> My Pony Academia
>  by Omegafr
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Welcome to My Pony Academia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 4th... the start of the school year, the famous...

At the beginning of the year, 6 friends meet in a new high school, the pony academia, a private school located in the city centre.  His six friends, you know them, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Unfortunately, since high school is out of town, the six friends will be forced to live in a boarding school.  The school has a special floor so that students from other cities can have a place to stay. 

So the group of girls arrived at the school in the early morning, accompanied by Big Mac who brought them in the family truck, normally used for deliveries. 

"Thanks for bringing Big Mac, you can go now, have a good trip" say the sister.

"Wait, I've got to make sure nothing happens to you, and that we're in the right place too..." speak the brother.

"We can take care of ourselves now, come on, the apple trees must be ready for the last crop of the summer " she explain to him.

While Applejack is trying to convince Big Mac to go home, the rest of the group notices the students crowding around the gate entrance, all waiting for the gate to open.  Some are meeting up after the holidays, others are on their laptops, the parking lot is already full of parents, while others are still arriving.

In the general hubbub, something is happening, voices become rarer, replaced by shouts, cries of admiration. The din then makes the students' heads spin, stopping the surrounding discussions.  A head protrudes from the crowd, it is a boy, taller than the others, who provokes all these reactions, a name is then shouted:

"Light!!! Light!!! Light!!! Light!!!"

Light, that's the name of the boy who seems to unleash passions, the young man smiles normally as he walks through the crowd, hands in his pockets.

He finally stops in front of the group of six girls and Big Mac. The crowd, in total admiration, fell silent for a moment, to let the discussion begin.

"You're the girls who arrive at boarding school today, the six of you, aren't you?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah, that's us, why?" Ask Rainbow Dash and move in front of the other pegasus.

"The director asked me and my friends to take you in, we're going to show you around, do you want to come?" He says.

Big Mac is surprised, he didn't think students would have responsibilities like that.  Light sees objections coming and answers them before he hears them.

"And you, you must be the brother of... from the looks of things I'd say Applejack, right?" He said, waiting for the orange mare to answer and putting his hand on Big Mac's shoulder.

"Yeah right, that's my big brother Big Mac. Wait, do you know me ?"

"Of course I know your family, you make the best apple juice in the region, but we're not here to talk about that..." he says, bringing his eyes back Big Mac, the big brother.

"Can I go on a visit of the school with you ?" 

"Sorry, man, it's for registered students only, you can't see the inside until the end of the year for graduation." He explain.

Big Mac still seems doubtful that he'll ever leave, which is what Light is going on about...

"You can trust me, nothing will happen to them, and i'm a man of his world" he says with a wink that makes most of the mares in the vicinity blush.

Both the sentence and the wink are done with such sincerity and tact that Big Mac agrees to finally leave his friends and sister. He still takes the precaution of asking for Light's number, in case there is a problem so that he can be informed. It was noted that the request is made out loud, in other words, everyone heard his number... and the popular stalion know already 99% of the mare have their phone now.

Big Mac leaves with one last wave of his hand to say goodbye to the group of girls he accompanied.

That's when the headmistress comes to open the doors of the establishment...

"Welcome to everyone for this new school year, newcomers and regulars of the pony academia. I'm the headmistress Celestia but you can call me just Celestia. Please stay in the courtyard for the moment and look on the blackboard, your classes are registered, she said smiling and guiding the students." She explain.

"Guys, come on!" Call Light before enter in the academy.

As everyone slowly enters the school grounds, Light makes the girls wait for a moment to introduce them to her group of friends. Then five more boys get closer to the gang, and once everyone is inside, only this group of twelve students are left in front of the gate.

"We can't be late, we should go!" Asked the pretty purple mare.

"Don't worry about that, I know Celestia, she won't mind if we're late, he cheerfully assured... Well, let me introduce you my friends, we can see being room-mate during this year..." he show their friends.

The 5 boys then introduce themselves one by one:

"Hi girls, say, are you interested in the end of year party, would you like to organize it with me?" Asked Pinkie pie for a earth pony, almost sticking his face to Pinkie pie.

"Did you say party?" she shouted with a smile of excitement.

"YES, my name is Teddy and you must be pinkie pie, right?"

"Teddy, isn't it a little early to be talking about the..." want to say Light, but is stop by the earth pony.

"YOU LAUGHTER LIGHT, YOUR END OF YEAR PARTY MUST BE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, AND IT GETS PREPARED AS SOON AS YOU COME IN!!!" he said, turning sharply to his friend.

"I hope there will be balloons, and cakes, and confetti, and juice, and..." 

"Yeah right, I didn't think about buying balloons, thanks for your help, what else?" He says as he pulls out a notepad.

Pinkie pie and Teddy stepped away from the group to express all he could think of to make the best party possible.

"Um... she always act like that Pinkie?" Ask the pegasus to their friends.

"And then again, that's pretty soft." Add the cyan mare.

Teddy is a light green boy with dark brown hair and very extroverted who offers all kinds of parties with different atmospheres, he wants everybody to enjoy his parties.  His dream is to create strong friendships between partygoers who respond to his.

"So you know Teddy, he says before moving on to the next boy." He says.

"I'll take it from here, Light. Hi, girls. I'm Drew."

To continue, a two meter tall giant named Drew approached, he's Light's best friend and they don't miss any training together. His black skin reflects his muscles quite well, visible through his clothes.  His hair is like his skin and horn.

"John, your turn" he said, turning to a boy who was hiding behind him at the time.

"Oh yes, to... to m...  to me..."

Then there's John, a shy little earthly boy with little confidence in his abilities, he has decided to take Light as a role model and trains with him and Drew but at a very different level.  His light brown skin and beige hair look a lot like Applejack's, which makes him stand out.

"You have the same color hair as me"

"Oh yeah, that's... that's right," he says nervously, turning around behind Light.

"So then Har... wait, where is Harri ?" Ask Light, searching the other pegasus.

Light turns around but doesn't find a man named Harri, who has gone behind his back to get closer to the female group, and more particularly to Rarity.

"Hello, miss, you'll have a wonderful time here with us." Declared Harri taking Rarity's hand.

As he's about to kiss her hand, Light pulls his ear back.

"Ow, Light, that hurt, stop it." He ask.

"You're not gonna start the year out like that, Harri, remember last year?" He says to stop his friend.

"Ow, okay okay, okay, I'm done, let go of me now." He complains.

"Looking good, you look better than that." Explain Light and letting go of Harri's ear.

"Okay..."

Harri is a Pegasus with white skin and golden-looking hair.  He's beautiful and he knows it, he keeps playing it to seduce women, voyeurism is his biggest flaw.

"Okay, I'm making up for that, I'm Lance." Says a unicorn after sigh.

Lance and a dark blue-skinned unicorn with black hair.  He's been the head of the high school library for the past year, and his passion is computers.  He advises anyone on any subject and has excellent grades, which makes him a very popular person in the school.

"Is there a library?  I didn't know," she exclaimed.

"It's the library, the documentation and information center, I'll show you afterwards if you want." Announce Lance.

"Okay." Twilight says.

The presentations are almost over, all that's missing is...

"Okay, I'm going to introduce myself even if you already know my name."

Light, tall pegasus with orange skin and light brown hair hiding his forehead, he is the most popular student of the school. Perfect body, sympathy and sense of humor, born leader as well as martial arts practitioner. Literally all the girls so far want him as a boyfriend, a real student-boy despite himself.

"Well, it's time to go and have a look in the courtyard, if you have any questions don't hesitate, we're here for that," he nodded with a wink.

The group goes to the courtyard, a huge courtyard decorated with a fountain in its center.  The girls are in the same class as the boys without much surprise.  The headmistress Celestia settled down on a small stage to speak.

"As I said before, I welcome you once again to the pony academia and all the staff and myself will make sure that you have a great time this year.  Now that you know your classes, I'm going to ask you to wait for your main teacher who will take you to a class to explain to you how this year will go." She explain again.

The class we're interested in is picked up by Mrs. Cheerilee, they go to a room and spend a few hours to understand how the year will go, with the end-of-year exams and so on.

"Okay, if you have any questions, please feel free.  That's it, goodbye, and see you Monday." She says saluting into their students.

"Come on, girls, we'll show you to your rooms." Say Light.

After the session, the girls follow the boys to their rooms.  You have to go up to the second floor from the central hall to reach the dormitories, the boys show the girls their rooms.  Spacious enough for two bunk beds, with cupboards and a desk, it is more than enough.

The girls arrange to be two per room: Rainbow and Applejack in front of Light and Drew's room, Rarity and Twilight in front of John and Harri's room, Pinkie pie and Fluttershy in front of Lance and Teddy's room.

"Where are the showers?" Ask Rainbow Dash seeing there not in the room.

"At the end of the hallway, there are separate showers.  But if you join the gym, we have our own shower downstairs." Light nod.

"There's a sport club here, where do you join?" She says with a certain twinkle in her eye.

"Relax, registration starts next week, we'll let you get settled in." Claim the athletic pegasus.

"By the way, we still haven't told you..." Say Drew after is best friend.

Before locking themselves in their new rooms, the girls looked at the six boys in front of them. They all put out their best smiles, even John, to wish them...

Welcome to my pony academia, says all the boys.
> Encounter and registration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a fairly quiet weekend where the girls and boys got to know each other a little better, they also understood how the school worked for extended boarding students like them.

Headmistress Celestia and some of the staff, especially in the kitchens, remain here to provide the meals to the delight of the group.

Today is Monday but classes are not held on this fall day.  It is the day of the inscriptions to the different clubs of the academy, many students are present to see what could interest them.

Club of sport, literature, dead languages, history, dance, science, anime, video games... there is something for all tastes and passions.

The principle for creating clubs in this academy is simple, just propose your idea to the director and if the club has at least 10 members, it is eligible.  This allows students to share their passions with each other and greatly encourages creativity and development of each individual in his or her field.

For those of our friends, some quickly choose their favourite field while others wonder where to go.  Still others simply don't want to join a particular group.

The courtyard is always filled with students who are curious to discover all that the academy has to offer.  Our friends mix with the crowd, while the boys talk about their camps, the girls are asked to make a choice.

"Me, Drew and John are in the sports club, I bet you guessed it, by the way, I'm in charge of registration," says Light, waving to follow him for those interested.

Light then took Rainbow Dash and Applejack to the corner of the courtyard where his office for sports club registration is located.  Once they arrived with John and Drew accompanying them, a group of young people were waiting outside the office.

"Oh cool, you want to join the high school gym?"  Asked if he had any stallions in his booth.

Rainbow Dash recognized two heads of the student body, two boys she'd teamed up with in the past, two future wonderbolts like her, Soarin and Thunderlane. 

"Soarin, Thunderlane, you're here too" she exclaims with surprise, but above all with joy to see two good friends here.

"Oh Rainbow Dash, what a surprise!!"  exclaimed the dark Pegasus.

"Ah, hello Rainbow Dash."  Pursued the other white pegasus.

"You two know each other, great.  Rainbow, will you introduce me to your friends?"  Then asked for Light.

"It's Soarin and Thunderlane, went to the same high school last year and we're all going to be wonderbolt after academy," she said proudly with her chin up.

"Ok, I see, hello to you and welcome to the academy, I'm Light, I'm the captain of the sports club and I'm the registration officer, please fill out this form," he said as he took some papers out of his bag and sat down.

While all the newcomers were filling in the registration form, Soarin asked about Rainbow Dash, how the holidays went and so on...

The discussion had also started between Applejack and Thunderlane, the group of 4 explained how they spent the time during her two long months.  Light and Drew join the conversation and everyone gets to know each other.

Rainbow, Soarin and Thunderlane were each training on their own to become faster in the air, Applejack was continuing his work on the farm, while Light and Drew took advantage of his vacation to pass their traffic laws and plan to pass their license soon. 

"Yeah, but when you can fly, you don't need a license to drive a car and get stuck on the ground," announced the cyan pegasus as it spread its wings.

"You forget the law Rainbow, he's..."

"I know, it's forbidden for pegasus to use their wings here except in flying competitions.  It's a dumb rule," she spat.

"It's so as not to create inequality between pony breeds, between pegasus like you who can fly and unicorns like me who can use magic, there's no advantage to being a land pony, you see," Drew explained quickly.

"That's true, but it doesn't matter if I can't fly all the time, as long as I can be a wonderbolt, I'm okay with that."  Thunderlane replied.

To the same moment, on the side of Lance and Twilight...

"It's not really a club, but being in charge of the CDI is an important position in the academy, and in the end like in a club you come because you love books and stories," explained Lance.

"I see, so what's the difference with the book club then?"  Questions the mare.

"In this club, you bring your own books and share your storytelling style with others, whereas in the library, you imprint the books of the academy. Please come, I'll show you how nice it is," he said, almost begging her.

After a few moments of hesitation, Twilight finally decides to come with Lance, mainly because his personal books are mostly far from here.  Lance is very happy to have a friend who shares the same interests.

And as they roamed the square here and there, a girl asked aloud where the registrations for the magic club were, most of them laughing at her since the use of magic at the academy was forbidden.

Twilight then turned around and recognized at a glance the voice and the haughty look coming from this mare.

"Trixie?" She called.

"YOU, HERE???"  Shouted the blue unicorn.

The reunion is unfriendly and quickly turns into preparations for battle.  Both swearers were far from enjoying this chance encounter.

"I have nothing to tell you except that I will become the most powerful magician in all of Equestria, everyone will know me and I will be the most popular in this academy," Trixie replied, crossing her arms and nonchalantly looking away.

A pony exclaimed through the crowd.

"Don't be ridiculous, the most popular pony here is Light and you'll never outrun him!!!"  He laughed.

"WHO SAID THAT?"  she shouted as she turned around.

No one shows up, which makes Trixie furious, with one goal in mind.

"Trixie, you..."

"Shut up, I'll take care of this Light before I take care of you, your time will soon come, Twilight..." she said in threatening form.

And Trixie walked out of the crowd, even leaving the academy at this point.

"Uh, she wasn't a friend," Lance added after a few seconds of silence.

"I'll explain later..." Twilight said with a sigh.

As for the other members of the group, Teddy went to register Pinkie pie in the publishing house to look together for interesting information to put in their review of the week which is just beginning.  Rarity couldn't find any club that offered sewing or centered around fashion, she didn't join any.  Just like Fluttershy who is simply too shy to join anywhere.

For the boys, only Harri doesn't join, preferring to pursue her true passion, dating.  Spending part of the day hanging out with Rarity or other girls, getting an inescapable rejection from the female gender, finding it too heavy, yet physically attractive.

At the end of the day, the vast majority leave happy to have found a club to join.

But the happiest is undoubtedly Light, the sports club was finally going to be able to show what it was capable of...
> A taste for competition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day is the first day of class this year, so the students meet the teachers they will be attending all year round.  As every year, all types of teachers are represented, from the guy who you would think is closer to the student than the teacher, to the woman who is a bit strict about grades, to the one who hasn't wanted to teach for a long time.

But hey, the first moments spent in class are the time to introduce yourself, whether it's the teacher or the students to the rest of the class.  This is a very important moment because it is there that we show our personality to others and from this comes the opinions and judgments that our brain makes in spite of us.

Tuesday ends at 4pm for our friends, and it is at this time that the coach has chosen to do his session in the sports club throughout the year.  So Light, Drew, John, Rainbow and Applejack go to the field in the back where the coach is already waiting for them.  When they arrive, our friends notice that Soarin and Thunderlane are already there and other students are waiting for the start of the session as well.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the sports club reserved for the third year, I recognize some faces but there are also newcomers so I'll introduce myself quickly," explains the one that tour oe world will call "the coach" although he starts by saying his name.

The coach's name is SummerSun, and he presents without hiding his pride the non-exhaustive list of his diplomas and the title of former football champion.  He ends up explaining that this year will be "the good one" by talking about a tournament at the end of the year, which attracts the attention of some people.

"That's right, coach, this year we finally get to play?"  Formula Light, his undisguised desire to finally compete.

"That's right, Light, you can guess what this year's tournament is all about," the coach said.

Light explains to the newcomers that for nearly 10 years, sports tournaments were reserved for the club officially recognized while the academy's was only an inter-course activity.  To put it simply, as the coach says, "There will only be professional teams in this tournament and we will be the challenger, the new one.  So I'm counting on you to show them at the end of the year what we're made of here".

The competitive instinct of the students makes the news very interesting, most of them are impatient to play... except John...

"The first thing you have to do before you even determine your positions is to elect a team captain.  I guess Light is willing to commit himself," he said.

"I'd make a really good captain coach, you know that," he said proudly, placing his firm fist against his sturdy chest.

"Well, in that case I guess there's no need to vote, I elect Light captain..."

"I want to be captain too!"  Say a voice that is known as the rainbow mare's voice.

While the coach knows Light and goes to give her the title, Rainbow steps in and demands it, bringing all eyes to her, the challenger.

"Well, then we'll vote..."

"Hold on, Coach, I say instead of voting, Rainbow and I should go head to head to see who deserves the title," he says, taking an interested look at the cyan pegasus.

"Great idea, Light, the sport is all about competition after all," he adds.

"Would you... challenge me?"  Asked Rainbow, his competitive spirit seemed to have awakened.

Rainbow, drawn by the urge to compete, begins to turn to Light with a smile of interest on her lips.  Light, seeing her reaction, adds a layer to her bending over and already facing her with her eyes.

"My question now is...  will you accept this challenge?"

"I never turn down a challenge," she replies thoughtlessly, the words coming instinctively. 

"I like that answer," he said, standing only a few inches away.

The two friends became opponents during a session, lightning seeming to strike each other in their eyes, which shimmered in the reflection of the other.

"I'm for Light, what about you?"  Announcing the six-foot stallion.

"The only opponent Rainbow can lose to is me, and she'll win."  Answer the farm girl.

"Rainbow's so strong, I'm on her side."  Says Soarin.

"We've never seen Light in action before, so I'm asking to see."  Accepts Thunderlane, not having a side to choose yet.

"Light has never lost in sports, so I don't think it's gonna start today," said John in his first intervention.

"Well, for the challenge, I propose that we each choose one sport to play against the other."  Suggests coach.

"THE HIGH-FLYING RACE!"

"THE 100 METER DASH!"

The two rivals know what they want and automatically choose their favourite discipline.  The confrontation begins with a race in the air, the two pegasuses simply have to fly ten laps around the field, child's play for Rainbow Dash and Light.

One student stands on each corner of the field, Light and Rainbow will have to pass behind him to validate the laps.  And on those, the coach starts in 3,

" ...2...1...  GET OUT!  " he announced before he whistled.

Both Pegasus leave at the same time, but Light takes the lead thanks to a better start.  The first turns are very fast and it is difficult to follow the two riders.  Light gains speed through the turns but Rainbow has better speed in the straights.

Already 5 laps down and they are neck and neck, but Rainbow, who was behind at the beginning, manages to win the lead.  The last lap is no different than the others, Rainbow wins the race followed very close by Light.

"1 second difference between the first and the second, second run now" announces the coach, surprised by the result.

"So, who's the captain now?"  She says with a very provocative smile.

"Not bad, but there's nothing exceptional about fighting in flight, I hardly ever train but wings.  Let's see what you're worth on dry land now."  Announcer Light.

Light's defeat is neither hot nor cold, he's sure of his ground speed and has no fear of losing the duel.  He and Rainbow are standing on one end of the field, hands on the ground, in position.

The other students stand beside him as spectators, encouraging their favourite and reinforcing the desire of both pegasus to win and put the other back in his place as runner-up.

"Are you ready ? 3...2...1...  GO!" 

Light propels himself with great power through his muscular legs, leaving Rainbow pinned to the ground while he's already on his feet.  Light's start is absolutely perfect and ends up even lifting the wind on the lawn, with Rainbow starting the race after him.

The gap is widened from the start, Light is well ahead of Rainbow in less than two seconds.  The race is played far too fast, with Light clocking an outstanding time of 9.20 seconds, 3 seconds ahead of Rainbow's time.

"If you compare the gap between the two races, Light wins the challenge with a 2 second lead.  Excellent Light, you've broken your record from last year."  And then he tells her the coach is happy with her performance.

Rainbow, Applejack and the others are totally confused about his performance, while Drew and John simply congratulate their friend on his new victory.  Light receives the captain's armband and struts off with it in front of his rival.

"The day you manage to just keep up with me, I might put you in the "rival" box, in the meantime, you'll have to listen to me" she provokes him, proudly wearing her piece of cloth on her arm.

Light's provocative smile in front of Rainbow, all white and shiny teeth out, has the incredible gift of pissing her off. 

"Next time you strut like that in front of me, I'll send you back where you belong," he warns.

"I wish you luck then, you'll need it."

For the second time, their eyes meet, the flame burning in their pupils keeps growing.  Their taste for competition was bound to clash, and given their winning personality... 

After Light and Drew or Rainbow Dash and Applejack, a new rivalry was born...

They were made to notice each other and will not stop, from now on, trying to surpass the other, either during sports sessions or in the different subjects and moments of life.

"It's going to be a long year!  Said the great black unicorn.

"You said it!"  Confirmed the farm mare.
> An unusual duo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a week of classes here, everyone is gradually finding their bearings: Light and Rainbow Dash spend all their time fighting in all and often anything, their rivalry growing day by day.

Applejack, John and Drew are more friendly with each other, not trying to confront each other, they get along well and love to comment on their two friends' rivalry, which they sometimes make fun of.

Lance installs Twilight in the IRC, spending most of their free time reading, tidying up, or advising students on books. Trixie has been there and, responsibility obliges, has been well received by Twilight despite last time's threats. She flipped through a book about a spell... 

Teddy and Pinkie pie have started their investigation to fill out the school newspaper, they have methods that can... rather questionable... because nobody is interested in talking about classes or grades.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you how I did it last year and we'll do the same thing." he comes over and whispers in Pinkie pie's ear his method.

"GREAT, WHEN DO WE START?"  She screams as she jumps up and down on her seat.

"We can start now, and our target's all set," says the stallion with a shifty look as he rubs his hands together.

Pinkie pie joins his friend in his madness, already giggling at their "dark" plan...

Saturday: 5 a.m.

At this hour, everyone is asleep, or almost... a delivery truck is parked outside the school, an employee is about to enter the school grounds because the order states this address. He gets stopped by a pony, who says he's the buyer, signs the order and takes the package with him. The truck leaves, without waking anyone, in the still dark night.

The pony has to go back to his dormitory, the package does not give him any problem in the steps since the magic makes it float in the air. The pony turns out to be Trixie, rubbing his hands, probably preparing a bad move.

"With this book, I'm going to learn how to cast spells in a very precise manner. I'm bound to hit my target, and when I do, all I have to do is film the scene," she said, followed by a laugh full of bad intentions.

Trixie was sure of herself, her plan doesn't matter to her, she already thinks about her future success and already imagines the scene. Unfortunately, absorbed in her mind and her plans, she doesn't notice that the stairs continue and finally her foot hits the step.

She begins to fall, almost in slow motion, always with a smile on her face, not understanding what is happening to her. She thought that her fall would wake everyone up, but it didn't, because she didn't touch the stairs.

When she came to her senses, she realized that she was being carried, carried by a hand.

"Wow, that's okay, almost broke your nose there." commented her savior.

Trixie straightaway distances herself from the unknown, which is already known to the mare. This is Light.

"You? What are you doing here?"  she asked, not hiding her surprise to see him here.

"Calm down" he said with a finger in front of his mouth. "Everybody's asleep.  Are you all right? Good thing I was here to catch you up"

Obviously embarrassed that her target saved her from some trouble, she wouldn't listen.

"You shut up," she says, looking around.  "Where's my package?"

"Are you talking about this?" he said, reaching for the package with his other hand. "I also caught him before he fell, you know it's forbidden to use magic like this."

"Shut up, I don't have to listen to you, just give me the package." She ordered it.

"What's in it?" 

"It's none of your business," she announced, tearing the package out of her hands nonchalantly. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

Light, who hadn't heard back, resumed her walk, leaving Trixie, who was easily upset by this behavior.

"Hello, I asked you a question, you idiot."

Light stopped on the steps, put his hood over his head so Trixie could only see his smile sticking out.

"None of your business." Did he send with a hint of amusement to reuse the mare's phrase against her.

Light resumed his walk, no longer listening to the one he'd just helped and found rather rude, a thank you would have sufficed...

"You... you want to play the smartest, we'll see which of us will lose his way first..." she challenges him.

Trixie finally goes up to her room, wondering what Light would be doing outside at this hour if he saw him through his window, riding his bike into town.

----------------------------------------------------------

Several hours have passed, it is almost noon and the members of the sports club present decide to go and play a little football match. 

As everyone expected, Light on one side, Rainbow Dash on the other. The two captains formed their team quickly, their patience to once again show their superiority to the other had its limits.

"Don't expect to win this game, I'm unbeatable at football." Threw the cyan mare to her opponent.

"In that case, start by taking the ball from under my foot" he nodded, leaning a little closer to his rival.

A new duel of glances took place, but it was quickly stopped. A ray of light hit Light's head and he realised this and dodged it by moving his head back in a reflex that only him could have. He took a quick glance at the trajectory, which seemed to come from a window on the second floor, that of the dormitories.

"That was a spell"  Said Drew.

"Whoever did this, I'm going to crush him" spitting pegasus.

Rainbow Dash began clenching her fists, she was even about to fly away to check it out, but Light cut her off in her tracks, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Like magic, flying is forbidden unless the coach says so, and he's not here today" did he inform her again about the ban.

"Stupid rule" she said with her arms folded, followed by a sigh.

"I can go check it out if you want." Soarin volunteered.

"Okay, go ahead and come back soon."   Accepted Light.

Soarin ran through the school to see what he was hiding there. He hoped Rainbow Dash noticed his action, which he considered brave. He arrived in front of the suspicious dormitory and decided to open the door.

"WHAT RIGHT HAVE YOU GOT TO OPEN THAT DOOR, YOU IDIOT?!" shouted the person inside.

Totally unexpected, it was Trixie inside, her magic book in her hands.

"You're the one who cast the spell, why did you do it?" 

"How dare you accuse me, get out of here right now!!!" Did she make up her mind when she felt her honor had been trampled upon.

"It's forbidden, you know you could get fired if the principal or a teacher found out? I should report you." Soarin finally concluded.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!!!" Did she scream again, but this time with fear in her voice.

Trixie suddenly panics, Soarin seems to have hit a nerve. 

"I'm sure... we can work something out..." she suggested.

"What are you saying?  No way, you can't get me like that."

"And if I tell you...  Rainbow Dash."

"What Rainbow Dash?" he suddenly says in a panic.

"Do you think I'm dumb or what, you'd have to be really dumb not to see the way you look at her." That's her bragging.

"What, you don't have any proof."

"So you don't mind me shouting it from the rooftops that you've got a crush on her?"

"WHAT?  No, don't do that."

Trixie's getting her confidence back, she's hit a nerve... picking up her sneaky smile. 

"I told you we'd work something out."

Soarin's losing control, he doesn't want anyone to know, he doesn't want anyone to know, it's far too early.

"I think I've got it figured out, you're going to be useful to me."

"Don't plan to use me as an object." He's informing.

"Well, I'm not so stupid. A pony is always more useful than an object. Look, you don't seem like a bad guy, so here's what we're going to do. "You're gonna help me trick Light so people will stop thinking he's a living god, and in return, I'll tell you how to get your girl's heart." She said.

"I can't. Light's a great guy. It's only natural everyone should like him. And as for Rainbow Dash, I don't need your advice."

"But you do need one thing... my silence," she said.

Soarin swallowed nervously as she realized where she stood.

"So, is it a deal?"

As Trixie reached out her hand to Soarin, waiting for him to tap it to sign their pact, Thunderlane had gone upstairs to see what was going on.

"Soarin, hey Soarin, are you there?"  Called his friend with the particular mane.

Trixie's always smiling and holding out his hand, Soarin has to choose quickly...

He comes out of the dormitory, Thunderlane finally sees him.

"Oh, you're here, what took you so long?"  he asked.

"Nothing, nothing, I took my time to look around, but nothing to report."  He replied.

"Well, okay, you're coming or the others will start the game without us."

"Yeah, okay, I'm coming..."
> The triforce of the friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new week begins, and it starts well for our friends who are alerted by a girl running down the hallway sobbing.  At the end of the corridor, Light stands with the most neutral expression possible turned towards this girl until she is out of his sight.

"Oh, my God, Light, it's happening again. You're 51st again," Drew complained.

"That 51st what?"  Asked Rainbow.

"51st girl he's refused to go for," he said with a sigh.

As the girls were shocked and at best, impressed with the number, Harri ran to Light at full speed.

"LIIIIIGHTTTTT!!!!"  he threw.

Harri leapt up and grabbed Light's collar, placing her feet at chest level, Light's strength keeping her from falling, and Harri managed to hold her balance in this awkward position.

"YOU AIN'T GOT NO LIGHT HEART, HOW MANY GIRLS YOU GONNA BREAK IN HIGH SCHOOL, HUH?"

"It's not my fault they're attracted to me, I'm not in love with them so I gently tell them it's not possible is..."

"FUCK!!!!  YOU FORGOT THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF GENTLEMEN: IF A PRETTY GIRL OPENS HER HEART TO YOU, YOU ACCEPT ON THE SPOT !!!!"

"No, that's your first rule of compulsive flirting."  He corrected him.

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!!!!"

Harri continued her yelling, bringing all eyes to him... as if it wasn't already in plain sight.

"Look, man, the only reason girls like me is 'cause I'm nice and I don't overreact like you, that's all." 

At that line, Harri finally gave up and started going the opposite way with the band.

"I'M GONNA FEED GANIMANIMEDE TO CALM ME DOWN!!"

"Ganimede?"  Rarity intervened.

"His imaginary pet, he told us he was taking care of a cat but he never wanted to show it..."

Harri then leaves the group, raving about the incredible success Light has had with the girls since the second grade.

During the classes, Rainbow Dash was asking herself some questions about Light, she takes advantage of the not very interesting French class to ask him without waiting.

"Light, what do you say to girls who say they love you?"

"Well, um...  I tell them I love someone else," he said hesitantly.

"So you've got a crush on a girl, huh..." she says with a satisfied smile.

"I bet it's your partner in your martial arts club," said Drew, giving her a dirty look and tucked his head between the two pegasus.

"Not at all, she's a good friend, it's got nothing to do with that."

"Your martial arts partner?"  She asked intrigued.

"Rainbow, will you stop arguing in my class?"  The teacher intervened, somewhat annoyed. 

Rainbow apologized and plunged her head into her book, Light decided to wait until recess to explain.

"Well, then, as you know, on Saturday afternoons, I have classes at my martial arts club downtown. And there, I do all the training with a girl named Scarlet."

"Scarlet"?  What's she like?"  Rarity wondered, as if she'd heard that name before.

"I've met her, she's really cute, she's just my type."  Said Drew, recalling the mare's attractive figure with a smirk on her face.

"Come with me on Saturday and tell him then..." Light suggested.

"No, but Light, I only saw her once, and yet I noticed, says you didn't see anything?"

"What am I supposed to have seen?"  He said, hoping for no answer.

"Dude, the way she was looking at you, she was devouring your face with her eyes," he said, moving his eyebrows up and down.

"Thanks for the info... she's just a friend, I tell you."

"After a while you'd have to take the Light step."

"Not with her!"

"Can you be another one in mind, Mr. Dropout?"

"These girls like me just because I'm good-looking and don't do weird stuff like Harri, that's not what I want, do you girls understand that?" He asked, turning to the women he was questioning.

"Absolutely, that's desire, not love," Applejack argued, imagining himself in the same situation as Light.

"I don't see the harm in being wanted," said the fashionista.

"No wonder it's you, Rarity..." Rainbow said with a sigh.

"What?" she said. "I don't get dressed up every day for nothing."

So the discussion revolves around couples, feelings and relationships on that plane.  Some like Twilight or Fluttershy or John just don't want to talk about it, while others like Drew or Light or Rarity are quick to expose their taste.

"But it sucks to be in a couple..." finally cut off the cyan mare as she wanted to change the subject.

"You're right," he said, pulling a balloon out of his bag. "I'd much rather beat you flat out."

The two rivals continued their feud by going head-to-head in a 1v1 dribbling match, leaving their seats to resume the match.

"They say they're not interested, but who thinks they'd make a good together ?"  Asked Drew.

Almost everyone more or less agrees that when the two of them are face to face, that's when their smiles are the most radiant.

"Well, if not, does anyone here have a crush right now?" He says next.

Drew asked this without any embarrassment, unlike the rest of the group, who refrained from answering, making the moment emptier and quieter than death itself.

The bell finally rang, ending the silence that everyone feared. The duel between the two sportsmen ends with a victory for Light, who is faster on the ground than his rainbow-maned rival.

"Once again, you need practice, I can be your teacher if you want" he taunted him again.

"I've already told you I don't like the way you provoke me" she said, puffing out her cheeks.

"Don't take it like that, it's in adversity that we move forward, right, Drew?"

"Yes, because of all the fighting we do all the time, Light and I have become better at sports. Don't worry, Rainbow, Light beat me a hundred times in football."

"I'm still the coolest, anyway, at least 20% cooler than you." Says her as a valid argument.

"For the girls maybe, but for the rest of high school, I'm two years ahead," he says with that big smile that seems to characterize him.

The group of friends goes back to class, which always goes the same way: the group is divided into two parts, one posted in front of the class to follow the class and learn hard (Twilight, Lance, Fluttershy, John), and the rest, more backward, preferring to chat and have fun whenever possible.

Once the class is over, Light, Drew and John agree to tell a story to the girls.  They all go to their dormitories.

"COOL, WHAT'S A STORY ABOUT?"  Ask the pink girl, not balancing and jumping around.

"Okay, so this story we call the triforce of friendship."

"It's about friendship, we're well known," said Rainbow with a slight smile.

"This story is based on real facts, the characters are real," says the muscular unicorn to keep the audience's attention.

"Well then, I'll start: it all started at the beginning of the school year, three young men were going back to high school for the first time. The first of them was very gifted in a lot of fields, life was constantly smiling at him and he smiled at everyone in return. The second was a young man dreaming of becoming a star in his chosen field, he had found his way and was planning to reach the top. The third was not as bright as the other two, but his life was going smoothly and no one was trying to hurt him." Said Light.

"Unfortunately all three young men lacked something to succeed in life: the first had no determination, he beat everyone all the time and was not interested in any particular area. The second knew what he wanted but was still not merciful to others, often angry and distrustful, he remained alone in his corner, preferring to make enemies rather than allies. The third one, when he lacked self-confidence, nothing would stop him on his way except his own person. But they managed to solve his problems, and you know how?"

"Since it's about friendship, I'd say together." Concluded Twilight.

"That's right, John, tell the end."

"Each of them was missing something, but together they were able to help each other. The former was inspired by the latter's motivation to realize his dreams, which in turn helped him find his way.  The second simply had to behave better in society and for this he learned together with the third to be kind and calm in all circumstances. As for the third one, he admired the first one for his self-confidence and his ability to make friends and solve problems safely. Each learned something from the other and together they formed what is called the triforce of friendship."

"So, what do you think of that story?"  Asked Light after this one was over.

"It's a beautiful story, I'll tell it to my family sometime." Nodded Applejack.

"That's what friends are for." Said Rarity with a smile.

"Wait a minute, you're saying it's inspired by real life, you created it?"  Said Rainbow Dash, wondering if these people weren't already known to the band.

"Yeah, we've had some encounters that inspired that story."  Drew commented.

The band remembered the details of the story, imagining the group of friends pulling each other up.  It is on this moral that the day will end, each one going back to his room and going to bed less silly than the last.
> Clash, again and always
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second week of classes is over and with it, the first grades have fallen. While the serious side of the band shines with marks all above 16, the majority of the group sees more or less the level of each one. Of course, the center of attention is once again on the two rivals in the group, eager to compare their grades and show their superiority to the other. 

"Let's summarize quickly, a surprise French test to see if we had reread our course from last time," Teddy said. 

"The best grade in the class goes to Twilight and Lance with their 20 out of 20 that deserves a few applause," said Light with the few applause that followed from him and their friends. 

"Followed closely by John with a 17 and then Fluttershy with a 16. But now we move on to the fun part." Said Drew. 

Anyone who didn't get the note will have to say it out loud. Some like Rarity or Harri are pretty confident, and then there's the others... 

"I'm starting since I think I'm closest to Fluttershy with my 15." Said the Pegasus feeling proud of his performance. 

"Sorry, Harri, I'm the closest to my girl," said Rarity as he put his sheet down on the floor, revealing a 15.5. 

"YES, but for now, the boys are winning by 0.5." acquaint Light. 

"Light, it's not a competition this time." Called Applejack, preferring that the altercations not take place between the entire group, but remain between the two contestants. 

"If there's Rainbow Dash on the other side, it's still a competition," he says, smiling with closed eyes, waiting for only one thing, his rival's note. 

"In that case, did you get a better grade than me and my 12?" Asked his rival cyan. 

Light swallowed her smile, showing an uncertain face, much to the delight of her blue rival. The latter with a big smile in proportion to the sadness on her orange rival's face. 

"Well, go ahead, show off your Light note." Drew asked in amusement. 

"Shut up, Drew!" He let go. 

Shouting, Rainbow Dash grabbed his leaf and ripped it out of his hands, almost tearing it up. 

"AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! YOU ONLY GOT TEN ! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH..." she shouted between her laughter and tears of joy, barely managing to breathe in her wild laughter. 

"It's okay, I didn't read it again." he said in defense. 

"Because you think I'm re-reading me ?" she said, continuing her wild laughter and tears. 

"You're lucky I caught Light, I got 14." Said Drew, showing his copy. 

"No wonder you've always been better than me in the classics." 

"I got 14, too, girls always win." Applejack said as he readjusted his hat, finding the game rather amusing after all. 

"Well, more than you two, how much did you get?" he asked, turning to Teddy and Pinkie pie. 

"HAVE THE SAME NOTE TOO GOOD!" the two friends shouted and clapped their hands. 

But if they got the same grade, that means... the girls got... 

"We won girls."  

"So..." Whispered Rainbow Dash as they got closer to the lowest score in the group... 

"What?" Says Light as he starts pulling a sore loser's head. 

"Maybe we should reconsider the captaincy of the sports team," she said, standing up with her arms folded and a provocative smile on her lips. 

"Other than flying, I'll take you down any other way you want, we're going down and I'm proving it to you now." He responded by standing up quickly. 

"No, that's all right, to shame you twice in one day even for me is too much," she said with the sole purpose of provoking the pegasus even more. 

"Don't make me think you're afraid to face me once more!" He says, alluding to his defeats in football, among other things. 

"A wonderbolt fears nothing, I'm waiting for you!" Changed her mind very quickly.

And the two are divided in a purely personal turf battle to satisfy their overweening sporting egos. They're off to race down the stairs, let's hope they don't fall miserably. 

"They're really irredeemable, those two bored ones." Rarity complained as he combed his hair. 

