> Tales of the Equestria Girls
>  by 621Chopsuey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Lavender Lace in "Baby Be Mine"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lavender Lace was not in the best mood today. Often, she was in an otherwise excellent mood, which was being level-headed and amiable with most people, but on this particular day she was not quite so, for it was the one day of the year she wish had never existed.

It was Valentine’s Day.

Lavender was known throughout Canterlot High to be a romantic. Sure, in the older sense of the word, possessing an appreciation for nature and what it had to offer, but she was hopelessly and imaginatively more so in the amorous sense. So much, some would say if there were a spot in the yearbook for class romantic, Lavender Lace would be at odds with Flash Sentry and Lyra Heartstrings.

Those same few, her fellow peers, were also well aware of the reasons why Lavender didn’t enjoy the day of romance. It was the cards from the local Hallmark store, the candied hearts that read “Be Mine”, the oversized stuffed teddy bears, the overall obligation to confess one’s love to another. It was all forced confessions created by the commercializing of the holiday, which relied on the people’s desire to spend, spend, spend to appease themselves as well as others.

That was how Lavender perceived it; the very reason why she detested Valentine’s Day.

And so her morning went, walking the halls of Canterlot High and watching her fellow classmates fall sway to the call of the day’s so-called “romance” and their bulging wallets. It may be a callous perception to the common man, but was how Lavender perceived it nonetheless, and a perception well known throughout the school body. Were there no capitalist perversions of the holiday and these acts of love more genuine, then it would be a different story.

Probably.

So when Lavender opened her locker today, she never expected to find a Valentine’s Day card inside, let alone anything Valentine’s related. Looking left and right to see if anyone was watching her, the girl carefully gripped the card as if it would suddenly sprout wings and fly away before she got the chance to inspect it.

It was heart-shaped, big surprise, and appropriately bordered with lavender lace, a more legitimate surprise that got a giggle from the girl. What really drew her attention were the fanciful cuts inside. When Lavender opened the card, a silhouette cutout of a boy and a girl in a loving embrace popped up. Again, she was surprised. It was a well done feature anyone who received the card would give credit to, even admire, the sender for it.

Speaking of sender, Lavender scanned the card for the message, which wasn’t all that difficult to find. Unlike the rest of the card, the writing was of every boy and man’s typical chicken scratch, a contrast to the card’s careful construction, though thankfully it was more legible than most scribbles she previously laid eyes on.

The words from within
are hard to say aloud for
when I look at you,

Your beauty brings my
knees to weakness, your laugh a
flutter to my heart.

From here, I ask you
what a man would desire
Oh, baby, be mine.
 
Even if the three-stanza haiku got cheesy at the end with a line from an eighties pop song, the words admittedly left Lavender feeling amorous and, as a hand to the bosom confirmed, her heart beating a little faster. It was touching, having learnt she left such an impact on this mysterious gentleman. Though not to toot her own horn, Lavender had a reputation as one of the hotter girls at the school.

“Huh? So you got a Valentine’s card.”

Lavender looked up from her unexpected gift. Fuchsia Blush was leaning against her own locker, adjacent to her friend’s. Beneath her crossed arms was a blue-and-white plush animal that looked like a cross between a cat and a dog.

“I see you received a gift, too.”

Fuchsia nodded, holding her gift up for her friend to see. “Yeah. Ain’t he adorable?”

“At least it’s not a teddy bear with ‘HUG ME’ stitched on its belly.”

The shorter of the two rolled her eyes. “I figured you comment on that first. Now that we’re past your anti-capitalist analysis, what do you really think of it?”

“It’s cute. Really, it is.” Lavender said after a lingering look at the plush. “Any idea who gave it to you?”

Fuchsia could only shrug. “No idea. There’s a reason why they are called secret admirers; anonymous lovers who leave mysterious gifts.” She gave her plush a quick nuzzle before storing it away in her locker. “And the mystery behind this one is whoever my admirer is knows of my love for anything anime, which is creepy because no one knows that except for you and Trixie.”

“In other words, we might have a stalker on our hands,” joked the lavender girl. “Well, your hands, technically. He’s your admirer.”

“That ought to make things interesting.” Fuchsia said a giggle. “Whatever. Enough about me. I wanna know more about your card.” She held out her hand. Lavender got the message and gave it to her friend. She watched as Fuchsia looked over the card cover to cover and round back to the middle. The fuchsia girl whistled with appreciation while she worked the pop-up cutout. “Now that’s some craftsmanship. Except for the scribbling at the bottom; what’s that supposed to be, a quickie add-on?”

“That would be the poem.”

“Huh?” Fuchsia took a closer look at the scribble. “Oh, so that’s what it is.”

The next several moments remained silent save for the students passing by as Fuchsia read the poem. Lavender could only wonder who her secret admirer was. This was the first time her disliking for Valentine’s Day came into question; whoever made the card put a lot of time and effort into it. Honestly, how many cards were made by hand, with a pop-up feature done with such finesse?

“Wow, somebody here must have a really big crush on you to put effort into this. And I bet you all this effort got a nice reaction out of you.”

Lavender averted her gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Lavender, please. I may be named after a cosmetic, but there’s more to me than a destiny in cosmetology. See, makeup is like a mask; it’s applied to hide imperfections or enhance appearances. A deception if you will. I can see through people as if they were not wearing either at all, and right now I can tell you’re lying.”

Lavender crossed her arms, intrigued. “Really? Then what did you see beyond this, O All-Knowing One?”

“Not the casual ‘aww, how sweet’ sort of thing.” The shorter girl held up a finger to her chin and observed her friend in an almost knowing manner while listing off potential reactions. “A reaction more physical. An intense blush? Butterflies in your stomach, perhaps? Or maybe your heart beat a little faster.” Fuchsia’s lips curled up. “Number three, am I right?”

The girl was at a loss for words, allowing silence to yawn between the two if briefly. “Please explain to me how your guesses are always that accurate.”

“Correction: educated guesses,” Fuchsia smirked confidently with the knowledge she was right. “By the way, it wasn’t just your face. Kind of hard to miss you put your hand over your heart a second time. Elementary, my dear Lavender.”

“Okay, settle down, Sherlock.”

“Hey, I can see things most people can’t. It’s a gift.”

“So you mentioned.”

The pair laughed at their friendly bantering, an amiable moment that was cut short when the warning bell rang through the halls signaling class started in five minutes. Lavender quickly stored the card away in her bag, secured her locker, and followed her fuchsia friend to her next class.

“So what do you plan to do?”

Lavender pondered over the question. “I’m… not quite sure. I feel lead to find out who the sender is, but I don’t know if that’s just asking for trouble. I don’t want to dive in only to find out this was a prank.”

Fuchsia was so surprised at the train of thought she nearly walked into Snips and Snails. Thankfully, they noticed her first and skittered around the two girls. “Where did that come from? Look, Lavender, obviously this guy really likes you. I doubt he’d waste the time and effort to make you that card and confess his feelings just to tug at your heartstrings in some cruel joke. Do what your heart tells you.”

The majority of their walk remained silent as Lavender deeply pondered over what to do next, as well as justifying her motivations for this potential venture. Was she in over her head, believing this card was a sign? Probably. She was an imaginative romantic, after all. Was there a chance of disappointment when she found out who made it? Of course, but it was low; Lavender was equally vigilant in noticing who actively crushed on her, and the majority of the guys were up there in looks and personality.

One last question: will she act on this opportunity? Definitely. If this was indeed a calling, Lavender had to answer it. This was an opportunity, a chance at a relationship with the potential to last a lifetime. Ignored, and another like it may never come again.

Carpe diem. Seize the day.

It was settled. Firmly digging in her heels, Lavender knew what to do.

By now, the pair had made it to the doorway to Ms Harshwhinny’s room, the location of Fuchsia’s history class. She looked at her friend expectantly. “So? What did it say?”

“It says I’m going on an adventure.” Lavender answered with a confident grin.

Fuchsia crossed her arms and smiled, satisfied with the decision. “Good for you. Now get your butt moving. Standing around won’t accomplish anything. Go hunt down a few guys on your list and find out which one of them is your secret lover boy.”

“What will you be up to in the meantime?”

“I’m going to let my stalker do most of the work and meet me ninety percent of the way. He knows my secret, therefore he’s a stalker, ergo he will probably be following me around the school all day like some freak. No offense to him.” Fuchsia glanced at the clock just within Ms Harshwhinny’s classroom. “Better book it before you get slapped with a tardy note. Lemme know how it turns out later.”

Lavender nodded. “You do the same. Cheers.”

With that, she dashed off towards the beginning of a what she expected to be a grand adventure.





Lavender’s first class of the day was gym, one of her favorite classes. She always enjoyed the workout of the morning hours that left her energized and ready to take on the rest of the day like a conqueror.

Today’s exercise focused on the greatest, yet most barbaric sport ever developed by humankind: dodgeball. The class had been divided into teams and participated in a full-on game of legalized bludgeoning. Thus far, Lavender’s team was in the lead, their numbers nearly untouched while their opponents were steadily losing one person after another all in no small part thanks to Rainbow Dash’s precision aiming.

