soul took a moment to try taking off his clothes, but had a hard time taking them off since his hands were now hooves. After trying with no avail, Sunset used her magic to take the clothes off of him herself. When the clothes came off, Soul and the other two looked to see that he had wings on his back. “Ah, I see now,” Twilight said. “You’re a pegasus.” “A pegasus?” Soul asked. “It’s a pony with wings,” Sunset explained. “You named the ponies with wings after Hercules’ horse?” “Wait, what?” Twilight asked. “I’ll explain it later to you two,” Sunset said. She looked over at Soul and walked over to his wings as she examined them with interest. “Huh, wings. I never really thought you would be a pegasus. I kinda thought you would be an earth pony like Applejack because of the relation between you and her.” “Maybe it’s because the father of the Soul of our universe is a pegasus,” Twilight proposed. “What would make you say that?” Soul asked. “Because I met him.” “Huh?” “You see, after I met you at the last Fall Formal when you and Sunset started going out together, I was curious to see if there was another Soul here. I did some research and based on your relations with Applejack, I was able to find out that the Soul here is actually a play director,” Twilight explained. “A play director?” Soul whispered to himself. “After I discovered that, I asked Applejack about the Soul here and she was more than nice enough to invite us over to their family reunion to meet him.” “They’re always big where I came from,” Soul mentioned. “It’s apparently true here as well. While there were a lot of family members there, I was able to finally meet the other you and your parents. Surprisingly, the only difference between you two was he didn’t keep on going with Star Wars and make me watch it,” Twilight said. “What!? He hasn’t seen Star Wars!? I can’t let—” “Soul, no! We’re not bringing this Soul back to your world just to watch Star Wars!” Sunset intervened. “But—” “NO!” “Alright! Alright! I won’t do it, sheesh,” Soul said as he mumbled a few words to himself. “Star Wars is so worth the dimensional travel.” Sunset rolled her eyes and looked back at Twilight. “So, how is the Soul of this world?” she asked. “I’m kinda curious seeing how there’s no Sunset of this world to keep him company.” “He’s doing well. He does direct a lot of small plays, nothing too important right now, but I have heard that he’s putting together something big in Canterlot,” Twilight furthered detailed. “If you would like, I could check to see where it will be and you two can go watch it.” “Oh, that sounds like a lovely idea!” Sunset chimed. “I wonder what kind of play he would make. Tell you the truth, I never really imagined you being a director for a play.” “I didn’t expect that either,” Soul admitted. “I’ve never done anything that would make me a play director or be part of one. It’s kinda confusing actually.” “Well, I’ve learned that there are a lot differences of our world, so Soul being a play director of this world wouldn’t be so surprising,” Twilight said. “Anyways, I have two train tickets ready for your trip for Canterlot. It’ll leave within the hour.” “Thank you very much, Twilight,” Sunset said, giving her a hug as Twilight returned the hug with her own. “I’ll go on ahead and Spike and I will take your luggages to carriage,” Twilight said. “I’m sure you need a moment to adjust to being a pony right now.” “Thanks Twi, but I think I can—GHAAA!” *THUD!* “OW!” Soul tired to take a few steps forward but he misstepped with four of his legs and fell on his face. Twilight and Sunset winced as it happened and Sunset used her magic to help him back up. “Uhhhh… On second thought, I may need a moment to get used to this,” Soul admitted. “Alright, just take whatever time you need,” Twilight said. “I’ll take these and meet you two at the front entrance when you’re ready.” Twilight left the room with their luggage and passed some suitcases to Spike just as he entered. Before Spike left with the luggage, Soul was able to catch a good look to see that Spike really was a dragon, recalling what he’d said when he first met him at his first Fall Formal with Sunset. Spike carried a few suitcases as he struggled to keep up with Twilight. Soul looked over to Sunset. They awkwardly looked at each other as Soul checked out Sunset’s pony form while Sunset did the same to him. Sunset rubbed the back of her head and gave a nervous smile. “So…. What do you think? You know, of me being a pony?” Sunset asked, a bit worried about what Soul was thinking. Soul looked at Sunset for a moment and thought to himself. He had to admit, even as a pony she was still beautiful with a hint of adorableness added into the mix, but she always had that adorableness. She looked away nervously as Soul stared at her. He slowly walked up to her, as he was still adjusting to having four hooves, and when he got close to her, he nuzzled up his cheek against hers. “I still think you look very beautiful, Sunny,” Soul said. “No matter what you look like or how much you change, you’ll always be the girl I fell in love with.” Sunset blushed deeply and smiled as she nuzzled back at Soul. She leaned forward towards him and pressed her muzzle against his. Soul was surprised by the sudden kiss and after a moment, he realized that despite being a pony with a different anatomy, it felt like the same to him. He quickly concluded that no matter how different he and Sunset became, kissing her would always be the same to him because he was kissing the woman he fell in love with. Sunset pulled her muzzle away and looked at Soul. “We should probably get going,” she said. “We don’t want to be late for our ride, do we?” “Heh, yeah, let’s do that,” Soul said as he was about to walk until an idea popped into his mind. “Hey, wait a minute, I have wings now! I can fly there!” “Um, sweetie, I don’t think that’s a good ide—” “Here goes nothing!” Soul extended out his wings and with one flap, he launched off into the air. He let out a cheer as he was now flying in the air. “Woo hoo! I’m flying! I’m really fl—” *CRASH!* “OW!” Sunset winced as she saw Soul crash against a wall. He groaned in pain as he stuck to the wall before sliding down it and landing on the ground. Sunset let out a sigh. “Of all the things he could have been, he had to be a pegasus,” she said to herself. “Why couldn’t he be a unicorn instead?..... No wait, on second thought, it’s better this way.” After getting Soul back on his feet and letting him recover from his failed attempt of being the first human-turn-pony to fly, the two headed on over to the train station with Twilight and Spike on the complementary royal carriage. They all made it to the train station and just as the two were about to get on the train, they turned to say goodbye to Twilight and Spike. “Bye Twilight, we’ll see you again after the holiday,” Sunset said. “I can’t wait. In the meantime, have a happy Hearth’s Warming Eve you two,” Twilight said as she waved at them. “Bye Twilight, and it was nice seeing you again, Spike,” Soul said. “It was nice seeing you too! Hope you have a great time at Canterlot,” Spike said. “All aboard for Canterlot!” the train conductor announced. Several ponies were going into the train while the train staff were bringing in luggages. Soul and Sunset waved goodbye at Twilight and Spike before heading inside. The train started to move slowly and soon made its way towards Canterlot on the rails. Inside, Sunset and Soul were able to find themselves a place to sit with Sunset sitting close to the window and Soul next to her. Sunset looked at the window as she could see Ponyville vanishing in the distance. She let out a content sigh before she scooted closer to Soul and nuzzled up to his neck. “I’m so glad that you get to come here with me for Hearth’s Warming Eve,” she said. “There’s so much to do! I have to show you around Canterlot, take you to the theater to see the Hearth’s Warming play, and if I can, I can see if Princess Celestia would let me take you up to the castle and show you around. The castle has some of the most beautiful gardens, and not to mention Equestria’s largest library!” Her eyes glittered with stars in them as she imagined being back in the castle library again. Soul chuckled. “You sound like Twilight whenever she gets a new book,” he said. Sunset’s eyes widened and she blushed with embarrassment. “Sorry, I got a little caught up,” she said. “It’s okay, I know how excited you are about showing me around here,” Soul said as he wrapped his hoof around her and brought her closer to him. “Though, we’re going to need to take it slow. I’m still trying to get used to having a new body.” Sunset giggled. “Alright, we’ll take it slow,” she said before giving Soul a peck on his cheek. As they cuddled up together, the two saw a pair of small fillies playing together as they ran down the hallway with their parents following behind them. “Oh my god, those pony kids looked so cute!” Soul chimed as he had his hoof pressed up against his cheeks. “Baby ponies are even cuter here than how they looked back in my world!” Sunset rolled her eyes. ‘Here we go,’ she thought to herself. Time had gone on and it was now getting close to evening when the train reached Canterlot. It stopped at the station before all of its passengers started leaving with only a few coming into it who were going somewhere else for the holiday. Soul and Sunset got off of the train with their luggage and were greeted by a royal carriage driver that Princess Twilight was able to arrange for the couple. They got on the carriage and rode off for the night as the sky began to snow on the majestic city of Canterlot. As the two were on their way towards Sunset’s parent’s home, Sunset cuddled up to Soul on the seat, so he wrapped his wing around her. Just as the two were enjoying the ride, the carriage came to a full stop in front of a large house. Soul and Sunset hopped off of the carriage and they trotted with their luggage. Sunset held both of her suitcases with her magic while Soul was hanging onto his luggage with his mouth. Soul muffled with the suitcase in his mouth saying to Sunset, ”Is this how ponies carry their luggages all the time?” Sunset giggled. “Here, let me help you with that,” she said before using her magic to pull his suitcase out of his mouth. “Thanks Sunny, I was really hating the taste of plastic on my mouth,” Soul said. “How do ponies get around with suitcases? I hate to imagine all of them having it in their mouths.” “It’s how most of us do it. Other do have saddles that can hold up the suitcase for them on their backs, but most of the time we either hold them with our mouths or we unicorns just use magic to get around with them,” Sunset answered. “Besides, you’re the only pony I know that’s ever complained about it.” “I’m not complaining…. I just hated the taste.” Sunset walked up to the door of the house and knocked on it a few times. Answering the door immediately, a mare with tan fur, yellow curly hair, and light green irises let out a squeal and hugged Sunset. “Oh sweetie, it's so good to see you again!” Sunrise chimed. After holding onto her daughter for a moment, she looked over to see Soul. “And Soul Writer, I presume? It’s good to see you again, young colt.” “It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Sunrise,” Soul said. “Oh please, just call me Sunrise,” she said. She looked at Soul for a moment as she inspected him. “Hmmm, a pegasus? I would have thought you would more than likely be a unicorn.” “Thank Celestia for that,” Sunset whispered to herself. “Is dad here?” “Why yes he is! Come on in and I’ll get him.” Both Sunset and Soul trotted into the house while Sunrise hollered out. “Midnight, Sunset and Soul are here!” Trotting down the stairs was a stallion with dark yellow fur, a dark crimson mane and tail, and greenish-blue irises. When he saw Sunset and Soul, he smiled at the two. “Sunset, honey, I’m happy to see you back again,” Midnight said before going over to hug her. “And Soul, how have you been doing?” “I’ve been doing fine, Mister Midnight,” Soul replied. “Good to hear. You haven’t been doing anything funny with my daughter, have you?” Midnight asked with a raised brow, leaning threateningly close to Soul. Soul gulped. “N-No sir, nothing funny at all,” he nervously replied. “Oh dear, stop that,” Sunrise said. “You’re scaring the poor colt.” “Just making sure he’s been treating our daughter right is all,” Midnight said while chuckling, causing Sunrise to roll her eyes. Sunset giggled. “Thanks for caring for me so much dad,” she joked. “Of course, honey.” “Why don’t you two get everything set upstairs in your room and we’ll wait here in the living room,” Sunrise suggested. “I can’t wait to hear more about the human world that you’ve been living in.” “Of course, I’ve got a lot to tell you guys,” Sunset said. “Come on, babe, I’ll show you my room.” “Right behind you,” Soul said before picking up his suitcase with his mouth once more and trotting up the stairs. “Blegh, I really hate plastic.” After settling in and talking with the whole family for a couple of hours, Soul, Sunset and her parents went off to their rooms for the night. Soul and Sunset were in her room as she was brushing her teeth. Soul was having difficulty getting himself in the bed as he was struggling to find a good side to sleep on. “D-Dangit! How does anyone sleep like this?” Soul complained. Sunset rolled her eyes before spitting into the sink and trotting out of the bathroom to help. “Soul, just sleep on one of your sides,” she suggested. “But if I do that, my wings just pop out and they keep the covers off of me!” Soul explained. Sunset groaned before using her magic to pull the covers off of Soul and the bed. She climbed up to the bed and forced Soul to face away from her as she spooned him. “There, as long as I sleep on your back, they can’t unfurl themselves,” she said before the sheets covered both of them and she used her magic to turn off the lights. “Good night, babe.” “Wait, I don’t want to sleep like this,” Soul said before turning around and facing Sunset. “I want to see your beautiful face when I wake in the morning.” Sunset blushed for a moment before smiling. The two cuddled up together as they laid together for the peaceful snowy night, just before Soul’s wings unfurled and the covers were flown away, waking the two. “Grrrrr! Do we have any duct tape in this world?” Soul asked. Soul, Sunset, Midnight and Sunrise were all trotting down the busy streets of Canterlot. The family decided to go out and just look around the city as Soul was curious about the city itself. Sunrise was explaining the history of Canterlot to Soul as she used to be a librarian for Celestia’s library and had taught many colts and fillies about history. Soul listened in with great interest (to the best of his abilities as Sunrise would get carried away with the subject) while Sunset and Midnight chatted with each other about her life in the human world. Just as the four were trotting, Sunrise stopped the group and pointed at a sign in front of a large theater. “Look at this, they’re having a play of ‘A Hearth’s Warming Carol’ here!” she chimed. “I loved reading about it when I was a little filly, and I always go to any plays that are showing it! It’s about an old stallion that hates the holiday but is visited by three spirits that show him all the things that had and would be happening to him before he changed his ways for the better. I bet they have nothing like that in your world, Soul. It’s a very original and truly remarkable story.” Soul looked over to Sunset with an amused expression while Sunset giggled before looking back at Sunrise with a fake smile. “No Sunrise, we have no such story like that in our world,” he lied. “Just as I thought,” Sunrise said with confidence. “Let’s see if we can get some tickets.” As they were heading inside, Sunset looked at the sign one last time before her eyes widened with shock and she grabbed ahold of Soul’s tail, pulling him over to her. “OW! What was that for!?” Soul asked. Sunset answered Soul’s question as she pointed towards the sign. Soul looked at it for a moment before his eyes widened too. At the bottom of the sign was the names of the actors, screenwriters and the director of the play. But what shocked the two most was the name of the director: Soul Anderson Writer. “..... So, this is the play Twilight mentioned,” Soul said. “And she wasn’t joking about it either.” “Coming back to Equestria is getting more and more interesting,” Sunset commented before cracking a sly smile. “I wonder how my boyfriend did this play? I should give him a big kiss good luck before the play starts.” Soul rolled his eyes. “Why just kiss when you two can make out? I’m sure he would love that,” he said sarcastically. “Oh, good idea, I’ll do that,” Sunset said before trotting into the theater and leaving a dumbfounded Soul. “W—Di—I—No, wait! I was kidding!” Soul shouted before galloping inside hoping Sunset was just messing with his head. After watching the play, the group headed on over to a restaurant. As they were going through their menus, Soul was having a hard time finding something that he could eat or even stand to eat as half of the food had hay in it or were made entirely out of hay. He decided to go with a light salad which didn’t have any hay in it. “So Soul, tell me more about yourself. Anything interesting happened?” Sunrise asked. “Let’s see… Oh! I recently had a baby sister just almost a couple of months ago,” Soul replied. “Oh, that’s wonderful to hear!” Sunrise chimed. “Do you have any pictures of her? I would love to see what she looks like.” “I happen to have some pictures right here, mom,” Sunset said. She used her magic to open the top of of her saddlebag and lift up a small stack of pictures. Sunrise used her magic to take the pictures from Sunset and she and Midnight started looking through them. “Look at her! She’s such a sweetie pie!” Sunrise said. “She sure is, honey,” Midnight commented. “So, how have your parents been doing?” “They’re doing fine. My mom has been less destructive and life-threatening around the house, and my dad is still working up at the barracks,” Soul replied. “Although, my dad is going to be gone for a while soon. He and his platoon are being deployed overseas.” “Well then, I wish you father the best of luck.” “Thank you, Midnight.” As the four finished up their meals, they headed on back to their home as the sun was setting. Together they went back to the house as they played a few board games that Sunset and her parents used to play when she was a little filly. Time went by and soon everypony went to bed. The days went by as it was now Hearth’s Warming Eve. Both Soul and Sunset were coming down the set of stairs, and when they got down, Sunset squealed like a little joyful filly when she saw the Hearth’s Warming tree filled with presents. She hopped up and down for a moment before she stopped and looked to see Soul holding back his laughter. She blushed and hid behind her mane. “I see somebody is really excited,” Soul commented. “Yeah, well…. shut up,” Sunset said. Soul chuckled and wrapped his hoof around. “You're so cute when you get this happy,” he said before pressing his cheek against hers. Sunset made a pout while she was still blushing but quickly smiled as she rubbed her cheek back against his. The two soon joined Sunset’s parents for breakfast and started opening up their presents. As Sunset was opening hers, Soul opened the present that Sunrise had gotten for him. Once Soul unwrapped it, he looked to see that it was a history book of Equestria. Sunset giggled at Soul’s expression as he looked at it with half-lid eyes but gave Sunrise a sincere smile and thanked her. The day went by as they all stayed at home spending time together. Nighttime soon fell on Hearth’s Warming Eve and they gathered around the fireplace. Sunrise and Midnight sat together on the couch while Sunset and Soul cuddled together on the floor watching the flames. Sunset’s tail wrapped around his tail and she rested her head under his neck. Soul lifted his wing up and wrapped it around Sunset as he held her hoof with his. “Aren’t they so sweet together, honey?” Sunrise asked her husband. “Yeah, I have to admit they are,” Midnight replied. “I can’t believe how much my little filly has grown. And now, she’s found I believe the most honest and fine stallion I have ever met.” Sunrise giggled. “What’s so funny?” “I remember you saying one time to her when she was starting to enter her early teen years that no colt in this world would ever be good enough for her,” Sunrise explained. “And now, she’s gotten herself one from another world. Should have been more careful with your words, honey.” Midnight chuckled. “That one did come back around,” he said. “But I’m glad. He did help us get back together with our little filly.” “I wonder what kind of foals they’re going to have?” “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, sweetie. I’m still trying to accept the idea of him dating her.” “Oh you.” Over to Soul and Sunset, Sunset let out a content sigh. “This has been a wonderful Hearth’s Warming Eve. I’m so happy you came with me this year,” she said. “I’m glad I came here too, Sunny,” Soul said before he gave her a peck on the lips. “If you want, we can stay here a couple more days with your parents.” “No, it’s alright. I don’t want to have you miss Christmas with your family,” Sunset said. “Besides, it’s your sister’s first Christmas. You don’t want her to have it without her big brother, do you?” “Heh, yeah, that’s true,” Soul said. “So, are you ready to head off to bed then?” “Yeah, I am,” Sunset answered before getting up with Soul. “We’re heading upstairs for the night.” “Alright, sleep well, and we’ll be ready to go with you two to the train station,” Sunrise said. “Sweet dreams, dear,” Midnight said. Both Soul and Sunset made their way upstairs and slept for the night. The next morning, they were already at the train station and the train conductor had already started calling for everypony to get on. “We were happy to have you here, Soul. I hope we get to see you again soon,” Sunrise said before walking over to Soul and giving him a hug. “You take good care of my daughter,” Midnight said. “And don’t be shy coming back up here. We really appreciate your company.” “Thank you, Mister Midnight,” Soul said. “Please, you can just call me Midnight,” he said before smiling at Soul and holding his hoof out. Soul smiled back and held out his hoof too, and they both shook. “I’ll be back to visit you two soon,” Sunset said. “I love you both so much.” “We love you too, sweetie,” Sunrise said before the she hugged Sunset along with Midnight. Sunrise then used her magic on Soul and pulled him into the group hug and he accepted it. Soul and Sunset soon got on the train and left the station, leaving behind Sunrise and Midnight as the two waved. Soul and Sunset waved back through the window until they couldn’t see them anymore. The trip back to Ponyville was just as long as it took for them to get to Canterlot and when they got back, they told Twilight and Spike all about their time there. After visiting the two for a bit, Soul and Sunset soon trotted into the mirror and were back in human world. “Yes! It’s so great to be back!” Soul said as he gratefully stretched out. “Oh man, I never thought I would be so glad to be standing on two feet again.” Sunset giggled. “So glad that you enjoyed yourself, babe,” she said. “Do you wanna head back to your place or…. do you feel like heading to my place for a bit?” Soul looked to Sunset and saw her giving him her bedroom eyes. Soul made a sly smile. “I think the second one sounds much more fun,” he said. “Lead the way, pretty lady.” Sunset smiled and led the way as the two walked all the way to her place. After having some personal time to themselves, the two headed over to Soul’s house and were greeted by his parents, sister, Toby and Shella. After telling his parents what had happened during his visit with Sunset’s parents and going to another world, he saw that the Christmas tree still had presents that were for him and began opening them. To his happiness, he had received several Star Wars toys and and vehicles from the newer movie, which made Sunset rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think you’re a bit too old for Star Wars toys?” Sunset asked. “Baby, you’re never too old for anything Star Wars,” Soul stated as a fact. Sunset let out a sigh. “Why am I not surprised by that?” she said before smiling at him. “Merry Christmas, Soul.” “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Sunset,” Soul said before the two of them pressed their lips together passionately and spent the entire night together with the Writer family. And Soul and Sunset once again shared the same bed for the night. And Dawn squirted him with water. > Chapter 24 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brides and Grooms - Part I It was the first day of school after the holiday break and every student of CHS was returning. Holding hands, Soul and Sunset were walking together towards the school and saying hi to all of their friends. Just as the two were about to kiss and separate for their respective classes, the speakers came on as Celestia’s voice was heard throughout the school. “Good morning, CHS,” Celestia greeted. “I am happy to see so many of you coming back here after the holidays. I hope you all enjoyed it and are thrilled to be back here. But before we get the day started, I’m going to be asking all of the senior couples of CHS to come down to the gymnasium today. I know this is an unusual things to ask, but I promise it’ll be worth hearing me out on this. I’ll see all the couples in the gym shortly.” Sunset raised a brow and looked over to Soul. “What do you think is going on?” she asked. “Only one way to find out,” Soul replied. “Besides, we’ll be in class together, so that’s a bonus for us.” Sunset giggled. “That’s true,” she said before giving Soul a peck on the lips and heading off to gym with him. Every couple in the school was soon gathered around in the gym. As each couple took the seats provided for them, Principal Celestia came strolling onto the stage before speaking into the nearby microphone. “Good morning couples of CHS. As many of you are aware and very confused about, I’ve called you all here because I wanted to try out a new class experiment that you all can be a part of if you want,” Celestia explained. “What I am proposing is that CHS will be having classes of how to teach senior couples how to handle the process of being married.” Everyone in the room started quietly talking and murmuring to one another with some of them getting worried. “Now, now, there isn’t going to be a real marriage for anyone and we’re doing this because we deeply care about the students here and we want all of you to have a happy future with the ones you love,” Celestia assured. “It will only be a month-long class that’ll start today, and if you participate, it’ll count as a bonus grade for any class subject you may have trouble with.” “So….. it’s like some kind of marriage simulation?” Swift asked. “Correct, and while Luna and I may not have much experience with this—” “Thanks for bringing that up again, sister,” Luna commented, earning her a glare from Celestia before she went back to the microphone. “Ahem, as I was saying, as we don't have experience in marriage, we have asked for teachers who have experience in being married to give some wisdom and guidance on how to successfully have one,” Celestia explained. “Huh, this sounds interesting,” Swift commented. “What do you think, Pi—” Swift’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he saw Pinkie. She was wearing a full wedding dress that had completely replaced her usual outfit and was holding a bouquet of pink flowers. Everyone in the room caught on to this and looked at Pinkie with surprised expressions. Pinkie looked around to everyone. “What? I’m just getting into the mood is all,” she said. “I know this isn’t real.” “Phew, I thought for a mome—” “I mean, after we get finished with this class, then we’re married by the state of…. wait, what state do we live in again?” Swift’s eyes were half-lid. “Normally I would question how in heaven’s name you would be in that dress so drastically, but I simply must say you look absolutely gorgeous in it,” Rarity commented. Celestia let out a sigh. “This is going to be a lot harder than I thought this was going to be,” she said to herself. “Anyways, we have forms up here and we’ll need the signatures from both couples and their guardians agreeing to participate in this. After that, we’ll start the classes next week. Grab these forms and head on to your classes for the day.” Almost every couple lined up as they got their forms together and went on their way to their classes. Just as Sunset and Soul went and got their forms, they did the same. Soul looked at the form for a moment before looking at Sunset. “So…. You wanna try this out? Sounds like it could be fun,” he asked. “Yeah, it sounds interesting,” Sunset replied. “You don’t mind the idea of pretending to be married to me?” Sunset giggled. “Of course not, I love you!” she said. “This could really be fun.” Soul smiled at her. “I love you too, baby,” he said before leaning towards her and giving her a peck on the lips. “I can’t wait to try this out! I wonder how the other couples will handle this?” “Well, we have a pretty good idea on how Pinkie is going to handle it.” “Hehe, she treats it like the real deal.” “Heh, yeah. So next week, you’re going to be Mrs. Writer for a whole month.” “Heh, I can’t wait.” As the two were walking down the hallway, they soon came upon Sunset’s classroom. Soul looked over to Sunset and held her close to him. “I better head on to class since it's on the other side of the school,” Soul said before cracking a sly smile. “I’ll see you in a while, Mrs. Writer.” Sunset looked at him flirtatiously. “Later honey~” she said before giving Soul a passionate kiss. Later in the day, every student was in the cafeteria as it was lunch time. Most of the seniors were talking about the new class that was going to teach them about marriage and how it was making some of the female students thinking it was a dream come true. Over by the the gang’s table, Rarity and was dreamily staring at Clyde while he stared at her back with a smile. “Oh god, it’s gotten worse,” Night commented. “It’s not that bad,” Fluttershy said before she earned a raised brow from Night. “Okay, maybe it is that bad, but they just really like this new class is all.” Night let out a sigh. “Yeah, I guess I can understand that,” he said. “You sure about going along with this? I didn’t think you would be comfortable with this.” “O-Oh, it’s fine with me,” Fluttershy said. She stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “I-I…. always wanted to see what it would it be like being with you is all…” Night’s eyes widened and he started getting nervous. “A-Ah, I see…. That’s interesting to hear,” he said. “I guess we’ll find out together.” Fluttershy smiled at Night as she held his hand. “So Rivet, what do you think of all this?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Meh,” Rivet simply replied. “Why am I not surprised by that answer?” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the whole idea of pretending to married for a month, but I think everyone is making a too much of a big deal about it,” Rivet explained. “Especially Pinkie.” “Swift, when am I going to get a wedding ring?” Pinkie asked. “Beg pardon?” Swift asked as he was caught off guard. “My wedding ring!” Pinkie clarified. “I mean, we’re married, right?” “Pinkie, we’re just pretending to be married!” Swift explained. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want my wedding ring,” Pinkie countered. “Plus, by the rules of the school, we’re officially married.” “It’s temporary.” “Who said it was temporary?” “The principal!” “But I thought we were getting married for real!” “What!?” “I mean come on, why just practice it when we can get the real deal?” “We’re taking it so we understand what it’ll be like when we’re married. Nothing is official!” “Are you saying you don’t want me to be your wife?” Pinkie asked as she started to tear up and give Swift her puppy eyes. “No, I—” “Don’t lie to me, you misleading bastard!” Pinkie shouted before she slammed her head on the table and started crying. Everyone at the table looked at Pinkie with blank expressions before looking at Swift. Swift looked at Pinkie for a moment before letting out a weary sigh. Swift got up and made his way out of the cafeteria. “Where are you going, Swift?” Zero asked. “I’m going to go pick up something from my locker. I had a feeling something like this would come up,” Swift answered before he left the lunch room for a few moments before returning. He sat back down at the same spot next to Pinkie, who was still crying. He held up a golden band ring and tapped on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Would this do for a wedding ring?” Pinkie sniffed and wiped her tears away before looking at the ring with stars in her eyes. “Oh Swift, it’s so beautiful!” she marveled at the ring before putting it on her ring finger. “Where did you get this from?” “It belonged to my grandfather before he passed away,” Swift answered. “I gave you a ring that's very important to me because you're important to me too.” Pinkie smiled at Swift as her eyes were now tearing up with joy. “You’re important to me too, Swift!” she declared before pressing her lips against his passionately. ‘Heh, awesome,’ Swift thought to himself as he accepted the deep kiss from Pinkie. Everyone at the table all went “aww” at the couple. Passing by the table, Warhawk, Straight and Treble were going to their table and saw the whole thing unfold before their eyes. “..... What the f*** did we just see?” Warhawk asked. “Not a single clue man, not a single clue,” Straight replied. “Totally made sense,” Treble said, earning him half-lid looks from both Warhawk and Straight. Later after school, Dawn was looking at the form as both Sunset and Soul were sitting on the couch. Dawn looked over the form carefully before looking at the two with a smile. “Well, I have no problem with you two taking this class. I think it would be very beneficial for you two to learn what it means to be in a committed long-term relationship,” Dawn said proudly. “In other words, it’s a trap,” Comet commented as he walked through the living room with Novel in his arms. Dawn gave her husband a glare before looking back at the two again. “Anyways, yes, I would be more than okay to sign this,” she said. “But I’m kinda wondering how're you’re going to get your parents to sign for this if they’re all the way—” “Don’t worry, I have that covered,” Sunset interjected. “I’ve been able to get the signatures I needed ever since I came here and it always—” “You’ve been forging the signatures, haven’t you?” Soul guessed. Sunset let out a sigh. “Yes, I have been,” she answered defeatedly. “Well…. I guess in this case, I’ll just act like I didn’t hear that,” Dawn said. “Let me write my name down and… Hold up, parents can volunteer in this?” Soul gulped as his mother had read the part that he dreaded. Before he could get a chance to say anything, Sunset beat him to it. “Yes, Principal Celestia thought that parents would like to come to the classes and tell everyone about their experience of being married,” Sunset answered. “Of course, she does have a few teachers that would teach the class if there’s not enough volunteers.” Dawn smiled brightly at the thoughts of teaching a bunch of young teens about the importance of marriage and abstinence until then. She always enjoyed telling her oldest child the importance of it and putting the fear of God in him. Dawn stood proudly as she placed her hands on her hips. “Well, you can count on me to volunteer,” she said. “I’ll teach those kids what marriage is all about.” “Oh no,” Soul said with dread. “It would be wonderful to have you in class with us, Dawn!” Sunset chimed. “But I won’t just teach those kids what to do in the marriage. I’ll also tell them what they can and can’t do outside of marriage,” Dawn said, “like sleeping in the same bed over and over again while you think I’m not aware of what you two are doing every night.” Sunset looked at Dawn with a blank expression before pursing her lips. “I’m beginning to regret this already,” Sunset commented. “I’ve already regretted this,” Soul added. “And that, you two, is the first thing about marriage: Prepare to be disappointed about your spouse,” Dawn joked. “Like how your husband isn’t as big as he described himself to be!” “I talked big, okay woman!?” Comet yelled from the other room. Sunset blushed while Soul covered his face with his hand in embarrassment. “God, kill me now,” Soul prayed. It was now evening as Soul had taken Sunset back to her place. The two watched T.V. together on the couch while they cuddled together. As they were watching a program, Sunset leaned over and planted a kiss on Soul’s cheek. “I think this is going to be a lot of fun!” she chimed. “You and me acting like we're married. Hehe, it feels like a filly’s little fantasy being with her knight in shining armor.” “Am I your knight in shining armor?” Soul asked with a smug smile. “Hmmm, more like my Jedi Knight in brown and white robes,” Sunset joked as she giggled. “...... I'm okay with that,” Soul said as he smiled at her. “I'm really excited to do this with you. You're the most important person that I love.” Sunset smiled at Soul as she gazed into his eyes. “You're the most important person that I love too, babe.” “Come here and give me some of that sugar, baby~” Sunset looked at Soul with bedroom eyes before pressing her lips on his. They held each other’s hands as they kissed passionately and Sunset leaned forward towards Soul to be closer to him. Even though they were taking a class about being married for the time being, to these two, it was the real deal, and they felt more than prepared for the challenges that were to come. > Chapter 25 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brides and Grooms - Part II The week had gone by fast as it was now Monday and the first day of the new Marriage Class. The couples began to take their spots on chairs that were set next to tables that were made for two people. Just as Soul and Sunset took their seats, Soul looked around the class to see some of the others students, including some of his close friends. Though, he raised a brow as he saw Zero in the class with Twilight. “Twilight? Zero? Since when did you two become a couple?” Soul asked. Twilight blushed before she coughed into her hand. “I-It’s not what it looks like,” she said. “I-I was interested in the class when I heard about it, so I wanted to try it out. Zero was willing to be my husband-to-be for the class.” “Oh, I just thought that since you went together at the Fall Formal, you two became a thing,” Soul said. “I can see how that could be a misunderstanding, but we just went there as friends,” Zero explained. “And, well, I still owe her since what happened during our science project.” “What are you talking about?” “Well, I accidentally saw her—” Just then Twilight grabbed hold of Zero’s mouth as beads of sweat poured down her forehead and she blushed violently while holding an awkward smile. “Hehe, i-it’s nothing to worry about!” she squeaked. “L-Let’s just stay focused on the class at hand.” She leaned over to Zero and whispered, “You swore you weren’t going to say anything about that!” Soul blinked a few times before looking straight towards the front of classroom and shrugged. “This is exciting!” Sunset chimed. “What do you think we’re going to learn first?” “I don’t know, but hopefully my mom isn’t going to start us of—” “Well, hello there everyone!” Dawn greeted as she walked into the class. “My name is Dawn Writer. I’m Soul’s mom and I’ll be starting us off in this wonderful class!” ‘SON OF A B****!’ Soul cursed to himself. “Now before we get started, are there any questions that you would like to ask about me, my relationship with my husband or my son?” Dawn asked. “What’s the color of Soul’s underwear?” Pinkie asked. “Pinkie!” Soul shouted. “What? I was just asking,” Pinkie explained. “That has nothing to do with—” “They’re usually black, grey and navy blue trunks,” Dawn started to say. “Although he does have one Star Wars brief pants.” “MOM!” Everyone in the room laughed as Soul turned red with embarrassment and slammed his head down on the table. Sunset was trying her best not to laugh at her boyfriend’s misfortune and patted him on the back. “Alright, alright, enough about my son’s embarrassing secrets,” Dawn said. “Now, can any of you tell me what are the important things of marriage?” “Um, is it about being together?” “Yes, that is true. Marriage is a contract between a man and a woman, binding them together through good times and bad,” Dawn replied. “It is a very serious thing and you can’t just get into it thinking it would be easy. You would be living with this person until death do you part.” “What about divorces?” “And didn’t the state make gay marriages legal?” “Okay, let’s not muddy things up from the start here,” Dawn said. “Let’s just focus on teaching you all about being married and work from there. And I don’t see why gay people have to butt into our traditions. They can just as easily make up their own way of union. Does anyone have any questions?” “Can you tell us how you and your husband got together?” Rarity asked. “Well, we met when we were still in highschool together,” Dawn started. “He was such a… Well, he wasn’t exactly the brightest or nicest guy around. You see, he was pretty much a punk at the time before he we met. I was just a nervous little girl who focused only on much school work. We didn’t know each other existed until it was around the school dance. He couldn’t get a date for the dance and, well, he was running out of time. Just as he was about to give up, he pretty much ran right into me and we both collided. I can still remember it now, looking right into his milky blue eyes and his white hair. Of course now that’s what I thought, but at the time, I thought he was someone trying to rape me and I beat the crap out of him in self-defense.” Everyone in the room stood silent and gave Dawn a blank expression. “And pretty much after that, I apologized to him realizing what was really going and he accepted it on the condition that I went to the dance with him. He made the excuse so he could still look cool to his friends, but I knew he really was more interested in me than being cool. And so we started to be friends for a while before he asked me out and then we soon got married,” Dawn finished with a proud smile. “Hey mom, why don’t you tell us what happened in between the dating and the marriage part of the story?” Soul asked with a sly smile. Dawn glared at her smart mouth son before letting out a groan and crossing her arms. “My husband and I… had some ‘fun’ in our youth before we ended up with our son, Soul, and our folks made us get married after that.” Sunset leaned over to Soul. “Did you really have to make your mom tell us that?” she whispered. “Hey, she was the one that exposed to the world that I wear Star Wars underwear,” Soul retorted. “This just makes us even.” “Fair enough,” Sunset said. “Wait, so you had to get married?” a students asked. “Yes, and while it was kinda a forced marriage, my husband and I were able to make it work thanks to my parents,” Dawn said. “So my point is, do not take the risk and wear these opal rings to avoid being tempted to do the things that I did foolishly.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring with a cross insignia on it. “So who wants to take the vow to stay abstinent until you get married?” There was a pregnant silence in the room as the students looked at Dawn. She had on a small smile before it turned into a blank expression during the silence. Before long, most of everyone in the room started to laugh as it seemed to them that the idea was ludicrous. Dawn glowered in annoyance. “These kids have no respect at all,” Dawn said to herself. “Hahaha! Oh, I don’t want to sound so blunt about this, but I’m afraid that Mrs. Dawn was a bit late to ask me and Clyde on having to take a vow like that,” Rarity said as she was walking with Sunset towards their next class. “I mean really, this is the twenty-first century. I’m afraid to say that our generation doesn’t really care that much about old traditions.” “I don’t think it was that bad of an idea,” Sunset admitted. “I think it sounds kinda sweet that two people wanna wait until their married.” “Don’t get me wrong, Sunset. I think the idea of it sounds quite romantic, but Clyde and I have been doing that kind of stuff behind doors already,” Rarity explained. “I just couldn’t wait to feel so intimate with Clyde like we do from time to time, plus with all the experience, our wedding night will truly be divine and absolutely perfect. Anyways, I think this class is off to a fine start despite how Mrs. Dawn felt about our view of her opal rings.” “I agree, it was nice knowing how she and Comet had met,” Sunset said. “Who do you think will teach the class tomorrow?” “Hmmm, either one of our parents who volunteered for this or someone from the school,” Rarity guessed. “Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about my parents because my dad is busy with his work and my mother is taking a Japanese cooking class for the time being. Thankfully, none of my embarrassing secrets won’t be shared by…” -The Next Day- “MOTHER!?” Rarity yelled as she saw Pearl, her mother, coming into the room with a bright smile. “Hello dear!” Pearl chimed. “I was able to come in today to volunteer and wanted to surprise you!” “Bu-But—” “Oh, I’m so excited! Almost as excited as the time you started to walk your first steps. You were such a cute little girl back then,” Pearl wandered off before giggling. “And I also remembered that one time you were so rebellious that you didn’t want to keep your clothes on when you were four.” Rarity’s face went red from embarrassment as she covered her face with her hands while the class laughed. Clyde patted her on the back and Soul looked back at her with a sympathetic smile. “Now you know how I felt,” Soul commented. “Is the whole time we’re taking this just going to be our parents exposing our embarrassing secrets?” Swift asked. “Of course not!” Pinkie replied. “I mean, I keep on accidentally telling people all of your secrets. Like that time I told everyone that I tested the party cannon and blew all your clothes off. Not to mention I showed them the pictures.” “...Thanks Pinkie, that makes me feel better,” Swift said sarcastically. “You’re very much welcome, sweetie!” Pinkie said. “I’m so glad we’re married.” “Pinkie, we’re not really married, you know that right?” “Of course we are! Why do you keep on denying that?” “Because it’s just a class!” “That’s it! We’re seeing a marriage counselor after this!” “Wait, what?” -Later- “And he never takes our marriage seriously!” Pinkie explained. “He hardly washes the dishes, barely mows the yard and he hasn’t touched me for a few days! I think there is something wrong with all this! Can you please tell me what we should do?” Sitting in the counselor’s office, Pinkie and Swift were seated on the couch opposite from Iron Will, who worked as the school’s student counselor when he wasn’t teaching gym and was giving Pinkie a blank look. Swift was pinching the bridge of his nose, contemplating what was going on with his girlfriend. Iron Will had his mouth open and closed as he was trying his best to respond to Pinkie but couldn’t because of the situation he was facing. Finally he opened and spoke up his response. “Iron Will… is not a marriage counselor, Miss Pie,” he replied. It was the next day at school and everyone in the Marriage class was answering some questions that were given to them. Just like everyone, Sunset and Soul were answering the questions together. “What’s the next question?” Sunset asked. “Let me see… It says, in a relationship, would you be willing to go to a marriage counselor with your spouse if things aren’t going so well?” Soul replied. “I suppose so, yeah,” Sunset answered. “If we were having trouble deciding it ourselves.” “True, but wouldn’t that make us a good couple if we were able to do it ourselves?” Soul asked. “I guess… but maybe some couples just need outside help to work on their issues,” Sunset countered. “Yeah, that is true… I guess if things get too deep, I’d be willing to go to one,” Soul agreed. “Let me read the next question,” Sunset said. “Hmm, how do you handle disagreements? I guess I'd mainly handle them by talking them out.” “That’s how I usually handle it,” Soul said. “... Do we have any disagreements?” “Mmhh… Star Wars.” “Oh yeah… We’re still disagreeing on that.” “Indeed.” The two looked to the next question and it said, ”Would you ever consider divorce?” The two looked at each other in shock. “I would never think of an idea like that!” Soul said. “That’s just an easy way out of something so awesome that could have just as easily been fixed.” “I couldn’t agree more!” Sunset said. “Especially when I have such a beautiful and lovely girl like you,” Soul complemented before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him. “Hehe, same with you, stud,” Sunset said as she hugged him back. “So, what’s the next question?” “It says , ‘What do you think the roles of both the husband and wife would be?’” Soul replied. “ Well… I think they should both work how they can to support one another and their families,” Sunset answered. “That sounds like an idea I can get behind,” Soul said as he smiled at her. “Hehe, yup!” Sunset smiled back at him. “These questions aren’t so hard!” Soul said before looking at the next question. “‘Would you share your money with your spouse or would you two have separate accounts?’” “Aaah… Mmmhh…” Sunset took a moment to think to herself. “... Okay, now it’s gotten harder,” Soul said. “I mean, I trust you and everything, but… Eh…” “Yeeeeah… I think I'd like to keep money I have...earned or saved in a separate account,” Sunset said. “Nothing against you, of course.” “I understand,” Soul reassured. “We just have to trust each other when it comes to money. Besides, it’s not what I’m after anyway.” “Yeah, you're after what's between my legs~” Sunset said, giving Soul her bedroom eyes. Soul blushed violently before coughing into his mouth. “Moving on!” he said. “‘How important it is to you to have some alone time?’” “Hmmm, well, I do sometimes like to be alone, but I really do have a lot of fun being with you,” Soul said before giving Sunset a smile. “Heh, yeah, I love being with you too!” Sunset said as she wrapped her arms around his. “I know you do!” Soul said before giving her a peck on the lips. “Alright, let’s see what the next question is.” “‘What would you be doing five to ten years from now?’” “That’s easy, I want to… Well, I’ve always… Um… Huh…” Soul took a moment to think to himself as Sunset was doing the same. “Uuuhh...umm...uh...I Uuh…” “...We did not think this far, did we?” Soul asked. “No, we did not…” Sunset admitted. “So what do we put down? Should we just skip it?” Soul asked. “We’re suppose to answer all of them,” Sunset replied. “Just… put down something that the teacher would like to see.” “Um… A job with a lot of money?” Soul guessed. “Anything more… specific?” Soul tapped his chin with his pencil. “Getting a fancy car to drive my wife with?” he guessed again. “I meant any job,” Sunset clarified. “Oh… To be honest, I don’t know,” Soul admitted. “What about you? Don’t you have any idea what kind of job you would like? Anything that’s at least interesting to you?” “I guess I would try out being a teacher. That’ll be cool,” Sunset replied. “Oh, that sounds fun,” Soul commented before writing down her answer. “I guess I’ll take up a job in a store for a while like,” he shivered with disgust, “Walmart.” “Don’t do that to yourself, Soul. You’re better than that,” Sunset said. “I know I am, but if I can’t get any better jobs, I’ll have to work somewhere to get us some money,” Soul explained. “I suppose. I hope you find a better job,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry, I’ll work hard and see about getting a better job,” Soul assured. “I promise.” He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. “Awesome, I know you can do it.” “Anyways, we’re at the last question,” Soul said before the two looked at the last question together. “‘Do you believe love can pull you through anything?’” “Hmmm, that’s such a tough question to answer,” Soul said sarcastically. Sunset playfully rolled her eyes. “It sure is, babe,” she commented. Soul chuckled as he held Sunset’s hand. “I think it does,” he answered as he gazed into her eyes, making her blush slightly. “I think it does too,” Sunset agreed. “I love you, Sunset.” “I love you too, Soul.” The two rubbed their heads together affectionately as Sunset cooed. Over by Pinkie’s and Swift’s table, the two were arguing over one of the questions. “What do you mean you wouldn’t want to share an account with me!?” Pinkie asked in outrage at Swift. “I just think we should have two separate accounts,” Swift replied. “I mean, we’ll both be working hard for our money and I think we should keep it separate from one another unless we really need it.” “But don’t you trust me with your money?” Pinkie asked as she gave Swift her puppy eyes. “...To be honest, no I don’t,” Swift answered. Pinkie let out a horrified gasp. “That’s it, we’re going back to the marriage counselor!” she said before she grabbed Swift’s shirt collar and dragged him out of the room with her. “Again!? Seriously!?” Swift complained. Everyone in the room watched as Pinkie dragged Swift out of the room. Miss Rose was teaching the class for the day and was very confused by Pinkie’s and Swift’s action. Rarity let out a sigh, Rainbow Dash shook her head and Twilight smacked herself in the face. Zero had a toothpick in his mouth before taking it out and making a comment. “That girl ain’t right,” Zero stated. “That’s an understatement to say the least,” Rarity added. “Um… Should we do something, Night?” Fluttershy asked. “The only thing we should do is just stay out of it and let it take its course,” Night said as he was still answering the questions. “Oh… Okay,” Fluttershy said before she joined in with Night. “Pinkie sure is taking this seriously,” Soul said. “But then again, she does seem like the type of girl to be really into stuff like this.” Sunset giggled. “Yeah, she would be,” she said. “So after school, do you want to head on over to the cafe?” “Of course I would love to!” Soul replied. Later that day, Soul and Sunset headed on over to Sugarcube Cafe and were sitting together as they were enjoying their drinks. The cafe was busy as it usually was as many students and some adults were getting whatever treats they wanted. Soul was drinking his chocolate milkshake before stopping and licking his lips. “Oh yeah, Mrs. Cake always know how to make a good milkshake,” Soul commented, unaware that he had a chocolate mustache on him. Sunset tried to hold back her laugh as she reached for a napkin. “Here sweetie, you have a little chocolate on you,” she said as she wiped away the mustache from Soul’s lips. “There, that’s better.” “Hehe, thanks, my sweet wife,” Soul joked. “No problem, my hunk of a husband,” Sunset joked as well. The two lightly laughed for a moment before Rivet and Rainbow Dash came into the cafe and they saw them. “Hey there guys, how you are you two doing?” Rivet asked. “We’re doing good, what about you two? Having a good time with the marriage class?” Soul asked. “Meh, it’s going good I guess,” Rivet replied. “The lectures and answering the questions have been pretty easy for us.” “Mostly because I didn’t care that much,” Rainbow Dash stated. “I don’t know why I went along with it.” “Because I wanted to give it a try,” Rivet said. “I kinda wonder sometimes what it would be like me being your husband and you being my wife. I think you would make an interesting wife.” “Interesting?” Rainbow Dash looked at Rivet with a raised brow. “Okay, an awesome wife with you being twenty percent awesomer,” Rivet corrected. “That’s better,” Rainbow Dash said with a smug smile. “Hey, I bet I’d make a better wife than any of you—” “Dash, if you dare try to start another fight with the girls about who’s the best at this like when we were doing the best couple contest, I’m going to splash my strawberry shake all over you!” Sunset threatened as she slowly reached for her drink. “......Than any of you gir—” *SPLASH!* “GHAAA!” “I warned you,” Sunset said before looking over to the counter. “Can I have another strawberry shake?” “Of course, Sunset,” Mrs. Cake chimed. Soon it was Friday in the marriage class and the students were taking their seats. Just as the students were getting comfortable, a woman walked into the room and Swift knew immediately who it was. “Oh no… Mom?” Swift asked with a grimace. “Hey sweetie, I volunteered for your class today!” Ebony said. “So, does anyone have questions before we begin today?” Pinkie raised her hand. “What’s the color of Swift’s underwe—” “Pinkie, stop asking that question every time one of our parents comes here!” Swift yelled. “Why is everyone against me on this!? I’m just curious!” “Why are you so curious about the color of our underwear!?” Swift asked “Because, the color of their undies determines the mood of a person,” Pinkie explained. “And it also helps me know what to do for their parties.” “Wh— I don’t— How does that help with their parties?” Swift asked. “A lot, Swift! You should know these things about me!” Pinkie shouted. “Every detail about a person helps me plan out their parties better! You would know if you had asked me before! But noooooo, you just want to play Smash Bros. all the time instead of spending time with me!” “... Pinkie, you play Smash with me.” “I mean sexually, you dork!” “I gave you that too!” “That’s it, we’re going to the marriage counselor aga—” “No! We always go to Iron Will whenever we have an argument!” Swift stated matter-of-factly. “In fact, he’s not a real marriage counselor! Just like how our marriage isn’t real!” Pinkie gasped. “You bastard!” she cursed. The two continued to argue as everyone in the classroom was watching them in confusion and getting uncomfortable. Ebony coughed awkwardly, gaining the attention of the class except for Pinkie and Swift. “Everyone, take notes of this,” Ebony said. “This is very important what not to do in a marriage, and those two are a very good example of taking things too seriously.” Everyone in the room pulled out their notebooks and started writing down notes as Swift and Pinkie kept on arguing. Twilight paid very close attention to the the two as she was writing down what they were saying and putting down side notes of her own opinions on the matter while Zero was holding back his laughs. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she took down notes with Rivet. Clyde was holding up his phone as he was videotaping the whole thing to help take notes for later while Rarity powdered her nose as she was going to look at the video with Clyde. Sunset was taking notes while Soul added his own blunt opinion about the two. And Fluttershy nervously took down notes as she was trying to hide behind the table while Night shook his head at Swift and Pinkie. “Those two are meant for each other,” Night commented. Finally it was the weekend. After all that had happened on Friday, Swift and Pinkie were still at each other even though they had started the same argument the day before. At Sunset’s appartment, Soul let out a content sigh as he laid on Sunset’s lap on the couch as she was reading some books that Twilight let her borrow for the marriage class. Sunset ran her hand through Soul’s hair as he purred from her touch. Sunset giggled. “Heh, my little pet,” she commented. “Don’t blame me. Your hand feels so good to me,” Soul said. “Thanks, babe.” “You’re welcome,” Soul said. “So what’s going on in your book so far?” “Hmmm… nothing I didn't already hear from the marriage class. Being faithful, loving, talking about our problems, normal stuff,” Sunset answered before she flipped to the next page. “Ah, I see,” Soul commented before making a sly smile. He sat up on the couch and took the book from Sunset while he gazed into her eyes. “How about we skip to the part where the husband wants his wife?~” Sunset give Soul her bedroom eyes. “Heh, that sounds like fun~” Soul cupped her chin before leaning in to press his lips against hers. Sunset let out a slight moan while she wrapped her arms around Soul and rubbed his back. Soul lean forward against Sunset until the two were lying on the couch with him on top of her. Sunset went underneath his shirt to rub on his exposed back as she kept kissing the young man she was in love with. Soul broke off the kiss before leaning down towards her neck and kissing it, making Sunset let out a low pleasurable moan. “I like it when you make that sound, Sunny,” Soul commented. “Mmmhhh… I bet you do~” “I’m so happy to have a girl like you, Sunny,” Soul said. “Too bad Swift has to deal with Pinkie right now.” “Yeah… I had to console Pinkie on her ’broken marriage’ while she chugged a carton of ice cream,” Sunset said. “…Woah, this must be worse than the time when Rarity accidentally kissed Zero by mistake because he looked a little like Clyde from the back.” Sunset grimaced at the memory. “Ooooh… yeah… that was aaaaaaaaaaawkward!” she said. “Yeaaaaaaah… Man, I never thought someone like her would be on her drama coach for a whole week. But she proved us wrong.” “Yeah, she camped out there,” Sunset added. “She sure did… Hey, Sunset?” “Yeah?” Soul remained silent for a moment as Sunset stared at him with her smile. He took in a deep breath before speaking up. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about us, and well… I think I’m ready.” “...Ready for what?” Sunset asked. “Um, you know… that special thing you’ve always offered me but I would turn down because I didn’t think we were ready for it yet, but… I think we’re ready for it,” Soul explained while he rubbed the back of his head. “Oh?” Sunset said before she started to put the pieces together in her head and blushed madly. “O-Oh…” Soul slightly panicked at the way Sunset sounded. “I-I mean, if you still wanted to do that! I’m not trying to push anything here! I-I was just… letting you know that… I’m ready for it now…” he explained. “O-Oh… S-Sure… we could… do that… You aren't worried about what your mom might do?” Soul smiled at her and placed a hand on her cheek. “When I’m with you, baby… There’s nothing more that I want in the world than to be with you. I don’t care how much my mom scares me, you’re the girl I want to be with for my whole life,” he said to Sunset. “...Oh Soul… Thank you… You make me feel incredibly special whenever I'm with you. You light a fire in my heart unlike anyone else I've ever met… I love you, Soul,” Sunset said before she held him in a tight embrace. “I love you too, Sunset,” Soul said before giving her a quick peck on the lips. “…You um… want to take this in the bedroom?” Sunset smiled at him. “Sure, let's go,” she said before taking his hand and leading him to her bed. She closed the door behind them and only had her nightstand lights on. The two stood awkwardly for a moment before Soul spoke up. “So uh, how would like to do this?” Soul asked. “I’m not exactly sure what to do beside some of those… uh, training videos they showed in Sex Ed class… Yeah, let’s go with that.” Sunset giggled at Soul’s obvious lie. “Y-Yeah,I'm not really… experienced in this either,” she replied nervously. “I guess we’ll just have to go with what comes natural to us…” Soul took his jacket off before lifting up his shirt to expose his upper torso. Sunset removed her jacket before she took off her shirt to expose her magenta bra. Soul then undressed until his white trunks with blue flames were exposed, and Sunset took off all of her clothing to show her magenta panties with black outlines. Soul took a moment to look at Sunset’s bra and panties before blushing madly and gulping. “W-Wow, you look… amazing as ever,” he complimented. Sunset blushed at the compliment. “T-Thanks… You too,” she said. “Heh… Thanks,” Soul said before he picked up Sunset gently in a bridal position and laid her down on the bed. He then got on top of her as he looked down and gazed at her beautiful cyan eyes. Sunset gazed back to his wonderful blue eyes. “Heh… You eyes are very pretty to look at,” she commented. Soul smiled. “Not as much as looking into your eyes,” he said before leaning down and joining his lips with hers. “Mmhhh…” Sunset moaned as she kissed passionately. Soul took one of his hands and brought it up to her thigh as he rubbed it. This caused her to let out another moan in his mouth as their tongues wrestled with one another. After a moment, he reached down underneath her panties and felt her rear. “Ooooh…” Sunset put her hands on Soul’s chest. “You like that?” Soul asked as he kept on massaging her rear. “Nnghh… Yes… very much so,” Sunset cooed. “I thought you would~” Soul whispered as he kept on caressing Sunset’s rear. After a moment, he pulled his hand away and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you ready?” he asked. Sunset nodded. “Y-Yes… Please take me!” she begged. “Alright... here I come then,” Soul said. He slowly slid his hand down Sunset as he went through her chest and across her midriff. Soul’s heart beat fast as his hand got closer and closer to her nether region. “Here we go…” Sunset said as she anticipated this moment. Just as Soul’s finger reached the waistline of her panties… *CRASH!* “The hell!?” Soul cursed. A round object landed on the floor of the bedroom through the now broken window. It let out smoke that soon filled up the room, making both Sunset and Soul cough. Sunset coughed a few times before she could speak. “W-What is going on!?” she asked fearfully. “Let’s *Cough!* get out of here!” Soul said before he grabbed Sunset and their two pairs of pants. They rushed out of the room and into her living room. Soul tried to catch his breath for a moment before turning to Sunset. “Was that a smoke grenade!?” Before Sunset could answer, the door burst opened as several men in SWAT uniforms stormed the apartment. Two of them charged towards Soul and tackled him to the ground with his face against the floor. “GHAAA!” Soul screamed as the men put cuffs on him. “Ma’am, please puts this on,” a SWAT officer said to Sunset as he held up a towel towards her. “W-What’s going on here!?” Sunset asked while she wrapped herself in the towel. “The better question is, what was going on here?” Stepping into the room with a SWAT uniform was Dawn as she stared down Sunset. “M-Mrs. Writer!?” “MOM!?” “You bet your asses it’s me!” Dawn said. “W-Why did you break into my apartment!?” Sunset asked. “You mean, why Shining Armor gave me the temporary authority to stop what you two were doing?” Dawn corrected. “What!?” Soul asked. “You see, my husband and Shining are close friends since those two go to the bar where both the military and police force go almost every other weekend. When the whole marriage thing came up, I was afraid you two would try something, so I asked Shining if he wouldn’t mind placing a couple of his men to watch you two. And if you two were about to get down and do the nasty, they would alert me and the whole SWAT force would come down here and stop it,” Dawn explained before she smiled brightly. “...That’s insane… You’re insane!” Sunset accused. “That’s your opinion dear, not mine,” Dawn retorted. “I can’t believe you went this far!” Soul said. “Oh sweetie, you have no idea how far I’m willing to go to stop you two. Anyways, time to go home. Hope to see you again, Sunset,” Dawn waved goodbye before she and the SWAT men started to depart. The two SWAT officers pulled Soul up to his feet and dragged him out of the apartment. “...I’ll uh… see you at school, Sunny,” Soul said before he disappeared through the doorway. “Wait! Who’s going to pay for the door you broke down!?” Sunset asked. “We’ll send a repair crew next thing in the morning,” one of the SWAT officers replied before he closed the broken door. Sunset stood in the living room, dumbstruck to see that her home had just been invaded, her room was still filled with smoke and her boyfriend was taken away by his mother and a group of SWAT officers. “....... Damn.” > Chapter 26 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brides and Grooms - Part III It was once again Monday morning and the students of Canterlot High were back from the weekend. Most of the senior students in the couples class had already taken their seats and awaited for it to start. At Swift’s and Pinkie’s seats, the two completely ignored one another as both weren’t interested in talking. Sunset was staring at the two for a moment before rolling her eyes and looked at the empty seat where Soul should have been sitting. Sunset thought back to what had happened when she and Soul were about to finally become one with each other intimately. But it was quickly put to a halt when his mother broke into the house with an entire SWAT force and dragged Soul out of her home. While she was frustrated that Dawn would go that far and that her home was trashed during the break-in, it was repaired by the repair crew that the police force sent and she did feel a bit better. So in a way, she won a little. Though in her mind, Sunset did wonder where Soul was. On cue, Soul burst through the door, earning everyone's attention with his bloodshot eyes and clothing that was barely on him. “Oh dear me, what happened to you?” Rarity asked out of concern. “Yeah, you look more worse than that time Warhawk topped you as the greatest Star Wars fan when he pointed out that you messed up by showing all of us the Star Wars movies numerically instead of watching them from original to new,” Zero commented. “Angrily, I might add.” Soul remained silent until he walked over to his seat next to Sunset and banged his head on the table. “My mom… was making me… learn the consequences of sex… again,” he answered. “And we learned it nonstop until I left home today.” “Dear god,” Zero commented. He pursed his lips as a thought occurred to him. “Hey wait, why would she do that? It’s not like you two were about to do it or something.” All of Soul’s and Sunset’s friends then looked at Sunset at once and saw that she was blushing deeply. She looked away from them, embarrassed. “... Oh my god, did you two actually do it!?” Zero questioned. “Zero! There is no need to shout someone’s personal business! And you have no reason to ask that question!” Rarity said. There was a moment of silence for everyone until she spoke up. “Well, are you going to answer or not? It's rude you know to keep us waiting.” Sunset stared at Rarity with half-lid eyes before letting out a sigh. ”No, we didn’t do it,” she answered. “We were going to, but something just… came up.” “Ah, I see,” Zero said. “He was too small in the pa—” *WHACK!* “AAAAH!” Twilight had smacked Zero in the back of the head with her book. “I’m taking away your talking privileges for the rest of the class,” she said before looking back at Sunset with a raised brow. “What exactly came up, if you don’t mind answering?” “Was it another one of thoses, ‘This not the right moment’ kind of things?” Treble guessed as he was standing next to Twilight. “Wha—? Eh, Treble, you’re not supposed to be in this class!” Twilight said. “What are you doing here?” “I sensed something was wrong with the sexiness of the Force and I had to come here posthaste!” Treble explained. “But I see now that it’s just Soul and Sunset so I pretty much have an idea where this is going. Like, Sunset offers herself to Soul and he doesn’t want to because they’re not ready and all that.” “Um actually… Soul was the one that offered this time,” Sunset corrected as she blushed. Everyone’s eyes widened when they looked over to Soul whose head was still on the table. “He did what!?” they all said at the same time. The only answer they got from Sunset was a simple nod. “This just… changes everything about what I see in life! Treble said. “Like… why the milk is white!... Mmh, I think that was just the one thing that makes me question life.” “Okay, can everyone please stop asking about this?” Sunset asked. “It is very personal and we are in a classroom right now.” “She’s right, this is not the place for conversation like this,” Rarity said. -A Few Hours Later- “This is where we have our conversation!” Rarity said, sitting in her usual spot in the cafeteria. All the girls were at their usual table while all the guys were over at their table. “Rarity, this is even worse!” Sunset pointed out. “Everyone at the school can hear what we’re saying!” “You’re right, you’re right. We should talk about this somewhere else.” -A Few More Hours Later- “I believe here is more appropriate,” Rarity declared. It was after school now and all the girls were at the cafe. It was busy with many customers coming in and out and several students from their school were also there. “Rarity!” “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I just really wanted to hear what happened,” Rarity admitted. “Okay, there is one place that we’ll all be safe from the world and its ever-invading ears.” Some time had passed and the girls were now at one of Rarity’s favorite places to be, the spa. Rarity, Sunset, Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack were in the spa tub while Sonata was getting her back rubbed, Pinkie was taking a mud bath and Rainbow Dash was on the side as she didn’t want to do anything at the spa. “Now is this a much better?” Rarity asked. “Yes, this is a much better place,” Sunset replied as she let out a content sigh. “I really needed this after what had happened yesterday.” “So uh, what did happen?” Fluttershy asked. “And please be as specific as possible,” Sonata added. “I want size details.” Sunset raised a brow. “I thought you were going out with Warhawk?” she asked. “I am, but I still would like to know,” Sonata replied. “Because of… reasons.” Sunset rolled her eyes before she started to tell her story. “Basically, Soul and I were over at my place. We were talking about some of the marriage stuff that we went over and, well, it was putting us into our usual mood.” “You mean you two were making out again?” Rainbow Dash guessed. “Yes, we were,” Sunset answered. “And halfway through, he asked if we could… do it together for the first time.” Some of the girls blushed except for Rainbow Dash, who had a sly smile on her face. “Aww, that sounds so sweet,” Rarity said. “To be honest, I kinda thought Soul would be the type to wait until marriage.” “I guess all this talk about being in a marriage put him the right mood for it,” Sunset explained. “The next thing I knew, I took him to my room and we got undressed and laid on the bed together.” “And then you banged, right?” Rainbow Dash guessed. “Rainbow! That is so rude!” Rarity said. “Plus, she told us already that they didn’t, so shush!” Rainbow Dash leaned up against the wall and mumbled to herself. “Anyways, after we cuddled and made out for a bit, we were about to get to the best parts before a… smoke grenade crashed through my window,” Sunset said. “A… smoke grenade?” Applejack asked. “Yes and after that, a whole SWAT force came crashing down my front door and tackled Soul to the ground.” “Oh my!” Fluttershy said. “Then I found out that Soul’s mom was the reason of all that was happening!” Sunset said with anger growing in her. “My aunt did that!?” Applejack asked. “That's… actually something Ah would expect her to. She's a very traditional woman.” “Traditional wouldn't be the word I would use in this case, Applejack,” Rarity said. “So, let me get this straight. You two were about to be one and his mother came barging in with an entire specialized police force?” “In a nutshell, yes, that's exactly what happened,” Sunset replied. She clenched her hands. “I swear, if Soul and I ever get married for real, I'll put a restraining order on her and make sure my kids never know that insane woman!” Everyone stared at Sunset with blank expressions. Sunset then looked around at her friends after starting to calm down and blushed. “...Okay, maybe that would be a little too far,” Sunset admitted. “Sorry, I've been under a bit of stress because of all this.” “No, no! It's understandable,” Rarity reassured. “After what you went through, who wouldn't be?” “I agree with Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “It did sound like something to get stressed out about. But, um… maybe you shouldn't really go through with restraining Mrs. Dawn. She is Soul’s mom and he does love her even when she can be… Um…” “A nut job?” Rainbow Dash suggested. “A wackado?” Pinkie suggested. “A psycho b****?” Sonata suggested. “A woman who has strange ways of dealing with her children using unconventional means?” Twilight suggested. “Yes, um... let's go with Twilight’s version,” Fluttershy said. “All I can say is that she’s out of control and something needs to be done about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “But what should—” “Let me stop you right there, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I said something needed to be done, but that doesn't mean I have an idea or anything like that. It’s just a suggestion, nothing more than that.” “Oh… Just thought you were onto something,” Twilight said. “So Pinkie, how have… you been doing lately?” “You mean besides dealing with my no-good husband, Swift? Yeah, everything’s just been great!” Pinkie answered angrily as her eyes were covered with cucumbers. “I swear, he hasn’t been taking our relationship seriously! He thinks it’s like some kind of pretend thing or something.” Twilight opened her mouth until Applejack covered it with her hand. “Just run with it,” Applejack said before turning to Pinkie. “Pinkie, maybe y’all should talk to Swift about all this. He is your husband after all.” “No way, Jack. In fact, after this week, we’re getting a divorce!” Pinkie declared. All the girls looked at Pinkie with blank expressions. “... A divorce?... With Swift?... At the end of this week?... The same week that our marriage class ends?” Rainbow Dash asked with half-lid eyes. “I’m beginning to think that you’ve been taking everyone on a joy ride here with all the fighting you and Swift have been doing.” “You heard me! After the divorce proceedings and getting everything he has, we’ll go back to being boyfriend and girlfriend again,” Pinkie explained with her arms crossed. “................I have never been so unsure in my life of why I’m even friends with you, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Well duh, that’s because I made you into my friend!” Pinkie answered with a bright smile plastered on her face. “Oh… right.” “So let me get this straight,” Swift said. Most of the guys were at the soccer field as they were sitting on the benches. Soul had just told them what had happened during the weekend much to their surprise. “Your mom had gotten permission to have some SWAT members watch you and Sunset if you two tried to do the beast with a billion backs, and when you were just that close to achieving the one thing every guy in history—” “Except the gays,” Zero added. “—and your mom came in with a task force of SWAT units and they tackled you down, broke Sunset’s door and window and dragged you out of the house?” Swift finished. The only response he got from Soul was a nod. “That is f***** up!” “Yeah, I know, I was there,” Soul said. “Dude, you really need to do something about your mom,” Night said. “This is by far the worst thing she has done to you. And this is coming from the guy who’s kinda okay with her.” “It wasn’t that bad,” Soul said, sounding unsure of himself. “She was just… looking out for me…” “Soul, she just flat out brought in with a SWAT force and you were tackled!” Night said. “It’s very clear at this point that she doesn't trust you.” “She’s my mom, what am I supposed to do!?” Soul yelled. “She’s always been there for me when I needed her the most.” “But you didn’t need her for this. This was something that you wanted to do and it sounded like you were ready,” Clyde said. “I agree with Night on this: something has to be done. I mean, what if all of a sudden she doesn’t want you to be with Sunset anymore? Would you let her take you away from her?” “No! I… Stop it, stop it right now!” Soul said as he stood up. “Look, sorry guys, but this isn’t helping me think straight right now. Let’s just focus on this class we’re taking and leave it at that. All this just came up suddenly and I need some time to think it over.” “He’s right, we’d better just leave it as it is,” Rivet said. “Sorry Soul, we weren’t trying to make things any harder on you.” “Yeah man, we were just concerned for you,” Zero said. “Thanks guys, and I really appreciate it,” Soul said before sitting back down and letting out a sigh. “So, what are we doing for this week anyway? I fell asleep during the class.” “We’re supposed to be taking care of some baby made out of a flour bag,” Night said. He held up a makeshift baby flour bag that was covered in various stockings. The arms and legs were filled with cotton while the head was a glued on white ball with a crudely drawn face. “... Is that what you and Fluttershy’s baby’s going to look like?” Soul asked. “Because it’s a very ugly—” *WHACK!