"It's true that when I was Light's true rival, we didn't fight all the time either." Said Drew. 

"Like Rainbow Dash and I, their narcissism is constantly shocking." Applejack finally said. 

While the rest of the group rests all together in the dorms and vacates their activities, we follow the two Pegasus now entering the basement gym. 

"No need to see who wins at weight lifting, we all know it's me." Says Light, looking for an area where he hasn't run over Rainbow Dash yet.

"Then we'll just have to see who knocks the other one down first," she says, placing herself behind the young Pegasus, ready to pounce on him at the slightest opportunity. 

"Know that you won't win, not only am I physically stronger, but in case you've forgotten, I do taekwondo," warns the pegasus to his opponent. 

"Let's see what your taekthing is worth in the air," she says while waving her hand to make Light come towards her, flying to the limits of the ceiling of the room about ten meters above the floor. 

"Rainbow, we've got..." Wanted to warn Light for the umpteenth time. 

"No right to fly, I know, but you know I'm unbeatable in the air," she continued with a big smile. 

"Well, for once, I'm going to have to take you down myself," he announced as he too flew off in pegasus. 

"FINALLY you're going to fly "without permission", isn't that good?" she asked. 

"I'll feel better when I've smashed you to the ground," he said with a smile that says a lot about his intentions, putting himself in a fighting position. "Just watch my legs, I've knocked out club members before without meaning to." 

"I'll dodge all your shots and knock you down in under 10 seconds, count on it." She's bidding with no loss of confidence. 

"In that case... ladies first." And with a spanking motion, he offered to start. 

As her two rivals looked each other straight in the eye and seemed to want to read each other's minds, Rainbow got tired of waiting and attacked. She runs at her opponent and prepares a big kick to her flank, which Light sees coming from far away. 

As Rainbow Dash stops in his run just ahead of him, she sends her left leg to Light's right flank. Light wastes no time and shifts slightly to the left, blocking Rainbow Dash's leg with her hand, catching him at the same time. 

"In less than 10 seconds, huh?" He said, more confident than ever. 

Rainbow Dash wasn't expecting this, she moves quickly with a punch that Light also catches with her other hand. The Rainbow Pegasus turns around in a bad position, trying to free herself from her opponent's fierce grip, continuing to flap her wings to stay in the air. 

"Let go of me!" She ordered angrily, seeing that she was losing control of the situation. 

"If you can get out on a miracle." he said provocatively. 

Rainbow Dash reacted quickly to his provocation, spanking something she didn't think she'd do. She headbutted Light, hoping to surprise him, which totally worked. Light was totally caught off guard, he didn't think Rainbow would ever pull a stunt like that. He took the blow head-on, which made him swing back, but he kept his grip despite the surprise. 

"BUT RELEASE ME!!" she shouted, not understanding how he always manages to keep her in his hands. 

She then realizes something as she watches him fall little by little. His face, his expression... he's still smiling. She can't believe it, this smile, it's different from the one he usually has, it's changed to look... almost unhealthy... 

Without realizing it, Light does a flip and Rainbow falls with her opponent above her, her weight and pressure preventing her from flying for two. The ground is finally quickly reached, Rainbow landing on a tatami fortunately landed by Light before the fight, this one ending up above the blue pegasus. 

While Rainbow is a little stunned by this sequence of action, Light doesn't waste a second and tangles her legs with Rainbow's to prevent her from escaping. By the time she figures out what's going on, Rainbow can't move her legs and her arms are blocked by her rival's grip, her body on top of hers. Finally, Light quickly lands close to her, leaving only a few inches between their faces, while being careful not to crush her under his weight. 

"Indeed, it will have lasted only ten seconds," he says, looking into the eyes of his rival on the ground, trapped. 

"So... that's your taekthing ?" she said, surprised at the turn of events, out of breath. 

"Well, I haven't really had time to show you some tricks."

"Really? You didn't use anything you learned in your club?" She said, hoping at least she'd forced him to use a well-known technique. 

"I blocked your moves, and for that I watched your position as my taekwondo master told me to." Light answered after thinking for a second. 

"I see, can you show me how you did it?" She asked if she could beat him next time with that same move. 

"If you want to, Dashie." he replies with the usual big smile. 

"Dashie? What kind of nickname is that?" She asked really surprised, not expecting him to use it. 

"I just found it, it suits you, don't you think?" Ask for the pegasus. 

"On a misunderstanding, I authorize you to use it, to and also... YOU MAY GO OUT AND LET ME RISE." she says angrily, embarrassed at the current position. 

"I'm willing to let you get up, but to do so, you have to say 'Light is the most wonderful man in the galaxy.' " he asked with a small wink. 

"You're dreaming." she says, looking away. 

"Come on, I'm sure you've got a little compliment for me, that's enough for me," he said, wanting to hear Rainbow confess what she thinks of him. 

"You're... you're cool, not as cool as me of course, but still cool." she said with a slight reddish tone on her cheeks. 

"Coming from you, that's fine with me." he said, sitting next to Rainbow, letting her do the same. 

"By the way, you didn't get sore from the headbutt I gave you, and saw you smile afterwards, can you tell me about it ?" She asks, waiting for an answer that would satisfy her. 

"By the way, don't worry, I've been through worse. But if I smiled after that attack it's because..." He said, raising his hair to show Rainbow Dash that there was nothing unusual about his forehead... 

Light decided to move closer to Rainbow, as close as when their bodies were straddling each other, to tell her with the most beautiful eyes. 

"You caught me spanking that, and I love it when a girl goes off the beaten path to surprise me." He confessed. 

Rainbow noticed a new look on Light's face, a look she considered charming. She'd never seen Light with such a look before, but with it, she had an idea for a nickname, too. 

"I see that, the lover boy." 

"What ? The lover boy ? What kind of ridiculous nickname is that ?" He asked, pretending to have come to his senses and not liking the nickname. 

"Well, with that equally ridiculous look, you remind me of guys who come in all handsome trying to seduce girls, flirts, whatever." She explained. 

"WHAT ? I'm a flirt, you can't be serious, Dashie..." 

Light took Rainbow's comparison badly enough, not wanting to be associated with people that few people find recommend, or worse, to Harri. She took a few seconds to think, Light waiting for an answer, hanging on her lips. 

"Too bad you couldn't do it again, I would have taken your picture and you would have seen it for yourself." She made up her mind. 

"Don't ever call me that again Dashie, huh?" 

"Yeah yeah, don't worry... the lover boy." She says, starting to smile. 

Proud of her new find, Rainbow found a way to antagonize Light, the man who hated that nickname. 

"Well, you promised to show me how you do it, to anticipate my moves." she said, standing up and waiting for Light to do the same. 

"Okay, but you're erasing that nickname from your memory." he asked. 

It was then that the two rivals had become master and pupil for a few moments, leaving their provocative nature aside to bring something to the other. Once Light's improvised lesson was over, they each returned to their rooms, promising the other to resume hostilities tomorrow. As it got late, each duo stayed in their rooms, taking advantage of the weekend's goodness to recharge their batteries. It is at bedtime that Light asks his roommate one last thing. 

"Hey, Drew?" 

"YES Light?" 

"Do you think I'm... I mean... you know what..." 

"I can't help you with that one, man, sorry, good night anyway." Did he try to counsel him. 

So it was without any answer from his friend that the young man turned to the moon, the one that dominates the sky after dusk and is said to give advice. He understood all too quickly, but in the right direction, and found the answer to his question. He fell asleep peacefully in his duvet, letting a last distinct sound be heard, closing his eyes. 

"Dashie..."
> Story and feeling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new day of classes has just ended for our friends, who have no time to rest and continue their daily activities. Except for some, like John who, instead of revising the next tests as usual, decides to ask Light for some advice. He goes to his room and finds him alone, Drew has to lift some weights downstairs. 

"Uh... Light?" he asks, standing at the doorway after clearing is throat. 

"Yes, John ?" He asks while he's combing his hair in the mirror. 

"Uh, I have something to ask you." the ground pony timidly informed him. 

"Of course John, what do you want ?" he said, turning to his friend with a smile. 

"Well... I think... I think I'm in love..." he said, hiding his face with his hands. 

"Ah... you too..." replied the great pegasus simply by pretending to remember something. 

Light's answer challenged John, knowing full well what Light was talking about. He suddenly came out of his hiding place and leapt almost to the middle of the room, no longer seeming afraid of the situation. 

"LIGHT... you too?" He asks to make sure he wasn't dreaming. 

"It had to happen sooner or later, so who do you have a crush on?" He asks directly, wanting to help his friend as much as possible. 

"Uh... well... I'm nervous to say it..." he says, regaining his past embarrassment, his reddish cheeks showing it. 

"Oh, you don't have to be ashamed to be in love, you know, it's normal" he said in reply, hoping to remove John's embarrassment. "Do you want me to tell you who I'm in love with first? Even though I think you're smart enough to know who it is." he said, turning back to his mirror. 

"No, that's all right, I just wanted to ask you... well, some advice, since a lot of girls love you." he asked, waiting for a clear answer from his friend to reassure him. 

"The problem with his mares is that they don't love me, they admire me," replied the young Pegasus, letting out a sigh before continuing. "I'm handsome, muscular and nice, that's enough for them... but I'm not enough for myself." he said in a more serious tone than usual, looking straight in the mirror. 

"Uh, don't you have any advice ?" Asked John, not really getting a satisfactory answer, but not wanting to bother him any more. 

"Sorry John, the only advice I can give you is to be yourself, if you change for a girl on purpose, there's something wrong." he said, turning to his friend." Then that's the way I see it, I could be wrong." 

"I see, thanks anyway, Light... uh, there's a book in the library that talks about it, right ?" 

"No idea, but speaking of the CDI, I'm going there with Dashie, she wants to show me the adventures of... Darin I think." he said looking up, not being sure of his answer. "If you want you can come, you can ask Lance or Twilight." 

"Uh, okay." 

Light finished his haircut and with John went to the downstairs permanent storage room. Arriving at the front, Rainbow Dash was already waiting for Light, who quickly noticed the two friends coming towards her. 

"You're late, the lover." she said with her arms folded, looking angry at the wait. 

"Dashie, I told you before not to call me that." Light replied, hurrying to join her so that she would shut up. 

"So just don't be late !" She decided, patience not being her virtue. 

John thought it was his doing if Light was late. He reprimanded himself for not thinking of going straight here. 

"Well, let's go, shall we go, John ?" said Light, waving to his friend, inviting him to join them. 

The three friends then enter the CDI, who quickly see Twilight tidying up the shelves. 

"Twilight, are there any Daring Do comics in here ?" Asked Rainbow without wasting any time. 

"Oh Rainbow, yes, in the comic book aisle behind, go look." the unicorn replied as she continued to tidy up. 

"Okay, thanks." she said as she looked in the aisle, Light following her with her hands in her pockets. 

"John, aren't you following them ?" 

"Uh, no... I'm looking for Lance, do you know where he is ?" He's always asking with his thin voice. 

"Lance, yes, he's in that room over there." she says, pointing to a half-open door. 

While Rainbow and Light took the very first comic book of Daredevil's adventures to watch it together, John goes to look in the room that Twilight shows him. Upon entering, the room is filled with computers but is completely empty, except for a seat at the back filled by Lance. 

"John, what are you doing here ?" Lance asks, noticing his friend here. 

"I need you, Lance, for something." he says as he gets closer. 

"No problem, what do you want ?" 

"...it's in relation to..." 

Too afraid that someone else will hear them, John tells his friend's ear what he is looking for. He notices Lance's smile forming more and more during his application. Once finished, Lance has, in addition to a smile, a very disturbing look on his face, almost spanking his friend. 

"I see..." he says as he types something on his computer. 

"Then you can..." 

"HERE IT IS !!!" Shouts Lance into the room as he shows John his screen. 

"That's... How to feel ?" 

"It's my bedside book and I can only recommend it to you, I've been reading it intensely since the first day of school." He confessed to her. 

Lance has always had problems talking to girls, he's stressed just at the thought of being alone with a girl in a room, so he closes himself off in computer programs, listening to music with headphones on. But since the beginning of the school year, he has started to prefer reading books or other works to try to control himself. 

"Uh, okay... do you have it here ?" 

"I'm sorry, but the only copy in the school is mine, but if you want it when I'm done, I'll pass it on." he says. 

"Well, I don't have much choice..." he says, scratching his head. 

"Otherwise, who's the chosen one ?" He asks with interest. 

"I haven't told Light and I wouldn't want anyone to know about it yet..." he says to avoid confessing, especially since he wouldn't want it to fall on the mare's ears. 

"Okay, I'm not forcing you to do anything, just let me know if anything comes of it." 

"YES uh, thanks Lance, I'll tell you..." he said as he left the room, going back to the library. 

"So John, did you find what you wanted ?" asked Light from across the room, raising his hand to his friend. 

"LIGHT shut up, I'm trying to concentrate on Daring Do!" 

"Oh yeah, sorry, but you've read it so many times you told me!" He says in self-defense. 

"That's no excuse, shut up and read it too!" She replies curtly. 

When Light looks up, he realizes that John has already left, having had no answer. While he was reading the comic book with Rainbow to try to understand his admiration for his supposedly true adventures, Twilight had finished tidying up and rushed to go and tell Lance the news. 

"Lance, I've finished tidying up the manga section." she announced as she entered the room. 

"AH TWILIGHT..." 

Lance hadn't noticed Twilight coming, which surprised him and made him jump in his seat. 

"Wow Lance, are you okay ? I didn't mean to scare you." She said she was surprised at her friend's gesture. 

"YES YES, everything's fine... just let me know next time." he asked, without being able to explain himself, avoiding his gaze somewhat. 

"As I was saying, I've finished tidying up, anything else to do ?" Ask for the lavender unicorn. 

"Nothing more, we're done for today." the young man proudly announces, coming to his senses. 

"That's great... What are you doing ?" She asks as she approaches Lance to see what he was looking at on his computer. 

"Oh that? It's just a fanfiction..." said Lance a little surprised, being a little embarrassed to have to show this to Twilight. 

"A fanfiction about what?" 

"About a romance..." he said with a lot of fliers in his voice. 

"Hey, do you read romance ?" She wondered, finding it surprising coming from him. 

"Well, why not, I have the right." he defends himself, slipping slowly into his seat as if to avoid further discussion. 

"Of course you have the right, it's just that I find it surprising coming from you." she thought to herself as she began to read. 

"Well... What are you going to do now ?" He asks, hating the silence as Twilight scans his page. 

"What's the name of the fanfiction, I'll read it next to it." she asked enthusiastically, seeing the author's rich handwriting rather well used. 

"Uh no... I mean, here, take my place, I don't want to read it there anymore." He says as if it's a critical situation. 

"Ah, all right, thanks, Lance." 

Twilight then moved into Lance's seat and started reading as Lance left the room. The young man was determined not to be alone with Twilight for too long, his stress skyrocketing with every second that passed. 

"I really need to fix this flyer problem, I'm going to go read my chapter right now." he thought as he walked across the room. 

He left, leaving Twilight with the keys to lock the CDI at 6pm as he always did, who hadn't noticed that two other young people were still inside. Light and Rainbow continued their reading as Dashie began to capture the lover's attention to the story itself. 

"You're finally making history now ?" she asked her friend, who was presumably not very keen on reading. 

"I'd rather be part of the history of this world, but to do so, I need practice."  he said, pointing outside. 

"Okay, but even if you could make history, you'd be forgotten by my future performances." she winced at the coil after she sighed. 

"Sorry Dashie, but there's no place in history for two exceptional runners." he said, looking closely at Rainbow, who accepted the challenge once again. 

"Well, I can see you're not so interested in this, so you might as well get the hell out of it." she said, standing up in the same manner. 

As the two rivals went out on the field to face each other once again, Twilight closed the CDI for today. She went to return the keys to Lance, who was reading her precious book and managed to hide it from her sight. John was giving her a math exercise for next week, might as well get a head start if he could. 

As for the others, Drew and Applejack were downstairs in the room practicing as well, Fluttershy and Rarity were also working, although Rarity allowed himself a few deviations by looking in the mirror and combing his hair from time to time. Teddy and Pinkie pie were still in their club room, finishing their review for next week. Finally, Harri was with John but wasn't working, he was terribly bored and didn't know what to do, his legs stuck to the wall, the rest of his body on the bed. He came to his senses and joined his friend to get a head start as well.
> Another kind of rivalry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"While the first holidays are coming up, our friends are not giving up on their lessons and intend to keep up the good results": that's what we could say if there weren't some partygoers in this group who definitely prefer to have a good time. 

These partygoers are constantly asking for the intentions of others like Teddy, Pinkie pie and Light. While the first two started to make themselves known through their high school diaries (often containing rather private information about some of them), the last one asked all his friends to get together for a "surprise". 

"Teddy, Pinkie darling, how do you know Soarin has a rainbow pillow and a diary ?" Asked the white unicorn to her friends as she read the latest issue of the school newspaper. 

"Oh, that's 'cause we're ent..." Try saying Pinkie before her mouth was covered by Teddy's hand, suddenly panicking. 

"BECAUSE HE SAID IT TO US, YES IT IS BECAUSE HE SAID IT TO US." he says loudly, looking embarrassed and with an annoyed smile on his face. 

"And what he writes in his diary, does he tell you too ?" Asked the two-meter tall athlete pointing to a page in the newspaper, describing the evening's activities in Pegasus. 

"Uh... yeah yeah, it's just... he doesn't want to keep a diary anymore so he's sharing his memories." replies the young man, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead. 

"Friends please." announced the beautiful pegasus, clapping his hands for the intention of the group. "I'd just like a few minutes of attention to introduce you to someone." he announced, a big smile on his lips. 

The whole group turned around, wondering about the person they were about to see. Is it a member of his family? A friend? An animal? In front of all his confused faces, Drew was the only one with a very cheerful expression, having a little idea who was about to arrive. 

"I've been given permission by Principal Celestia to show him around the school today, I'd like to introduce my partner in the martial arts club, Scarlette." he announces with a wave of his hand backwards, holding the door open. 

All eyes are in the direction of the door and very quickly, following Light's words, a figure appears. A girl with navy blue skin a bit like Lance and short black hair then enters, wearing fairly short shorts and a slight smile on her lips. 

"Hello everyone." she says, raising her hand towards the group of friends. 

When she appears, two types of reactions are made. First the girls, also greeting the newcomer, and then... the boys, all crazy about the heavenly beauty in front of them. His divine forms and angelic face make many of them pale, each boy having his own reaction. 

While Drew remains rather stoic, letting some redness appear, John hides his face in his hands, Teddy has a totally disturbing look on his face, Harry opens his mouth with excitement and Lance falls down on the floor.

"Well, now that the introductions are done, I'm going to give him a tour of the school today, Dashie, do you want to come ?" He asked the cyan pegasus, which she agreed to, pretending to think about it. 

The visit took place while Scarlette listened attentively to Light on each of his words, Rainbow also being next to him, paying less attention. Light doesn't hesitate to tell her friend a few stories about the classes and the teachers, Scarlette remaining attentive, hanging on her lips. 

Light finishes the tour of the premises by the yard in the courtyard and the weight room in the basement, Scarlette is speechless in front of the room that offers itself to her. Rainbow, still next to Light, starts to get bored severely and decides to challenge Light as usual, a small defeat would make him fall back to earth. 

"And Light, instead of prancing in front of her, why don't I make you bite the dust in flight ?" Ask for Pegasus, desiring to stop this almost date between them. 

Not that she minds.

"No problem, Dashie, a little flight training never hurts." he says, smiling, the coach having given them permission a few days ago as long as they stay on the field. "Come on, Scarlet, you're about to see two flying aces in action." 

"Oh yeah, I'd love to see you fly Light." she said, not caring about Rainbow Dash, who's taking it pretty hard. 

They come out of the room and race through the air, Scarlet watching them from the ground. The runners' high level demonstration is breathtaking, Light compensating for her lack of speed with well-controlled zigzags, but not enough to catch Rainbow. 

"Ah, it feels good to come down from that cloud, doesn't it ?" She asks, happy to beat Light in her field, bringing one more victory to their rivalry.

"I've never been on a cloud before, but this race was thrilling. I really thought I had a chance this time." said the young man, quickly massaging his elbow joints.

"LIGHT, that was great, I didn't know you could fly so well, I mean, I knew it, but I never imagined that..." 

Despite Light's loss, Scarlette continues to be captivated by her prowess, although Rainbow's is equally remarkable, and she's beginning to get annoyed with the mare's behavior. The next thing happens in the hall, Light shows her daily training to Scarlette, who watches with attention the performances of the pegasus she wouldn't miss for anything in the world. Rainbow deciding to compete with him again, she had not finished with him, but checking more the two ponies in the corner of her eye rather than really training.

After several drills, Light ended up sweating and decided to go to the locker room to shower, leaving her two friends to get to know each other better. 

"See you later Light, I'll wait for you here." she says, waving. 

"I see Drew was right..." said the rainbow pegasus as she saw the look on that girl's face and sat down on a bench next to her. 

"Drew? The big black guy ?" she asks. 

"Yeah, the big black guy." 

"And what did he say ?" She asks. 

"That you're in love with Light." she tells the land pony. 

"WHAT ???? HE SAID THAT ? TO WHOM ?" She asks, stressed out by Rainbow's response.

"To us, but Light took it as a joke." she says, to calm the blue pony. 

"Phew, it's a good thing he took it that way." she said, blowing, visibly relieved. 

"So, do you really love him ?" Curiously, she asked for Pegasus, even though she suspected her answer. 

"Obviously I love him." she said, looking down at the ground, a rash appearing on her cheeks. 

"What do you mean obviously ? It's not systematic." she replies, not understanding the answer. 

"Oh... Rainbow Dash, don't make me think you don't feel anything for him." she said, as if she knew the answer beforehand. 

"He's just a friend, nothing more..." she said in reply, looking away and less and less liking the way this discussion was going. 

"And he'll remain just a friend to you, because I'm careful to tell him how I feel." she said to stop Rainbow in her thoughts. 

"Uh, you... what ? Seriously ?" 

"Seriously, I'm going." she said as she got up and walked toward the locker room, the sound of running water no longer being audible. 

Rainbow doesn't know what to do, she doesn't answer and doesn't move, she's still lost in her thoughts, thinking. On the one hand, she says to herself that she doesn't care, that it's none of her business, but on the other hand, curiosity invades her and Light's future answer makes her very envious. Was Drew right, does Light feel the same way about her, he didn't pay much attention to Rainbow during the visit, and even losing to her didn't do anything to him. Had he changed his behavior since she was here? 

One thing's for sure: Rainbow Dash needed an answer.

As Scarlette walked into the locker room, Rainbow sensed curiosity in her, forcing her to step towards the door. Once her ear rests on the door, a voice is heard, the girl's voice, once again in ecstasy from what is before her eyes. 

This while the noises stop, neither Scarlette or Light speak, no more sound on the other side of the door. Rainbow, wondering what is going on, prays for the discussion to begin again, until she is surprised once again. 

Indeed, as she pressed her ear against the door, up to her whole cheek, the door opened, leaving the pegasus speechless. She falls into the dressing room on her stomach, under the eyes of Light, who opened the door, and Scarlette, who is sitting down. 

"Dashie, you're so predictable." he says, looking at her from his superior position to the cyan mare, a gleam in his eyes, proud to have caught the voyeur with her hand in the bag. 

"Light, I..." she tries to say as she quickly gets up, who is surprised to see the young man shirtless, abs and chest muscles in full view and freshly dry. 

"Dashie..." he says as he stands in front of her. "Scarlette wants to tell me something and I think she wants to keep it private. You can go join the others." he said, closing the door in her face. 

Rainbow couldn't believe it, she had just seen him shirtless, she couldn't get the vision out of her head. She decides to compare by touching her own abs, present but still much less drawn. 

"Oh yeah, not bad abs." she says out loud, not even realizing it, and joins the others without trying any trick, not being able to remove this last image from her head.

A little later, Light returns to his friends, alone. 

"LIGHT, where's Scarlette ? I must ask her to come with me urgently." retorts the golden-haired Pegasus, his intentions clearly understood by the rest of the group with a blissful smile. 

"Sorry Harry, she just left." he replies, creating an unhappy look on his friend's face. 

On his words, Light goes to rest in his room, wishing everyone a good night and going to read his course alone for the check on the horizon. After a few minutes of hesitation, Rainbow decides to go see him, who wants answers to her questions. 

As Light is leaning against the wall, sitting on his bed reading, Rainbow comes and sits down next to him. 

"Light, if it's not indiscreet to ask you, I'd like to know what you two were talking about." she asks calmly, a tone not often seen in Light's voice.

"Come on, Dashie, you know IT'S totally indiscreet to ask that." he replies, still flipping through his notebook. 

"I know what she told you Light, we've talked about it, I just wish I knew your answer." she asks again, hoping to make Light crack this time. 

"Sorry, Dashie, I ain't gonna tell you nothing. I'm going to bed, if you'd like to turn off the light." he asks, turning to her, looking her straight in the eyes with an empty look. 

"...All right, suit yourself." Rainbow replied, disappointed with the answer, but still understandable. 

She walks to the exit and watches Light crawl into her cozy bed, a thick blanket wrapped around her and keeping her warm. Rainbow stays there, several seconds, looking at him, without it seeming strange, not caring about prying eyes. Eventually she raises her arm to the light switch, turning off the light. 

"Good night, Dashie." Light said, barely comprehending as she buried her head in her pillow and her body in her soft blanket. 

"Good night, lover boy." Rainbow said, hoping to get him to react, to no avail. At last stopping looking at him attentively, she went to her room.

Once inside, she also decides to go to bed, even though it's only 8:00 p.m., a very early time for high school students to want to join the world of dreams. Applejack doesn't understand why Rainbow Dash acts like this, she goes to bed at the same time as her, hoping that her friend is well. 

Rainbow is still confused about the events of that day, not wanting to think too much about it. She just wonders why... why she found Light's bed more comfortable to look at than hers, when they are exactly the same. She falls asleep peacefully in her duvet, letting a last distinct sound be heard, closing her eyes. 

"Light..."
> Every question has its answer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the night is calm and restful for the interns, a person cannot sleep soundly. Indeed, the cyan pegasus kept being disturbed during the night, by itself... 

She spent all her time wondering why... why did she find Light's bed so soft to look at? Why did she want to crawl into it? Why did Light not want to tell her her answer to Scarlette's statement, and more importantly... what that answer was? 

It was the next morning, at 8 o'clock, that she got up without difficulty, not having really managed to sleep. She leaned against the wall of her room, outside, in the corridor, waiting for the door in front of her to open, the one that separated her from the one who had created all her questions in the space of an instant. When the door was finally activated, it wasn't the culprit who came out, but his tall, dark-skinned, ridiculously muscular friend. 

Drew came out, wanting to join Light who was already on the field at dawn. He didn't expect Rainbow to suddenly block him. 

"Rainbow"? What do you want ?" Asked the giant. 

"Answers to my questions." nodded the girl, longing to know the truth about the story. 

The two friends then returned to the boys room, and the interrogation could begin. 

"What did Light tell you about what happened yesterday ?" she asked. 

"What happened yesterday ? I'm sorry, Rainbow, but he didn't tell me anything at all." he answered confidently, proving he wasn't lying. 

"WHAT ?" she said in her broken voice, visibly surprised at the answer she hadn't expected. 

"Nothing, I swear, he went to bed very early last night so I didn't ask him anything." he added. 

"I can't believe it." she said. "You're best friends, your name's Bro and everything, how come he didn't tell you ?" 

"Well, I don't know... I guess we all have a secret garden, that's all." he says in reply. 

"But I want to know, but he won't tell me... couldn't you ask him ?" 

"Uh... we can always try, but why do you want to know so badly ?" Asked the unicorn, wondering as much as Rainbow does now. 

"I don't know why, I thought about it all night, I couldn't sleep because of that unanswered question." she admitted. 

"Ah... I see." he said, showing a smile on the corner of his lip. "Do you want to come over and get the answer straight away ?" 

"No, I'll wait here, I hope I get an answer when you come back." she said, knowing full well what she wants and sending Drew. 

At the same time, Light was waiting impatiently for her friend on the field, a ball under his foot, spanking him with a nose blowing. 

"What the hell is he doing ?" he nodded, starting to juggle the ball out of boredom. 

Not far from him, behind the wall, the high school ace is watched closely by two people. The first, vicious and clever, with a notebook in her hand, is writing down entries with a pen. The second, less attentive, wonders what his friend is writing down. The white pegasus named Soarin and the cyan unicorn named Trixie were observing... 

"So, do you want to try your spell again from last time ?" the pegasus asked, having no intention of harming Light despite his other intention to keep Trixie quiet.

"1 I've already tried and now I know he has the reflexes to dodge, so I won't make the same mistake. 2 he managed to dodge while he was in a duel with Rainbow Crash, in other words, no chance to trap him when he has control of his movements and 3 I just intend to observe him and your role and make sure that no one discovers me." she explained after an exasperated sigh thrown at him.  

“...” 

Soarin couldn't say anything in front of her "partner", having no desire to follow her but feeling obliged to respect the "pact". 

Thunderlane came up behind them, wondering what to do, watching their observation, which left him dubious. 

"Hello Soarin." he said amicably. 

"AAHH... SOARIN, GET HIM OUT OF THE WAY NOW !!!" She ordered his accomplice, who was obliged to carry out his order, almost shouting his reply too loudly. 

"Ok ok." he said, stepping aside with his friend to leave her in her voyeurism. 

"Uh... can you explain to me what you were doing with that girl ?" Asked the gray-maned pegasus, obviously embarrassed to find his friend with such a disturbed girl.

"It's complicated, but to tell you the truth, I find this girl a bit weird too." he confessed, spanking his friend with more questions. 

"I'm really not following you here, can you please explain to me." he asked again. 

Soarin has no choice but to bring Thunderlane up to speed, he explains the "pact" and all that followed. After all, he's her best friend, so he trusts her, besides being the only one who knows about his crush on Rainbow Dash. Once the story is told, Thunderlane understands his friend's position better and decides to do everything he can to help him, not by joining the band to trap Light but by trying to trap Trixie on his side. 

"And how do you plan to do that ?" Asked the white pegasus. 

"I'll go and search his room, I'm sure I'll find something there." he replied as he set off. 

"Thunderlane, thank you." he nodded with a sincere smile on his lips, spanking the grey pegasus in its course. 

"No problem, that's what friends are for." he said, raising his thumb in the air, quickly resuming his run to hide the change in color of his cheeks. 


........................................................................ 


At the same time, while Rainbow was still waiting in the room, looking at her phone but not free of her questions, the rooms next door were now in motion. While Harry spent his time in front of the mirror combing his long mane and putting on the right perfume, John had something else on his mind. 

He went to Teddy and Lance's room, wanting to get the book from Teddy and Lance, who had promised to lend it to him after he had finished reading. He knocked on the door and Teddy opened it with a big smile on his face. 

"Hi John, what do you want ?" He said with far too much enthusiasm. 

"Hi Teddy, I want to ask Lance something." he said, his friend letting him in from his side. "Hi Lance, have you finished reading your book ?" he asked the dark blue unicorn still lying in his blanket but wide awake from the commotion of his roommate. 

"Oh yes, I finished it last night, so you're in luck." he said as he took the book out from under his bed, having obviously hid it well away from prying eyes. 

"Thank you,. he said, taking it in his hands and looking at the cover. "Tell me, do you think it really works ?" asked the earthly boy, unsure of himself now that he had it in his hands. 

"It worked for me, just with Twilight for now." he replied, looking at the wall in front of him. 

"It worked just with Twilight, are you sure ?" he asked. 

"No, I'm not sure. In fact, now that I think about it, I've never had a problem talking to Twilight alone, I wonder why." he said. 

"Is that true ? Yet I still remember very well when a girl wanted to help you at the library once, it ended badly..." 

"No need to remind me John, yes, when it comes to talking to girls, I'm even more shy than you are, except with her. Twilight Sparkle, there's something special about her but you never know what." he said, wanting to think about it. 

"I'm sorry I can't help you, I hope you'll find the answer to your questions." he said, feeling once again useless to his friend, as always. 

"Yes, you worry about me, I'll be fine, enjoy the reading." he wished John, who walked out, leaving Lance with his thoughts. 

In the room next door, Rainbow waited, her impatience becoming more and more apparent. It was then that she began to wonder if she should go herself, knowing that her chances of knowing the answer would be slim. If Light wouldn't tell her last night to her face, why would he change his mind in the morning.

"DASHIE !!!"

A scream was heard on the field, calling out for Rainbow, who knew who was calling her. At the same time, aside from Applejack once in a while, he was the only one who called her that around here. She walked to the window and opened it, discovering the two best friends facing the building. 

"If you want to know the answer, come and beat me at football and I'll tell you." Light announced as she looked at Rainbow who was on the second floor in her room. 

Without waiting, and especially called by her uncontrollable desire to know, Rainbow didn't waste a second and spread her wings as she jumped from the window. In less than two seconds, the pegasus was back on earth, in front of Light, staring at him ardently. 

"One goal match !" he announced with a light kick to the ball, moving it between the two rivals. 


................................................................... 


Match over, and unfortunately for the mare pegasus, Light, in addition to beating her once again, had made her run well. She exhaled and inhaled air very quickly, the few minutes of the duel having made her breathless, not to mention her disappointment. 

She would still not know the answer to this question, which now seems to haunt her, almost plunging her into a state of a sudden depression that seemed to overwhelm her. At this unfavorable vision of her rival, Light decided to move closer to her, placing his head on her shoulder and whispering in her ear. 

"I said no." he said with his usual smile.

The revelation brought Rainbow back to her senses, drying the tear that was beginning to run down her cheek. She asked Light for confirmation, which was almost stuck to her back. 

"It was ?"

"Yes, that's right, dry your tears now, I don't like to see you cry." he said, taking his smile off for once. 

Resuming normal breathing, Rainbow stepped aside and faced Light, before raising her hand and gluing it to her cheek with a violent thrust.

*CLAP* 

"Why the slap ?" Asked the pegasus without bothering to put a hand on his wound to ease the pain. 

"For making me miss my night, you idiot !" Answered his comrade cyan. "I'm going back to bed." she said before leaving, flying away again, the upstairs window still open. 

It was during his short flight that Drew approached Light, placing himself to his left. They watched Rainbow return to their dormitory, before banging their fists together, big smiles appearing on their lips. 

"Thanks, bro !"

"You're welcome, bro !"
> Halloween
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FINALLY, IT'S THE HOLIDAYS !!!" Yells the young girl cyan after coming out of her last French class. 

"And more than the holidays, tomorrow is Halloween!" Nodded the young man in ghostly imitation, spanking his friend John and Fluttershy. 

"I hope you have costumes planned." said the great Drew, turning to his friends. 

"Don't worry, Rarity's here to make us some." Applejack replied as she looked at her friend. 

"Sure, just tell me what you want, I think I have enough material to make some for all of you." she said, pulling a mirror out of her bag and putting on her hair as usual. 

"That's nice, Rarity, but we already have our costumes from last year." said Lance, referring to the boy band. 

"So we're agreed, tomorrow we'll go on a parade and visit a place you girls haven't seen before." he said looking at the girls. 

Everyone confirms his agreement and goes back to their rooms, preparing their costumes for tomorrow's festivities. Rarity is the one who went to bed last, she took care to make each of her five friends' costumes, also making smiles on their faces. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The next day, a general meeting in Light and Drew's room, which is tidy and set in the right mood with its shutters closed and the telephones as the only lighting. Soon, everyone is inside and everyone comes out in turn to put on their costumes. 

Light is the first one to pass, and it sets the mood. Coming out no more than a few seconds, he comes back quickly. 

"Dear comrades in terror." he said as the door was still closed, just before opening it by turning the handle sharply. "PREPARE FOR THE FRIGHT OF YOUR LIVES !" He screams as he appears furiously. 

Half of the audience screams in front of this show, including John who doesn't wait to hide behind Drew, although he knows very well that it is only a staging.

Light wears a vampire costume, a black cape on the outside and a red cape on the inside that wraps him like a sheet, fake crooked canines and a stocking from a tuxedo for the chic and noble side of vampires. 

"Wow, Light, you look great in that suit." Twilight nodded. 

"Vampires should always look presentable, you see." he said disdainfully and with a half-pleated look, taking on a high society attitude to fit his character. 

So Light sits between Rainbow Dash and John, Drew and Harri standing aside as their costumes go together. Less than two minutes later, our two companions arrive in their outfits. 

Drew steps forward first, a parody of Frankenstein, keeping an expressionless face, like the monster he represents. His hair seems to be stuck to his head and he has some dotted pencil marks, he also has a screw on each side of his neck. But this was only one side of the coin, as Harri steps forward from behind Drew. 

"IT'S ALIVE ! IT'S ALIIIVE !!" Does he scream as he admires Drew as his creature. 

He's wearing the blouse we use in chemistry class with round glasses that are obviously very dirty, even hiding his eyes. His hair is also in bad shape, messy on his head. 

The audience applauds in front of this performance, then the first girl decides to pass. 

"I'm ready to steal your thunder !" she says as she leaves the room with a slight rainbow trail. 

Once she returns, she wears a Shadowbolt suit with a threatening black cloud under her wing. She jumps on it and flashes a lightning bolt into the room. 

"AAAAHHHH !!!" Poor John yelled out in real terror, hiding behind Light. 

"Wow, Rainbow, that's dangerous !" He said to bring her to her senses. "And then first of all, where did you get a black cloud ?"

"Don't worry, I know how to control it, it was just to scare you. Still, you should have seen your faces." she continues with a satisfied laugh. 

The rest of the disguises passed by more quickly, Twilight and Rarity dressed up as witches, wearing pointy hats and thin dresses. Some like Lance, Drew and Harri didn't hesitate to testify to their excitement with a few drops of blood emanating from their nasal pouches. Applejack opted for a scarecrow costume, made of straw and dull fabric, with a hat on her head that looked great. 

It started off pretty well with all his costumes, the atmosphere was gradually settling down and that was just the beginning. It's a pity that the rest of the show didn't stay in the theme... indeed, we'll have to explain why Fluttershy is dressed as a pink rabbit, John as a bee and Lance as a robot. But the worst of the worst is Teddy and Pinkie pie who have custom-made costumes, both dressed as giant cakes. 

"TA-DAAAA !" exclaimed the green pony as he introduced himself and Pinkie. 

"WE MATCH, THAT'S NICE !" she said, jumping up and down and noticing that their similar costume was perfect for her. 

"Why did you agree to make these costumes ?" Ask Light to Rarity, obviously disappointed that the costumes had nothing to do with Halloween. 

"I just wanted to please them, as long as they're happy, I am." she nodded, certain that she had made the right choice. 

Once the parade was over, the second half of the day could finally begin. Light finally turns on the lights to talk. 

"All right, folks, now it's time to get really scared." he said as he took the keys out of his pocket. 

"Okay, where are you taking us ?" Asked the scarecrow, who was able to speak despite all the straw lying next to his face and mouth, scratching it more than expected.

"In a very special place." replied the undead unicorn with a dull, uncaptivating voice. 