As she gracefully dodged ball after pain-inducing red rubber ball, Lavender kept her eyes on the suspect number one in her search for her secret admirer. Homestar was one of those kinds of guys who usually hung out in the background, listening to his music through old school headphones and keeping distant from others to the point of near obscurity. However, once one managed to succeed in breaking through his shell, as Lavender found out via personal experience, Homestar was a very enthusiastic guy.

They had been good friends since sophomore year, but she knew Homestar liked her more than just a friend, the way he would avert his gaze awkwardly when he thought she did not notice. Pity nothing developed beyond such friendship, so any hopes of the retro enthusiast speaking up about more intimate feelings were set aside indefinitely.

That is, supposedly, until today.

Homestar was in Lavender’s line of sight and indeed facing her. Confidently juggling the ball in one hand while the other lay on her hip, the girl fluttered her eyes at the blonde boy in hopes of drawing his attention. The tactic was effective, as Homestar stopped midway in a throw. Now she definitely had his attention. “Hook, line, and sinker.” The Lavender said to herself as she launched the ball at him with form that would make any gym teacher proud.

Unfortunately, the projectile failed to hit its intended target. Instead, a girl with her auburn hair done up in twin meatballs dove in front of Homestar and caught the ball. Lavender watched in astonishment as the spry girl followed her landing with a spin and a toss that sent the ball careening into Rainbow Dash’s forehead. The force of the impact sent the prismatic-haired girl sprawling on the floor. Lavender could practically see the stars dancing around her head.

Distracted by the display, she never saw Baton Switch’s second ball coming at her and took it straight in the gut. In the throes of her lower abdomen pain, Lavender Lace humbly declared Canterlot High’s majorette as the champion of this round.





Lunch period started off well for Lavender, and hopefully it would end better than that game of dodgeball.

Rather than sit in the cafeteria, she opted to spend her time outside. For one, the weather was comfortably cool and sunny. Who could resist spending lunch outside on such a beautiful day? Only a fool would deny herself the pleasure of basking in such lovely February weather. Secondly, it was out on the soccer field in the rear of the school some kids would often hang out during lunch period. Athletes mostly, but a few outside the clique were enjoying the outdoors, too.

Hopefully for Lavender, that would soon include suspect number two. From the bleachers, the girl inconspicuously scanned the area for any sign of her target, all the while taking a forkful of salad whenever she got the chance. If she knew him like the rest of the school did, Flash Sentry will be out here to take his lunch and take in some practice time with his guitar.

In due time, her patience was rewarded, for out of the school emerged said familiar blue-haired guitarist. Better yet, he was all by his lonesome. Lavender smiled triumphantly. This was it. She would walk over there and ask him about the Valentine card. If Flash denied having anything to do with it, then no harm no foul. The two would remain on good terms and act as if this never happened. However, if he did admit to it… well, it wasn’t like Sunset Shimmer still had dibs on the guy.

Flash turned right rather than in the direction of the tall blonde. Said tall blonde watched the boy with curiosity as he readjusted his jacket and walked over to one of the nets of the soccer pitch, which thankfully for those sitting at either were not in use. Flash took a seat next to a familiar minty-skinned girl, exchanging friendly hugs and hellos before procuring an item from his jacket pocket.

Lavender’s smile fell instantly. She knew as well as any of the other kids Flash and Lyra were only friends, but the girl couldn’t help be plagued by jealousy as she watched latter excitedly wrap the former up in another hug with the gift of a mixtape, if Lyra’s exclamation of “I can’t believe you found the song!” was anything to go by. God forbid if Flash had done the same for Bon Bon and--

Her thoughts derailed spectacularly as she bit down on her metal fork.





It wasn’t hard to find the next boy on the list.

By fate or fortune, Lavender shared the same chemistry class with Sandalwood. Also by fate or fortune, both sat in the rear row, so it offered her a spot away from the center of Mr Doodle’s attention and ample cover to write a note—written in cursive; a woman had to write clean and proper—to her next target and pass it on covertly.

She passed the note to her right and watched eagerly as it soon arrived into the hands of Apple Bloom, who happened to be the intersection for notes today. Lavender tensed. One more sleight of hand and she would know if Sandalwood was her secret admirer.

A sudden vibrating sounded almost sent Lavender out of her skin. Mr Doodle slowly noticed the sound, as did his students, and in no time the lecture halted completely as everyone in the room looked around for the source of the sound. Eventually all eyes settled on the ceiling in comedic unison, Mr Doodle’s gaze particularly baffled. He shook his head and, grumbling a few choice words, stepped onto one of the students’ desk to shift aside a ceiling tile, procure a cell phone, which had by now stopped vibrating, and step back down. Needless to say, he was not amused.

“I don’t know whose bright idea it was to hide a phone there, but I better not find another one again.” Mr Doodle stored it away in his desk, and continued the lesson without another moment’s waste.

In the meantime, Apple Bloom remembered the few notes on her desk and hastily passed them along. To her horror, Lavender watched as hers went away from Sandalwood and into the hands of another classmate who sat a couple rows ahead. Her horror made way for sheer embarrassment as she watched Amethyst Star open the note, read it, and turn her head towards Lavender as slowly as the blush that formed on both their cheeks.

Lavender applied palm to face. Hard.





Everyone at Canterlot High was well aware of Bulk Biceps’ penchant for the violin. It was a curious thing to see a guy who fit the image of a boisterous bodybuilder playing an eloquent instrument capable of tugging at the heartstrings of any mortal. Admittedly, Lavender found it admirable Bulk possessed a softer, feminine side to balance his exuberant masculinity, but occasionally she would find it odd. It’s not every day she saw a weightlifting student read GQ.

With word from Fluttershy on his whereabouts, Lavender had gone off during study hall to check the music room and see if suspect number four was practicing violin. By now she was at the end of her rope, and she was more or less expecting similar, disappointing results in her hunt for her secret admirer. She had decided beforehand if suspect number four didn’t turn out to be him, then that was that. Done. El fin. The blonde girl was about to grip the doorknob when she heard noises coming from within that definitely didn’t sound like strumming strings. She submitted to her curiosity and chanced a peek through the slim gap beneath the window blinds failed to cover.

She wished she hadn’t.

“Nope.”

Lavender ripped her gaze away from the door and slammed her back against the wall that separated the hallway from the music room, purple pinpricks staring dumbfoundedly out into the hallway with the expression of a deer caught in the headlights.

“Nope.”

She walked away briskly with as much dignity as she could manage, all the while attempting not to look suspicious. She didn’t want to attract attention, especially towards the copulating couple in the classroom. As much as the scene disturbed her, Lavender didn’t want to risk spoiling their romantic moment by remaining there, gawking through the door’s window and inadvertently prompting others to join in some kinky impromptu peep show.

And why would she want to stay? Lavender was already scarred enough with that brief glimpse into the room, a glimpse neither copious amount of lemon juice in her eyes nor all the brain bleach in the world could ever permanently erase. Imagine if she had stayed longer and continued to observe Bulk sensually caressing Octavia’s exposed chest with such gentleness and care in such a compromising position against the wall and oh God why was she even thinking about it right now?!

“Nope, nope, nope.”





The school day was over, and by now most of the students had left for the day. The ones who did remain were busy with after school activities. The sports was one of them, which was one of the reasons for Lavender sitting all by her lonesome on the bleachers of the school’s athletic field. Her cousin, who also attended Canterlot High, had practice today, and it was customary for the two to eat at the Sweet Shoppe after that.

As she sat and waited for practice to end, Lavender thought over the day’s events. It started out so simple. All she had to do was find the boy who left her the Valentine, someone she knew who liked her in the past. But as the day progressed, her venture continually came up empty-handed despite her efforts, and with each boy marked off the list, she grew to believe that this may have been a pointless endeavor. If none of them were her secret admirer, then who was?

With a frustrated groan, Lavender rubbed her face, not really caring if her eyeshadow, however lightly applied, got smudged in the process. Fuchsia was probably having much better luck than her, for all she knew, merrily walking arm and arm with whoever cleverly snuck that plush in her locker.

She could really go for one of those sea-salt ice creams right now. Or three.

“Hey, Lavender!” The girl in question looked up to the call of her name. A girl not unlike her in appearance, save for a soccer uniform and hair done up in a ponytail, came trotting over. She joined the girl on the bleachers and collapsed onto a seat next to her, wearing a very pleased, but exhausted smile, a sign of an intense workout well worth it.

Lavender waved tiredly to her cousin. “Hey, Cloud.”

Blissfully unaware of her cousin’s mood, Cloud Kicker leaned back and watched her teammates with particular interest. “I expected Flash to be down in the dumps today with his princess in another castle, but he seems to be handling Valentine’s Day well. Just look at him all peachy with Lyra and Bons.” She let loose a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, the way those three hang out every day, I’d say they are just three words away from a harem.”

“That’s nice,” said Lavender with disinterest.

Sensing something was amiss, Cloud Kicker feigned shocked in hopes of prompting a smile out of her. “What, no questions? No snarky comebacks? Nothing to prompt a ramble out of me joining in on what could be a great bang?” She threw her arms up for added measure. “Has the world finally gone mad?”

“Sorry. I’d play along, but I just had a long day.”

Cloud’s face became one of concern. “What’s up?” the pony-tailed girl asked, scooting closer.

“Well, it’s… it’s nothing. It’s stupid.”