* “OW!” Night threw the baby at Soul and the guys watched Soul fall down the benches before he landed on the ground with a loud thud. Soul’s eyes rolled oppositely from each other while he groaned in pain. “Fluttershy made that herself, you douche!” Night yelled. “Basically, we’re supposed to take care of them, make some pictures with them for the teacher and write about a two-page long essay about what it means to be a parent,” Clyde explained. “Although me and Pinkie are going to be changing duties for the baby every other day,” Swift said. “You two are still not talking to each other?” Clyde asked. “Oh, you have no idea,” Swift said. “So wait, where’s mine then?” Soul asked as he was getting up. “I think Sunset has it with her,” Rivet replied. “You should check with her about it.” “Yeah, sounds like a good idea,” Soul said before he stretched his back and walked off. Just as soon as he was gone, Night looked to the others. “So, um, just curious. What does everyone else think of Dawn?” “I don't like her to be honest,” Clyde said. “I don’t have nothing against her, but my mom more or less hates her,” Swift said. “She’s more of a meh to me,” Rivet said. “She’s a psycho b*****,” Zero said. Later on the week, Soul was over at Sunset’s home during the day and they were taking some funny pictures with their flour baby and wrote down their some of their essay. Sunset placed it on a table and walked over to Soul as she sat next to him. “Well, that was fun,” Sunset commented. “Heh, it was funny when you were pretending to feed that thing peas.” Soul chuckled. “Yeah, it was pretty funny,” he said. “...Soul, we need to talk about what happened,” Sunset said. “I know you didn’t want to talk about it right away, but this is something that we really need to discuss.” Soul let out a sigh. “About my mom, right?” he guessed. “Babe, I know how much you love her and everything, but this has gone too far. You need to tell her that this was wrong and she didn’t have any business to get between us,” Sunset said. “She brought in a SWAT force and broke down my door! Do you even know how long it took to get all the smoke out of my room?” “Sunset, she just.. cares a lot about me and—” “No Soul, this isn’t about caring,” Sunset interrupted. “This is flat-out not trusting you to make your own decisions in life, and it’s clear she doesn’t trust me either. We’ve been together for almost a year and a half and she did all this! I’m sick of her getting into our life, Soul. This has to stop.” Soul remained silent for a moment as he was thinking over what Susnet had said. She had a point. Looking back at everything his mother had said to him made him realize that she never trusted him, even when it was important to him. And even when he was about to do something he knew she wouldn’t like, it still didn’t excuse what had happened. He let out a weary sigh and placed a hand over Sunset’s. “You’re right, this does have to stop,” Soul said. “But I don’t know how I can. She’s always had it her way, and it never is pretty whenever someone tries to convince her otherwise.” Sunset looked down for a moment as she pondered on a solution. “I… I think I have an answer,” she said. “It may not be a perfect one, but I think it’s for the best, at least for a while.” Soul looked up at her with a raised brow. “What is it?” he asked. Sunset held Soul’s hand with both of hers and stared him right in the eyes. “Soul, will you trust me on this, and no matter what happens, we’ll still be together, right?” she asked. “Because it’s going to be a drastic step and it may get ugly.” Soul made a small smile and nodded. “Of course I will trust you and will still be together with you,” he said. “Whatever is it, I can bare with it.” Sunset stared at Soul for a moment with uncertainty before letting speaking up. “Alright, this is what I think you should do…” It was the end of the week and everyone in the marriage class was there for the last time. Each of them had brought back their baby flour bags and were waiting on the results for their grades in the class outside in the hallway. One by one, couples were asked to come in and review their final grades for the class. Pinkie and Swift left the classroom as Twilight and Zero passed them inside. The two remained silent for a moment before Swift spoke up to her. “So… We ended up with a B plus,” Swift said. “That’s… actually better than I thought we were going to get…” “Yeah…” Pinkie said with a frown while she was looking away from Swift. “...Pinkie, um, what shou—” “Swift.” “Um, yeah?” “I wanted to say that I’m sorry.” “...What?” “About taking this thing too far… I guess I thought if I made this into like a real marriage you would want to really marry me soon and we would get a house together. Then I would make you those cakes that you like so much and you would make those tasty, delicious waffles that you make so gooooood.” Pinkie lost her train of thought as she was thinking about Swift’s homemade waffles. “Eh, Pinkie?” “What? Oh right! Anyways, I think we’re better off just dating right now. Marriage is too much work and I want to try doing some things on my own,” Pinkie explained. “Do you forgive me, Swifty Wifty?” She made her puppy eyes and stared at Swift as it was beginning to get to him. Swift let out a sigh and smiled as he placed a hand on her cheek. “Of course I do, sweetie,” he said before leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. Pinkie smiled and accepted Swift’s kiss, returning his with her own. As the two passionately kissed, Rainbow Dash looked at the two with half-lid eyes. “Those two were made for each other,” she commented. “No doubt,” Rivet agreed. “I can’t believe I got a C minus!” Twilight complained as she and Zero came out. “What the heck was wrong with you!?” “Me? How was it my fault?” Zero asked. Twilight glared at him as she lifted up their baby flour bag only for it to be just the head. “Using the baby for a punching bag after your last one was too worn out?” she explained. “What kind of idiot would do that!?” “...Technically, you should know since you were married to one,” Zero said with a sly smile. Twilight growled with rage as she went into her bag and pulled out her dog, Spike. Spike growled at Zero while Zero had a worried look on him. “Spike, sic him!” Twilight commanded and let Spike go on the floor. Zero let out a yelp before running away as Spike chased him down the hallways. “I can't believe that teacher!” Rarity said as she walked out with Clyde. “Giving us an A minus, the very nerve!” “Rarity, it was just a class,” Clyde said. “But it represents everything we are as a couple!” Rarity retorted. “How can that woman justify that grade after everything we have done in this class?” “Well, she did point out that you weren’t supposed to put makeup on the baby.” “...I-I just thought our baby could use some lip gloss was all,” Rarity defended. “And the lipstick and the eyeliners?” “... Let’s not continue this.” Sunset and Soul walked out of the classroom and the two smiled. “An A plus!” Sunset chimed. “We did pretty well together despite what has happened.” “Heh, yeah, I’m so glad to have you, Sunny,” Soul said before he hugged her. “Congrats you two!” Pinkie cheered. “So, what are you guys going to do now?” Soul and Sunset looked at each other with blank looks before looking back at the others. “We um… We got some plans, but we’re waiting until after school to take care of them,” Soul replied. “Really? What kind of plans?” Swift asked. “Let’s just say that we have some big plans right now,” Sunset explained. “We’ll tell you guys about it later.” “Um, Sunset, we better get going,” Soul said. “We got a lot to take care of.” “Yeah… We’ll see you guys later,” Sunset said. Soul and Sunset waved bye to the gang before they headed out together down the hallways. While the gang looked at them with confused looks, Zero was walking by them and overheard the whole thing while Spike was gnawing on his foot. “Huh, wonder what that was about?” Zero asked. “I don’t know, but… I got a tingly feeling in the back of my elbow,” Pinkie said. “And it’s not the good kind of feeling either.” “Oh dear… I hope nothing bad is happening,” Fluttershy said. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Night said. It was evening time at the Writer’s home. At the window of Soul’s room he was throwing boxes and various items out the window as Sunset was catching them. Soul was packing up his suitcases filled with his clothes and went over to the window to look down at Sunset. “Here’s the rest of my clothes,” Soul said before he threw them down and Sunset caught them. “Is that the last of your clothes?” Sunset asked. “Umm… No, still a couple of cases I need to throw,” Soul replied. “Okay, just hurry up! We don’t want your mom suspecting something too soon,” Sunset said. Soul nodded before he went and brought back another suitcase. He then threw it over towards Sunset thinking that it was light. Unfortunately when she caught it, the suitcase fell on her as it was heavier than she thought it was. “OW! Soul, what’s in this thing!?” “Eh… My Xbox, games, lightsabers and other kinds of stuff that I need…” “I told you to pack what you needed! Not what you want!” “Yeah, I know.” Sunset groaned. “Okay, that should be all of it,” Soul said. “Just head back in your car and get out of here. I’ll be there shortly after I… take care of this.” Sunset frowned and nodded before she carried the suitcases out of the backyard and towards her car. Soul sighed before he turned back to look at his room. It was mostly emptied out because of his packing. The only thing that was left was a simple backpack with some of his other belongings and his dog, Toby laying on the bed. Soul walked over to Toby and looked at him with a sad smile. “I’m sorry, boy. I can’t take you with me on this, but… hopefully I’ll see you soon.” Toby let out a sad whimper as he nuzzled up against Soul’s face. Soul wrapped his arms around him as he hugged his best and closest friend. Soul let go of him and gave him one more pat before picking up his bag and heading out of his room. Just as Soul opened the door, Comet was standing before him and looking down at the floor with a concerned expression. He looked up at Soul and had a frown plastered on his face. “You got everything out?” Comet asked, hoping not hear what Soul’s reply was. “Yeah… We got everything out of there…” “Son… I know that your mom did something very wrong here, and I didn’t support it, but surely there’s a better way to handle this than… what you’re going to do now.” “I wish there was dad, but I came to the realization that this is something I have to do now,” Soul explained. “Maybe I’m going to regret it, maybe I’ll be happier for it, but for the first time I’m making a decision that’s my own and not going to worry about what someone else thinks. I’m doing it for me this time. I know that sounds greedy and irresponsible, but—” Comet laid a hand on Soul’s shoulder and smiled gently. “No, it’s not greedy or irresponsible,” he assured. “This is an experience that you want to have. No one should stop you from having it when you’ve already proven more than once that you’re mature and grown up. I don’t like this idea at all, but… I shouldn’t stop you. You’re my son and I have to let you go at some point in my life. I just wish it wasn’t now.” Soul made a small smile before letting out a sigh. “Yeah… I wish it wasn’t either,” he said. “Just… try not to make your mom too upset about this. She’s going to have a hard time with it.” Soul frowned and looked down the stairs where he could hear his mother and sister laughing and giggling. “It’s… going to be hard to do that…” Soul took a deep breath and walked down the stairs with Comet behind him. When Soul got to the last step, he looked over in the living room to see Dawn playing with Novel on the playmat as she was tickling her belly. “Mommy’s going to get you!” Dawn said as she continued to tickle Novel. Novel let out small giggles as she squirmed around on the mat. Dawn looked up to see Soul with his bag over his shoulder and raised a brow. “Soul, why do you have a bag? Are you heading somewhere for the night?” Soul looked at his mom as she was staring at him suspiciously and looked over to his sister who looked at him with a blank expressions before turning into a joyous one. Soul felt a pain in his heart as he looked at his little sister. Steeling himself, he looked over to Dawn with a serious expression. “Mom, I have to tell you something,” Soul said. “It’s about what you did last weekend.” Dawn rolled her eyes and picked Novel up as she stood. “Soul, we’ve been over this already,” she said. “I told you that you weren't going to do that as long as you’re going to live under my roof. I would not let you do what thousands of other teens do so stupidly.” “Except I’m not a teen anymore. I’ve grown up since I first came here,” Soul retorted. “Oh, so you’ve grown up? When did this happened?” Dawn mocked. “When you were still climbing trees and falling off of them, talking nonstop about Star Wars or when you were hiding behind my back and were about to have sex with Sunset?” Soul’s eyes furrowed. “You know what, you can talk like you’re grown up, but that doesn’t mean you’ve grown at all,” Dawn said. “I know what it meant to grow up. It means that you have to sacrifice almost everything to do what is right. I had to raise a baby boy who I gave birth to and taught him how to talk. For years, I’ve helped make that boy grow up and tried to make him into a fine man who wouldn’t lie to his mother about doing something she did when she was almost his age. So if I have to use a little force to make sure that he stays on the right path, then I’ll do it because I care deeply for that boy. If you don’t like that, then you can just go and live somewhere else.” Soul glared at Dawn for a moment before he let out his anger in a deep calming breath and looked at her. “Yeah, that was the plan,” he said. “............W-What?” “I said, that was the plan,” Soul said again. “I’ve… decided to go live with Sunset now.” Dawn was speechless as she looked at her son. Her lips quivered with shock, and before long her voice was shaky. “S-Soul you… no, you can’t just leave!” she shouted, which made Novel start to cry. “Y-You can’t just up and leave like that! You’re too young!” “So? Sunset has been living on her own for years and she’s more than willing to let me stay with her,” Soul said. “I know how to clean and cook well enough and she’ll help me learn whatever I need to know to live on my own.” “Comet! D-Do you hear what your son is saying!?” Dawn asked. “Tell him how ridiculous this sounds!” Comet looked at Soul for a moment before looking at Dawn. “Yes honey, I hear what he’s saying… and if he wants to go, we can’t stand in his way,” he replied. “WHAT!?” Novel cried harder from Dawn’s yelling which made Dawn stop and look down. “I-I’m sorry, sweetie… Here, let daddy take you up to your room where things will be quiet,” Dawn said before looking at her husband with an angry expression. Comet let out a sigh before he walked over and took Novel away from her. He went up the stairs as Novel kept on crying, and before long, the two were out of sight. Soul watched the two go up before looking back at his mother to see rage in her eyes. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Dawn asked in a low angry tone. “You're turning your back on your family for… Sunset, who’s clearly filling your head with lies and deceiving you!?” Soul glared at Dawn. “She’s my girlfriend, my best friend and the woman I’m deeply in love with,” he replied. “And never once has she tried to deceive me or lie to get her way with me. I trust her with my life and I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to be with her. You on the other hand haven’t given me any reason to trust you anymore. You may have given me my faith, but now I choose to continue to believe in it, not because you forced me into it.” “How dare yo—” “And I would never force my beliefs towards anyone! Not even the ones I care deeply about! If they don’t want to, then they are allowed to do that because that’s their life! Just like this is my life! You can say what you want, but I am through playing this game with you. So now, I’m going and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Soul turned his back to Dawn and walked towards the front door. He opened it and slammed it right behind him. Dawn froze in place as she watched him walk away from her, her eyes moving when she saw him through the window heading to his motorcycle. In one desperate act, she ran towards the door and flung it open. Soul got on his bike and placed the helmet over his head. Just as he started it, Dawn came rushing towards him and stopped next to him with a angry expression as her tears were pouring from her eyes. “Soul Benjamin Writer! If you dare leave this driveway, you will never be welcomed back into this house!” Dawn yelled. “Do you hear me!?” Soul paused for a moment as the engines of his bike ran. He turned with his helmet still on and looked at Dawn. “If that’s what it takes to be a free man… then I’ll bare it with all my soul,” he replied. Dawn’s expression suddenly turned to shock as tears still streamed from her eyes. Without saying a word, Soul backed up with his bike and drove up the street. She watched as he was getting farther and farther away from her. She felt a pain in her chest as she clutched onto the center of her shirt. Her legs wobbled hysterically until she fell on the ground. Her expression slowly turned into sadness as she regretted what she said in her moment of anger. She slowly reached out with her hand towards where Soul had gone and disappeared. “W-Wait… I-I’m s-s-sorry,” she weakly said as tears were pouring out of her eyes. “P-Please come b-back…” Dawn couldn’t bare it any more and she fell on her side as she wailed out her pain. She cried and cried as the pain grew inside of her. “SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUL!” The moon shined brightly with the starry night. But its beauty was wasted on a horrid day for the Writer family. > Chapter 27 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Settling In Soul drove his bike in the lone night as he made his way towards Sunset’s apartment. It felt like forever since the heated argument with his mother. He felt remorse at what he had done and wanted to turn back, but after what had happened, it seemed that he was too far in to turn back. Despite feeling guilty for his actions, he did feel a bit of pride standing up to his mother, even though he was running away from home to get away from her, which some people would say was cowardice, but he didn’t care. The important thing to him at the moment was that he was free to do anything at this point. And what he wanted to do was spend time with his best girl in the world. Soul kept on driving up the road until he had reached the parking lot of an apartment complex and parked. After he killed the engine, he removed his helmet and looked at the window of his love’s apartment for a moment before getting off of his bike and walking up the stairs. He knocked on the door and soon it opened. Sunset walked out and wrapped her arms around him. “Hey,” she welcomed. “Hey,” Soul said, returning the hug back with his own. The two hugged each other tightly until Sunset pulled back. “Well… Welcome home!... I guess,” she said, knowing her boyfriend was feeling upset. “Yeah, heh… So eh, what do you want to do?” “You wanna just set up right now? You can set up your stuff up in the guest room… Or in my room if you’d like,” Sunset asked as she blushed slightly. “Yeah… I would like to set up in your room,” Soul replied and made a small smile. “Heh, great! Just go in and put your stuff down.” “Alright.” Soul kissed her on the lips before heading over to her room. After he had set everything up in Sunset’s… their room, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch as he let out a weary sigh and rubbed his eyes. Sunset sat down next to him and placed a hand on his thigh. “So… How are you doing?” she asked concernedly. “To be honest, not so great,” Soul answered. “Yeah… I thought so.” “Sunset… Do you think I did the right thing? I mean, it’s awesome that I get to live with you but… how I’m doing it…” “I think it is. It’ll show your mother you won’t take what she’s doing sitting down,” Sunset answered. Soul let out a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “But I hate that I had to go without my sister and my dog. Mom said that I was no longer welcomed there so I won’t be able to see them in my once great house.” “Don’t worry about them, they have your dad to take care of them,” Sunset reassured. “And I’m sure he can calm your mother down and will let you come back in. If not, that’s her problem.” “Yeah…” Soul slumped down on Sunset as he laid his head on her shoulder. Sunset wrapped one arm around him and gave him a one-armed hug. “But hey, at least for the time being, you’ll be staying with me!” she chimed. Soul looked up to her and smiled. “Heh… that’s true,” he said before wrapping his arm around her giving her an one-armed hug too. “Just me and you, baby.” “Hmmmmmmhm~” Soul leaned down and pressed his lips against hers while he held onto her tenderly. Sunset accepted it as she kissed him back lovingly. After a moment, Sunset pulled back from the kiss and spoke. “We should get some rest, it’s been a long day,” she suggested. “Yeah, it has been,” Soul said before he got up. “Besides, mom is probably planning on trying to get me back. Need to be prepared for anything she throws at me.” He started to walk towards the bedroom until he stopped midway. “Oh Lord, I hope she doesn’t tempt me with a purple lightsaber. I’ve been wanting those since forever.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Just get some rest, that’s what you need,” she said. “Alright, see you in a bit?” Soul asked. “You bet,” Sunset said before blowing him a kiss. “Sweet.” Soul walked into the bedroom and started to get undressed. He put on a simple white shirt and cotton pajama pants before he climbed into the bed. Just as he settled himself in, Sunset came in wearing black shorts and a dark pink T-shirt. “Hey~” Soul greeted. “Hey~” Sunset greeted back. “Would my fair lady like to lay next to me on this bed?” Soul asked as he uncovered the sheets for her and patted his hand on her spot. Sunset walked over and laid on the spot before pulling the covers over herself. “Comfy?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, a lot… Thanks for letting me stay with you, Sunny. You’re the best,” Soul said before he planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, I can’t have my boyfriend sleeping on the street.” “Well, still, thanks, baby. Are you comfortable with me staying over here every night?” “Sure I am! It'll be great!” Sunset chimed. “Heh, glad to hear that,” Soul said before he laid his head on a pillow and let out a sigh. “I’m going to head off to sleep. Goodnight, sweetie.” “Night babe. See you in the morning,” Sunset said. She reached over to the lamp and turned off the lights. Soul closed his eyes as Sunset snuggled up to him and laid her head on his shoulder, and the two slept together for their first night living together. The next morning, Soul was unpacking the rest of his things as Sunset was in the kitchen making breakfast. While Sunset was about to set the their food on the plates, she heard a few banging sounds coming from her room. She walked over to the sound to find Soul was putting up a single shelf on the wall. “Um… Soul, why are you putting that up?” Sunset asked. “Why, it’s elementary, my dear Sunny.” “Oh Celestia.” “I’m putting my lightsaber stand here, and I need to put up the shelf first,” Soul explained. “...Really? A lightsaber stand?” Sunset asked, dumbfounded. “I don’t… You’re living with your girlfriend who you know gets irritated a bit about anything Star Wars related… and you nail a shelf in my room without asking so you could put up a lightsaber stand?” “Well, technically, it’s our room now,” Soul pointed out. Sunset let out a sigh. “Yeah, but I’m that one that pays the bills around here,” she said. Soul paused for a moment before rubbing the back of his head. “Heh, yeah, good point,” he said. “You do pay for the rent and… and… Hey, wait a moment.” “Hm?” “Where do you even get the money to pay for all this?” Soul asked. “I don’t think you have a job, and before we even met, you were still living here.” “Simple, I brought my life savings in bits over from Equestria. They're pure gold coins, worth a lot,” Sunset explained. “But… How did you get them here before you became good? You told me you left Equestria immediately after Celestia was no longer your teacher,” Soul said. “And you couldn’t get back to Equestria for so long.” “Well.... I stayed in the school for a while until I was redeemed, then I went back and got the money before returning and renting the apartment,” Sunset answered. “I slept down in the basement so no one would be able to suspect me.” “Wow… That sounds rough.” “Yeah… At least it was warm,” Sunset added. “I’m glad you changed your ways and get to live here. You’re better off living like this,” Soul said before he hugged her. “Because I get to be with you!” Sunset giggled. “I agree!” “Now, let me get back to nailing this shelf so I can set up my saber stand!” “I don't know if you can do that. Not sure if the landlady would allow it.” “Oh come on, what’s the worst that could happen?” Soul asked. -Five Minutes Later- “And please don’t do this again, Miss Shimmer,” the woman who owned the apartment said. The landlady heard a complaint from the neighbors that lived closed to Sunset and Soul and she gave them a lecture about why Soul couldn’t put up a shelf. “Of course, I'm sorry miss. My boyfriend really should've let me known he was going to try this,” Sunset said so Soul could hear her as he sat on the couch with a disappointed and guilty look. “I’m glad to hear it. Also, is he going to start living here? I’ll need you to fill out a form to register him here,” the landlady said. Sunset out a sigh and whispered. “He's having a spat with his mom. This looks like it'll blow over in maybe a week or two before he goes back. He's a guest,” she explained. “Oh, I see. Well, I won’t bother you about it then. Anyways, I must be off. Have a nice day, Miss Shimmer. I hope everything works out.” “Alright, and thank you,” Sunset said. She closed the door as the landlady walked off, then went over to Soul and sat next to him. “Sheesh, you’re here for one day and already you got me a fine.” “Hehe… Sorry about that.” Sunset let out a sigh. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” she said. “Next time, I’ll ask you before I do anything else.” “You better, otherwise you’ll be paying for the next fine.” Soul rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. “Gotcha, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Hey, how about we go out to eat? I’ll pay for it with the little money I have with me.” Sunset smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” she said. Later that day, Soul and Sunset were at the cafe enjoying some time together. Just as Sunset was taking a bite out of her sandwich, she looked over to Soul only to see him just barely eating his lunch and looking at it with a frown. Sunset frowned seeing Soul upset over what had happened and reached out to hold his hand, gaining his attention. “Hey, it’s going to be alright,” Sunset assured. “Just give it some time.” “Right, right… I’m sorry, this is just… I don’t know what to feel right now,” Soul said. “I know, but I’m here for you if you need anything,” Sunset said before planting a kiss on his cheek. “Please eat a little more and we can do something together while we’re out. Would that be okay?” “Yeah… I would like to do that,” Soul replied. After a moment, Rivet and Rainbow Dash came into the cafe and were heading straight towards the counter. On the way, Rainbow Dash noticed the two and waved at them. “Well hey, you two!” she greeted. “I see you both are hanging out here again. You guys doing anything today?” “We were just going to go around town and see what happens,” Sunset replied. Rivet was smiling until he laid his eyes on Soul and raised a brow. “Hey Soul, are you okay?” he asked. “Kinda…” “What do you mean?” “It’s complicated,” Sunset intervened. “A lot of things happened and, well…” She rubbed the back of her head as she was trying to come up with an answer that wouldn’t expose Soul’s personal problems. “Sunny, it’s okay,” Soul said before he looked to the two. “I… have some trusts issues with my mother and, well, I decided to move out of the house until we patch things up. In the meantime, I’ll be living with Sunset for a while.” “Oh…” Rivet felt a bit guilty for asking. “I’m sorry about that, man. Is there anything we can do?” “Nah, it’s fine. I just… need a bit of time getting over this right now,” Soul said. “Anyways, I’m done eating. We should head out, baby.” “Oh, okay…” Sunset and Soul got up from their seats and said their goodbyes to Rivet and Rainbow Dash. The moment that the two left, Rainbow Dash looked to Rivet with concern in her eyes. “You think he’s really going to be okay?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, if his issues with his mom are so bad that he would leave his own home, I’m not really sure to be honest,” Rivet answered. “...I think I’m going to spend a little time with my mom today.” “Me too.” Soul and Sunset were walking around most of the city as the hours went by. Eventually, they were in the city’s park and they rested on a bench as the sun was setting. As the two watched the sunset, Sunset cuddled up to Soul with his arm wrapped around her. “Mmmhh, this was a nice day,” Sunset commented. “Yeah, it is,” Soul halfheartedly said. Sunset made a frown as she looked at Soul worriedly. “Are you… not having a good time with me?” she asked, her feeling hurt. Soul looked at her with a shocked look. “What? No! No!... I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time dealing with all this right now,” he replied. “I’ve lived with my parents for so long and I always thought that I would be living with them for at least a few more years… But this whole thing, the fight with my mom… Well, I’m not even sure what I can do with my life anymore. I’m not sure what kind of future I’m going to be having with my mom probably hating me.” Sunset was silent for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed Soul on the cheek. “Hopefully the kind of future that has me with you,” she said as she looked at Soul with a smile. Soul looked to Sunset and smiled back at her. “Thank you,” he said. He then let out a weary sigh. “Well, this has been kinda a bummy weekend.” “Yeah, but at least some good did come out of here. Like you getting to live with me,” Sunset said. “And, well, when you’re feeling up to it, I’m still willing to pick up where we left off before your mom went ‘Almighty’ on us.” Soul chuckled. “Yeah, that would be pretty sweet to do,” he said. “...But right now, I just want to have some time to get over this.” “I thought so… You know in situations like this, you think that this would make people more willing to have sex with their partner,” Sunset commented. “I think it helps after you have done it with them for a while, but… this would be our first time, and I don’t want any kind of problems that could ruin what it would make it special.” “Yeah, I agree,” Sunset said before making a devilish smile. “Though, you are free to do anything you want with my booty here~” Soul blushed violently as he looked to see Sunset wiggling her brows at her. “Eh… Uh… I’ll k-keep that in mind,” Soul said. “Why do you have to tempt me like that?” “Because it’s fun to~” Sunset answered before giving Soul a kiss on the lips. “And I know it makes you feel better.” She then laid her head on his shoulder and smiled at him. “Heh… It kinda does.” “That’s what I thought.” “Let’s head back to your place. I’m feeling kinda tired being out here,” Soul said. “Alright, I’m feeling the same.” Sunset and Soul made their way back to their place, and once they got inside, the two crashed on the couch together. Soul turned on the T.V. and the two snuggled together as they watched. The two fell asleep together on the couch for the night as Soul had a small smile on him. While Soul was battling these feelings of pain and grief, he knew that Sunset would be there to comfort and help him in any way she could. At the home of the Writer Family, the lights were off and the moon’s light shined through the window as Dawn sat on the couch not moving. She had dried tears on her face after sobbing not too long ago and stared off at three pictures that were on the top of the T.V. cabinet. One picture had herself, her husband and Soul when he was an infant when they were living in the town before they moved. The second picture was when the family had moved in. Her mother, her nieces, Applejack and Apple Bloom, and her nephew, Big Mac, were part of the family photo. Her eyes wandered to the last picture where Novel was now part of the family along with Sunset who was being held by Soul with one arm. Dawn slowly got up from the couch and walked over to the pictures, picking up the third one and looking at it closely. Before long, a tear splashed onto the glass of the frame. “... I’m… I’m so sorry, Soul…… P-Please come back to me…” Dawn brought the picture to her chest and sobbed quietly to herself. Part of her wanted to go and see her son and beg for his forgiveness. But another part of her was telling that it was too early and that she needed to give him some time to think things over. No matter what she wanted to do though, the pain inside her was still unbearable. > Chapter 28 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Heist of the Cent—... Actually, It’s Kinda Dumb. Two weeks had passed since Soul had moved in with Sunset. Everything seemed to be returning to normal as Soul’s fear of his mother doing something to get him back was fading away, and he started to think that she didn’t care about him anymore. Sunset had been helping him cope with this new revelation, but his depression was slowly growing everyday. They were all in the cafeteria talking with one another as they were enjoying their lunch. As the group was enjoying their time at their table, Zero came walking up and dropped a stack of papers on the end. The group looked up to him with confused looks. “Zero, what’s with the stack of papers?” Twilight asked. “My friends, it’s time to exact our revenge!” Zero proclaimed. “On the cookie monster?” Treble guessed. “That bastard needs to pay for taking that last cookie!” Everyone in the group looked at Treble with blank expressions. “I… How is… No, not the cookie monster,” Zero replied. “We’re going to be going on a heist.” “Yes! Finally!” Pinkie chimed standing up with her arms up. “I knew we would rob that ban—” “Pinkie, we’re not doing that kind of heist! Stop guessing everyone! I’ll tell you what we’re doing!” Zero yelled before taking a deep breath. “We’re going to go steal the Crystal Heart from Crystal Prep!” “You mean our formal rival school before we all became friends with them after the last Friendship Games?” Swift asked. “Aren’t we like, at a truce with them about not pranking or doing anything to each other?” “Yeah, that’s the thing, our school is way behind on the pranking deal. In fact, that truce shouldn’t exist until we get even with them,” Zero explained. “They’ve pranked this school so many times, it’s just criminal to let them off that easy.” “He does have a point,” Rainbow Dash said. “If we just let this go now, it could show the other schools that they can get away with anything that they do to us. And I am not going to let that happen!” “So, what’s this plan ya have, Zero?” Applejack asked. “Simple, I’ve been going over the schematics of the building and—” “Wait, where did you get schematics for the school? They don’t just hand them out for anyone,” Twilight quoted. “I stole them off of your desk when you weren’t looking,” Zero answered. “You did WHAT!?” “Anyways, I found this grate that’ll let us into the ventilation system. We can have someone go in, crawl around and open the door to the other side. Once that happens, we go in, find the Crystal Heart and I sell it to a pawn shop making millions of dollars in the process,” Zero finished with a toothy smile. Everyone in the group looked at Zero with half-lid eyes. “Be honest with us, do ya really think that’s a real crystal?” Applejack asked with a raised brow. Zero pursed his lips as he looked at everyone staring at him. “......... Maybe?” he answered. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Well, besides Zero’s reasons, he does have a point,” she said. “We need to get back our school’s honor and pull this off. After this, than we can call it even with Crystal Prep.” “Ah’m not sure about this,” Applejack said. “We called a truce with them, and after everything that happened at the Friendship Games, Ah think we shouldn’t push our luck on it.” “Look, it simple. Instead of Zero selling the Crystal Heart, we give it back to them as a sign of good faith that we did it to get even with them on the pranking deal. After that, we call it even all together and the truce continues. Pure and simple,” Rainbow Dash explains. “Well… Alright, Ah suppose we can do that if that’s the case. Ah’m in.” Everyone in the group was in agreement as each one of them was into the idea. However, one of them wasn’t so into the idea. “Naw, I’m not interested.” Everyone in the group stopped and looked over to see that it was Soul, who was still playing with his food, who had said those words. It caught everyone by surprise; even Sunset didn’t expect him to say that. “Woah, woah, wait…. Seriously?” Treble asked. “You don’t want to be a part of this? Sneak into a school and pull of a heist? Lots of stupid and crazy stuff that’ll more than likely happen? Not even if a couple of the girls’ clothes get ripped off because of this!?” The girls looked at one another in worry from Treble’s last statement except for Pinkie and Sonata. Soul looked up at Treble. “Um…. Yeah?” he replied. “I’m just not interested in the idea. Besides, I have some homework that I need to take care of anyway.” “You sure? We’ll probably more than likely do this at night. You’ll have plenty of time to catch up on any homework,” Swift said. “Like I said, I’m not interested,” Soul repeated. As the group was beginning to worry about Soul, there was a small bulge in Fluttershy’s hair and Rainbow Dash sighed as she saw it. “Fluttershy, is Greg in your hair again?” she asked. “Oh, um… Yes…” “And the reason?” Fluttershy let out a sigh. “He was bored in his cage,” she answered. Greg jumped right out of her hair and straight towards Soul. ‘I’m here you son of a—’ *WHACK!* Soul backfisted Greg when he was close and the tarantula slammed against the wall. Everyone looked at Soul with wide eyes and some of their jaws dropped as Greg slowly slid down the wall. Soul got up from his seat and went to throw away most of his food that he barely eat. “I’ll see you guys later,” Soul said before he left the cafeteria. Everyone just stared at the unusual thing that had happened. “What the f*** did I just see!?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Seriously, what did I see!?” “I-I have no clue,” Swift said before he turned to Sunset. “Um, how’s he been doing in the ‘Him leaving his home because his mother is a wackado’ department?” Sunset let out a sigh and looked at the others with a worried expression. “Not too good, actually,” she replied. “He keeps saying that he’s doing better, but… he’s been a bit distant with me and pretty much everyone around him. He doesn’t do much at my place and he just stares off through the window sometimes for so long. I’m really worried about him.” She crossed her arms and looked down feeling that she could do nothing. Zero walked over to Sunset and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. He just needs some time, that’s all,” he said. “Just keep on sticking with him and be there when he needs you. This whole crazy thing is still fresh to him and he needs time rethink some things. Trust me, he’ll be okay after a little while longer.” Sunset looked up to Zero for a moment as she thought about his words. She then smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said. “I’ll stick by him until he gets better… Heh, even then I’ll still stick by him. Guess this means I’ll be out of the whole heist thing as well.” “It’s okay, I still have all of you guys to count on, right?” Zero said with a bright smile facing the group. The group mostly wasn’t so sure about going for it and was saying ‘meh’ or ‘maybe, maybe not.’ Zero let out a sigh. “I’ll buy you guys pizza on the way back,” he offered. The group cheered and said they were up for the task. Sunset got up and went out the door as she looked for Soul. After a moment of searching, she walked in the library only to see that there was no one inside. “Hmm, he must be not here,” Sunset said to herself. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a sniff and what sounded like someone silently crying. She followed the noise of it down an aisle of books until she reached the end of it and peaked over to see Soul sitting by himself. His face was covered by his knees as streams of tears poured from his eyes. He looked to be trying to hold back his sadness. In a instant, Sunset felt heartbroken to see Soul like this. While the reason for this was different, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity with the scene. She remembered last year when Soul came upon her crying to herself for fearing she would never get to see her parents again because of her dark deeds. She clutched her chest as she remembered him being there for her and holding her gently. Now everything had changed, and he was now crying while she stood helplessly to it. Sunset walked out of hiding and stood next to Soul as she looked down at him with sadness in her heart. Soul noticed her standing there after a moment and he quickly wiped away the tears. “S-Sorry, I was just… rubbing something out of my eye. It was really bad, heh,” Soul lied. He looked up to her with a weak, fake smile. “D-Did you need something, Sunset?” Sunset kneeled down to Soul before she looked at his sad eyes for a moment. “Soul… please don’t be like this,” she said. “It hurts me to see you like this.” “S-Sunset, I’m fine!” Soul yelled with a slight anger. “Why is everyone is worried about me? Oh yes, I left my mom and my family behind just so I could get away from the craziness and I’ve never been better! Yeah, I haven’t heard anything from her. Just my dad giving me updates that she’s sad and miserable but hasn’t come and talked to me about anything. You know, I bet this is part of her plan to get me back so she could weave her little strings around me just tight enough that I’d never be able to break them again! Well, you know what? Screw that bitch! I’m not falling for that trick! She can pretend to be sad all she wants, because I’m not coming back to her ever! She can shove all that up her—” Soul felt his hand grabbed and he looked over to see Sunset tearing up as she listened to him. His eyes widened with what he was saying and the anger that came with it. “I-I… I-I’m sorry, Sunset,” he said, feeling awful. “I-I don’t… I don’t know why I’m saying that, b-but—” “Shhhh.” Sunset placed a finger on Soul’s lips. “I know this is… painful for you to handle and you need time to heal from it,” she said. “But please, don’t let this stay bottled up inside of you. Don’t be the person that pretends to be alright when you really need someone to talk to. If you feel like talking and need to let out any stress or anger, don’t hesitate to talk to me about it. I’m here for you and I’ll help any way I can like you have for me. Let me be the shoulder to cry on and help wash away your sorrow.” Soul remained silent as he gazed into Sunset’s eyes. Despite the tears in them, they were still warm and welcoming to look at as ever, and he couldn’t have wanted more than to stare at them. Without any reasons, he leaned towards her and pressed his lips with hers. The pain and sorrow went away instantly as the joy of feeling her lips and the taste of her sweetness with it replaced them. Soul soon pulled away from the kiss and he laid his head against the end of the book shelf. “Alright, I’ll talk to you more about it if I need to. I’m sorry about the way I acted,” Soul said. “Don’t be. You have every reason to feel like this,” Sunset assured him. She laid her head down next to his neck and nuzzled underneath it. Soul wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her closer to him. The two laid together for most of the school day alone with nobody noticing the couple was there the entire time. “Okay, why do we have to use my Jeep? Don’t any of you guys have something to use besides my Jeep?” Warhawk asked, annoyed by the various people that were in his Jeep. “Because your Jeep is the only thing that can carry all of us,” Straight said. “What do you mean!? You all can barely fit back there!” Warhawk pointed out. The entire group was crammed in the back of Warhawk’s Jeep as they made their way towards Crystal Prep School. Much to Warhawk’s annoyance, his friends were right about his Jeep being the only vehicle in their large group they could all fit in. Unfortunately, like Warhawk had said, it was still not large enough to hold all of them in. Each of them had on a black outfit that Rarity had made for the group or they had made themselves. “Thank god Soul and Sunset pulled out of this. We would have died from lack of air,” Night commented. “That reminds me, how big is the vent exactly, Zero?” Twilight asked. “The plans you showed me didn’t say how big they were.” “Not a clue, but if they’re going to be anything like those spy movies, they’ll be big enough for one of us to get in,” Zero replied. -Five Minutes Later- The group looked up at the small vent that was outside of the building to see that it was high up and far too small for a normal-size person to fit in. Everyone looked at Zero with half-lid eyes and raised brows. “.... Okay, we do not rely on spy movies for the duration of this mission,” Zero said. “So, anyone have an idea they’d like to share?” “How about the one where I beat that brain of yours out for dragging me out here for nothing?” Warhawk angrily suggested. “Eh, anyone else have an idea?” “Hmm, I used to have a key that my aunt would let me use whenever I needed to get into the school before I started coming to Canterlot. But I don’t think she’ll let me use it anymore since I don’t come here now,” Twilight said. “Maybe we should figure out who can fit in there. It’s not really that high up,” Pinkie said as she looked at the vent. “It looks small enough for a baby to get in there.” Sonata’s eyes widened and an idea formed in her head. “Wait, I think I know how I could help!” she chimed. “Hawk, can you let me borrow your Jeep for a bit?” “Huh? No way, I’m not taking my Jeep any more than—” Warhawk stopped as he looked at Sonata to see her puppy eyes and her lips puckered. He let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, where are we going?” “I’ll tell you on the way. You guys stay here until we get back,” Sonata said. “Maybe we should go with you in case—” Twilight didn’t have time to tell Sonata as she was already gone with Warhawk to some unknown destination. “... I really hope she doesn’t do anything too ridiculous.” “Oh come on, what’s the worse that could—” Before Zero could finish, Twilight glared at him angrily. “U-Um, never mind.” The group waited for Sonata and Warhawk to get back with whatever she had planned. After some time, the two came back and Sonata had something wrapped in her arms. “Sonata dear, what do you have in your arms?” Rarity asked. “The solution to our problems!” Sonata replied before she removed the cloth and held up Soul’s baby sister, Novel. The group looked at Novel and Sonata with wide eyes and their jaws hung. Novel was still asleep until she woke up slowly and looked back at the group with a blank stare. “Y-Y-You… Sonata, please tell me for the love of god that Mr. and Mrs. Writer know you have their baby?” Twilight asked. “I don’t think so. They were both still asleep when I took her with me,” Sonata replied. “YA BROKE INTO MY AUNT’S HOME AND TOOK MY COUSIN OUT OF HER ROOM WITHOUT THEM KNOWING!?” Applejack yelled. “Warhawk, why did you even let her do this!?” Straight asked. “I didn’t know she was going to do this!” Warhawk replied. “One minute, I was parked in front of a house I’ve never been to before and the next, Sonata was telling me to floor it! By the time I found out she had a baby with her, I was already halfway here!” “How were you even able to get Novel!?” Twilight asked. “Oh, it’s simple. I went to their house, got a ladder—Soul’s window was wide opened for some reason so I went through that—then Toby and Shella looked sad when I walked by them and I went into Dawn and Comet’s room where Novel was sleeping in her crib,” Sonata explained. “I picked her up, grabbed her baby supplies and came straight here.” “Sonata… of all the stuff that you have pulled off in the time we have gotten to know each other, this has got to be the worse thing you have ever done in your life!” Rainbow Dash said. “It can’t be—” “It is!” “But I have a good reason!” “What could possibly be a good reason!?” Twilight asked. “Well, Pinkie said that we needed a baby, so I went to get the smartest one around.” “I didn’t suggest that we kid— Wait, what do you mean the smartest one around?” Pinkie asked. “Isn’t it obvious? Babies are smarter than they look!” Sonata replied. Everyone in the group looked at her in confusion. “Babies act like they’re these cute little things that don’t know anything, but in truth, they’re geniuses that are plotting to take over the world! I mean, you can clearly tell that they use their cuteness to get people to do whatever they want and they speak their own language towards one another so they can plot under our noses while pretending to act like they’re learning how to speak whatever language we’re speaking in!” “English?” Warkhawk added. “Bless you.” “What!?” “That is absolutely the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life!” Twilight commented angrily. “And furthermore, you have to— Wait, where did she go!?” Everyone looked around for Sonata and Novel before they noticed that she was on top of a ladder and had taken the vent cover out of the way. She placed Novel in it and Novel started crawling inside. “Go Novel! You can do it!” Sonata said. Sonata was then pushed off the ladder by Applejack before she tried to reach for Novel. However, Applejack wasn’t able to fit inside of the vent, and Novel was too far away for her to grab. “Novel, wait! Come back here to y’all favourite cousin! Ah’ll give you a very juicy apple if you come back!” Applejack begged. Novel continued to crawl through the vent until she turned around a corner and was out of sight. “Oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, this is very bad!” Applejack looked over to Sonata with an angry expression before grabbing her by the collar and began shaking her. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YA!? THERE’S A BABY IN THE VENT BECAUSE OF YOU!” “I-I really thought it was good idea!” Sonata pleaded. “Please don’t hurt me!” “Ah’m going to do a lot more than that to ya!” Applejack pulled her fist back and Sonata closed her eyes tight. “Woah!” Straight grabbed Applejack’s arm. “Let’s focus on getting that baby back before we do anything we regret!” “How!? Only a baby could fit in there!” “Oh, what about someone that’s really small, skinny and covered in butter!?” Everyone in the group looked to see Pinkie had suggested it. “I have a bucket of melted butter right here!” She reached into her hair and pulled out a bucket, and when she opened it, it was indeed melted butter inside. “.... Okay, that’s disgusting,” Rainbow Dash commented. “But it might work.” “So, who do we send in?” Zero asked. “Like Pinkie said, it has to be someone small,” Rivet said. “And skinny,” Rarity added. “And I suppose in this case if it’s a girl, she has to be flat-chested,” Treble added. “Really, did you have to say that?” Rarity asked. “Just saying.” The entire group thought to themselves for a moment thinking of anyone in the group that would qualify. All at once, they looked over to Twilight with blank expressions as they examined her for a moment. Twilight looked at them with a confused expression before looking down at herself and she put two together. “..... Oh, that is very hurtful, you know?” Soul was lying on the couch watching TV while Sunset was taking a shower in the bathroom. Soon Sunset came walking into the living room in her stretch shorts and a pink shirt and sat down with Soul. “Seeing anything you like, babe?” Sunset asked. “No… not really,” Soul replied. Sunset placed a hand on his hair as she went through it and looked at Soul. “Are you at least doing better?” she asked. Soul looked up at her and smiled as he gazed up into her eyes. “Well, you’re here, so yes I am,” he answered before pulling Sunset on top of him and holding her. Sunset giggled. “Glad to hear it,” she said before giving him a kiss. “Do you want to talk about everything that happened?” Soul let out a sigh. “No, I think I got all that out today at the library,” he replied. “But I have been thinking about some things and I think I’ll go and talk to mom about all this.” “Are you sure?” Soul nods. “I can’t avoid this problem forever, Sunny, and it is something I have to do sooner or later, so why not do it very soon?” he said. “Besides… Maybe, when I think about it, my mom could be feeling so hurt that she feels too guilty to call or talk to me. So this is something that I have to do.” Sunset smiled. “If that’s what you need to do, then I will support it,” she said. “Are you going to try to live with her and your family again?” Soul rubbed his chin for a moment before looking back at Sunset. “I’m… not that sure,” he answered. “I want to see how this goes before I decide on anything else.” “That sounds like a good idea,” Sunset said. “Though it would be lonely if you leave me here. I was getting used to having my boyfriend living with me and doing all sorts of things. Thing that I’m sure that he would love to do with me. Or should I say, to me?~” Soul nervously gulped and blushed. “I-I… That is something to take into consideration,” he admitted. “Anyways, let’s head on to bed. It’s getting pretty late anyway.” “Sounds like a good idea.” The two got off of the couch and headed on over to the bedroom for the night. “Okay, there are several things here that are just out of place,” Twilight said. “I can understand the butter on me, but why do I have to have only my underwear on?” She stood up as butter covered her entire body while she had on only her lace bra and panty. “Like, really, I need to know the answer to this.” “Well, duh, you don’t want your latex suit to get ruined after all the work Rarity put into it, do you?” Pinkie countered. “Not to mention that your underwear is probably cheap to get.” “Well…. Yes they are, but I feel very uncomfortable about this,” Twilight said. “Can’t we send anyone else in the vents? Or could I at least put my clothes back on and put the butter—” “Twilight, could you please stop complaining!?” Pinkie asked. “We have a baby in there and she needs to be rescued now! We can’t let clothing stand in the way of this!” “Girls, please help me out here?” Twilight asked the other girls of the group. “Sorry Twi, but this is pretty hilarious to watch,” Rainbow Dash said. “I would stand by you on this point, dear, but she does have a point about staining the latex with butter,” Rarity said. “I’m sorry Twilight, but with a baby in the vent, I don’t really want to do anything that would delay this,” Fluttershy said. “Oh dear, am I delaying it now!?” “Ah’d go in myself naked if Ah had to to save my little cuz, but you’re the only one that can fit in there, and we really don’t have time to question Pinkie’s method,” Applejack said. “Though Ah do agree that it’s unnecessary.” “I think this would totally be perfect for a movie or a story!” Sonata said. “People do love fanservice!” “SHUT UP, SONATA!” Twilight yelled. “EEP!” “At least we made the boys look away for a moment,” Fluttershy said. “Right, Applejack, help me get Twilight in there,” Rainbow Dash said. “Because she’s going to be slippery and need I need another hand for this.” “Ah’m on it.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash lifted Twilight up towards the vent and she soon climbed into it. It was indeed a tight fit for Twilight, but the slimy material that she was covered in helped so that she could wiggle her way around. She climbed through, seeing that the vents were actually very clean and well-kept. “Huh, I guess Cinch really wanted her school to be one hundred percent for her ‘reputation.’” Twilight air quoted before she kept on crawling. “Novel? Nooooveeel, where are you? Come to Twilight, sweetie!” Just as Twilight was about to turn a corner, her eyes widened when she saw that Novel was a foot away from a fan that was going fast and crawling towards it. “EEEEEEEEEEEEK!” Twilight quickly crawled towards Novel as her heart beat rapidly and her adrenaline rush kicked into her system. Novel crawled slowly towards the fan as the air blew through her hair. She reached out towards the fan slowly and just as her fingertips were about to touch it, Twilight grabbed Novel by the leg and pulled her away. Twilight panted as she rolled on her back, holding Novel on top of her. “Oh thank god for adrenaline!” Twilight said before looking at Novel in her arms. “Don’t you ever go near those fans again!” Novel let out a giggle with her pacifier in her mouth. Twilight let out a content sigh. “ Well, at least I can get you back to your home very—” *CREAK!* “........ You know, when people think about it, no matter how you see it, God has a very sick sense of humor.” *CRASH!* “AAAAAAAAHHH!” Twilight held onto Novel tightly before falling towards the ground and landed on her back. She let out a groan before blacking out and her arms fell off of Novel. Novel looked at Twilight with a blank expression before she climbed off of her and crawled off towards a random direction. After a moment, Twilight slowly sat up and rubbed her head. “Uugh… W-Wha—AAH! NOVEL!?” She looked side to side trying to find Novel anywhere but the little infant was gone and nowhere to see. “Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! What do I do!?... I have to get the others in here!” Twilight got up and quickly went to find an entrance to unlock for the others. Novel crawled around the hallways exploring her surroundings. After a few moments, she came into a large, circular area of the school that had stairs. In the very center of the room was a pedestal with a large heart shape crystal within a glass case. Novel’s eyes sparkled from looking at it and crawled towards it. Just as she was about to get near it, she heard a voice shouted out. “HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, CANTERDORKS!” Suddenly, various students from the school came popping out of hiding and had paintball guns in their hands, which they aimed at the center of the room. Walking towards the center was the girl known as Indigo Zap. She strutted her way with her eyes closed and a smug smile. “You thought you could just come here and steal the Crystal Hearts from under our noses, huh? Too bad that we still have a couple of own spies there keeping an ear out for you just in case you tried anything funny during this truce. Well guess what, we’re not going to just let you dorks do whatever you want just because we’re—” “Indigo, they’re not there. Please open your eyes and actually see what’s in front of you,” the girl known as Sugarcoat said. Indigo opened her eyes to see that there was no one near the heart. “Huh? Crap, we came out too early again,” she said. “Those spies better not have wasted our time coming here. It’s the freakin weekend and I would like to enjoy it and—” “Um, Indigo?” a girl named Sunny Flare walked up to her and pointed down towards her feet. Indigo pursed her lips and looked down to see Novel at her feet as she was looking up towards her. “............ The f***?” “Oh my gosh, it’s a cute little baby girl!” The girl known as Lemon Zest ran over to Novel and picked her up into her arms and hugged her. “Oh, I love babies so much!” “Yes, we can totally see that,” another girl known as Sour Sweet said in an annoyed tone before looking at Novel and smiling. “Oh, but she does look so cute!” Indigo let out a groan. “Okay, who brought their baby sister here?” she asked, waiting for a response from the other students. “Come on, we’re not going to make fun of you for bringing your baby sister here… well, not that much anyway.” Everyone looked to one another as they talked quietly and shook their heads. Indigo raised a brow before looking to her friends who also were wondering who the baby belonged to. “I... don’t think she belongs to any of us,” Sunny Flare said. “Maybe she belongs to the group from Canterlot and they just misplaced her,” Sugarcoat said. “Or maybe… she’s just a distraction so they could sneak up and GET THE CRYSTAL HEART! AH HA!” Indigo spun around and aimed her weapon at the pedestal to see that no one was near it. “....... DAMN IT!” “Nice one, idiot,” Sour Sweet commented. “Oh shut up,” Indigo said. “And we can’t keep the baby here. Can someone please take it and—” “No! I want hold the baby!” Zest protested. “She’s so sweet and cuddly. Yes you are! Yes you are!” She tickled Novel’s belly as she giggled. Indigo pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a groan. “Fine. Just keep her quiet and out of sight. We don’t need those Canterlosers to know what we’re up to,” she said. “Yay!” The group outside waited for Twilight to get back with Novel. As they waited, some of them were playing card games or looking up their cell phones. Applejack was the only one looking into the vent watching out for Twilight to get back. All of a sudden, a nearby door flew open and Twilight popped her head out to see where the others were until she laid her eyes on them. “Guys, over here!” The group looked up and went over to Twilight as they gathered around her. “Twilight! Did ya get my cuz back!?” Applejack asked as she grabbed Twilight. “I did for a moment, but I fell through the vents and was knocked out. When I woke back up, she was gone!” Twilight replied. “She’s somewhere in the school and it's too big of a place for me alone to look for her!” “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get our baby back!” Pinkie said before running past Twilight. “Wait, can I at least get my clothes back o—” “No time!” Pinkie grabbed Twilight’s arm and pulled her. The others followed behind them as they ran down the hallways. “We should split up. That way we can find her twice as fast,” Rivet suggested. “I call dibs wherever Twilight goes!” Zero said. “Like hell you are!” Twilight said. “Just pick a partner and spread out!” Applejack said. The group split up into twos and they started their search all over the school. Soon most of them had already checked out more than half of the school and it wasn’t long until they started to meet up in the center. “Did any of you see her?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nope,” Straight answered. “Naw ah,” Applejack replied “El Nata,” Sonata confirmed. “I did find this cool-looking bott—” *CRACK!* “Oh never mind,” Treble said. “Oh man, I’m starting to panic here!” Sonata said. “I’m going to end up in jail! Or worse! Dawn is going to kill me! *Gasp!* Even worse than that! She’ll probably have my tubes tied and then kill me!” “Sonata, there’s is just… so many things that are wrong with that,” Twilight said. “And this is your fault in the first place! What kind of idiot would steal a baby from her own home!?” “I-I just did it at the moment! I never question what I do at the moment, I just go along with it and hope that it leads me to free tacos!” Sonata explained. “Can you blame a girl for having hopes like that?” “Yes! Yes, I can!” “Oh, that is just brutal, you know?” “And I’m half-naked.” “I’ll give you that.” “Hey guys, is that the Crystal Heart there?” Straight said as he pointed towards the pedestal in the center of the room. “Oh.... Well, at least this part of this day went well,” Zero said. “Zero, there is a missing baby in the school and we could all end up in jail at this point. What does this in anyway make it well?” Twilight asked. “.......... I… Nothing really.” “Wait a minute, Zero is that you?” The group looked towards someone that came out of hiding, wearing a Crystal Prep uniform. It was a very familiar person that walked up to them while holding a paint gun. “Zephyr? What are you doing here?” Zero asked. “Well, I’ve been coming to Crystal Prep for a few months,” Zephyr answered. “What?” “Yeah, since my grades were so good at Canterlot and I was making a lot of progress there, Principal Celestia recommended that I should come here and I decided that it would be a better experience for me,” Zephyr explained. “Didn’t I tell you all this before I left?” “Uuuh…” -Flashback- It was a usual day at Canterlot as the students were at the cafeteria. The group was sitting at their table minding their own business until Zephyr came by. “Guys, you won’t believe this!” Nobody was paying any particular attention to him as they were busy making out, playing with their phones, chatting or reading in Twilight’s case. “Principal Celestia said that I can be going to Crystal Prep since I’ve been exceeding my grades greatly! I can really have a future if I go to that school! So I decided to go there and begin a brand new life there,” Zephyr said. “I know we’ve become good friends and I really enjoyed our time together here, but this is something I need to do for my future. It was nice knowing you all and have a great rest of the day because I’m heading there now! Bye guys!” Zephyr walked away without realizing that the group wasn’t listening to him in the slightest and was unaware of his presence. Just then Zero looked up from his phone and looked around him and the group. “Hey, did you guys hear something?” Zero asked. -End of Flashback- “........... Of course! How silly of us! We were very happy to hear you were coming here, right guys!?” Zero asked the others as he made signs with his face to the others to act along with him. “Zephyr! We’re suppose to stay in hiding!” A young man with green skin and combed white hair came out of hiding. He wore a thick green glasses that hid the color of his eyes. “Oh sorry, Quill. It’s just that I know these guys,” Zephyr explained. “Well, some of them. A few of them are new to me.” “Oh yeah, you went to Canterlot before—Hey wait a minute, I know some of you guys!” Quill said. “You’re the ones that chased me up on the Wondercolt Statute!” “Yeah, after you came to our school and started insulting us,” Swift said. “Not to mention spraypainted some of the walls,” Rainbow Dash added. “Yes, while it was completely fair to gang up on someone with twenty as well,” Quill added. “Hey, you come into our territory, you get what you deserve!” Zero retorted. “So, I deserve to get beaten up for doing what I was told to do by my higher up? Oh, yeah I totally deserve to be beaten up for that,” Quill countered. “But I guess the foot is on the other leg now.” “Wait, what do you mean?” All of a sudden various Crystal Prep students came out of hiding and aimed their weapons at the group. “Oh dear,” Fluttershy squeaked. “Zero, if you have a plan for this, I would really love to hear it,” Night whispered to him. “Uuuh… Well, eh—” The group then heard giggling as they looked over to see Zest with Novel in her arms as she was tickling her. “Oh thank lord, there she is!” Applejack said. “Wait, that’s your sister?” Zephyr asked. “...Wait, how did you have another sister if your parents are—” “No, no, she’s Soul’s sister, Novel. Weren’t you there when she was born?” Applejack asked. “No, I was gone by then.” “...Oh, right.” “I’m beginning to think that you guys never noticed that I was gone this whole time.” “.........We’re sorry, Zephyr,” Zero admitted. “I promise to make you a ‘Really Late Congratulations’ party for you!” Pinkie said. “And I’ll combine it with the ‘We’re Sorry’ party so it’ll be a super big party!” “I would like that, Pinkie,” Zephyr said. “Now that we got all of that out of the way, we’re going to start shooting you now,” Quill said. “FI—” “Hold it right there!” Indigo yelled before she stepped in front of Quill and looked at him with a glare. “I’m the one that gives orders here! Zip it!” Quill gulped. “Sorry,” he said. “Anyways, EVERYONE FI—” “WAIT!” “Oh come on, now what!?” Twilight stepped in front of Indigo and looked at her with a pleading expression. “Look, it’s been a very crazy night for us and we don’t care about the Crystal Heart anymore. We just now want to take Novel back to her home because one of us is a complete and utter moron!” she explained before shooting a glare at Sonata who let out a squeak. “So if you could just give her back to us, we’ll leave peacefully and we can forget about this whole night. What do you say? As old friends?” “......Twilight, why are you only in your underwear?” Indigo asked. Twilight blushed as every male in the area looked away embarrassed or just stared at her as the admired her body and choice of underwear. “Uh… It’s complicated,” she answered. “Right… What do you think everyone?” All of the Crystal Preps students looked to one another and discussed it while the group waited for their response. Sugarcoat was listening in on the conversations and went over to Indigo before whispering to her their response. Indigo looked to the group and smiled at them. “Nope!” “Ah, son of a—” *SPLAT!* “GHAAA!” Indigo shot Twilight in the chest, causing her to fall over. “Oh, that has got to hurt,” Treble commented. “On that note, EVERYONE RETREAT!” Paint balls started to fly towards the group before Zero quickly grabbed Twilight and they all ran off into the hallways screaming. They let out yelps of pains as they were hit while they tried to get to the nearest exit. Soon the group got through the front door and headed straight toward Warhawk’s jeep and took cover inside. The Crystal Prep students quickly surrounded the jeep and fired their guns at it, covering it with various colors of paint. “Great! Now I have to deal with cleaning up my ride! Can it get any worse!?” Warhawk said before a rock was thrown at the front windshield and it cracked upon impact. “F***!” “What do we now!? We can’t just drive off while the paints are blinding us!” Rarity cried. “Forget that, I’m going to run every single—” “Warhawk, we’re not going to run people down!” Sonata said. “For once, can people just go with my ideas!?” “That’s it! Ah’m going to call a couple of people!” Applejack pulled her cellphone out. “Who are you going to call?” Straight asked. “Soul and Sunset.” Everyone’s eyes widened with horror. “We’re doomed,” Swift said. Over by Sunset’s apartment, Soul and Sunset slept peacefully in the bed until Soul’s phone started to ring. Soul reached over to his phone, at first having trouble finding it with his eyes still closed, and answering it. “Hello?..... Applejack? It’s like two in the morning, why are you calling me so late?.......... Ah huh……. Ah…. Huh?.................................................. SHE DID WHAT!?” Sunset was scared after hearing Soul’s sudden outburst and fell off the bed. After a few moments, Soul and Sunset were driving down the roads at crazy speed in Sunset’s car as they made their way towards Crystal Prep. Soon they were nearing the front entrance seeing the Crystal Prep students banging on the doors trying to pry the doors open. They noticed that Soul and Sunset were coming up to them before Soul parked up to the sidewalk of the school and marched towards them. Soul’s expression was hidden as he had his helmet on still and saw his baby sister, Novel in Zest’s arms as the two were watching on the side. A Crystal Prep student walked up to Soul and raised his gun at him. “Hey! I bet you’re with those Canterlot idiots that—” Soul didn’t slow his pace down and grabbed the gun from the student before pointing it at the forehead and pulling the trigger. *SPLAT!* “AAAAAHH!” Soul dropped the weapon on the ground while the student was in intense pain. The other students stopped and shook in fear as they didn’t dare stand in Soul’s way. Soul walked up to Zest before pulling his helmet off to show his rage filled expression. Zest heavily sweated as her legs shook from the very sight of Soul’s face. “Give. Me. Back. My. Sister,” Soul said through his gritted teeth. Zest noded frantically and handed Novel back to Soul. Soul held Novel in his arms and his expression quickly turned into a joyful one. “Oh, I’m glad to see you again, sis!” Soul said as he hugged his little sister and kisses her on the head. “I was worried sick about you.” He then looked at Zest and smiled at her. “Thanks for taking care of my sister for a bit.” Zest let out a sigh of relief. “S-Sure, it was no problem… She’s a real cutie there,” she commented. “Yes, she very much is!” Soul said kissing Novel on the cheek. Sunset walked up to Indigo and had her arms crossed. “You’re lucky that it’s her brother that’s here,” she said. “Otherwise, none of you would have lived long enough if the mother came. Maybe you should let the others leave before she comes along.” Indigo gulped and thought to herself for a moment. “Eh… Okay everyone, I think they learned their lesson. Let’s pack up and go back to our homes,” she said. Soon the Crystal Prep students started to depart from the school, leaving the group to themselves. The gang quickly left the premises of the school and soon parked near the town park to recover. The group stood together seeing that Novel was okay. “Oh thank goodness that we were able to get her back,” Rarity said feeling relieved. “Yeah, I would have felt terrible if anything happened to her,” Clyde said. “Sonata, do ya have something to say to Soul?” Applejack said to Sonata as she pushed her towards Soul. Sonata looked down at the ground with a frown. “Soul, I’m so sorry about what I did,” she said. “I-I never thought she would be in so much danger because of what I did. I understand that you would never want to be friends with me anymore and to stay away from your family as far as possible….” Soul looked at Sonata with anger at first. But the anger soon faded away while he looked to his sister sleeping his arms and let out a sigh. “I would be lying to say that I am not pissed at you for taking my sister from my parents’ place without them knowing and putting her in a vent on the basis that she was smarter than she looks,” he said. “But she is okay now and I know you won’t do this again anytime soon. So, I’ll forgive you if you never ever ever use my sis for anything no matter what. Okay?” “Yes! Yes! I promise!” Sonata responded gratefully. “Are we still friends, then?” “Yeah, we’re still friends.” “Yay!” “Now, I gotta get her back to my old place and put her back to bed. I think she had enough excitement for one night, right sis?” Soul said as he rubbed her head gently making sure she still stayed asleep. “I’ll see you guys later.” Everyone said their goodbyes and Soul and Sunset made their way towards the Writer’s home. Soul used the ladder to get into his old room and snuck around inside until he went into his parents’ room and quietly put Novel back in her crib. He raised a brow to see that his dad was in the bed but his mother wasn’t. Soul decided to go look around quietly for her before running into Toby who was happy to see him and licked his face. After petting him, Soul went back to looking for his mom and went down the stairs. Just as he was halfway, he saw a figure sitting on the living room couch and tried to look closely. Despite the lack of lightning, he could tell that it was Dawn sitting on the couch. Soul walked up to her and just as he was about to speak, he saw that Dawn was asleep with dried tears and was holding a picture of a younger version of himself, her and his dad in her arms. He frowned at the sight his mother was in. Suddenly Dawn’s eyes slowly opened and she jumped a little when she saw Soul was standing in front of her. “S-Soul? What are you doing here so late?” Dawn asked. “It’s a… A lot of crazy stuff happened that ended up me coming back here,” Soul replied. “So… Is everything is alright with you and Sunset?” “Yeah, everything is fine.” “Oh, okay… I thought you were better off living with someone that trusted you than with me…” “Mom… Do you.. wanna talk about this?” Soul asked. Dawn looked up at Soul with weak eyes as she stared up at her son. After a moment, she smiled and patted the seat next to her. “Yeah… I would like that very much.” Soul smiled before he sat down next to her. He knew that this would happen, but he expected it to be during the day. But at that moment, Soul was just glad to see his mother again and hoped that he could put everything behind him. Though he did not expect the real reason why Dawn acted the way she did. > Chapter 29 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Mother’s Revelation The clock on the wall said it was 3:52 A.M. Soul shifted uncomfortably in his spot while he sat next to Dawn after just waking her up and talking to her for the first time in weeks. The two quietly sat as time went by until Dawn spoke up. “So…. How’s school been going?” “It’s um.... It’s been going well,” Soul replied. “My friends tried to pull off a heist at our former rival school.” “I see…. Did it turn horrible?” Dawn asked. “As usual.” “I kinda figured.” They laughed lightly for a moment before things got quiet between them. There was a long pause before Soul spoke up. “Mom, can you please tell me why you didn’t trust me?” Soul asked. “It was… very extreme of you to even go that far for what you did.” Dawn looked up at Soul for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I was…. afraid,” she said, “of some of the things that could happen between you and Sunset.” “What do you mean?” Soul asked. “That she might leave after we did it? Come on, mom, I thought you trusted her.” Dawn shook her head. “No Soul, that’s not what I think would happen. She’s too sweet of a girl to do that to you,” she said. “I was afraid what you two would have to go through if she was… pregnant.” Soul’s expression turned into a surprised one. “What!? Mom, I had condoms and everything!” he said. “Did you really think I would be that stupid to get her pregnant on the first time?” “No… I was afraid that you two would get carried away with it and that one day, she might forget to take a birth control pill,” Dawn said. Soul’s eyes widen. “Oh… you mean how you… with me?” he asked. Dawn noded before she laid back on the couch. “Soul, I’m going to tell you a story about around the time I was pregnant with you,” she said. “I don’t expect you to change your mind about… being with Sunset so intimately, but I could at least give you something to think about and to be more careful.” Soul only sat quietly as Dawn prepared to tell him her story. “It started around the beginning of my last year of high school and I was pregnant with you for five months already.” “You wouldn’t believe this, but Canterlot High was a lot different then. It was under a very shady principal at the time and there weren’t exactly very many pleasant people to meet. I did, however, manage to keep out of trouble with them and made pretty good friends there, including your father who, may we say, was one of the toughest guys there. He used to be a grade A punk who would get into fights all the time and would barely go to class, which was probably why we hadn’t really met.” “As for me? I was, what you would call, an absolute dork who mostly read books and always received good grades. And eventually your dad fell in love with me and I did the same. Though he had to do some of the work himself to get my attention. “But all that changed when… I made a slip-up. Because your father and I didn’t pay much heed to what was going to happen. “As I had said, I was five months pregnant and around that time people found out I was having a child while still in high school. It turned into an absolute hell for my senior year.” A young teenage Dawn walked down the hallways with her books as she heard whispers from the other students. “Hey, isn’t that her?” “Yeah. Huh, who would have thought it turned out she was a slut?” “Wow, smartest girl gets pregnant by an idiot. Guess that means she’s the idiot now.” “Does that mean she’s a hooker now?” Dawn tried her best to ignore the comments and kept on going. She finally reached her locker and placed her books inside of it. Just as she was about to do something else, the locker closed forcibly by a group of female students that made Dawn terrified. “Well, well, if it isn’t miss smartypants here. Where’s your boyfriend? I thought you two were tight after he knocked you up,” the girl said. “Oh wait, did he leave you or something? I bet it hurts, doesn’t it?” “N-No, he didn’t leave me,” Dawn said as she was starting to tear up. “L-Leave me alone o-or—” “Or what? Tell on us? Last I checked the teachers here lost complete respect for you after getting that little thing in you.” “S-Stop it!” Dawn was then slapped across the face by the girl and stumbled backwards onto the ground. “Who the hell do you think you are, bitch!? I’m not letting a trash like you tell me what to—” “Hey! Back off from her!” Comet stood between Dawn and the girls as he glared at them. “Get lost, and if I see you near her again, I’ll make you regret it!” he threatened. Comet watched the girls run off fearfully before going over to Dawn and helping her up. Dawn placed her head on his shoulder and cried on it. “Are you okay?” Comet asked out of concern. “N-No… I-It was horrible,” Dawn replied. “C-Comet, can you please take me out of here? I don’t w-want to be here.” “Of course, I’ll get you out of here,” Comet said. Comet held Dawn close to him as they left the school and he took her back home. Dawn was sitting on the couch as Comet was talking to a younger Granny Smith and telling her what happened. “And this has been happening within the school for weeks!?” Granny Smith asked. “Why didn’t you two tell me about this!?” “She didn’t want you or anyone else to worry. I… I didn’t think it would get this bad.” “Well, I certainly will not stand for this! I will not let my own daughter get harassed in school like this! Mark my words, that school is going to get the boot for this after letting this get out of control!” Granny Smith said. “In the meantime, I’ll be homeschooling her during her senior year.” “A-Are you sure?” Comet asked. Granny Smith placed a hand on Comet’s shoulders and smiled. “Don’t worry dearie, you are still welcome to visit whenever,” she said. “Why don’t you go see that she’s okay? She really needs someone to keep her company.” Comet noded before he walked back into the room with Dawn. She held onto a pillow as her tears dried up. Comet sat next to her and held her in his arms. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, sweetie. I just wish I hadn’t needed to go to the bathroom for a moment, then I would have—” “Comet… It’s okay,” Dawn said. “Dawn, this was not okay! Those assholes had gone too far! They shouldn’t make fun of you for—” “Having a baby, Comet?” Dawn asked. “I… I screwed up, Comet. I screwed up big time. I betrayed everything I believed in! And now… I’m paying the price for what I did wrong.” Comet frowned seeing Dawn the way she was. He sat next to her feeling like there wasn’t much he could do. “Dawn… if you want to break up with me because of all this… and never want to see me again, I can live with that,” he said as his eyes started to water. “I never wanted to put you in this situation. A-And if I had known this would happen… I-I would never have gone out with you and caused you to feel so much pai—” Comet was suddenly silenced when Dawn kissed him. Comet recovered from the shock and held her as he kissed her back passionately. Eventually, Dawn pulled away from the kiss and looked down at her bulging stomach. “No matter what, I will make sure my baby never makes the same mistake as I did, whether it's a girl or boy,” Dawn said. “I swear it.” Soul looked at Dawn with a shocked and depressed expression. All of his life, he had never realized that his mother had suffered so much just for even having him. He remained quiet for a while as he tried to take in this sudden new information and say something. But he couldn't think of anything to say about what his mother went through. For the first time ever in his life, he felt absolutely guilty for ever being born knowing how much grief he gave to his mother. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Dawn smiling at him. “Soul… When you were born, I was so happy to have you. All the pain and ridicule I went through were all washed away when you were in my arms,” she said as she leaned forward and hugged him. “I'm… I’m so sorry, Soul. You're the most precious thing I have besides your father and Novel. And I even see Sunset as a daughter as well. I don't want anything horrible like that to happen to you both.” Tears streamed down Dawn’s cheeks as she held Soul close. Soul thought about her words for a moment before he hugged her back and smiled. “Mom, you don't have to worry about me. The way the school was back then isn't what it is today. People there are more sincere and kind to one another and I have wonderful friends there that'll help me and Sunset through anything, just like how you, dad and all of our family would be there for me. And you don't have to worry about me and Sunset because we're going to be careful and take things one step at a time.” Dawn looked at Soul smiling at her. She wiped away her tears before looking at Soul with a proud smile. “I love you and I am very proud of you, Soul,” she said before she leaned in and kissed Soul on the cheek. “For now on, I'll let you two decide on whatever you want from now on. You've certainly earned it more than once and I couldn't ask for a better son to have.” Soul hugged his mother. “Thanks mom, I really appreciate it,” he said. “You're welcome. Does this mean you'll move back with us?” Dawn asked. Soul paused as he looked at Dawn and pondered for a moment. “If it's okay mom, I’d like… to start living with Sunset,” he replied. “I’ve just gotten use to the idea living with her and—” Soul was cut off as Dawn placed a finger on his lips. “It's fine, sweetie. I suspected that you would like to continue living with her. You are more than free to live with her and we’ll send you a monthly allowance to help pay for the rents and the groceries,” she said. “And um… please come by and visit whenever you can? I do like to see my son every now and again.” Soul chucked. “Sure mom, and… thanks for letting me do this,” he said. “Of course. A momma bird has to let her children fly away from the nest someday.” Soul smiled as he hugged his mother and Dawn hugged her son back. It might have been a long crazy night for Soul, but it was a welcoming peace that Dawn had longed for as the sun was dawning. And outside was Sunset as she had fallen asleep inside of her own car waiting for Soul. Time had passed and it was now Tuesday and everyone was having lunch in the cafeteria at Canterlot High. Twilight had gotten her tray and she walked on over to join up with the rest of the group. Just as she was about to walk past the entrance of the large room, the door swung open and slammed right into her face. “Taco Tuesday! Woo hoo!” Sonata cheered as she came rushing into the cafeteria and waited in line with all the others. The door slowly closed, showing a disgruntled Twilight as her food was now on her chest. “I hate her so much,” she said to herself. She picked up what was left of her food and walked back over to the others. Zero looked over to Twilight with a shocked expression. “Twilight, what happened!?” he concernedly asked. “Sonata.” “Oh yeah, you gotta be careful around this time of the week. It’s the one time she goes crazy for a simple decorative corn chip…. They’re made out of corn, right?” Zero asked with a raised brow. “Yes, they’re made out of kernel corn,” Twilight said. “Kernel?” Twilight sighed. “And you’re the guy that told me you were going to change the world?” she asked. She then looked over to Soul and Sunset as the two were laughing and talking to each other. She smiled. “I’m glad Soul was able to settle things with his mother. I was getting worried.” “Me too, it’s great to have him back and his… his…. What exactly does Soul do for the group?” Zero asked. “Expose us to a high amount of Star Wars lore,” Twilight said. “Right, that,” Zero said. “Anyways, I’m just glad that everything is oka—” “Actually, there was something I was meaning to ask you,” Twilight interjected. “It’s the whole heist thing at Crystal Prep. I kinda thought you would let the whole thing go after what I did at the Friendship Games and the magic of friendship was able to repair. It’s just so odd for me that you would look for an excuse for something that has already been forgiven and that we decided to have a truce with everyone there.” Zero rubbed his head and let out a sigh. “I um… did it for you,” he answered. “ I was going to wreck up Principal Cinch’s office and leave a bag of dog poop on her chair. It was going to be payback for what she did to you during the Friendship Games.” Twilight’s eyes widen and she looked towards the rest of the group who were busy talking to each other before she looked back at Zero. “You didn’t do that because we’re dating now, right?” she whispered. “To be honest, I always wanted to wreck up a principal's office, and Cinch is—and I cannot stretch this enough—a bitch. And the way she treated you was just unforgivable, whether or not we’re dat—” “Shush! Not so loud!” Twilight whispered. “We agreed to keep it to ourselves for a while.” “Right, right, sorry.” “But still, that is very sweet of you, Zero. Thank you,” Twilight said with a smile. Zero smiled too as he held Twilight’s hand under the table. “So, you two are really going to start living together from now on?” Swift asked Sunset and Soul. “Pretty much,” Soul said. “I couldn’t just move back with my parents after spending so much time with this angel here.” He pulled Sunset close to him and nuzzled her head with his. Sunset smiled and hugged Soul. “I’m so happy that you’re going to live with me from now on!” she said. “I was getting a little worried that you would want to go back to your mom’s house.” “What? And miss being with the best girl in the world? Not a chance,” Soul said before giving Sunset a kiss on the cheek. “Now, just to get the elephant out of the room, are you two going to have sex soon?” Pinkie ask. Everyone at the table looked at Pinkie with shock. “Pinkie! That is something you don’t just ask anyone about!” Rarity stated. “It’s a very personal and important thing for two people who love each other, and it’s none of our business to ask.” “Thank you, Rarity,” Sunset said. “However, since the question was asked, do you two plan on being intimate soon?” Rarity asked. Sunset rolled her eyes and looked at both Pinkie and Rarity. “Ask me that again after we do,” she replied. “Wait so… I… darnit! I can’t ask without knowing now!” Pinkie said. “Hmm, clever,” Rarity commented. “Thank you, it took me a while to come up with,” Sunset said. “But right now, Soul and I are just enjoying each other’s company. We’re not in any rush.” “Yep, we’re going to be taking our sweet time with it and hopefully I’ll get that same feeling like we did during the marriage class,” Soul said. “Oh come on!” Treble shouted, earning everyone’s attention. “How long are you two going to keep the readers going like this!? They’re expecting you two to go at it after all the trouble you went through! I mean seriously, you’re just going to wait longer!? You two might as well wear abstinence rings for all we care!” Everyone stared at Treble with blank expressions and were confused by his words. “Treble, we’ve been friends since we were kids, and I had to put up with a lot of things you did and said. And I even had to put up with more of it when I met Pinkie,” Soul stated. “He— Oh wait, yeah, that’s true,” Pinkie said. “So, I will ask you and say, what the hell are you talking about!?” Soul asked. Just as Treble was about to answer, everyone was caught off guard as the speakers turned on. “Attention everyone at Canterlot High,” the voice of Principal Celestia said. “I am here to remind everyone of the upcoming Spring Festival coming up next month. The reason I’m bringing this up now is because just recently, our lead director that formulates our plays transferred to another school. Normally we would have found a replacement within the Drama Club, but its members recommended something spectacular. Every year, the Drama Club has a play set up for the Spring Festival with whatever they come up with. Now this year, the club will be hosting a contest for those who would be interested in being the play director and having their summited plays be featured in the play. For more details, please head to the Drama Club after lunch and may the best submission win!” Everyone in the group looked at one another. “Huh, that’s interesting,” Twilight commented. “I’m curious to see what kind of play would—” “I will make my script the most fantastic play in all the world!” Treble declared. “So, I’m guessing you’re going to do it?” Straight asked. “No, I got better things to do than this contest,” Treble replied in a calm manner. “I just wanted an excuse to say that.” Straight’s eyes were half-lid. Sunset thought about it for a moment and looked over to Soul. “Maybe you should put together a script,” Sunset suggested. “I mean, your pony self was a play director as well. Maybe this could be your destiny of being a play director here as well.” “Hmm… Well, I guess I could give it shot. You know what, I’ll do it!” Soul said. “I’ll write the best play I can ever imagine!” Soul was at the apartment as he sat down at a table with a paper and pen in front of him. He stared at it for a moment before banging his head down and letting out a groan. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” Soul said. > Chapter 30 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Play of the Century? Part - I A week had passed since the announcement of the Drama Club’s contest for the play submissions, and Soul had his head down on the table. He let out a groan as not a single idea of what to write about had popped into his head. Sunset walked up to the table with a cup in her hand and sat down. “Having trouble figuring out what to write, Soul?” Sunset asked. “Yup,” Soul replied. “Damn… I’m sorry, babe.” “It’s okay, I’ll come up with something.” “Any guidelines on what the plays need to be about?” “Well, besides keeping it appropriate for everyone, it can be pretty much anything, as long as it’s within reason, power, and is financially stable for the club,” Soul explained. “Mmmhh, makes sense,” Sunset commented. “Only problem is, I have no idea what kind of play people would like,” Soul said before frowning a bit. “Can't go wrong with a comedy or romance,” Sunset said. “That’s easy to do. I’m trying to go more for…. actually, romance would be good, but also with drama. And twists that most people wouldn’t have expected! That’s the kind of play I want to make,” Soul replied. “Hmmm..... Have any life experiences you can use to draw inspiration from?” Sunset suggested. “Not really. I mean, I can use your whole life experience and the magic of friendship and everything, but since the entire school already knows about that and witnessed it, they probably won’t count it,” Soul explained. “Yeeeeeah.” Soul let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I just don’t know what I could write,” he said. “Yeah, writing can be tough.... though this can be something great if you just have a tiny bit of imagination.... I think,” Sunset said. “I have plenty of imagination. Although they’re mostly about you,” Soul admitted. Sunset snickered. “I’m sure that you’ll get something,” she said. “If you say so…. I’m sure I’ll come up with something soon,” Soul said. “I’m going to head off to bed, sweetie,” Sunset said. “ Sunset patted Soul on the head while he still pondered on what he needed to do for the story. The very next morning, Sunset had woken up to see that Soul’s side of the bed remained untouched and she raised a brow. She walked back into the living room to see Soul writing his script together at a fast pace. “Woah.... Did you have an idea?” Sunset asked. Soul picked up a cup of coffee It shook in his hand, so he put it back down. “Yes! Yes, I did! I couldn’t go to sleep because of all the ideas I had and when I was feeling sleepy there were even more ideas that I had to write down so I started drinking some soda to help keep me up but that only lasted for an hour and I needed some kick so I went over to the nearby gas station to buy some energy drinks but that wasn’t enough so I took some pill that this guy was selling that would help me stay awake but then I wanted to make sure to stay absolutely awake so I came back here and made some coffee and I kept on writing for the rest of the night which led up to now,” Soul explained. “....Umm… Soul? I think now might be the time for a break,” Sunset suggested. “Oh that would be nice can you make pancakes with butter on top along with waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles also with orange, milk and tea because I think that pill I took also made me very hungry and I’m beginning to think that pill could be illegal but it was my first time taking it so what could possibly be so bad on the first pill?” Soul’s eye twitched again and his nose bled a bit. “Except maybe the small bit of blood that comes out of my nose every now and again.” Sunset walked over to Soul and pressed her fingers down on Soul's pressure points. “Shhhhh… shhhh… only dreams now,” she said. “URK!” *Thud!* Soul fell over and his face land on the table falling asleep. He let out small snores and drool immediately came out. “That's better,” Sunset said before putting a blanket over him and walking away. Soul groggily woke up after sleeping for hours. He walked over to the couch where Sunset was sitting and watching TV. He sat down next to her and rubbed his head. “Uuugh… What happened?” he asked. “You were too into your work so I put you to sleep,” Sunset answered. “Do you feel better?” “Yeah, I feel a lot better now,” Soul replied. “Although, I can’t remember exactly what I was doing last night. I still remember all my ideas, but what I did overall, I have not the slightest clue.” “I’m sure it was nothing important that you did,” Sunset said. “Do you mind telling me how much of your writing you got down?” “I got a lot of writing down, and I think I could be done with the first draft,” Soul answered. “Oh, that’s good.” “Yeah, so I’m going to do a little break from it before going over it again and seeing if I need to make any changes to it,” Soul said. “I'm sure it'll turn out well. I bet your story is great,” Sunset commented. “Heh, thanks. Did you happen to look at it while I was knocked out?” “I didn't. I didn't want to stick my nose in something private,” Sunset replied. “Well, you are my girlfriend. You have a few perks of being able to see it without me worrying about it” Sunset giggled. “Still, I didn't really want to encroach until you were ready,” she said. “Aww, you’re so sweet,” Soul said before kissing her on the cheek. “Hmhm, I try to be.” It was on a school day and everyone had gathered around in the cafeteria for lunch. Once again, the large group of friends had gathered around at their usual table while Treble was on one of his theories. “I’m telling you guys! It just seems like most of our important discussions about life happens in this very room!” Treble pointed out. “I cannot be the only one noticing this! Even the readers could put two and two together!” Everyone at the table looked at Treble with blank expressions. “Actually I can totally-” “Pinkie, do not get in this conversation,” Swift said. He looked over to Soul. “So uh, Soul? How’s the script going so far?” Soul was sitting at the table while he was writing. He grabbed his spoon before scooping up some of his mashed potatoes and eating it. “Doing good, I’m almost done with the editing and finding my plot holes,” Soul replied. “We all know how everyone hates plot holes.” “I don’t know, I find them kinda sexy,” Treble said. “God, I hate you so much,” Warhawke commented. “So, what is your story going to be about, Soul?” Clyde asked. “I’m keeping that a secret right now. Not even Sunset knows what it is,” Soul replied. “Anyways, I should be done with this and see if I have to make a second draft of it.” “A second draft? How long do you plan on making this whole thing?” Rainbow Dash asked. “As much time that I have. I’m gonna work on this until the last day of the submission and… well, submit it,” Soul replied. “I just want to get this as perfect as possible so I want all the time to do this.” “Huh, that’s not such a bad idea,” Night said. “I actually put together a sad and tragic story I did a while ago. I have it on my phone if anyone wants to to read it.” “Oh, I could give a read real quick,” Twilight said. Night gave Twilight his phone and she looked at what he had written. For a few moments, Twilight nodded as her eyes followed each word. However, her enthusiasm of reading soon turn into a blank expression as she kept on reading. Then it turned into a dreaded expression as she was nearing the end of it after reading it for a while. She then turned the phone off and gave it back to Night. “So, what did you think, Twilight?” Night asked. “............. There was nothing PG about it and you personally made me lose hope in humanity,” Twilight answered. “Ah good, that was what I was going for,” Night said. “.... Twilight, what was-” “Don’t ask, Zero. Please, do not ask,” Twilight said. The school bell rang and the students were putting away their trash before heading back to their classes. As Soul and Sunset were walking down the hallways together, Soul was taking a different path from Sunset and she raised a brow. “Soul, where are you going?” She asked. “Don’t you have Biology after lunch?” “Huh? Oh uh, I have permission to have a free period and work on my script some more,” Soul replied. “What? When did you-” “Love you!” Soul said before he walked off and headed towards the library. Sunset’s eyes were half-lid. “He is really getting too into this,” she commented before heading off to her class. After a couple of classes later, Sunset was walking down the hallways as she passed the library. As she did, she glance through the door windows and stopped as she saw Soul in the library working on his script. Sunset looked down at her watch and looked back up at Soul with an irritated look. She went into the library and walked up towards Soul as she dropped her notebooks in front of Soul. Soul was startled by it and looked at Sunset who was glaring down on him. “Did you just skip not just you biology class but also the class after that!?” Sunset asked. “Uuh…. I was busy with this story?” Soul replied. “That’s it, new rule. You can only do your story writing at the apartment, nowhere else,” Sunset said. “Now let’s go. You need to be in your next class.” “But-” “No buts!” Sunset grabbed Soul by the collar of his shirt and started dragging him on the floor. “Nnooooooooooooo! I’m still in middle of editing and revising!” Soul pleaded as he struggled against Sunset’s grip. “Nope!” Sunset dragged Soul out of the library and Soul was forced to go to his classes for the rest of the day. As the days had gone by, Soul kept on revising and writing his story every second of everyday he had. At times Sunset would feel worried about Soul’s obsession of his story. But then she’d remember how obsessed he would be over Star Wars and was like that for years so she was okay with it. Soul put everything into his work. His passion, his sweat, his lack of sleeping with Sunset and two times blood. It was the last day for submissions as Soul was heavily asleep on the couch after a long final read over his play script and crashed. Sunset walked into the living room with her clothes on and walked over to Soul. She looked at him for a moment before smiling and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Soul’s eyes opened slowly before rubbing his head. “Mmmhh… Is it morning already?” He asked. “What time is it?” “It's seven o’ two, babe. I woke up a bit early so I could help you get everything ready,” Sunset replied. “Everything is ready, right?” “Yes, everything is ready. All my hardwork and dedication to this is all about to pay off!” Soul declared. “That’s wonderful to hear. Do you need any help getting everything ready?” Sunset asked. “Nah, I just need to organize this mess and get dressed.” “Umm… Are you going to at least take a shower? You haven’t taken one all week,” Sunset pointed out. ‘Thank god, he hasn’t been sleeping with me because of that,’ she thought. “Nah, I’m just gonna wear the clothes I already have on and just grab a bite to eat on the way,” Soul replied. “Oh…” Sunset said. ‘That is so gross, he wore those clothes for almost the entire week! Oh god, I hope he’s been changing his underwear.’ “Hmmm, maybe I should change underwear before we leave,” Soul said. ‘Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!’ After Soul had gotten to school, he made his way towards the Drama Club so he could turn in his script. He went into the club’s room and seeing all their costumes, posters and play equipments organized in a organized manner. As he was looking around, he saw a girl with green hair with purple highlights and two pony tails sitting at a table while she was reading one of the submitted scripts. The girl looked up at Soul and she smiled. “Oh hello there, can I help you with something?” she asked. “Wait a minute, I remember seeing you before. Aren’t you always with that german girl, um Photo Finish?” Soul asked. “Why yes, I’m Pixel Pizazz,” she introduced. “And Photo Finish is always a club member here. She likes to be part of the theater business and we pretty much have like three people in the Photo Club so…. We thought that being part of the Drama Club would be nice. Plus, we don’t get that many chances for the Photo Club to be used except for events.” “Oh…. I guess that makes sense,” Soul said. “Anyways, I’m here to submit a story for the contest.” “Oh! Just leave it here and we’ll have a look at it soon,” Pixel said. “You wouldn’t believe how many of these we’ve been getting.” “What, dozens a day?” “No, only two or three a day. We don’t get many that submissions,” Pixel answered. “The only one of them that was just way off was from this one guy named, Night.” She shivered. “I have never felt so disturbed in my entire life.” “.... So yeah, here you go.” Soul placed the script on the table and said goodbye to Pixel. Later on, Soul was with Sunset and the others in the cafeteria as they usually do. Just as he was about to eat the first bite of his meal, the doors burst opened surprising everyone. Standing there was Photo Finish with Pixel and a girl with pink hair with crimson stripes. “Who ez the one that made thiz script!? Who ez Soul Writer!?” Photo asked. Everyone in the cafeteria stared at her for a moment before most of them shifted their gaze towards the group’s table and were looking at Soul. Soul blinked and raised his hand slowly. “Uum… That... would be me?” Soul replied. In a flash, Photo Finish and the two girls were next to Soul as Photo placed her hands on his face. “Your work, your story, your piece of art, is something I have not seen in so long!” she said. “I can see all the work you've put into it! I can even smell the sweat of your hard labor and the blood that you have spilled on it!” “I… could have sworn that I used freshly clean paper before giving it to you girls,” Soul commented. “How long have you worked on this?” Photo asked. “I’ve been working on it since the contest first was announced,” Soul replied. “Now I see, to have worked on it for so long would make it the masterpiece that this is! I must see you in private for you have won the contest!” Photo said before snapping her fingers. “Wait, I did!? Really!? Oh man, I can’t believe-” Suddenly Soul was grabbed around the arms by the two girls and he was being dragged off. “Wait, what?” “Come! We must talk about this, most haste!” Photo said walking behind Soul and the girls. “Wait, can’t I at least eat my-” The doors were closed after Photo, Soul and the girls had left. Everyone in the room looked at the door for a few moments before going back to their lunches. Sunset shrugged and she continued to eat. “Umm… Are you going to go after him?” Twilight asked. “Why? He’s not in any danger so everything is good,” Sunset said before taking a bite of her apple. “So, we’re just leaving Soul to his fate then?” Twilight asked. “Yup.” “I’m okay with that.” > Chapter 31 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Play of the Century? Part - II Soul sat down after he was dragged into the Drama Club by Photo Finish and her two companions, Pixel Pizazz and Violet Blurr. Soul blinked confusedly while Photo was reading over his script once more while Pixel and Pizazz stood on each side of her. Soul scratched the back of his head and spoke up. “So, are we going to talk or can I go back and eat something before-” “There will be no time to eat!” Photo interrupted. “For we have much work to be done!” “Work?” Soul asked. “Yes, work! For something like this, we’ll need to put everything we can to make this piece of art a reality!” Photo explained. “It’ll be a spectacular!” “.... I knew I put a lot of work into it but I really doubt that it's that goo-” “It’s not good! It’s a magical wonder of art!” “Okay! Just… please stop shouting,” Soul said. Photo cleared her throat. “Sorry, I get really into my work when I see something that greatly interests me,” she said. She then looked back at the script. “I like how this story goes and the plot is magnificent!” “Well, I do the best I can to make it great,” Soul commented. “Yes, but to make the costumes for this type of ear would be tricky so I called in an expert to help.” “An expert?” “Pixel, Violet, please get our costume expert in here most haste!” Pixel and Violet nodded before leaving the room in a flash. Soul raised a brow and was about to ask Photo until he heard the doors opened and looked behind. He saw Pixel and Violet bringing in Rarity as she had a shocked looked on her. “What in heavens is going on!?” Rarity demanded. “Rarity?” Soul said. “Soul? What have you gotten me into now!?” Rarity asked. “For once, it wasn’t because of me… Sort of,” Soul replied. “Ms. Rarity, I had you brought here because I’m in need of your assistance!” Photo explained. “This play has so many needs for costumes and you’re the only one that can provide us with best kind within a short amount of time.” “Is that all?” Rarity asked. “We are in dire need of your expertise and creativity for this play! Surely you would be more than willing to help us out,” Photo explained. “Hmmm... Very well then. I suppose if you are in need of my services, I will take you by your offer,” Rarity said. “Umm, could you possibly have some descriptions of the costumes written up for me? I usually use my own imagination to make my outfits but I’m not particularly sure what kind of theme I should go for.” “We would need a mixture of renaissance and medieval in order to have both costume and armor,” Photo said. “Oh! Well, that will certainly be no- … Wait, armor?” “Why yes! We will be needing armor for the play.” “I don’t know how to make armor!” Rarity said. “I’m sure you will find a way. Now please, I have some work with the new director of the play to take care of,” Photo said. “Wait, this is craz- GHAA!” Rarity was dragged out of the room by Pixel and Violet and the door shut behind them. Soul blinked before he looked over to Photo. “What exactly kind of work are we taking care of?” he asked. “Auditions!” Photo proclaimed. “Wait, what?” “Well, we do need actors to play out the show,” Photo replied. “But I thought the Drama Club is made up of actors?” Soul asked. “Sadly, the club has few members this year. Which was why Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna allowed us to hold auditions for all members of the school to be able to have a chance at being apart of this play,” Photo explained. “Now I must be off! I have some school year photos to capture before the end of my senior year and graduation! I will inform you when auditions will start.” Photo pulled a camera from out of nowhere and she headed out the door. Soul blinked a few times before scratching the top of his head. “What did I get myself into again?” A few days had passed since Soul met with Photo Shoot and already several posters of the school’s auditions were all over the hallways. Several students had signed up for the auditions and were soon auditioning on the gym’s stage. Of course, it was not going so well. “Eeehh…. Uum…. What’s my line again?” Derpy asked. “Derpy… for the third time, the lines are in your hands,” Soul pointed out. Derpy was standing there with a script of lines and she looked at it funny. “But I can’t read it! It’s all weird looking,” she said with her eyes crossed and her lips scrunched. Soul let out a sigh. “We have got to figure out a way for that girl to see straight,” he commented. “Just… how bout we just make you a background character without any voice roles, okay?” “Woo hoo! I’m going to make it big in the theater business!” Derpy said before she walked off the stage with a bright smile plastered on her face. Soul placed a hand on his face as Photo only shook her head. Another girl, she had bright green hair with pale green streaks in it. She had dark purple irises and having red beret over her head. The girl wrote a few things down on her paper before letting out an exhausted sigh. “That is the fourteenth audition and the fourteenth person… to be a background character,” the girl said. “Not to be mean about this but… Is there anyone with a talent for actually reading their lines right?” “Well, we have been auditioning people that…. Let’s admit it, not that good at reading so far, Watermelody,” Soul said. “Wait, I just realized. Didn’t I see you in the Artist’s Club one time?” “Yes, and our club corresponds with the Drama Club along with other kinds of clubs,” Watermelody replied. “Huh? How many clubs are like that?” Soul asked. “A lot of clubs are corresponding with one another. It's the school’s way of everyone being friends with one another even being in a different club,” Watermelody explained. “Anyways, who’s next?” “That would be me!” Treble walked up the stage with a bright smile on his face. “Oh god,” Soul commented. “Oh, don’t worry, bro. I was just making a cameo appearance in this chapter,” Treble said. “Wait, what?” “Later suckers!” Treble pulled a nearby rope and he fell down a trap hole. The three looked at the stage with blanks looks. “Eeeeehh…. Next?” Watermelody said. Zero took the stage and looked at his script for a moment. “Zero? You want to be part of the play?” Soul asked. “Well yeah, I like the idea of being famous and becoming a movie actor,” Zero replied. Soul looked at Zero with half-lid eyes. “Just… read your lines the best you can,” he said. Zero nodded and started reading his lines. “Oh my love, I have waited for so long to see you again. My soul was taken away from you and the cruelty of fate had to keep us apart for so long,” Zero read as the judges were surprised to hear how elegant he was reading his lines. “My time maybe short here on the Earth but to know that you are safe is all that I need to keep my soul burning in the high heavens.” He looked away from the script and smiled. “How was that? Should I continue on?” Soul blinked, Photo had her mouth opened and Watermelody was looking at Zero dreamly. “Yes, please go on~” Watermelody said in a sultry tone. Zero went on reading his lines as the three listened. Finally, he had said the last line and looked to the three with a bright smile. “So, what do I get?” he asked. “You will have the lead role of this play!” Photo proclaimed. “You are exactly what we need!” “Umm, shouldn’t we wait until after we hear the rest of the auditions before deciding who’s plays what?” Soul asked. “Alright, let’s put it to a vote,” Watermelody said. “Raise your hand if you want Zero to have the leading role, raise your hand.” Both Photo and Watermelody raised their hands in favor of the idea while Soul looked at them with half-lid eyes. “Yes! Hollywood, here I come!” Zero said. Soul let out a groan. “This is going to be a long day,” he said. After announcing who the lead male was and dealing with the disappointed male students, the three were going over more of the auditions. Unlike the early auditions, Soul was happy to see that there were people that actually were able to act. Just as the last person walked off the stage, Rarity walked up and she smiled brightly. “Miss Belle? What are you doing here?” Photo asked. “I thought I asked you to work on the costumes for the play?” “Oh, they’re going very well! I should be able to have them ready for practices and after I get the measurements from the actors, I can be able to make those armors that you requested,” Rarity explained. “Wait, you figured out how to make them?” Soul asked. “I had help.” -Flash Back- Rarity took in a deep breath before she approached a girl with spiky dark blue hair with brilliant red irises and cyan skin. Rarity made a smile smile and waved at her. “Hello,” Rarity greeted. The girl looked at Rarity with a raised brow. “Can I help you?” she asked. “Yes, I have heard around the school that you could be able to make several medieval things like swords and armor, correct?” Rarity asked. “It’s mostly a hobby,” the girl replied. “You need something made? Because its gonna cost ya.” “I am very aware of that and more than willing to compensate for your troubles. Would you be willing to make several armors for the school’s upcoming play for the Spring Festival, Ms. Ember?” Rarity asked. Ember rubbed her chin for a moment before looking at Rarity with a smile. “Sure, I’ll be willing to make some for the play,” she replied. “But first, let’s see how much you’re willing to pay.” “Oh, I’m sure it won’t be that bad,” Rarity said. -Flash Back End- Rarity then looked at them with a glare. “It turned out to be that bad,” Rarity said. “It took all from my savings just to pay for those.” “We’ll compensate later after we see them,” Photo said. “That explains about the armors but that doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Soul pointed out. “Oh right! I’ve decided to be part of the play and audition for the lead female role!” Rarity replied. “Alright! Then please read your lines and we’ll see if you’re right for the part,” Watermelody said. Rarity smiled and started reading her lines. “Oh my sweet knight, I have always dreamt of being with you since the days of our youth. Please, say that you will forever be by my side and carry me whenever I wish it. And that every morning after our day of consummation that you will kiss these lips and hold me tight into your ever loving arms,” Rarity acted. “Oh my, this quite the lines, Soul. Are these going to be part of the play?” “These are just lines I came up with. They’re just somewhat related to the play,” Soul replied. “Mind reading the next few lines?” “Of course!” Rarity said before looking back at the script. She read her lines elegantly and her voice was matching her character well. After reading the rest of her lines, she looks up at the judges. “Did I do well?” she asked. “Yes! You did magnificent job!” Photo said. “I believe we might have found our new leading fema-” “No! No! No!” Soul interjected. “It’s one thing to just pick a male lead since guys just complain about it but if we go ahead and pick a female lead without going through the entire audition, this school will be torn apart by the entire female body!” The three girls narrowed their eyes at Soul. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! You know it's true!” All the girls glared at him for a moment before making mumbles of agreement. “Very well, we will wait until we audition every girl here… Despite what Soul thinks of woman,” Watermelody commented. Soul narrowed his eyes at Watermelody before looking at Rarity. “But as far as I can tell, you look like you have a good chance at becoming the next lead,” he said. “That is wonderful to hear! I can’t wait to find out if I am the next lead!