So our friends walked to a door on the first floor, which was sealed with a padlock and heavy chains at the end of the corridor dedicated to the science of earth and math classes. Some had asked what he was hiding behind, and both the teachers and the principal herself avoided the subject.

"Enough chatter, fellow students, see for yourself what I'm thinking." he said, remaining in the role of the noble vampire he loved to play while wearing his costume. "And now." he said, inserting the key into the padlock, opening the door horizontally, squeaking a little. 

"Celestia gave us permission to go, as this is our last year here, she agreed to let us find out." Explained Lance as Light and Drew removed the chains to the side and opened the door. 

"Ladies." announced the stallion dressed as a vampire and leaning forward, inviting the girls to go first with a wave of his hand. 

Rainbow Dash and Applejack wasted no time in responding to the invitation and quickly rushed inside. It could be fun, they thought. After them, the whole group moved forward with envy or anxiety, Light closing the step and closing the door behind him, not locking it, of course. There were no lights in the place, the students using their phones to see more clearly in the darkness. 

"BBrr! It's cold in here." complained the white unicorn, shivering in her thin cloth and trying to warm herself as best she could. 

Our friends find themselves in a gloomy, cold hallway, with traces of mold showing on the walls and doors around. The place seems to have been abandoned for decades. 

"It is said that when the school was first built, this was where we should have learned to make potions and spells of all kinds." Light told the girls, advancing to the front of the line. "But there was a serious accident in the first class, and since then, magic and potions have been banned here." He explained. 

"What kind of accident ?" Asked the pegasus curious, raising an eyebrow. 

"Oh three times nothing, a powerful poison made by a unicorn who had planned everything, she took all the students and teachers present on the premises at that moment with her." he said as if it were something normal. 

"PPfff ! If you were going to scare me, you didn't !" She nodded, not believing their bedtime story. 

"What am I doing here ?" Rarity wondered as she grew more and more anxious to go out, Fluttershy accompanying her to warm up with her. 

"That's the version that's been going around for a long time, we weren't here when it happened." he said in response, gently opening a door to the side. 

The door indicates room 24, the number being hidden behind some foam, would have been in this room that the crime was committed. Light enters the room by lighting it with his phone, followed closely by Rainbow Dash. 

"They say this is where the poison was created." he says, turning his eyes to Rainbow to see her reaction. 

"Cool." she said, the tone of her voice showing her excitement about visiting the place. 

"Light, Celestia told us not to enter this room." Drew said in a serious tone, raising his hand to his friend to invite him out. 

"Don't worry, Drew, I'm just looking around... WOW AAHH WHAT'S THAT ?" he shouted in surprise, his body tensing up. "RAINBOW BAR YOU FROM HERE !!" he shouted, turning to the pegasus behind him. 

Without anyone being able to react, the group saw Light disappear into the darkness of the room, as if he had been pulled by something. His phone fell to the ground, the pegasus having no light. 

"AAAAHHHHH !!!" He screamed as he disappeared, leaving his phone on the floor and the sound of his fall. 

Then, nothing, nobody made a sound for several seconds, John or Fluttershy didn't even scream. Except for Rainbow Dash, who stayed in front, the rest of the group stuck together, Applejack only advancing to be in front of the others. The cyan mare lit up the room where the stallion had just disappeared, and except for her phone on the dirty floor, there was no sign of life. 

"Uh... Light ?" Called Rainbow Dash, suddenly more worried than before, eyes and body frozen and not even moving. 

The rest of the group was speechless, all behind Applejack and Drew who had stood in front of them, wondering what to do. The rainbow pegasus decided to come a little closer, with a single step. 

"RAINBOW !! It's not safe, go back !" intervenes Drew, even he doesn't move forward. 

"Light, can you hear me ?" she called again, without reply. 

Before wanting to go any further, Rainbow swallowed her spit, taking a step in the direction it went, not listening to Drew's advice. The rest of the group didn't dare to follow her, John hiding behind Drew and Fluttershy behind his hair and the ears of his suit. By taking a second step forward, Rainbow can feel her heart beating at an alarming rate, with tachycardia lurking in wait for her.

It's as she feels her heart almost stop that a face appears from the shadows. The shifty look and crooked teeth make her clench her fist before hearing her make a distinctive sound, well known in Halloween. 

"Boo !" 

"AAAAAHHHHH !" she shouted as she reflexively brought her fist to her face and closed her eyes. 

Rainbow's scream and her punch brought panic behind her. Everyone uttered a cry of surprise and terror except Drew. 

The panic ends when the screams become ridiculous in comparison to Drew's laughter, crying with laughter, taking her belly in his arms to fade away. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... !!!” 

"DREW, WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING ? LIGHT IS..." she said before being cut by another laugh, coming from behind her. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... !!!” 

Rainbow recognizes that laugh, and as she turns to the dark room she sees Light coming out and picking up her previously fallen phone. 

"HAHAHA... THAT WAS SO FUNNY HAHAHA... YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOUR FACES !" He shouted in the middle of her laughter, he is Drew having to hold each other to keep their balance. 

As they calm down a little and dry their tears of happiness, they notice the looks on their faces, the worst being the angry look Rainbow gives Light. Not all of them really liked this joke, and decide to change the role from trap to trapper. They walk slowly towards the two friends, their looks testifying to their intention. Light and Drew may be the strongest physically, but they are a little worried about their fate. 

"Well, I'll leave you to it, see you later." he says, tapping his friend's shoulder before running away, making an incredible sprint to the end of the corridor. 

"FUCK !!!" He shouted before thinking about his situation, and started swallowing his spittle too. 

"GET BACK HERE !!!" Pegasus shouted pegasus as it chased him, not waiting a second to spread its wings and catch up with him despite the narrow, invisible corridors. 

The two rivals are now drawn into a frantic race through the dark and cold corridors, each having to be doubly careful not to hit a wall violently. Light gains ground by suddenly changing lanes, visibly knowing the location, Rainbow reducing the gap with her straight line speed. 

They find themselves almost tied, Rainbow trying to grab Light's cape from her costume to make her pay for the scare. She almost makes it, but Light ends up crashing into a wall despite her caution so he's been careful. 

*BOOM*

Light stopped immediately and seemed to fall against the wall, his hands placed on his nose probably bleeding. 

"LIGHT !" She shouted in the hallway creating an echo, changing her face from angry to soft. 

Rainbow knelt down beside him, wanting to make sure he was okay. She moved closer to his face hidden by her hands, illuminating it with the light from her phone, placing her other hand on his shoulder.

"Light you okay ? Are you hurt ?" She asks in a soft, slender voice, as if trying to comfort him.

Light looks intently at Rainbow's gaze, very soft and attentive compared to usual. He decides to speak, still with his hands blocking her nose and mouth.

"You know Dashie... you're kind of cute when you're soft-eyed." he said, avoiding direct glance, immediately followed by a significant blush from the pegasus. 

"Uh... I..." she said, looking for an appropriate answer, taking her hand from her shoulder to hide her burning cheeks behind.

It is while looking at Light again, in the hope of not blushing any more, that he slowly takes his hands out of his mouth, revealing a sly smile. Without transition, Light gets up and disappears behind Rainbow, spread out in his sprint, leaving the pegasus alone, in its redness and embarrassment.

"MUST NOT TAKE HIS OPPONENT IN PITTY DASHIE." he shouted to her before leaving, escaping the punishment for his bad joke.

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Several minutes later, everyone finally got out of that hallway and into Light and Drew's room. They confess to cooperating to scare the whole gang, and it had worked. 

"What about when you dropped your phone on the floor ?" Asked Twilight. 

"I put it in a case just before, so it was safe." announced the pegasus with a big smile on his face, not unhappy with his misdeed.

"I admit you got us, but Rainbow had to give you a hard time, didn't you, Rainbow ?" she asked, turning to her friend. 

"Me, uh... yeah, yeah... I've got him... punished him..." she said, rolling her arms around his legs, thinking back on Light's compliment. 

Rainbow's face began to turn red again, fortunately she hid it with her knees. Seeing her friend looking so bad, Light decides to come up to her ear... before confessing to her... 

"By the way, Dashie, earlier, when I hit a wall, well... it was a bluff." he confessed. 

"WHAT !?" She shouted in the bedroom, drawing all the attention to herself. 

In an instant, Rainbow's face went from soft and calm to angry with bloodshot eyes. It is by looking into her eyes that Light understands what is going to happen to her, and realizes that he prefers the sweet, caring Rainbow he knew a few minutes ago.

Rainbow can't believe it, it was a bluff, when Light fell, she was really worried about him, IT wasn't a bluff... she was worried for nothing.

"LIGHT !! I'M GONNA KILL YOU !!" She screamed in the room, ready to strangle him with her hands. 

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH !!" He shouted as in his joke, but this one sounded more...  real. 

Light shouted even louder than before, knowing that this time he would surely not escape. He started sprinting down the corridor and was hurtling down the stairs at lightning speed, hoping to save his skin from the angry tomboy, who was chasing him from the air. The whole thing created a general laughter in the room, happy to have spent the day together even though few had enjoyed the joke.
> Tears of sadness/Tears of joy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night was still dominant on this day of the first of November. Halloween had just passed, the children had finished their candy harvest through the now calm and gentle city. Everyone was sleeping soundly, despite the few nightmares that some of the stories or adventures of the day before created in the minds of many ponies. 

At the Pony Academia, everyone was resting after the afternoon scare. Soarin and Thunderlane had spent the day playing horror games in their rooms, their night had started with a few clutter, but sleep finally caught up with them and they fell as peacefully as the rest of the internees. Trixie had been practicing spells from his book all day. All she wanted to do with the party was to think of only one thing, to become the next greatest witch of all time. 

The rest of the students in attendance had also celebrated Halloween in their own way, the costume parties were a big hit in the bars and nightclubs around. Now that the party was over, life would get back to normal, and it started at 5am for a pegasus that had scared everyone a little while ago. 

While everyone was buried in a deep sleep, Light was dressed, as usual, in black pants with the effigy of Olympia and a grey hoodie that he loved. He took the keys and left his room quietly, leaving his black-coated friend in his visibly pleasant dreams, a smile on his face and his pillow huddled between his muscular arms. He closed the door and walked to the stairs, almost on tiptoe, as usual, not bothering anyone. 

"What are you doing ?" Said a soft, weak voice coming from behind Light. 

He turned around and saw Rainbow Dash against the wall of his room with the door ajar, scratching an eye with his hand. She had just woken up just now and still seemed half dreamy. Light said to her in a low voice. 

"Dashie, are you awake ? Sorry it's my fault, go back to bed." he said as he made his way back up the stairs and let Rainbow go back to his room. 

"I said, what are you doing ?" She says again, thinking Light will stop to answer him. 

"Morning routine." he said, not even turning around and continuing on his way, not wanting to spend more time here and risk waking up more people. 

Rainbow gave up and simply went back to her room. Light walked down the stairs hoping she would go back to bed soon, feeling sorry for waking her while he was still being careful not to make himself heard. Once he reached the ground floor, he went to the front desk, because right next door there was a small shed where the students parked their cars when they arrived at the school. Light had his own place with his mountain bike which he always used only for this fast and invigorating journey. 

He removed the theft protection and went to open the gate. Light didn't have the key to open it automatically, which only the headmistress had, but that was no problem for him. Ever since he took that morning stroll, he had been used to opening it with his own hands, slipping his fingers into the usual slot to lift it without the slightest difficulty. 

With the gate now up, he returned to his bike. Only, there was already someone on the saddle when he looked in his direction. A cyan pegasus with a brown cap and a coat sitting on the saddle of his bike, looking inexpressively and with his arms folded, waiting for a reaction from him. 

"...I..." 

"Since you won't tell me where you're going, I'll have to come with you." she said, cutting him off. 

"I'm going to see my grandmother, okay ?" He answers, annoyed that Rainbow doesn't want to just let it go. 

"At 5:00 a.m. in the morning ?" 

"Yes at 5:00 a.m., that's my morning routine, you understand ?" He explained. 

"Okay, I'm coming with you." she said directly, not even thinking about her words. 

"As you wish." he said, giving up all hope of escaping this unexpected encounter. 

Light took his bike and rode out of the shed, Rainbow following him. Light's bike was equipped with rods on the rear wheel that allowed Rainbow to place her feet on it, forcing her to lean on Light's shoulders as he began to ride. 

The rivals were now companions for a ride, which was still fresh and lit by the moon. While Light didn't care for Rainbow at first, he was forced to notice her presence when she collapsed tirelessly on his back in an involuntary embrace. Light quickly stopped and offered Rainbow a ride home, to which she responded with a slight growl. After several seconds, she pulled herself back into place and they went on their way. 

The ride was silent, as Light used to be, unlike Rainbow, who questioned her decision to accompany her through the dark and icy night. She asked if it was worth freezing to death just to spend a little more time with him and meet a family member. Her questioning and early answers were stopped when Light stopped on the sidewalk near a road sign. 

"I'll be right back, stay there and watch my bike." he said without having to hang his bike on the sign for once. 

"Wait, the bakery ?" She asked as Light went to open a glass door behind which was the comforting warmth of the bread coming out of the oven. 

"Yeah, I always get a baguette and the daily paper for my grandmother." he nodded before cutting the conversation short and entering the bakery. 

Rainbow was sitting on the saddle waiting for him, looking out the glass door at him and chatting with the baker, no doubt they knew each other well. After buying the baguette, the baker also gave her the newspaper, he must be used to Light's visits and the routine did them both good. Light came out of the bakery with a warm smile on his face, which also warmed the heart of his comrade cyan, but this he didn't know. 

"Okay, we can go." he said, returning to his seat in the saddle, keeping the newspaper and baguette under his elbow. 

"To your grandmother's this time ?" Asked for the cyan pegasus, only wanting to get into a warm place to keep his mane from freezing. 

"Yes, let's go." he replied. 

As he continued on his way, Light began to think that it wasn't so bad after all that Rainbow was meeting someone she cared about, it showed he was getting closer and closer to her. The next step was clear for him, the declaration of his feelings towards his rival whom he loved to face in all circumstances. Doubts that it might be too soon had been dispelled, he knew he could do it, just stay and choose the right moment... 

------------------------------------------------------- 

After a few minutes drive, they finally arrived at their destination, a small marble house with a purple roof and flowering bushes adorning the gravel path leading to the main gate. This old lady was very busy with her building, probably because she was rarely busy and must have had a lot of free time, Rainbow said to herself. 

Light placed her bike lock and hung her bike from the white, perfectly painted gate. They crossed the path and stopped in front of the door, Light took some keys out of his pocket and inserted them into the oak door lock. He opened the door. 

"Mrs. Menez, I'm here and I have a guest." he said as he entered. 

There was no answer, the house remained as silent as death. Without waiting, Light asked again. 

"Mrs. Menez? Hmmm... maybe she's still asleep, come on." he said, waving to invite Rainbow in. 

Light took the first steps and went into what appeared to be the living room. Then it wasn't until Rainbow heard his last step that she realized something was wrong. The sound of her sole treading on the floor was dry and firm, Light had stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes became dull, her pupils racing inside. He had even dropped the bread and newspaper below his elbow, which alerted Rainbow. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she decided to find out for herself by standing just to his left. Once she reached the position, she could see with her own eyes what was making Light feel this way. 

In front of them stood an unbelievable scene, someone was lying on the floor, with a hole in his sweater, in a pool of blood in a dark red and still flowing from his inert body. Neither Light nor Rainbow said anything, they both knew very well who it was, not even a shout or a sudden gesture was heard. As Rainbow wondered why such a horror would have been committed, she preferred to look at the face of the Pegasus who kept her eyes on this heartbreaking spectacle. 

Light's face seemed empty, devoid of life, but it only took a few seconds for it to change. Light's breathing became faster and faster, his chest contracting with each breath of air he took. His mouth was making an incredibly stressful noise, the air rushing in and out of his lungs began to make him unstable. He continued his realization through his eyes, which were becoming more reddish, veins appearing inside the white. His teeth began to collide firmly, they clenched them so tightly against herself that he could have crushed even steel with his canines. He was going mad, there was no other expression to explain what he was becoming, except an emotionless beast, ready to tear the perpetrator to pieces. It was with a firm clenching of his fists that the first word was uttered. 

"YOOUUUUUU !!!!" He shouted into the room, both in anger and despair. 

He then looked at the cupboard that was laid out there, and kicked one of its two doors, breaking its camouflage. Without waiting any longer, the cupboard opened wide and an individual came out, wearing a hood and carrying a bloody butcher's knife. 

"How did you find me ?" Asked the man, not being a good time for questions. 

"IT WAS MY ONLY FAMILY !!!" 

Without Rainbow even wondering how he knew someone was hiding here, Light screamed again throughout the building, shaking the walls. He rushed at the murderer like a rabid beast, trying to crush him under his brutal, heavy fists, not caring what weapon his opponent carried. Light had nothing left of the friendly and kind pegasus she knew, he was a monster, gnawed by hate and bitterness. 

Despite Light's ferocity, the assassin was able to dodge his thoughtless blows and keep him at bay by waving his weapon. In this position, Rainbow did not know what to do, she was still in uncontrollable shock from seeing a dead body for the first time, and the sight of the knife and the assassin's abilities terrified her. She was beginning to become as crazy as Light, her breathing quickening and her movements becoming hazardous. 

Thus, she did not notice in her madness, that the assassin, seeing in her a prey, had decided to target her. He ran in her direction, the knife pointed forward, like a rider with his spear. She didn't even have time to think of a solution, no way out was open to her, except to be skewered against the lily flower wall. She closed her eyes so that she would not have a first-rate view of the massacre. 

What happened next was unclear to Rainbow, who hated not being able to help her friends, she was powerless and unable to do anything rational. Then she felt a pressure on her right shoulder, but nothing sharp, it was more like... a push. What had hit her was violent, her body ending up on the ground, before she heard another disturbing noise. The sound was traumatic, it was the knife, it was stuck, the question was, in what? 

Hoping that it was stuck in the wall, Rainbow opened her eyes with fear before seeing the truth of the events. The knife was stuck, but the sound didn't match the wall, no... more like something... alive. 

Her head was against the floor, her eyes too, she could only see the murderer's feet, and in front of them... two other feet, against the wall. In addition to the lower legs that she could see in that position, there was something else that caught her attention, something passing along the black trousers that belonged to her friend. A light, brightly colored aroma permeated the garment, descending onto the white sneakers that the Pegasus used to wear until it reached the ground. 

But before thinking of what this substance must have been, another liquid came down, this one was only a drop, quickly passing through the field of vision of the pegasus still lying on the ground. The impact with the ground was quick, and Rainbow finally decided to raise her head. As she moved her head, she moved the colored thread up like a river, which flowed over the left leg and arm of the pegasus, which was now surprisingly calm. 

The magenta eyes finally landed on the lake that fed the river, where the knife was also located, placed in the middle, like a huge tree dominating the expanse of the living liquid. Rainbow came to her senses, and with them, the fear and anguish had returned, realizing what she now saw... 

Light had his back to the wall, his left shoulder stuck by a knife already dripping with the blood of his host, which was passing all over his body from the outside. Rainbow's eyes widened at the sight of the horrible scene, Light was helpless in his turn, the murderer keeping the pressure firmly on his next victim. 

"I don't know who you are, but I'm going to have to kill you." he said, addressing the weak pegasus already partly impaled on his blade. 

In a flash, Rainbow found the strength in his heart and soul to fight, and to rise again. Despite her still growing fear, she buried it deep inside herself, before leaning against the table next to help her regain her balance. When she looked up at the table, a white vase with a blue flower design was placed on the table, and she could take it. Without waiting, and above all without hesitation, she made a rapid acceleration on the two men, the vase firmly in her two hands. 

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!" she shouted, even angrier than Light was earlier. 

The murderer only had time to turn his head upside down before the vase was smashed against his face, which shattered and stuck pieces of glass into his skin. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, Rainbow didn't care any more, knowing where the emergency was. 

"LIIIIIGHT !!!" she shouted as she dropped the rest of the broken vase and turned on the impaled one. 

Immediately, Light took the blade stuck deep into her shoulder. He took it out with a sharp blow, letting an emphatic cry of pain come out of her mouth. He immediately let go of the blade and fell against the wall, finding himself in the beginning of a new pool of blood that had recently formed. Rainbow stooped down to see what she could do, not accepting to see her friend at the chasm of death. Light blocked her deep wound with his right hand, before screaming. 

"RAINBOW, WE NEED SOMETHING TO STOP THE BLEEDING !!" He cried out in pegasus in front of him as he began to cry out in great pain. 

Rainbow reacted quickly, and quickly found a dress on the living room couch that would do the trick. She hurried to wrap it around him and tighten it tightly. Light put her hand back on the emergency solution while tears were still streaming down her cheeks. 

"I'M CALLING THE EMERGENCIES !" she said as she took her phone out of her pocket. 

Her hands were still shaking from the disastrous situation they were in, she had to go through it three times to type the right number. She soon found someone to talk to. 

"HELLO, EMERGENCIES ? MY FRIEND AT..." 

She was far too emotionally overwhelmed, not being able to keep calm during the call. She still managed to give the situation and the address. Once the call was over, she noticed that Light had finished moaning in pain, and wore a smile on her face, her eyes still drowning in tears. Seeing this face, both beautiful and tragic, Rainbow began to control her breathing and slowly regained her composure. 

"Why... why did you do this ?" she asked tearfully, her eyes touching hers. 

"He took my grandmother from me... but he won't take... you." he said in reply, a smile satisfied with his sacrifice. 

Tears kept flowing out of the magenta eyes of the tormented Pegasus, she was beginning to lose control again. Her tears were getting bigger and bigger and soon there would be as much water as blood around them. Light took her right hand out of the bandage to put her finger under Rainbow's chin, putting her head back in place, wanting to see her face one last time. 

"I'm glad you're okay, too bad for me." he said, closing his eyes but keeping his smile on as blood began to run down his mouth in a straight line. 

"FUCKING LIGHT YOUR MOUTH !!! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE !!!" She shouted after what he'd just said, placing her hands against the wall, around her head. 

All she wanted at that moment was to hold him, to hug him with all her strength so he wouldn't leave her. The state of the Pegasus discouraged her from doing so to her great regret. She looked at Light's face, he did not let go a tear, his eyes were closed, he even stopped moving. The absence of answer quickly made her panic again, her incessant sobs resumed then. 

"Light... LIGHT ! LIGHT ANSWER ME, I BEG YOU !!! I LOVE YOU LIGHT, I LOVE YOU LIGHT, STAY WITH ME !!!" She cried out for a long time.

In spite of all his calls, Light gave no answer, the blood was still flowing through the thin dress that served as a bandage. Rainbow stopped asking for answers, judged useless after the twentieth time. She sat down to his right, gently taking his head and placing it against her chest. She caressed it gently, as blood and tears were spilling more and more on the ground, waiting for help to arrive... 

I knew you loved me Dashie, Drew had told me how obsessed you were with whether I was interested in Scarlette's request. I've always felt that way, but you were different... from the first time we met, I knew you had something others couldn't even pretend to give me. You became my rival, my lifelong opponent, spent our time bickering over which one of us was better. Then that day, the day I knew I loved you, that was the happiest day of my life. I finally felt what all the girls felt about me, a feeling so pure and deep that I felt guilty for saying no to so many of them. And in the end, I wanted you Dashie, but most of all I wanted to see you alive, carrying my feelings to my grave, so that I wouldn't hurt you any more and so that you wouldn't have to break down and imagine our life together. Dashie... thank you, Light thought before she died, one last tear falling on her now warm cheek from the comfort she had brought him... 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

I'm still not up ? How come ? Mind you, this is the first time I've died so I don't know how it's going... I hope I go to heaven, I've been good all my life after all. 

In fact, if I've broken the hearts of about 50 girls, doesn't that make me a monster ? Maybe I only deserve hell... 

NO... I have a good heart, I still died sacrificing myself to let Dashie live, so I'm definitely going to heaven. Besides, do we remember our life on earth and forget everything? Now is not the time to ask yourself these questions, we'll see. 

My finger, I feel my finger moving, yes it's me who's moving it. So I still have a body even when I'm dead, that's cool. If I can move my finger, maybe I can... 

Slowly, Light opened his eyes, the light in front of him was dazzling him so he only opened them halfway. What was his surprise to see that the light was not the light of blessed heaven nor the light of hellfire... ...but that of a lamp hanging from the ceiling. 

Averting his astonished eyes, he began to think. 

Am I alive ? Are you serious ? How is it possible... 

He didn't have time to answer his questions by himself since someone was coming into the room. Moving his eyes to the door, a green unicorn in a white coat entered. She was wearing a "Dr. MiracleHeart" badge. 

"Ah, you are awake, our Lord be praised." she said as she watched Light's pupils open for the first time. 

Checking the sides from where he was standing, Light realized he was in a hospital room, as comfortably settled on a bed as possible. 

"It's a real miracle that you're alive, you know, you should thank your guardian angel." she said, pointing to her necklace that had a Christian cross on the end. 

Light was still very weak, her arm was surrounded by a plaster cast and a hose also connected it to what appeared to be a blood bag. 

"Uh... yeah, I guess." 

"You've lost a lot of blood, without a generous donor, we couldn't have saved you." she said with a thin smile. 

"A... donor ?" asked Light, shocked that someone gave her blood. 

"Or should I say her." she said, followed by a light laugh.

As Light asked herself too many questions, the doctor answered several of them all at once. Just going to her right, a curtain hid another bed on which the generous donor was lying. MiracleHeart drew the curtain and Light discovered her savior in amazement. 

"Say thank you to your guardian angel Light." she said as she turned to him again as Light looked at the person he found in the bed next door. 

A cyan coat with a brilliant glow, a rainbow hair that makes you smile and invigorates you. And a face... a face that looked in my direction with its gorgeous magenta pupils, and lips that smiled. 

"Dashie... it's..." 

"You were lucky, you're both the same blood type, so we were able to get the transfusion done quickly." she always said with the same smile, happy her work was going this way. 

"So Light..." she asked with a wink of her eye. "...says thank you to your guardian angel." 

She strutted hard, I could almost have reminded her that I was the one who heroically put myself in the path of the knife. But what the hell do I care now, Dashie saved me, and on top of that she told me she loved me. Well, I was really in heaven. 

Light couldn't control himself, Rainbow had given of herself to save him, it was the last straw. He began to cry warm tears that ran down his cheeks and landed on his pillow, he had to express his distress. 

"AAAAAHHHHHHH ! DASHIE, IF MY ARM WILL NOT BE HANGED TO THE BED, I SURE I WILL JUMP OVER TO MAKE YOU LOVE YOU DASHIE." he shouted so loudly that the whole hospital must have heard, which made the principal concerned blush. 

"Mr. Light, you mustn't say such things, stay calm !" Said the doctor as he tried to calm his patient, having obviously never had to deal with such cases before. 

"Light, I like it better when you're competitive and manly, not whiny and fragile." she said with a smile on her face, unable to help but find it beautiful even in this state. 

"MANHOOD IS ABOUT EXPRESSING EMOTION, SO CRYING IS MANLY, OKAY ?" Does he shout in defense, flooding his pillow with the warmth and moisture of his countless hot tears. 

"Well, now we're even." she said, closing her eyes, preparing to rest as her blood loss had exhausted her. 

"AAAAAHHHHH, I LOVE YOU DASHIE !" he shouted in a last groan of emotion before calming himself after the shot given him by Dr. MiracleHeart. 

"I love you too, Light."
> The element of courage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

John's point of view: 

It was a tough morning, especially when we found out our friends Light and Rainbow Dash were in the hospital. Me and my friends rushed to them with anxiety, waiting for answers to our questions. Once we arrived, we saw Light lying on one of those hospital beds, one arm in a thick plaster cast, which was hanging in the air. Rainbow was on the next bed but did not seem to be hurt. 

"Ah, hello friends." he said as he saw us go into their room, his usual smile on his face. 

"You've been a long time coming." Rainbow Dash complained, the same smile on her lips. 

They seemed to take it all in stride, me and the others caring much more about their health than they did. We quickly surrounded our two friends and they told us the whole story. I was really scared to hear what he had just gone through, so I and the others stayed with them the rest of the morning to give them our support. 

But they also had two pieces of good news about this story: the murderer was now behind bars for a long time, and this event had brought our two friends closer than ever, and they announced that they would be a couple starting today. 

The second piece of news had had a small effect on the group, each one having their own reaction. From a simple "congratulations to you" to "when will the wedding be", everyone seemed to have forgotten their misadventure and focused on the positive, and that was surely the best thing to do. 

By noon, the visits were over for us, and we promised to come and see them all the following days. Rainbow had nothing of her own so could already join us while Light would stay the rest of the vacation in that white bed. As she left, she didn't forget to thank him for the umpteenth time and kiss him tenderly, their lips making contact for the first time. I was far too shy to watch the scene, while Drew, Rarity or Harri didn't miss a thing. 

"HARRI YOU'RE NOT FILMING !!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she suddenly turned around... 

The surprise led to panic in Harri, who was actually filming the scene, as her perverted mind took over. He deleted the recording in front of our watchful eyes and nervously mumbled excuses. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Upon returning to school, everyone went back to their respective occupations, just hoping that Light would come back soon. 

So, anyway, Light was in a relationship, with the one who loved him, and it was wonderful. I was very happy for him, especially knowing his background in the girls' world. Every time it was the same, the girls couldn't understand why he stayed single when they were all at his feet... literally. Some of them even thought he was gay, the rumor was spread too quickly in the school, which attracted some inappropriate remarks, fortunately without too much effect on the casual pegasus. Like that, the morons are more numerous than ever, well, that's all in the past. I wonder how she will be the reaction of the 54 girls who have confessed their feelings to her over the past three years. 

Looking back, I think he's lucky, I'd like to have a girlfriend too, but if you're not Light, it's unfortunately not that simple. My little person is nothing compared to the living god that he is... and if I've learned one thing by myself, it's that you have to ask for advice from the strongest person to hope to get your head out of the water. 

I've made up my mind, I'm going to take my life into my own hands now, or at least try to. The first step is to ask Light, I'll call him then. Apart from us, he has no other visitors and he must get bored alone in his room, that's what I tell myself to hope not to disturb him. He finally answers my call, which lasts several minutes. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Now you know what you have to do so go, you'll fly on your own wings you'll see." he said to me in a voice full of promise of determination. 

"Thanks again Light, see you later." I said, waiting for him to hang up the phone after a good ten minutes of conversation. 

All that's left to do is to apply some advice and it should go well. I head to the gym, knowing that Drew, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are sure to find it. My hunch turned out to be true, Rainbow Dash was working out on a treadmill while Drew and Applejack were doing squats at over 140 kg in pairs. They are really close together, even when we practice in threes, I can see them having fun without me getting into their deliriums, while I would love not to feel excluded, damned shyness... 

I walk towards them as Applejack finishes his fifth session of what I hear. As Drew prepares to lift in his turn, I call out to his partner as I get closer, gently and shyly... but surely. 

"You've finally come John, we've got the machine next door ready for you." she says to me as her voice, which doesn't let on her exhaustion or the slightest sign of tiredness. 

"Uh, yes, that's nice, thank you... Applejack, I have... something to... to ask you..." 

Surely, with that much hesitation, nobody noticed your stage fright Johnny...

"Of course what is it ?" She then asked me in a questioning tone, causing Drew to turn his attention to me as well. 

NO!!!... Drew turned to me as well, if only I could wave to him and ask him to look the other way... Well, what did Light advise me... Remember Johnny uh... OH, YEAH, LOOK HER IN THE EYE. 

I turn my pupils towards her emerald colored eyes, they are so captivating that I could drown in them without hesitation. I take a moment to think about how to turn my sentence, but time is running out.... SHIT HOW DO I DO IF I CAN'T THINK ABOUT MY ACTIONS!!! 

"Applejack... I..." I said, trying to hide the blank I left while touching my pocket. 

FUCK !!! THE TICKETS, THEY ARE NOT THERE, I SERIOUSLY FORGOT THE TICKETS, IN WHAT SHOULD YOU MIT JOHNNY !!! I was screaming inside my head, calling myself names after my... problematic forgetfulness. 

"Yes John ?" she said. 

SHE'S GETTING IMPATIENT, SHE'S FUCKING FINDING SOMETHING TO SAY, I... WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE, IT'S FUCKED UP, GET OUT OF HERE, JOHNNY !!! 

"Uh no, I... LET IT FALL DOWN, NOW." But I shouted into the room before I ran out of there and left as fast as I could. 

"JOHN...WAIT !"

SHE CALLED ME, I didn't listen to the rest of her message, preferring to run away from this bitter failure. I walk to my room and violently close the door before moping on my blanket. 

Look her in the eye? WORST IDEA EVER !! Her eyes... They are, so bewitching, she is a charmer and I am the snake that responds to the sweet sound of her way and her body so melodious. Every movement she makes in front of me sounds like a musical note, and every sound emanating from her mouth is a hymn to the beauty she is. How can I imagine asking this of such a girl, I'll have to see my ambitions lowered, if a girl is on my level nevertheless. 

End of John's point: 

"John, what's wrong ?" 

The land pony was surprised that the mare with the golden mane had followed him to his room, her appearance startled him on the spot. 

"NOTHING !" he said quickly, turning to the wall, not wanting to lose his way again as he had just done. 

"John, I can see that you want to ask me something but you're too shy for that." she said sitting on his bed next to him. "Don't forget that I'm your friend, you can tell me anything John and you don't have to be afraid of my reaction or anything." she said in a calm tone that managed to gently calm the young man. 

John then remembered a piece of advice Light had given him, the most important one in his opinion, to just be yourself. The pony had to manage to talk to him frankly despite his sometimes alarming shyness, that he should talk to him with his faults but also with his qualities. John then took an inspiration followed by an exhalation worthy of the greatest warm-ups of top athletes, and began to speak while looking at the ground. 

"Do you remember the story of the beginning of the year, the triumph of friendship ?" 

"Yeah, why ?" she asked him. 

"The characters in the story, do you have any idea who they really are ?" He asked, joining his hands together and continuing to look at the ground. 

"Um... I confess I haven't thought about it..." she replied, bringing her hand to the back of her neck and scratching lightly. 

"Yet I think it's obvious, the first one who lacked motivation is Light, the second one who was too aggressive is Drew, and the last one who hasn't evolved is me..." he said with a hint of resentment in his voice. 

"Why would you say that ? Don't sell yourself short." Applejack nodded immediately. 

"Light and Drew have achieved their goal, they've evolved, not me, I'm still shy and aloof with people." he said, looking at the palms of his hands, his voice getting shaky. 

"You mustn't look at it that way. There are weaknesses in all of them, John, and in you I could not name any, for to me your shyness is your only weakness if you look at it as such." she said, placing her hand on his back. 

Applejack managed to cheer John up... for a few seconds, before he started shaking, letting a tear fall on his cheek. 

"That's nice Applejack, but Light and Drew are perfect for me, and I don't understand how they can count me among their close friends." he said with a smile to hide his sadness, which is betrayed by that one tear. 

Applejack can't bear to see John in this state, so she removes the tear with her finger before she hugs him. The hug is a total surprise for John, who begins to feel his cheeks blush. He doesn't move, just making the hug with his own arms, which lasts for a while. 

"But you know John, Light and Drew may be ideals for you, but I think you're fine like that." she says with a smile that would warm John even in the middle of the ice pack. 

John starts to feel his cheeks burning under Applejack's compliments, he turns his head towards the wall to avoid being spotted. Applejack finally comes out of his arms, allowing him to hide his face better. 

"And look at your story, without you, Drew wouldn't have gone soft and Light might not have taken him as a role model to gain motivation. It's... like a gear and you're part of it John." she says, placing her hands on his shoulders, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "If Drew and Light are what they are, it's because of you." she continued, her voice bewitching the young pony as always. 

John was in the middle of a desert, his cheeks turning as red and burning like baked tomatoes. He turned his head again, Applejack having noticed the pony's deep blush, he made her smile. John only managed to whisper a simple one. 

"Thank you, Applejack." 

"If you need anything at all, just call me." she said, still with an almost divine smile. 

She gets up and gets ready to go back to practice. That's when John realizes something, that this is the perfect moment. 

"APPLEJACK !!!" he says as he stands up and bends almost 90 degrees. 

Applejack turns around when she hears her scream, which she takes at first as a cry of distress, and is surprised to see John looking down at the ground, his arms outstretched in front of him, with something in his hands. 

"I'VE GOT TWO TICKETS TO SEE A MOVIE AT THE THEATER THIS WEEKEND, CAN WE GO TOGETHER !!!" He shouted, all the ponies in the dormitories may have heard his request. 

John completely lost his way, he kept silent, waiting for an answer before the drop of sweat on his nose touched the floor. Luckily, the answer was not long in coming, and his melodious voice could be heard... 

"Of course, I'd be happy to go with you. Keep your seats, I'll see you at practice, I'll see you later." she says with a look and a charming voice that could seduce even lesbians in couples. 

She left the room, then the floor, in fact, she had time to return to the field that John was still in his position, refusing to move. He was wondering what had just happened, wondering how he had managed not to die, given the heart problems he was experiencing at that moment. He stayed so much in his position that he could feel the cinema seats, always at the end of his hands, slowly leaving. 

He acts quickly and comes straight back, bringing the tickets towards him, realizing that it was Rarity who was trying to steal his precious. 

"Those are tickets for the movie Alien that you've got here, you can invite me, no problem." she says as she readjusts her hairstyle. 

"Ah... sorry, Rarity, I'm going with Applejack." he said, almost averting his gaze. 

"Well, well, well, what have we here." she said as she approached with an unhealthy look on her lips. "Then it's a date." 

"A date between friends, nothing more." he said, turning around and hiding the seats in a box he locked. 

"Yes, I believe you." she said with that same smile that did not please him. "Good date." she said as she left the room. 

John realizes that what she's saying... is totally true. He has a date, with a girl, he thought her shyness would prevent him from bringing it up. But he did, and he overcame it, and he didn't believe it himself. He doesn't let on, but his head is at the moment an even bigger party than what Teddy and Pinkie pie could throw for the end of the year. 

A horde of costumed ponies is organizing a symphony orchestra in his mind. The melody playing in his head gradually bewitched him, even if it was nothing compared to the voice of the earthly mare he had just invited. 

Keeping always a neutral expression, he had the best possible idea according to him: to ask Light for advice again. It was thanks to him that he had found the courage to speak to him, then it would be thanks to him that he would gain the courage to confess to him. 

Without waiting, he just picked up his phone and rushed off to the hospital, waiting for his friend's precious advice.
> The date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

John's point of view :

It's been a week since Light has been in the hospital, lying in bed with his arm covered with thick bandages and little company. Even in the high school, the absence of the handsome and athletic service man is felt, both by our group and by the rest of the high school students in the corridors. Of course, the most affected is without a doubt Rainbow Dash, who spent her time competing against him. I also miss his presence, now that he's gone, I realize how much he's an indispensable friend for me, how much the cheerfulness he brought us was invaluable. 