A reassuring hand on the shoulder followed. “Lavender, I’m your cousin. You can talk to me about anything.” Cloud paused, chewing over what she just said. “Well, maybe not everything, but you get the idea.”

“It’s…” Lavender trailed off nervously before deciding to just tell it straight, though as she did so her words came out so fast they could have been mistaken for gibberish. “It’s about a Valentine’s Day card I received from someone.”

“No way! You finally gave up boycotting Valentine’s Day? I didn’t think you’d ever break out of that phase.”

“That’s the thing. It wasn’t a card you can buy from a store; it was handmade, and damn well if I may add.”

“Lemme see it.” Lavender dug the card out of her bag. Like Fuchsia, Cloud took the offered car and thoroughly looked it over. Needless to say, she was equally impressed with the workmanship. “You weren’t kidding. Aww, look at that cute couple holding hands.”

Lavender nodded. “I was pretty moved by it, and I felt like I needed to go out there and find who made the card. You know, to thank him and… let him know how I feel.”

“And that didn’t go well.”

“Not well at all. I thought for certain it was one of the guys who I knew had a crush on me, but it turns out they had Valentines of their own. Even Bulk Biceps, and most of the kids see him as, well… different.” She offered diplomatically. “He and Octavia were…” Lavender trailed off awkwardly, remembering the beautiful, yet scarring scene.

A knowing smile slowly crept onto Cloud’s face as she filled in the blanks. “I always knew classy Tavi had a thing for Bulk, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine them going all the way. And during school hours? With you watching them?” Her smile grew all the more cat-like. “Talk about kinky.”

“I’m trying to be serious, Cloud.”

“And I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Well, could you do it by dropping the risqué humor for just a minute, please?”

“I can’t help it. If there’s an opportunity for a sex comment, it’d be heresy for me not to jump on it. S’like you saying ‘yum’ after the Red Robin jingle every time.” When Lavender intensified the stink eye, Cloud sighed in defeat and held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. If you want this to be a PG rated conversation, I’ll keep it at that level. No sex jokes, no double entendres, nothing.” For added measure, she made a series of motions over her heart and eye, in the end holding up her pinkie finger. “Pinkie Promise.”

“Good.” Lavender looked away, arms crossed. “And for the record, it’s a catchy jingle.”

A lengthy moment of silence stretched out for the two, the tension, however lessened, still hovered above them like a drone. It was a minute, maybe two, before Lavender heard her cousin speak.

“So… this card thing really means a lot to you. Must mean a lot to him, too.” She looked to Cloud and could see she was indeed being serious in face as well as voice. “I’m sure the guy didn’t go through all this just to pull a prank, if that’s a thought that has crossed your mind. If anything, he’s probably been watching you hunt him down at school all day, just to see if you share the same feelings he does. You know how boys are, always unable to ask a simple question without stuttering like a nervous wreck.”

Lavender couldn’t help but chuckle mirthfully. “They often do lack a sense of composure around us, do they?”

“It gets worse when it involves an eleven like you.”

The young romantic lightheartedly flecked her hand. “Oh stop it, you.”

“I’m serious. Good looks, imagination, confidence… this guy would be lucky to be with you. All that needs to be done is find out who ‘this guy’ is.” Cloud laid a hand on Lavender’s shoulder. “Tell you what. Tomorrow we’ll look for him, you and me, and figure out who your artsy stalker is. Won’t that be fun?”

A hopeful light shined in Lavender eyes. “You’ll really do that?”

“Anything for my little cousin.” She drew her in for hug.

Lavender smiled as she returned the embrace. It was nice, knowing her cousin had her back. Sure, Cloud was a bit flamboyant and quite perverted, her mind half the time in the gutter, but she held the interests of her friends and family foremost in her heart.

Speaking of keeping family at heart…

“By the way, how did your Valentine’s Day go?” asked Lavender as she pulled back.

“Oh, it went well. Brawly and I had a delicious homemade breakfast. Sausage and eggs for me, muffin and apples for him. All done at sunrise with a soft instrumental playing in the background.” Cloud sighed wistfully, her gaze distant and nostalgic. “Brawly always knows how to get the ambiance going like he knows how to cook.”

This was one of those moments when Lavender was positively clueless as to what Cloud’s implications were. It was a well-disguised statement, vague enough to leave its interpretation up to the listener’s imagination.

Crafty, clever Cloud changed the subject before the matter could be inquired upon. “Now, how about our traditional trip to the Sweet Shoppe? I think someone could use a milkshake after a long day of stalking.”

“Er, uh… sure. I’d like that.” Lavender relinquished her hands from her cousin’s shoulders and, out of peace of mind, reached down to grab a bottle of sanitizer from her mini handbag. Instead, she gripped nothing but empty air, and frowned in displeasure. “Aaand I left my bag in study hall. Wait a tick, I’ll be back.”

Lavender rushed down the bleachers and into the school. A couple of minutes and two flights of stairs later, she entered Ms Cheerilee’s classroom. There it was, her trusty handbag nestled in the basket under her assigned desk.

“Thank goodness,” she said in relief.

Soon as she retrieved her bag, a tune began playing from beyond the window. It was quiet at first, but steadily grew louder. Lavender took a moment to close her eyes and bob her head to the beat. It was an older song, but an upbeat one and one of her favorites. Her top favorite, actually.

Her eyes snapped open. Someone was playing her favorite song. On Valentine’s Day. Here. Right now.

Spurred by the moment that had eluded her all day, Lavender rushed over to the open window and leaned out to locate the source of the music. There, standing on the soccer field and facing the window was a boy holding a boombox over his head, which had to be heavy for him due to his roundedness and short stature.

A mixture of emotions swirled within the wide-eyed girl. Joy. Confusion. Disbelief. But mostly confusion. This was the big moment she had been waiting for, but Lavender never expected Snips to be her secret admirer. He was the furthest thing away from a poet, for one.

“Yo, Lavender!” The girl in question turned as Fuchsia rushed into the room and skidded to a halt. She laid her hands on her knees as she took a moment to catch her breath. “I found out who your lover boy is! Had a hunch who it was earlier, but I wanted to make sure before I got your hopes up--.”

Lavender raised a finger to forestall her friend. “Fuchsia.”

“--so I did a little investigating with the theory your lover boy had to be a poet or musician and would lend credit to the haiku. I mean, sure, anyone can write a haiku, but this is your potential significant other we’re talking about here.”

“Fuchsia.” 

“Turns out I overlooked a major detail: it was the craftsmanship. That’s when I realized I was looking at it all wrong, and there’s only one guy in the school who can cut paper up like that. That guy, my dear Lavender, has gotta be Snips.”

“Fuchsia.” Her patience wore thinner by the second.

“I honestly should’ve seen that coming. Hey, I may have said I can see things most people can’t, but that doesn’t mean my educated guesses are always right, but hey, I managed to solve the mystery of the day, right?” Fuchsia crossed her arms proudly, only to be met with a deadpan stare. “What?”

“He’s serenading me right now from the soccer pitch.”

“Oh.” Fuchsia joined her friend and looked over. By then, a small crowd had gathered close by, intrigued by the spontaneous serenade. “So he is. Didn’t expect a crony to fall for another crony, huh?”

Lavender shook her head. “Nope. I wonder if he wrote the poem.”

“I wouldn’t bet on him taking full credit for it. If anything, Flash or Lyra probably lent him a hand. Scratch that, just Flash. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the lyrics to one of his songs.” She paused, taking in more of the scene below. “So, what are you gonna do with Snips? Friend-zone him nicely?”

The lanky blonde thought long and hard about it as she watched Snips continue to hold the boombox above his head like a champ. He could be loud and hyperexcitable much like Pinkie Pie, but he was more annoying about it. Then again, Snips did have qualities as he did flaws. He was capable of showing he cared for others, too. He was also imaginative, outgoing, and stuck to his guns when determined to achieve something.

Lavender and Snips also held similar interests. There were the arts; while he was skilled in crafts, as his card was evidence to, she held a passion for theater. And they respected Trixie, too. Anyone could see that. As for opposites attract, their physiques were as far as that saying went.

Come to think of it, once Lavender saw past his flaws, Snips was a decent enough guy. And if that wasn’t enough to convince her, she could hear both her mind and heart scream, “Do it! Just do it! Don’t let your dreams be dreams!”

“I’ll give him a chance. If he built up the courage to do this, then I ought to meet him halfway. Who knows, maybe something lovely may come out of this.” Lavender gave a little wave to the freshman. She swore he saw his heart about beat out of his chest much like a character from an old cartoon as he fell over enamored at the gesture. “Besides, he has me worked up already.”

“You’re actually going through with this?” Fuchsia was genuinely surprised as she witnessed her friend strode out the room with confident steps. “I can’t wait to see how this goes.”

Lavender looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of, did you find out who your secret admirer is?”

“Well…”


Lavender Lace – "Baby Be Mine"

> Flash Sentry in "Thriller" (Non-Canon)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the city of Canterlot, the spa was the go-to establishment for rest and relaxation. Patrons had the choices of submitting to the soothing steam of the sauna, the tension of their backs massaged away by the best masseuses, amongst other pleasurable wonders for the fatigued body. It was the perfect place to escape from the stresses of reality, malevolent magical forces from another dimension included.