…. Even with your view on wo-” “Get out of here!” Soul interjected Rarity. Rarity laughed before she got off the stage. Soul let out a sigh before he looked towards the stage. “Next.” The three waited for a moment but no one came towards the stage. “Um…. Next?” Soul repeated. There was still no one on the stage. “Did we already audition everyone?” he asked. “No, there’s still a line outside,” Watermelody replied. “Well whoever is next, please come up to the stage!” Photo yelled. “We have very precious time and we would like to get our actors together!” Finally someone walked up to the stage nervously while she hid behind her hair. “.... Fluttershy?” Soul asked. “Y-Yes…” Fluttershy replied. “I-I’m here for the… audition.” “Wait, why? I thought you get nervous easily if too many people look at you,” Soul said. “I-I do b-but I want to change that and be m-more comfortable with people,” Fluttershy said. “I t-thought that this would be a g-good step.” “Oh…. Alright… Just read your lines and please, take your time,” Soul said. Watermelody leaned over to Photo. “This is gonna be a long audition,” she whispered to her. “She won’t even make it past the first line for about two hours,” Photo whispered back. Soul cleared his throat catching the two off guard and they acted innocent. Fluttershy held her script for a moment as she read it. She looked at three before taking a deep breath and spoke. “Oh my sweet knight, I have always dreamt of being with you since the days of our youth. Please, say that you will forever be by my side and carry me whenever I wish it. And that every morning after our day of consummation that you will kiss these lips and hold me tight into your ever loving arms,” Fluttershy started. “To know that I will be with you for the rest of my life soon is a dream come true. And that I hope we would have many children that would love us just as much as I love you and you the same to me. Hold me tight my love… for I will never let go of you ever when we are wed.” All three of the judges had their mouths hung open as Fluttershy spoke her lines. She spoke so sweet and passionate with her lines and what amazed them the most was that she was hardly looking at the script. Fluttershy had memorized the script in such a short time and would only look at it ahead of her lines to make sure she remember them right. She soon finished and looked up at the three nervously. “Did… Did I do good?” Fluttershy asked. “You did good?.... You did good!? My dear, you’ve done the lines true justice! Your voice, your pacing and the passion you gave it! You are perfect for the leading role!” Photo declared. “L-Leading role?” Fluttershy said nervously. “I-I don’t I can handle-” “Unless of course, Soul has to make us-” Watermelody said until Soul interrupted her. “Fluttershy, you are perfect for the role!” Soul said. “Girls, I change my mind, this would be so worth the school being torn apart if it means Fluttershy would be part of it!” “W-Wait, what!?” Fluttershy pancied. “M-Maybe you should wait till-” Photo walked up towards the the stage entrance and yelled out. “The role for leading female has been taken!” she shouted. “We are no longer looking for a leading female role!” “WHAT!?” Rarity shouted. “Oh come on!” Sweetie Belle shouted from afar in the line. “This isn’t fair!” one girl shouted. “Let’s tear this school apart!” All the girls shouted in agreement before they started tearing off pictures, pulling the lockers towards the ground and papers were thrown all over the hallways. It was soon total chaos as Celestia and Luna watched out from their office. Luna glared over to Celestia as Celestia had a weak smile. “You said nothing bad would happen today at the auditions, nothing at all,” Luna said. “Well… It's that bad!” Celestia let out a sigh. “For once, I wish I was right about these things,” she said. After a while of auditioning and helping with the repairs of the school, Soul was in the library. He hid deep within the columns of shelves and books as he was hiding from the dozens of girls that were still angry and wanted to take it out on him. Soul sat down with his lunch and took a bite out of his sandwich before Sunset poked her head out around a corner and smiles. “Oh, hey babe!” “Hey Sunny, had any trouble looking for me?” Soul asked. “No, you were very easy to find since… well, there’s not that many columns both up and down the stairs,” Sunset replied. “How come you didn’t go to Scruffy’s office? You and the guys usually go in there whenever trouble comes along.” “I can’t…. Some of the girls were standing guard waiting for me,” Soul replied. “Oh… That’s a shame,” Sunset commented. “Yeah… So how’s your day going?” “It’s going well, I thought about being a part of your play but then the riot started and I just got the hell out of there,” Sunset replied. “I never realized this but I think the school has gotten a lot crazier over the last two years.” “Stick around, baby. There’s still a lot to come before graduation,” Soul commented. He took in a deep breath and looked off. “I can’t believe that it's getting near graduation already… I feel like I missed so much before I came here. You turning into a probably hot she-demon and the Dazzling girls taking you guys on at the Battle of the Bands. And I just met you in junior high almost two years ago.” Sunset smiled before she rested her head on Soul’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about all that stuff,” she said. “I mean, it would have been great spending high school with you for two more years but I wasn’t exactly super good girl at the time and when I did, I wasn’t really ready on trying to go out with guys.” “What made you change your mind about that?” Soul asked. “Well, there was this one sweet and awesome guy that wanted to go out with me so much. He hanged out with me and even when I told him I wasn’t interested in any dating or romance, he still stuck around with me,” Sunset said as her smile grew. “Heh, and when it was around the Fall Formal again, he must have been a weck because he feared the possibility of the friendzone. The worst thing that could ever happen to a boy.” Soul chuckled before he wrapped an arm around Sunset. “Yeah, it was very unnerving for that guy,” he commented. “But if I recall correctly, you decided to take the poor guy to the dance and had one of the most romantic times in your life.” Sunset giggled. “Yes, it was the best decision of my life. And from then on we went on so many dates, shared so much time together both good and bad times,” Sunset said. “Now he lives with me and we share the same bed and I get to wake up every morning in his arms because he loves me so much. Just like how much I love him.” Sunset leaned up and kissed Soul passionately. Soul returned the kiss with a deep kiss of his own wrapping both arms around her. While the two were embracing each other's lips, a girl came skidding across the floor and saw the who. “Girls! I found the director, he’s in here!” the girl shouted. Soul’s and Sunset’s eyes widen before looked to see a mob of girls heading straight towards them. “EEP!” Soul squeak before he grabbed his lunch bag and ran off with the mob chasing him. Sunset let out a yelp before the mob ran over her and left her behind as she groaned in pain. She sat up before rubbing head and opened her crossed eyes. “I’m… really getting tired of this s***,” she said. “And the girls grabbed me and threw me through a window!” Soul finished. His clothes was covered in stains and had a foul stench. Zero, Swift, Clyde, Night and Rivet held their noses as they sat at the same booth at the cafe. However they kept their distance as best they could. “Man, that must have sucked,” Swift commented. “Good thing they aimed you at the dumpster.” “That’s the thing…. They didn’t! They threw me through the window without knowing there was one there!” Soul pointed out. “Oh…. Well, good thing there was a dumpster then,” Swift said. “Soul, I’m not complaining or anything like that but couldn’t you have gone home and washed up before coming here to hang out?” Night asked. “Because the smell is very painful to smell.” “I would have but apparently my bike was also trashed by the girls too and it's in the shop as well,” Soul said. “This was not worth casting Fluttershy at the spot and I see that now.” “That’s what you get for contradicting yourself,” Rivet commented. “How about we just talk about something else and try to cover up that smell?” “Wait, I think I got something that might help,” Zero said before getting up and heading out the door. After a moment, he came back in and hung a car freshener on Soul’s ear. “There we go, that should help.” Soul’s eyes were half-lid and let out a sigh. “So Soul, besides the riot and the mob, how is the play going along?” Rivet asked. “It’s going pretty well. Though I hope that everything goes well, we only have a limited time before the Spring Festival,” Soul replied. “I just hope it's good enough for everyone.” “Don’t worry about it, you did put a lot of work into it so I’m sure that everyone will enjoy it,” Clyde said. “I know Rarity is enjoying making the costumes…. Though she is mixed between being bitter and joyful about Fluttershy being the lead female.” “Are you sure she’s joyful for Fluttershy and bitter towards me?” Soul asked. “.... Possibly,” Clyde replied before taking a sip from his drink. “I think your play is going to go great, man,” Swift said. “You put a lot of effort into this and now, your story is going to be used to make this play awesome!” “I agree. I mean you already have a large cast of characters, you’ll be getting your costumes and armors and from what I understand, Pinkie is going to be in charge of the set equipment,” Rivet said. “I gotta say, it sounds freakin badass.” “Thanks guys, I really appreciate the support,” Soul said. “Man we’ve been through alot together over the last couple years.” “Yeah…. Although for some strange reason I was in constant pain and misfortune for the first few months of junior,” Swift said. “I’ve never been that clumsy and always been so careful in those situations. And why would people use me as an example of it? Derpy is a good example of all that stuff! Do you know how many times she gets stuck on the windows?” “Too many to count,” Soul answered. “I mean it was almost like a story that someone was making and misused a character and now everyone thinks that character is like that even though that’s completely wrong.” “That’s a strange way to put it but yeah sounds about right,” Night said. “You know despite some of the stuff I’ve been apart of, it sounded like you guys did so much that I wish I was a part of,” Zero said. “I feel the same way. I pretty much missed two out of three major magical events that had happened,” Soul said. “It’s a shame though that this is our last year of high school.” “Time flies so fast,” Rivet said. “Hey guys, what are you going to do after graduation?” “I plan on becoming a lawyer like my great uncle,” Swift said. “He said he could get me into one of the best colleges here and after that, I can work for him for a while before being one on my own.” “Neat! I’m planning on being part of the law enforcement!” Zero said. Everyone at the looked at Zero with a surprised expressions. “You?…. Part of the law enforcement?.... The guy that always stands up against the man?” Rivet asked. “Hey! I really want to help people and being a cop or a detective let’s me do that,” Zero said. “Although taking down the man from the inside is a good perk too.” Rivet rolled his eyes. “Well, I got plans to join the airforce after college,” Rivet said. “And… Maybe ask Rainbow Dash to…. You know.” “Planning on tying the knot down?” Clyde asked. “Yeah. We’ve been together for so long and she does have other plans after college. So I hoped that after we both graduated from college, I can ask her to marry me… or at least live together,” Rivet explained. “Though to be honest, I’m not sure she’s into the idea of marriage. She always talks about being free as a bird.” “That doesn’t mean she can still be free as a bird and have someone along the way,” Swift said. “I’m sure she’ll love the idea of being with you, Rivet. That girl cares about you more than anything else in the world.” “Heh, I’ll hold you to that, Swift,” Rivet said. “Got any plans for the future, Night?” Zero asked. “Eeeh, nothing yet. I do plan to go to the college but I might take a year off and think about what I want to do in life,” Night replied. “I can get down with that,” Clyde commented. “But I got some special plans of my own. I’m thinking about going to be playing basketball overseas for next year. Though I’m having a hard time how to tell Rarity about it. I promised her that we would go to Manehattan but I think this would be better for the both of us.” “I’m sure she’ll be able to handle it well,” Swift said. “Let’s hope so,” Clyde said. “I bet it’ll turn out well,” Zero commented before looking to Soul. “So what about you, pal? Don’t you have any plans after graduation?” Soul rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know exactly. I never really thought about it that much,” he replied. “I guess I might do the same with Night and just have a year off to myself. Figure out what I would like to do with it for the rest of my life hopefully.” “Well whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be awesome!” Swift said. Zero lifts up his drink. “Hey, let's make a toast!” he said. “To our future!” All the guys raised their drinks. “To our future!” They all said before clinging their drinks together before drinking them. “Hey guys, can I ask you something?” Soul asked. “Aren’t you asking right now?” Night pointed out. Soul rolled his eyes. “Even though I don’t have much plans for the future but… I’ve been thinking of some things between and me and Sunset,” he said. “And…. recently I’ve been thinking about…. asking her to marry me.” All the guys stopped before looking at Soul with shocked expressions. “Woah, asking her to get married?” Zero asked. “Yeah…. I want to ask Sunset to marry me,” Soul replied. “W… Woah,” Swift said. “That’s…. A pretty big decision, man,” Zero said. “I agree. You sure it's time?” Clyde asked. “You don't want to wait another year before thinking about it?” “I’m sure of it… I mean, I’m already living with her, we share the same bed and… I get to see her every morning when I wake up… It just feels like it's time for me to ask her, you know?” Soul explained. “Dude...that's huge...that's like, the biggest decision you can make in your life,” Swift explained. “Yeah,” Rivet said. “Come on guys, this is a great moment for him!” Night chimed. “Well, if you think it's time, it's time. I love Rarity more than anything but I still think we are too young for that, and especially since I'll be leaving for a year, I'm sure she won't like me asking that before I leave,” Clyde said. “I get where you're coming from and I would totally say go for it as a sign of love and all that jazz but still, when do you plan on asking her?” Zero asked. Soul rubs the back of his head. “I don’t know…. Depends on if I ever get the chance to get an actual diamond ring,” Soul replied. “Yeah, those are super pricey dude,” Swift commented. “Maybe you can get a summer job or something,” Zero suggested. “Riiiiiiiight, a minimum wage job would totally get me the money I need to get a diamond ring in time before Sunset leaves for college to become a teacher,” Soul sarcastically said. “Right. Sarcasm aside, as long as you plan everything out and can afford what you want to do, there shouldn't be a problem,” Night said. “Dude, Sunset loves you, I think you don't have anything to worry about,” Rivet said. “think you can take your time with this.” “I know but… I just can’t wait to ask her this. As reckless as this may sound, I really want to know if she would want to or not,” Soul said. “I've no doubt that she does. You two are great for each other,” Night assured. “Yeah man, you make a pretty fun couple if you ask me,” Zero said. “Plus you're living together, If she's not bothered by you living with her at all, then there's no need to rush the whole marriage thing.” “Yeah, that's right. It's just important to think if you're moving too fast with this or not. Even me and Pinkie are taking it slow in that regard,” Swift said. “Hey guys!” Pinkie popped up next to the group as she handing some of them more drinks. “Here you go!” “Thanks, Pinkie,” Swift said. “So what are you guys talking about over here?” Pinkie asked. “Soul wants to know if it's a good idea to ask Sunset to marry him,” Rivet replied. “Okay, am-am I really the only one who's okay with what Soul's doing here?” Night asked. “Oh, that is so romantic!” Pinkie said. “Nope, you’re not,” Soul replied. “I'm okay with it, I'm just making sure Soul is sure that this is what he wants to do,” Rivet said, “Same,” Clyde agreed. “I don't want him to rush anything is all.” “Because it's such a huge step,” Rivet added. “And We don't want him to screw anything up,” Zero added as well. “I mean, as long as he has a plan and knows how he'll afford everything, I'm all for it!” Night said. “It’s just this feeling. I mean, like you guys said, we’re perfect for each other and she would more than likely to say yes so… why wait?” Soul pointed out. “That is so true! In fact… I know what I have to do.” Pinkie looks to Swift, kneels down and holds his hands. “Swift, would you be my wife?” “W-What!?” Swift asked shocked. “Yeah Swift, what's the answer?” Zero elbows him with a chuckle. “Wait…. I think I got the roles mixed up,” Pinkie said. “Yeah…. You did,” Swift said. “Never mind, we’ll have to do this again at another time. I don’t wanna get married getting the roles mixed up… although you would look nice in a dress, sweetie,” Pinkie commented. “.... Thanks, Pinkie,” Swift said. Soul blinks before he shakes his head. “I’ll…. think about this some more. Thanks for the input on this, guys,” he said. “Ah, okay. Of course you want to be sure yourself,” Night said before sighing. “Darn, I was getting excited.” “Mmhmm, glad we could talk about this,” Swift said. “Seriously, when are we going to get married?” Pinkie asked. “We’re at this again are we?” Swift asked. “When we're sure we want to be together forever?” “How can we be sure we’ll be together forever if you take forever to ask me to marry me?” Pinkie retorted. “.... True.” “Ah ha! I trapped you!” Pinkie said. “Tell you what, how about I go through college and then ask you to marry me once I'm able?” Swift suggested. “I’ll hold you to that. Because if you forget, I’ll come after you,” Pinkie said with a menacing voice before sliming brightly. “... Don't worry, I'll likely ask you to marry me when I can afford a ring,” Swift said. Pinkie reached into her chest before pulling out a stack of money and slamming it in front of Swift. “You can afford it,” she said. “.... Where did you-” “Babysitting.” “Ah…. So.... after college then?” Swift asked. “After college,” Pinkie agreed. “Alright.” “Man, all this marriage talk,” Zero commented before taking a sip from his drink. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about that for a while. I mean, you’re still single,” Soul said. “Eeeh…. Yeah, you see-” Zero was about to say until his cellphone started to ring. He picked it up and answered it. “Hello?” “Hey Zero, are you doing anything tonight?” Twilight asked. “Because I was hoping we could go out again.” “Sure thing, I'm not doing anything tonight. Where do you wanna meet up?” Zero asked. “Maybe at the park and we can just walk around with our hoods on? I’m still trying to keep our relationship a low profile,” Twilight said. Zero let out a sigh. “Seriously? Can't we just be open about this?” he asked. I know you want this to be more open about us but… I don’t know, it just makes me feel very nervous,” Twilight replied. “Look, there's nothing to be nervous about. If anything happens, I'll be there for you. Easy as that,” Zero said. “Please?... Just a little longer?” Twilight asked. Zero could feel that she was making her cute little pout that she would use him a lot. “Ok, ok. After the play is done. How's that?” he asked. “Alright, that sounds fair,” Twilight said. “Great, see ya at the park later. Love you,” Zero said. “Love you too,” Twilight said. Zero could hear a small kissing sound before Twilight hung up. He did the same and looked up at Soul. “Nevermind, just focus on the play and marriage stuff,” he said. “O…. Kay?” Soul said confused. “So, How's the casting for the play coming along?” Zero asked. “Like I said, besides the riots, it went well. We have all that we need for the play,” Soul replied. “Great! I can't wait to steal the show with my glorious acting!” Zero boasted. “Heh, yeah,” Soul said before he gets up. “Alright, I’m gonna head off. Later guys.” “See ya later my man,” Zero said before he looks at Night. “So Night, You're cool with me and Fluttershy being the leads right?” Night waved his hand. “Pfft. Yeah. Of course. Heh. Yeah. I mean, duh. Yeah,” he said. “Just making sure, I don't want you feeling jealous or anything with whatever happens on stage or during rehearsals,” Zero said before smirking slightly. Night’s eyes widen. “What, ah... wh-what... what exactly are you insinuating?” he asked apprehensive. “Nothing really, I'm just saying we might say some romantic lines, staring into each other's eyes, Me being her knight in shining armor as I save the day or world or whatever as we say I love you to each other or something,” Zero shrugs. “Are... are you just, like, rubbing it in at this point?” Night asked. “Way to be that guy, Zero,” Clyde commented. Zero chuckles. “I'm just kidding around,” he assured. “It's just a play after all, not like I'm really stealing her away. But seriously, Don't worry about what happens in the play. It's all just an act,” He said before he puts on his hoody and gets up. “I know it is but with you, it could go either way,” Night said. Zero chuckled. “Well, later guys. I have some business to take care of,” he said before he walks off and leaves the cafe. A few days had passed and Soul was watching and instructing everyone that was working on the set for the play. Thanks to Pinkie, he had all that he needed to make scenes and backgrounds for the play. One of the students were testing out the slides that moved the cardboard bushes and other background materials while another was testing the lighting over the stage. “Pinkie, once again you’ve outdone yourself,” Soul complemented. “This is going to be the awesomest play of all time!” “Thank you, Soul! I just like to help out a friend!” Pinkie said. “Hey, I was wondering about something. What are you going to do for the boulder scene?” Soul asked. “This! Hey guys, let it rip!” Pinkie yelled. Soul raised a brow before he looked behind him and his eyes widen. He saw a large boulder hanging on a rope swung straight towards him and collided with him. It kept Soul on it for a moment before it stopped and sent Soul towards the wall. “GHAAAA!” “Oops…. Maybe we should have moved a bit to the left,” Pinkie said. Soul groaned before he fell towards the ground and he slowly limbed back towards Pinkie. “Despite the pain…. It was a pretty good effect,” he said. “But how about we make a little more softer in case-” “LOOK OUT FOR THE LIGHT!” A light fell down and it crashed next to Soul. Soul let out a sigh of relieve as he had seen in so many cartoons. “Phew! That was close,” he said. “NOT THAT ONE, THE OTHER ONE!” Soul’s eyes widen before a light fell right on top of him. “AAAAAHH!” “Derpy, I told you to be careful with that!” Vinly said. “I just don’t know what went wrong,” Derpy replied. After everything on the stage was set up and Derpy proofed, Soul sat down on a chair with his left arm and both legs casted. He looked at his script for a moment before looking up towards the stage. “Alright, first day of rehearsal everyone. Let’s see if we can nail this thing on the first try,” Soul said. “Alright, we’ll start with the first scene. Zero and Fluttershy, please come up to the stage.” Zero walked up to the stage in his casual outfit. “Shouldn’t we have costumes on?” he asked. “Naw, we can wait until everyone is comfortable with the play. Also, Rarity is still working on them,” Soul replied. “Plus, where’s Fluttershy?” Everyone looked around for Fluttershy for a moment as she was nowhere to be seen. Zero looked behind him until he saw a small bit of pink hair behind one of the cardboard set. “I think I found her,” Zero said. “Come on, Fluttershy. It’s just a small group of people here today, You can come out.” Slowly and nervously, Fluttershy walked up to the stage and stood next to Zero with her script covering the lower part of her face. ‘The poor girl can barely stand on her legs,’ Soul thought. “Umm, whenever you two are ready, we can begin the play.” Fluttershy nodded before she took in a deep breath and looked at Zero. “Oh my lov-” “LOOK OUT! THE BOULDER BROKE LOOSE!” Pinkie shouted. Zero and Fluttershy looked behind them and their expressions turned to horror as the fake boulder was rolling across. Zero quickly grabbed Fluttershy’s hand and they both jump off the stage as they dodged the boulder. Soul’s eyes widen when Zero and Fluttershy were about to land on top of him. “Son of a-” *CRASH* Soul felt hazy as he groaned in pain. It felt like something was sitting on top of his face and he couldn’t see anything. Fluttershy sat up as she rubbed her head and Zero got on his knees as he let out a sigh of relieve. “That was too close,” Zero said before he looked over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, are you okay?” “Y-Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you, Zero for pulling me out of the way,” Fluttershy said. “It what I do best. Rescue damsels in distress and all that,” Zero said. He stood up and looked around the room for a moment. “Hey, where’s Soul?” “I don’t-” Fluttershy was about to say until she felt something underneath her. She looked down and her face slowly turned scarlet red. She saw that Soul was under her skirt and could feel his face in between her thighs. “EEEEEEEEEK!” *SLAP!* “AAAAHH!” “Pinkie, I think it's for the best that we get rid of the boulder. It has come to my attention that it is a health hazard and it can put people in danger… Especially me,” Soul said to Pinkie as a bright red mark could be seen on his cheek after Fluttershy had gave him it. “I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to slap you! I-It was just instinctive!” Fluttershy pleaded. “Fluttershy, for the fifth time, it’s fine,” Soul said before looking back at Pinkie. “I’m gonna have to ask you to find an alternative way of doing the boulder scene.” “Hmmm…. Will, I could use the projector to show an image of a rolling boulder. Vinyl suggested that but I was totally like, we should try making a real one instead! But then we compromised for a super hard cardboard one,” Pinkie explained.. “.... The projector would work fine,” Soul said. He then looked back at his play staff. “Alright everyone, we started out a bit rocky but if there’s one thing that I’ve learned anything from my life is that, well this kind of stuff happens to me a lot. So… actually this has turned out better than I expected to be.” “I…. can’t tell if that’s good or bad,” Zero commented. “Now, if y’all excuse me…. I’m gonna go get some rest. Watermelody will take over for me for the rest of the day,” Soul said before he used his cane and he limped out of the gym. Watermelody cleared her throat. “Yes well, everyone please take your places and try all this again,” she said. “We only have a few weeks and we need to get all this ready before the Spring Festival. Let’s do our best and show everyone what we can do!” Everyone made small gestures of agreement and they all took their places on the stage. Meanwhile, Soul was walking down the hallways seeing that it was mostly empty. It was after school hours and he and his staff were allowed to stay in the school while they prepare the play. As he walked down the halls, going by the cafeteria doors and took a small through the windows before passing them. He then looked back again through the window with a raised brow and saw his grandmother, Granny Smith wiping down the tables. Soul went into the cafeteria and walked up towards Granny Smith. “Hey granny, shouldn’t you be out of here by now?” he asked. “I thought you would be gone by now.” “Well, someone gotta clean these tables up. And Lord knows it ain’t gonna be that Scrubby fella,” Granny Smith replied. She looked over to Soul and raised a brow. “What in sam hella happened to ya?” “Nothing much, just needed to rest for a bit. The directing stuff is killing me both figuratively and literally,” Soul replied. “But I can tough it out and get everything in working order.” “Ah’m sure ya will, Soul,” Granny Smith said before she patted his head and went back to cleaning the table. Soul turned around and was about to leave until he stopped for a moment. He looked back at Granny Smith for a moment before speaking up. “Hey granny, do you have a sec?” he asked. “Well, of course! Ah always have time to spare for my grandkids,” Granny Smith said. “What do ya wanna talk about?” “Well…. Alright, I’m gonna just come out with it. I’ve been thinking about… proposing to Sunset lately,” Soul replied. “And I talked with some my friends and most of them said that I should wait until Sunset and I graduate after college but…. I don’t know if I want to wait that long.” Granny Smith rubbed her chin as she nodded. “Why don’t ya sit down for a moment,” she suggested. Soul nodded and he sat down next Granny Smith. “Soul, Ah can suggest and say a lot of things to ya. Ah can convince ya to wait just like ya friends suggested or Ah can tell ya ya can go ahead and purpose to that sweet girl you live with now. But the opinions of others means nothing between true love of both a man and a woman. What matters is what ya think. Do ya think you’re ready for this, Soul? Cause marriage is a serious and sacred bond between a man and a woman.” Soul stared at his grandmother for a moment before looking down at the table with his thoughts. He thought back to when he first met Sunset as he turned around to see her beautiful face, the first time he held her in his arms when he pulled her out of the way of the soccer ball Rainbow Dash kicked, the moment when he sat next to her at the theater and seeing that awkward sex scene together. Going on that triple date, being asked by her and going to the Fall Formal together where they first share their first kiss, going on their first official date, reuniting with her parents and seeing her happy to be with them again. Sharing a bike ride together when he finally had his motorcycle licence and the times they shared their lips together on top of it. Going to the beach, swimming in the warm water of the sea, their night together in the woods as they camped and all their crazy adventures during the summer. Him sharing a moment with her as he first saw his little baby sister and letting Sunset hold her in her arms. The troubling times of him leaving his family to get away from his once insane mother (Who he still loves and patched things up with) as she comforts him. And finally, being supportive during his writing and congratulating him on the contest. After thinking through everything that had happened between him and Sunset, Soul had never been so sure in his life that he was ready to be fully committed to this woman that he had fell in love with. With a smile, he looked at Granny Smith. “I am, granny. She’s the most important person in my life and I want to show her how important she is to me,” he replied. Granny Smith smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then you’re all set to ask this girl to be your wife,” she said. “Though Ah bet it's gonna be hard to ask her properly without a wedding ring.” “I know…. And I would have to get a job during the summer to get the money and if I do that, it might be too late to purpose to her before she heads off to college,” Soul said. “And I don’t really have much plans for college right now so I have to at least have a job while she’s gone. And by the time she comes back, I might be gone for college and it would be twice as long before I can purpose to her.” “If it’s such a big deal for ya to give her a ring, then ya can use this one,” Granny Smith said before she pulled her wedding ring off and placed it on Soul’s hand. “G-Granny?.... B-But this your wedding ring. I couldn’t-” Granny Smith closed Soul’s hand with the ring and held it. “Oh sweetie, Ah’ve had that ring for so long without a husband, it might as well be used by someone else,” she said. “And this way ya can purpose and get married before y’all go your separate ways for a while and never have to worry about waiting for so long. Consider this my wedding gift for ya.” Soul held the ring tightly in his hand. “Granny…. Thank you so much,” he said before he went up to her and hugged her tightly. Granny Smith hugged him back and patted him on the back. “You’re welcome, sweetie,” she said. She pulls away from the hug and smiles. “Now, Ah believe that ya have an important question to ask to someone special?” Soul nods before he gets up slowly and starts to walk off. But then he stopped halfway and looked down at himself. “.... Maybe I should wait a bit longer until I healed up,” he said, Granny Smith laughs. “Yeah, Ah think that would be for the best,” she said. > Chapter 32 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Play of the Century? Part - III After a couple of weeks of practicing and getting the lines right, everyone was getting the play ready for the Spring Festival. The festival was only one day away and everyone was confident that the play was going to to be smash including Soul. As they got the stage ready, Soul was overlooking the entire setup from top to bottom. “Good job with the set, guys,” Soul said. “Make sure that the slides are aligned properly and we get a good lighting for tomorrow. Background characters, please make sure you hang up your costumes were they need to be and remember where they are. Main characters, hang up your costumes in the main hangers. We don’t want them to get mixed up like last time…. Zero.” “That happened one time! Let it go!” Zero yelled. “I got the lightning all set up, is this good?” Micro Chips asked as the lights over the stage brighten up. “Perfect! Now make sure they’re dimmed down during the dramatic and sad parts,” Soul replied. “Will do!” “Alright everyone, we did a good rehearsal today and the stage is all set for tomorrow! I can happily say that we are ready for the Spring Festival” Soul said. Everyone let out cheers of joy and a round of applause. “Now let’s all rest up for the night and be back here eight o'clock sharp!” Everyone started hanging up their costumes, getting the props in the storage room and the lights were turned off before they all left the gymnasium. As they left the school, Zero, Fluttershy and Soul all walked together towards the parking lot. “Man, I am so pumped up! I can’t wait for tomorrow and everyone in the audience seeing me as the star! This is just so awesome!” Zero excitedly said. Fluttershy giggled. “Yes, it really is exciting! And I’ve come a long way with dealing with such a large crowd,” she said. “How did you get over your fear of large crowds?” Soul asked. “I imagine them all in their clothes,” Fluttershy replied. Soul and Zero looked at each other confused before they looked at Fluttershy. “Uh, don’t you mean in their underwear?” Zero asked. “Oh my, why would I imagine that? Seeing every woman and… man in there in their underwear…. Oh dear, that’s enough to make me faint,” Fluttershy explained. “Ooookay?” Soul said. “.... Anyways, good job with tonight, you two. Thanks so much for putting everything into your acting.” “No problem, Soul! We’re happy that you gave us a chance to be your main stars of the show,” Zero said as he gave a toothy smile. “We’re more than willing to do this for you,” Fluttershy said also with a smile. “By the way, I know you shared this with just me and Zero but have you told anyone else about your plans to…. ask Sunset?” “Well, I did tell Swift too but I made sure he wouldn’t tell Pinkie. Though I wish I didn’t because her senses have been going off the charts and she’s trying to get him to crack,” Soul replied. “Hopefully, he’s a strong willed man and he won’t break easily.” “AAAAAAHH!” Swift screamed as Pinkie whipped him once more in the rear. Swift was hung from the ceiling by his arms wearing only his trunks that were torn up from the back after constant whips from Pinkie. She was wearing her dominatrix outfit that left little for the imagination and held a black whip in her hand. “Okay now that we got done with the fun part, tell me what you’re hiding!” Pinkie demanded. “.... Wait, that was the fun part!?” Swift asked. “That’s not the answer I’m looking for!” Pinkie yelled before whipping his rear again. “AAAAHH!” Swift cried. “Okay! Okay! No more! Soul is planning on proposing to Sunset after he’s see if his play is successful!” Pinkie let out a gasp and dropped her whip. *Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!” she chimed before hopping up and down. “I have to tell Sunset about-” “Pinkie, please! Soul made me promise I couldn’t say anything about until he propose to her! You have to keep it a secret!” Swift pleaded. “But Swift! You know I can’t handle secrets! That’s why I leave them up to you,” Pinkie explained. “You just tortured me five seconds ago!” “I really wanted to know!” “You’re messed up in the head!” Swift yelled. “Anyways, don’t tell Sunset! Don’t tell anyone what you just leaned or I will take my promise for marrying you after college!” “You wouldn't dare!” “Try me!” “Alright, you win! I won’t tell anyone about it!” Pinkie said. “Just don’t take away my dreams being Mr. Pie!” “.... Pinkie, you got the roles mixed up agai-” “I’m gonna go and get ready for the festival tomorrow! I promised a lot of people to do all kinds of awesome things!” Pinkie said before she started walking up the stairs of the basement. “Good night, Swift!” The lights went off and Swift was left alone in the dark as he still hung from the ceiling. “.... PINKIE!” “I’m sure Swift could handle it,” Zero said. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. And I’ll see you on the stage, my fair lady~” Zero held Fluttershy’s hand and kissed on it. Fluttershy giggled. “I’ll be seeing you too, my prince charming,” she joked. Zero chuckled before he walked off and soon drove off in his car. Soul and Fluttershy continued down the parking lot until they reached Soul’s motorcycle and Soul hopped on to it. “Well I’ll see you later, Fluttershy. I’m gonna go home and spend sometime with my girl,” Soul said. “Or should I say, my soon-to-be fiancee!” Fluttershy smiled for a moment before her expression turned into a concerned one. “S-Soul.... are you sure that you want to do this?” she asked. “I mean, it does seem kinda sudden and I am happy that you want to do this but are you really sure about this?” Soul thought for a moment before he looked at Fluttershy. “I’ll admit, it does seem sudden and maybe a little rash too but… I love her so much and I just can’t hold back how much I want to spend the rest of my life with her,” he replied. He scratched his chin for a moment. “Maybe…. I’ll talk to her about it. Make it to where she doesn’t get suspicious about my plan.” “I think that would be a good idea,” Fluttershy said. “Hopefully everything will turn out okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Soul nods and smiles before he turns on his motorcycle. He drives off into the streets and makes his way towards his home where his loving girlfriend awaits for him. Soon he made it back to the apartment and came through the door to see Sunset was sitting on the couch. Sunset looked up to Soul with a smile. “Hey Soul!” “Hey, baby!” Soul leans over and kisses her on the cheek. “How are you doing?” “I'm doing well, thanks for asking. How're you?” Sunset asked. “I’m doing good. The play is all set for the festival tomorrow and I can’t wait to see everyone enjoy the play!” Soul replied. “I can't wait to see it either! It'll be great! I just know it!” Sunset chimed. “I’m happy you’re excited!” Soul said. He sits next to Sunset and wraps an arm around her. “I love you so much, Sunset.” “I love you too, Soul,” Sunset said. “Listen Sunset, there’s something… I wanted to ask you about.” “What is it?” “How much… do you want to be with me?” “Well...after all that we've been through, and all that we've experienced together...I definitely want to be with you for a very long time,” Sunset replied “I was just asking because… We’ve been together for almost twenty months and… I don’t exactly have much to give back to you. I don’t even have hardly anything planned after college…. But I do want to be with you no matter what. And I’m willing to prove that to you. Sunset’s eyes widen. “S-Soul…. What are you saying?” she asked. “Well…. I was waiting till tomorrow to ask after the play but I think I didn’t make it vague enough, heh. Just hold on a sec.” Soul got up and went off for a moment before he walked back into the room and got on his knee with a small black box in his hand. Sunset gasped as she brought her hands up to her mouth. “Sunset… Will you do me the honors… of being my wife?” Soul opens the box to show off a small diamond ring inside. “Ooh my....sweet Celestia almighty…” “Will you, Sunset Shimmer… Be Mrs. Writer? To be my, Mrs. Writer?” Soul asked. Sunset remained quiet as she stared at the ring. Soul composure was starting to loosen as he was getting nervous. ‘Oh crap! Maybe the guys were right and this was too early!’ Soul thought ‘… I-I have to think of something or-’ “S-S-Soul....I-I-I....I don't....oh god....I don't know what to say,” Sunset said still dumbstruck. “Will you…. say yes?” Soul asked. “I-I don't...o-oh man...this is so sudden...I was thinking this sort of thing might happen, b-but I didn't imagine it'd happen this quickly....w-wow...I'm being proposed to,” Sunset said. Soul sets the box down and sits next to Sunset. “Sunset… You are the most important girl in my entire life. You may have been a part of my life for almost two years but you’ve always were there for me and cared for me like no else have ever done for me. And… if this is too early for you, I’m more than willing to wait a little longer. Even though I want to be with you for the rest of my life now,” Soul said. “Soul.....I-I....I think...I might want to be with you for the...rest of my life too....b-but...I need time,” Sunset explained. “Oh…. I understand…” “I-It isn't a no Soul, not at all....I-if anything...it's just a when,” Sunset said. “So… When do you think you’ll be ready?” Soul asked. “I....I don't know…” “I see…. Well, no matter what, I still love you, Sunset. And I am willing to wait for you,” Soul said before he planted a kiss oner Sunset’s lips. Sunset pulled away from the kiss and looked at Soul with a smile. “Thank you Soul...you're the most amazing man I've ever met,” she said. “And you're the most beautiful woman that I am so amazingly lucky to be with,” Soul said smiling back at Sunset. “I guess we're both amazingly lucky then~” Sunset said with a sultry tone. “Guess we are~” Soul said and brings Sunset closer to him before kissing her on the lips once more. Sunset wrapped her arms around Soul’s neck as she kissed him back passionately. Their tongues danced around with one another before Soul gently pressed Sunset’s back against the couch and laid on top of her. Sunset let out a small moan while she rubbed the back of Soul. As Soul was kissing her, he went underneath her shirt as he rubbed on her belly tenderly and she shivered with delight from his touch. Sunset gently pushed Soul away from her for a moment as she gazed up into his ever loving eyes. Sunset smiled warmly. “Soul… I’m sorry about making you wait to marry me,” she said. “But… I am ready for you to take me.” Soul thought on Sunset’s words for a moment. He looked down at her and gazed into Sunset’s eyes before he smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips. “... I think we held this off for far too long~” Soul said. “Ooooh, we sure have~” Sunset agreed as she gave Soul her bedroom eyes. Soul gets off of Sunset before she lifted her up bridal style. He carried her over to their bedroom before he closed the door behind them and placed Sunset on the bed. Soul took off his shirt and jacket while Sunset smirked and watched him unclothed himself. Soul soon laid beside Sunset and smiled back at her. “Ready to do this for real?~” Soul asked. Sunset licked her lips. “I was always ready~” she replied. Soul slyly smiled before he leaned down and kissed Sunset. The moon was high up in the air as Soul and Sunset were having a long passionate night of intimate love. Time had incredibly slowed down for them as they are now knowing each other in ways they could never have imagined. A couple hours later, Soul and Sunset were on the bed together laying under the covers after so much intense love. They panted as Sunset laid her head on top of Soul’s shoulder taking in what they had just experienced. “W-Wo.... Wow.... That was just.... Amazing,” Soul said feeling in awe. “Y.... Yeah.... woah,” Sunset said. “So that's what we've been missing out.... Bout time we did this.” Sunset lightly giggled. “Yeah, me too,” she said. “Did... You enjoy it?” Soul asked “Yeah...it was amazing!” Sunset chimed. “Heh, I'm happy you enjoyed it,” Soul said before he kisses Sunset in the cheek “You felt so unbelievable! I.... there's just nothing I can describe about how you felt to me.” “Yeah....I can't describe how you were either...just...wow,” Sunset elaborated. Soul looked at Sunset and held her hand. “ am so deeply in love with you.... I don't want to leave your side ever,” he said. Sunset looked up to Soul and smiled. “Yeah, me neither,” she said. Soul and Sunset kissed one another before their eyes felt heavy to them and soon fell asleep in each other's arms. Soul was walking up towards the school early in the morning while Sunset was holding onto his arm lovingly. Sunset nuzzled under Soul’s neck and he kissed her on the cheek. As they walked, Zero and Fluttershy were standing by the doorway and they saw the two coming towards them. “Morning Soul, ready to show everyone your awesome play with your most valuable actor?” Zero asked with a bright smile. “You know it!” Soul replied and gave Zero a high five. “I’m gonna head on inside. Got a couple of things I need to do to get the festival ready. I’ll see you later, lover boy~” Sunset said before she gave Soul and peck on the cheek and headed off. Zero and Fluttershy watched Sunset walked off as she hummed to herself. “Wow, Sunset seems to be in a really good mood,” Zero commented. “What did you guys do last night? Did you have an early celebration or something?” “Something like that,” Soul replied. “I was trying to see if Sunset would be willing to marry me and well…. I ended up purposing to her on the spot.” Zero eyes widen and Fluttershy covered her mouth. “You went ahead and purposed!?” Zero shockingly asked. “.... How did it go?” “We…. pretty much decided that it was too early to get married. She loved the idea of it but she just felt that it was too early to get hitched yet. And I agreed with her, I guess it was just so much going on that I couldn’t really think straight,” Soul explained. “It’s okay, Soul. I’m sure she was happy to know that you would want to be with her that way,” Fluttershy said. “But umm… Why are you two so happy if she didn’t wanted to get married?” “Let’s just say that we decided to finally express ourselves in a way that took too long to express,” Soul replied with a sly smile. For a moment, Zero and Fluttershy didn’t understand until Zero made the same sly smile as Fluttershy’s cheeks went red. “O-Oh… my,” Fluttershy stuttered. “Ha! I knew you two would do it sooner or later,” Zero commented. Soul chuckled. “Anyways, we should head inside and get everything ready for the play. After that, we’ll enjoy the festival and have a blast before we do the play!” he chimed. Zero and Fluttershy noded happily and the three head inside to prepare the play. After a while of preparing for the play, everyone went out and enjoyed the Spring Festival as the entire front of the campus was filled with food stands, games and a huge bounce house. People were eating the large variety of food that the school provided, trying out the games, children playing in the bounce house with a few of their parents joining and most were just chatting with one another. Soul and Sunset were walking around the festival as they held hands while Sunset took a bite out of her chocolate covered banana on-a-stick. “Enjoying yourself?” Soul asked. “Hmhmm! I’m really have a great time with you, babe!” Sunset replied before she peck on Soul’s cheek. “Oh! Did you say that your parents were going to be here or were they going to wait til it gets near time for the play to start?” “My mom said that they would be here with Novel,” Soul replied. “Soul! Sunset! Over here!” Soul and Sunset looked over to the source of the voice and saw Dawn was waving at them with Novel in one arm and Comet standing next to them. Sunset and Soul waved back at them with smiles before they walked over and Soul gave Dawn a hug. “Hey mom! I’m glad you guys made it!” Soul chimed. “Well of course we be here! It's not everyday we get to see our grown man’s own play being the main event of this festival,” Dawn said before she pulled away from the hug and looked at Sunset. “How are you doing, Sunset?” “I’m doing very well, Dawn. And I see you brought your sweet, little baby girl here!” Sunset said as moved closer to Novel and rubbed the tip of her nose with hers. Novel giggled before she was reaching out with her arms. Dawn smiled before she handed Novel to Sunset. Sunset held Novel with one arm while Novel was playing with some of her hair. “Hey dad, I just remembered something, weren’t you supposed to have been shipped out somewhere for a while?” Soul asked. Comet groaned. “I don’t know, I’m getting orders like crazy that keep on getting contradicted,” he replied. “I swear the government doesn’t know jack about organizing a military. Anyways, I got new orders that I’ll be shipping out near the end of this summer so you’ll have me before I head out.” “Right, right… Hey mom, do you have any plans for me to go to some college?” Soul asked. “To be honest, sweetie, I didn’t know what kind of college would be right for you. I mean I don’t think there’s really a reason for me to send you to a college on a course that you would more than likely not learn from and use any of the skills,” Dawn explained. “Other words, you don’t have the money to send me to college?” Soul retorted. “No! No! We so have the-” “Granny Smith doesn’t count.” “Don’t get smart with me, boy!” Everyone laughed as Dawn made a small pout before she cracked a smile. Just as Soul was talking with his parents, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he looked behind to see Watermelody. “Hey Soul, we need everyone back at the stage ready for the play,” she said. “But the play isn’t until another hour,” Soul pointed out. “I know but Photo just got word that someone important is going to attend the play. She wants everyone to come in early and be ready for everything to start,” Watermelody explained. “I see, alright I’ll be there in a moment,” Soul said before he looked back. “Sorry guys, I gotta head off and get the play ready a little more earlier than I thought.” “It’s fine, bud. Go out there and show us the best play ever,” Comet said. “We’ll be cheering for you in the crowd,” Dawn said. “Good luck, babe,” Sunset said before she leans in and kisses Soul on the cheek. Soul smiled before he places his hand under Sunset’s cheeks and pulls her close for a deep passionate kiss that made Sunset blush and moan into it. Dawn and Comet both blinked before they looked away at their son’s personal moment. Soon Soul pulled away from the kiss and smiles at Sunset before he heads off. Sunset let out a content sigh as she walked Soul away. She then looked to both Dawn and Comet while Dawn gave Sunset a raised brow. “.... Umm…. He’s very loving today,” Sunset commented. “Hmmm…. Very well, I suppose he is excited for such a day as this,” Dawn said. “Just please keep the sheets cleaned up as soon as you two are finished.” Sunset blinked before she blushed violently. “.... I-I know,” she said. Dawn giggled before she started to walk off. Sunset looked at Comet and gave him confused look before he shrugged at her. A large crowd gathered into the gymnasium as they were taking seats for the play. Soul peaked through the curtains for a moment seeing where his friends and family were. He saw all his close friends sitting with their parents almost close to one another before seeing Sunset sitting with his mother, father while holding Novel in her arms. Applejack, Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith were sitting next to them as well. Soul smiled before he looked back at the stage to see everyone was ready. “Alright, is everyone ready?” Soul asked Watermelody. “Yes! The set is stage and everyone is ready to go!” Watermelody chimed. “By the way, who was that important person coming here?” Watermelody was about to speak until Photo Finish popped right in front of her. “Countess Coloratura!” Photo answered. Everyone were letting out gasps and had surprised but stopped when Zero was shrieking in excitement. “Countess Coloratura is here!? EEEEEE!” Zero jumped up and down for a moment before he froze and looked to see everyone was looking at him. He changed he demour and had a calm expression with his hands in his pocket. “Oh? Countess Coloratura is here? That’s cool….” Photo blinked for a moment before looking back at Soul. “She is the biggest pop star to have ever risen! I’ve heard rumors as of late that she’s been looking around for talented youth to attend to one of the most prestigious universities of all time! Cambridge University!” she explained. “.... What’s Cambridge University?” Soul asked. Photo Finish let out a gasp and felt woozy before falling over only for her two helpers to catch her midway down. When they stood her back up, she approached Soul and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “It is where the most gifted and prestigious students of the fine arts can go and harness their skills!” she explained. “Having such an invitation from the university is almost impossible to gain! Only pop stars, famous actors and Emmy winners can hand out invitations from the school!” “Even Michael Bay?” Soul asked. Photo let out a weary sigh. “Yes, unfortunately even Michael Bay can hand out invitations for the university,” she replied. “But that’s not important right now! Some of us have a chance to be apart of getting an invitation!” “Alright, alright, I get the idea,” Soul said. “But let’s not let this invitation and Countess Color get us all- “Coloratura,” Photo corrected. “Get all worked out,” Soul finished. “Right now, we’ve put together this play and did a magnificent job on our practice days. Now, let’s make this the perfect play and wow everyone in the crowd! Are we ready!?” Everyone let out cheers letting Soul know that they were ready. “Alright, everyone! Let’s do this!” All the attendance waited for the play to start as a woman with pale green skin, teal eyes and dark indigo hair with teal streaks in her curls sat at the front of the rows of chairs with her manager and Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. “It is just an honor that you would attend our school’s play, Ms. Coloratura,” Celestia said. “I’m happy that the school would let me see this play. I’ve been so exhausted with my tour as of late and needed some down time for myself. When I heard about this festival and a play going on, I thought I would like to attend and see this,” Coloratura said. “I just wish that rumor about you giving invitation for Cambridge University wasn’t spreading like wild flower!” Coloratura’s manger said. “Granted, it would made a great publicity stunt but surely a small time school play wouldn’t have a chance at that.” “Don’t be so sure of that. Our students are quite skillful and can do so much with what little they have,” Celestia said. “Either way, I’m sure your students have put together a wonderful play and I hope to see what it's about,” Coloratura said. The lights soon dimmed down and Soul’s voice could be be heard. “A long time ago in a far away land, lived a princess and her beloved knight. It was a time of peace for their kingdom and all seemed right within the world. But unknown to the two, dark forces are hiding within the shadows and their plans for the two will change everything that they know. This is their story. I give you, The Bounded Soul.” The curtains slowly opened up and the lights flashed on the stage as the setting was inside of a room with Fluttershy sitting on a chair. She was facing a mirror and brushing her hair as she hummed a melody to herself for a moment. “Oh how this is such a lovely day. I sure hope that my handsome knight visits me soon, I miss him so terribly much,” Fluttershy said. On cue, Zero walked up to the stage and went over to Fluttershy with a smile. “Good day, my beautiful flower,” he said before he planted a kiss on Fluttershy’s cheeks. “How is my bride-to-be doing?” “I’m feeling so extraordinary, my love! I can not wait til the day of our marriage!” Fluttershy chimed. “It’s hard to believe that it's only a few days away!” Zero chuckled. “Yes, soon we shall be joined together and I get to spend the rest of my life with my own princess,” he said. “My dear, there is something I have to tell you though.” “What is it?” Fluttershy asked. “Your father, the king had asked me to escort our neighboring country’s prince to discuss a revision of the peace treaty between our kingdoms. Apparently there’s been some changes into the kingdom as of late and they wanted to go over the treaty to see any necessary changes,” Zero explained. “Why in heavens would they need to change the peace treaty? Surely whatever changes they’re doing to their kingdom wouldn’t really affect it that much,” Fluttershy said. “I’m not to sure about the details. Then again, I never really did get into all this political stuff and I am happy that I am just a knight who is lucky enough to be wedded by the most beautiful princess in all the kingdoms,” Zero said before he held Fluttershy’s hand and kissed on it. “When will you leave?” “I will be gone in a couple of hours and hopefully be back within two days. Giving me plenty of time to prepare for the wedding,” Zero replied. “Alright, come back to me safely,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t worry, I will,” Zero said before he leaned in and peck Fluttershy on the lips. Most of the audience went awww in unison. “That is so sweet!” one person said. “You can almost believe their like a real cou-” “Shhh! We’re trying to watch the show,” Night said to the person before he looked back at the stage. He looked to the side with his family and his friends looking at him with raised brows. “What? We’re not suppose to talk during a play.” The stage went dark for a moment before a couple of candles were lit by Fluttershy and Zero was gone. The window showed stars as the scenery of the room was changed to night time. Fluttershy looked as if she was getting ready for bed until a woman came rushing on to the stage with worry. “P-Princess!” Fluttershy looked at the woman and stood up. “What is it, handmaiden?” she asked. “Why do you look so troubled?” The woman took a moment to collect herself before looking at Fluttershy with sadness in her eyes. “Y-Your fiance… H-He is…. He was killed by a band of highwaymen while he and his follow knights were on their way towards the prince,” she replied. Fluttershy’s eyes widen and she covered her mouth. Her eyes became teary as she fell to her knees and began to cry. A lot of the audience were shocked and surprised about the story. “My, I didn’t expect something like this so early in the play,” Coloratura said. “This makes me wonder more what this director has planned for this.” Sometime later in the play, Fluttershy was in a courtroom setting with some of the other actors. The actor playing as the prince, walked up to Fluttershy and gave a small bow. “My condolences, princess. I am sorry to hear that your francie was killed on his way to escort me. I feel that this was my fault that his time ended just to bring me here,” the prince said. “No, it is alright…. He would have been glad that you were able to make it here safely knowing his duty wasn’t in vain,” Fluttershy said. “I just wish we were wedded before this happened.” “I can only understand your pain princess and I hope that it will go away over time. If you need anything from me, you need only to ask,” the prince said. “Thank you…. Will you mind if…. We share dinner together for just this night?” Fluttershy asked. The prince smiled. “But of course, princess,” he said. The prince held Fluttershy’s hand and gave it a kiss causing her to blush. The prince took a bow and left Fluttershy to herself before the curtains closed. Shortly the curtains closed as the stage was barely lit and a robed figure walked up to the stage what seemed to be a set for a dark hallway. The figure looked around for a moment before removing his hood showing himself as the prince. “Vazziro, it is safe to appear,” the prince said. Soon dark smoke suddenly popped on the stage before a figure covered in black armor that looked rigged and sharp with spikes sticking out. “Have you done as I asked?” Vazziro asked. “Yes, the knight is dead and the princess is in despair right now. Should we make our move now?” the prince asked. “No, she would be unwilling for me to take control right now. You must gain her trust and let her guard down. Only then will I be able to take her soul and seize her body,” Vazziro explained. “Very well then but it will take some time before she can fully trust me,” the prince said. “I have all the time in the world. Just don’t blunder our chance at this,” Vazziro explained. “Or you can say goodbye to having all the powers I have promised you.” “It will be done, Lord Vazziro,” the prince said. The curtains slowly closed and Soul’s voice could be heard once more. “As time went by, the pain in the princess’s heart never left as she missed her knight. But she soon found herself to be with the prince and slowly let him be close to her. He soon asked her hand in marriage with her father’s permission. Seeing how her true is gone and believing that he would want her to move on, she accepted the proposal. It is now the day of the wedding and the princess was ready to accept her new life with the prince…. Only to find out shortly what is to happen next.” The curtains opened again as the stage was now set like a wedding. Several actors were on the sides of the center as Fluttershy and the prince were waiting on the pastor. After the pastor gave his speech of the union, he looked to Fluttershy. “Do you take the prince to be your lawfully wedded husband til death due you part?” “I do,” Fluttershy replied. “And do you take the princess to be your lawfully wedded wife til death due you part?” “I most certainly do,” the prince replied. “Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wi-” There was a loud banging sound and everyone looked to one side of the stage. The Prince stepped in front of Fluttershy and pointed towards the sound as two guards stood next to them. “How dare you interrupt my wedding! Who are you before I have my mem cut you down!” the prince threaten. A figure clad in full armor walked into view of the stage. The armor itself had scratches marks on it and the clothes were worn and torn that seemed to be caused by constant battles. The audience was in suspense of who the figure in armor was. The figure slowly reached for his helmet before taking it off to show…. It was Zero. Everyone one the stage gasp along with the audience. “M-My beloved! You’re alive!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “H-How is that possible!?” the prince said having a terrified expression. “Y-You were suppose to be dead!” Zero’s face was covered with scars while he wore an eyepatch over his left eye. He dropped his helmet on the floor before looking at the prince with anger. “You sound surprise. But then again, you should be since you ordered my death!” he accused. “W-What!? He ordered your death!?” Fluttershy asked as she stepped away from the prince. “Explain yourself!” The prince stuttered as he tried to come up with an excuse until Zero cut in. “Let me fill in the pieces. My fellow knights and were on our to the location you provided to our king until your men attacked us halfway there. My knights fought bravely but we were outnumbered five to one and it was soon that I was the only one fighting for my life,” Zero explained. “I was cornered against the cliff and did my best to hold off until the prince here came and showed his cowardice face behind his men on top of his horse. He aimed a bowcast on me and soon, I was hit in the heart and fell what was supposed to be my death…” The curtains closed for a few moments before it reopened to show a dead Zero laying on the ground with stones and rocks surrounding him as fogs rolled in onto the stage. A sad melody was being played for a few moments until a woman in white robes came onto the stage and squat down next to Zero. “You poor soul…. To be taken away so soon and so near your time of union with your love. Because of this action alone, dark forces are working behind the shadows to ensure your kingdom's destruction…. As well as take the one you love,” the woman said. She slowly got up and walked around Zero for a moment. “.... But your body is still alive, weak but alive. I will grant you a chance to save the one you love and save your kingdom…. But after that, you must serve me as my champion and fight the darkness that is to come.” The woman opened her hands and the lights on the stage were flickering on and off giving off a magical effect until Zero started to slowly stood up. He breathed for a moment before looking at himself and looked at the woman. “W-Who are you?” Zero asked. “I am a guardian of light and after you’ve completed your task, I will be your mistress. For now we must wait and watch to strike down our enemies,” the woman said. “What do you mean? You said that my love and the kingdom was in danger!” Zero said. “Shouldn’t we act now?” “You will have your chance, young knight but first we must weed them out and strike at the right time. Only then, will we be able to not only save your kingdom but also defeat the evil that hides within the shadows,” the woman explained. “Come, we shall return to my home and we can continue this discussion further.” The woman walked off from the stage as Zero looked down at the ground for a moment before he went and followed her. The curtains closed once more and after a moment, they reopened to show a home that looked to be inside of a tree. There was a table as the woman and Zero entered into the room and the woman soon took a seat. Zero did the same and looked over at the woman for a moment before he spoke. “Alright, what exactly are these dark forces you speak of?” Zero asked. “They are demons that take make deals with humans to cause chaos and misery wherever there is peace. They do not have physical forms which is why they use humans to carry out their dark deeds,” the woman explained. “Right now, I have hunted this powerful demon that had caused so much destruction to so many lands and now, it has its sight on your home.” “How do we stop it?” Zero asked. “I believe that the demon plans on taking a body and I believe it is the princess it's aiming for. It will try to take over her body and when it does, it will be the perfect time to trap it within this crystal ball here,” the woman replied as she pulled out a round glass ball. “Once we do that, I will take it and will be able to dispose of it easily.” “Alright, sounds easy enough. When will we make our move?” Zero asked. “We wait and be patient,” the woman replied. “We’ll see what’ll transpire.” “Very well then,” Zero said. The curtains closed for a moment before it reopened again to show them back to the present. Zero pulled out his sword and pointed it towards the prince. “Call forth your master now, coward!” Zero demanded. “You have to force me before I give up a chance of immense power!” the prince said before he grabbed Fluttershy. Fluttershy let out a scream as she tried to get out of the prince’s hold. Zero was about to stop him until his guards blocked him off between the two. The prince quickly dragged Fluttershy with him. “Kill him!” the prince commanded before he dragged Fluttershy off the stage. The guards came at Zero and one swung his blade at him. Zero quickly blocked it before he kicked the guard back and swung his sword at the other. The guard blocked him and attempted to punch Zero. But Zero quickly dodged it before he grabbed the guard’s arm and spun around with him before making him collide with the other guard. Zero quickly knocked out the two guards before he pursed the prince and Fluttershy off stage. The curtains closed before shortly opened as the prince kept on dragging Fluttershy while she struggled against him. The set looked like they were on top of the castle with several poles and robe. “Lord Vazziro! All of our plans have been compromised! What should I do now!?” the prince shouted out. Everyone can hear Vazziro’s booming voice. “Then I have no choice… have the princess ready for me to enter,” he said. “But you said you couldn’t be able to enter into a willing-” “DO NOT QUESTION ME!” Vazziro boomed. “Just do it and get ready!” The prince did what the demon said before he tied Fluttershy to a poll. He pulled out some chalk before making a circle around Fluttershy as she cried out. “P-Please! Don’t do this!” Fluttershy begged. The prince ignored her before he was finished and looked up. “Everything is all set, my lord!” he said. “What should I do now!?” “Step in the ring with the princess and I shall enter into her,” Vazziro replied. “Do you trust me?” “I do, my lord!” “Good.” A chanting could be heard in the back and as it went on, Zero ran up to the stage and stopped near the circle. “Fluttershy!” Zero shouted. “Zero!” Fluttershy cried out. “It’s too late! She’s the demon’s vessel now!” the prince declared. “NNOOOOO!” Zero yelled. The audience gasp as the lights turned red and were focus on the prince and Fluttershy. Just as the lights focused in, it soon was only at the prince as he acted strange and started to stumble on the ground. “W-What!? What’s happening to me!” “I will gain a vessel, alright. But it was never my intention to take the princess… but you instead,” Vazziro explained. “You were my ideal vessel to use and now, I will take your form and have the princess for myself!” “Aaaaaaahh!” The prince fell onto his knees and his face down on the ground before smoke covered the entire stage. The smoke cleared within seconds and standing by Fluttershy as she looked fearfully that Vazziro stood next to her. He looked at his body and admired it. “Finally, a body I can use for my own,” He then looked at Fluttershy and cupped her chin. “And I fair princess to use it on~” “Never in your entire life!” Zero shouted as he raised up his sword and charged at the demon. Vazziro quickly pulled out his sword and blocked Zero’s attack. “Whatever I seek and desire, I always get what I want!” he said. “Now dead warrior, face me and die!” The two dueled on the stage with their swords. As they fought, Fluttershy tried to struggled out of her ropes. Zero parry Vazziro’s strike before and he spun and tried to elbow him in the face but Vazziro blocked the elbow with his arm and pushed Zero away from him. He then brought up his sword and tried to strike down at Zero. Zero quickly blocked the attack and the the were in a deadlock until Zero got his leg on Vazziro’s knee and the separated when he pushed on it. Vazziro let out an angry growl. “You cannot stop me!” he said “I will conquer this land like I have many kingdoms for centuries! You will fail!” “No, demon! You’re time has come!” the woman in white appeared on the stage with a staff in her hand. “Today your reign of evil will fall and I will banish you from this realm forever!” The woman raised her staff up and circled with it as she was about to cast a spell on the demon. “Grrrrr! If I fall, then I will take the princess’s life with me!* Vazziro raised his sword up before he charged right towards Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s eyes widen before she looked away and closed her eyes. Zero yelled before he charged in front of Fluttershy and quickly blocked Vazziro. But Vazziro parry Zero before he brought around under and stabs Zero through the stomach. The audience gasp as Zero’s eyes widen and let out groans of anguish. Fluttershy looked back and her eyes widen as they were tearing. “N-NO!” she cried. The woman in white looked at the demon angrily before she finished chanting her spell and cast it. Vazziro pulled his sword out of Zero before he looked about in fear. “No! Noooo! NOOOOOOOOO!” Vazziro disappeared as smoke popped under him and was gone from the stage. The woman in white soon cut Fluttershy down from her pole. Fluttershy quickly got down on her knees and held him up in her arms. “N-No! Please be okay! I-I don’t want to lose you again!” Fluttershy cired. She looked up to the woman with hope in her eyes. “Y-You can bring back to life, right!? You did it before!” The woman looked at Fluttershy with a sorrow expression. “Atlast, my powers could only bring someone back to life once. I cannot give something that I have already restored,” she explained. “ I am sorry.” Fluttershy teared up before she looked back at Zero and covered her face. She sobbed loudly as the audience were stricken with grief. As Fluttershy wrep, the woman rubbed her chin for a moment before she knelt down beside Fluttershy and placed her hand on her shoulder. “There maybe one way he could live on,” the woman said. Fluttershy looked up at the woman shocked. “But you said that he couldn’t come to live,” she said. “True, not physically. But I can bring him back to live as a spirit and bind him to your Soul. No one but you will see him and the both of you will spend your days together here in this realm until the day of your departure from here has come,” the woman explained. Fluttershy stood silent for a moment before she looked back at the woman and nodded. “Yes… I want to have my knight back,” she said. The woman nodded before she stood up and raised her staff up. She chanted for a moment before she slammed her staff down and smoke popped over Zero’s body. Soon most of Zero was covered in white and he looked at Fluttershy with a confused look. “P-Princess?” “My knight… I-I wish there was more I could do but… It seems that destiny wants to keep us apart even more,” Fluttershy looked down. Zero looked at her for a moment before making a small smile. “No matter what form I take, I will always love you and would be happy to see you wake up every morning. I may not be able to hold you again til you free yourself from your body but knowing that you’re safe now is enough to make me happy,” he said. Fluttershy looked up and smiled at Zero. The curtains slowly closed as Fluttershy and Zero were about to attempt a kiss. Soul walked up to the stage with a smile while he was wearing a noblic outfit. “And so, the princess eventually became a queen after her father’s passing. Many had made offers to be her husband but she refused and turned them all down as her knight was the only lover she will ever accept in her life. She ruled fairly and her kingdom had experienced an even greater peace that they couldn’t have imagined. They say that destiny had kept her from her lover. But I say, that her love for him is the reason he still gets to see her everyday as the Queen and the Knight are forever bound together even in the great white clouds of the heavens. This was their story. And this is their happily ever after.” A few seconds had passed as Soul heard claps being made by a few before everyone in the crowd were clapping and applauding. The curtains opened behind Soul as all the actors and stage crew looked at the crowd and bowed and waved at them. Zero and Fluttershy stood side-by-side of Soul before they all took a bow which caused the crowd to applaud even more. Soul looked out at the crowd as he smiled happily knowing that his play was a success. And unaware of the bright future that is ahead of him as Coloratura looked up at him with a smile and pulled out an invitation card to Cambridge University out of her jacket. “Kid… You’re going to have a great life,” Coloratura said to herself. > Chapter 33 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Matter What Happens… Many people were in the gymnasium as they enjoyed the complimentary food and drinks while they were talking about the play. Soul was walking past the crowd as he was giving handshakes and complements for his successful play. As he walked, Soul saw his family and friends together before they looked at him and were applauding and clapping for him. “Sweetie, that was a wonderful play!” Dawn complimented and hugged Soul. “I’m so proud of what you made!” “That really was something, bud! I can see you put a lot of work into it!” Comet said before rubbing on Soul’s head. Soul blushes and lightly chuckles. “Heh, thanks guys, I’m really proud at what I did,” he said. As soon as his parents let go of him, Sunset walked up and hugged Soul before she planted a kiss on his cheek. “That was really amazing, sweetie!” she said. “I’m so glad that I waited to see it instead of reading about it in your script!” “Thanks, Sunny!” Soul said before he hugged her back and kisses her. Soul spent time with his friends and family as they all sat down on a table. He had a bright smile on him seeing everyone around him talking about his play and how they all enjoyed it. Swift got up from his seat and raised his drink. “To Soul Writer! The greatest theater director of all time!” Swift cheered. *To Soul Writer!” Everyone of his friends toasted before they drank their drinks. Soul smiled brightly. “Thanks guys…. This means so much to me! I can’t believe that it was that great!” he said. “Oh, it was simply amazing, dear!” Soul and the others looked to see Coloratura walking up to the table. Some of them gasp at seeing her and were excited, especially Zero. “I can’t believe it! I’m seeing Countess Coloratura in person!” Zero squealed before he lifts his shirt off. “I’m Zero Gravity ma’am and can you sign my chest please!?” The group looked at Zero with blank expressions while Coloratura giggled and smiled. “But of course! Anything for my fans!” Coloratura said before she pulled out a marker and wrote her signature on his chest. “From Countess Coloratura, to my biggest fan, Zero Gravity!” Zero smiled brightly. “Woo! Countess Coloratura signed my chest! I dare someone to beat that!” he challenged while pointing to everyone in the room. Twilight shook her head before she pinched the bridge of her nose. Coloratura laughed for a moment before she looked to Soul and walked over to him. “I saw your play today and I have to say, I had enjoyed it so much!” she said. “So much so that I am happy to offer you an invitation to attend Cambridge University for the gifted students Arts and Culture!” Soul’s eyes widen while everyone around were shocked and surprised. “R-Really? You’re offering me to attend a very prestigious university?” he asked. “This was pretty much the first ever play I had made.” “And it’ll certainly won’t be your last! The university has a very high job satisfaction and many of their students are famous celebrities and extraordinary directors!” Coloratura explained. “Like me when I used to attend it!” “What about Michael Bay?” Treble asked. Coloratura sighed. “Yes, even he attend there once,” she replied before she looked back to Soul and smiled. “Anyways, here is your invitation. It is good at anytime before registrations so you can decide many years from now if you want to but I really hope that you can do it after your graduation!” She hands Soul a card and he looked at it for a moment. “So…. I can show them this and I’ll be in? Is it immediately in the summer or is it like any school scheduling?” Soul asked. “Ah yes, when you first start to attend, you’ll be coming in at the beginning of August. After that, some of the classes may take places during summer time during your later time there. Depending on what you would want to learn and to be, the university will provide two to eight years of teaching and will help you with a job and career of your preference,” Coloratura explained. “If you have anymore questions later, on the back of the card is the website and phone number that you can use at anytime!” Soul looks up at Coloratura and smiles. “Thank you very much, Countess Coloratura!” he said. “You’re welcome, dear! I’m sorry but I have to cut this short as I have so much to do after this. Hehe, I was lucky to have this much time off,” Coloratura said. “Have a wonderful day and I hope that you will be attending soon!” Coloratura soon left with her manager as she was signing autographs on the way out. Soul looked at the invitation card as he looked at it with amazement and shock that he was holding it. Sunset leaned over his shoulder and looks at it. “Wow, I can’t believe it! You get a chance to go to a university! I’m so proud of you, babe!” Sunset said before she kissed him on the cheek. “It looks like your future is getting a lot brighter than you thought!” “Heh, yeah it is. We should check out the university when we get back to the apartment,” Soul said. “Until then, let’s celebrate a bit longer.” “Sounds like a plan to me,” Sunset said before she hugged Soul. The Festival was long over as both Sunset and Soul had said their goodbyes to their friends and family and were back at the apartment. Soul was on the laptop as he looked through the website of the university and checking what it could offer him. He saw the costs to be able to attend to it and called his parents about it and they were willing to pay for the costs of him going there. Even if it meant asking Granny Smith for some help with it. Looking through the site, he looked at the location of the university and saw that it was only a few hours away from Canterlot. He pondered for a moment before he looked back and called out to Sunset. “Hey, Sunny?” Sunset walked into the room and looked at Soul. “Yes, babe?” she asked. “Where exactly were planning on going to college?” Soul asked. “Oh! It's a college campus that Principal Celestia recommended me to. Thanks to her, I have a tuition there and I will start to attend there at the end of the summer. Though I will be away from the apartment and have to live on campus since its a few hours away,” Sunset answered. “It’s about north of here. Let me show you.” Sunset opened a new tab on the laptop and she showed Soul all about the college and its location. Soul looked at it for a moment before he rubbed his chin. He then went to type in the two locations to see how far apart they were. Just as he saw the results, he frowned a little and looked to Sunset. “Sunset… They’re eight hours apart from each other,” Soul pointed out. “We’re not going to visit it each other that much if we go to them.” Sunset looked at the laptop for a moment before she frowned and looked back at Soul. She kept quiet for a moment before she spoke. “Soul, I know what you’re thinking and I get what you’re coming from,” she said. “But this a huge chance for both of us right now. Yes, it’s going to be lonely without you and I know you’re going to miss me terrible. But hey, we can still call each other over the phone, set up some face chat and when the holidays come, we can visit each other. Wouldn’t that be great?” Soul looked up and gazed into Sunset’s eyes for a moment before he smiled and held her hand. “Yeah, that does sound great. We do have an opportunity and I want to use so I can become the man you deserve, Sunset Shimmer,” he said. “I love you and if this is what it takes so we can be together forever, then I’m willing to do it. For you.” Sunset smiled brightly before she leaned and kissed Soul on the lips. Soul kissed her back and smiled into it. After a moment, Sunset pulled away from the kiss and gave Soul her bedroom eyes. “Besides, we have all the remaining time of school and summer break before we go to them. So you can have me as much as you want~” Sunset said. Soul slyly smiled. “Ooh, I do intend to do so~” he said. Soul gets up before he picks Sunset bridal style and carries her off into their room where the two enjoyed another long passionate night of their love. Soul and Sunset were in the cafeteria with their friends enjoying their lunches and company as they usually do every time. Soul would get congratulations from some of the other students and teachers as they walked by the group’s table. He let out a content sigh feeling proud of himself and his work. “This has just been nothing short of amazing,” Soul said with a smile. “My play and story is a success and I get to go to a well known university where a lot of famous celebrities went to learn. Can this be anymore unexpected and surprising?” “Well, that’s my-” “Actually Treble, I have something to say if you don’t mind,” Zero interrupted. “Oh okay, I didn’t really have much to say anyway,” Treble said before he took a sip from his drink. “Why would you- Oh never mind, I’m not gonna bother,” Warhawk said. Zero stood up and cleared his throat. “I know that all of you has been worrying about me not having a girlfriend and all,” he said. “We have?” Night asked. Zero furrowed his brow at Night before looking at all them again. “But I'm happy to say that’s not true,” he said. “You see the truth is, Twilight and I have been dating in secret for about a good couple of months now.” Everyone at the group stared at Zero for a moment before Swift spoke up. “Bullsh*t” he said. “But I'm telling the truth! Twilight tell them!” Zero said. Everyone looked at over to one side of the table to see Twilight wasn't in her usual spot. “What the? Where is she?” Zero asked. “Probably in the library reading some fantasy book. Just like how you and Twilight is a fantasy as well,” Rainbow Dash commented. “But it's true! We really are dating!” “I believe in so many things that random people would post on the Internet like Area fifty one, the fake landing on the moon, sharks that shot lasers from their eyeballs and Soul’s sex life,” Treble said. Soul looked at Treble in confusion. “What the f*ck is that suppose to mean?” He asked. “It means I believe you are doing the funky monkey with Sunset but I need photographic proof that you're doing it, Treble explained. “Or video. Whichever comes first.” “But if you already believe me, why would I-” “I have spoken!” Treble declared. “Oh, I give up!” Zero said. “I believe you, Zero,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you!” “I believe that you believe you're dating Twilight and I support you… Within a reason of course,” Fluttershy explained. “.... Thanks, Fluttershy,” Zero said in a disappointed tone. “Oh, you're welcome!” Fluttershy chimed. “This is what I'm gonna miss after high school. The good times we’ve had here. It's just been so amazing being here at CHS from the start! I just wish I was here in my freshmen years so I could have spent two more years with all of you,” Soul said. “I wouldn't worry too much about it. We’ll all stay in touch with one another even during and after our colleges,” Swift said. “Our group’s friendship is strong and we’re all in this together no matter what!” “Yeah!” Pinkie chimed. “Couldn't have said it better myself, Swift,” Rivet said. “It’s been a very interesting and crazy time here. But I wouldn’t change any of it, especially meeting my Boo for the first time,” Clyde said before he hugged Rarity with one arm. “Hmhm, I can say the same about you, my dear!” Rarity said and hugged Clyde back. “I can say for certain, that things are going to go well for the rest of our-” Soul was in the middle of speaking until something jumped out of Fluttershy’s hair and landed in front of Soul. It was Greg the tarantula. “Fluttershy, we talked about this!