It's also been a week since I had the courage to invite Applejack to the movies, at first I didn't think it was the case, but I had to face the facts: I have an appointment.

During this whole week, I kept imagining all the possible scenarios, from the best first to the worst later on. The best being that I manage to overcome my fear once again, that I confess my feelings to them and that they accept them. 

But I don't have too many illusions, in my opinion, it will happen more like that: first, there is an unexpected event that prevents us from seeing the film at the scheduled time, second, a surprise I didn't expect that will make me nervous, and finally, and I'm sure it will happen, that the film will terrorize me to the utmost. 

I'M IDIOT, Light passed me these tickets telling me that nothing like a scared girl to make her fall in your arms, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT APPLEJACK THERE !!! 

She's the one who's gonna have to carry me all the way to school after I pass out from the cold... 

Anyway, I can't back out now, the movie is coming out today and Applejack and I have planned to go to the 6pm screening. The others are planning to go to the carnival that's organized especially after the Halloween parties. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It's 5:45 pm, me and Applejack have driven together to the city cinema, which is located in front of the carnival where the others have already mixed. We promised to join them once the movie was over, if I could stand up afterwards of course. We present the tickets and insert ourselves into the crowd of excited and impatient ponies. 

The movie theater is huge and I just follow Applejack to the place it best designates, being unable to make a choice. We sit in two high seats close to the sides, in case one of us has to go to the little corner, which I had the good reflex to do before coming. Already that the movie will surely make me sweat a lot, no need to add the variable "bladder" in the equation. The seats are comfortable and would almost make us forget what we're about to see. 

"I'm happy to see this movie with you John, we're going to have a lot of fun." she said to me in a cheerful tone as the room gradually filled up. 

"Uh... yes, I hope so." I replied in a hurry, my uncertain gaze turned to the screen, the screen turned off. 

Once the entrance door of the room was closed, the screen was finally turned on to show a few commercials of other films, most of them of no interest to anyone. Then the screen starts to show names against a background of muffled music. 

"Ah, it's starting !" says someone in the room out loud, who was quickly silenced by various repetitive 'shushes'. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The film started half an hour ago, and there have already been eight gruesome deaths... I'm trembling with fear in my little seat, Applejack must think I'm ridiculous, I hope she's not watching me. As expected, she doesn't tremble even when the alien commits another haemoglobin-filled murder, unlike me. I start to feel drops of anxiety running down my head, my legs start shaking and I end up bringing them closer to my chest, anxious at the thought of leaving them at the mercy of another alien who might be hiding under my chair. 

"Haha... Here." I heard it coming from the seat next to mine, where the intrepid farmer was sitting. 

I turned around for a moment and saw Applejack, a little smile on his lips, handing me a towel to wipe away the sweat drops. Looking her straight in the eyes, I realized how stupid I was, she was sitting normally and remained serene while I was curled up on my seat like a kid. 

I decided to sit down again like everyone else in the room and I picked up the towel with my eyes down, just thanking her. 

I now looked at the towel in my hands, wondering why I had invited him in the first place, holding him in my arms... you speak... 

I stayed in my thoughts for a while, missing a supposedly very intense chase scene from the film, only to realize it. I made a fool of myself in front of her, she saw me, laughed and gave me a towel that she kept somewhere, probably out of pity for my condition. 

Yet her look seemed so sincere, as if she didn't look at me like a stranger. I decided to turn my head again to remember the look in her eyes, that look without bad intentions or judgment that she gave me. 

Turning my head towards her, I immediately came into contact with her emerald eyes deeper than the Pacific Ocean, and brighter than the sun. I began to panic when I noticed that she hadn't taken her eyes off me since she gave me this towel that I kept firmly in my hands. 

At the same moment in the theater, the chase of the film ended, the poor victim uttering a strident cry before being killed. I couldn't help but accompany her death rattle with my own scream. 

"AAAAAAAH !!!" 

The surprise also caused me to lose my balance, falling towards the seat to my left, fortunately empty. I landed on the ground, eyes closed, under the stunned gaze of many onlookers, Applejack letting himself go in his wild laughter. 

"HAHAHAHA !!!" 

Applejack laughed so hard he couldn't breathe, holding his ribs tightly to keep himself from bursting out laughing, followed by numerous complaints asking him to shut up. I was still on the ground, watching her laughing like no girl had ever done before, making me realize that... this date... was the worst idea in my life. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The movie and the shame was finally over, we were leaving the theatre and soon the building. 

"Haha ! John, watching a horror movie with you is quite an adventure." she said as she dried her tears and stopped her laughter, which I still found beautiful. 

I didn't say anything, not wanting to catch my eye a second time. I kept my hands in my pockets and moved forward without worrying about her. Deducing that I had had my fill, I decided to go back to school, despite the promise I had made to the others to join them after the film... I had no desire to do so and just wanted to hide and cry under the sheets, like when I was still living with my parents. 

"Hey John, you don't want to come, we promised the others to join them." she said to me and spanked me to stop my walk. 

"Sorry Applejack, I don't want to go anymore, tell the others I'm sorry." I said without being able to look at her, resuming my walk. 

No sooner did I take a step than I heard her running to join the others, still full of energy and ready to have fun. At least that's what I thought. I was so surprised to hear his footsteps coming closer behind my back, until I saw his silhouette at my side, raising his eyes to his own, bewitching me once again. 

"We came together then we leave together." she said with a visibly sincere smile. 

I thought at first that she was doing this out of politeness, but she seemed delighted to finally escort me home. Without saying a word, I acquiesced to her request and walked her back the way we came in the opposite direction. I keep my eyes downcast on the way, refusing to let her notice the sadness in my eyes, because I know she can do it. 

"The movie was great, I loved watching it with you." she says to destroy the deep white that was created during the journey. 

"Oh... me too." I simply said, just to answer her. 

After this exchange, the rest of the trip was spent in total silence, she was always smiling with me next to her, her eyes on the ground and full of regrets. 

Once I arrived at the school, I hurried to my bed as planned, I let myself crash against the blanket, starting to release my first tear of sadness of the day. Not having closed the door behind me, it only took a few seconds for her to come in again. 

"Are you all right, John? Usually you don't have your blockage with me and yet we haven't talked all the way home." she said to begin with, moving closer to my bed and my body slumped over it. 

With my head in my pillow preventing me from answering, I didn't really feel like it on second thought. But I had an inkling of what was going to happen now, another household scene like last time. I was going to cry, tell her what was on my mind and she would console me as she had done before leaving, letting me fall even more in love with her. 

Since I can't turn back now, I might as well get it over with. Everyone else is at the carnival, no one will see this scene except those concerned. 

It was with great pain and difficulty that I rose from the bed on which I was spread like jam on toast. I turned to Applejack, remaining slightly slumped over myself. 

She was standing normally and her eyes gave me an expression of incomprehension, her eyes no longer bewitched me, they were now talking to me. They were asking me for answers... and I was going to give them some. 

Light wasn't there and I hadn't asked him for any advice on this situation, so I tried to put myself in his place, what would he do in my place, here and now? Keep his second degree tone and keep smiling and optimistic, or take the bull by the horns more seriously? 

For a moment I closed my eyes and imagined the scene: Light and cheerful most of the time, so I think he would keep control of the situation by himself... unlike me. 

I know that I wouldn't be able to act the way Light would act so fluently and successfully, so let's do it my way. I AM NOT LIGHT, I WILL NEVER BE LIGHT BECAUSE I AM JOHN, I repeated to myself several times. 

When I took my breath again, my heart was filled only with contempt for myself, one part was filled with determination, YES, IT IS THAT. The determination I always lacked to accomplish the things that everyone else was capable of. The determination that makes us new and, above all, better men, I feel it in every beat. I knew what I had to do and how I was going to do it. 

Without waiting for further revelations, I stood up straight and proud, feeling as if I was taking up more space, as if I was taller without it really being the case. 

"Is this what it means to stand out ?" I said to myself, thinking back on the advice of my friends to become more confident... So, last step, eyes open, eyes firmly fixed on each other, ready to talk. 

My piercing look made me notice that Applejack seemed smaller from my point of view, just like my bed, my desk and the walls that make up my room, I had grown mentally. 

Despite everything that was going on in my head, the silence must have seemed awkward for Applejack, still wondering why I was slumped on the bed just a few seconds ago. Without waiting and especially without thinking, I slowly opened my lips, letting my new improvisation free to explain it to him. 

"Applejack, I've been in love with you from day one ! I've always found you incredible and admired you just like Light and Drew. I wanted to impress you because that's how boys do most of the time, but I suck at sports and was shy about doing anything. I invited you to see a scary movie hoping you would be scared and that I could use that excuse to hug you, but I knew exactly how it was going to go. I love you, Applejack, so what I want most in the world is nothing but your happiness, even if it means dating Drew. I'm happy to be your friend, Applejack." I said, creating more and more of a smile on my face, which was as sincere as the ones Applejack had already given me. 

This tirade took a lot of effort from me, I was almost starting to lose my balance, so I sat on the bed, now looking at the floor, waiting for any reaction from him, good or bad. In an instant I had lost all my self-confidence, flying away with every word I said, looking her straight in the eyes. She was no longer enchanting me, but she kept a certain control over me, such is the balance of power between the lover and the loved one. Without turning my eyes to her, I could see her feet moving towards me. 

"John... that's... that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, it was great." she said in one breath, obviously as impressed as I was with my performance. "And besides, it came from you." she added, sitting next to me. 

I didn't know what to say, so it was probably best to keep quiet then. My choice was obviously the right one, since she spoke quickly. 

"It must have cost you a lot to tell me all this... I know, you deserve a reward." she said softly afterwards. 

"A-A R-REWARD ?" I shouted at her proposal. 

Again, but for a different reason, my heart only took one step. 

One... what? A reward, what kind of a reward, and why, I did myself more favors than anything else so... it was frankly not worth it. 

"Yes, close your eyes." she said, bringing my head to hers, her half-closed eyes scanning mine, trying to bewitch me again. 

"Close my eyes ? BUT IT'LL BE JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE, THE ALIEN WILL APPEAR AND I'LL..." I said, remaining terrified of the experience. 

I had really lost all my self-confidence now, it's official... 

Luckily Applejack acted quickly to block my mouth with his hand. 

"Go ahead, close your eyes." she said to me with her still charming look and a smile as bewitching as her eyes once were. 

Trying to close my pupils, I could only blink continuously, never being able to close them for more than a thousandth of a second. I simply tell him, quite disappointed with myself on this one. 

"I can't, I'm too scared." I confessed I was defeatist. 

"OH, I CAN'T WAIT !" She shouted, raising her hands and her eyes in the air. 

Without being able to do anything in that short time, I saw Applejack's arms around my neck and his face suddenly came close to mine. I finally managed to close my eyes after this moment of surprise to feel a gentle embrace taking me away, causing both of our bodies to fall onto the bed. I also felt a contact, very real, at the level of my lips. 

Impotent as I was, I let the farmer woman who was leading the dance do it, and I didn't want to compete with her at all. Our lips were constantly in contact, which I never thought would happen in this life. I felt the contact breaking, praying that she would do it again, I left my mouth ajar to invite her to continue. 

"I love you too, John." she said, and I heard with what little strength I had left. 

I lay there, waiting for her to perform her divine movements again, before I assimilated what she had just said and made me understand. I opened wide my eyes of surprise, surprising her too, before exclaiming. 

"AAAAHHHHH !!!" 

My former self had totally returned, which hastened to hide under the covers, avoiding the gaze of its beautiful. The redness was coming back, it had grown even more than last time, reaching even the beginning of my neck. Sweat was back, not for fear this time but for the extreme discomfort I could feel accompanying my blood flow. And finally, my trademark, the tears, the famous tears, came back... becoming warm tears, accentuated with joy compared to the drops of sadness and sorrow that my body once released. I even dared to sketch out a smile. 

"I find you at last, John." she said, leaning towards me and kissing my cheek tenderly. 

I closed my eyes to this, I couldn't believe it, Applejack, the girl who stole my heart, had the same things deep inside her. We were free of a heavyweight, thanks to me... 

Light, you'll be proud of me!
> Family story
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the moon gradually descends from the sky to make way for the sun star announcing the beginning of the day, at our friends' homes, excitement takes precedence over reason. Dawn marks the end of the holidays and the resumption of classes for high school students from all over Equestria, but the awakening of our friends precedes their preparation for their morning visit to the hospital. Today marks the end of Light's hospitalisation and his triumphant return among them. 

The assassination as well as the arrest of the murderer had made a lot of noise in some towns of Equestria through the newspapers and various digital articles written about him. All of them pointed out the monstrosity of the assassin's act as well as the heroism that had been shown by the two pegasus without whom the police would not have arrived in time. The murderer, whose true identity was not known, proclaimed during his trial that a wave of crime would be brewing across the city if he were to be put behind bars. But it was not these threats that stopped justice in its tracks, condemning him to life imprisonment. 

-----------------------------------Monday 7:30-----------------------------------

The hospital opened its doors for authorized visits in the morning, which was quickly passed by the group of friends on their way to the usual room. The eagerness to see their friend walking and fit again carried them away as they rushed through the corridors, running at full speed in unison despite their unequal physical abilities. 

"Finally, it's the big day." he tells the rest of the group behind him, only Rainbow Dash equaling his frantic run to the stairs. 

"I hope he hasn't gone too soft in bed, I can't wait to show him my progress in the race." she says in a cheerful voice with an irreducible desire to hug him more than ever before. 

"Besides, John and I have some news that will make him happy." she insisted, referring to the beginning of their still-secret relationship. "Isn't that right, John ?" She then asked the land pony at the back of the pack. 

"hmmp... yes Applejack hmmp..." he said, staggering in the face of her distress as he barely managed to keep up with the rest of the group. 

Once the fifth floor was reached by the strength of their determination and legs, the door of Light's room was spanked for the last time in their faces. All of them felt the urge to open the door violently and find their friend on the other side on his two legs, ready to leave with them, making the group complete again. 

Drew was finally the one who succumbed to the temptation, letting his massive arm push the door ajar, laying his gaze on the bed. The rest of the group followed the action of the black unicorn and put their heads in the nooks and crannies with smiles on their faces. 

To their dismay, the room was finally empty, neither Light nor any trace of him was present. It was with open mouths of surprise that our friends found themselves lost before the immaculate whiteness of the room, before a nurse came, having heard the din they had caused. 

"You're Light's friends, aren't you ?" she asked the distraught faces. 

"Where is he ?" asked the chromatic pegasus, her voice suggesting a hint of panic in her mind. 

"Calm down, he left a short while ago." she said. "He went to Mrs. Menez's funeral, a friend of his accompanied him by car, he wanted me to tell you not to wait for him at school and that he'd be back for lunch." 

The group of friends were puzzled by this revelation, Light had never mentioned that his grandmother's funeral was this morning. Rainbow Dash peacefully recaptured their spirits as the nurse resumed her activities, breaking the silence that now reigned in the hallway. 

"I was so excited to meet his grandmother, I thought I could at least go to the funeral with him." she said, trying to hide the deep sadness that had been eating away at her. 

"I think the reason he didn't tell us about it was because he wanted to go alone." he said, comforting her with one hand on her shoulder. 

"In that case, all we can do is wait for him at noon, we have nothing more to do here." Said the lavender unicorn. 

"You're right Twilight, let's go back to school, classes will start soon." nodded her dark blue friend, not hiding her concern about being late for class. 

The group of friends finally made their way back to the exit, this time in no hurry. Their slow footsteps evoked their disappointment, Light's departure delaying their reunion by a few hours. 

"John, Applejack, you're telling us your news now ?" Harri asked, anxious to know what was going on between these two. 

"No, Harri, when Light gets here." the twin insisted...

----------------------------------------------------------- 

So our friends went back to school, expressing their disappointment at their friend's absence. Classes began without any news from Light other than "he'll be back at noon". Without hiding their disgust, they went to class, and while the likes of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack managed to focus on the class, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie pie and the boys were left hanging for most of the morning. 

At break time, Drew tried to call his friend, ending his call on his voicemail. 

"He's not even answering." the big black man replied to his friends, only adding to their frustration. 

As Pinkie pie and Teddy began to hug each other while crying and wanting to hear from their friend, Twilight tried to calm them down. 

"Hey, he's at a funeral, he had to turn his phone off for the ceremony." she said. 

"I hope nothing happened to him on the way." John continued, starting to worry about his model. 

"Friends, there's no need to stress, he said he'll meet us at noon, probably straight to the canteen." she says to calm the emotions. 

At Applejack's request, the scene ended gently and the break ended, telling the students to return to class. The next math class passed like a letter through the post office, with most of the students sleeping in front of the teacher's soporific explanations. 

Then came the new moment expected from our group of friends, noon had struck and it was time for lunch. The way to the canteen became full of high school students and teachers happy to settle down for a good hour to eat. 

Contrary to most establishments, the Pony Academia had an excellent reputation in terms of gastronomy. The director Celestia took particularly good care of her students, especially the internees, for whom she sometimes acted like a real mother to her children. It is therefore not strange to see her contacting some of the great chefs of the region to prepare the dishes, as well as having contacts with highly rated suppliers. 

Our friends served each other starred dishes, but not all of them managed to put a smile on their faces. They took their usual place, close to the window at the back, with other tables placed on either side of it. The space between Rainbow Dash and Drew remained empty, hoping that Light would come and fill it. Without talking more, they began to eat, as did the rest of the academy, the students on the ground floor and the teachers upstairs. 

The boys all continued to look unhappy, despite the sublime dishes on their plates, and the violet unicorn's appetite was ruined. 

"Boys, I understand you want to see Light again, but we saw her yesterday." Twilight nodded, wanting to see them smile a little more. 

"That's right." continued his white friend Rarity. "I didn't think you'd miss him so much." 

"That's something you girls just can't understand." said Drew. "Light, he's more than just a friend to all of us." 

"The six of us have been living here since the beginning of the second." continued the computer geek. "Our group is probably as tight-knit as yours, maybe even tighter." 

"Hmmm." then nodded the white pegasus. "The six of us are inseparable because we stay together all day long." 

"We only leave each other at Christmas and on holidays." continued the land pony not smiling for once. "And every time we say goodbye, we get a twinge in our hearts." 

"I don't know about you, but I see Light as the leader of the pack." said the shy pony. "Without him, I feel like I'm lost." he confessed, looking at his plate still full and probably cold. 

The other boys confirmed John's thought, spanking the girls' understanding of the close bond between them. 

"We're part of the group now, too." the rainbow pegasus continued, cutting off the slight white. "Light and our friend to all of us, and my boyfriend in my case, so of course I miss him very much." she confessed afterwards. 

"Hmm, we understand how you felt too." said the orange mare. "Probably less than you, but we know the feeling of desperately waiting for a dear friend." 

"Life would be a lot less fun without friends." continued the pink-furred pony, trying to bring a smile to the table. "Tonight we'll celebrate his return properly." she said, with Teddy's agreement to organize something quickly. 

"Well, I didn't know I was so vital to all of you." said a voice close to the group of friends. 

Heads turned to the voice on the side of their table, some with their mouths still full. A Pegasus with recognizable skin, brown hair and cyan eyes was standing here, his left arm in a thick plaster cast while his right hand balanced his well-filled meal tray. 

"LIGHT !!" shouted the group of friends in surprise but also in ecstasy, bringing their eyes to their tables. There he was, he had finally returned from his hospital bed, not without physical and surely mental changes, but they didn't care. Rainbow Dash was so unfazed that she didn't hesitate to bring him in another kiss as she stood up from her seat, narrowly missing toppling the tray. 

"Wow, Dashie, calm down !" he said as he tenderly emerged from the forced kiss he too desired, a charming look on his face. 

"I knew it wouldn't fall." she defended herself to justify her action. 

"Light, we're all glad you're finally back." Affirmed John, followed by the approval of the entire group. 

"I can see that." he said, spanking reference to his girlfriend. "Did you save my seat ?" He then asked, knowing the answer. 

"Come on, sit down." the bodybuilder asked, pointing to the empty seat to his right. 

Light and Rainbow Dash sat down and the eyes began to return to their plates, not without feeling all the good humor now emanating from the group. 

A discussion began as the students and teachers who knew about Light's adventure were happy to see him again, knowing where he had spent his vacation. Others were just sad to see him with a cast, not wanting to know how he got it. Most of the girls, meanwhile, seemed disgusted to have seen him kiss Rainbow Dash, realizing that he was now out of reach, raging inwardly against the Pegasus. 

----------------------------------------------------- 

Classes then resumed, but they were not an interruption for Light who had been questioned all afternoon about his cast. The teachers, who had shared the story in the teachers' lounge, could not help but congratulate Light and Rainbow Dash for their heroic actions. Already that Light was the most popular high school student, this misadventure only made him even more adored by the students and teachers in general. 

Only some like Trixie stayed in their corner, realizing that his task of dethroning him would become even harder than before. 

Finally, at the end of class, the group stayed together in the room of the hero of the day. The perfect opportunity to catch up with friends. Until Rainbow Dash asked her a question she had long wanted an answer to. Sitting on his lap, her left arm around his waist, she turned to him and asked. 

"Light, there's a question I've been asking myself for some time." she began. 

"Of course, Dashie, what is it ?" he asked with a smile. 

"There, during the 'misadventure' you said something like, 'That was my only family,'" she said, trying to remember the exact words. "Does that mean... you don't have one anymore ?" Then she asked, a little embarrassed to ask such a personal question like that. 

The whole group began to wipe the smiles off their faces, seeing that the question wasn't being asked. Light also removed her charming, childish smile, replacing it with a neutral, emotionless expression. 

"It makes me think, Light." began Drew. "Whenever we talk about our families, you duck the subject, why ?" Then he asked. 

"We're your friends, Light, so if there's something wrong, you can tell us, we're here to help." Applejack nodded. 

"No Applejack." he said, "if he doesn't mind telling us, he doesn't have to tell us." John nodded as if defending his friend for the first time. 

"Leave John." said immediately after the Pegasus. "I'll tell you if you insist." 

By this time, everyone was glued to his lips, waiting for the answer to his questions, Rainbow Dash had even gotten off her knees to stand beside him. Fortunately, he didn't take long to show up. 

"I... never knew my parents, they died shortly after I was born, I was raised in various orphanages until I got here." he said clearly.

The group was speechless at this revelation. In the more than 2 years they had known each other with the other boys, he had never spoken of it or evoked it, which began to make one of them feel a deep anger. 

"WHY, WHY DIDN'T YOU EVER TELL US ABOUT IT IN LIGHT ?" Drew clearly asked Drew, obviously on edge, abruptly jumped out of his seat. "HAVE AND YOU'RE FRIENDS SO TO..." 

"What's the point ?" he replied simply, cutting Drew off without having to raise his voice. 

Light's look at his friend said it all, he didn't care if he was raised by his biological parents or by charitable souls. As Drew began to open his mouth to answer him, no sound came out of it, and no answer either. It was only by racking his brains that he found a way and took it without delay. 

"But isn't it hard for you not to know them, not to have had time to become a real family with people who love you ?" He asked then. 

"No." he replied immediately in a dry tone. "I've made it this far without them, so why should I feel sorry for them, I don't even know who I should be crying for." he said again, surprising Rainbow Dash with his answer. 

"I'm sure that... if they were still alive, your parents would love you more than anything in the world, Light. You know, family often walks past friends." she confessed, placing her hands around her neck, bringing a slight smile to her lips. 

But it was soon removed. 

"Except that I never had a family, even Mrs. Menez was just an old lady to whom I brought bread and newspaper. I guess I came to think of her as my real grandmother and the only parental figure I ever had." he said in closing. 

That's how the news spread, Light had no family and didn't complain about it. In fact, he was almost thankful for his way of life which had taught him many lessons that those living peacefully in their homes could not learn. By the time everyone was faced with the situation, Drew was once again the first to react. 

"We're your real family now." he says with a dominant hint of pride in his voice, eyes and head held high, inviting his friend to join him in their siblings by offering a handshake. 

The group nodded to Drew's assertion that his twelve friends were just classmates. They were now united as a family, ready to help their brother and defend their sister. With a smile on the corner of Light's mouth, he seemed to like the idea, so he asked, looking Drew straight in the eye. 

"Okay if I'm the big brother." he asked in a protective instinct towards the whole group. 

"Let's just say we're twins." Drew replied, finding one in between that seemed to satisfy both of them. 

Rainbow Dash then stepped aside and let Light stand up to Drew. The two older brothers looked at each other intensely for a few seconds, smiling fervently. Light finally took Drew's hand as a sign of approval, before forcing a warm embrace with his best friend and now brother. 

"You guys are my real family, thank you !" He said between light sobs, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but join the embrace. 

Everyone was happy to consider themselves brothers and sisters for their friend's sake. The great joy that reigned was further heightened after Applejack spoke. 

"With all this, I almost forgot." she said, followed by a light laugh. "John and I are dating now." she said not without an aroma of red spreading over her scarlet cheeks. 

The warm hug between Light, Drew and Rainbow Dash ended when the news was heard. The faces turned to the two lovebirds, one proud and happy and the other blushing and curled up in a corner of the room. Light was the first to show his enthusiasm. 

"Is this true ? WAOUH !!! AWESOME JOHN !" he shouted as he grabbed his favorite little brother with one arm. "So my advice has served you right, huh ?" 

John couldn't keep his composure, which now bolted throughout his body, just like the rest of the group couldn't keep their cool, laughing out loud at Light's questions and John's reactions, each more hilarious than the last. 

So the day ended in the most total good mood, everything seemed perfect and the group was now more united than ever.
> Friendship changed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been a week since classes resumed and Light has returned to the school with some difficulty. Banned from sports, he did what he called a "Dashie" and broke the rule by training only his legs, trying at best not to make any sudden moves for his arm. His cast hindered most of his movements and simply getting dressed became a real pain in the ass... He got through it, however, alone or with the help of his friends in his tasks. 

His story was told for the last time in last week's school newspaper, which was an astounding success. 100% of the school's mares, both students and teachers, had bought a copy, followed by many stallions afterwards. With the noises in the corridor, approximately everyone had at least glanced at a friend's newspaper, a huge success for the newspaper normally bought by only a few regulars. 

It didn't take long to figure out what made this issue such a success, and the creators were going to continue as long as possible. During the weekend, Light got his doctor's consent to finally remove the plaster, as his wound was largely healed and without much risk. Only a bandage on his left arm and his elbow remained, and he had to wait another month to remove it for good. 

Teddy and Pinkie pie didn't wait for his approval to put him on the cover of their next issue... 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The beginning of the week marked the success of the new issue, selling just as well as its predecessor, mainly to female audiences once again. One small problem was that the cover was not to the liking of the main audience. 

"TEDDYYYYY !!" Shouted Light in the hallway between it and the assembly room, where the school newspaper is created. 

Light walked with a heavy step and his eyes expressed his anger very well, a copy of the magazine in hand. The students in the corridor reacted to his presence, the stallions laughing as they looked at the cover, the mares hiding their excited faces. 

Light paid no attention, even though his gaze fell almost naturally on a mare behind his copy. The horror began when he recognized the hair and clothes of the girl, or rather the mature woman who seemed to enjoy the show. 

.... 

Mrs. Cherilee... I don't believe it, thinking Light as he immediately looked away. "Let's say I didn't see anything." he thought, focusing again on the last door which was the last one where his "friends" who had committed this abomination were. 

Without waiting, he elbowed it open and at last saw the troublemakers. He held the magazine in his left hand and cried out. 

"WHAT IS THIS ?!" 

"AAAHHHH LIGHT, don't come in like that !" Teddy cried out in surprise but also in fear as he saw the look on his face. 

"That's our last issue of the school paper, and it's doing great." replied Pinkie pie cheerfully applauding. 

"I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS !!" He shouted again as he abruptly put the magazine on the table, pointing to the cover. 

"This... is..." 

"That's you Light, aren't you handsome ?" she said again without an ounce of mockery in her intonation, but it sounded just like Pegasus. 

"WHO HAS AUTHORIZED YOU TO MAKE AN ASSEMBLY ALSO IGNOBLE !" he asked. 

Indeed, the cover included Light, at least his head. The rest of the body had been found on the internet, a muscular body in boxer shorts, with a few traces on the body however ... on the whole body. No need to look further for the metaphor more than disturbing for Light, and which shamefully made all the mares of the academy happy at the moment. 

"Well... the last issue sold well... so..." 

"YOU'RE GONNA COME WITH ME AND TAKE BACK ALL THE COPIES THAT SOLD, INCLUDING THE LAST ONE !" He shouted again, ready to bang his fist on the table. 

"HA OK, NO NEED TO SHOUT !" he shouted back, not wanting to hear him angry. "Come on, Pinkie." 

"Does this mean we're going to have to pay everyone back ?" She wondered. 

Light's first reflex on leaving was to take the magazine out of the hands of his teacher, whom he could not help judging by how scarlet red her cheeks were, both with shame and excitement. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH !" laughed a mare in her room, another's copy in her hand. 

"It's okay, can I have it back now ?" Soarin asked, wanting to get his property back. 

"It's even better than I imagined, his "friends" are making him look ridiculous for me, AHAHAHAH !!" Laughed the unicorn again as he dropped the newspaper on the floor. 

"I don't think his Trixie is very funny." he said, taking the newspaper off the floor. 

"It's true that the stories in your diary were not bad either." she laughed as she calmed down, almost choking on her laughter. 

"Phew, they're not saying anything about me this time." he agreed, looking at the magazine articles. 

"I wanted to see him fall off his untouchable pedestal, so it's done." she said, sitting comfortably on her desk chair, purely satisfied with the situation. 

"The day they talk about you, you won't be so smart." Soarin warned. 

"For someone who sucks his thumb in his sleep, you talk a little too much." she said, recalling some details read in a previous issue about Pegasus. 

Soarin chose to keep quiet, for fear of escalating the situation, and having no argument against it. 

"Ah, I know what I'm going to do now, I've got to help you with your Rainbow Crash." she said sharply as she stood up and met the lost gaze of Soarin sitting on her bed. 

"WHAT ? but uh... she's with Light now, there's no need." he said shaking his hands in disapproval. 

"If Rainbow leaves him, it'll be perfect, icing on the cake." she said, already imagining Light's distress, seemingly dreaming. 

"NO TRIXIE, I wouldn't be your pawn, let alone for a horrible plan." he defended himself, getting up from bed to face her. 

"I remind you that you need my silence." she recalled in a certain tone, crossing her arms. 

"It's no use, she's happy with Light now and that's all that matters. You can tell her anything you want, she won't even believe you." he said before leaving the room, his magazine in hand. 

"HEY, WAIT !" She shouted, blocking the way out in front. "Well... I get it, no twisted intentions, I'll help you be alone with her and you can tell her whatever you want, that's fine." she finally asked. 

"You... you're really going to do this, for me ? With no ulterior motive ?" He asked doubtfully. 

"Yes, I'm going to do it because Trixie only has one word." she said. "You're gonna do what I say..." 

--------------------------------------------------------- 

Soarin was initially not very keen on the idea, knowing that he had no chance with her, he prepared himself at first to refuse Trixie's help. But he was still in love with her, he couldn't help it, his admiration for the cyan pegasus made him want to ask her a few questions, before finally drawing a line under the story. 

His plan seemed pretty clear, to lure Rainbow Dash into a secluded room so that no one would surprise them. Since the second floor was only inhabited on the right side, almost half of the other rooms were completely empty, except for a bed and a desk. 

Trixie took advantage of her rooms to practise various magician's jobs of her kind. She chose a seemingly normal room to allow her former puppet to carry out her plan. 

Soarin only had to wait for Rainbow Dash to face her appearance in the corridors, with Trixie telling her to leave them from there. Fortunately, the wait was short and the rainbow pegasus finally made its way up the stairs to the dormitories, where Soarin was waiting for her, not without having some doubts when she called him. 

"Rainbow Dash, I've been waiting for you, I found some Wonderbolts posters in a room, you want to come see ?" He asked his girlfriend, who was just as much a fan of the Wonderbolts as he was... 

"Posters in the bedroom ? Of course I want to see them !" She agreed, wasting no time and overtaking Soarin in her race. 

The two fans then found themselves in the room Trixie had indicated, Soarin did what she had said, namely look under the bed, saying that she had hidden the posters here. 

"They're under the bed, look." he said. 

The two friends got down on their stomachs to look for the posters, before they realized what was really going on. 

Under the bed was only a piece of paper with the words "I got you" written on it... 

Before they understood the trap, the bedroom door suddenly closed and a sound of a key was heard, rolling through the lock. 

"HEY !!!" Shouted the angry pegasus, rushing to the door to open it with a well-placed elbow. 

Seeing that the door was not ready to give way, she then rushed to the window with the intention of leaving by air. What was her disappointment and frustration when the window would not deign to open, seemingly blocked by something? 

"OPEN YOU, IDIOT WINDOW." she accused, finally giving up her always useless efforts. 

She finally gave in, falling heavily on the bed, looking for a way out. 

Soarin remained calmer than her friend, seeing that Trixie's plan didn't correspond exactly to what she had described. With no phone in her pocket, their only way out was to yell for help until someone heard them. Rainbow Dash had already yelled enough about the resistance of the wooden door and the inactivity of the white window, she seemed more upset than out of breath though. 

"Well, don't I have my phone on me and you ?" She finally asked as she sat down on the bed. 

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash, I don't have it either." he replied to their plight. 

"Damn it, I come to admire posters of the Wonderbolts and find myself stuck in a room like an idiot." she swore, now extremely upset. 

"It could be worse, you could be there alone." Soarin said with a smile to lighten the mood. 

"Yeah that's true, it's no worse that you're there." she replied, admitting that her friend was in good company just now. "How do you always stay calm like that ?" She finally asked. 

"It's not me who's calm, it's you who's explosive." he said, letting out a small laugh at his remark, followed by the mare's laugh. 

"It's true that I'm great but I get carried away in less than ten seconds." she confessed, continuing her laugh. 

The atmosphere was now calmer in the room, despite the aspect of detention that still reigned there. Soarin understood that thanks to this situation, he could talk to her without any outside disturbance, even if Trixie's methods were too radical for him, part of him thanked her. So he sat down next to her on the cold, comfortable bed, thinking about the order in which to ask his questions. 

"I guess we'll have to wait for someone to come and get us out of here, the walls of the school are soundproof." she said after finishing her laugh. 

"Well, I didn't even know." he says improvising, not knowing about the walls that are too thick to hope to be heard. 

"Yeah, Light and the others told me that when we arrived." 

She brought up Light's name, which gave Soarin a good opportunity to bring her captain to the table. 

"Speaking of Light, you're together now from what I read in last week's paper." he said. 

"That's it." she said simply, suspecting that Soarin would start an interrogation judging by her persistent gaze. 

"Congratulations then !!" He says first. 

"Thanks, but don't worry, you're cool too, you'll find someone !" She said, rubbing her hand against his mane like a sister would to her brother, which made the stallion laugh. 

"Hey thanks, and I wanted to ask you, have you been in love with him for a long time ?" He said, returning to his questions. 

Rainbow Dash and Soarin were not in the same class and rarely saw each other now. The Pegasus saw this as an opportunity to tell her this story while answering her questions. She withdrew her hand, went to the end of the bed, sat down against the soundproof wall and began her story. 

"I didn't fall in love right away of course, at first we were just rivals." she began. 

"Yes, everyone knows that, you spend all your time confronting each other..." 

"In sports, but also in class, in reading, even in the canteen we had a race, it was hilarious !" She said, remembering the crowd around the two participants, starting to laugh again. 

"Yes I remember, congratulations on your victory by the way." he said, remembering cheering to encourage the mare to Applejack and the others. 

"Thanks, but you know, from the beginning, he taught me that he counted the victories of one or the other, he wrote them down on his laptop." she said. 

"Oh, yeah, and who's winning now ?" he asked, momentarily leaving her other questions. 

"I think it's something like 97-70, for him unfortunately." she said, confessing defeat, for the moment. 

"But you're the best Rainbow Dash, how come ?" He asked if he was surprised to see the reckless mare beaten on her own turf. 

"It reminds me of what Light taught me when I provoked him a little too much." she said, using the exact words. "If you're the best and you know it, you just relax, stand on your pedestal and you end up being passed by the last one in the race. Never forget that somewhere in the world there will always be someone better than you, and in your case, stronger than you and right there." she said, thumbing her head in the air like Light had done. 

"It's a great lesson, Light may not be a light, but he's still smart, he infers. I understand even better why everyone loves him." he finally said. 

"Without him, I might be overtaken by the last one in the race, that is John." she said, recalling the training and the tail of the race made up of the land pony. 

"Ahahah." Soarin laughed at the remark, before refocusing. "So you didn't answer my question." he said, lovingly listening. 

"Yes, so we fought all the time and in the end we only separated to sleep. Then came the day when he brought his martial arts buddy back." she said, remembering Scarlette's face and behavior. 

"Does he do martial arts as well ?" He says he's surprised that Light is so dedicated to all types of sports. 

"Yes on Saturday afternoons, but that's not the point." she says in order to get Soarin back on track. "So he showed his friend Scarlette around the school, a girl I remember just because she's in love with Light and confessed her feelings to him." 

"I guess Light must have said no." he said, not knowing how to call her Scarlette. 

"Precisely, all day long he wouldn't tell me his answer and I didn't know why it made me crazy, I didn't sleep a wink at it all night." she finally said. "When he told me that he had said no, I was really relieved with a kind of... weight that I had put on myself." she said, mimicking his words, Soarin remaining attentive. "That's when I knew that Light meant more to me than just a friend, I wanted him to be alone, because..." 

"You wanted him for yourself ?" He said, wanting to finish his sentence. 

"That's very selfish... But that's exactly what it was. That's when I knew I wanted him, and now I knew why I found his bed so comfortable..." 

Listening to his story, Soarin remembered when he fell in love with the rainbow mare. Together with Thunderlane, he would be above the clouds and train several hours a week, not only at pure speed, but also at turns, stops and so on... He remembered spending his time admiring the exceptional abilities of his friend who was decidedly better than them. Her grace in flight and her personality full of dreams and rigorous had gotten the better of her heart. He had asked a lot of advice from his friend Thunderlane, who had had some success in Cloudsdale, sometimes wondering if he wasn't bothering him with his heart problems. Too bad Thunderlane was gay, he couldn't even take advantage of the girls who were hitting on him... 

"And so there we come to... the incident..." he says afterwards, almost embarrassed to mention this stage in the life of Rainbow Dash and Light. 

"Yet it was going so well." Dash replied. "I was tired of getting up at 5:00 a.m., but... I was so happy to be able to meet a member of her family, and actually, to tell you the truth. I was going to tell him in front of his grandmother." she confessed, surprising her friend. 

"So... the incident didn't go as fast as I thought it would." he also confessed. 

"Oh no" she defended, "I knew what I wanted." she said, crossing her arms and legs. 

Soarin understood now, he thought that seeing her friend on the brink of death had made her scream that she loved him without thinking it through. He now knew how Rainbow Dash had lived her last months, and no longer found the urge, much less the necessity, to try to interest her. He was her friend, and didn't want to be anything else. For him, Rainbow Dash was happy in the arms of the popular pegasus, so he shared that happiness now. 