Flash Sentry was doing just that. There at the local spa, he sat in the hot tub with Lyra and Bon Bon, basking in the heat of the bubbling water as it caressed every tense muscle in their bodies. It was a grand, well-deserved relief from the stress of the Friendship Games, in addition a relaxing way for Flash to spend time with his close friends.

“...so when we figured out Flash mixed up the baking soda and baking powder, we decided to improvise.” Bon Bon finished.

“And of all the things you could make, you two decided on fairy bread?” Lyra asked incredulously to the teens on either side of her.

Flash shrugged, mildly embarrassed. “It’s not like we had much of a choice, Lyra. Time was running out and we didn’t have much in the way of ingredients. Not like we could make a quick trip to the store.” He cracked a smile. “But hey, on the bright side it didn’t look like someone puked the Comedian’s badge onto a souffle.” The boy fondly thought back at how deflated said souffle looked and how its makers from Crystal Prep were given a thorough ridicule from their headmaster for an apparent lack of competence in a rather simple event.

Bon Bon stifled a giggle with her hand, having reminisced that particular memory as well. “I was trying so hard not to laugh,” she said in a muffled voice.

“I could tell. Your face and ears were so red, I thought you were going to pass out.”

“Probably would have if embarrassment didn’t get to me first.”

Despite poking fun at their former opponents, Lyra’s demeanor remained unchanged. “Good thing that didn’t happen. The fairy bread would’ve gotten to me before anyone realized I was choking.” 

Bon Bon almost found the comment insulting, but remained diplomatic towards her friend. “Come on, Lyra, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah. I mean, it was better than just an ordinary loaf of bread.” Flash chimed in. “I found it pretty tasty. Even if it was just icing and sprinkles thrown on top of it.”

“Bonnie, Flash, I love you two, but it was terribly dry. I choked on it even with water.”

Flash grinned mischievously. “I thought you were used to choking on things. How else did you get good at hotdog eating?” His grin broadened at Lyra’s futile attempts to remain stoically serious. “But seriously, cinnamon bread with vanilla icing and sprinkles. Pinkie Pie would totally eat that up.”

Suddenly a blur of varying shades of pink popped up from the watery depths with an excited smile. “Abso-diddle-lutely I will!”

Flash and Lyra voiced their shock at the intrusion and quickly held on to one another tightly amid their bareness. Bon Bon, however, reacted less exuberantly, calmly covering her chest with crossed arms and directing her standard unamused look at the girl who, thankfully, was only collarbone high above the frothing water.

“Pinkie, what are you doing here?”

“Inviting you to a party, silly,” replied the pink girl as if her intrusions were normal occurrences, which they were. At least, when they didn’t involve spontaneously surfacing from a hot tub to do so. “What else do you think I’m doing?”

Flash’s mouth finally synced up with his brain and started to ask the question was no doubt in everyone’s mind at the moment, but he caught himself before he could utter a syllable. This was Pinkie Pie. No one dared questioned her eccentricities, lest one wished to risk the loss of sanity.

So instead, he offered a different question. “What kind of party?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Pinkie asked, shocked at such a question. She was on Flash in an instant, her hands gripping the boy’s shoulders taught and squinting eyes boring into his, all the while showing no sense of personal space nor modesty. “Do you know what time of the year it is? It’s the one time of the year where you get to dress up as someone you only wish you could be and walk the streets in the dead of night while asking total strangers for candy.” 

Flash thoughtfully put a hand to his chin. “Well, now you put it that way, Halloween--”

“Halloween, congratulations!” Pinkie happily stood up high and tossed some confetti, a fanfare of unknown origin following. Lyra swiftly placed a hand over Flash’s eyes to keep his sight pure from the party girl’s naughty bits. “You win three invitations to a Halloween party hosted by yours truly in Woodcrest.”

Bon Bon quirked a brow. “Woodcrest? That’s the upscale neighborhood where most of the Crystal Prep kids live.”

“Yes indeedy.” Pinkie lowered herself to bosom level again and reached into her poofy hair to procure a trio of envelopes. She handed one to each member of her audience, all the while saying, “You know Neon Lights, the DJ at Crystal Prep? He’s hosting the party this weekend at his house there. There’s gonna be games, music, dancing, tons of food, and plenty of fun. Oh, and candy! Can’t forget the candy! And the costumes, too.”

The head of another girl, one with a pair of headphones nestled over streaked lime hair, also shot up from the frothing water. “Everyone’s totally invited!”

“Gah!” Bon Bon yelped and latched onto her friends at the stranger’s arrival. “Who are you?!”

Again, Pinkie was shocked. “You seriously don’t remember Lemon Zest? My not-so-evil, heavy metal-loving counterpart? Rollerbladed for Crystal Prep in the Friendship Games? The girl who dropped those wicked lyrics for the rap segment in Dance Magic?”

“Wait, I thought that was you rapping,” Flash commented, confused.

Lemon felt offended. “Dude, that’s cold,” she said tartly.

Pinkie shook her head, tisking. “For shame, Flash Sentry.”

The boy held up his hands in defense. “No offense, but you two kind of sound the same when you sing.” He arched a brow when both Lemon and Pinkie winked at one another. Those two were aware of something. Whatever it was, it was way above his head.

Pinkie shrugged a split-second later, her demeanor bouncing from disappointment to glee in an instant with her custom bubbly smiles. “Anywho, there’s something else me and my zesty bestie think you’d be interested in. The party is also gonna have a charity event for the Canterlot Raptor Center.”

“Your friend Fluttershy got pretty stoked when we offered to do some donating for the shelter. Heck, even her hellspawn rabbit stopped giving me the stink eye when we gave her the newsflash.”

“That’s not the stinkeye; that’s just how Angel’s face looks,” joked Lyra.

The lime-haired girl rolled her eyes. “Whatever. The point is we got together and came up with a pretty cool way to earn the shelter some mad cheddar.” Lemon imitated a hardcore drumroll by padding at the water, which oddly sounded like the real thing. “A striptease, and you guys are gonna do it in Halloween costumes!”

For a moment Flash tossed the idea around. He had to admit, it was a bolt from the blue. Stripping wasn’t exactly something one did to raise money, but then again odder things were done nowadays for charity. That didn’t mean he was against the idea. In fact, Flash was quite interested.

“Sounds like an excellent opportunity to goof off for a good cause. And not toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good-looking from the neck down, too,” Flash opined. He exchanged an expectant look with his friends. “What do you think?”

“Can’t disagree with that."

"Thanks, Lyra."

Lyra grinned mischievously. "I wasn't talking about your body." She radiated an aura of confidence as she gestured to her own body. "Ever since the summer fashion show, I’ve had no problem showing off any of this.”

Bon Bon leaned in close to her friend.  “It’d be a crime if you did.”

A feigned gasp escaped the minty-skinned girl. “Is that a compliment I hear?”

“Maybe...” 

“How sweet of you.”

Flash coned his hands over his mouth and playfully said, ”Hey! You two should kiss!”

The group burst into amiable laughter at their antics. It was always teasing and play flirting between the three of them. After all, it was no secret Flash Sentry still pined after Twilight--one of them, anyway--while Lyra and Bon Bon were plenty content with their friendship than anything. Though with how often the three hung out, some of the kids at Canterlot High had their suspicions on just how far their relationship went.

Once the laughing died down, Bon Bon fixed a firm gaze on the two party girls. “As much as I’m intrigued by the idea, I have a couple questions. Where did you even get the idea of stripping for a cause? And what’s the catch? There has to be more to this.”

“Oh, we just randomly pulled an idea out of a hat, the lucky winner being Fluttershy’s,” Pinkie explained simply. “Weird, right? Who ever thought of her as the kinky type? As for the surprise, you’ll just have to read the instructions enclosed with your invitations.”

Before Flash or the others could inquire further, Pinkie excitedly turned to Lemon. “Alrighty then, my zesty bestie, we got major party preparations to take care of. To the Party Cave!” They submerged themselves beneath the water as quickly as they had risen from it. An awkward silence hung over the hot tub thereafter, the three teens stared unblinkingly at where Pinkie and Lemon were a moment before.

Lyra at last broke the silence. “Well, that just happened.”

Bon Bon gazed at the invitation in her hands. Apparently Pinkie had ensured it had been water-proofed beforehand. How the party girl even knew when and where they would be to deliver it, let alone her other eccentricities, was the tip of the iceberg. “We’d better see what the instructions say.”


The species of bird for your ensemble has been matched to fit your color and your personality, and designed to be comfortable to wear despite the fact it will be shed soon after you put it on, but I won’t deny you said comfort when you decide to keep the costume. After all, it would be a travesty to allow my designs to go to waste after one use.

Pinkie Pie has already provided me your measurements and I, as of these instructions, am currently applying the final touches to your costume. It should be complete, packaged, and at your doorstep well before the Halloween festivities begin.

I look forward to seeing you in your ensemble.

-Rarity


As they peered over Bon Bon’s shoulder to read along, Flash and Lyra found themselves staring, then shaking their heads in disbelief. This was a joke. It had to be a joke, right?

“Avian-themed costumes?”

“That’s what it says in black and yellow,” Bon Bon affirmed.

Flash and Lyra shared a look. “This isn’t a strip club for furries.”

Bon Bon’s mouth curved into a mischievous smile. “Say the kids who have an obsession with magical ponies from a far away land.”