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I know! I know! But he-” “Yeah, yeah, he was bored,” Rainbow Dash finished. “Now hold up, let’s not doing anything rash here,” Soul said earning confused looks from his friends. “Greg, you and I have been doing this for however long we have done this. I feel we have out grown this little rivalry of ours and after so much we’ve been through, I can say that we become something more like… friends. So how about it? Let’s just put all of our fights behind us and start anew.” Everyone in the group including Greg looked at Soul with blank looks. “Cuz, where ya just talking to a spider like he was able to understand anything you just said and actually expect something good would come out of it?” Applejack asked. “I… was just stalling until he jumped me on the face,” Soul replied. ‘And it worked,’ Greg thought before he jumped on Soul’s face causing him to fall over the ground screaming. “GET HIM OFF! GET HIM OFF!” Soul screamed as he rolled around the floor. Everyone shook their heads or rolled their eyes before they went back to doing their own thing and ignored Soul’s plea for help. “Somethings are just never going to end,” Rivet commented. Eventually over time, Soul, Sunset and their friends spent the last time together in their days of Canterlot High. Graduation had came upon them and were rewarded with several degrees and accomplishments during their time there at the ever surprising school. Their friends and families cheered them on as they each took the stage to receive their degrees and honors. The summer time came for the the graduated group as they spent the last freedom of the summer vacation altogether. Having many more adventures like saving a campsite, going to the beaches, spending time together and of course, the one time a giant monster came through the portal when Princess Twilight had left her castle for the weekend and the group had to deal with the mess it caused before sending it back. During those months, Soul and Sunset spent everyday together as if it was their last. The two would wake up together in the morning and go back bed together and spend wonderful nights feeling each other's touch. They went on for several dates to the movies, restaurants and just simple walks through the park knowing that their time for their college days and the hardship for their relationship was getting nearer. It was a weekend as the month of August came and Soul and Sunset were at the bus station. Sunset’s bus to her college’s campus was being boarded by its passengers and their bags and suitcases being loaded onto it. Sunset and Soul looked at the bus for a moment before they looked at one another. Soul gazed into her eyes as he had a frown on him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Sunset did the same and wrapped her arms around him as well. The two held each other for as long as they could before the driver said that they were about to leave the station. Sunset pulled back a little still holding onto Soul and looked at him with a sad smile. “Well… this is it,” she said. “I’m gonna miss you, babe.” “Me too, Sunny,” Soul said. “Promise you’ll call me when you get there?” “Of course I will, I promise,” Sunset replied. “And call me when you get to your fancy universtiy, alright?” Soul chuckles weakly. “Of course I will. You’re the most important person in my life,” he said. Soul and Sunset hugged tightly once more before the two shared a long passionate kiss. Sunset pulled away from the kiss slowly before she gazed into his eyes. “I love you,” she said. “I love you too,” Soul replied. Sunset took a deep breath she pulled away from the hug and took her bag before walking into the bus. She walked along inside until she sat down and was near the side window. She looked outside to see Soul watching her and waving at her as he smiled. Sunset smiled back and waved back at him before the bus closed its doors and slowly moved away from the station before getting on the road. Soul kept on watching the bus drive off until it was soon out of sight. Soul stood their for a few moments after seeing the bus disappears and lets out a sigh. He walked off and head straight for his bike and sat down on it. He was about to put his helmet up until he stopped and looked back to see Sunset’s helmet on the side. Soul set his helmet down before he picks Sunset’s up and looks at it as he could see his reflection. He looked at it sadly for a moment before he made a small smile and kisses on the glass before putting it back in place. Soul starts up his bike and soon rides off as he makes his way back to his apartment to pack up for his trip for Cambridge University. “Lord… No matter what happens, please let me be with Sunset after all this,” Soul pray to himself. Time went on as Soul and Sunset were at their colleges and were adjusting to their new daily lives quickly. Soul absorbed the lessons their rather quickly and soon he was able to make several new plays during his time there slowly getting to be well known in the theater industry. Sunset enjoyed her time at her college as she learns what it means to be a teacher and being the top student of her classes. Whenever there was a long break or holidays for them from their lessons and classes, Soul and Sunset would visit one another and spend as much time together before going back to their colleges. During their small but wonderful time visiting with each other felt like a blessing to them as they shared their love and affection for one another during the day and spent their nights intimately and passionately. Soon four years had past and Soul had recently graduated from Cambridge University with a master’s degree. He was even offered several positions for plays all over the states and even overseas. Luckily, Soul had the choice to take some time for himself before he take up job positions and spend a couple of months to himself. It was night time as Soul drove after a few hours from the university. He soon arrived at his parent’s home and visited them while he was also visiting his little sister. Novel was able to walk and talk a little bit clearly as she was still learning how to speak correctly. He spent time with them as much as he wanted before he went back to his and Sunset’s old apartment. Soul soon walked inside their apartment room and saw how dusty their home had become since they left it. He cleaned up the dust and killed off whatever insects that had gotten inside before getting into his bed and sleeping for the night. The sun slowly rose up as the light shined on Soul causing him to wake up slowly. He slowly got up before he felt something was on top of him to see Sunset was sleeping on him. Soul smiled before he held Sunset in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. Sunset woke up slowly before she looked up and smiled as she looked at Soul. “Good morning,” Sunset said. “Good morning to you, beautiful,” Soul said. “How was your graduation?” “It went very well. I’m now a certified teacher and Celestia offered a job for me working at our old high school,” Sunset replied. “When the students come back from summer vacation, I will be CHS’s new math teacher!” “That’s wonderful, sweetie!” Soul said. “Hmhmm! How was your graduation?” Sunset asked. “It was great! I have a lot of job offerings and plays that a lot of people want me to direct. But I have a chance to wind down for a couple of months before things get crazy for me,” Soul explained and chuckled. “Oh Soul, that’s so awesome! You can really get a lot of money for directing popular theaters and such,” Sunset said. “That’s true and I do plan on getting one of those positions soon. I don’t want to make them wait for too long,” Soul said before he sat up and stretched. “But right now, I want to just spend some quality time with my favourite girl.” Sunset smiled before he leaned over and kisses Soul. Soul kisses her back for a moment before he got up. “Feeling like heading out in town for a while? I feel like seeing if we can find any one of our friends here,” Soul suggested. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Soul!” Sunset said. Soul smiled before he and Sunset got dressed and headed out to town. As they went into town, they were happy to see some of their old friends like Applejack, Swift, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Night were still living in town. They had learned that Rarity and Clyde are living happily married together and Clyde was the new coach for CHS while Rarity was working her own tailor store. Sunset was able to attend their wedding though Soul was incredibly busy with a play that was going on and did wished for the two for the best. Rivet had joined the Royal Air Force and he and Rainbow Dash are still in a steady relationship. Swift and Pinkie are happily married as Pinkie wasted no time on wanting a child but Swift was able to convince her to take things slow… for the time being. Applejack still lives in the family barn with her brother and sister while Granny Smith was still kicking around in her twilight years. Unexpectedly, Straight was also living at the farm as he and Applejack are in a slow relationship. Night and Fluttershy were also married for a couple of years as she works at a veterinarian hospital. Zero is working as a detective for the Canterlot Police Force within the large city while Twilight runs her own lab for further study of energy resources. Treble became a famous DJ player along with his fiance, Vinyl Scratch and finally, Sonata shortly married Warhawk after their graduation and she is now expecting a child in a few months. Night time had once again fallen over the country side of Canterlot and Soul and Sunset were walking through the park like they had use to do. As they walked, Soul stopped her in front of the park’s fountain. “Sunset, there’s something I want to do. Something I just can’t wait anymore to happen,” Soul said as he smiled brightly at her. Sunset smiled back at him knowing what he was planning. Soul pulled out a small black box and knelt down as he held on her hands. “There is no words to describe how beautiful and wonderful of a woman you are. You gave me guidance when I needed it, gave me love that sometimes even surprises me and stayed with me even when we were so long apart from each other,” he said. “So now that everything is in order and our futures are looking so bright… Will you, Sunset Shimmer, marry me and become my wife?” Soul opened the box to show Sunset the same diamond ring that he tried to give to the first time. Tears started to stream down from her eyes before she slowly took the ring and slip it on her finger. After she observed the ring for a moment, she wiped away her tears and looked at Soul. “Yes. Yes, I will be your wife,” Sunset replied. “As long as you get to be my husband.” Soul continued to smile as his eyes watered. He stood up before wrapping his arms around Sunset and kissing her on the lips. The two deeply embraced one another’s lips as the night was not just the end of their school days but the beginning of their life together in a wonderful and loving union. > Chapter 34 - The End > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- … Our Love is Forever! The sun was high up in the air on a cloudless, beautiful day of July. At a large church building, many people were coming in on a Sunday for the wedding of both Soul Writer and Sunset Shimmer. Sunset was in a room where she was getting sit for her wedding. She sat down while her mother and Dawn were fixing her hair up. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Dawn asked Sunrise. “Of course I do! What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t know how to braid my own daughter’s hair?” Sunrise retorted. “The kind that’s from another world and is messing her daughter’s hair up with knots,” Dawn countered as she points to Sunset’s hair. Sunrise looked to see that she had made several small knots in Sunset’s hair. Sunset looked toward the side her mother did and grimace at the site. “Umm… Mom? Maybe you should let Dawn do my hair for the wedding,” Sunset suggested. Sunrise crossed her arms and pouted. “I knew I should have learned hairstyles with these hands,” she said. Sunset laughed. “It’s okay, mom. I really appreciate what you were trying to do,” she said. Sunrise smiled and hugged her daughter. “I’m so happy for you. My little girl is all grown up and she’s getting married to a loving and faithful young man,” she said. “I can just tell that you’re going to be happy with Soul.” Sunset smiled warmly as she hugged her mother back. After a few moments, there was a few knocks on the door and Twilight came into the room. “Sunset, are you ready? Everything is about to start soon,” Twilight said. “We just need to get my hair ready and I’ll be all set,” Sunset replied. Twilight looked at the hair and cringed at one side of her hair. “Oh uuh, yeah. You got time to get that fix,” she said. “I’ll come back and let you know that we’re ready to start.” “Thank you, Twilight,” Sunset said. At the cathedral, Soul stood by the preacher with his groomsmen. Swift stood beside Soul while Zero, Rivet, Clyde, Night, Treble, Straight, Warhawk and even Zephyr all stood on the side in a row. Soul was beginning to feel nervous from waiting and being in the spotlight with so many people looking at him. He tried to loosen his bow as it felt like it was getting tighter. Swift looked over to Soul and patted him on the shoulder. *Hey, are you alright?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just getting a little nervous is all,” Soul replied. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I was super nervous at my wedding with Pinkie,” Swift said. “I’m happy you were able to come to that, pal.” “It was no problem, Swift. I just wish I was able to come to Clyde’s wedding but I just couldn’t make time after getting so much projects to take care of at the university,” Soul explained. “Those guys are very demanding on everything.” “Well you did send those flowers and Sunset did give them your best wishes,” Swift said. “That’s true. Anyways, I’m glad that you became my best man after choosing you,” Soul said. “Choosing me? You made everyone in our group fight for-” “Yeaaaaah, choosing you,” Soul said. Swift’s eyes were half-lid before he sighed and smiled. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It sure has been,” Soul agreed. “And it’s going to so much more of it after today.” “Okay, I’m going to be the one to say this,” Treble said. “But what the hell has Zephyr been doing for the past few years? I haven’t even heard anything from the guy!” Everyone in the group looked at Treble for a moment before they raised their brows and looked at Zephyr. “Yeah, I’m actually curious about that as well,” Zero said. “What did you do for the last few years?” Just as Zephyr was about to answer them, the music started playing and the door on the far side opened. Dawn and Sunrise snuck into the room as they sat besides their husbands and Dawn winked at her son. Soul smiled and looked at the opened door to see each of his and Sunset’s friends walking out in beautiful dresses. The girls stood by the right side of the altar with bright smiles in a row. There was Twilight, Princess Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Sonata, Rainbow Dash and Vinyl. Applejack was second in the row before she smiled at Soul and gave him a simple nod as tears developed on her eyes. Soul smiled warmly at her before he looked over to the center door. Coming down the aisle was a little girl that had long black hair and a cute little dress as she walked with a flower basket. She threw rose petals on the ground heading towards the altar. Dawn smiled as the girl was about to be near her and tried to grab her to place on her lap. But the girl kept on going down until she was walking up the stairs and she hugged around Soul’s leg. “Ba ba!” the little girl said. The crowd laughed and aww at the little girl before Soul smiled back at his little sister, Novel and picked her up. “Oh, you’re such a cute little flower girl!” he kisses on Novel’s cheek and rubbed his cheek with hers. “Okay, you need to go over to mommy and daddy. Can you do that, sissy?” “Okay, ba ba! Love ya, goodbye!” Novel said before she ran over back to Dawn and Comet. She got up to Dawn and sat on her lap, Soul chuckled before the pianist began to play a peaceful and serene music. The guests stood up and looked down at the end of the aisle to see Sunset starting to walk down on it. Soul held his breath as he looked at Sunset in her dress. Walking beside Sunset was her father, Midnight as the two walked down the aisle arm-in-arm. Soul’s eyes started to tear up when Sunset was halfway down the aisle. His emotions acted out of control as he couldn’t feel nothing but happiness of seeing the woman that not only became his closest friend but to willingly love him enough to be with him on this day. One thing that stood out most on her dress was the pendant that he had given her since their first time going to the Fall Formal together. The pendant matched Sunset’s outfit very nicely causing Soul to have streams of tears run down his cheeks. Sunset and Midnight soon walked up to the altar and stood next to Soul. Midnight held his hand out before shaking hands with Soul showing him approval. Midnight looked to his daughter and lifted her veil up and smiled at her while she smiled back. Midnight kissed Sunset on her forehead before walking away leaving the two with the preacher. Sunset smiled with tears in her eyes before she wiped away some of the tears from Soul’s eyes. Soul tried to get himself back together before he smiled happily and held her hand. Soul and Sunset looked at the preacher with the happiest smiles. The guests sat back down on their seats before the preacher held his hand up. “Dearly beloved! We are here today to celebrate the unification between Soul Writer and Sunset Shimmer…” As the preacher went on with his speech, Soul looked over to Sunset seeing her up close in her beautiful dress and smiling happily. He tighten his grip on her hand which cause Sunset to tighten her grip as well and looked at Soul with a warm smile. Soul leaned over to Sunset and whispered. “You look beautiful, Sunny.” he said. Sunset smiled happily. “Thank you,” she whispered back. “You look very handsome, honey.” “Heh, I do what I can for you,” Soul said as he lovingly gazed into her eyes. Sunset gazed back at Soul not wanting to part away from his gaze. As the two were gazing deeply with each other, the preacher was at the end of his speech and looked to Soul and Sunset. “And now, we turn our attention to the groom and bride,” the preacher said before he looked to Soul. “Soul Writer, do you take Ms. Shimmer to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto her for as you both shall live?” Soul smiled happily as he kept gazing into Sunset’s eyes. “I do. I really do!” Soul replied excitedly. The preacher smiled before he looked to Sunset as tears were streaming down her tears. “Sunset Shimmer, do you take Mr. Writer to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as you both shall live?” Sunset happily gazed at Soul having tears in her eyes. She choked on her words for a moment before she was able to speak clearly. “I absolutely do,” Sunset replied. The preacher nodded happily before she spoke. “As we soon will begin the exchange of rings, both the bride and groom shall exchange vows to one another at this moment.” Soul and Sunset looked to see Apple Bloom holding two ring bands on a velvet pillow. One ring was made out of silver with the name Soul’s name on it while the other ring was gold with Sunset’s name on it. Apple Bloom stood next to the preacher and smiled at the happy couple. The two gazed into each other once more before Soul spoke up. “Sunset… There are just no words that can describe how beautiful you are. And there is nothing that I can do to express how much I love you. The closest I could ever get is sliding a ring on your finger and say I love you everyday until I can’t speak anymore. I am going to cherish you everyday as I love, honor and comfort you on either good days or bad. I’ll always tend to you when you feel ill and stay by your side when you are well…” Soul choked up for a moment and he wiped his tears. “You were the first friend I made when I went to Canterlot High. At first I never thought I would fall in love with the same girl that simply volunteered to show anyone around the school as she had became a wonderful person. I have heard what you were like before we met and you weren’t the woman I love today… But that didn’t stop me from knowing you and later, loving you.” “We both had our ups and downs before this day… You were sad when you weren’t able to face up to your parents after all the wrong that you did and that I had to go through some troubling times with myself after leaving my home. But I worked hard and helped you get back together with both you wonderful parents who I have come to care for like I do for my parents and you comfort me when I was feeling confused and sad about leaving my parents. I vow to be the husband you want everyday and whatever fights we have, we’ll see it through until the very end. I love you dearly with all my heart and soul.” Sunset smiled happily as her lips quivered. She took a few moments to calm herself down and Soul pulled a handkerchief for her and she uses it to wiped the tears away. She took a deep breath and started her vows. “Soul… I accept you as my husband not just as a lover and partner but as my dear and closest friend. I love you so much, you make chest burn with so many emotions that make feel so lucky to have you. As your wife, I will help you in your endeavors and comfort you when you need it. When you fall ill, I will be there to raise you back to full health. When you laugh, I will laugh with you and if you cry, I will cry with you. I will always to honest and open with you as I cherish you everyday that we’re married.” “If you have asked me before I had changed, I wouldn’t have been interested in going out with someone like you, Soul. Because the other me wouldn’t have realized how much joy you would have given me. If you have asked me after I changed and before the Battle of the Bands, I would have felt unworthy of love and admiration and could have missed a chance to be with you… I am so happy that I met you at the right time and I have the chance to spend the rest of my life with the man I love.” “My dear precious, Soul… I am happy to have you in my life and that you filled my life with more joy than I never thought I could have. And when things were at its worst, you were there to comfort me and hold me in your arms making me feel safe and secure. I vow to stay with you, cherish you, love you and grow old with you until the day we part from this world and into the next.” Both Sunset and Soul were both crying trying their best to keep their posture. Most of the guests were also crying as well especially Dawn and Sunlight as their eyes balled with tears. The girls and boys on the side of the altar were crying heavily for them and Pinkie fell on her knees and streams of tears came out of her eyes as she cried loudly. “I’M SO HAPPY FOR THEM!” Pinkie yelled as she kept crying. Soul and Sunset collected themselves together and soon picked up their partners’s rings. Soul held Sunset’s hand before he slid her ring on her ring finger and smiled happily with tears still in his eyes. “I, Soul Writer, give to you, Sunset Shimmer, this ring, as a commitment to love, honor and respect you. With this ring, I wed thee.” Sunset sniffed and smiled happily before she slid Soul’s ring on to his ring finger and gazed up to him. “I, Sunset Shimmer, give to you, this ring, as a commitment to love, honor and respect you. With this ring, I wed thee.” Soul and Sunset held each other's hands and smiled happily to one another while their eyes locked with one another. The preacher smiled and raised his hands up. “By the power invested in me by the Lord, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride.” Soul wrapped his arms around Sunset and pulled her close to him. Sunset wrapped her arms around Soul’s neck as she gazed up to him and smiled brightly. Soul leans down and put his forehead against Sunset’s before he closes the gap between them kissing her on the lips deeply. The guests stood up and applaud for the newly wed couple while others were still crying from joy like Dawn and Sunlight. The boys and girls at the altar applauded and Pinkie was able to pull herself together and clapped…. With help from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash keeping her up. As soon as their lips parted, Soul picks up Sunset bridal style before he walked down the aisle with her and made their way towards the limousine. As they made their way out of the church, Comet picked up Novel and helped Dawn get up along with Sunset’s parents before heading outside. Soul and Sunset’s friends quickly rushed outside and waved at them as the two entered into their ride. “Good luck you two! We’ll see you at the- WAIT!” Pinkie shouted. “What about the bouquet!? Sunset, you have to throw the bouquet so I can get married!” Swift expressed a confused look. “Pinkie, you’re already married to me,” he pointed out. “Shhhh! I want to have another bouquet!” Pinkie retorted. Swift’s eyes were half-lid and let out sigh before he smiled. The ride’s window went down before Sunset poked out of it and threw the bouquet out towards a crowd of girls. Pinkie was pushing girls out of the way and just as the bouquet was about to hit her, Applejack bumped her out of the way and catched the the flowers. Pinkie fell on the ground and looked back at Applejack with a shock expression. “What the fudge, Applejack!?” she shouted. “I thought we were friends!” “Sorry Pinkie, family before friends,” Applejack said before she knelt down and gave the flowers to Novel. “Thanks, cuzzing Apple Jackie!” Novel said before she hugged Applejack. “Oh, it’s nothing, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Awwwwwwwwwwe, that was so worth being pushed over by your friends,” Pinkie said. “.... Owie.” The limousine drove off with the happy couple and everyone was waving goodbye to them until the next event of the wedding. Soul and Sunset sat beside each other very intimately as Soul kissed Sunset passionately. Soon the two part kisses and Sunset coed under Soul’s neck. “We did it… We’re married,” Sunset said. “We’re finally married.” “We sure are, honey… We sure are,” Soul said as he held Sunset close and gave her a kiss on the lips. “We have a few hours before the reception, wanna… have a little fun in our hotel room~?” Sunset’s eyes turn sultry and she licks her lips. “Oooh, I do~” Soul kisses Sunset as he soon was on top of her in the back of the limo. The driver looked at the rear view mirror and pressed a button as the window rolled up. “Every time,” the driver said. “Why does this happen every time?” Soul kisses Sunset deeply for a moment before he pulls away. “Oh, one more thing I should probably tell you,” Soul said. “Pinkie added a roast to our reception.” “Oh? Well, that’s not so bad,” Sunset commented. “... Treble is hosting it.” “.... Oh f*ck.” Sometime had past and Soul, Sunset and all of their guests, family and friends were at the reception. After suffering through Treble’s roast, the two newly weds sat at the table enjoying their served meals with everyone. The servings were portions of steak, chicken, turkey and ham that were enough to please everyone in the room. As many of the guests were still eating or finishing up their drinks, Soul tapped his wine glass to get everyone’s attention. He held a microphone up and smiled at everyone. “Hello Everyone, I just wanted to say thank you all for coming for me and my lovely Sunny’s wedding,” Soul said. There was clapping and cheering from the crowd of guests before they continued to listen to Soul. “It’s been a long time coming for me and for my new wife. We’ve shared a lot of adventures together and spent so much time together. But right now, this toast isn’t just for me and her. This is also for the people we love and care about for they had also been part of lives. To the friends we’re always cared for thank you for helping us through our hard times and being there when we needed it. For sharing moments with us that we would all remember for the rest of our lives and hope that our children become good friends with all of you as well.” “WE HOPE SO TOO! WHAAAAAA!” Pinkie was crying over at her table with Swift their friends. Swift patted her back as he smiled and looking at Soul to continue his speech. Soul chuckled for a moment before speaking some more. “And I want to thank my family. For giving me wonderful love, advice and support from the day of my birth all the way to now. I know in my heart that you all would continue to do so for me like I would for you. I love you all so much and I would be happy to one day add more members of the family with my Sunny.” “Ya better! Ah want to see my great grandkids before Ah kick the bucket!” Granny Smith yelled from her table. Everyone bursted out laughing while Soul held his stomach laughing. Sunset covered her mouth as she tried to keep herself contained but failed as she laughed. After a moment, everyone collected themselves and waited for Soul. “Hehehe, so to finish this off, I will simply say, thank you. Thank you for everything you all have done for us. I hope not just the beginning of our marriage but that our friendships and families continue to be together and will always be there for us and us for them. Thank you and let’s continue to have a wonderful time here.” The second Soul was finished, everyone stood up and clapped loudly for his speech. Sunset walked up to Soul and soon pressed her lips on his making the crowd cheer and clap even harder for them. After wiping her tears, Pinkie stood up with a bright smile and raised her arms up high. “Let’s party!” she yelled. Everyone let out a cheer before the tables and chairs were being moved away from the center of the room. Soon many guests along with Soul and Sunset gathered around on the newly made dance floor before Vinly was up in a setup DJ and started playing loud upbeat music. The second the music played, everyone started dancing to it and were enjoying a wonderful and fun time together. As the dance went on, Pinkie was drinking some of the complementary wine being served. Unfortunately for Swift, she had almost drank most of the bottle and was beginning to feel tipsy. “Oooooh, boy! This stuff is- *Hic!* awesome!” Pinkie said as her eyes were half-lid and she wobbled a bit. “Sweetie, you know what’ll be really fun~? If I dance around in the nude!” Swift shakes his head. “Pinkie, I don’t think that would be such a g- Dear god! Pinkie, put your shirt back on! There’s kids here!” Pinkie ran around with only her panty and bra on as Swift went after her with her clothes in his arms. Either everyone was laughing at Swift’s misfortune or looked away from Pinkie with a blush on their cheeks. Soul and Sunset laughed together at Pinkie’s silly antics before they went back to dance with each other. They leaned towards one another before giving the other their lips in a tender display of love and affection for each other. Soul and Sunset were back in their hotel room enjoying the honeymoon sweet. The two were under the covers as Soul was on top of Sunset kissing on her neck tenderly. Sunset moaned as she held Soul close to her. Soul keeps kissing Sunset before he parts away from her lips and gazed into her eyes while smiling. “You’re a wonderful and beautiful woman to be with, Sunset. I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives are going to be like,” Soul said. Sunset smiled. “Me too, Soul,” she said before she gave Soul a sultry look. She spreads her legs apart under the covers and rubs his back. “Now ravage me like you always do~” “My pleasure~” Soul said before he kisses Sunset deeply as all the memories of her and him together came flooding his mind. Soul smiled happily remembering everything he and Sunset did and got involved in during their time at CHS. His heart burned with love while holding the woman of his life hands with his own. Sunset’s mind was going back to the times she had spent with Soul and how gratefully happy to have him. She remembers all of good times with him and how he was there for her during the bad times. Sunset tighten her grip on Soul’s hands as she felt a wave of blissful pleasure throughout her body. The two spent a long and wonderful night together knowing that they will spend the rest of their lives as both husband and wife. And that the end of their wedding was just the beginning of a new adventure together through life. -Years Later- In a suburban neighbor, a moving truck was in front of a large two story house as the movers were taking several furniture inside. A car drove up and parked in in the driveway before the doors opened. Steppin out, Soul got out and smiled brightly as he looked at the house. “Well everyone, here is our new home!” he said. Sunset climbed out and giggled. “It sure is very large, Soul. I’m so happy that we were able to get this for our own home,” she said. “Blaze, Sunday come out and take a look!” On cue, a boy and a little girl came out of the car on different sides. The boy had a 3DS ins his hand before he looked up. He had white hair with yellow highlights while having pale orange skin and teal eyes just like his mother’s. The little girl was holding on to a small pony doll and a pacifier in her mouth. She had long white hair with yellow streaks in it while having pale skin and light blue eyes. “Wow, this place looks cool!” Blaze said. “Hey dad, think it’ll have a room big enough room for all of our Star Wars stuff?” Soul chuckled before he rubbed on Blaze’s head. “Yes it will, weasel. It’s one of the reason why your mom and I got it.” Sunset rolled her eyes and smiled. She knelt down to her daughter and held her close. “What do you think, sweetie?” she asked. Sunday pulled the pacifier out of her mouth and smiled brightly. “It’s really big, mommy!” she said. “Ah can’t wait to ask Seryn, Rhoda and Star over for a sleepover here!” “And I’m sure they will love it! But we need to get our things in and settle down for a while, okay?” Sunset asked. “Okay, mommy!” Sunday said before she puckered her lips. Sunset smiled and kissed Sunday. “Now you can head on inside and check out everything while your dad and I get our bags and boxes inside,” she said. Sunday smiled before she excitedly hurried inside. However she fell on the ground face first. Sunset was about to go check if she was okay but Sunday quickly got up and rubbed her face before heading on inside. Sunset let out a relieved sigh before she went to the back of the car and started picking up some of the bags. “Alright, weasel. Go pick up your bag and I’ll show you the room I picked out for you after I help your mom,” Soul said. “Okay, dad!” Blaze put away his game before he ran up behind the car and picked up his bag. He headed off inside the house leaving Soul and Sunset to themselves. Soul walked around to the back of the car and gives Sunset a kiss on the lips. He smiled as he held the side of her cheek. “Ready to start a new beginning for our family here?” Soul asked. “I think we’re going to be living here for a very long time.” Sunset smiled back warmly and she hugged Soul. “I think so too, sweetie,” she said. She wrapped her arm around Soul and the two looked at the house together. She felt so much joy and happiness seeing that her family, the one Soul and her started now have a house of their own. “I can’t believe this is really happening… To think that all this started with just a simple tour.” “Maybe. But one thing is for sure, is that I am happy that we met on that day and how beautiful our friendship became,” Soul said. He looked over to Sunset and gazed into her ever loving eyes. She looked back at him with her ever beautiful smile. The two kissed and they soon picked up the bags and boxes before heading inside the house. As they walked towards the house, Soul was behind Sunset as he watched her walk towards the house. He stopped for a moment before looking at the home where his wife and children will be living for the longest time. He smiled happily knowing that his children would be happy here and that he will continue to wake up every morning with the beautiful woman that he first met in highschool. He looked down to see Sunset looking and smiling at him. Soul smiled at her and whispered to himself. “She’s the Sun of My Heart.” THE END