"And you've got him." he says in closing... I'm so happy for you, Rainbow Dash, I wish you all the happiness in the world." 

Rainbow Dash replied with a simple nod, before taking Soarin in a hug to thank him for the talk. 

"Thank you Soarin, you are a true friend, you too will find someone someday." she said, breaking off the friendly hug. 

A sound of a key through the lock of the door made them turn around frantically, realizing they were finally going to be able to get out. Rainbow Dash didn't waste a second and walked to the door, followed by Soarin behind her. The door finally opened, revealing their savior, Thunderlane. 

"Hello, you two." he says with a satisfied smile. 

"Thank you Thunderlane." she says with another quick thank you hug. "I gotta go, Light needs me to fix something Teddy and Pinkie pie I think." she said before leaving the two pegasus. 

"Thunderlane, how'd you get the keys ?" The white pegasus questioned herself immediately. 

"I've searched that crazy woman's room, and I know where she hides all her valuables." he replied simply smiling, all teeth out. 

"In any case, thank you." 

"You're welcome, but I see you were in good company." he remarked as he looked down the hallway Rainbow Dash had just walked through. 

"Yes, and by the way, I have good news." he said, arousing his friend's curiosity. "I'm not in love with her anymore." 

Thunderlane was perplexed by this revelation, he asked. 

"What do you mean, no longer in love ?" 

"We talked and I realized she was very happy with Light, so I'd settle for being his friend." he said in conclusion, which brought a broad smile to the face of the Black Pegasus. 

"Seriously ?" he asked with eyes wide open in surprise. 

"As serious as when you confessed your homosexuality to me." he replied with a smile. 

"In that case." he said, pushing Soarin slightly inside the room, "I have something else to tell you." 

Soarin didn't understand his friend's behavior, but was willing to listen. Thunderlane came very close to the face of the white pegasus, threw the keys to the back of the room and began to talk. 

"Remember when I told you I liked stallions ?" 

"Of course, I just alluded to that." he remarked. 

Thunderlane, following his answer, came closer again and put his forehead to the beautiful pegasus he was looking at. Soarin's lack of reaction sounded like an agreement to continue. 

"Well, what I meant by that sentence was 'I love a stallion'." he confessed, taking Soarin's hands with his own, starting to blush and having trouble keeping eye contact. 

It didn't take Soarin long to understand what and who he was talking about. Soarin was in love with Rainbow Dash, and hadn't even noticed that his closest friend might have the same feelings for him. He remembered all the times he asked her for dating advice or whatever, all the times he... Thunderlane must have felt bad about helping his lover win someone else's heart. Soarin's first instinct was to apologize for all those times, except that Thunderlane had decided otherwise. 

Before making any sound, Thunderlane put his lips on hers, taking them in a short but important kiss. He quickly broke off the ring to ask. 

"Then... Do you still have room in there for me ?" he said, bringing his hand to his chest, an almost shy smile resting on his face now, keeping eye contact. 

It was... his first kiss, the first time Soarin kissed someone. And despite the fact that it was a man, it felt wonderful. He had no idea that love... was close, he thought he'd gone off with Rainbow Dash in Light's arms, but in the end he was blushing for someone else now. He finally stopped thinking, and just talked. 

"There's enough left." he said, bringing his lips once again to meet his friend, who had become his boyfriend. 

They stayed that way for a long time this time, long enough for a blue unicorn to notice the scene. Recently hidden in the next room, Trixie didn't expect this result... But she left smiling anyway, leaving the new lovers in their statement. 

"Love isn't for me, but there's no point in breaking up other people's love." she thought, finally slipping away.
> A strange offer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 4:00 p.m. bell sounded the end of classes for our friends, taking the rest of their class out of the cold and boring French room. Most of the students made no secret of their joy at finishing class, letting satisfied smiles appear on their faces. 

"Hi, girls." confidently called out to a young high school student, addressing Twilight and Rarity as they walked out of class. 

They turned around, and the student's name was Felix. He was a six-foot tall giant, with a smile on half his lips, beige skin and long hair at the front. Few people spoke to him because he preferred to talk to his "group", as he called it, by message. Intrigued by his call, Rarity asked him. 

"Yes, Felix, what do you want?" she asked him out of the corner of her eye. 

"I talked to my group and they found a way to make a lot of money easily." he began. For that, I'm going to need both of you, so if you want to find out more, it's at my place," he said afterwards with a rather worrying smile. 

Felix always had the same smile on the corner of his lips, both charming and at the same time sarcastic and disturbing. Even the girls who normally go for bad boys were not interested in him, as his face suggested some dark intentions on his part. Simply put, people were afraid of him simply because of his grace, or rather because of his beautiful but sneaky face. 

Still animated by the anguish of seeing his eyes looking at them, the girls response was unquestionable. 

"It's nice of you to have thought of us, but we're not interested, sorry." Twilight replied hastily but in a calm tone. 

"Yet it's not complicated what to do, I'll let you think about it." he said afterwards, keeping the same serene expression on his face. 

"They said they weren't interested." replied Lance, having listened to their conversation. 

Felix then turned his gaze to the bluish stallion, still with his hands in his pockets. Lance swallowed the saliva in his throat when he met Felix's gaze, remembering that if he was afraid of being alone with a girl, he was even more afraid that he was the girl... The land pony relished for a few seconds in the horror vision he gave off, loving to look down on others because of his size. 

"It seems to me that the discussion does not concern you." he said in his calm, dark voice, as if he still had the situation under control. 

"They said no so it's no." said a fifth voice behind the large pony, forcing him to turn around once more with a flowing movement of his head. 

Much to Felix's dismay, it was Drew who now intervened, forcing him to look at him as an equal. Felix kept his almost provocative smile at this level, not caring about his opponent's physical strength. However, he hated talking to someone as tall as he was, wanting to keep the sense of dominance he no longer had, he decided to leave. 

"You girls are missing a golden opportunity." he said, walking away from the group with his hands in his pockets. 

"This guy's a freak." Lance announced, turning to the girls. 

"We don't know that, but I'm not going into a stranger's house like that." Twilight nodded as if acting on principle. 

"I wonder what he was talking about when he said to make a lot of money." Rarity said, placing his index finger under her neck as a sign of questioning. 

"Bullshit, as always." announced the great black unicorn. "I know his neighborhood, and it's by far the least advisable in all of Equestria." he said, suggesting that he wasn't exaggerating with his serious voice. 

"Anyway, let's forget it, are you coming Twilight?" Lance asked, referring to their almost job at the CDI, which they enjoyed so much. 

"I'm coming, see you later, Rarity and Drew." she said as she greeted them. 

"See you later, I'm going to go back to that fancy store I saw last time." the fashion fan told Drew. 

"Is he in the mall?" He asked, looking like he had something on his mind. 

Rarity nodded, seemingly delighting Drew with a simple nod. 

"I have to go, the coach told me he ordered our soccer jerseys for the club." he explained. We can go together," he finally suggested. 

"Gladly." she nodded, seeming delighted at the idea of having a bodyguard, as the streets aren't always safe, especially now. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Lance and Twilight made their way up the stairs to the IRC together, while the stream of students leaving the classes came down them with enthusiasm. Since Friday is the last day before the weekend, all classes end at 4pm at the latest, with teachers easily noticing the lack of attention at this time of the week. Once in front of the door of the DIC the two friends were greeted by Starlight Glimmer, who takes care of the place on Fridays, having the afternoon free. 

"Ah, there you are, hold the keys." she said, rushing towards the two friends, obviously in a hurry. 

"Thank you Starlight." nodded the unicorn stallion as he took the keys. 

Without being able to say anything more, Starlight headed for the stairs, his bag hanging from her shoulders. Lance was astonished, it was the first time he'd seen her run so fast, a fake smile on her face. 

"Is... is there something wrong with her?" He asked Twilight, who was already taking her place in the DIC. 

"Unfortunately for her, she still lives in Ponyville, so she has to hurry to catch her bus before it leaves." she answered. 

"If the timing is so tight, all she had to do was tell me, I'll make her leave early now." he said, feeling sorry for his situation, thinking he was guilty. 

"No, don't worry about her, it's just that she's looking forward to seeing everyone in Ponyville again." she said in reply. 

Lance kept the Starlight situation in the back of his mind, wanting to clear things up with her when the time came. 

The two friends were now alone in this library with a computer room, starting to sort through the documents in view of the lack of visitors to advise, as usual. Lance thought it was a good time to ask the purple unicorn something, open for discussion. 

"Said Twilight." he began. "Is this... Do you miss ponyville?" He asked after a second's hesitation. 

"I don't know, it's true that since I've lived here for so long, it's strange to get used to the way of life here, but I don't mind." she said smiling. "Why do you ask?" 

"You told me you ran the city library with your assistant there. This library, was it bigger than here?" 

"Yes it was, but here, I don't feel like I'm the assistant anymore." she said, keeping her smile on her face, to Lance's surprise. 

"Why do you say that, I don't really like the hierarchy, you know." he said looking away, understanding that she considers him... a kind of boss. 

"As far as books go, no problem, but it's the computers I can't help." she says. 

Lance had quickly noticed the separation that was being made, Twilight was advising on which books to choose, while Lance had to manage all the computer requests. The lack of computers in the Ponyville library was a major drawback. As she continued to put the books away, Lance stopped to think about what she had just said. 

"You know, if that's what it is... I can teach you." he said, turning back to Twilight, which immediately shut down its operations. 

"That would be one solution. "she began by saying. "But will it take long?" she asked next. 

"The sooner we get started, the quicker it will be." he said, standing up, placing his hands on his hips. 

"All right then, and thank you, Lance." 

Without waiting and quickly finishing the remaining rows, Twilight took her place in front of the main computer, which until then had only been available to the head of the DIC and Lance. Lance first taught her how to use the software on the computer, which was mainly used to write down when a book was borrowed and returned. 

Lance regained that feeling he knew every time he helped or advised someone, knowing that he listened carefully to every word he said. He loved to make himself useful, and couldn't be happier to help again the person he saw as his best friend. 

Someone walked into the DIC and Lance went to counsel him, asking Twilight to wait for him. The unicorn began to browse through the open pages, without really knowing what she was really doing, until Lance returned. She finally opened the history of the device, then noticed a site called "How to fell 2", she clicked on it out of curiosity. Her action was followed by a constant accumulation of questions in her head. 

Perhaps it was Starlight that had consulted it before, the time of the link opening contradicting this hypothesis however. No doubt, it was Lance who had sought this link, Twilight then wondered why they could have pushed him to do this. That's when she saw the computer's mouse being made to close the page, a bluish hand leading her to turn around and recognize him. Lance had finished with the high school student and had returned to his place behind Twilight. Noticing the page, he quickly closed it and returned to the IRC site, hoping to resume class without distractions. 

"Why did you go to that site ?" she asked sitting on the desk chair facing Lance. 

Lance took a moment before finally looking at Twilight's eyes, which were devoid of double meanings as he thought they were. No, she just wondered, not knowing what it meant to him. Swallowing what little saliva he had in his throat, he opened his mouth and decided to consider her as his psychiatrist in addition to his friend. 

"I've always found it hard to talk to girls." he began, "not to hit on them or anything, no, just talk to them normally." he said, letting his arms drop down along his body. "It's almost like an illness or a handicap for me, so... I'm trying to cure myself as best I can." he said, looking away. 

"Yet with me everything's all right, isn't it?" She replied directly, standing up to be on the same level as him. "And I've never seen you have a problem talking with..." 

"Have you ever seen me talking to girls other than you alone?" He said, wanting the word of Twilight. 

As she looked back over the past few months, she realized the answer was no. She'd never seen Lance talk to a girl before, only with each other. She wanted to fight back. 

"But with me, it..." 

"It's going well, yes." he said, cutting her off again to hide his stress. "I don't know why, but with you, I've never had this problem. It's as if you were... some kind of... cure;" he said, stopping to look at his eyes. 

Twilight had never seen Lance like that before, she didn't think she was helping Lance every time they dated. She didn't wait long to figure out what he was thinking and then said. 

"Happy to help you unconsciously." she said with a smile, eyes closed. 

Lance could only nod to show his gratitude. Without her, he would be here, unable to counsel half the students in the school. 

Without further ado, the two friends resumed their computer class, with the satisfaction of helping the other. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Meanwhile, Drew and Rarity had made their way to the city's mall. With dozens of stores of all kinds, restaurants, bowling alleys and a movie theater, it was the perfect place to have a good time with friends. 

Even though Drew went there on the coach's orders, he took the time to accompany Rarity to shops and jewelry stores so luxurious that he didn't see himself going in alone. As he expected, and not even having to offer it to him, he soon found himself with about fifteen dresses on his arm, wearing them without flinching. At the end of the twentieth outfit and the sixth jewellery box, he still asked himself a question... 

"Them, Rarity, are you sure you have enough money to buy all this?" He asked puzzled at the sight of the pile of accessories sticking out of his head... 

"Come on, I'm not going to throw my money away, honey, I just want to try them on, and you're going to help me make a choice." she nodded as she led him to a changing room. 

For the next thirty minutes, Drew felt that he was being rewarded for his good company, and was treated to a real parade by the unicorn artist. She put on and showed up without a break in about twenty dresses of different colors and designs, asking Drew's opinion at each assay. The large black unicorn was even beginning to think that people in the store were going to take them for a couple, and Rarity's annoying tendency to call her "darling" went in that direction. The mare's flashy side led a few stallions to also enjoy the show, who were quickly spotted by Drew, giving an angry look to make them understand to divert theirs. 

Once the last dress had been tried on, Rarity set her sights on a single item, putting all the others back on the shelves, sounding almost like a waste for Drew who found it fantastic 100% of the time. They went to the checkout counter and the salesgirl suggested an item for the gentleman. 

"Would you be interested in this article, sir?" She asked, presenting an all-white tuxedo that would look great on her dark skin. 

"Oh no thanks, I just came to help my friend make a choice, that's all." he said with a smile and his usual sympathy, scratching his head. 

"And if you just try it on." Rarity suggested, "you've seen me in twenty different outfits, you can wear something other than your leather jacket." she said with a connotation of blackmail for Drew. 

Her sympathy for Drew was overwhelming once again, thinking he might be doing this for his friend who was asking him. With the saleswoman, they went to another booth and they could hear Drew struggling to fit entirely into this tuxedo that was decidedly too small for his build. After two minutes of fierce fighting, he managed to insert the last button and walk out of the booth, letting the girls finally see the result. 

This tuxedo was really too small, so much so that his muscles were perfectly visible through the garment, to the delight of the spectators. The saleswoman complimented her appearance in this way, sitting down as best she could to hide the excitement that the six-pack of white was bringing her. Rarity had already taken his phone out to take a picture of him before he could shoot back. 

"Hey Rarity, delete it." he said almost embarrassed, the tuxedo almost preventing him from moving around as he pleased. 

"Wait, everyone has to see you like this, you could easily get into the nobility like that." she said, choking a laugh as she sent the picture to our friends' newsgroup. 

Drew could only sigh at the clever unicorn who had already won, expecting a few remarks when she returned. 

"Okay, I'm going to take it out before I tear it up." he said, rushing back behind the curtain again. 

When madam's shopping was over, he fled to the gentleman's turn to go where he was supposed to. He dragged her unwillingly into the sporting goods store. 

The visit was short, however, so he spoke directly with the cashier and after presenting the order letter, could finally see the magnificent jerseys, shorts and socks of their football team. 

The jerseys and socks were white, just as white as the tuxedo from earlier, forming a nice contrast to the black shorts, all topped with a few stripes. Drew couldn't wait to try them on once he got home, hoping his coach had thought of taking the waist up for him so he wouldn't restrict his movements. 

Rarity, who was bored but not bored by this "amateur" job as she put it, didn't hesitate to tap his foot a few times, preventing Drew from looking at the rest of the products. She finally took his hand and pulled him continuously until he left the mall. 

They went back the other way, each one with a bag in their hand, the second one tangled in the other's fingers... until Drew realized why all those prying eyes were on them and decided to break the handle. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Once Drew and Rarity were back, 7pm had just rang and the unicorn headed straight to the last stadium of the high school, where he met his friends to present them with the outfits. As for Rarity, she was directly addressed by Twilight as she entered the lobby. 

"Hey, Rarity, good timing, I've got something to show you in the lounge. Can you come over?" 

"Yes, of course, but first take a look at the beautiful dress I have at the..." 

Rarity began to take the dress out of her purse, but a noise stopped her in her monologue. 

The two friends heard a strange noise coming from the garage, where the student or students were putting their cars down. The noise seemed to be an inaudible scream at this distance, which already froze the blood of the white unicorn. 

"AAHH, WHAT'S THAT?" she said, clumsily hiding behind her bag, anxiety in her voice. 

"I don't know, but someone needs help, and fast." Twilight replied to her friend before walking to the garage door and slowly opening it. 

"AAHH Dear Wait, shouldn't we go and tell the big and strong boys instead?" she replied, not wanting to know what was going on on the other side. 

"It's urgent, Rarity, come quickly." Twilight replied, rushing to the other side of the door. 

Twilight's recklessness made her think it was Rainbow Dash in disguise, but it wasn't. Not wanting to leave her friend alone in such a critical moment, she reluctantly followed him. Once in the garage, there was Light's bike in the same place, but an old black car was also there. 

The worst thing, according to Rarity, was finding out that the distress calls were coming from inside the trunk of the car. 

"SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE, PLEASE!" were the complaints made by a poor soul trapped in the iron cage, his voice testifying to his panic. 

Without making a sound, Twilight walked slowly towards the car, Rarity following the path she was tracing with tiptoe. They found themselves in front of the car, and before opening the trunk, which was obviously unlocked, they had the reflex to turn their heads in all directions, analyzing the slightest danger. During their inspection, a new call was heard, exactly the same as the last time, with the same intonation and panic in the voice. 

"SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE, PLEASE!" 

"We're going to get you out of here." said the purple unicorn before going into action. 

The girls both opened the safe to free the prisoner, but were surprised to find them. Inside the safe was a phone that had made the distress call, which would reboot at the end of each recording. 

"A... a recording?" The white unicorn wondered, almost preferring to find a stallion bound and gagged. 

"But who the hell..." 

Twilight didn't have time to finish her sentence when she felt an excruciating pressure on her lips, seeing a handkerchief being brought to her. The pressure was so great that she was pulled back, her mouth covered, smelling a strange odor emanating from the tissue. She grabbed her attacker's hand to try to free it, but she was beginning to feel her strength leave her, the sleep striking her with the delicacy of a train hurtling at full speed along the rails. 

She turned her panicked eyes towards Rarity, who was in the same situation, their eyes crossing before continuing to try to free herself. 

That handkerchief... that smell, it was her who tired the unicorns in an instant, draining them of all their strength and preventing them from escaping. It acted like a sleeping pill, and its effectiveness was proven. 

The two friends were beginning not to be able to breathe, feeling their heavy eyelids and their bodies no longer responding to their call to free themselves. 

"Curiosity is a nasty blemish, girls." finally said a disturbing voice belonging to their attacker. 

THIS VOICE, it was...
> Dark networks in the city
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the night, no one had noticed the absence of Twilight and Rarity, as they were roommates, the others just thought they were together somewhere. And indeed, they are still together, but not for the better. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

The morning was rising in the city, along with the anxiety of the group of friends that the two unicorns were not to be found in their room, not even knowing if they had spent the night here. While some remained relatively calm, like Fluttershy or John, although just as worried as the others, the exact opposite was true, Drew was getting into a state. 

"WHERE ARE THEY?" he yelled as he found their empty room last. 

"Relax, maybe they just got up before us and are somewhere in the school." he nodded, raising his hands to his friend to keep him from breaking a piece of furniture.  

"They're not answering their phones..." Rainbow Dash warned after trying unsuccessfully, adding a layer of stress to some people's shoulders. 

"Let's split up and search the whole school." Light continued. 

In no time at all, the entire school was under the scrutiny of the increasingly anxious ponies. As time went on, things got worse, Twilight and Rarity didn't answer their call, and the worst was yet to come. 

When everyone had gathered in the yard after their search, John was the only one who didn't come back empty-handed. 

"I found this in the garage, do you know anything about it?" He asked, holding out the bag in front of him that a certain stallion recognized. 

Drew recognized the bag from the deluxe store with the dress missing. It didn't take long to put the pieces back together and think of the worst-case scenario. 

"FELIX!!!" he shouted before vigorously placing his hands on Light's shoulders to shake him out of hatred. "IT'S FELIX LIGHT, HE'S DONE SOMETHING TO THEM I'M SURE!!!" he shouted again, about to wake everyone in the school grounds. 

"DREW STOP IT, IT'S NO USE!" Said the orange earth mare as she put her hands on Drew's shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. 

"WHERE DOES HE LIVE, IF HE'S TOUCHED ONE HAIR OF TWILIGHT AND RARITY, I'M GONNA..." 

"STOP!!!" Finally shouting Light, managing to get silence before he spoke up. "First, we're going to call the police and tell them that our friends didn't come home last night and we don't know where they are right now. Second, we're going to pair up and go through the town with a fine-tooth comb." he said, also placing his hands on Drew's shoulders, exchanging the most serious look he could. "We're going to find them, Drew, so please calm down." 

Drew was still breathing heavily, but finally looked down, realizing his act was useless. 

"LANCE!" He called, "Get a city map on the Internet fast." He asked as he turned to him. 

Light's plan was already in place, as the girls called the police and calmly explained the situation, the boys all recorded the city map on their phones. Minutes later, all had set up the groups and each had an area of the city to search down to the last corner. 

Light and Rainbow Dash would cycle to the harbor, Applejack and John would cycle downtown, Fluttershy and Harri would cycle to the south rural area, Pinkie pie and Teddy would cycle to the north rural area, and Drew and Lance would cycle through the urban neighborhoods and alleys. 

"They all have a map of the city on the phone." Rainbow Dash confirmed to the boys. 

"They've got external batteries just in case." Lance informed them as he took out these devices which would be very useful today. 

"Folks, I swear we'll have them back by sundown." said the Pegasus. 

Without further discussion, each group left for their side of town to search, except for Drew and Lance. 

"We need the bastard's address." said Drew right away. 

"Are you on Drew? I mean, we don't have any proof that..." 

"TWILIGHT AND RARITY ARE IN DANGER, DAMN IT!!!" He yelled at him, cutting him off, looking as scared as Felix's. 

Lance had some doubts about trusting Drew's instincts completely, but Drew had never been wrong before. Having already proven his reliability several times, he decided to take part with his friend. 

"The principal must have it on her computer." he thought. "Okay, I have a plan." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Drew suddenly opened the door to the principal's office, slamming it shut and jumping out of her seat. 

"Celestia, there's a fight in the locker room downstairs." He said alarmed, on familiar terms with the warden as he had become accustomed to doing. 

"A fight? I'll follow you." she said as she stood up, even though Drew was the kind of stud that would normally stop her on his own. 

Drew ran with the manager at his side to the locker room, a place far enough away for Lance to search the computer. In a hurry, the unicorn entered the office and sat down on the previously occupied seat, beginning his somewhat forbidden search. 

Lance quickly found the site on the desk where the students' information was being recorded. He searched for Felix's file and found his address in seconds, wrote it down on his mobile phone before closing the site and leaving the room as quickly as he had entered. 

He went to the front desk, waited for Drew to finish playing bait with the principal and joined him. His wait was short and Drew arrived faster than he thought he would. 

"So what's up with Celestia?" Asked Lance first. 

"Who cares, you got the address?" He asked for a wave. 

Lance showed him his phone with the address written on it, mission accomplished. 

"Okay, let's go!" 

"Yes." he nodded. 

While the others were already at the scene in different parts of town, Drew and Lance were just leaving school, hoping to find their friends at the home of their only suspect. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The sleeping kingdom into which they were plunged gradually began to evaporate. It took several minutes for them to regain control of their bodies, which unfortunately were not lying on their cozy bed. After having felt a feeling of grip on their wrist and the hard wood under their hindquarters, the two mares finally began to open their eyes again, to see the horrible reality. Twilight and Rarity were in a horribly dark place, so dark that they couldn't see anything, not even their own bodies in the dark. 

The first thing they felt, however, apart from the difficulty of breathing in this confined place, was their position, sitting on a wooden chair, hands and feet tied to the same chair. Feeling that they were not free to move, panic brought them back to order, not recognizing where they were. It seemed to be a dusty basement with only a lamp on the floor lighting up in front of them. 

"Awake at last." announced a light but recognizable voice in the darkness. 

As they forced their bonds to try to free themselves, their faces decayed as they looked ahead, discovering a pony also seated, its arms resting on the top rail of its chair and barely lit by the lamp at its feet. 

The pony seemed to have been waiting for Twilight and Rarity to wake up, giving them a disturbing smile that only he had the secret to. The pony was known to the two unicorns, since it was Felix. The mares began to hear their hearts beating in their chests, unable to say a single word, Felix began to speak. 

"I promised you a bright future." he began, closing his eyes, then opening them again, "Never mind, I'll use the money to feed you at least." 

"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?!" The purple unicorn shouted at his kidnapper, breathing heavily, evoking his panic. 

"I'm going to make you useful to the entertainment society." he said, resuming his smile and eye contact with the frightened unicorn. "But let me explain quickly, so you know why I'm doing this and why later you'll thank me." 

"Thank you for kidnapping us and tying us securely to his uncomfortable chairs?" Asked the white unicorn, managing to speak in an angry but rather calm tone compared to Twilight. 

"I knew I should have put tape over your mouth, but it's too late." he replied. So, me, the other members and the one your stupid friends put in jail, we're the Reprobates," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. 

As Rarity reluctantly listened to him, Twilight began to use magic to knock Felix out with a heavy object. Seeing only the lamp in the dark, she decided to focus on it, but nothing happened. 

"Oh by the way, since you are unicorns, I have to stop you from using your problematic magic." the stallion replied. 

He had had the intelligence to wrap the horns of the two mares in a special and rather rare fabric, preventing the use of magic. Caught in a trap, Twilight and Rarity could only close their eyes and hope that the whole thing was a nightmare. 

"In short, our organization eliminates individuals who are useless to society," continued the stallion without really considering whether they were listening to him. "Typical example, old people, once they retire, they're useless so they're granted death, be it peaceful or brutal." 

"YOU MONSTER!" Rarity shouted, suddenly losing her temper over this example... 

"And so my purpose will be to make you useful because it's all well and good to study, but you can already be useful then..." he then explained, ignoring Rarity's words. 

"And what are you going to do with us?" Asked Twilight more calmly, staring at him with a look of hatred. 

"That you will be soon enough." he said as he stood up and approached them. "But let me tell you, girls, if I find that you're not being cooperative..." 

He stopped and grabbed their horns, one in each hand, reinforcing the fear in their faces with his astonishingly angry grip. 

"I know some ponies who'd give me a good price for his horns." he said before he let go. "I'll buy some missing accessories, see you tonight." he finishes. 

Without saying another word, he turned around and could be heard going up a staircase, opening a trap door and closing it again, leaving the mares terrified. They looked at each other to try to find an ounce of hope in each other's eyes, the lamp being now at their feet, but only tears were coming out of it. 

Felix, these words are terrible enough in themselves, but what scared the mares the most was the very common way in which he expressed himself, believing that he did this every day. No longer daring to face the grief of the other, they ended up closing their eyes and crying continuously, having their friends as their only glimmer of hope. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

The different groups formed lose no time in asking anyone they meet if they have seen their friends by showing them a photo of them. The answers were systematically negative but their morale was not affected, they knew they could not afford to give up. Only Light and Rainbow Dash couldn't find anyone at the old port, searching for empty old wrecks moored there, which must have been the landmarks of thugs. 

Drew and Lance couldn't stop running to their destination, not thinking what to do if they failed. The two unicorns were 100% certain they would find them there, and the bigger and stronger one guided the computer enthusiast through the city's passageways. Drew was familiar with the neighborhood because it was where his parents used to live before they were forced to move for work, leaving their big boy at his high school boarding school. 

Lance's parents lived in a small village with no school, forcing them to send their son to a famous city to get a good education. Rarely leaving the school, he could only follow Drew through the narrow streets until he stopped, looking at a house to their left. 

"There it is!" 

Lance again looked at the address on his phone and matched it with the street name and house number. It was where Felix apparently lived, an old building, the door was gnawing and the glass in the windows was dirty. 

"Well, what are we going to do with the hand..." 

Lance fled cut by Drew's kick on the window in front of them, which instantly shattered, scattering the pieces of glass down the alley. 

"Let's search the house!" He said simply, before rushing into the hallway he had just created. 

Lance didn't answer, and simply followed him through the pieces of glass that littered the floor of the apartment as well. The inside was as similar as the outside, with old, squeaky furniture, an unpleasant smell of leftover food and little trace of cleaning or broom. 

"I'll do the first floor, you do the ground floor." he said, noticing a spiral staircase. 

Lance nodded and the search began, hoping to find their friends here as Drew's instincts told him. At first glance, there was no trace of Felix inside, even though Drew would have wanted him to spit out his teeth personally. All the pieces were combed through, the search took several minutes, seeming to take hours due to the lack of results. Suddenly, Lance lifted the half-ripped carpet out of the living room to reveal a trap door, opening onto another room. 

"Drew, I've got something." he said, calling from the ground floor. 

Drew came down the stairs and saw the hatch, and Lance immediately noticed the glimmer of hope in his eyes. He approached it and opened it in a violent uprising, feeling his impatience to know what he was hiding in it. Lance preferred to approach the edge of the staircase leading to the darkness first, calling out. 

"Twilight? Rarity?" 

"Lance?" Evoked a voice from below... 

"GIRLS!" Called out louder to Drew. 

That call was enough to get Drew down the stairs in a big hurry, Lance followed him carefully, lighting up the place with his phone. 

"Boys, I've never been so happy to see you." said a broken voice amidst some light crying. 

The boys found Twilight and Rarity tied to chairs and swallowing their last tears of despair. As Lance lit them up, Drew slowly untied them, afraid of inadvertently hurting them in the process. When they were released, he screamed. 

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT SON OF A BITCH?!" Drew then asked, regaining his rage. 

"He's here." said a new voice. 

Everyone turned their heads to the stairs, from which Felix descended, with a gun pointed at the group. He turned on the light switch and lit up the whole room. Our friends reflexively put their hands in the air. 

"Looks like I have unwanted guests, I'll do something about it. My spectators won't care about you, I guess I can always kill you and sell your organs." he nodded and smiled. 

Felix's sentence made Lance swallow his saliva, not wanting to end up like that. Twilight had a risky idea, but now it was time to try to get it loose. With her hand, she abruptly removed the cloth around his horn and used her magic to forcibly pull Felix's weapon out, spanking it in the air to avoid him. 

"WHAT?" he shouted in surprise. 

That was all it took for Drew to act, and he rushed at the pony his size, which was now prey. He clenched his fist, and in a split second, it smashed the pony's jaw. 

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Rarity cried out in surprise at the turn of events. 

Felix's body crashed to the ground, his jaw destroyed, along with a few teeth lost in the impact. Drew savored the moment, remembering seeing Felix's fear in his eyes for the first time after his charge. A single punch put an end to the nightmare that Twilight and Rarity were about to experience. 

"Boys, I..." Rarity tried to say, between his sobs and his doubts... 

Drew cut her and held her in his arms, and she could feel tears streaming down her shoulder... 

"Never again... never again, from now on, I'll stay with you." he said as his voice changed as the tears came out of his eyes. "I thought... I thought I'd never see you again." he finally said before letting go, flooding Rarity's garment that kept her firmly in his arms. 

As Twilight looked at them, she followed suit and also took Lance in her arms, this time without shedding a tear. 

"Thank you." she said as she huddled in her savior's arms. 

Lance responded with an ever-warming, comforting embrace, thinking it was far more effective than a long speech. 

"Drew, I think we need to tell the others now." he finally said, cutting the silence. 

"Make a group call on messenger, and I'll notify the police so they can arrest this jerk." he says, taking his phone out of his pocket. 

As Drew called the police, Rarity couldn't bear to see his cheeks wet with grief and wiped off the drops with his fingers, a smile forming on both faces. While Lance told everyone the good news, Twilight used his magic to move the gun away from Felix's body as a precaution. 

The friends left the house and waited for the police in front of the house, explaining the whole story, with the girls talking about the organization of the Reproved Ones. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Back in high school, the unicorn group is greeted by an avalanche of hugs and kisses on the cheeks. No desire to know what else had happened, the reunion takes place in the best possible atmosphere. The friends simply decide to forget the story and bury it forever, hoping to never have to deal with this strange organization again. 

"We know who to put on the front cover of the next issue." Teddy remarked to Pinkie, already seeing their next hits. 

"I can already imagine the headline, 'Guided only by his instincts, he becomes a hero worshiped by all;'" said Drew, flaunting his ego in front of everyone in shame. 

"DREW!!!" A voice screams loudly across the hall. 

Turning around, the black unicorn recognized Celestia's white face and multicolored hair, with an expression that would be called "annoyed". Drew seemed to have something to reproach himself for, given the abnormal director's gait. 

"Ah uh, Director Celestia, hey." he laughed embarrassed while placing his arms in front of him. 

Seeing the most physically impressive pony afraid of a woman's reaction seemed to amuse the rest of the audience. 

"You're going to come with me, you have things to say to me." she said, grabbing his arm and carrying it to his desk. 

He was not going to give any resistance and followed it up by looking away from his friends, who were laughing out loud at the situation.
> Bright day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today is a day that does not make you want to smile, violent showers are pouring down on the city and our friends are recovering from their latest misadventure. Like his sidekick, Felix was taken in charge by the authorities and interned in a juvenile detention camp in Manehattan. Our friends are trying to put it out of their minds even though this organization seems to be targeting them now, which they are very unhappy about. 

But we must keep a positive spirit, represented by Twilight, Lance, Rarity and Drew who decided to couple up after these events. Drew didn't feel he had to show any "weakness" according to him but he had to admit it, the artistic and generous unicorn had opened his eyes and he confessed it himself after his discussion with the director Celestia. As for Lance and Twilight, it was the purple unicorn who had fallen in love over time with his computer teacher, who was waiting to be alone to confess to him. 

Thus, Rarity stopped being jealous of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, not understanding how they could seduce by being the exact opposites of femininity while she remained single, and Lance understood how Twilight was special to him from the beginning. 

The story was obviously told in the high school magazine and newspapers, which was once again very popular with the public, without having to go behind their backs this time. The end of this new week of classes sounded depressing for our friends, the rain was coming down regularly and the storm warning was sounded in the area, no access to the outside world was allowed. 

To the great misfortune of the sportsmen of the group, the ground as well as the training room were forbidden access, having to find other occupations in the dormitories. In the end, it was Thunderlane and Soarin who rescued them from a weekend that looked like it was going to be full of laughs, offering them a host of activities ranging from video games to movies, board games and more. 

Rainbow Dash and Light accepted directly in a loud shout of joy, quickly followed by the majority of their friends. While the dozen or so students occupied the empty dormitories without being disturbed, a few preferred other occupations, such as Fluttershy, who preferred to get ahead of schedule in her revisions for the upcoming late December exams. 

Even Twilight and Lance, who are usually partners in pegasus revision, decided to follow a mechanism that Lance had read about on the internet for couples, which was to vary the activities. Thus, only the sound of the driving rain accompanied him in his homework. While she was solving questions about the life of the earth without too much trouble, she heard a new noise, very discreet compared to the rain but still reaching her ears. 

*meow* 

Anyone could recognize its resemblance to a young kitten, which put the pegasus in all its states. 

"A kitten here?" She wondered, since animals were strictly forbidden. 

She got up and was about to open her bedroom door, expecting to find a cute, fragile little animal. Her surprise was complete when she came face to face with Harri. 

"Oh, hi, Fluttershy, what are you up to?" he asked, placing his arms behind her back in a clumsy motion. 

"I heard a meow." she said. 

"Uh, it's a new flirting technique I'm developing, that's all, girls like cats so I'm practicing, hey." he said with an embarrassed laugh, turning his gaze away from the pegasus. "I've got to go, see you later." he finally said as he returned to his room, avoiding any discussion. 

Fluttershy was confused, and Harri imitated the meowing of a kitten to perfection. Without questioning the success of her new technique, she resumed her exercises. 

From time to time, her gaze was lost at the sight of the city flooded by the storm, her office being very close to the window. It wasn't especially late, but darkness seemed to say the opposite, forcing Fluttershy to look at the time on her phone: 5:34 p.m. 

She continued her revisions with this habit, until for the first time she saw someone through the window, fighting the storm. She turned her attention to this poor man in his jacket simply fitted with a hood, seemingly carrying something in her arms. 

Fluttershy watched him rush across the street and into a narrow alley. A piece of information made her wonder, the man's tail was a golden hue that made it visible even in the darkest possible night, as were his white wings. She wondered if this man, who seemed to have left the school when she saw him from behind, was someone she could not see... was he someone she could see? 

Doubt seized her for a moment, and despite the ban on leaving high school, she stood up anyway. She and then saw Harri's room, and when she opened the door, no one was inside, even though the Pegasus had entered it a few minutes ago. Knowing that Harri didn't like video games, and therefore probably wasn't with the others, she concluded that she had to go and check it out. 

Looking back at the scene, remembering the golden tail and white wings of the stallion outside, she had no doubt it was Harri. Fluttershy took her coat and her courage in both hands and decided to go and see for herself, no longer hesitating about the ban she was about to break. 

She opened the door to the outside and put her head in her silky, protective hood. The alley that was her goal was separated only by the road, which she crossed after seeing that no cars were coming. The strong wind blew the locks of hair that was less sheltered than the rest of her hair, thanking herself for hiding her tail and wings inside. She stopped in front of this alley, allowing her sight to catch a figure on her knees and back, protected from the storm by the two buildings between. 

"Harri?" 

Fluttershy's voice was far too weak to be heard in the pouring rain, so she walked forward into the alley, sheltered from the rain but also a few yards from the profile. The person in question took off his hood, allowing his golden mane to be seen, not wet by the rain, with his hair up front so that he could see that he was taking great care of it. 

"Harri?" Asked for a new Pegasus, this time being heard. 

The figure turned his head backwards in a sudden gesture towards the pegasus, revealing his face, which was indeed Harri's. 

"FLUTTERSHY!!!" 

The pegasus screamed in surprise, spanking her pink-haired friend, backing away as a precaution. 

"Ah, sorry, you scared me." he said in defense, turning and rising to his sight, trying to be reassuring. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked. 

"I'm, uh..." 

Harri tried to answer, but he couldn't find the words. Fluttershy never saw Harri in this state, he who is usually very comfortable with girls even in public. She waited for an answer, without asking him again. 

"Okay... promise you won't tell the others?" He finally said. 

Pegasus was really wondering what he was talking about, and why it had made him leave the establishment in this disastrous weather. An ambient thunderclap surprised him, so he quickly responded to its request to return to safety. 