While Flash chose to remain silent, Lyra grumbled, “I outgrew that phase years ago.” 

“Well, we’ve been around weirder things. She-demons, sirens, a rival school hell bent on maintaining its reputation. Plus the method of charity was Fluttershy’s idea, so it was kind of expected. Sort of.” Bon Bon’s demeanor became serious. “Whatever the case, we have a mission to complete.”

Flash quirked a brow. “How can you take this in stride?”

“I’ve been in plenty of disguise--er, costumes. Superhero, princess, leftovers wrapped in tin foil. You name it, I’ve worn it, and so have you. This’ll be no different from what everyone usually does on Halloween except for who the audience is.” Bon Bon looked between the two of her friends. “So, whaddya say? Are you two in or out?”

Flash shrugged. It was not like they had much of a choice. Pinkie and Lemon already planned out the event, and Rarity neared completion on their costumes. Backing out now was impossible. “If it’s for a good cause…” Flash turned to Lyra. If she was up to the challenge, then he would be, too. When she nodded, he smiled. “What the hell, I’m in.”

Pinkie burst from the water again. “Great! Expect a package in the mail before the buttcrack of dawn.”





“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Flash muttered with a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he walked up the street towards Neon Lights’ extravagant house. He gazed at the other kids coming for the Halloween party. Most of them were dressed up in costume, as expected of any Halloween gathering, each one as diverse as the next. In the case of his sister who tailed alongside him, Scootaloo was a bounty hunter from their favorite space opera.

Flash took a glance at the box tucked under his arm. He had no idea what feathery get-up it was and to be frank, he had a feeling Scootaloo’s costume or the police uniform he wore now would be much cooler than the surprise inside. As much as he didn’t mind acting like a total goof in front of others, Flash didn’t quite feel comfortable with the off-the-wall idea of dressing up as a bird for a striptease. But if it was for the benefit of the Raptor Center, then he would humble himself for it.

“Oh hey, there they are!” Scootaloo said excitedly, drawing Flash from his thoughts. She waved to her friends, who were just arriving at the party themselves with their older sisters in tow. Scootaloo turned to her older brother, removing the dented, paint-scratched helmet as she did so. “I think we’re good to be on our own, Flash,” Scootaloo said.

“Alright, Scoots.” He knelt down so he was eye to eye with her. “Just remember to keep out of trouble and stay away from the booze if they serve any.”

“Got it.”

“And what’s our rule about predators?”

“Kick him in the nads and run like hell.” Her lips curled into a wry smile. “We can handle ourselves.” 

Flash playfully ruffled his little sister’s purple hair. “Atta girl. And don’t forget your big bro’s on stage in about an hour.”

Scootaloo lightheartedly batted his hand away. “Like I want to watch my older brother do that? Blegh.” She playfully stuck out her tongue. “Can we go now? We’re missing out on the fun stuff.”

“Sure. Have a blast.” Flash stood up and watched on as she replaced her helmet and ran off towards the house to join her friends, the Crusaders’ gleeful laughing at the prospect of Halloween fun steadily dwindling into the cacophony of partying.

His attention occupied, Flash bumped into something metallic. The impact sent the boy butt-first to the ground. Whatever he bumped into followed with an “oof”, it’s mass and the cobblestone beneath him nearly sending all the breath out of his lungs.

“Oh, sorry!” squeaked a familiar voice.

Instantly the weight left him, and Flash could once again breath with ease. Dazedly, he looked to see who he bumped into this time. It was a girl in a suit of black-and-red armor that looked like the lovechild of science fiction and ninjitsu-centric anime. It covered her head to toe, save for her nose and mouth, lavender lips parted in a concerned expression, and a length of purple hair with a magenta streak hanging from beneath the helmet.

Flash’s voice caught in his throat in recognition. “Tw-Twilight? Is that you?” He gave her a second once over. For a slender girl, Twilight filled out the suit well. “Sweet costume.”

“You really think so?” Twilight held out her hand, to which Flash took, and heaved him up. “I did my best to make it as accurate as possible, from the visual input system to the electromagnetic generation capabilities. Though, of course, there were a few necessary modifications to accommodate someone of my body type and do away with the segmentation feature--.”

Flash held up his hands. “Whoa there, knock it down a couple thousand RPM.”

Realizing her nervous habit kicked in, Twilight clasped her hands and brought them to her chest in an embarrassed manner, an action Flash found oddly cute despite the lethal impression of her costume. “I’m sorry. It’s just I don’t normally get praised for whatever achievements I’ve accomplished. Up until recently, that is. Ever since the ordeal at the Friendship Games, the other students at Crystal Prep have been much nicer and hold more of an appreciation for what I do. To be honest, the attention is a tad overwhelming.”

“Overwhelming to the point where you get nervous and start babbling like a cicada?”

“Er, yes. That's one way to put it.”

“No shame in that. Kids who were jerks suddenly being genuinely friendly to you is a new experience for anyone, so it’ll take some time to get used to it. Trust me, everyone at Canterlot High went through that when Princess Twilight came to town and nuked Sunset Shimmer with a friendship rainbow.”

Twilight failed to respond. Even with her eyes covered, Flash could tell she blinked in confusion. His gaze averted as he scratched the back of his head. “...I guess you never heard that one yet.”

“Afraid to say I haven’t.”

“Ask Rainbow Dash about it the next time you see her. She tells the story better than I do.”

A masked figure with lemon-lime pigtails popped up from between them, hands raised excitedly and startling the pair. “Dude! That’s a badass costume!” exclaimed the raspy voice of Lemon Zest. Like Twilight, Lemon’s costume was red and black, except she was a dicey comic book superhero and not a cyborg ninja.

“Oh, Lemon… nice to… see you...” Twilight managed to wheeze out in the exuberant girl’s vice-like hug that was thankfully short-lived.

Flash gave a little wave. “S’up, Lemon.” However, his greeting was ignored, undoubtedly due to all of Lemon’s attention focused on Twilight’s attire. Understandable; a cyborg ninja trumps a cop any day.

Lemon excitedly shook her balled fists. “Does it really work? Like, can you walk on walls and levitate things and stuff?”

Twilight laughed softly at Lemon’s enthusiasm. “Yep, I’ve made sure to include those features.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Switch it on!”

“Yeah! Show us what it can do, Twilight!” Flash chimed in.

Smiling at their genuine interest, Twilight pressed a button on her left wrist and a purple aura surrounded her. She then walked over to the lamp post, gave it a once over to ensure it was the perfect surface to test her suit on, then proceeded to steadily put one foot in front of the other and walk up the post to the midway point. It was a spectacle that drew the attention of a few passerby. For Lemon, it was the--

“--coolest damn thing I’ve ever seen!” she exclaimed.

Flash could only whistle in appreciation. Twilight, be she the one here or the princess of Equestria, truly was an exceptional girl.

“It worked! I can’t believe it worked!” Twilight giddily giggled at the achievement, bouncing on her toes, which was an odd sight considering she was standing sideways on a lamp post.

The celebration ceased, however, when something small struck her forearm. Twilight stopped, confused, and pried off what turned out to be a silver dollar. Soon another followed, then another, landing in compromising positions on her chest. A license plate ripped away from an adjacent Vista Cruiser and hit her pelvis next. Twilight gulped, realizing what was happening, and hastily began diddling buttons on her wrist gaunt.

“The magnet’s going haywire!”

Flash felt his belt buckle ripped away and immediately felt a chilly breeze rush past his thighs. The boy’s cheeks reddened; his pants had dropped. Lemon’s twin katana followed, thankfully sticking to Twilight on the flat end and not piercing her at the tips. More odds and ends made of varying quantities of metal came rushing at Twilight as she attempted to cancel out the magnet function, constantly beleaguering her with strike after strike as if the girl was some cyborg pinata.

After several long agonizing seconds, Twilight at last managed to shut down the magnet and she let out a relieved sigh. Unfortunately, she had forgotten she was still defying gravity in the midst of panic and fell to a heap on the ground. Her newly acquired collection of souvenirs soon followed.

Flash, holding up his pants by a hand, and Lemon rushed over to the junk heap. “Twilight!” he cried out worriedly. “Are you okay?”

An arm stuck out of the junk heap and woozily point a fingering at the sky. “Some old horses can always hear their owner approaching...” Twilight’s muffled words trailed off before her arm comically fell limp.





Flash and Lemon left Twilight in Sunny Flare’s care following the magnet incident. It had taken five of them to carry her from the sidewalk to the house on account of the heavy armor she wore. For the most part, Twilight was in great condition considering maybe a half a ton of metal collapsed on her, having only suffered a minor concussion in addition to a few bumps and bruises.

“I’m glad Twilight’s okay.”

“Yeah, that armor held up well against all that junk,” said Lemon as she led Flash to the house theater. She had taken her mask off now that she was inside. Too many bodies in a confined space tended to heat up the room quickly and a mask could be tolerated for only so long in such such an environment. “Dude, I still can’t believe Twi made such a cool costume like that, even if the gizmos crapped out on her.”

Flash chuckled in agreement. “Twilight sure is amazing when it comes to technology.”

“You got that right.” Lemon turned a corner and lead him to the first door on their left. She casually leaned against the wall and faced him. “Well, here we are. Your squad’s already gearing up in there, so hurry up and slip into your duds. The show’s gonna start soon.”

Uneasiness took over Flash again as he looked at the small box in his hands, then to the door. “I still have a bad feeling about this.”

“C’mon, Sentry, all you’re doing is flaunting your almost-naked self in front of an audience of teenagers like a piece of eye candy. I doubt anyone’s gonna jeer at you when you have a nice bod to show off.” Lemon’s gold eyes briefly looked down at an area Flash was sure she snuck a peek at back at the spa. She opened the door and gently shoved him in. “Just let loose and have a blast,” Lemon advised with a wink before departing and closing the door.

All Flash could do was stare after her beyond the barrier, still uneasy. He scratched the back of his head. “Uh, yeah... sure thing.”

“What took you so long?”

The boy perked up Lyra’s voice. “It’s a long story,” he replied simply. Flash turned to tell the tale when his voice caught in his throat at the sight of a nervous Lyra in a peacock costume. Only this was not the same one she wore during her spontaneous rivalry with Bon Bon. Rather, it was a simplified, skimpier and needless to say sexier version with a headdress, all with green and blue feathers that shimmered in the room’s lighting.

A lengthy moment passed before Flash managed to regain use of his mouth. “Wow… you look great, Lyra.”

Lyra did a little twirl. “You really think so?” Flash nodded in approval, easing her nerves and boosting her confidence. “You’re not so bad yourself, Officer Friendly. Just wait until you see Bonnie in her outfit. It’s a real hoot.”

“I’ll be out in just a minute.” Bon Bon’s shapely silhouette called out from behind a folding changing screen.

“Let’s get you in yours while she’s finishing up.”

Flash hesitantly opened up his package, hoping to God his costume was as masculinely equivalent to arousing as Lyra’s. What he saw when he pulled out the contents left him near-speechless.

“It’s a flamingo.” Lyra looked at the surprise with great interest. When she didn’t see Flash undressing, she turned mildly impatient. “Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and put in on!” Lyra urged with a level of eagerness often reserved for the changing room of a department store.

The nervous boy obeyed her urging, discarding his officer’s uniform at a faster and less arousing pace, and not at a location he preferred to do it. But he Pinkie Promised an avian striptease, and he would fulfill that promise. With Lyra’s assistance, Flash was in his new outfit in practically no time. He looked at his pink-feathered, scanty-clad self in the full-length mirror, while his peacock partner eyed him approvingly with a light blush growing on her cheeks.

“How is it, Flash? Personally, I think you look positively luscious in it.”

Flash’s lips slowly curled up in agreement. “I feel right, Lyra. I feel right.” He looked luscious indeed, appearing as if he walked straight out of a Bahamas carnival. A tad goofy, too, all things considered, but that was something Flash was used to doing. Wacky avian-themed Halloween striptease or not, the outfit was bound to rile up the ladies and bust a few sides. And he was doing this with friends, too. Lyra and Bon Bon were at his side, looking as goofy as they were sexy, but they were ready to perform for a good cause.

What had he been so nervous about?

“I guess real men do wear pink. Now would you two quit hogging the mirror, please?” Bon Bon rushed between them to look at herself in the mirror. Much like Lyra, her costume spared no expense in limiting modesty and channeling the avian image, in this case an owl.

“Lyra wasn’t kidding when she said it was a hoot,” Flash quipped.

“And she wasn’t kidding about you looking luscious, either.” 

Pinkie Pie, in a family friendly chicken costume, skidded into the changing room from a hallway leading to the stage. “Are you ready, kids? ‘Cause I sure am. We got a full house tonight and I can’t wait see you three out there shaking your tail feathers.” When the three gave her a thumbs up, Pinkie squealed in delight. “Remember, we’re doing this for the Raptor Center and all of bird-kind, so have fun out there!”

She reverse-skidded back down the hall. With a shared nod, the three teens followed her at a steadier pace. The walk lasted not even a minute and they arrived backstage. From a slit in the curtains they could see the house was indeed packed. Scores of teens from both schools and others, plus some college-goers, stood in front of the stage, drinking, eating, and in general mingling with one another.

“Is everyone having fun?” asked Pinkie over a microphone. Her grin widened as the cheering crowd. “Fantastic! And guess what? It’s going to get even better.”

Lemon took over the mic. “As you know, the Canterlot Raptor Center has been hit by pretty tough times. Back in the day, the Shadowbolts would turn the a blind eye to anything Wondercolts. Help our rivals? Not gonna happen.” She wrapped an arm around Pinkie. “Well, times have changed ever since the Friendship Games, and it’s only right for us to lend a hand a raise some mad cheddar. And c’mon, we’re talking about birds here!”

The audience voiced their approval with hoots and howls.

“So, bet you’re wondering what we have planned tonight to raise that money,, huh?” Pinkie chimed in. “Well, in the spirit of Halloween, we’re gonna have a costume striptease!” The room was engulfed with cheering. Upbeat music appropriate for the occasion played and Pinkie pointed a finger in the direction of Flash and company. “Now, on with the show!”

Lyra turned to her friends. “Guess that’s our cue.” She pecked Flash on the cheek, then did the same to Bon Bon. “For luck.”

Together they strode out from behind the curtain to a chorus of more cheering from the crowd. The stage they walked convexed out to the floor, then sharply narrowed into a runway at the end not unlike the ones in a fashion show. And Flash certainly showed off his fashionable, scanty-clad self.

At first, he built a steady rhythm to match the music by tapping his feet. Once he got into the groove, Flash began dancing like there was no tomorrow. He gyrated his hips, waved his arms, shuffled his feet, and everything in between. The crowd continued to cheer him and the girls on, getting more vocal with every article of their costumes shed. There were plentiful laughs in the mix, no doubt directed at how ridiculous they looked in costume, but it was all part of the comedy.

Flash would spare the occasional glance to see how the girls were fairing. Bon Bon was really getting into it, rocking her hips in a way he’d never witnessed before and needless to say mesmerizing enough to almost bring him to a halt. Lyra was more reserved, but still kept the show going with her hands gliding enticingly along her body as she swayed to the music.

They were alongside him, having fun and just goofing around.

The further the striptease went, the more dollar bills people would stick into their waistband (sometimes bra in Lyra and Bon Bon’s case). Flash was genuinely surprised at the number of people he personally knew putting their hands so close to his clothed crotch just to drop a few bills. Sandalwood, Trixie, Indigo, even Vice Principal Luna slipped a twenty under his waistband.

He went especially wide-eyed when Twilight--the one from Crystal Prep and apparently having recovered from the earlier incident--arrived to cast her own donation. It didn’t take a genius to observe her fidgeting and surmise she was very unused to such a titillating environment. Intending to ease Twilight’s tension, Flash turned his back to her, bent down, and mere inches from her masked face twerked. Which was not saying much. Compared to a woman’s natural movements, the display was abysmal.

Abysmal of a display or not, it certainly fetched a reaction out of Twilight. Flash watched her put a finger to her chin thoughtfully as she observed every flex of his rear. She then, to his surprise,  gave his rear a ample smack, her enhanced costume providing some extra, wince-worthy sting behind it.

A few people gasped. Sunny especially was appalled. “What was that for, Twilight?”

“Isn’t that one of the typical responses of approval for lewd behavior?”

“Not when it involves a stripper. You never, ever slap a stripper like that, no matter how enticing the view. It goes against proper club etiquette.”

Twilight paled. “Oh dear...”

Flash could just make out what they were saying, and offered Twilight reassurance with his trademark point-and-grin despite the lingering sting in his rear. “Don’t sweat it, Twi. I’ll take it as a compliment. Like you said, it was out of approval, right?” With one last brush of the butt against her helmet, Flash sauntered back and resumed charitable stripping.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end. The tune soon reached its climax, and Flash, Lyra, and Bon Bon found themselves panting and sheened in a coating of sweat, but nonetheless pleased at the results of their efforts. The crowd gave one last roaring cheer, mixed with applause, warranting a wave from the three.

“Thank you, everyone! Enjoy the rest of this uberly spooktacular Halloween night!”

As the crowd slowly dispersed, the trio began to feel the chill of their cooling bodies and quickly trotted towards the sanctuary of the backstage dressing room.

Lyra collapsed onto a couch the moment she entered, unable to stand any longer. Flash followed, taking a blanket draped behind them and snuggly wrapping themselves up in it. He could feel himself and her shivering from the adrenaline of a first performance, as well as the dull pain from Twilight’s smack. It was an elating feeling, one made twofold with the knowledge he had performed a great service for the aviary. Even if that service was avian-themed striptease at a Halloween party.

From an adjacent folding chair, Bon Bon seemed less pressed to put on a shirt and more focused on the earnings she plucked from their garments somewhere along the way. Neither Flash nor Lyra questioned it; Bon Bon was an excellent pickpocket. “Mission accomplished,” she said with a satisfied smile as she counted bills with the speed of a veteran bank robber.

Lemon burst from the hallway. “Dudes, that was stellar! You totally rocked the house! See, didn’t I tell you to loosen up and have a blast?”

“Yeah yeah, you did.” Flash snuggled closer to Lyra. “Couldn’t have done it without each other, though. Some things are just better done with friends at your side, even the stupid, crazy stuff.”

The party girl leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms somewhat disappointingly. “Kinda bummed I didn’t get to join in,” she shrugged, her smile coming back. “But hey, a party doesn’t run itself. Maybe next time.”