"Okay." she said with a shivering concentration in her frightened voice. 

Harri then motioned for him to come into the alley, gradually moving away from the weather-soaked road. The alley, about ten metres long, turned out to be a dead end at its entrance, inhabited by garbage from the neighboring buildings. Harri moved one of them with some difficulty, hinting at a grunt of effort, butting at what he was hiding behind. 

"Fluttershy, this is Ganimède." he said with a smile, giving her the necessary field of vision to see him. 

On the other side of the garbage can was a cardboard box with a blanket and two bowls of water and food. Inside it, Ganimède, a brown kitten was staring at it, wondering who this soft-looking pegasus was. 

"Oh, Harri." she replied before kneeling down in front of the animal, her eyes full of stars and a smile radiating from her lips. 

"I've found him here and I'm taking care of him, he doesn't look like he has a home." he said, and then stood beside Fluttershy, stroking the kitten attentively. 

"We should take her to a pet store, although I'd love to take care of her," she said, also bringing her hand over the animal's head carefully, Ganimède letting her do so. 

It only took a few scratches for Ganimède to start purring continuously, almost spanking the pegasus to forget the terrible storm that was still coming. 

"I've tried, but they're full." he muttered as he looked away from the pegasus beside him. 

Fluttershy couldn't understand how a pet store could leave a kitten on the street, it didn't make sense. She opened her mouth to ask, but fled before she made a sound. 

"Okay, fine, I didn't go." he confessed. "But it's my sweet sin, understand me." he tried to defend himself. "I love taking care of him, I visit him every day, and you heard the meow, he just came scratching at my door for a little attention." 

"Oh, that proves you're right," she says. "But... why don't you want other people to know?" 

"I, uh... I want to keep taking care of him alone." he confessed. "If the others came too, I'm afraid we wouldn't have that special bond anymore," he said as he hugged him. 

Ganimède huddled in his owner's embrace, almost starting to fall asleep in the protective warmth he radiated. Fluttershy could only watch the scene, realizing that stallions too can be gentle to animals. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have a hard time staying away from him." she said with an almost sorry smile. 

Harri looked at her in amazement, raising an eyebrow. Then he began to smile, then to laugh, then to intensify his laughter, so much so that the pegasus joined him in his joy. 

When Harri calmed down, he wiped a tear of joy down his cheek. 

"I suppose for your sake I'll make an exception." he said, bringing Ganimède closer to Fluttershy. 

Harri made the exchange and fled the pegasus, which ended up with the little protected in her arms. Using her legendary gentleness towards these beings they cherished, the kitten didn't wake up an inch, he seemed to appreciate even more the delicacy she showed. 

"Wow, you know how to deal with animals." said Harri, surprised at how quickly Ganimède had accepted his new mistress. 

"Thank you very much Harri, I missed it all very much." she confessed with a gentle glance at the Pegasus. 

Fluttershy's attitude was so sweet and innocent that Harri couldn't bring herself to look her straight in the eye, looking away. As he felt his cheeks warm at high speed, he looked for an excuse to explain the fact that he was looking at the box he had now set up. 

"When I think that I spend my time chasing everything that moves." he began. And you next to me are kindness incarnate, so I can't look at you directly." 

The awkward excuse made Fluttershy laugh, and she laughed back a little later. 

"If you'd let the girls breathe a little more, I think it would be better. At least that's what Rarity said." 

"I see..." he nodded, looking down at the floor... 

Fluttershy looked at the sleeping kitten in his arms, seeing that he was in perfect health and seemed to lack nothing despite his living conditions. Harri took very good care of him. 

"Well, we should go home, it's going to get really dark soon." Harri warned, looking at Ganimède again. 

Fluttershy nodded and gently placed the kitten in his crib, which must have been dreaming a good dream by now. The two pegasuses left, putting the trash can back in front to hide their little protected. They put their hoods back on their heads and prepared to cross the flooded road, no car in the vicinity, understandable by the weather which he had been doing for a long time already. 

"Fluttershy!" he called out. "We'll go together at lunch and dinner every day, all right." he had already planned. 

"Okay." she replied with a smile. 

With this agreement, the two friends returned to the school grounds without being seen, remembering that their escapade was forbidden.
> New family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"FINALLY!!!" 

Finally, the winter holidays were finally here, after a difficult end of year due to the end of term exams, children, teenagers and students from all over were going to have a little rest. Even the whole of Equestria would lock themselves up in their warm house with their families to celebrate the start of the winter season. 

The outing of the students who had completed their last SVT event was a euphemism for simple joy. The exams of the high school students also called "white exam" were particularly tough compared to previous years. But most of them didn't even think about it any more, evoking only their fancy thoughts for the holidays. 

For our friends and all the inmates of the Pony Academia, it was time to fill up their suitcases and say goodbye. While some were fortunate enough to be waited for by their families just outside like Drew, Rarity or Pinkie pie, others like Applejack, John or Lance will have to wait for tomorrow's trains to go home for a few days. 

But before the goodbyes that a certain stallion dreaded, he asked his friends to get together one last time. Also accompanied by other close ponies such as Thunderlane, Soarin or Starlight, they gathered in front of the exit of the academy, some of them carrying their luggage under their elbow. 

"Well, folks, it's time to say goodbye." said Light with his usual smile. 

"That's right, which one of us is leaving tonight?" Asked the black unicorn. 

He, Rarity, Pinkie pie, Teddy, Twilight and Thunderlane and Soarin nodded, half the group was already leaving. It was going to be weird for the others to live one night without half of their friends, except for Lance who was going to be able to sleep soundly without his roommate's snoring. 

"I'll meet you all together for New Year's Eve, will you be available?" Light then asked, with a questioning tone in his voice. 

"I hope you and Teddy will all be there, we've got it all worked out." said the pink mare with all her teeth out, still jumping with excitement. 

"I know the boys will all be there, but how about you girls?" 

"It's all right with me, I was planning on coming back here first anyway." Rainbow Dash nodded first. 

"The winter season isn't the best for harvesting, so I'll think about it." Applejack said next, putting a hoof under his chin. 

Except for Applejack, for whom the decision had yet to be made, everyone could only imagine the incredible party they would have when they arrived. On the promise of meeting in a few days, the parents already present called each one their family member, leaving on the road with a last wave of the hand to the group, which diminished with each departure. 

Once Drew was the last one to leave tonight, he and Light exchanged a fraternal handshake before he left. 

"You shouldn't miss me so much this time, you have Rainbow." he said as he tried to turn his sentence into a joke, which made Light laugh a little. 

"Come back soon anyway, bro!" he asked. 

The alleged brothers finally exchanged a hug without it seeming strange to the rest of the group. 

"Come on, goodbye everyone!" He nodded as he walked towards his parents, who were much smaller than him by comparison, barely his height. 

The group returned Drew's gesture and he was the last one to leave today under a setting sun, forming an orange sky the color of the farmer's wife. So the rest of the day was fairly quiet, easy to plan with fewer friends in the rooms. 

While John, Lance, Starlight and Applejack finished packing their suitcases to leave first thing in the morning, Light and Rainbow Dash spent one last time in the training room in the basement. 

"So, are you excited to be reunited with your family?" Asked the pegasus with his hands in his pockets, admiring his squatting girlfriend. 

"Of course, my parents are a little..." she paused for a few seconds in her effort to find her words. "...a little too euphoric sometimes, but they're cool. And you, ho..." 

She hadn't finished her question, so Light gave her a forced smile and a puppy-dog look in response, knowing she already knew her. 

"Oh, that's right... sorry..." she said with an embarrassed laugh at the situation. 

"You don't have to be, I'm the exception." he replied. "I'm going to stay here like I did the last two years." he confessed, turning around. 

Light tried his best not to show it, but Rainbow could see it even from behind. The young stallion did not like to be alone, it was only a few days, but he seemed to dread them like the plague. Perhaps it was the fact that while the whole of Equestria was feasting the winter season with his family around a well-stocked table, he had to be alone, in his room, in front of his computer. No one should be alone at such times, Rainbow thought, such a family celebration should benefit anypony, even the orphans. 

It didn't take long for an idea to emerge in the head of the cyan pegasus. 

"I know, why don't you come with me?" She said aloud as she approached Light, an exponential smile showing her joy at the idea. 

At this request, Light turned silently to Rainbow Dash, her questioning gaze seemingly not understanding what she had just said. 

"You... you want me to come with you to... meet your family?" He asked if he was surprised by the Pegasus request. 

"Of course, so you can experience this party the way it should be." she nodded. "No one should be alone, especially at this time of the year, and besides, you're part of the family now." she said, wrapping her arms around Light's waist. 

Light didn't know what to say, he was about to meet his beloved's family, he was about to find out what it felt like to have a real family. As their gaze did not leave each other, a bright one appeared in the eyes of the pegasus, which then sank on his cheek. 

"Thank you, Dashie, thank you!" he said, wrapping his arms around her neck, giving her a hug and making her stick around for a while. 

"You're going to love it, you'll see." She confessed, knowing that Light loved theme parties as he had shown during Halloween. 

Without further ado, the couple hugged for long minutes, taking advantage of each other's natural body heat. Light had only shed one tear in Rainbow's back, no need to get too emotional, hoping it wouldn't be the same in front of her family. 

"I'll go pack my suitcase then." he always said, his head glued to Rainbow Dash's, a smile on his lips. 

"No need, we're only going for a couple of days, we've just got to make the trip, so get some rest." she replied. 

"Where do they live, or your parents?" He asked her, stroking her back. 

"Cloudstale, I'll be the guide." she said, bringing her face in front of her boyfriend, sticking their foreheads. 

"I'm counting on you then, I don't remember which way to go." Light confessed, half closing her eyes, showing her irresistible desire to kiss him. 

The ignorance of the pegasus made Rainbow Dash laugh, before she was stopped by the stallion's lips piercing hers, bringing them into a long kiss. Once their intimate moment was broken off by the mare, they headed back to their dormitories, trying to make the best possible night for what was shaping up to be an unexpected journey for Light. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning was the last hour before no more ponies lived in the establishment, for the first time since he had been there, Light left it temporarily. Usually, Celestia would leave him the keys, but he had the good fortune to announce that this time he would not be alone for these festive days, bringing a shared joy on the face of the director. 

While everyone was scheduled to leave at the same time as the others, Harri and Fluttershy were missing. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

In front of the establishment, Harri and Fluttershy said goodbye to Ganimède, raising the question of whether they could take him with them. 

"I don't want to leave him, but I can't take him, my parents won't accept." said Harri with an indescribable sadness on his face as he stroked Ganimède. 

"My family should accept that I bring him just for a few days." she replied, creating a glimmer of hope in the stallion's eyes. 

"Is this true? Great." he said. "Even if I don't see him, he won't be alone, and especially in very good hands." 

Harri's compliment was a great pleasure to Fluttershy. She could take care of him for a few days and then bring her back here. Although a solution would have to be found for this kitten, the two pegasus decided to take care of her alone, as long as it worked. 

The mare took Ganimède in her arms, Harri had accepted that the others finally see him, even if he still didn't want to be a dozen to come and see him every day. They arrived in the hall while the rest of the group was waiting for them, not noticing them right away, Light, John and Rainbow Dash talking among themselves. 

"You tell me if something's wrong John okay, and we'll deal with it later." Light said, spanking promises to John, who nodded. 

"What are you talking about, Light?" Asked for pegasus as he entered the conversation. 

"Well, John has a father and an older sister who's hard to sum up." he said, turning to her, then bringing his attention back to the earth pony. "I promise you, if it doesn't work out, I'll take the first train back to Manehattan." he swore. 

"Wow, Light, I think John can handle it, he knows his family better than you do." she said, finding the promise of Pegasus a bit extreme, and then she didn't want him to leave her house like that. 

"Thank you Rainbow Dash, don't worry Light, everything will be all right." replied the pony, more confident than usual, which convinced Light. 

"We'll tell each other all about it when we get back anyway," he said, turning to the newcomers. "Ah well you two, are we expecting you WHAT? A CAT?" he shouted at the sight of the animal in Fluttershy's arms. 

"And yeah, when I was telling you about Ganimède, well that's him." Harri said, almost scratching his head in embarrassment. 

In turn, the group approached the kitten, stroking it gently, starting its purr. He quickly fell asleep in Fluttershy's arms, causing a wave of "OOHHHH" after this most adorable sight. 

"I'm taking him with me so he won't be left alone." 

"Honorable of you, Fluttershy." Light nodded, finding her gesture touching, even though her attachment to animals was predictable. 

"Ah, I can hear the family truck from here." said Applejack, a heavy sound of the engine running. 

The group was out in front of the facility and it was indeed Big Mac who had arrived to take his sister to the family farm. He got out of the truck and said hello to everyone. 

"Hi Big Mac, as you can see, your sister is in perfect health." he said, referring to his promise earlier this year. 

"Yep." He simply replied. 

Without further ado, Applejack climbed up beside the driver and they slowly set off, until Light was an idea. 

"Oh, by the way, SHE HAS A GUY!" he shouted, pointing at John, which stressed him out, "LIFE WITH!" 

John could only hope the stallion wouldn't back down and explain himself, the kind of overprotective big brother. Luckily, he didn't and hit the road. Rainbow Dash quickly laughed at him. 

"Not bad, I should have thought of that." she managed to say between laughter. 

The two of them are going to have a little chat, and then her whole family will know about it, perfect, thinking the stallion, imagining Applejack embarrassed by the surprise revelation in front of her brother. 

"You too John, I'm counting on you to put yourself forward by talking about your new girlfriend in front of your father." he says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"Uh, all right Light, I will." he answered, standing up straight as a pike and like a soldier answering to his superior. 

"All right, my train will be here soon." recalled the blue unicorn, looking at his watch from earlier, he and John taking the same one. 

"We're going to go too. Come on Light, follow me or you'll get stuck here." nodded the pegasus as she prepared to take flight. 

"Dashie, for the umpteenth time, we didn't..." 

Light's warning was not over that the cyan mare had already taken off into the air, leaving a faint rainbow trail behind her. Light tried to scream but she was already too far away to hear it apparently. 

"SHIT! BYE!"He said aloud to the others before he flew away to try to catch up with her. 

If he lost sight of her, it was over before the journey even began. The stallion not used to flying would have to use all his energy to follow her. 

"DASHIE! IDIOT!" He'll fly up in the air as he catches up with her, hoping he won't stay over the city for long. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It was a long way and every bit of land was camouflaged by the clouds below the two pegasus. Light rarely used his wings, often preferring a simple walk, but his physical abilities allowed him to follow Rainbow Dash without difficulty. Luckily, she didn't start challenging him to pure speed, he thought, for he would have lost his guide quickly enough, leaving him alone in the middle of the skies. 

After a long hour of continuous flight, strangely shaped clouds appeared in their field of vision, forming buildings of choice for the Pegasus. They had arrived at Cloudstale, the city of the Pegasus, floating above the rest of Equestria. This city was Light's hometown, so he knew it well enough to get his bearings from there, but not knowing where Rainbow Dash's parents lived, he continued to follow her. 

"We're almost there." she informed him. "I didn't think you'd be able to follow me this far." she said with a boastful smile on her face. 

"I don't need to be reminded that even in the air I can defend myself when I hardly ever fly." he replied, adding a layer of narcissism in response to the Pegasus comment. 

"Since you put it that way, they live 30 Rainbow Street." she said before accelerating furiously. 

"HEY, WAIT FOR ME!" Shouts the stallion as he follows her at top speed. 

30 rainbow street? That doesn't sound familiar, he thought, deducing that he still had to follow the Pegasus, even if it had activated the turbo mode. 

Without ever being able to overtake her, and anyway that wasn't his goal, Light still managed to keep Rainbow Dash in his sight and she ended up landing on the mat in front of a door in the neighborhood. Light suddenly landed next to her, visibly out of breath, as flying required more energy than running. 

"I won, not a big surprise." she nodded in front of the door, placing her hands on her hips victoriously and her mane flying in the light wind. 

"*coff* yeah yeah, that's right *coff*." 

Light even managed to get up properly, before the door in front of them opened abruptly. 

"HONEY, OUR LITTLE DASHIE'S HOME!" The stallion shouted with joy, warning a mare behind him. 

"OUR DASHIE IS HERE AT LAST!" The mare also shouted, pulling Rainbow Dash into the house... 

Before she could react, the mare was tightly glued to two pegasuses who hugged her with all their love, bright smiles on their faces. The scene lasted several seconds, during which Light was content to admire his girlfriend trapped in the warm embrace, forcing a mocking laugh in him. Rainbow Dash eventually clumsily freed her head from the arms of her two worshipers to speak. 

"I'm glad to see you too." she nodded, spanking her way out of the cage formed by the bodies of the two pegasuses. 

When she managed to get out of there, she motioned to Light to enter before introducing him. 

"Dad, Mom, I'd like you to meet a surprise guest." she said, "This is Light, my boyfriend." she then confessed with a hint of success in her voice and a slight reddening at the base of her cheeks. 

As her parents looked at each other confusedly, Light began to stutter as she cast a questioning glance at the mare. 

"WHAT? You didn't tell them I was coming..." 

"OUR DASHIE TO A DARLING COLTFRIEND!" The stallion shouted the stallion in ecstasy. 

"THIS IS WONDERFUL!" She replied, before throwing herself at the young Pegasus. 

The two cheerful adults gave this surprise guest the same fate as their own daughter: a surprise but warm embrace. Light kept his balance as well as possible as his arms soon surrounded him like Rainbow Dash just before him. He was taller than the two pegasuses and Rainbow Dash could admire his embarrassed smile as he saw how much he was restricted in his movements because of this hug. The stallion definitely rarely had such... physical attention. 

"Hey, nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs. Dash." he said, almost uncomfortable with the extra affection he was receiving. 

"Call them by their first names, Bow for my father and Windy for my mother." she corrected, admiring the surprise on her coltfriend's face. 

"Yes uh... indeed." said the man of the family as he positioned himself more appropriately, dropping Light as well as Windy. 

"We are indeed the parents of our little filly Dashie." 

"Mom, I'm not a filly anymore." she says as usual. 

"WHAT? I CALL HER DASHIE, TOO!" Said Light, letting go of her infatuation with the nickname. 

"Really? I thought the nickname suited her very well." confirmed the sire. 

"Dashie, why didn't you tell me your parents called you that?" asked the stallion, turning to the mare. 

"Oh, hey, it's just a coincidence." she replied with a clumsy laugh. 

"I, Dashie, call it fate." Windy replied with a cheerful smile to her little filly. 

"Come on in, we've got a lot of questions for you." Bow said, spanking Light who was still a step away from the door. 

"That's very kind of you but we've had a somewhat exhausting trip and I'd like to take a shower if you don't mind," he continued. 

"No problem, come on, I'll show you the house." Windy replied, placing one hand behind his back, leading him through the corridors and smiling cheerfully at the handsome stallion. 

Our Dashie had chosen well. 

"Daddy..." Rainbow Dash said as she asked him for something, reaching for his ear. 

"Yes, darling, she's here." he confirmed, seemingly answering a question from him. "She's asleep in her room, do you want to see her?"
> New family second part
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light took a hot and incredibly invigorating shower as he used to do after these workouts. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was compelled to answer the countless questions that were popping into her parents' heads, all of them related to the surprise guest. Mind you, she liked it better than talking about her grades... 

She had avoided the sensitive subject around the Pegasus family, saying that he didn't want to talk about it and neither did she. Once Light had dried off, he hadn't taken any extra clothes because Rainbow Dash had told him not to. He was forced to wear old clothes that belonged to his father, which had a check pattern that he didn't like, but he had to make do with it. 

The family gathered around a rectangular table, the parents facing the children. While Light was expecting dinner at any moment, he was surprised to see that one last guest was present. 

"This is my boyfriend, Light." she waved. "Light, meet the newest member of the family, my little sister, Scootaloo." 

Hidden behind Rainbow Dash's left leg was a dark orange filly with a purple mane. She was clutching the leg of the pegasus, visibly shy in the face of the great unknown stallion in front of her. 

Faced with the innocence she was showing, Light could only melt as he pushed him to smile tenderly at the filly as he placed his hands on her knees to look at her more attentively by bending down more at her level. 

"Hello you." he said in the most tender manner possible, seeing the surprise in the filly's eyes. "You didn't tell me you had a little sister." he asked, keeping his eyes on the little one. 

"It's very recent." nodded the father. 

"We've adopted her." replied the mother, "she doesn't have any more parents." Windy nodded and lowered her eyes. 

The revelation clicked in the stallion's head, she has no parents, just like... me. Her surprised look raised the filly's eyebrows, wondering what she was doing. Without really thinking about it, he started talking again about what was in his heart. He knelt down to get even closer to the filly, with Rainbow Dash taking off her leg so he could see her completely. 

"I know what it feels like to have no parents." he nodded in a soft, comforting voice. 

Light's response surprised Rainbow Dash's parents, better understanding why their daughter had avoided the subject earlier. They turned to Light, who continued his monologue, maintaining eye contact with Scootaloo. 

"They died after I was born, I never knew him. It's hard at first, when you're a helpless colt." he said visibly with some painful memories. "But look at me today, I did well." he said, bringing his hand to the filly's hairy tuft, starting to caress her tenderly. "I have lots of friends, a fantastic girlfriend, and now a family." 

Scootaloo hadn't taken her eyes off Light, she listened attentively, letting him play with her mane for a few moments. When he finished moving his hand, she began to smile at his cyan eyes. 

"Can I... call you big brother?" She asked, a dazzling one in her eyes. 

"With pleasure, little sister." the stallion nodded, before being cut off by the filly's embrace. 

Light surrounded him with his thick, protective arms, he was ready to shed a tear when he saw what was happening. He had an adorable filly in his arms, whom he now made it his mission to protect and instruct at every opportunity. Their embrace was complete when Rainbow approached, placing her hand on the backs of the two pegasuses. 

"You're coming, we're going to dinner." she said smiling and sympathetic to the situation. 

"YES, I'm super hungry." replied the filly, delighted to sit at the table. 

So the three Pegasuses sat down at the table, Scootaloo between her two elders, while Bow and Windy finished serving the dishes. 

As Rainbow Dash suspected, the interrogation she had had with her parents about Light was just an appetizer. Pegasus was so harassed with questions that he stopped bringing his dish to her mouth to answer them. Even Scootaloo found himself asking all the questions that came to his mind, not touching his plate. The questions revolved around Light's past, but also his present at the academy with Rainbow Dash and the others. Everyone was part of the conversation, which lasted much longer than just dinner. Scootaloo then spoke at length about meeting his older sister and how great she was, listing all her accomplishments. 

"And also the time you made your first Sonic Rainbow." she nodded in amazement as she surely remembered, prompting the mare to congratulate herself. 

"I know I'm the most incredible mare in Equestria." Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly, recalling the feat. 

"If you're the most incredible mare in Equestria, then I'm the most incredible stallion in the world." Light added, deliberately adding a layer of narcissism to mock her rival's attitude. 

The remark made the parents laugh relentlessly as they listened attentively to the rich discussion of what they both already regarded as their children. For once, Rainbow Dash realized that he had gone too far and decided not to answer, or else the stallion would go into cardiac arrest. 

When the meal was over, everyone helped clean and put away the kitchen utensils before going to bed. Rainbow Dash returned to her room, where she hadn't slept for several months, waving at her coltfriend. They were finally going to spend the night together, something that was strictly forbidden at the academy for obvious reasons. They soon wrapped their arms around each other, keeping the warmth of their bodies on a night that marked the beginning of winter and the first snow shower outside. After a few sweet words and kisses, they fell asleep without ever leaving each other, their foreheads glued together, the soft blanket covering them up to their necks. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning, waking up was more than difficult for all the Pegasus, still warmly settled in their blankets. Waking up was not difficult for Light, however, having been used to getting up too much for a long time. His eyes opened on the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, Rainbow Dash was comfortably huddled against his chest, his hands hiding his mouth to let only his eyes appear closed. She who is usually so energetic and impulsive, her calm version in a cozy bed suited her just as well, quickly melting the heart of the stallion at her side. 

He would have liked to cuddle her for hours, continue to feel her warmth and see her wake up from her deep sleep, but he decided otherwise. 

When he looked out the window in front of him, the snow had already arrived on the clouds of the city, which had already covered the ground by a few centimetres. Light decided to take a morning stroll, taking the time to kiss the forehead of the tenderly sleeping cyan pegasus before finally coming out of the blanket. He sent a message to Rainbow Dash to warn her, hoping not to wake her with the vibration that followed, then dressed warmly before going out. 

The wind was light and the sun was not about to rise, as the stallion was used to at this early hour, so the weather was perfect for him. He walked through the deserted streets, rediscovering his hometown and noticing that it had remained the same after all these years. Even though he didn't know the area very well, the closer he got to the city center, the more he spotted himself between the buildings that made up solid clouds. 

The Rainbow Falls Factory, the weather control station, the Wonderbolt Recruitment Center, each building brought back a few memories as he walked past. Although he had never been inside one of them, these places were the hallmark of Cloudstale and the entire Pegasus culture. Light passed these buildings without stopping, continuing on his way to no particular destination, until one of them made him stop his march. 

It is unusual for bakeries to be open so early in the day, yet a modest shop in this city center was already lit both by the interior light and by the colorful garlands that adorned its roof. 

Plus, today is a special day so why open up shop knowing that everyone would stay home. With no particular purpose in mind, Light decided to go in, just wanting to enjoy the atmosphere offered by the decorations inside and maybe get to know the manager already on his feet. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Do you think the kids will like my winter party specialty?" Asked for pegasus when he turned on the oven in his kitchen. 

"Our Dashie loves it, there's no reason why Scootaloo and Light shouldn't love it." reassured her devoted husband. 

"Speaking of Dashie, I'm going to go see her, it's almost 11:00, she should be awake by now." 

The Pegasus walked to her daughter's room, already imagining she was in the arms of her beloved. When she opened the door, she was confused to find only her daughter getting out of her cozy bed. The cyan mare turned towards her when she heard the doorknob turn. 

"Hello mom." she said with a broad smile as she approached her, exchanging a kiss on the cheek. 

"Hello darling, do you know where your boyfriend is?" She asked herself. 

"I'm just here." replied a voice at the entrance to the room, which made the mare turn around. 

"There you are, hello Light." she said, exchanging another kiss. "The meal is almost ready, come and settle in." she nodded before returning to her husband in the kitchen. 

Light had come back just in time so that no one would notice his absence, having put his jacket against the cold on the coat rack in the entrance. He came closer to say hello to his beloved. 

"And hello to you, too." he said, before placing a kiss on Rainbow Dash's lips, which she gladly returned. 

"YEEEEESHHHHHH!!!" Moaned a voice behind the stallion. 

As it turned out, the filly named Scootaloo was present at the scene, not hesitating to express her disgust at it. 

"Rainbow Dash, I thought you hated kissing!!!" She went on to say, surprised that her idol would agree to something she thought was disgusting. 

"It's called growing up Scootaloo, one day you'll accept it too." she replied as she approached her little sister and frantically stroked her mane. 

"AAHHH NO!!" The filly cried out at the horror revelation she had just heard, plugging her ears and stepping sharply back into the living room. 

The filly's childish reaction made the couple laugh, especially Rainbow Dash, who remembered having the same kind of thought until recently. 

"She looks a lot like you, Dashie." Light nodded. 

"It's true, she's going to be just as great as me." she replied without a shadow of a doubt. 

So the two lovers went to the middle of the living room where the table was already well stocked. A few appetizers to start the meal gently before moving on to the main course still in the oven. It was the first time that Light had ever eaten so well surrounded by his new family, and he could not help but be happy that Rainbow Dash had offered to come with her to share her unforgettable moments. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Exactly as expected, the meal was a rare demonstration of gastronomy, Rainbow Dash was really lucky to have such a good mother as a cook, which is not easy to guess when you see her like that. Once the desert ice cream was swallowed, it was time for everyone to gather in the living room. 

The winter party is the most expected of children for a simple reason: the presents. It's a friendly time when the family gives presents to each other, so much so that Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were no longer standing still. However, the first to be rewarded were Bow and Windy, their daughter bringing her gift that she had been hiding in her room since September before leaving for the Pony Academia. 

"Here, Scoot and I picked it out especially for you." she said, before handing over the wrapping. 

Bow and Windy seemed to have regained their childlike spirit as he tore up the wrapping paper to catch a glimpse of the box inside. Before Rainbow understood what was inside, she felt she had to explain something. 

"It's a supporter's kit." she began proudly. "In it are all the possible accessories that great supporters need." she insisted. 

"It'll give Rainbow Dash our encouragement in all these races." said the filly enthusiastically. 

"OUR GIRLS ARE REALLY THE BEST." the sire cried out almost in tears as he rushed at them. 

"OUR CHILDREN DESERVE THE BIGGEST HUG." Windy insisted, taking them in his arms with her husband. 

As the embrace reached its climax, Light looked at the scene with a touching look, he didn't expect to be so touched by the family he had just entered. 

It was around the parents to give their presents, and around the girls to take the eyes of little shiny puppies, which would pierce the heart of a nasty megalomaniac so cute they were with that face. Scootaloo received a new helmet with lightning flash patterns for these scooter rides and a special edition high-flying racing game, with wonderbolts featured on the jacket. Rainbow Dash received a book on the origins of Daring Do and her journey to becoming the intrepid adventurer described in the books. 

"There you go, we hope you like it." their mother said, snuggling up to her husband. "We both chose." she concludes with a smile. 

"Thank you, that's great." nodded the girls as they looked at the gift in their hands. 

Light still attended the scene and couldn't look away in the face of such ecstasy. 

"Light, this is for you." 

Before he knew what he wanted, Light turned his head and saw Bow holding a little box on his arm. Looking confused, he took the box in both hands and opened it. 

"It's not much, but we had to give you something." Windy insisted. 

"You are our beautiful stepson after all." nodded the father, putting his hand on the lost stallion's shoulder. 

Light was stunned, having come as a surprise guest, he was not expecting a gift. Of course, he had already received some when he lived at the orphanage, and even the director Celestia was giving him something, but this gesture, from these two pegasuses, was beginning to bring tears to his eyes. 

The gift was an autographed medal from Spark Bolt, the fastest land stallion of all time, world record holder and one that Light was aiming to dethrone. The ribbon was colored blue, white and red, the athlete's favorite colors, and the gold medal had the Old Olympics logo in the center, consisting of five intersecting circles. Light slowly put it around his neck, which made him look triumphant, as if he had just run a marathon and had earned such an award. 

Before the tears that dared him to fall to the floor ran out, Light took a deep breath to stay calm and hurried to Rainbow Dash's room without a word. The Pegasus were astonished at the stallion's reaction, raising a few eyebrows in confusion. Light came back a few seconds later with an empty frame in his hand that he had bought this morning, wiping away those tears. 

"I thought maybe we could..." He took a second to sniff and tried to seem less emotional, "...we could take a family picture." he managed to get out. 

Light's proposal was to everyone's liking, waiting no longer to immortalize the moment. With their gift in hand, and around Light's neck, the family gathered in front of the camera. Bow and Windy stood side by side to the right, Light stood behind Rainbow Dash, who had Scootaloo above her head. 

A minute later, the picture was back in the frame, which was now placed on a cupboard with other family pictures, most of which were of Rainbow Dash when she was a filly. It was clear that Light had never had a party like this, and Scootaloo hadn't had one for a long time either. 

Dinner time had come, and was soon eclipsed as well, which was always as rich a discussion as the table. Although they continued to get accurate answers to their question, Bow and Windy continued to learn about the life of their new son-in-law. The stories he began to tell caught their attention, but also that of Scootaloo, who seemed to love his older brother, while Rainbow Dash preferred to gobble up the tasty dishes within her reach. 

Like yesterday, the end of the meal meant time to brush your teeth, shower and finally snuggle up in the warm duvets waiting for the Pegasus. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Just as Morpheus was beginning to take the two Pegasuses to the land of dreams, one of them finally found himself in a nightmare. On the other side of the wall separating them from Rainbow Dash's parents' bedroom, the squeaks from the bed next door were audible enough for the young couple to hear. They brought intense shame to the face of the cyan pegasus, hiding her head under her pillow and understanding what it was all about, a redness visible on her cheeks by the moonlight. 

Light could only be amused by the situation, seeing his Dashie in such deep embarrassment that he had the idea of his life. He leaned forward over Rainbow Dash's hidden head as he called out to her. 

"Pssssssss, hey Dashie!" Call him. 

The blushing pegasus passed a single eye outside the pillow to see what Light wanted, seeing that he wasn't wearing a top, leaving his chest built in the middle of his vision. His blushing only increased at this point. 

"You want to return the favor." he said, pointing to a small bag in his hand. 

With the darkness of the room, Rainbow Dash didn't really know what Light was holding in his hand, so he decided to bring it closer to the only visible eye of the Pegasus. When she shamefully recognized the condom wrapper, she had no strength to hide again. 

At first, she found it very inappropriate, as she seemed to be the only one who remembered that a filly was sleeping in the house. However, it was when she looked up at her coltfriend and especially when she saw his almost diabolical expression on her lips that she thought that Scotaloo was finally sleeping on the other side of the house, probably already deeply asleep. The stallion really had a kind of gift for capsizing any mare, even the incredible cyan pegasus couldn't be insensitive to it. She slowly pulled her face from the pillow so that she could talk. 

"Oh, you little pervert." she said in a suave voice, casting a charming glance at Light. 

"Is it a crime to want to please my girlfriend?" He asked as he approached again, touching her snout with his own, feeling his warm breath on her face. 

Getting excited, the mare grabbed the stallion and placed him down against the mattress, Rainbow sitting on top of him. She then pressed her forehead against his and whispered sensually to him. 

"I hope you'll be as tough as you are in training." she insisted, grabbing each of her shoulders with her hands and sticking her bare, muscular chest. 

"Count on it." the stallion may have said before her lips were blocked by that of the pegasus. 

The kiss was by far the most intense that the couple realized, as each soon put their tongues in the other's mouth. The stallion still held the wrapper in his left hand, his right hand being free to wrap the mare's waist over him, who always kept her grip firmly and placed her hands around Light's head. 

I did so well to get up early this morning, Light thought, noting mentally that I always keep this habit. 

The squeaking from their bed hadn't started yet, but he knew that this night... was going to be the most wonderful night of their lives.
> Back to the Pony Academia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the first time in a very long time, Light was deeply asleep as the first rays of sunlight were already penetrating the transparent windows and reaching his eyes. The constant light that had now settled on his face was beginning to take effect, gradually forcing him out of his sweet world. His awakening was slow and arduous, trying to remember why he was there. 

When he turned to face the cyan pegasus he had spent the night with, it was absent and left his half of the cold, empty bed in its place. It was when he noticed a brightly torn wrapper on his bedside table that he remembered why he was having such a hard time waking up. To say the least, the couple had spent a long night, rocked by their primal instincts and punctuated by a few squeaks coming from their bed. 

The stallion felt that he was naked under the crumpled sheets, he had had the decency to throw him away after the act, he thought to reassure himself. Surprisingly, and helped by the cold time of year, there were no suspicious traces of the stallion showing or even smelling through the room their act, so doing it in winter was definitely a good idea. 

When Light came to his senses, he thought it was a funny idea to warn his group of stallion friends, thinking that Rainbow would surely do it with the mares. He picked up his phone from the same bedside table and wrote to the group of six boys, wondering if it would be helpful to strut around. 

The answer was quickly found, everyone knows that the first time is not like what you see on the internet, but his memories of last night made him proud of his performance all the same. Once the message was sent, he put on what he found in the closet, put on jeans and a shirt that he didn't even button and walked out of the room. 

Surprised to see that it was almost noon and yet, not a sound in the house, he seemed to be the only occupant. Checking each room, there were indeed a few people missing, only Scootaloo was still sleeping in his room on the other side of the living room. She was lovely once she was calm and motionless, she really looked like her big sister, the stallion thought to himself, so much so that they really did look like sisters. 

Light closed the door and left her in her dreams, surely with Rainbow Dash as heroine. A flash of lucidity came to her then, had she heard them last night, he wondered? 

I hope not, what an example I would set as a new big brother, he thought. His questioning was put to him when his phone rang, someone was calling him and it could only logically have been his girlfriend. He picked up the phone when he saw that it was indeed her. 

"Hey, Dashie, where are you?" 

"Hi Light, I'm with my parents at the supermarket." she answered. "We did some shopping for them and we're heading home now." 

"Ah okay, cool."" he said. "You said we'd leave this afternoon, didn't you?" 

"That's right, we'll eat and then we'll go back to the academy." She said before changing the subject completely. "By the way, it was super cool yesterday." she insisted, especially on the "super cool". 

"Oh uh, yeah, but I suggest you talk about it during the trip, you're with your parents there anyway." Light asked, afraid we'd surprise them on that subject. 

Light's instincts were true, as he could hear Bow and Windy on the other side of the wire, their voices echoing loudly through the market. 

"AH LIGHT, YOU HAD A GOOD NIGHT I HOPE, DASHIE TOLD ME YOU USUALLY GET UP EARLY!" Rainbow Dash's mother screamed into the camera for no apparent reason. 

"Uh, yeah, Windy, I just, uh, had a hard time falling asleep." he says in a believable way. 

"ALL RIGHT, DON'T WORRY, WE'LL SEE YOU LATER!" added the father before hanging up Rainbow Dash's phone, ending the call. 

With that, the next notifications Light received were the group's replies to his message. Everyone was surprised that they were doing it now, Drew joking that Rainbow's parents were cool at this point, the joke reached Light, and he laughed slightly. 

"So, are you guys leaving soon?"  Heard the stallion in a little voice coming from behind him. 

He turned around and saw Scootaloo in front of him with a Wonderbolt plush in her hands, she was even more adorable than when she was sleeping with her sheepish look on her face. Her eyes showed the sadness she felt, giving Light the opportunity to be a good big brother. He put his knees on the ground and answered her with a touching look. 

"And yes little sister, we are planning to leave after eating." he said, putting his hands on her knees. 

"All right." she replied simply. "I wish you could have stayed a little longer." she confessed, lowering her hands to her knees.

Light put his hand on her mane and began to caress her, spanking her head up. 

"I know, Scootaloo, but we promised our friends we'd be back to find them before school starts again." he justified. 

Scootaloo readily accepted this answer, after all she too was looking forward to seeing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle again. But she thought she didn't know her elders well enough, she secretly hoped they would stay a little longer anyway, without ever admitting it. Seeing that she was still disappointed by this answer, Light opted for a hug, sitting on the floor and taking her in his muscular and comforting arms. 

"We'll get back to you as soon as we can, Scoot, and we'll be back for the next vacation all right." he said as he continued to stroke her purple mane, giving her the same nickname as Rainbow Dash. 

Sccotaloo loved his big brother's warm, well-built body, he was perfect for cuddles like this, both soft and strong. His smile appeared again on his lips, comforting Light, proof that he had done his job well. 

"You want to help me set the table, the others will be back soon." he suggested, so we could spend more time together. 