Beneath the blanket, Lyra waved her hands. “Nope. Never again. As fun as it was, this was a one time thing for me.”

“Your loss, Heartstrings.” Lemon chuckled.

“Whatever the case, we made a difference for the Raptor Center.” Bon Bon piped up. When she displayed the bills and told them how much, everyone in the room whistled.

“That’s gonna put a dent in the bill,” Flash stated excitedly. ”Man, Fluttershy’s gonna be stoked!”


Flash Sentry - Thriller

> Sunset Shimmer in "The Magic Tree"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Sunset became aware of was the throbbing pain in her head. If felt like someone was repeatedly taking a sledgehammer to her skull. Then came the hot, putrid scent of mud, woodrot, and stagnant water that weaved through her nostrils, a smell Sunset nearly gagged at in her stupor.

The last thing Sunset remembered was taking a shortcut through the forest to Fluttershy’s cottage, intent on joining her on a nature walk they had planned the week before. It was one of Sunset’s many steps on the path towards understanding friendship, one she found challenging after a month’s progress. What happened during her detour to Fluttershy’s was a mystery. She couldn’t remember anything. Every time she tried, her mind only drew blanks.

Her eyes slowly cracked open, then she just as slowly got to her feet to take in her surroundings and hopefully glean some answers as to where she was and what happened. Sunset was greeted by a mist that hung heavily over what definitely was not the deciduous forest Sunset walked earlier. Instead, she found herself in a muddy, misty, vine-laden swamp. Her ears picked up the rhythmic calls of various creatures punctuating the air. Some were shrill, others guttural, and the remaining chorus of calls quite foreign to Sunset.

When she moved to better explore the mysterious realm, Sunset felt a force tug at both her hands and feet. She looked down to find herself stuck in mud. That’s when she also took notice of her body. Much to her surprise, she found herself covered in fur in addition to standing on all fours. A red and yellow sun emblazoned her flank, followed by a flowing tail of the same colors. Lastly, from her equally blazing mane emerged a horn that, with a simple thought from Sunset, fired off several cyan sparks. Her jaw slackened in revelation.

She was a pony again.

“This is getting more and more strange by the minute,” she commented. The transformation back into a original unicorn form was delightfully welcoming, but it served only to further the list of questions running through Sunset’s mind. Was she back in Equestria, and if so, how did she come back? The mirror portal was closed off for another thirty moons, making it impossible to leave the human world.

Sunset shrugged and, after some effort jostling her limbs free from the mud, proceeded to trudge her way to dry ground and deeper into the swamp. No way were those questions going to answer themselves if she stood around doing nothing. Besides, starving and asphyxiation by mud was not how she imagined her final moments.

Time passed as she traversed the eerie swamp, the amount in minutes or hours a mystery. In all honesty the now-unicorn had nothing to offer her guidance aside from intuition, which had proved itself questionable in the form of a ravine or boulder in her path. Not that Sunset couldn’t find a solution--her magic remained as valuable an asset as ever--but frequent obstacles made the wandering difficult. Needlessly, in her opinion.

Eventually Sunset set hoof in a small clearing within the massive expanse of trees and vines. On the other side, a short distance away, was an especially large tree with gnarled roots that plunged into the ground like like the legs of a giant spider. Beneath it sat the entrance to a hollow opening. A cave, to be precise.

The longer she gazed into its depths with intrigue, the more she realized she could hear whispers emanate from within, albeit faintly. And they were calling her name. Sunset had the sudden urge to start rubbing her hooves to generate some warmth and stave off the drop in temperature. “I got a bad feeling about this.”

“Tell me about it. That cave’s giving me the creeps, too.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. She knew that voice very well, and was very surprised to hear it here. Not that Sunset found the newfound presence unwelcoming, but as far as she knew he was back in Equestria with a certain purple pony princess. He had no reason to be back in the human world so soon, and even if he did the mirror portal was closed off for the next thirty moons. When Sunset turned to face him, her confusion grew further.

“Spike?” Sunset looked him up and down. There Spike sat on a small boulder, in his natural dragon form much like Sunset’s equine self, but that was not what warranted her confusion. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Spike looked down at the simple brown robes he wore, then shrugged. “Heck if I know. This is your dream, not mine.”

“A… dream?”

“Yeah, and a pretty trippy one, too.”

“That would certainly explain a lot.” Sunset muttered, peeved she could have easily crossed that swamp like Christ on water. Why did she never get around to mastering self-levitation?

She mentally shook her head. That wasn’t important. With the revelation she was in a vision weighing on her shoulders, Sunset’s mind was loaded with questions; a minor regret was low priority at the moment. “So, why are you here? And where is ‘here’ exactly?”

“I’m here to guide you on a mystical journey.”

“Oh, joy.”

The young dragon ignored her lack of enthusiasm as gestured to the swamp. “As for here, this is a place from your memory, from a long time ago. You recognize it, don’t you?”

Sunset took in the scenery around her, this time with more thorough eyes. Something in her mind clicked. “The Everfree Forest.” She whirled back on Spike with a scrutinous gaze. “Hold on a minute. Why here?”

“It’s dark and it’s spooky. The perfect place for your test.”

She was about to question what kind of test when a flurry of screeching bats left the cave.

“What’s in there?” Sunset asked.

“Only what you take with you.”

“Great. Ambiguous words of guidance,” She deadpanned. “Tell a riddle while you’re at it. I don’t think this vision is mystical enough for me.”

Spike’s brow furrowed. “Hey, I like things to be easy too, but the hero’s not going to learn anything if the mentor just gave her all the answers. Epics 101.”

“Whatever.” Rolling her eyes, Sunset turned away and closed the distance between her and the cave mouth. She gazed into its dark depths, her left hoof hovering at the edge.The aura of confidence that radiated from Sunset faded the moment she reached the entrance, as if the cave itself sucked the spirit right out of her. Those voices, however faintly they emanated, just wouldn’t quit whispering her name.

Another chill brushed along her fur, sending Sunset into shivers once again. “I definitely got a bad feeling about this.”

Gulping, she descended into the darkness.

As she walked further into the cave, the nonsensical whispering grew louder. Sunset grew more anxious all the while. Normally the sight of something so mysterious as a cave would send Sunset’s intrigue into overdrive. She always was a hooves-on learner, thus thoroughly enjoyed opportunities to get her hooves dirty and explore nature’s enticing secrets.

But exploring secrets often meant putting herself into danger and the realm of the unexplainable, this cave no exception. Whispering aside, something about this particular cave didn’t set well with Sunset. The mist was unnaturally thick like pea soup, and the air felt different, as if it were alive. Alive and… Sunset couldn’t quite grasp it. Odd? No, not odd. Abnormal? Not quite the right word either.

She soon reached a point where the vines widened into a cavern. It was still plagued with knee-deep mist, but at least Susnet wasn’t trekking through as confined a space as the passage behind her. The whispering had grown loud enough to be heard as if someone was talking to her at a normal level. The more she listened, the more Sunset felt herself grow colder.

The voices were none other than those of the very people whom she was able to call friends, and they taunted Sunset callously from every corner of the cavern.

"For a smart gal, you sure can be pretty dumb."

"Who's the pathetic girl now? Ha, ha, ha!"

"Why would I wanna be friends with an egghead who can't solve her own problems? S'not cool."

"They say beauty can be found on the inside, but to be frank darling, your beauty is only skin-deep."

"Wanna party? Oops, too bad, you weren't invited. TTFN; Ta ta for now!"

"Still trying to climb the ladder by hanging with the popular kids, huh? You haven't changed a bit."

“There is a reason why Princess Celestia refers to me as her faithful student.”

That’s when the appropriate word to describe it formed on her tongue. 

Malevolent.

The onslaught of horrible words drove Sunset to her knees. She wanted to scream. This was so very wrong and so very cruel. Sunset desperately wanted it all to end. She kept screaming at the top of her lungs “Shut up!”, but to no effect. She covered her ears in hopes of silencing the voices, but it was a futile effort as well. They continued ruthlessly tormenting her, bombarding Sunset’s self-confidence like the Blitzkreig.

Then they stopped.

The silence of the cavern yawned at length before it was broken by something soft rapping against stone.

“Knock knock,” said a sickly sweet voice.

Her eyes shot open in tandem with the heavy weight hitting her stomach. A feminine figure, with skin red as blood, large leathery wings folded against her back, and hair blazing hellfire, stood by the cavern entrance. She bore her fangs in grin that could strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest souls, Sunset no exception. That… thing should not have been present, and yet here she was.

“You…” Sunset’s fear and sorrow morphed into fury, which boiled over into a jet of white-hot flame that burst forth from her horn.

“The phrase ‘fight fire with fire’ doesn’t quite apply to this situation.” With a nefarious laugh, the fiery she-demon caught the fire in her claws, compacted it into a sphere small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and cast it back its owner.

Sunset jumped to the side, the flame missing her by inches and leaving a sizable burn on the rock behind her. Not intending to let She-demon gain the upper hand, Sunset switched tactics by firing a vivid blast of cyan magic. She-demon met her magic with a blast of her own. When the twin cyan streams connected, deafening, crackling energy that came close to blinding them illuminated the cavern. For a few moments the two teetered, one beam drawing close to one combatant before being forced away towards the other.

“How can you still be here?” Sunset demanded through gritted teeth, straining to maintain her magic attack. “Twilight… she and her friends destroyed you!”

The she-demon dropped her attack, then sidestepped Sunset’s as it hummed past and struck rock. She-demon grinned as she sashayed closer to the girl. “Isn’t it obvious, Sunset? I am you!”

Another ray of cyan shot forth from her left palm and tore up the ground too close for Sunset’s comfort, sending dust and mud into her face. With her thrown off balance, the fiery she-demon rushed forward. Sunset was too occupied with recovering from the blast to see her satanic counterpart fast approaching. Even if she did see see her, Sunset could never have expected the she-demon to phase through her, nor prepare herself for the torrent of memories that flashed before her eyes.

--“Hmpf. I have better things to do than socialize. I'm going to re-read 'Advanced Elemental Magical Practices' and then practice for my advanced summoning spells exam. What are you studying for? Nothing, that's what.”--

--“Oh, did I strike a nerve? I feel sooo bad.”--

--“If your god loves you so much, then explain to me why there’s so much unhappiness in the world. Your god doesn’t love you. He grew you in a petri dish and left you to live out your meaningless, miserable life.”--

--”Don’t you get it? We’re through when I say we’re through.”--

--“Sorry it had to be this way… princess!”--

--“You must be new here. I can speak to anyone any way I want.”--

Everything she heard was in her own voice, but with that firm, cynical edge that reminded Sunset of the manipulative girl she once was. The memories sickened Sunset, so much standing became an effort all in thanks to wobbly knees. But she stood her ground. She didn’t plan on giving She-demon the satisfaction of becoming a shrieking wreck a second time.

From behind, Sunset heard She-demon clasp her hands in delight. “Oh, that was delicious! I particularly loved the one when you sent that poor boy questioning his beliefs. You’ve never been much of a girl of faith yourself, especially in this world. Always looking to facts and figures over faith to answer your questions.”

Sunset whirled on her, eyes tempered with spirit. “I have faith in my friends!”

“You think those five little monkeys are your friends?” She-demon let out an amused chuckle. She did a double take when she noticed Sunset’s expression hadn’t wavered. “Oh wait, you’re serious? Let me laugh even harder.” And laughed harder she did, heartily enough to nearly bring tears to her eyes.

Sunset’s glare intensified. Did she really think this was funny?

It was a few moments before She-demon could compose herself. “I beg to differ. From the the way I saw the exchange, it was a matter of obedience. Did you not see the reluctance in their faces when the princess said ‘I bet they can teach you’? Would those girls honestly have tried to become friends with you if she hadn’t made the call?”

There was no immediate answer. The fire in Sunset’s eyes dimmed as she looked down at the floor. She-demon brought up a valid observation. Things could have been different had Twilight said anything, couldn’t they?

She played the scene in her head, this time reimagining a different ending. Instead of offering Sunset a second chance, Twilight didn’t do a thing. No parting words, not a second look back, nothing else but retrieving a crown that was rightfully hers and departing through the portal and leaving Canterlot High forever. Maybe say goodbye to her new friends in between, but certainly nothing for diabolically evil Sunset Shimmer.

Would Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie have become friends with Sunset then?

“Probably not. They had every right to be reluctant, even outright refuse. I was a terrible person. I never understood friendship.” Sunset admitted. Had the apathetic Twilight scenario played out, they would’ve left a defeated and very miserable Sunset alone in that crater. “But those girls--my friends--know I’m trying hard to change, and they’ve helped me every step of the way.”

“By order of the princess.” She-demon rebutted.

That fire within Sunset’s eyes flared to life once again. “They did it of their own volition!”

“Face it, Sunset, what you believe they’re doing is nothing but a farce. Once you’ve been ‘rehabilitated’, those ‘friends’ will just abandon you. Of their own volition.” She-demon sneered. “Lost, alone, with no one else to turn to, you’ll eventually come crawling back to me. The real you you were meant to be.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“To remind you that no matter how many times you convince yourself you’ve changed and claim to be a good person, you never did and you never will. You can try to reform all you want, but in the end you’ll succumb to the urge to manipulate others, to drive BFFs apart, to become queen of more than just a pathetic high school, when given the chance. After all, who in their right mind can resist the temptation of pleasure and status?”

Sunset didn’t budge. “Never gonna happen.”

“You can’t fight nature, Sunset. It’s a part of you.” She-demon gestured to herself. “I’m a part of you, an amalgamation of the darkest aspects of your nature. You can’t just expunge me as if magic were some cosmic eraser. I will be lurking about here in the deepest, darkest recesses of your heart, ready to strike when the opportunity comes. I’m never truly gone.”

For a moment, Sunset’s satanic counterpart remained silent, allowing time for the words to sink in. She-demon then thrust her face mere inches from her counterpart’s. “So be a big girl and accept the reality you'll never change.”

Sunset once again didn’t budge, her eyes firmly set on the she-demon’s black coals. “Don’t count on it. You may be my darkness, but one day you’re going to see those girls are my friends and realize you have no control over me.”

Whether or not She-demon felt threatened she didn’t show. Her smile, however, fell into a frown in displeasure towards her equine counterpart’s resistance. “If that’s how you want to play, then so be it.”





“And then she just faded away.” Sunset concluded.

“Oh dear,” was all Fluttershy could say as she dabbed a wet cloth on the wound on Sunset’s head.

The two were in Fluttershy’s bedroom, a rustic space that was as equally warm and inviting as the rest of the cottage. Sunset possessed no recollection of how she ended up here, nor did she regain her memories of how she ended up in dreamland in the first place. Thankfully Fluttershy could fill Sunset in on the details.

Fluttershy, often the worrying type, feared the worst when Sunset didn’t show up. After several texts and calls remained unanswered, she took it upon herself to find her. A search in the nearby woods was commenced. Not without help, of course; Angel, Fluttershy’s pet bunny, possessed an excellent sense of smell, and utilized it to find an unconscious Sunset lying a short distance away from the trail.

Sunset had woken up not long after having been brought to the cottage, Fluttershy sitting upon the bed with her as she tended to the fiery-haired girl’s injury. After listening to Fluttershy’s account, Sunset had spent the past while recounting the dream to her.

Having finished her tale, Sunset crossed her arms. Her experience in dreamland was still a raw one; she couldn’t shake the uncertainty that clung to her like a second skin as her dark side’s words replayed themselves over and over in her head. Sunset was trying her damnedest to turnover a new leaf not only for her own benefit, but for Fluttershy and the others as well. However, Sunset had her doubts, her urges, her temptations. Who was to say it was outside the realm of possibility for her to succumb to her old ways?

Sunset held herself tighter. “‘Oh dear’ is right. I don't think I've ever had a dream this disconcerting.”

“I was talking about your head wound.”

“Oh.” Sunset coughed, embarrassed. “Er, how does it look?”

Fluttershy took one last look at the now-clean wound before retrieving a fresh bandage from her first aid kit. “You took a nasty fall down the trail and suffered a concussion. Thank goodness it was only a mild one. As mild as your concussion is though, you need to take it easy for a few days.” She paused in her bandaging and let out a disappointed sigh. “I was really looking forward to walking the trail and showing you just how beautiful nature can be.”

Sunset instantly felt guilty, her expression turning crestfallen. A simple blunder and a nature walk was out the window, and it was all her fault. “I’m... sorry I let you down.”

“Don't be. They call them accidents for a reason.”

“But I still messed things up for us. I was really looking forward to it, too.”

A butter-yellow hand laid itself on Sunset’s shoulder. “We can try next weekend.”

That brought a smile to the fiery-haired girl. “I’m down with that.”

“Just come straight here instead of taking the scenic route next time. I don’t want to worry over you again like today.”

“Of course.” Sunset nodded. “Thanks, Fluttershy. For everything. I’m glad to have a such a kind friend.”

“I’m glad we could find a little bit of goodness in you.” For a moment her smile held before faltering. Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair, almost as if she was embarrassed to say what was on her mind. “Um, Sunset? I know you’ve been trying to turn over a new leaf for the past month, but…”

Sunset arched an eyebrow almost threateningly. “But what?”

“...would you do it? Turn on us, I mean?”

A period of silence hovered over the pair before Sunset leaned in uncomfortably close to the girl, a devilish smile creeping up onto her lips. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Fluttershy’s hands did little to stifle her gasp. “Sunset!”

“I’m just kidding!”

“That wasn’t funny!”

“Sorry, sorry. My sense of humor needs some work.” Sunset took a mental note to receive comedy lessons from Pinkie Pie.

It took a moment for Fluttershy to compose herself. “It’s okay. You were only trying to funny. Still...”

Sunset got the hint. “Truthfully? I’ve already come this far since the Fall Formal. I earned your trust, your friendship. I’m not going to just throw it all away for something petty.”

The next thing she knew, Sunset felt a pair of arms around her back and the majority of her vision obscured in pink and yellow. “I’m glad to hear that.” she heard Fluttershy say. Sunset smiled and returned the hug. With her friends by her side Sunset Shimmer, former tyrannical queen bee of Canterlot High and ex-power hungry she-demon, could do anything, be anything.

A new person.

A better person.


Sunset Shimmer - The Magic Tree