"All right, I'll set the plates." replied the filly with a smile brighter than the sun itself. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The table now in place and the rest of the family having finished their walk to the market sounded the beginning of their last meal all together. The mood was as good as at the other lunches, with a little something extra from Light and Rainbow Dash. 

The not always discreet glances they were sending each other were simply misunderstood by the filly. It must be said that to do it for the first time, it necessarily brings them closer together and these two had understood that. Unfortunately for them, Windy and Bow gave each other the same look, seeming to have understood the state of mind of their daughter and their son-in-law. 

Damn it... they understood, Light thought nervously, hoping not to have any allusions or innuendos during the time they had left to spend here. Unlike the other times, this meal was rather silent, which is surprising when you know the often cheerful attitude of the parents on the other side of the table. Even Scootaloo asked much less questions than before, Light thought that she knew her elder very well now and smiled at the idea from time to time. 

The dessert consisted of ice cream and a small log was on the same level as the rest, calmly and cheerfully. Light received countless messages during the meal as his phone kept vibrating in his pocket. The group of boys must surely have been exchanging their activities and memories of the last few days in their respective families, the stallion concluded. 

Once the meal was over, Windy insisted on tidying up with her husband and Scootaloo, while Rainbow Dash and Light made arrangements to leave in a few moments. Rainbow borrowed a bag to store her gift, with Light simply putting her medal around her neck, which was still shining brightly. Their clothes were washed yesterday so he could leave without leaving anything behind. 

"All right, you ready?" she asked with her bag around her elbow. 

"Yes, I'm ready." He answered proudly wearing his medal. 

The couple came out of the room to be greeted with a surprise family hug, Scootaloo leaping into their arms, just like Windy and Bow. It's a good thing they were both sturdy, because a fall would have happened if they hadn't been. 

"YOU'RE GOING TO MISS BOTH OF US." the husband groaned loudly, seemingly on the verge of tears. 

"EVERYBODY COME IN WELL AND FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS." cried the mother with the same intonation of voice. 

"YOU SEND US NEWS EVERY DAY, PROMISE ME!!!" The filly also shouted the filly in the arms of her elders. 

With the audience on the verge of tears, Rainbow Dash and Light didn't wait to reassure them, comfortably giving them a hug and speaking to them in a calm and composed voice. 

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine, as always." she said in her parents' arms. 

"And I promise, as soon as all our friends are back, we'll send you a group picture." Light continued, hugging the filly leaning against her chest. 

So... this is what it means to have a family, Light thought as he released himself from his little sister's embrace. That's, uh... 

...awesome! 

Then it was Rainbow Dash who left her parents' arms, stepping back a few steps to reach the doorway. Light opened the door and with a last salute, they took to the air, heading for the Pony Academy. 

"Our daughter is all grown up now." she said, wiping away the tear from her cheek, watching her two children leave her sight too quickly for her. 

"And she's found a wonderful companion." said her husband as he put his hand on his wife's shoulder. 

"I'll become as cool as they are." concluded the smiling filly. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The two Pegasus had started their way to the Pony Académia, Rainbow not insisting on racing this time. The first few minutes they left the Cloudstale area completely were silent, neither of them daring to engage in conversation. Light knew why he didn't, he had told her on the phone that they would talk about... this. 

This memory followed another, he still remembered some parts of last night with her. His cheeks turned pink as he kept smiling, not wanting to trade those memories for anything in the world. 

"Then... uh..." began the pegasus timidly, visibly as nervous as his coltfriend to talk about it. "That was... cool." was all she could say before clearing her throat. 

"Yeah, no doubt about it." he nodded, half closing his eyes to mask his distress and appear unfathomable. 

"We'll do it again... won't we?" She asked curiously, feeling her face warm as she thought back to that night as well, admitting she was thinking about it. 

"... I, of course...!" he replied hastily, his cheeks taking on a tomato red hue. 

His nervousness made him scratch the back of his head in midair, somewhat avoiding eye contact. Rainbow Dash had smiled when she saw that she was not alone in the embarrassment, Light looking very much like John all of a sudden. She still wanted to continue the conversation on this subject, having no other idea in mind, to tell the truth. She came close to him, their wings almost touching. 

"You know, uh, it was my first time." she admitted, simply looking ahead. 

Light turned to her at the revelation, seeing half of her now purple face. It's true that they got excited, they hadn't clarified the situation last night, they thought they were hot but not that they had never been hot before. 

Rainbow now dodged Light's gaze as she wanted to look into his magenta eyes. He smiled innocently, opting to take her hand in his, spanking it at him by briefly turning his head. 

"Me too." he said before finally looking tenderly into his deep eyes. 

Rainbow let her mouth drop as she subconsciously plunged into the cyan eyes of the pegasus. 

"Really?" she exclaimed, Light responding with a nod. 

Given the popularity of Pegasus in high school, Rainbow Dash thought it was past its prime, having plenty of mares to choose from who blushed at the mere mention of her name. Besides, from what she had heard in the noises in the hallway or otherwise, the first time was not really amazing. Finally, she put it down to the fact that they were just great at countering it. 

"I, uh... I thought you'd done it before, you being popular and all." she said with a fleeting look again. 

"Dashie." he called, the spank turning again with his tender tone. "You know very well that all I did was gently flunk any mares that offered me anything. You're the first one I've ever dated." he clarified. 

He kept his tender gaze as he tangled his fingers with those of the mare, smiling and moving closer until the feathers of each caressed the other wing. His assertion only made the Pegasus even prouder, taking on a face similar to his own. The mare pulled her companion's hand to take her not closer to her as he had suggested, but to dodge a cloud on the road. 

"We should look ahead anyway." she said, keeping in touch, waiting for an answer. 

"Oh, yeah, you're right." he replied with a nervous laugh, bringing the view before him. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

When he finally arrived in the city, Light congratulated himself inwardly for having kept the path between here and Cloudstale, you never know it can still be useful, he thought to himself. Snow was also present on the roofs of the houses, giving the two pegasus a magnificent panorama of the city that seemed a little too "urban" at first glance. They quickly found the gigantic establishment that served as their high school and landed in front of it. 

"Wait, don't have the keys." she said to herself like the revelation of the century, casting an emotionless glance at the stallion. 

"Relax, Dashie." he says, pulling a key out of his pants, "Celestia trusted me enough to give me a spare key, I told her I'd get back before she did." He nodded proudly. "But the gym is closed until she comes back." he said as he walked towards the main gate. 

"That's all right, I just need my wings to train myself." she replied, spreading her cyan wings, spanking the stallion who was opening the gate from the shadows. 

"Yeah, and then the others will come in turn, normally have school for the two of us until tomorrow." he nodded. 

"Yeah, I saw from the group conversation that everyone was giving their arrival date. It's really cool that we're all getting together for New Year's Eve." she said, folding her wings and entering the courtyard with Light. 

"It sure is, especially since Teddy and Pinkie must have been planning a crazy party for us." he said cheerfully as he thought of the possibilities. 

"Um, so, do you fancy sleeping together tonight?" she asked, and she wouldn't let him say no, grabbing his arm. 

"That's fine with me, that's the only time we'll be able to, Celestia's coming back tomorrow night from what she told me." he said, scratching his chin. 

Both Pegasus spent their free time returning to their respective practices, with Rainbow Dash working her turns in the hallways of the high school. Light gave her permission, hoping she wouldn't do any damage, while he worked on his calves and cardio in the courtyard. They did their stretches together before showering in the showers near their dormitories, with Light offering to shower together, which Rainbow agreed to immediately. 

Once the shower was over, the evening went on as they each talked to their respective groups of friends, sending messages non-stop. Drew wanted to tell everyone about the news of Light and Rainbow's "rapprochement" last night. 

"WHAT YOU SAID TO THEM!!!" screamed the pegasus with all his soul in Light's dormitory, letting loose because no one was here to hear them. 

"I thought you'd be prancing in front of the girls." he nodded in defense. 

"I hate it when people think they know how i act." she said before throwing herself at him. 

Rainbow blushed at the realization that everyone knew they'd done it, and that they were probably asking a whole bunch of embarrassing questions, hearing her phone vibrating all the time. 

She wanted to make Light pay for it, thinking that she could go all the way in her false anger that unconsciously made her look cute. Light was stronger than she was physically and very quickly, revenge turned into a game of tickling and permanent affection. 

If Light did have a weak spot, it was that he was ticklish, and the mare abused this weak spot by spanking him twisted with laughter, screaming with happiness as his fingers moved frantically against her ribs, spanking him with laughter. 

After several minutes of intense exhilaration from the stallion, Rainbow decided it was time to let him breathe. 

Light lay on the bed, his hair a mess and his torso half exposed by his t-shirt that no longer covered his abs as he slowly caught his breath. He wiped away tears of joy as he put his hand over his eyes and was still smiling, which made him incredibly sexy from the point of view of the mare above him. He looked like he was posing for this kind of very adult magazine, waiting to be photographed or even drawn or painted like a work of art. 

"Stallions are sexier when they don't do it on purpose." she mumbled to herself as she chewed her lips. 

"What?" Nodded Light, having heard her voice but not the words coming out of it. 

"Nothing, nothing." she said emphatically, looking at his bedside table to prevent him from seeing her growing roar. "Let's move on to the last stage of the evening." she said, resuming her tone of voice and her seductive smile. 

On the table was the box of condoms that Light had bought from Cloudstale, Rainbow took out a wrapper and placed her lips against the stallion's. Before Light realized what was happening, he was being drawn into a new wave of pure emotion and didn't want to escape it. 

Although he didn't really expect this when he accepted it in his dormitory bed, he couldn't bring himself to push away the immaculate, excited beauty that lay above him at the moment. It just wasn't supposed to become a habit, but as they were alone tonight, he took it as an excuse to let loose again. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

While the huge buildings had long since left the horizon, the sight of the destination was a good omen for the land pony. He knew that Light and Rainbow had already returned, and they also knew what he didn't want to know, the thought of dubious messages from Drew making him reluctantly visualize the thing. 

He would have wanted to fall asleep in his cabin but couldn't, forcing himself to do something about it. The landscape was a good source of distraction, so he would spend those few hours contemplating the mountains and valleys he had seen on his first trip. 

Arriving at the station early enough, the sun was not even fully visible yet, and the icy winter air could be felt on his hands as he lifted his suitcases. Fortunately, the academy was not far from the station and he quickly rang the bell at the entrance. Light finally came out as he had guessed to open it, recognizing his shy friend. 

"Hi John, good to see you again!" 

"Hello Light, it's good to see you too." he replied. 

"Let me help you with that." he said, taking one of his suitcases. "You're here early, don't you need a three hour train ride from Manehattan to here?" He asked himself. 

"Yes, I got up at five o'clock sharp." he said in his tired voice. 

"FIVE HOURS... I think the day I meet your father, we'll have a long talk." he nodded. 

"He never leaves Manehattan. Where's Rainbow?" 

"She's still sleeping peacefully... in my bed." he added. 

"Ah, I see." John muttered, starting to blush. 

The two friends spent the morning telling each other about the last few days in more detail. John said it went well, even when he talked to him about Applejack, "He didn't care, but at least he seemed to believe me." were his words. 

Light could only be happy for his friend, but his happiness exploded when he, in turn, talked about the party and his new family. Each word emphasized the stallion's growing joy, which John could hardly escape. To see him so euphoric when before he had nothing to say about those few days was to everyone's taste. 

Speaking of everyone, the doorbell at the entrance to the gate worked about every three hours, each member of the group came back one after the other. Director Celestia had returned that evening, seeing the dormitories gradually filling up. 

The last one to arrive was three days after Light and Rainbow had returned, and that was Fluttershy.
> Reunited again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning was rather pleasant, the snow had stopped falling from the sky by now and the streets were becoming more and more crowded as before. We felt that the party was over for everyone and that work would resume as soon as we got rid of them. 

Anyway, that's during the day, wait until nightfall and the fateful hour will come. The streets will no doubt be flooded with people celebrating the coming New Year, dancing and singing in every nook and cranny. 

But for the moment, it is about 8am and the train station a few steps away from the school is ringing its bell, announcing the arrival and departure of the wagons. At the same time, a yellow pegasus with a pink mane properly coiffed against its eyes moves down the avenue, a slight smile on its lips. The ambient coolness pushed her to put on clothes covering her entire body, from shoes to hat and azure gloves. She arrives in front of the prestigious establishment, but does not enter it immediately, preferring to go into the street opposite, her arms full. 

She finds this little corner, behind a dustbin, made up of a cardboard box, a duvet and a bowl already filled. She puts down in the warm corner what she was holding in her arms, baptized Ganimède. 

The little kitten had once again fallen asleep in Fluttershy's warm and affectionate arms. The last days were probably the most incredible of her short life. Fluttershy had no trouble getting the rest of his family to accept him, who had fun with the animal every hour. She introduced him to the other animals she used to take care of before she left for the city, and everyone greeted their new playmate cheerfully. He could have become a full-fledged member of my family, only she is not his master, at least not his only one. 

"He's having a good time, I guess." asked a voice behind the mare, who recognized her as the true master of Ganimède. 

He approached her by moving the trash can as usual, bending his knees once he arrived in front of the kitten's makeshift shelter. Fluttershy didn't answer right away, preferring to look into his eyes so expressive of gratitude. Her gaze was so sweet when he was put on the animal, he stroked him gently as she gave him an answer. 

"I always take good care of animals, and I've taken special care to make sure he doesn't feel lonely." she said. 

"I knew you'd be perfect to keep him for a while." he said, bringing his gaze to the mare next door. 

The expression of tenderness on her face brought an unusual warmth to Fluttershy's cheeks, but in these frozen times, the feeling was welcome. Harri immediately noticed the duller shade of her cheeks, leading to the same phenomenon on her side, followed by a broad smile. 

He seemed to know what it meant, and without further questioning his interpretation, he leaned forward and began to move his mouth in a strange way. Fluttershy had never seen Harri do this before, but it was when she remembered how his other friends were spanking that she understood what he was thinking. 

He wanted to kiss her. 

Fluttershy was petrified at the thought, her rash growing more out of embarrassment and discomfort than anything else. In a sudden panic at the realization that he was only a few millimeters away, she let herself fall backwards, not having the consciousness to stand up or block him. 

The mare landed flat on the wall on her back, her head hit her first, spanking her in a slight cry of pain, before placing her hands on the back of her cap. 

"Ouch!" 

The few sounds made Harri open her eyes, still bending forward, realizing her mistake. 

"FLUTTERSHY, I'm sorry, are you all right?" Beginning to shout the panicking stallion, before calming down and slowly approaching the still-sounding mare. 

"I'm... yeah, I'm all right." she simply replied, coming to her senses. 

"Fluttershy I'm sorry I don't know what came over me you don't blame me I wouldn't want you to..." he spoke at a bewildering speed, seeming not to even breathe between those sentences that formed one sentence. 

"Meow!" 

Next to the two young ponies stood Ganimed, meowing and putting a paw on Fluttershy's leg, he seemed worried about what had just happened. Fluttershy responded by caressing him. She then stood up and looked at the stallion who had remained on his knees. 

"Well, I'm going to go and say hello to the others, see you later." she said, hurrying off a little, leaving Harri and her kitten in her alley. 

What was the feeling I had for a few seconds, the mare wondered as she crossed the road. Maybe I should ask my friends, Twilight must be able to tell me, she concluded, going straight to her friend's room. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"BUT, I FAILED EVERYTHING, WHY I DID IT SERIOUSLY!" the white pegasus questioned with regret. He was really angry with himself, for once he felt a chance with a girl, he had to play the fool as usual. 

Plus she's Fluttershy what, she's super cute and, and she loves animals too, she's the perfect mare, he continued to think as he walked the halls alone. His eyes betrayed his growing anxiety with every step, his hands joined behind his back as he preferred to look at the ground rather than in front of him, at the risk of hitting something or someone. 

WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO PUT! I have to make up for it, there must be a way. His mind considered all the most twisted ways of hoping to approach the yellow mare again without frightening her. Of course, he immediately excluded from his list those that would require too much effort, time or money. 

After deliberating alone on the remaining solutions, the simplest one remained in his mind, almost as if it were obvious. 

"That's it, I've got to do this." he said aloud without realizing it, surprising the ponies around. 

Nor had he calculated that everyone was looking at him now, having broken the silence of the place to say something that made no sense without a bit of context. His radiant gaze showed his intention to do the right thing, soon accompanied by an equally radiant smile. Still without noticing the questioning looks of others, he ran to where his mind was leading him, bringing only more questions and confusion into the minds of the spectators. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Fluttershy found the one she was looking for in her room as planned, talking on the phone to a third party. Pegasus politely let her friend finish her conversation, talking about the party tonight, probably helping Teddy and Pinkie pie organize everything. 

Once her call was over, she was able to devote herself to her friend. 

"Hello Fluttershy, it's good to see you again." said the unicorn, turning her seat towards her, exchanging a smile. 

"Uh yes, hello Twilight." she said, taking off her hat and gloves. "I have, I have something to ask you, if you don't have plans of course." 

"No, of course not, Fluttershy, what's the matter?" she said as she devoted herself to her friend, turning her seat towards her. 

"This is, uh... this is about Harri." she said, standing in her seat, looking away. 

Twilight saw her awkwardness as abnormally high, she motioned for her to sit down on the bed and calmly continue her reasoning, going to sit with her. 

"Thank you." she said as she sat down and resumed. "There, uh, I saw him on the way in and, uh, we were taking care of Ganimède and... I think, I think he tried to kiss me..." she confessed as his rash returned, and she would have preferred to do without now. 

"Would she?" Twilight exclaimed, at first surprised. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised that it's Harri, I mean, he's tried to kiss us all at least once, and he's always trying to get the mares to look at him." she explained. 

Pegasus techniques had never worked well before, at best he's being gently flunked, like with Applejack and Twilight, or he was getting a good beating from Rainbow Dash or Rarity. Too bad for him, Pinkie pie was the most naive of all, but with Teddy always with her, he never got to try. And when he really went too far in his misdeeds, the boys were there to save him from harassment complaints. 

"But, come to think of it, Fluttershy, did Harri ever try to kiss you or get your attention before today, obviously?" She asked, not remembering any such attempt. 

Fluttershy took several seconds to answer, also asking what her answer would bring to the debate. She remembered the last few months, from the first day they arrived here, and in particular those exchanges with Harri. 

"Uh, no, not really, we hardly spoke until I found out that he was actually taking care of Ganimède." she replied after a few moments of reflection. 

"And don't you think that's surprising?" she asked, smiling a little more at her friend. 

"What do you mean? Should I?" 

"We know Harri, Fluttershy, all year long he's been hitting on everything that moves." Twilight began, raising his hand. "But you, he's never tried, Rarity would say that's got to hide something, although she doesn't really like Harri." 

"So... what do you think it's hiding?" 

"I can't be sure, but I think he doesn't want to make a bad impression in front of you. With us at the end of the day, he doesn't mind taking no for an answer, he must be used to it. In any case, what I advise you to do is to talk to him, during the evening for example, the two of you go into a corner a little alone and clear things up." she suggested. 

"I... I see, thank you for listening to me." she said, even though she was more the one who listened to Twilight. 

"No problem, if you need me again, I'll be at the library." she said as she got up before going the mentioned way. 

With time left before the festivities began, Fluttershy went to pick up the rest of her friends to see them again, hoping not to run into Harri until tonight. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Light, you're the Light? Light? LIGHT?" Loudly called out to the white pony in the weight room in the basement of the high school. 

With no sign of pegasus, Harri began to despair, thinking he'd never find the popular stallion. But he had to see him, the situation was critical for him, and at this point he just hoped that Fluttershy was not as confused as he was. He had asked himself why he never tried anything with her, the answer was more than obvious now, at least one thing was clear in his mind. 

As he searched the locker room and even the stallion showers, his brain retraced all the other times he had openly flirted with mares, even trying to kiss them after a minute of conversation. 

SHIT! I did that to Fluttershy's friends, they must all find me unbearable, especially Rainbow Dash and Rarity at the sight of their reaction, he thought. They must have talked to her about it, she must think that too, and now that I just did the same thing with her, I'm screwed. 

Realizing his thoughts and actions, he gradually lost all desire to get out of it, bringing his frantic pace of research to that of Teddy when he works, that is to say much too slow to be productive. After taking a look at the last shower, he walked to the locker room exit door. He looked at the handle for a few seconds before deciding not to touch it, preferring to stick his forehead against the cold wall. 

He then began to bang his head against it, still slowly, not taking the risk of needlessly injuring himself, but he needed it. The slight impacts created small vibrations through the marble. He had to focus his mind on something else than all this, something other than those bad memories that he was entirely at fault for. His initial madness made him think aloud. 

"Harri, you're such a bad stud." If there was a mirror in front of him, he would have kept eye contact as long as possible. "Being handsome is all well and good, but here it's clearly not enough. When you think about it, have you ever seen a mare in the street that never gave you a second thought?" 

He then closed his eyes, also placing his hands flat against the wall, pushing his forehead further in. If the wall had been brittle, a crack would have appeared. 

"Of course it wouldn't, and you know why, because everyone's beautiful. Look at Light, Drew, Lance, and even John and Teddy, they're all handsome, and not just physically." he blamed. 

Feeling that he was beginning to disgust himself, a drop of water ran down his cheek, before he lost contact with it and landed on the ground. Knowing that there was a mirror behind him, he turned and gave up touching the wall behind his back. He looked at his reflection, looking annoyed. 

"No way, the image you give of stallions." he said before grabbing the door handle again, this time without letting go. 

It was with a lost mind that he left the locker room. 

"Well, no party for me tonight!" 

------------------------------------------------------- 

For the rest of the day, Fluttershy was able to see the rest of the group again, although she checked several times to make sure Harri wasn't around before saying hello to the boys. 

The five of them were in the library, with only Twilight to watch them. They were each talking about their holidays away from each other in more detail, as if they hadn't already said everything when the group was full. It's quite rare to see them only with each other, since the beginning of this year, the twelve students were spending all their free time together, talking about anything and everything (and especially doing anything and everything in some cases). 

This behavior was only accentuated when couples created themselves in their circle. Light and Rainbow Dash really opened the door to any kind of relationship between them when they confessed their feelings. Then it was around John and Applejack, followed by a double, Drew and Rarity and Twilight and Lance. Even Teddy and Pinkie pie are together all the time, even though they never talk about a couple or their relationship, they are so similar that they probably love each other without being aware of it. If even Fluttershy ends up thinking that way, there's a hint of truth in it," she says to herself. 

It was when she finally left the stallions that she thought about analyzing her thoughts. She saw in her vision each of her friends in the arms of a stallion, happy and more fulfilled than ever. Despite all the memories that lived in her mind at the same time, a corner of it left room for Harri. 

In that tiny square, she was thinking of this morning's attempt, the attempt for them to create something, like all their other friends. 

So, do I love her? she suddenly asked herself. 

It was really a question to ask, and she doubted she was thinking the wrong way. During this moment, she backed away, but part of her still wondered why she had done it. What Harri was thinking at the time, he got flunked a lot of times, but... She'd seen him do it with Rarity and Twilight, and the way he did it was very different. 

It didn't matter what she was thinking, it didn't matter how many unanswered questions she had in her mind. She had to talk about it with him at the party, it was inevitable. 

She went back to her room, and prepared herself properly, both physically and mentally. 

"I don't think I've ever looked forward to a party so much." she said out loud, smiling. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

The evening came, and while everyone was putting on their most elegant clothes, Teddy and Pinkie pie finished inviting the last students they could find in the corridors and in their dormitories. Apart from their group of twelve, Thunderlane and Soarin had already returned from their holidays, each of them spending it not seeing each other, confessing their relationship to their families, happy for them. 

Starlight was also back, having seen her parents whom she saw every weekend, her grandparents as well as her cousin who was present during these few days of vacation. She spent the last few days without worrying about the Ponyville library, which she managed with Spike in the absence of Twilight, and this rest did her the greatest good. 

A few other students had returned, all living in the school during class time. And finally, the principal, Celestia, being the only adult here, had the keys to the famous room. 

This party would be in small numbers, if we considered that a party of about twenty people were a small number. And finally, ten o'clock arrived, the time at which all had been invited, they all arrived almost all at the same time, with the exception of Harri. 

The boys all wore shirts that ranged from light blue to farting pink. Their light black trousers gave more contrast to their elegant shoes, most of which were brown. One thing's for sure, they were classy. 

Unlike their male counterparts, the girls were absolutely not carbon copies. Each one wore a dress, but the colors varied each time, giving wonders like Rainbow Dash's, colored to the tint of her rainbow hair. Light couldn't wait to dance with her, having practiced in duet dances, hoping to get her into a furious salsa. The gowns were almost always the colors of the mare herself, except for Fluttershy who wore a light green garment of the most beautiful effect. One thing was sure, they were beautiful. 

As the door opened in front of the guests, Teddy and Pinkie surprised them by playing background music, the room still dark. As they take their first steps, the lights light up the place, revealing a first-rate buffet, balloons hanging from the ceiling and a dance floor just waiting for the dancers' fierce steps. 

Pinkie pie always talks about the dishes on the table with a smile and joy. She explains that she worked with the cooks in the establishment for a few weeks to achieve this very satisfying result. She also inflated all the balloons above their heads. 

As for Teddy, he took care of furnishing the place and all the music that will be played for several hours in a row. Celestia was surprised that the stallion took this project so much to heart, and with his accomplice, they did wonderfully well in such a short time. 

But as the whole group split up, between those chatting happily next to the packed table and the others who were already heating up the track, one person stayed away. 

Fluttershy, who is following a conversation between Rarity, Lance and Twilight, is the only one to notice Harri, also well dressed, although his weary expression suggests that he's not happy to be here. 

It is with a slightly hesitant but confident step that she leaves her friends to go and see the stallion in her corner. Seeing her approaching, he turns his head towards her, seeing her in her green coat, admirably carried by an already splendid mare. He would have had the immediate reflex to go to her first and offer her a drink, but for once he wasn't in that state of mind, he could talk normally, with less ulterior motives than usual, that's for sure. 

“................” 

Yes, Fluttershy and his soft voice, a voice too low to be heard in a makeshift nightclub. Harri moved closer to his ear so as not to shout too loudly. 

"Sorry I can't hear you!" he said. 

Fluttershy then motioned to her to follow her, he was nervous about it but agreed, thinking it was the best thing to explain and apologize. The two ponies left the room, some of them questioning and some disgusted with the other. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Once they were far enough away from the background music, a very important discussion for both of them could begin. 

"Why did you want to talk to me?" he asked, avoiding his gaze. 

"Compared to this morning." she began, combing her mane with her hand, not daring to look at him as well. "I've talked it over with Twilight and..." 

"I'm sorry!" 

Damn it, Harri suddenly exploded, almost screamed his line, even though everyone at the party could hear it despite the music. 

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I don't know what came over me, you were there, so sweet, after you took care of Ganimede for me, I couldn't resist, I..." 

Harri went off again for a monologue that was tiring for her voice. Knowing that Fluttershy couldn't place one like that, she motioned for him to shut up by placing her index finger to her mouth. Harri noticed, and this tut as requested, the mare was able to resume. 

"I've talked it over with Twilight and I've come to the conclusion that we should both talk about it." she said softly, as if to calm the stressed stallion in front of her. "If that's what you're freaking out about, I don't blame you, I swear." she said with a reassuring smile. 

"You don't blame me, but your friends are a different story." he said, scratching his neck as a sign. 

"Harri." she said, giving him a warm look. "Of course, at first most were embarrassed, but after 20 minutes they'd already forgotten." 

"What?" he said. "It's not possible, I'm a horrible stallion, I flirt with everything that moves as if it were just fruit waiting to be picked." he explained.

Although the metaphor said was poorly thought out, it didn't bother Fluttershy, counter-argument. 

"If my friends have forgotten, I think everyone you've ever tried your luck with has at worst forgotten too, at best drawn a good memory. Rarity told us directly that she enjoyed being showered with praise, and even though you took it a little "brutally."" she confessed she was too hard on you afterwards." 

"And Rainbow Dash, I doubt if she liked being called a fighter plane." he said, recalling the moment, rather embarrassing now that he was thinking about it today. 

"She didn't like it, but she doesn't hold a grudge, especially since she'd already taught you a lesson about what she said to me afterwards. In spite of this you are still our friend to all of us, you are intelligent and sensitive when it is necessary. You have a lot of quality and it's a pity that you didn't express it fully." she ended. 

"Well, since we're here, I have something to tell you. All the times I used to talk to the girls were the same, being heavy and hitchhiking, after the tenth one it didn't even bother me anymore. But with you it was different. Yes, I tried to kiss you, and no, I wasn't impressed by your refusal." Harri said, almost biting her lip at the memory. 

When she couldn't explain it rationally, a smile grew on Fluttershy's lips as he continued his speech. 

"For the first time in a long time, I felt my heart beating, beating with a real desire to build something. For the first time, I felt my cheeks blush at the thought that, maybe, this was the one. For the first time in my life, I wasn't just trying to please for the sake of pleasing, I was looking for something..." He lost those words at the end. 

It's too bad he stopped there, Fluttershy thought. 

"Concrete?" She intervenes. 

"That's right." he said, smiling for the first time that night. "So, Fluttershy, for all these reasons I can say it and in front of you." he stood up straight to announce these words. "Fluttershy, I love you." 

The mare had more or less guessed it, but hearing it clearly come out of his mouth still had an effect on him. It was now her turn to speak up. 

"I'm very touched by the Harri I see in front of me tonight." she said with folded hands. "At first I didn't think much of you, just a new friend with a bad habit. Then I learned that you love to sing, that your only desire was to please women, not to embarrass them. And then I found out that you take care of an adorable kitten, and that's when I started to feel a connection." she fell silent for a few seconds to catch her breath. 

Harri could largely feel her now purple cheeks at the realization of what was to follow those words. Her heart was beating, but not as much as the shy mare, for whom it was all new. 

"I saw you more gentle and caring than I ever imagined. Seeing you like this with so much love to give convinced me to do it with you. And then, I think I can say it too, over time I fell in love with you, Harri." she finally confessed after a thoughtless effort, feeling that she would faint if she said another word. 

"HEY YOU TWO, COME DANCE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA STAY HERE AND MISS THE PARTY !" Said someone from down the hall out loud. 

It was Pinkie pie who'd wasted no time tracking down those two friends, taking them by the hand back to the room. The music that started when they entered was soft, perfect for a duet dance. 

As Light put his plan into action and led his Dashie into movements that only she could follow, Harri, with a surge of courage from her friend in action, raised her hand to the yellow mare. 

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, staring into her eyes. 

Fluttershy was embarrassed to dance in front of everyone. Turning her head towards the other Pegasus couple who were drawing all the attention to them, she decided to lift the veil. 

As everyone cheered the performance of Light and Rainbow Dash, creating a closed circle around the dancers, a little further on, slower steps vibrated against the floor. Harri and Fluttershy hadn't learned any movements, but why bother now, they were happy and relieved to have answered their questions, one in the other's arms. 

The mare knew he wanted to kiss her, and to be honest, she wanted to find that out too. Confident, she threw herself, making contact with his lips, when no one seemed to be looking at them. 

Harri was surprised by the surprising ardor of the pegasus, but how could I say no to this particular mare. This evening was worth it, Harri thought, who had originally planned to stay locked up in her room.
> Valentine's Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The party had left an imperishable memory in the minds of our friends, but all that magic atmosphere was far behind them now. And for good reason, they are just coming out of the new February trials. 

The difficulty seems to have been overcome this year, and even more so than in December. Already that the marks were not famous at that time, even Twilight and Lance had some doubts about some of their answers. This is not a prestigious institution for nothing, and fortunately Light or Rainbow Dash have their sports performances as a lifeline. 

Luckily for them, the results were down, and they no longer had to stress about imagining the bad grades were coming. But his bad grades had come... for some of them anyway. 

While Twilight and Lance kept the top scores with grades above 15 overall, there was concern for the rest. John, Rarity, Fluttershy, Harri, Drew and Applejack are doing reasonably well, and then there are four students left. 

Light is just about average, while Rainbow Dash, Teddy and Pinkie pie did not reach the fateful limit of 10 points per test. 

The comeback is going to be complicated for them, the end of year equestrian diploma is essential for the future of all of them. Hopefully their friends will help them when they can, or maybe they should have less fun from now on. 

"And that's what I have planned for him today, how about you guys?" Proudly displayed Light to the rest of the boys. 

Did you really think they'd care... not today anyway, because it was time for a couple's present. 

Boys and girls split up to counsel each other or to discover the fabulous gifts some had planned. In the boys' room, Light detailed his gift and how he felt things would logically unfold following his performance, raising a few raised eyebrows on behalf of his friends. 

While Drew laughed openly at what he had just heard, Teddy took the floor while Light simply crossed his arms, displeased with the reaction of the big black man. 

"Wow it sounds great to be in a couple, you guys were lucky." he says, standing in his place, smiling unconsciously. 

His remark has an unexpected effect on the others, who instinctively turn their heads towards the land pony, an air of incomprehension on most faces. Light ended up asking the question that everyone seemed to be asking. 

"Well, um... Teddy, am I to take it that you're not in a relationship?" He asked, reluctantly awaiting the answer. 

"And no, but it sounds fun." he said with his eyes closed, keeping his happy expression. 

"Not even with a certain candy-striped mare?" Drew asked as he bent more and more toward Teddy, as did the rest of the group. 

"We're just friends." he said, before finally opening his eyes. 

Teddy was surprised to see all those shocked faces about 20 centimeters away from his own, which made him lose his smile, replaced by as much incomprehension as the others. 

"Why are you making those faces?" he asked innocently, opening his mouth slightly in surprise. 

"Teddy, are you seriously telling us you haven't spoken to Pinkie about this since school started?" Asked Light, this time outright afraid of the answer. 

"Well... I don't see the harm..." 

"BUT YOU TWO ARE PERFECT TOGETHER!!!" Suddenly the blue unicorn cried out. 

"If ever there were two people who looked exactly alike, it's you and Pinkie Pie." Harri replied. 

"Plus it would mean we'd all be a couple and be great." said Drew, trying to convince him by waving his arms around the room. 

"Even John did it, so why don't you?" Light replied then, John giving a slight nod to confirm. 

Teddy, totally baffled by what he had just heard, had to resolve to set his friends straight. Just because you spend all your free time with a girl doesn't automatically mean you have to date, right? 

As he was about to speak, Light grabbed him without warning and lifted him up on his legs before pulling him to the door. 

"HEEEEEEE!" Did he manage to say before Light cut him off. 

"Go tell him now, it's the perfect time on Valentine's Day;" he interrupted him. 

Light opened the door and threw Teddy into the hallway, before he realized the mirror effect. 

"There's no better time than Valentine's Day, go ahead." said a voice from across the hall in the front bedroom. 

Before they knew what was going on, the pink mare they were talking about was sent into the hallway, followed by a cyan athletic mare. Light and Rainbow Dash looked at each other for a moment, widening their eyes with each millisecond of contact. Both had the same reflex, otherwise dictated by the embarrassment of having had the same thought at the same time. 

They went back behind the door of their respective rooms and closed it in a deep and quick slam, leaving Pinkie pie and Teddy facing each other, still surprised at their comrade's reaction. But their questions evaporated, replaced by a shared laughter, fed by the head that everyone had seen before they left. 

"HAHAHA, THE LIGHT HEAD WAS AMAZING!" Pinkie managed to say, wrapping his belly around his arms to block the laughter. 

"HAHAHA, AND YOU HAD TO SEE THE RAINBOW DASH HEAD, HILARANTY.'' Teddy replied, in the same position as she did. 

Their laughter couldn't stop as the situation seemed so ridiculous to both of them. They still tried to start the discussion while their throats were busy showing their euphoric joy. 

"HAHA YOU... did you have the same speech?" 

"HAHA TOTALLY... THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT IT." 

As they expelled all the air from their lungs, they eventually ran out of breath and stopped almost naturally, taking a deep breath and removing the drops of joy from their eyes. Teddy finally sighed. 

"Well, what do you think of that?" 

"About getting together, you mean, um... It doesn't really change anything, I guess." she said at a brisk pace and spanked, pretending to think about it. 

"No, it won't change anything, we'll still be best friends. But that means we have to give each other a gift today." he said cheerfully, stars replacing his pupils and jumping up and down on the spot. 

"Oh yes, and I know where to go, come." she says, taking the stallion with her to the department store, grabbing his hoof. 

When she left, the two previously closed doors opened again, revealing a smiling face on either side. Light and Rainbow Dash couldn't bring themselves not to listen through the doors, causing their eyes to meet again. 

But instead of running away as before, a wink and a thumbs-up was the answer they gave each other, visibly satisfied with the result. 

As they returned to their rooms and continued debriefing each other, Pinkie pie and Teddy had already reached the huge mall. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Later in the day, the "meeting" was over and everyone could enjoy the rest of the afternoon with his or her half. It was also gift time, and the impatience was at its peak. 

Everyone was in different parts of the academy, so that everyone could enjoy themselves, said Light, who had been preparing his gift for a few weeks. 

He and Rainbow Dash had locked themselves in an unoccupied dormitory, they were alone, and considering what they thought they were doing, it would have been perfect for everyone. 

"Dashie, sit here." he said, moving a wooden chair to the center of the room. "I'll be right back," he said with another telling wink. 

Rainbow Dash did as he asked and waited for his return, asking what he had planned. At least for her, his "gift" was simple and hassle-free. She just hoped that he wasn't expecting a physical object, but no matter in the end, he would love what the incredible mare had planned. 

Without warning her, the bedroom door opened and closed again immediately, Light was again in front of her, wearing a strange combination. 

The stallion's clothes consisted of a white shirt under a light black jacket, supported by a red scarf at the waist. The black trousers and noble hat looked like Zorro's, except that he was not there to slash his enemies. 

"Ready?" he asked with a seductive smile on his face, before walking to the office with a few steps under Rainbow's neutral gaze. 

He turned on the audio player on top of it, and a music playing, something very... sensual? Rainbow didn't have the words and was content to remain completely neutral during the show. 

As the music resonated from the singer's voice too close to the microphone, Light began his act by bringing his fingers through her body. Her hands went through him under the cyan mare's blushing face, she wanted him to suddenly start pulling out everything, EVERYTHING. 

But she kept her expression neutral, hiding all emotion as long as she could, before Light continued. He moved his buttocks frantically and forcefully, his objective was clear, he wanted to warm her up like never before. Too bad that his face didn't show the slightest thought, he continued his act as planned, before finally finishing after a few minutes. 

"So Dashie, I guess you liked it." he said, turning off his audio player with his eyes closed, sure of his performance. 

He was waiting for an answer, but it didn't come, so he looked around and found a pony on the edge of the explosion. His swollen cheeks and tears about to run down was the sign, and she let it all out. 

She burst out laughing so hard that her chair fell over, but she didn't care after the comedy she had just witnessed. Light was not enjoying himself, he was even quite upset by the mare's childish reaction. 

"I don't see what's so funny, you asked me for something hot, I kept my promise." he defended himself, crossing his arms and leaning on the desk. 

"HAHAHA, THAT WAS SO HILARANT." she said, rolling unconsciously on the floor, writhing more and more in her wild laughter. 

"Oh yeah, well go on, do better," he insisted, which stopped his girlfriend's crazy laughter. 

Rainbow Dash immediately got up and took Light by the collar of his shirt before throwing him on the bed. It took her approximately less than a millisecond to land on top of him. And as she took a wrapper out of her pocket that the couple knew well, she approached his face and whispered sensually in his ear. 

"Simple but effective." 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

It was in Applejack's room that she and John stayed to exchange gifts. The stallion's under stress, well, more than usual. Sitting on the mare's bed, she starts to take out the wrapping. 

"Here, this is for you." she says as she presents him with the gift wrapping. 

John took the gift and put it on her legs, the beating of her heart suddenly began to accelerate even though he had planned it. He began to remove the pieces of the red and gold wrapping piece by piece, revealing what was hidden inside. 

Once out in the open, John was speechless in front of the book. He was presented with a catalogue of dozens of dishes from chefs renowned throughout Equestria. Passionate about cooking, the stallion couldn't have dreamed of anything better, but just when he should be jumping for joy, his heart begins to turn more and more. 

God, what a fantastic gift... What is she going to think of mine, he wondered then, thinking of not having a gift worthy of her. 

"And so, this is your gift." asked the mare, surprising the land pony who turned around. 

Indeed, Applejack was holding a smaller package in his hand, which was a careful mix of orange and beige, reminiscent of his colors. 

As she looked at John, waiting for an answer, he was determined to take it out of her hands, at least in her mind. As he remained silent, he finally sighed in annoyance and nodded sadly. 

Seeing his distress coming, Applejack huddled closer to him as she began the opening. A tear is enough to reveal the gift, a heart-shaped pendant with the stallion's face inside. 

Although Applejack is not the type to wear this kind of accessory, she will make an exception for this. Rarity would love it if Drew gave her this, she thought. She hung it around his neck while John kept his eyes on the ground. 

"When I think of all the others who must have bought such incredible gifts!" he lamented before hiding his face in her hands. "Lance is amazing, Drew is amazing, and Light is just perfect... and what am I?" He said in a voice that sounded like it was going into the highest pitch, bordering on tears. 

Applejack knows she has to take care of John, and she knows how to do it. His hand rested against her shoulder to pull him closer to her. She then said too much to her question. 

"You?" 

She tenderly caresses his side, whispering in his ear. 

"You're the best, my stallion!" She affirmed before kissing him on the cheek, which brought the usual redness to his face. 

"T-Thank you, Applejack." was all he could say. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It is in the room next door that another couple rejoice and get together. Indeed, Drew and Rarity are very close to John and Applejack, fortunately the walls are thick enough, one should not interfere in such intimate moments. 

As agreed, both ponies deliver the package at the same time, and seeing the brand, they had a similar idea for the gift. 

"I didn't think you'd buy me a piece of clothing, Rarity." he said as he took the bag in his hand, swapping it with his own. 

"That's when you cheated on Drew." She corrected him. "I did take that bag, but the wonder inside is of my own design." she concluded happily. 

"It's true that you're good at sewing, I feel I'm going to love it." he says, sticking his hand in the bag, wanting to catch the good. 

It was by pulling out an all-white tuxedo, jacket as well as pants, that Rarity made his smile grow more and more. She must not have forgotten their first visit to the store together, and she clearly has an ulterior motive. 

"It's great, Rarity, thanks, I hope it fits me." he said, wanting to try it on. 

"Let's see it right now!" She nodded, using her magic, lifting Drew's top. 

Within seconds, Drew found himself shirtless, but the mare decided to look away, for a reason that was guessed by the stallion. 

"Well, well, well, the little unicorn is shy!" Is he joking as he hurries into this jacket whiter than his girlfriend's own? 

It's when he hears her take action that Rarity comes back to her, helping her with her magic to button up the jacket and also to put on the pants. For a few seconds she could see the stallion's imposing calves and thighs, he doesn't forget the legs and it shows. She fought as hard as she could and together they ended up dressing the black stallion in divine white, seemingly coming from the clearest clouds of Cloudstale. 

Then the smile Drew had on his face at first faded away. As for the first time, he was far from being tall enough for his slender body and well above average. 

He nodded disappointed and disappointed that he nodded. 

"Rarity... It's too tight... and the worst part is that I think you did it on purpose." he said as he noticed the mare's attitude. 

Rarity stood in front of him, his hands against his mouth to hide his all-too-satisfied smile. The stallion's abs were sticking out perfectly through the cloth, perhaps making them look better than when they were bare. 

Rarity did her job well, she seemed to think. 

"Oops." she said falsely as she began to get a nosebleed. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

The next scene takes place in the library, where Lance and Twilight usually meet. So it's no big surprise that they choose this place for their "date". 

Everybody is busy today, between all the couples who won't come (who represent about 80% of the ponies in high school according to the poll made by Teddy and Pinkie pie), and the singles who, under the risk of being alone in an avalanche of love, still prefer to stay at home, nothing will disturb them. 

Lance has ordered a book for Twilight, as was to be expected. This one is signed by Miss Plume, a world-famous writer whose lexicon is the only one to take the purple unicorn by surprise. Twilight never stops learning and will no doubt appreciate her books on equestrian history and philosophy. 

"I know her but don't have any of these books in the Ponyville library, thank you very much Lance." she thanks him followed by a discreet kiss on the cheek. 

She then handed her own gift to Lance, who took it from both hooves. The package is not very heavy and given the size and shape, Lance can easily guess that it is also a book. 

The package is quickly torn, leaving room for surprise on the stallion's face. 

"How to talk to girls in a friendly way?" He reads it out loud. 

"Yes, you told me yourself that you had a lot of trouble expressing yourself clearly and stress-free in front of other girls." she began in an explanation that will last. "I too was very nervous whenever I had to talk to someone, so I learned from books like this one. I think you know that, but mares and stallions have a completely opposite way of thinking. For example, we mares have..." she continues. 

Poor Twilight, she doesn't realize that her extended monologues are told in the wind. Most ponies would give her signs (discreet or not) that she talks a little too much, but not Lance. 

The stallion could not bring himself to be so rude and resigned himself to listening to her until she finished or realized her mistake herself. A few details escaped her as he looked at her, she who preferred to talk rather than breathe, it seemed. 

Problems to address others, would not say when have the way so. Maybe that's why he fell in love with it, he wondered. 

He then took the book back into his hands, still watching his girlfriend explain the tricks of the book. He understood that he didn't really need a book to talk to mares, as long as he could listen to them, that would be enough. 

He handed the book to Twilight, who suddenly stopped talking, looking surprised. 

"That's very nice of you, Twilight, but I don't really need it anymore." he replied sincerely, never taking his eyes off her. 

"Oh..." was all she could say, before she started smiling too. "Hey... good news then." she said. 

The two unicorns instinctively drew closer and began to kiss cheerfully. Books can't teach us everything, after all, sometimes we have to prefer testing. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Finally, in front of the establishment, and more precisely in this street that they now know well, two pegasus meet there every day. But today, in addition to their usual visit to Ganimède, Fluttershy and Harri intend to exchange gifts here. It's a good thing their pockets are big enough to carry their belongings. 

But above all, their happiness comes from the little kitten they feed and cherish, and he spends his first moment playing and taking care of it. 

It's undoubtedly thanks to this animal that the two have been able to get closer, they owe him a proud candle. 

After about ten minutes of playing ball with Harri and receiving pleasant cuddles from Fluttershy, the Pegasus is the first to bring it to the table. 

"Well, Fluttershy, you know what day it is today, so..." he starts before he gets cut. 

"What day is today? she asked unconsciously. 

The innocent question brought a strange feeling to Harri's face, as if he felt he had done well to ask the question, both relieved and anxious. 

"Uh, Fluttershy... It's... it's Valentine's Day today, you forgot..." he said penau, an air of disappointment in his voice. 

He was about to give her his present, and it might have been a little odd to give it to her without her knowing the context, Harri thought. As he regained his composure, he noticed the big smile on Fluttershy's face, soon accompanied by a childish, shy laugh. 

Fluttershy was sitting next to Ganimède, hiding her mouth with her hands and her eyes closed. She was so cute like that, Harri could not help but compliment her even though he wondered why she was laughing. 

"It was a joke Harri, I know very well what day it is." confessed the mare, looking the stallion in the eyes, as if apologizing. 

Harri didn't recognize Fluttershy, or rather had never known him in the joke, that's more the specialty of Pinkie pie or Rainbow Dash. But her sudden change of mood brought her back to her senses. 

"HAHA! You got me, Fluttershy." said the pegasus to please the mare before sitting down next to her. "So, as I was saying, it's Valentine's Day and I got you a present." 

Harri took a little box out of his pocket and placed it in Fluttershy's hand, and Fluttershy accepted his gift. But before she opened it, she also gave him her own present, which she'd been hiding all along. 

The two Pegasuses opened the boxes they were given at the same time, finding somewhat similar objects inside. Not to say completely identical. 

Harri and Fluttershy were surprised to find in both boxes the same tape recorder, black with the few buttons that made it work. They looked shocked at this common idea, before Harri started smiling loudly, pushing Fluttershy to do the same. 

"I didn't know you sang Fluttershy." he said cheerfully. 

"What?" he said. "How did you guess?" she began blushing, hiding her face behind her pink hair. "Did you do it, too?" She then asked in her increasingly discreet voice. 

"Well... Sort of." he replied, causing his hand to scratch her neck nervously, not hiding his blush from him too. "We can listen to mine first if you want," he suggested. 

Fluttershy regained confidence as he looked into Harri's eyes, he was as nervous as she was when she heard what the other was saying on that recording. She finally pressed the button and launched the camera. 

Then Harri did the same, both audios were covers of well-known songs about love. The melodious and rhythmic voices of the two Pegasus were a real pleasure to listen to together. 

At the end of the two songs, they didn't know what to say, they could only look at each other and hug each other, happy with the gift and the attention each gave to the other. With Ganimède huddling in the middle of their cuddle, the painting gave a family image to this simple little couple and their animal. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

For Teddy and Pinkie pie, it was the festive spirit that drove them to the different shops. A long way from Valentine's Day, the two ponies spent their afternoon buying things to prepare the end of the year's head with great pomp and circumstance. After all, they were giving each other pleasure by buying what the other wanted, weren't they? 

"We'll take this dough, I'm going to make my best muffins with it." Pinkie reacted when she spotted an ingredient she considered essential to each of her own parties when she was in Ponyville. 

"Okay, and I want these headphones, they'll be perfect for music." he says as he picks up a package containing what he's been looking for, his eyes shining with ecstasy as he reads the options on the device. 

They spent countless dollars, for their friends and all the people who will be there that day, but also for them, in a way...
> The prom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Valentine's Day, it was time to go back to studying and leave less and less time for our friends to have fun with each other. Except for Teddy and Pinkie pie, whose name as a couple had really not been understood, the rest of the lovebirds also had less intimate moments of any kind. A simple rendezvous was planned in advance which was not to everyone's liking, Light and Rainbow Dash preferring to surprise each other. 

As a result, when the school magazine finally announced the arrival of the prom, spirits were more than impatient for its arrival. 

Rarity had had a great idea for the party, which was already shaping up to be unforgettable, and was quick to inform the organizers. Teddy found the idea attractive and Pinkie jumped right out of her chair. For the first time in the newspaper's history, he was going to involve his readers, all the students in the school, as well as the teachers. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Calm down girls, you'll all get a chance to express yourselves through a vote!" Explains an earthy, beige mare with a curly brown mane. 

Her name is Alexia, and she and her partner Romuald are the presidents of the student body, the highest rank that students can attain. 

Indeed, it is this body that makes the law among the students, giving the guidelines to be followed to every other club, otherwise it will be immediately dissolved. Their role is to make life at the academy more pleasant, even if this year's regime seems more dictatorial than anything else. They are the ones who have been asked for permission to organize inter-class or inter-club activities, such as the end-of-year ball in this case. 

But today, the pupils are divided into two groups, the stallions on the first floor and the mares on the second. They sit around several round tables as if they were in a bar, discussing everything and nothing. Once the silence was established, she continued her explanation. 

"Well, so if we are here today it is because of a brilliant proposal from our dear Rarity here." she said, pointing to the unicorn, spanking that all eyes were on her. 

"Well, it's nothing you know." she decided to brag, remaining in the center of attention and smiling proudly. 

"Her idea is simple." Alexia continued as she regained the audience's attention for the prom. "We've decided to showcase the finest duo in the academy!" she exclaimed, bringing some surprised but cheerful glances. "The stallions are voting for the most beautiful mare among us and we're going to do the same now." 

The idea gradually emerged in most heads, until everyone understood and loved the idea. Some find simply electing the most beautiful stallion too reductive, but don't dare raise their voice, they won't change anything anyway. Besides, the idea is still nice... even if... 

"The most beautiful stallion, there's no point in taking a vote." exclaims the cyan pegasus as it is heard throughout the room. "We all know it's..." 

"LIGHT!!!" She was cut off by a pair of screams coming from behind, the butt flipped over sharply. 

At the table next to our friends' table were two ground mares, joining hands and jumping with excitement. The first thing you notice about her is their identical T-shirt, with a picture of the stallion inscribed "I ❤ Light". 

"He's so handsome." 

"and so strong" 

"he succeeds in everything he does" 

"and everything he does is sublimated." 

"he is powerful and protective" 

"while being adorable and sensitive" 

"he" 

"is..." 

"ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!" They cry out in unison, joining hands as all eyes are upon them. 

They make a strong impression on these two, but they have only Light as a subject of conversation. They are so fans of him that everyone has forgotten their names, calling them just tic and toc, yes, at this point. 

And although their praise may be flattering, they are not to Rainbow Dash's taste, finding the performance a little too focused on her boyfriend. 

"Calm down, you two, you're going to make Rainbow Dash nervous." nodded the president into the microphone with a slight smile, bringing laughter to the room. 

Before the pegasus swept over her, Applejack had the brilliant idea of tying her to her chair. Hell, no one had noticed her whip under her jacket, she has one in every situation. 

While Rainbow Dash is blushing with anger and must surely be thinking of freeing herself to kill Alexia by waving her chair around, she resumes her speech. 

"In any case, it's up to you, vote for the most beautiful stallion and only the most beautiful!" She says. 

The request led some of her friends to give a paper to each mare in the hall. Even the cyan pegasus received one, who finally managed to free herself from her bonds after expelling all the air from her lungs, holding her breath for several seconds. 

"So, are you going to vote for Light or are you going to feel obligated to choose your respective boyfriends?" The white unicorn asked the white unicorn as she used her magic to write the name of the popular Pegasus. 

"Well, if you really have to vote for the physically handsome one, it's hard not to think of someone other than Light." Twilight admitted sincerely. 

"Of course, the great mare that I am must have an equally great boyfriend!" She nodded and proudly slapped her chest. 

"Applejack, are you voting for John?" Fluttershy remarked. 

She seemed surprised at her friend's answer, she was probably the most honest of the group. The looks on her face demanded an explanation. 

"Light is beautiful, there's no doubt about it, but to be honest, I find John so cute and adorable when he needs comfort that I can't decide." she said as her friends looked at her, also surprised at her choice, which they eventually understood. "Besides, I don't really want John to find himself in the middle of the ballroom dancing with all the spotlight on him, it would put him in a bad position, but my vote alone won't change anything..." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"And the stallion who was voted the best-looking in the whole school is... JOHN!!! "Alexia shouted into the microphone, pointing to the land pony in the middle of the crowd. 

Eyes began to turn to the shy stallion, blushing and spanking himself smaller and smaller. It was without counting on Light who approached his friend and put his arm over his shoulders. 

"Wow, John, you beat me, and in a beauty pageant too, congratulations!" He glorified him with a friendly pat on the chest, happy that his friend was finally appreciated. 

Indeed, according to the president's explanations, Light is only second on the list and Thunderlane in third place, who is also very flattered. With the ready exception that the Dark Pegasus preferred to strut his stuff in front of his few admirers, in front of the lost gaze of his boyfriend. 

"WHAT? Isn't my boyfriend the handsomest? Impossible, there must be a mistake." complained the first place maniac, seeing this little game as a competition like any other. 

"Hey Dashie, it's just a fun game, nothing to be dramatic about." 

"Oh no, John, I'm sorry, I couldn't help but vote for you, but I thought I was the only one and Light would win hands down." justifies the earthbound mare caught off guard. 

Meanwhile, as Light held Rainbow Dash before she made a scene and the other stallions were disgusted to be beaten by this challenger that no one was expecting, John's reaction was passive. Indeed, he could not move an inch, not seeing how to react to the situation, although his blush betrayed his soaring nervousness. 

He saw several looks on him, visibly plaintive mare looks, probably thinking "how could he beat Light? I didn't vote for him!" 

Light's two fangirls soon joined Rainbow Dash in the ranks of the disgruntled, once again repeating the almost infinite strengths of Pegasus. But this did not change the president's mind, simply announcing that she was the winning mare and left without discussion, without even mentioning the other two favorite mares of the stallions. 

"You're joking, she's the most attractive mare? Does only one person find her attractive?" The black stallion also began to complain, wanting to see Rarity at the top of the podium. 

"It's true that it's weird, but it's just one night, they're going to dance a couple of times and that'll be it." he said to make it easier to get the message across, even though he had every intention of keeping an eye on her. 

--------------‐-------------------------------------‐----------- 

As the biggest party of the entire establishment began, it started rather well for most of the stallions and mares present. In contrast to the end of year party, reserved for the few present that day, almost all the students and teachers of the high school had answered the call, once again dressed in their best costume and their most beautiful dress for the great majority. 

It must be said that Teddy and Pinkie's production of the whole event made the ponies want to do it, as they knew what they were capable of. It has to be said that they delighted everyone during the year, their constant and welcoming good humor having something to do with it. Not to mention the resounding success of their newspaper, which even without dubious photos and montages still managed to gather a good part of the establishment around interesting information. 

Teddy was not only an excellent organizer, he was also a gifted writer, writing most of the articles and keeping their readers on their toes. 

And today, here at last is their centerpiece, the final and obligatory touch to this incredible year they had spent. The party would take place in the imposing courtyard of the academy, which was decorated with multitudes of balloons and other colorful light projectors, not forgetting the fountain that always stood in the middle. 

Strange that no one ended up in it all this year, by the way, because it was the perfect place to set someone's mind at rest. 

So, between the guests' three-piece costumes and the musical and colorful atmosphere of the place, everyone was going to spend an unforgettable evening. Especially our friend John, who was sitting on one side of this fountain, alone, trying to prepare himself mentally for what was about to happen. 

"Don't worry John, it's no big deal, just a little dance and it's over." Light said, trying to reassure him by bringing his hand to his shoulder. 

"Stallions and mares, welcome to the prom, first of all I'd like to thank Teddy and Pinkie pie, preparing him assiduously since the beginning of the year." announced the president on a place installed near the exit gate in her microphone presenting the two ponies. 

With some applause and praise for their friends, she continued. John looked at her fearfully as if she had threatened him before the party started. 

"I'll let Mr. President introduce you to the few activities that are planned." she said as she passed the microphone and descended from the platform from behind. 

As Romuald explained the various themes planned, Alexia began to approach our group of friends around the fountain, all of them dreading his arrival. 

"Come on, John, let's go." she ordered to the stallion, who didn't seem very serene at the thought. 

"Talk to him better than that... or you'll have to deal with me!" Applejack warns Applejack by bowing slightly in front of her, checking his eyes to see if there's any malice in there. 

"Oh come on dear Applejack, I'm not going to steal your stallion." she said, laughing happily and grabbing the hand of the land pony in question. Now hurry up, it's about to start!" 

And it is without much motivation that John finds himself as if chained, trapped by this mare who lures him further, further away to where? Further away from his friends anyway. 

Seeing them running through the yard gives Applejack what she would describe as "the irremediable desire to put an end to this sight". She could only close her eyes glibly as her friends began to tell each other their four truths about the situation again. 

"But to begin the evening, the grand ball featured two ponies stepping forward and taking to the stage. We decided to film them as a souvenir and to represent the establishment!" Explains Romuald as Alexia came back beside him, still holding John, who didn't dare to look the crowd of ponies in the face. 

They were going to film this involuntary dance... really? More and more doubts invaded the heads of our friends, looking even more at the two ponies with viper eyes. But they didn't have time to express their four truths... 

For the gate of the establishment opened, giving way to a white van with the logo "PoneyTV", Equestria's most watched national channel. The vehicle wandered through the courtyard and stopped near the entrance, letting its door open to let out two ponies: a mare with a smooth brown mane and a green stallion carrying a camera on his shoulder. 

"Welcome to you all, dear people of Equestria!" The journalist began by speaking into her microphone and turning to the camera. "Tonight is the end of the year party at the Pony Academia, a prestigious establishment with the best talents and we were warmly invited by the director Celestia herself." continued such. 

"WHA... is there a TV in here?" That's so cool." commented the Pegasus, moving a little closer to the camera, hoping to draw attention to the idols, who might be watching. 

"We're going to transcribe the entire event, starting with the ball and dance of the students elected stallion and mare of the academy!" Explains she smiling to her audience. 

"WHAT????" shouted part of the crowd. 

Alexia couldn't hide her growing smile at the announcement as John became more and more petrified. Being with a mare he didn't like, dancing with her in front of everyone, friends and enemies alike, even in front of his girlfriend, and now thousands of strangers were going to watch him screw up miserably. 

He saw the mare approaching again and wanted to grab her hoof, to which he had a reflex that probably saved her life. Running, running as far away as possible from the president who kept her almost sneering smile, apparently wanting the party to start, to hide behind Applejack, who made a screen with Light joining her. 

"Alexia, there's no way John is going to dance with you, especially in front of so many people." 

"Admit it, you just want to embarrass him,don't you?" 

"I mean, it's only one dance, it's no big deal." she nodded, trying to get around the two ponies. 

The cameraman had the professional reflex to turn to the altercation, it's good for the ratings. 

"If you absolutely want one dance, I'll take John's place, but just one." said the athletic pegasus. 

At his words, everyone turned definitively to him, who knows how many mares would have wanted to be the recipient of his words. In fact, just about all of them wanted him. 

"WHAT?!" Rainbow screamed at the vision, taking her eyes off the camera and turning to herself. "Are you serious, Light? I'm the one who has to dance with y..." 

Before she finished her sentence, she stopped herself when she saw that her stallion winked at her in the dark, the reporter noticed it, but decided not to comment for once, just making sure that her mate had filmed it. 

"Well, a-a-... all-r... DAMM IT !" she could hardly say that word. "All right, but don't take too much advantage, I'm watching you. " she said defensively. 

"It's not what I had planned, but it's not to displease me." Alexia replied to the offer. "I accept!" she said, presenting her hand to Light. 

Everyone was looking at them, as if they were going to make out right away, but of course it wasn't really the envy. Light walked two steps toward her, letting John and Applejack back into the crowd... safe for the shy pony. 

He finally took her hand, and surprising everyone, he quickly pulled her to the right, spanking her off balance in front of the camera. Light did what it took to keep her from wallowing on the ground, but you could see that he was not very happy with his partner, sighing loudly in silence. 

Finally he lifted her up to look at her with contempt, only their right hand being joined. 

"I'm sorry, Alexia, but I don't dance with a mare who doesn't know any salsa steps!" He said, disfiguring her with his eyes, which shocked her to the core. 

That's when Rainbow Dash understood the wink. He had surprised her on purpose, and apart from herself, no one could have followed Light in that devious step. 

Before she retaliated to justify her fall, Light turned her hand in hers, sending it in a strong yet graceful swirl through the crowd like a spinning top. The turns she was making unintentionally gave her a most unpleasant twirl, but fortunately for her, her sidekick Romuald managed to stop her in her tracks before she hurt anyone. 

She was so meaningless now that she could only hold on to him as best she could, Romuald taking her to the toilet very quickly in case she felt the urge to vomit. 

"On the other hand." said the Pegasus, who brought back looks at the person he really wanted to be filmed with. "There's someone here who knows the choreography perfectly." he announced, bringing his hand in front of him, raised to the one who had taken back a satisfied smile. 

Indeed, he was obviously addressing Rainbow Dash, who, not surprised to have understood his intentions, accepted without a shadow of a doubt. 

"That's my boyfriend!" she said to the camera, which filmed her proudly, puffing up her chest and stepping forward. 

The camera continued to follow the rainbow-colored mare's walk, as much by her mane as by her coat. It then stopped as Rainbow Dash took Light's hand in hers. 

It was with illuminated and impatient eyes that everyone could admire the incredible synchronization of the two dancers in perfect harmony. The camera couldn't miss a single crumb of the show, seeing its audience grow since the dance had begun. 

All the mares would have liked to have been in Rainbow Dash's place, sharing with the stallion of their dream a shared emotion by feeling their limbs get together and suddenly change their rhythm without it bothering them. But the cyan mare was not to be outdone either, and her share of femininity coming out without any attempt to hide it behind her broken voice could make most of the stallions in the yard envious. 

Few people had seen them at work at the end of the year party, so this show was new to many here. Even for their friends, the steps were similar, but this strange feeling in the air seemed different. Everyone could only accompany them in their night dance, some other couples also began to capsize in the sudden passion of exchanging a few steps with their partner, even though the camera wouldn't pay attention to them. 

That's how this last evening here had started so well, with the union of Light and Rainbow Dash in front of most of the screens. The mare wasn't even wondering if Spitfire or another Wonderbolts member was watching her anymore, she just wanted to keep dancing, probably all night long. 

There was no need to vote now, the two ponies that best represented the image of the Pony Academia: it was them.
> A fresh start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As most expected, the lightning acceleration of the events following the New Year's Eve party was more than feared, but it did happen. 

After this memorable evening, both in the minds of the participants and the spectators from their TV stations, classes quickly resumed with one goal in mind: the baccalaureate exam. 

While for some, it would pose no apparent problems, others could be seen as being on the brink, ready to miss their high school years in the space of a week. But of course, as always in these cases, the most stressed out have no real reason to be and the most serene are far too stressed out in view of their learning capacity. So yes, they can find excuses like "I'm not interested", or "I don't want to do mathematics or French later on", but they know there's no point in complaining. 

They know that, except in the rarest of cases, they all need that diploma. 

.......... 

That's what they told themselves when they came out of their last exam: the philosophy of Sir Ponyphia, the undisputed pioneer of his kind. 

"Oh, FINALLY, IT'S FINISHED!!" exclaimed the pegasus as they left the room, accompanied by the whole gang. 

The feeling of freedom overwhelmed her so much that she couldn't help but fly away despite the ban, far from the boring pens and concepts. For the only time of the year, Light hadn't blamed him for this, in fact, he had even followed him across the skies. 

"It's at times like this that flying makes sense." he said, smiling and twirling around at the same time. 

"I'd rather not rejoice right away, it's too early for that." informed John, still worried. 

"Don't worry John, the Baccalaureate is getting easier and easier, you'll get it with a mention, that's for sure." Lance comforted him. 

The group went to Light and Drew's room as usual to talk, and it was going to be the last time of the year... because 

-The next day- 

As the day just dawned, bordered by a few strong and pleasantly regulated rays of sunshine, the spirits were nevertheless not invited by happiness, it was rather nostalgia that welcomed them into her home. 

Because today they would leave each other, and only return to this once lively courtyard at the graduation. 

They were placed in a circle, twelve dots forming a simple geometric shape, representing the group spirit that reigned there. And... while most of them had good memories, others were beginning to feel the tears that came far too soon. 

The silence at the beginning reflected the difficulty of the goodbyes, since he would undoubtedly see himself again, reunited. But some came across danger, doubts and even death was not far away throughout the year. 

At least they had found one thing in common: love. 

Except maybe for Pinkie pie and Teddy, nobody knows what it's like with those two, they're so... so... 

...they're just Pinkie pie and Teddy. 

But even without that feeling, pure friendship seemed enough to find them almost in tears in each other's arms. 

"WHY! WHY PINKIE???" Complained Teddy as he fell on top of her, hugging her. 

"IT'S SO NOT FUNNY, I'M GOING TO MISS YOU, COUGH !!!" She screamed, mixing her tears with her grief. 

The rest of the group hadn't moved an inch, they just stood there and watched them moping over themselves. Some of them would have liked to have the same reaction to their halves, but they all had a voice inside them telling them to say goodbye a little less pitifully. 

...Harri didn't listen... 

"GOOD BLOOD!!!!" he shouted back. "I finally have a girlfriend and I have to get rid of her now, IT'S NOT JUST!!!" he complained in front of his friends. 

Fluttershy knew she had to react, but not knowing how to see the problem, she took a step before stopping, afraid to go any further. So it was without warning that the problem came to her, in the person of Harri, who threw herself at her girlfriend, hugging her tightly and tightly. 

He was no longer paying attention to others, and just wanted to stay by her side, in the warm contact of her cream-colored body. 

"I just... want... to stay with you!" He said he tightened up a little more, just enough to know that he wasn't smothering her. 

The scene was relatively unexpected, who would have thought that Harri, being able to chase a dozen mares at the same time, could be so gentle when needed. Fluttershy responded only with a growing blush, which amused the group, who could only smile with compassion... or even jealousy for some... 

It didn't take long for Rarity to feel abandoned by Drew, leaving him to admire all the love his friends were receiving without his usual taste buds. She decided to take the lead and leaned without a remark against his developed torso, making contact with his back and hair, smiling and finally touching him. 

Drew had seen right away that she was expecting signs of affection from him, and didn't need his consent to start stroking her mane without messing up her hair. He had mastered this by now, although he remembered being yelled at for doing it sometimes, the first few times are not perfect, especially when it comes to Rarity's mane. 

As she wrapped her arms around him, there were still three couples missing that didn't have their moment, and Applejack was the third to come forward right in front of John, his arms bent against his chest, as if he was dreading the moment. 

"A-AP-APp Appl..." 

"I'm not very good at goodbyes." she cut him off. "So..." 

She didn't like long speeches, and preferred simply to act, placing each of her hands around the head of the still glowing shy stallion. She smiled because she loved him, as naturally as possible, her semi-open eyes kept in touch with her boyfriend's. 

John would have a hard time breathing now... since his lips were occupied by the farmer's, and the only reaction he had was to close his hands and place them against the orange mare's chest. He had forgotten that he had a nose and no longer used it, yet he said nothing, and even tried to keep his eyes open as long as possible in the face of those shining emerald green eyes. 

Too bad the urge to breathe with his mouth came quickly, forcing him to hammer Applejack's body very weakly to beg her not to smother him with her love. She finally withdrew under the bewildered gaze of the others, everyone thought that only Rainbow Dash and Light would have had the guts to show themselves like that, but coming from her didn't seem to match the image they had of their last moments. 

And speaking of the two athletes, they hadn't yet moved from their respective places, waiting for everyone to be in everyone's arms. They must have thought they were the main act or something. 

So it was all about Lance and Twilight getting closer, even though physical contact wasn't their thing. Hesitantly, the two bookworms moved forward before stopping within a meter of each other. 

"So, are you going back to Manehattan to study computer science?" began the purple mare. 

"Yeah, what about you? Haven't you decided yet whether to study or go back to Ponyville?" he asked. 

"That's right, I know Starlight and Spike are doing just fine without me, but I can't help but think... blah blah blah..." 

No one was interested in the rest of the monologue, or at least not the two Pegasus who felt it lacked contact. Being busy conversing about the future, the unicorns didn't notice their friends passing by from behind. And with sneering smiles on their faces, they "inadvertently" pushed Lance and Twilight, finally spanking each other. At the same time, they would have fallen to the ground miserably without the accidental support of the other. 

"This is the last time you'll see each other for a long time, say you love each other seriously." Light said, slightly annoyed by his friends' attitude, still shy even though they've been supposedly in a relationship for several months. 

Once the balance was restored, Lance remembered specifically asking Light not to do something like that to him, but could he prove him wrong? 

Come to think of it, not really, he didn't know when he would see her again, this mare who allowed him to catch up with his quasi-phobia of talking one-on-one with a girl. This mare who was his companion in the library where he used to be a bit too lonely, even for his taste. This mare that he went to the far end of a cellar inhabited by a dangerous classmate. 

He loved this mare, so how would he look when he left her without something a little more extraordinary, at least for them. 

Feeling that he was asking himself too many questions and that there was probably another problem at work, he kissed Twilight as gently as he could, joining his hands with his own. She closed her eyes with him and followed his movements, trying at best not to pay attention to the pegasus, which had to watch them closely. 

Too late! she said to herself. 

She withdrew and saw two pairs of eyes wisely placed around them, looking at them with a smile resembling Pinkie Pie's. 

"Is this voyeurism over?" She asked, hiding her deepest self-consciousness. 

It's a pity we could hear it so clearly in her voice and see it on her face. 

"It's just that it's rare to see you like this." replied the cyan mare, smothering her laughter behind her hand. 

"Are you happy?" asked the exasperated unicorn stallion. "Now it's your turn." 

He didn't have to say it twice for the athletes to end up in each other's arms, kissing and rolling their tongues in every possible way. 

The scene instantly put most of the group in a state of disgust and admiration for what could have been described as a torrid scene. Of course, Drew and even Applejack seemed to feel no discomfort, the orange mare had even begun to imitate her friend cyan by taking up her own kiss with John. 

Then they separated as quickly as they had come together, without taking their hands off each other's manes, and above all, keeping the same passion in their eyes. Their magenta and sky-blue eyes were a good reflection of what they were thinking, they would have continued kissing for a long time to come, and nothing would really stop them from doing so, except their pride would convince them that it was enough for now. 

Light began to look away from the mare with the rainbow mane and turned to two absent from their group of friends. Very close to them, Soarin and Thunderlane reluctantly attended the scene and did not seem ready to see such a "thing" at that moment. It must be said that their own kisses were cuter and sweeter when those of the other two pegasus were fiery and warm. 

While one was happy that his girlfriend had found her perfect special pony, the other was more concerned about the possibility of training for this practice that he had never yet equaled. 

Smiling at the two stallions, Light opened his mouth. 

"Hey Thunderlane, Soarin, when you get to Wonderbolt Academy, take good care of my Dashie, okay!" He asked them, even though it sounded like an order, probably as captain of their sports team. 

Thunderlane was about to respond when a cyan fist gave Light a deep groan he hadn't expected, hitting him in the abdomen. He bent down on reflex and Rainbow just had to look him straight in the eye. 

"Boy, you ain't no better at this than I am, how you gonna do it, huh?" the mare asked him, and she turned the question around. 

"Don't worry, Rainbow, I'll take care of your boyfriend over there." said the dark-skinned colossus, laughing at his own comment. 

"Shut up, Drew!" Was all he could say, keeping his smile on his face nonetheless, and straightening up. 

They were all going to leave each other, after a year of hard work getting to know each other and bonding. And the first to leave were Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie pie aboard the Apple family truck, with only Big Mac driver. 

Seeing that his sister and friends were doing well on each of his visits, he greeted the stallions they knew after his sister had detailed each of them, and wished them good luck and a warm welcome home. He also cast a different glance at John, probably to judge him as his sister's boyfriend, not knowing how to treat him, in a positive way. They returned the salute and the four mares left faster than expected. 

Harri cried on Lance's shoulder, who himself bit his lip as he watched Twilight walk away, the Pegasus complaining again about his fate, while John held back his tears as he said goodbye to the one he loved and smiled sadly. Teddy made an effort to keep his usual smile, even though it sounded fake for the first time in years. 

They would return to Ponyville, one to help her family as she had done before, the other to assist what they saw as a second family in their bakery, another to see her library and her dragon assistant again, and the last to find all the animals she had left to someone she trusted. 

Then it was the turn of Lance, John and Rarity to leave, the three were heading to Manehattan for the continuation of their studies by train that night. The fashionista had been accepted into a prestigious fashion school that had already created several talents across Equestria. The computer scientist in the making is going to a center for new technology where he will be creating and imagining devices in all their electronic glory. As for the earthly stallion, it was a small, unpretentious cooking school that accepted his application, and he preferred this to joining a big football club, it was more to the liking of his two sporting friends. 

As usual, Light reiterated to John the importance of warning him if something happened with his father before seeing the three of them on the road. 

Then the next destination for the group was the Crystal Empire, where Harri and Teddy were headed. The Pegasus decided to try his luck in a singing show, based on the cheers of his friends during a karaoke session... under the influence of drink, it seemed like a good idea. But he'll always have a plan B, which is to become a model in a well-known shop there. 

Teddy, on the other hand, had heard that the locals weren't the happiest people in Equestria, so he decided to apply to the biggest nightclub in the city. No matter how much money he would make, all he wanted to do was make them smile and have the time of his life. 

The route they were given was through the mountains, it was going to be a fun ride. 

Rainbow Dash waited to leave last, since she and her two friends would simply take to the air, and flying at night didn't bother them. On the contrary, it was a good thing to know where to find your way in the dark to join the Wonderbolts, it's true that most of their show goes on late. 

Unlike all the others who had to get to the train station, it was at the end of a night bus that Light and Drew were waiting. The two athletes have already made a name for themselves this year and have the honor of being automatically accepted at the Olympia Academy. This is nothing less than the school that trains the greatest athletes from all over the continent, most of them ending up in the Equestria games with the main competitor . 

The other pony academy... the Wonderbolts. 

Although the advantage of the Olympia academy is that it is not closed to unicorns and land ponies. 

But this prestigious academy could only be found in one place: Canterlot. So it is in front of a bus far from representing the major city of Equestria that the last goodbyes are said. 

The bus starts, and is quickly overtaken by three flashes of different colors passing over it and gradually disappearing from the driver's view. Light and Drew are alone inside, sitting side by side in the back, the big black pony looking out of the window. 

He heard something that made him turn around and turn to his friend who had just said goodbye to his beloved one for good. And that sound could only be one thing... 

"Light, are you okay?" he asked, concerned about his friend's sudden reaction. 

The pegasus simply looked ahead of him, smiling and sitting normally. It was without considering a few tears falling on his cheeks and breathing more jerky than after an intense match. He understood why Drew was asking him this question and brought his hand against the last drop of water he felt to his left. 

"I promised myself... I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of her!" He replied. 

"And you kept your promise." his friend immediately added, placing a fraternal hand on her shoulder. 

Light finished wiping the cursed dust out of his eye by agreeing to his comment. He must have been more emotional than he thought. 

"You think she's crying, too?" 

"Nah, that's my Dashie, she wouldn't cry just for good-byes." 

--------------------------------------------------------- 

"Thunderlane, maybe we should have waited before we left, it's raining hard." said Soarin, almost closing her eyes, not wanting to be blinded by drops falling into her pupils. 

The stallion with the now-soaked Mohawk just pointed out the source of the problem, and Soarin, not understanding, raised his head. 

"WHY!!!!! FOR ONCE I FIND SOMEONE AS COOOOOL AS MEEEEE!!!" A mare screamed in agony, more emotional than she wanted. 

They were going to have work to do before they even started their training...